TOP UN ENVOY IN IRAQ DENOUNCES KIDNAPPING OF CHRISTIAN LEADER

TOP UN ENVOY IN IRAQ DENOUNCES KIDNAPPING OF CHRISTIAN LEADER New York, Mar 1 2008 6:00PM The senior United Nations official in Iraq has condemned yesterday's kidnapping of a Catholic Chaldean archbishop in an attack in the northern city of Mosul that led to the killing of the religious leader's driver and two of his bodyguards.

Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, "denounces the continuous kidnapping, killing, and the targeting of religious minorities," according to a statement released by his office in Baghdad today.

"It is appalling that these attacks on communities that have lived peacefully together in north Iraq for centuries are continuing," he said, following the kidnapping of Monsignor Paul Faraj Rahhu, Archbishop of Mosul.

Mr. de Mistura called on the Iraqi Government to step up its efforts to protect the country's minorities and its diversity -- which is enshrined in the national constitution -- and to preserve human rights.

He also urged local authorities to play their part in protecting the rights of minorities and their religious identity, noting that the Archbishop of Mosul was only the latest in a long line of members of the Christian and other minority communities in Iraq to be killed, abducted or displaced from their homes.

2008-03-01 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

WORSENING CONFLICT IN GAZA LEAVES CHILDREN AT PARTICULAR RISK, UNICEF WARNS

WORSENING CONFLICT IN GAZA LEAVES CHILDREN AT PARTICULAR RISK, UNICEF WARNS New York, Mar 1 2008 6:00PM The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today voiced its deep concern at the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip, warning both Israel and the Palestinians to "take all feasible measures" to ensure the protection and care of children caught up in the violence.

Since the current upsurge in fighting began on Wednesday, at least 17 children from Gaza have been killed and more than 200 others injured, UNICEF said in a statement, quoting figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry.

UNICEF noted that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also expressed his deep concern in recent days at civilian deaths in both Gaza and southern Israel and issued a call for maximum restraint from all sides.

"The Convention on the Rights of the Child puts an emphasis on the need to take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict," the UNICEF statement said. "In addition to being its direct casualties, the terrifying impact of this conflict affects all children.

"Children constitute more than half the population of Gaza and are bearing the brunt of the crisis. They are already suffering severely from a series of restrictions, including the blockade on most goods imposed since June 2007."

2008-03-01 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN AND UNITED STATES CRITICAL PARTNERS ON A RANGE OF GLOBAL ISSUES - BAN KI-MOON

UN AND UNITED STATES CRITICAL PARTNERS ON A RANGE OF GLOBAL ISSUES – BAN KI-MOON New York, Feb 29 2008 7:00PM In finding solutions for the Darfur conflict, global warming, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and a host of other issues, the United Nations and the United States were essential partners, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told former president George Bush and other US officials on his first visit to the state of Texas today.

"The United Nations has no better friend than America," Mr. Ban said in remarks to the William Waldo Cameron Forum on Public Affairs at the Bush Presidential Library.

"According to opinion polls, three quarters of Americans believe the United Nations should play a larger role in the world," he added. "Why? Because working together is in the best interest of the United States. It's in the best interest of the UN and the best interest of the world."

Turning to Darfur, Mr. Ban said the US and UN were working together because Americans, including current US President George W. Bush, want action to end a conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives and forced 2.2 million from their homes.

Darfur, he said, was also about climate change, since drought and other climate effects had boosted tensions there and in many parts of the world.

He said the UN must work on climate change because it is a global problem, and the engagement of the US is crucial because markets, technology and entrepreneurship are a big part of the solution.

"Visiting Silicon Valley last summer, I saw how venture capital is pouring into new technologies for renewable energy and fuel efficiency," he said, noting that a recent report by the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/">UNEP) estimates that investments in clean energy technology could reach $1.9 trillion by 2020.

Beside his theme of partnership on global issues, Mr. Ban's remarks today were peppered with personal reminiscences concerning the idea of the US, and the statesmanship of former president Bush.

"As a boy growing up in South Korea, I was inspired by America and its noble ideals," he said. "American soldiers saved my country from communist aggression. They were so friendly to me and so generous. I'm still grateful for the sacrifice the American people made for my nation," he affirmed.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

DEEPENING DROUGHT IN CENTRAL SOMALIA ALARMS UN AID AGENCIES

DEEPENING DROUGHT IN CENTRAL SOMALIA ALARMS UN AID AGENCIES New York, Feb 29 2008 5:00PM United Nations humanitarian agencies and their partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are stepping up their support in central Somalia, where the drought has worsened, leaving many rural families destitute as water shortages become severe and grazing for livestock becomes increasingly limited.

Most traditional water catchments are either dry or drying up, which is placing extra pressure on the few functioning boreholes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/News/tabid/1080/Default.aspx">OCHA) reported today.

Mudug and Galguduud administrative regions are the hardest hit by the ongoing long dry season, and OCHA said relief assistance will be needed at least until the next harvest, expected in July-August.

The UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) and its NGO partners are providing water tankers, constructing shallow wells and installing water pipes in Galguduud, as well as supporting 12 maternal health centres and four other health posts serving more than 20,000 young children.

The security and humanitarian situation inside the town of Dhuusamarreeb, the capital of Galguduud, is worrying UN staff following the arrival of Ethiopian troops last Friday. Field reports indicate that two-thirds of the town's residents have fled, fearing a confrontation between the Ethiopian troops and anti-government groups.

In the Bay administrative region, the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP) has had to suspend an ongoing food distribution scheme because of the heavy fighting taking place in Dinsor town.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) also reported that another 700 people inside the national capital, Mogadishu, were displaced by fighting this week, bringing the total this year to 51,000.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

TIMOR-LESTE: UN WELCOMES APPREHENSION OF ALLEGED ASSOCIATES OF REBEL LEADER

TIMOR-LESTE: UN WELCOMES APPREHENSION OF ALLEGED ASSOCIATES OF REBEL LEADER New York, Feb 29 2008 5:00PM The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmit/index.html">UNMIT) has welcomed the arrest and detention of five people wanted in connection with the activities of the late rebel commander Alfredo Reinado, who was killed earlier this month during the attack on President Jose Ramos-Horta.

The five were handed over in the capital Dili last night by the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) to UN Police (UNPol), who in turn formally arrested them and produced them before the Dili District Court.

The Court has ordered that they be remanded in UNPol's custody for the night and appear again this morning.

This process exemplifies the national authorities' commitment to the law, said the Secretary-General's Special Representative Atul Khare, who has conveyed his appreciation for the peaceful arrests to Interim President de Araujo and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão.

"The PNTL and UNPol, along with the Falantil-Armed Forces of Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) and the International Security Forces, are all playing a role in operations to apprehend those involved in attacks by Reinado and his men," he said in a press release issued in Dili.

Mr. Reinado had been the target of investigations by the UN Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste, set up to examine the deadly violence that erupted in the tiny nation in April-May 2006. It found that he and his group were reasonably suspected of committing crimes during the fighting.

The 2006 crisis, attributed in part to differences between Timor-Leste's eastern and western regions, began in April with the firing of 600 striking soldiers, a third of the overall armed forces. Ensuing violence claimed at least 37 lives and drive 155,000 people, or about 15 per cent of the total population, from their homes. The Security Council created UNMIT in August that year to help restore stability.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN MISSION HELPS IVORIANS REPAIR POLLING STATIONS AHEAD OF SCHEDULED ELECTIONS

UN MISSION HELPS IVORIANS REPAIR POLLING STATIONS AHEAD OF SCHEDULED ELECTIONS New York, Feb 29 2008 5:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission to Côte d'Ivoire (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/index.html">UNOCI) says it has repaired almost 90 per cent of polling stations across the West African country ahead of national presidential polls planned for later this year.

Electoral experts with the mission have repaired some 9,150 stations out of a total of 10,493, the director of UNOCI's electoral assistance division, Ahmedou El Becaye Seck, told reporters at a press conference in Abidjan yesterday.

Mr. Seck said mission staff have also helped update the country's electoral cartography so that local authorities can more easily identify the population and register voters before the polls.

By helping to organize the mobile court hearings across the country, about 400,000 people have received substitute birth certificates, according to the mission.

Identification of eligible Ivorian voters has been a major issue in the nation, which in 2002 became divided between the Government-controlled south and the rebel-held north, and led to the deployment of UNOCI to keep the peace.

The Ouagadougou Political Agreement, reached early last year, is designed to end the political stand-off. It calls for the formation of a new transitional government, the holding of free and fair elections, and merging the national defence and security forces with the rebel Forces Nouvelles into an integrated body.

Today, after meeting with Ivorian Justice Minister Mamadou Koné in Abidjan, the Secretary-General's Special Representative Y. J. Choi praised the leadership of Ivorian authorities in the mobile court process and pledged UNOCI's continuing support.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN SAYS REFUGEES FLEEING NEW ATTACKS IN DARFUR, MANY TO DANGEROUS AREA OF CHAD

UN SAYS REFUGEES FLEEING NEW ATTACKS IN DARFUR, MANY TO DANGEROUS AREA OF CHAD New York, Feb 29 2008 3:00PM As West Darfur continues to be scourged by a new wave of air and ground attacks, the United Nations refugee agency estimated today that more than 13,000 Sudanese have fled to a remote area of Chad that is beset by its own inter-ethnic strife.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47c7f20a4.html">UNHCR), just this week an additional 3,000 refugees arrived in eastern Chad's volatile Birak area, where an assistance mission was cancelled yesterday after armed men on horseback were spotted, along with black smoke rising from a burning village.

"The insecurity and close proximity to the Sudanese border mean UNHCR cannot establish a camp in the Birak area, but we are trying to provide emergency assistance when our teams can get there," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said in Geneva.

The agency is still awaiting approval from the Government of Chad to move the refugees to existing camps that already house 240,000 people uprooted by the five-year conflict in Darfur, in which the Sudanese Government and militias are fighting rebel factions and in which over 200,000 people, mainly non-combatants, have died.

A UNHCR team which reached the Birak area earlier in the week reported that the new arrivals had come there because of repeated militia assaults on the Jebel Moun region of West Darfur.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Special Representative for Sudan, Ameerah Haq, visited Sileah in West Darfur yesterday as part of an inter-agency assessment mission and found the town – which normally has a population of 20,000 – almost empty.

Only around 300 people remained, mostly elderly citizens who could not flee. The town was attacked on 8 February, in the beginning of the current onslaught.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

FUEL ALLOWED INTO GAZA, BUT OTHER CROSSINGS STILL CLOSED, SAY UN OFFICIALS

FUEL ALLOWED INTO GAZA, BUT OTHER CROSSINGS STILL CLOSED, SAY UN OFFICIALS New York, Feb 29 2008 3:00PM One border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip was opened for fuel today, allowing 400,000 litres to enter Gaza, but the three crossings for humanitarian and commercial goods remain closed, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) reported.

Today's opening means the electricity situation inside Gaza, home to an estimated 1.4 million people, has returned to where it was last week, according to UNSCO. That means power cuts of up to 12 hours a day in Gaza City and in central Gaza.

Supplies of essential goods in Gaza have been dwindling since Israel imposed tight restrictions last month on entry to and exit from the area, in response to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants in Gaza against targets in southern Israel.

UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks about the humanitarian impact of the restrictions on daily life in Gaza.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

LATEST ERITREAN OBSTRUCTION OF RELOCATION EFFORTS STRANDS OVER 100 BLUE HELMETS

LATEST ERITREAN OBSTRUCTION OF RELOCATION EFFORTS STRANDS OVER 100 BLUE HELMETS New York, Feb 29 2008 3:00PM Eritrea's latest obstruction of the efforts by the United Nations peacekeeping mission to temporarily relocate across the border in Ethiopia have resulted in more than 100 blue helmets being stranded inside the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) between the two Horn of Africa nations.

In the southern town of Senafe today, Eritrean soldiers blocked the movement of the mission's personnel and equipment as it seeks to regroup its staff and assets in Asmara ahead of its temporary relocation to Ethiopia.

This most recent obstruction has left 102 peacekeepers from the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmee/index.html">UNMEE) stuck in the TSZ, with 21 vehicles sent to collect them unable to do so, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

Also today, an additional 13 blue helmets and 8 UN vehicles were also stopped by Eritrean soldiers at the same Senafe checkpoint.

Azouz Ennifar, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative, today was reassured over the telephone by Eritrean authorities that there have been no explicit instructions from the Government to prevent UNMEE from relocating.

In spite of the obstructions, the mission reports that only two camps remain to be vacated, and UNMEE's military headquarters near the town of Barentu will be relocated by this Sunday.

All military observers have been accounted for, with 104 moved to Asmara and 11 in the port town of Assab.

Earlier this month, the UN decided to relocate to Ethiopia after Eritrea cut off diesel fuel supplies to UNMEE, paralyzing the operation on that side of the border.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

AFGHANISTAN: UN RUSHES AID AS LIVESTOCK SECTOR HIT HARD BY EXTREME COLD

AFGHANISTAN: UN RUSHES AID AS LIVESTOCK SECTOR HIT HARD BY EXTREME COLD New York, Feb 29 2008 2:00PM The harshest winter weather conditions in nearly three decades has devastated Afghanistan's livestock – with over 300,000 animals dying since last December – and the United Nations is providing support by sending some 80 tons of feed to the hardest-hit farmers.

Nearly 800 people have lost their lives in the extreme cold, and many others, particularly shepherds and their families, have been severely frostbitten and have required emergency amputation, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000802/index.html">FAO).

"The situation is very worrying," said Samuel Kugvei, the agency's acting Representative in Afghanistan. "Livestock are a lifeline for many of the affected households, whose food situation is already precarious."

Livestock devastation is compounded by high fuel, vegetable oil and cereal prices, further increasing food insecurity, FAO warned.

Together with the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, the agency has distributed 20 tons of feed in Herat, one of the provinces most affected, and 60 tons of feed concentrate to farmers in Bamiyan.

The agency is also appealing for mover than $2 million to provide 1,500 tons of feed, as well as vaccines, multi-vitamins and anti-parasitic treatment for the livestock of 50,000 vulnerable families. To date, the European Commission's humanitarian aid division, known as ECHO, has pledged $500,000 for 500 tons of feed concentrate.

FAO also warned that high global prices of wheat, the main staple, combined with the low purchasing power of a large portion of the population mean that Afghanistan's commercial import requirement this year of 550,000 tons of wheat may be met.

But according to early forecasts, prospects for this year's wheat crop are favourable, with heavy snowfall last month making up for below-normal precipitation earlier this season.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

BOSNIAN COURT JAILS TWO FORMER GUARDS AFTER REFERRAL FROM UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL

BOSNIAN COURT JAILS TWO FORMER GUARDS AFTER REFERRAL FROM UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL New York, Feb 29 2008 2:00PM Two Bosnian Serb guards who persecuted non-Serbs at a prison camp during the Balkan wars of the 1990s have been convicted and sentenced to jail by a national court in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the case was transferred from the jurisdiction of a United Nations war crimes tribunal.

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina yesterday sentenced Mitar Raševi&#263; to eight and a half years in prison and Savo Todovi&#263; to 12 and a half years after finding them guilty of crimes and humanity.

Mr. Raševi&#263; was the guards' commander and Mr. Todovi&#263; was the deputy warden at a detention centre in Foca in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina that operated between April 1992 and October 1994. The court found that both men participating in setting up and maintaining a system of punishment and mistreatment of detainees, including the use of forced labour.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY), which is based in The Hague, indicted the two men in 1997, but the Tribunal ruled in September 2006 that it would refer the case to the court system of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Referring cases is part of the ICTY's efforts to try to strengthen the rule of law across the region and enhance its partnership with judiciaries in the former Yugoslavia. Although the ICTY still tries the cases involving the most senior figures from the war, some intermediate and lower-rank accused have been referred to national courts.

So far, the Tribunal has referred six cases involving 10 accused to the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

LEBANON: EUROPEAN MARINERS TAKE THE WHEEL OF UN COASTAL FLEET

LEBANON: EUROPEAN MARINERS TAKE THE WHEEL OF UN COASTAL FLEET New York, Feb 29 2008 12:00PM A European naval group today took command of United Nations peacekeeping's first-ever maritime task force (MTF), which was deployed off the coast of Lebanon in 2006 to curtail arms smuggling following that year's war between Israel and Hizbollah.

"Thanks to the vigilant posture of MTF, the maritime front has been as calm as the sea today," Major-General Claudio Graziano, Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/">UNIFIL), <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/pr109e.pdf">said at a ceremony passing command from Germany, which led the sea operation since its inception in October 2006, to the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR).

EUROMARFOR was formed in 1995 by France, Italy, Portugal and Spain to carry out naval, air and amphibious missions for humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.

At the hand-over ceremony, held aboard the flagship FGS Bayern off Beirut, outgoing MTF commander Rear Admiral Christian Luther of Germany presented a UN flag to Rear Admiral Ruggiero Di Biase of Italy, which now heads the European force.

Maj.-Gen. Graziano congratulated the MTF personnel on their work over the past 14 months. "This has greatly contributed not only to the success of UNIFIL in implementing resolution 1701, but also directly to the security and prosperity of Lebanon as a whole," he said.

Since the start of its operations MTF has hailed more than 13,000 ships and referred 70 suspicious vessels to the Lebanese authorities for further inspection.

Eight countries have contributed naval units to the MTF: Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Turkey.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN REFUGEE CHIEF TO HEAD TO UGANDA AND TANZANIA

UN REFUGEE CHIEF TO HEAD TO UGANDA AND TANZANIA New York, Feb 29 2008 11:00AM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will embark on an 8-day mission next week to Uganda and Tanzania to assess the situation of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

While in Tanzania, António Guterres will kick off a two-year programme to bring an end to one of the world's oldest protracted refugee situations: the exile of some 218,000 people from neighbouring Burundi who were forced to flee their country in 1972.

"It will be one of our most important programmes on the African continent this year," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond said in a <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47c7f20be.html">press briefing in Geneva.

The so-called "1972 Burundians" are among the hundreds of thousands of Burundians who sought refuge in neighbouring countries that year to escape ethnic violence which killed an estimated 200,000 people. They are distinct from the over 110,000 Burundian refugees who arrived subsequently.

After more than three decades, a breakthrough came last year when Tanzania announced its intention to close 'Old Settlements' which have been hosting Burundians who arrived in 1972, and the Governments of both countries have been working with UNHCR to find a solution.

On 9 March, Mr. Guterres will launch the first repatriation by train of the "1972 Burundians" – of whom 20 per cent have expressed their desire to return to their home country – from Katumba settlement in Rukwa district.

Those who wish to stay will be able to register for possible naturalization in Tanzania, and the roughly 76,000 refugees who are over 18 years old are expected to apply for Tanzanian citizenship.

Last week, UNHCR appealed for $34 million to aid the voluntary repatriation and reintegration of the more than 40,000 refugees who wish to return to Burundi and also to assist those who choose to stay in Tanzania to integrate into their local communities.

In addition to Burundians, Tanzania also currently shelters 96,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mr. Redmond said.

During his stop in Uganda, the High Commissioner will visit Mulanda transit centre, where 1,600 of the 12,000 Kenyans who have fled recent post-electoral violence are taking refuge.

He will also meet with some IDPs who have returned to their homes in the Pader district in the north of Uganda. Nearly one million Ugandan IDPs have returned or are preparing to do so since the movements began in 2006.

Since UNHCR started its voluntary repatriation programme in May 2006, almost 35,000 Sudanese refugees have returned home from Uganda.

For the Uganda leg of his trip, Mr. Guterres will be joined by Jean-Louis Schiltz, the Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian of Luxembourg, the top UNHCR donor per capita by far, contributing $25 per inhabitant in both 2006 and 2007.
2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

SURGE IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE CROSSING SEA TO ITALY FROM LIBYA, UN REPORTS

SURGE IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE CROSSING SEA TO ITALY FROM LIBYA, UN REPORTS New York, Feb 29 2008 10:00AM There has been a sharp increase in the number of people crossing the sea from Libya to Italy this week, with over 1,000 people arriving after making the hazardous journey across the Strait of Sicily, the United Nations refugee agency announced today.

"Most of the migrants are Somalis, Tunisians, Nigerians, Moroccans, Ghanaians, Palestinians and Algerians," said Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<" http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47c7f20c7.html">UNHCR ), told reporters in Geneva.

Between 22-27 February, 1,104 people arrived at the island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, while 41 reached the island of Pantelleria and 35 were rescued off the coast of Sardinia.

So far this month, a total of 1,855 migrants have landed on the shores of Lampedusa, setting a new record despite the harsh weather conditions, compared to 345 last February.

"We don't know the reasons behind the increase," Mr. Redmond noted.

Italy's coasts are an entry point for potential asylum seekers, with some 30 per cent of arrivals applying for asylum last year. Around 65 per cent of the people arriving by boat who filed applications in 2007 were granted a form of protection.

Nearly 20,000 people arrived in Italy's islands or the mainland by boat from North Africa last year, compared with 22,000 the year before. In 2007, at least 471 people were reported dead or missing.

UNHCR, together with the Italian Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has been working on Lampedusa since March 2006 to assist those fleeing conflict and persecution and risking their lives to cross the sea to Italy.

2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

IRAQ: TOP UN ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS

IRAQ: TOP UN ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS New York, Feb 29 2008 10:00AM Strongly condemning attacks against media representatives in Iraq, a top United Nations envoy today deplored the assassination of a journalist in the war-torn nation.

Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, expressed his condolences to the Iraqi Journalists' Union and to the family of Shihab al-Tamimi, who was killed on 23 February.

Attacks against media representatives are tantamount to "repressing press freedom and freedom of expression that are an essential component of democracy," he said in a statement issued in Baghdad. The killing of Mr. al-Tamimi is an example of the dangers faced daily by journalists in Iraq, he added.

Expressing solidarity with all Iraqi journalists, Mr. de Mistura said the courage they display will ensure that the tragic death of Mr. al-Tamimi will not intimidate them from carrying out their vital work.

2008-02-29 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HAILS CUBAN SIGNATURE OF KEY UN HUMAN RIGHTS TEXTS

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HAILS CUBAN SIGNATURE OF KEY UN HUMAN RIGHTS TEXTS New York, Feb 28 2008 7:02PM General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim today welcomed Cuba's signing of two key United Nations human rights documents: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICPPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

During a meeting with Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, Mr. Kerim also discussed the main priorities for the current Assembly session, including climate change, financing for development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and counter-terrorism.

The Assembly President thanked Cuba for its support as well as for the country's efforts as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), according to a statement issued by Mr. Kerim's spokesperson.

In today's talks, Cuba's Foreign Minister voiced his nation's support for the work of the Assembly, including its upcoming debate on how to improve progress towards some of the MDGs.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

NEPALESE ACCORD WITH ETHNIC MADHESIS WILL HELP PLANNED ELECTIONS, SAYS UN ENVOY

NEPALESE ACCORD WITH ETHNIC MADHESIS WILL HELP PLANNED ELECTIONS, SAYS UN ENVOY New York, Feb 28 2008 7:01PM The Secretary-General's Special Representative to Nepal has welcomed today's agreement between the seven-party alliance that forms the country's Government and the leadership of the ethnic Madhesi movement from the southern plains.

"Its implementation will be an important contribution to the election of an inclusive Government Assembly in a conducive climate," Ian Martin said in a statement to the press in Kathmandu, the capital, after the agreement was signed by the Government and the United Democratic Madhesi Front.

The accord meets the key demands of the Madhesi movement and calls an immediate end to their 16-day shutdown, or general strike, in Nepal's southern plains region, which has seen a number of deaths and scores of injuries and crippled supplies to Kathmandu.

The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) also said that under today's eight-point deal, quotas for party lists will be relaxed, which will allow for an increase in Madhesi candidates in many lists for seats to be elected through proportional representation.

Elections for Nepal's Constituent Assembly are now scheduled to be held on 10 April, after being postponed twice last year.

Once elected, Assembly members are supposed to draft a new constitution for Nepal, where an estimated 13,000 people were killed during the decade-long civil war that ended when the Government and the Maoists signed a peace accord in 2006.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

ZIMBABWE: UNICEF HELPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN AGAINST SURGING CHILD RAPE RATES

ZIMBABWE: UNICEF HELPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN AGAINST SURGING CHILD RAPE RATES New York, Feb 28 2008 7:02PM With the number of reported cases of children raped in Zimbabwe surging more than 40 per cent in the last three years, the United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) has joined with the Government and religious groups in an awareness campaign to fight the scourge.

The Zimbabwean Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, the National Faith Based Council of Zimbabwe, and UNICEF yesterday launched their Stand Up and Speak Out campaign against child abuse, aiming to reach more than six million of the African country's citizens.

"The Stand Up and Speak Out information campaign will confront all types of abuse of children – sexual, physical, neglect and verbal," UNICEF's Representative in Zimbabwe, Festo Kavishe, said.

"If perpetrators are going to be stopped and if children are going to have the confidence to speak out against these evils, then families, communities and schools must concentrate on the value of children, and how they deserve our love and respect," he said.

In a press release, UNICEF said the information campaign is aimed at raising awareness of all forms of child abuse, the damage caused, how child abuse can be prevented, and importantly where to get help.

It said the campaign includes programming for radio, television, signage and print media, and well as training and materials for church sermons, Sunday school classes, and other religious activities.

Iconic Zimbabwean gospel singer Shingisai has written a campaign song, which will air on national radio and, hopefully, be sung in churches across the country.

Official police figures show that there were 2192 reported "rape cases involving children 16 years and below" in 2003. In 2006 this jumped to 3112, an increase of 42 per cent.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

NEW UN-FINANCED JOB PROJECTS IN HAITIAN CAPITAL SET TO HELP OVER 7,000 PEOPLE

NEW UN-FINANCED JOB PROJECTS IN HAITIAN CAPITAL SET TO HELP OVER 7,000 PEOPLE New York, Feb 28 2008 7:01PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission to Haiti has announced it will fund six projects that are expected to eventually provide temporary jobs to more than 7,000 people living in the notorious Cité Soleil and Martissant neighbourhoods of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In a press conference held yesterday in Port-au-Prince, representatives of the mission – known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH – said at least $522,000 will be spent on the projects, which will focus on street paving, sanitation and rebuilding and improving public spaces.

Cité Soleil and Martissant have long been renowned as centres of high crime, poverty and unemployment, and the projects aim to break the link between the phenomena. Both former gunmen and the victims of violence are expected to benefit from the jobs produced by the projects.

Adama Ndao, a MINUSTAH official specializing in trying to reduce community violence, told the press conference that the projects are scheduled to begin at the start of next month.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will help carry out the projects, along with the municipalities of Port-au-Prince and Cité Soleil.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

ASSISTING DECOLONIZATION PROCESS ONE OF UN'S PROUDEST CHAPTERS - BAN KI-MOON

ASSISTING DECOLONIZATION PROCESS ONE OF UN'S PROUDEST CHAPTERS – BAN KI-MOON New York, Feb 28 2008 7:00PM Lauding the United Nations' facilitation of decolonization as one of the "proudest chapters" in the Organization's history, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sgsm11440.doc.htm">urged the process of hundreds of millions of people worldwide exercising their right to self-determination to continue.

"As you know better than anyone, this chapter is still being written," Mr. Ban told this year's <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/gacol3167.doc.htm">session of the Special Committee on Decolonization in New York.

Compared to 72 Non-Self-Governing Territories on the UN's decolonization list when the world body was created in 1945, there are currently 16 such territories remaining.

"Until their status is satisfactorily resolved, the ideas of the General Assembly Declaration on Decolonization will remain unfulfilled," he pointed out.

Last year, after a UN-supervised referendum fell 16 votes short of attaining self-government, it was decided that the territory of Tokelau – three small and isolated atolls in the Pacific Ocean – would remain a territory of New Zealand.

Despite the referendum's outcome, "the fact that the people of Tokelau had the opportunity to freely express their will with regard to their own future was an important step forward," the Secretary-General said today.

Calling the territory a "commendable example of what can be achieved when there is political will and close cooperation," he voiced hope that Tokelau's example will inspire other Territories to further the decolonization process.

The last Non-Self-Governing Territory that exercised the right to self-determination was East Timor, now known as Timor-Leste, which gained its independence in 2002 and joined the UN that same year.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN PROVIDES VACCINES TO HELP IN PARAGUAYAN FIGHT AGAINST YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK

UN PROVIDES VACCINES TO HELP IN PARAGUAYAN FIGHT AGAINST YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK New York, Feb 28 2008 7:00PM The United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) has organized the supply of two million doses of yellow fever vaccine to Paraguay as health authorities in the South American country battle a deadly outbreak of the viral disease.

The vaccine doses were obtained from the WHO's International Coordinating Group on Provision of Vaccines, the agency said in an update released today. Brazil has sent 850,000 doses and Peru has dispatched 144,000, adding to the 300,000 that Paraguay already has on reserve.

More than one million people who live in or travel to the areas affected by the outbreak – which are largely the rural areas of the departments of San Pedro and Central, north and east of Asunción, the capital – have already been vaccinated, according to the Pan American Health Organization (<"http://www.paho.org/">PAHO).

Widespread spraying is also taking place to try to control the spread of yellow fever, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

So far, 16 cases have been confirmed and another 15 are being investigated. Three people have died, all in San Lorenzo municipality, which lies in Central department close to Asunción. It follows a similar outbreak late last year and early this year in three states in neighbouring Brazil. In that outbreak, 13 people died.

Yellow fever derives its name from the jaundice that affects some sufferers, who tend to experience fever, muscle pain, headaches, loss of appetite, vomiting and/or nausea. While most patients recover, the disease can be deadly and the number of infected people has risen in recent years, despite the availability of an effective vaccine.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

ZIMBABWE: UNICEF HELPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN AGAINST SURGING CHILD RAPE RATES

ZIMBABWE: UNICEF HELPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN AGAINST SURGING CHILD RAPE RATES New York, Feb 28 2008 6:00PM With the number of reported cases of children raped in Zimbabwe surging more than 40 per cent in the last three years, the United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) has joined with the Government and religious groups in an awareness campaign to fight the scourge.

The Zimbabwean Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, the National Faith Based Council of Zimbabwe, and UNICEF yesterday launched their Stand Up and Speak Out campaign against child abuse, aiming to reach more than six million of the African country's citizens.

"The Stand Up and Speak Out information campaign will confront all types of abuse of children – sexual, physical, neglect and verbal," UNICEF's Representative in Zimbabwe, Festo Kavishe, said.

"If perpetrators are going to be stopped and if children are going to have the confidence to speak out against these evils, then families, communities and schools must concentrate on the value of children, and how they deserve our love and respect," he said.

In a press release, UNICEF said the information campaign is aimed at raising awareness of all forms of child abuse, the damage caused, how child abuse can be prevented, and importantly where to get help.

It said the campaign includes programming for radio, television, signage and print media, and well as training and materials for church sermons, Sunday school classes, and other religious activities.

Iconic Zimbabwean gospel singer Shingisai has written a campaign song, which will air on national radio and, hopefully, be sung in churches across the country.

Official police figures show that there were 2192 reported "rape cases involving children 16 years and below" in 2003. In 2006 this jumped to 3112, an increase of 42 per cent.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HAILS CUBAN SIGNATURE OF KEY UN HUMAN RIGHTS TEXTS

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HAILS CUBAN SIGNATURE OF KEY UN HUMAN RIGHTS TEXTS New York, Feb 28 2008 6:00PM General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim today welcomed Cuba's signing of two key United Nations human rights documents: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICPPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

During a meeting with Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, Mr. Kerim also discussed the main priorities for the current Assembly session, including climate change, financing for development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and counter-terrorism.

The Assembly President thanked Cuba for its support as well as for the country's efforts as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), according to a statement issued by Mr. Kerim's spokesperson.

In today's talks, Cuba's Foreign Minister voiced his nation's support for the work of the Assembly, including its upcoming debate on how to improve progress towards some of the MDGs.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

NEPALESE ACCORD WITH ETHNIC MADHESIS WILL HELP PLANNED ELECTIONS, SAYS UN ENVOY

NEPALESE ACCORD WITH ETHNIC MADHESIS WILL HELP PLANNED ELECTIONS, SAYS UN ENVOY New York, Feb 28 2008 6:00PM The Secretary-General's Special Representative to Nepal has welcomed today's agreement between the seven-party alliance that forms the country's Government and the leadership of the ethnic Madhesi movement from the southern plains.

"Its implementation will be an important contribution to the election of an inclusive Government Assembly in a conducive climate," Ian Martin said in a statement to the press in Kathmandu, the capital, after the agreement was signed by the Government and the United Democratic Madhesi Front.

The accord meets the key demands of the Madhesi movement and calls an immediate end to their 16-day shutdown, or general strike, in Nepal's southern plains region, which has seen a number of deaths and scores of injuries and crippled supplies to Kathmandu.

The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) also said that under today's eight-point deal, quotas for party lists will be relaxed, which will allow for an increase in Madhesi candidates in many lists for seats to be elected through proportional representation.

Elections for Nepal's Constituent Assembly are now scheduled to be held on 10 April, after being postponed twice last year.

Once elected, Assembly members are supposed to draft a new constitution for Nepal, where an estimated 13,000 people were killed during the decade-long civil war that ended when the Government and the Maoists signed a peace accord in 2006.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

SENIOR UN ENVOY MEETS WITH GOVERNMENT LEADERS IN SOMALIA

SENIOR UN ENVOY MEETS WITH GOVERNMENT LEADERS IN SOMALIA New York, Feb 28 2008 5:00PM The top United Nations envoy to Somalia will soon wrap up a three-day visit to the Horn of Africa nation where he has met with Government and local leaders, as well as with representatives of civil society.

Today, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, is in Baidoa, the seat of the transitional Government in the south-west.

During talks with the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament, he briefed them on his contacts with international partners and his efforts to gain support for the transitional federal institutions (TFIs), UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

Following these meetings, Mr. Ould-Abdallah addressed the Somali parliament.

Yesterday, the Special Representative stopped in the north-eastern town of Bossasso, where he paid a visit to the new airport and seaport and also conferred with local authorities.

He visited Garowe, a northern town, where he met with its leadership, civil society representatives and local members of the national parliament.

Somalia, which has lacked a functioning government since 1991, has been wracked by violence in recent months which has displaced around 1 million people and has caused some 3 million others to flee the country as refugees.

Last week, the Security Council extended for another six months the African Union-led mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which has been helping the war-wracked country to achieve national reconciliation and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are up to 2 million vulnerable people in need of humanitarian aid within the country. In addition, aid workers face difficulties and the transport and delivery of crucial items such as food is being impeded by roadblocks, taxes and banditry.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

IN ERITREA, UN REPORTS PROGRESS IN REGROUPING OF MISSION STAFF

IN ERITREA, UN REPORTS PROGRESS IN REGROUPING OF MISSION STAFF New York, Feb 28 2008 5:00PM The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) is making progress again in relocating some of its personnel from the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) separating the two countries to the capital, Asmara, and the port city of Assab.

"Noted progress" was made in relocating staff from 33 sites along the TSZ, the mission reported today, adding that 788 out of a total of 1,115 military personnel with <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmee/index.html">UNMEE have regrouped in Asmara while 112 are now gathered in Assab.

The regrouping is taking place in preparation for the personnel's temporary relocation to Ethiopia after Eritrean authorities cut off their fuel and food supplies, paralyzing the mission's work on that side of the border.

The Security Council and senior UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have repeatedly urged Eritrea to end its restrictions.

UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today that UNMEE continues to encounter obstructions at the Senafe checkpoint, where Eritrean soldiers have been turning back some UN convoys.

Over the past 24 hours, seven UN posts inside the TSZ have been vacated and subsequently taken over by Eritrean militia, police and army personnel.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CENTRAL AFRICANS HIDING IN BUSH, UN OFFICIAL SAYS

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CENTRAL AFRICANS HIDING IN BUSH, UN OFFICIAL SAYS New York, Feb 28 2008 5:00PM A major portion of the 200,000 people internally displaced within the Central African Republic (CAR) – due to fear of armed groups – are hiding in the bush not far from their homes and international assistance must reach them there, a United Nations humanitarian official said today.

"People have fled just 500 yards or 1000 yards from their villages," Toby Lanzer, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic (CAR), <"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2008/080228_Lanzer.doc.htm">said, adding: "We're providing them with shelter, access to clean water, health care, seeds and tools," in addition to "bush schools" based in thatched huts for 75,000 children.

The UN has appealed for $92 million for humanitarian needs in CAR this year. It has so far received only about 10 per cent of those funds, Mr. Lanzer said.

He said that much of the displacement is caused by fighting between the Government and rebel factions, mainly in the north, which the UN was trying to end by promoting dialogue and helping reform the security sector.

He also stressed, however, that the country was "at the heart of a fairly rough neighbourhood," between the strife-torn countries of Sudan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and it was often used by foreign armed groups for transit and staging grounds.

The ongoing insecurity has forced an estimated 100,000 people to flee to Chad or Cameroon as refugees, beside the 200,000 who have become internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The UN would prefer not to move those people hiding near their villages to displaced-persons camps, because they would lose complete control over their lives and livelihoods, Mr. Lanzer said.

Many can still farm, particularly if their children are attending the so-called bush schools during the day.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

HARSH CENTRAL ASIAN WINTER SHOWS NEED TO BOOST DISASTER PLANNING - UN AGENCY

HARSH CENTRAL ASIAN WINTER SHOWS NEED TO BOOST DISASTER PLANNING – UN AGENCY New York, Feb 28 2008 5:00PM The United Nations agency tasked with minimizing the threat posed by natural disasters today called on governments across Central Asia, which is facing its harshest winter in three decades, to swiftly implement measures so that they are better prepared to deal with the expected floods in the spring.

Floods remain the natural hazard that most affects the global population, with more than 164 million people suffering as a result of inundations last year, the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (<"http://www.unisdr.org/">ISDR) said in a press statement issued from its headquarters in Geneva.

Sálvano Briceño, Director of the ISDR Secretariat, warned that experts believe this year's spring flooding is expected to be especially severe in Central Asia as temperatures inevitably rise and snow begins to melt.

Already, floods have brought damage to some regions of Kazakhstan, destroying roads, bridges, schools and swathes of farmland, while in Tajikistan authorities are repairing the national electricity system after services were disrupted because of the weather conditions. Parts of Afghanistan have also been hard hit.

Mr. Briceño called on the region's governments to implement the Hyogo Framework of Action, agreed on by the world's countries in January 2005 as a global blueprint for reducing the impact of natural disasters.

The framework includes strategies for improving emergency preparedness, strengthening public institutions' capacity to respond during crises and ensuring there is more sustainable development, particularly in vulnerable areas, such as flood plains.

"Governments have managed to save lives, which is, of course, extremely important," said Mr. Briceño, referring to the situation so far this winter in Central Asia. "But this disaster can have long-term consequences on people's lives and livelihoods that also need to be addressed…

"We know how to save lives, which is an enormous victory, but we need to invest more in adaptation measures. We need to change our agriculture patterns and set up financial mechanisms that can allow people to survive from the long-term consequences of flooding."

The Kazakh Government has started temporarily relocating some of the most vulnerable communities and both Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are setting up national programmes to prioritize their disaster policies.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN FLAG NOW A TARGET, WARNS HEAD OF STAFF SECURITY REVIEW PANEL

UN FLAG NOW A TARGET, WARNS HEAD OF STAFF SECURITY REVIEW PANEL New York, Feb 28 2008 5:00PM Although the United Nations flag used to provide protection, it is now becoming a target, the head of an independent panel tasked by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to assess the safety and security of the world body's staff worldwide cautioned today.

Announcing the composition of the six-member panel at UN Headquarters in New York, veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi said the new body will take a "critical look at the existing situation" to determine how the UN and its Member States can bolster the safety and security for Organization's people and premises globally.

"We tried to assemble a number of people that have a mix of experience and expertise to see how we can understand what has happened and how we can make 'doable' recommendations," he noted.

Aside from Mr. Brahimi, the Independent Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises – which will begin its work next week – will comprise Elsayed Ibrahim Elsayed Mohamed Elhabbal of Egypt; Anil Kumar Gupta of India; Umit Pamir of Turkey; Thomas Boy Sibande of South Africa; and Margareta Wahlström of Sweden.

He added that it is possible that an additional member will be added.

The new body will "take a close look at what happened in Algiers and see what immediate lessons there may be for us in that extremely shocking and sad happening," Mr. Brahimi said, referring to last December's deadly bombing which claimed the lives of 17 UN staff members.

"The Panel is also expected to take a wider view of the implications of these new problems that are facing the Organization in terms of threats and challenges."

The Secretary-General, who has characterized the Algiers attack as a "savage loss," announced in January his decision to appoint the team, voicing hope that its findings will impact the UN system worldwide.

Responding to reporters' questions today, Mr. Brahimi pointed out that some around the world are questioning the world body's impartiality and independence. "A lot of people are – some rightly, some not rightly – angry with the UN," he said.

Clarifying earlier reports that Algeria did not intend to cooperate with the new Panel, he said that he thought that the North African country was originally not consulted or informed about the creation of the body.

"My understanding now is that they are fully on board and my understanding is that on this, Algeria and the United Nations are on the same side of the table, not on different sides," the Panel head observed.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN'S MYANMAR ENVOY LEAVES TOKYO, COMPLETING ASIAN CONSULTATIONS

UN'S MYANMAR ENVOY LEAVES TOKYO, COMPLETING ASIAN CONSULTATIONS New York, Feb 28 2008 4:00PM The United Nations' top envoy for Myanmar finished his consultations in Tokyo today, wrapping up his meetings with Asian leaders on efforts to promote democratization and national reconciliation in the troubled country, where authorities used force against a wave of peaceful protests last summer.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari met with Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and other senior Japanese officials, focusing on Japan's support to the Secretary-General's good offices, including ways to help Myanmar address socio-economic and humanitarian challenges.

Prior to arriving in Tokyo, Mr. Gambari visited Beijing, Jakarta and Singapore and he will return to New York before heading to Myanmar next week. Exact dates for that visit are being finalized.

His visit to Myanmar will be the third to the South-East Asian nation since the authorities cracked down on Buddhist monks and other pro-democracy demonstrators in protests that began last August.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

RELEASE OF COLOMBIAN HOSTAGES WELCOMED BY TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL

RELEASE OF COLOMBIAN HOSTAGES WELCOMED BY TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL New York, Feb 28 2008 3:00PM Voicing her relief and satisfaction at the release of four former parliamentarians in Colombia who had been held hostage by an armed rebel group for more than six years, the United Nations human rights chief today called for the immediate release of all other hostages.

Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement welcoming yesterday's release of Gloria Polanco de Lozada, Luis Eladio Pérez, Jorge Eduardo Gechem and Orlando Beltrán by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP).

"All hostages held in Colombia must be released immediately and unconditionally," she said, adding that taking hostages was prohibited under international humanitarian law.

Ms. Arbour expressed sympathy for everyone still held hostage by Colombia's armed groups and for their families.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

JOURNALIST CONVICTED BY UN'S RWANDAN GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL TO END JAIL TERM IN ITALY

JOURNALIST CONVICTED BY UN'S RWANDAN GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL TO END JAIL TERM IN ITALY New York, Feb 28 2008 2:00PM A journalist and presenter convicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal for his work with a notorious Rwandan radio station that called for the killing of Tutsis during the country's 1994 genocide will serve the remainder of his jail sentence in Italy.

Georges Omar Ruggiu, the only non-Rwandan to be convicted and sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (<"http://69.94.11.53/ENGLISH/PRESSREL/2008/555.htm">ICTR) so far, was today transferred by military aircraft from the Tribunal's custody in Arusha, Tanzania, to detention in Italy.

The 50-year-old, who holds Belgian and Italian nationality, pleaded guilty at the ICTR to two counts of direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in June 2000. He had been in custody since July 1997.

Mr. Ruggiu had worked from January to July 1994 with Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines (RTLM), whose broadcasts had been used by Hutu extremists to whip up hatred against Tutsis and identify individuals for subsequent killing.

His transfer to Italy is the result of an agreement signed by the Government of the European country and the UN in March 2004 to enforce ICTR prison sentences.

The Security Council set up the ICTR in 1994 in response to that year's genocide, during which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered – often by machete or club – in just 100 days starting in early April.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN WELCOMES ACCORD 'BREAKTHROUGH' IN KENYA

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN WELCOMES ACCORD 'BREAKTHROUGH' IN KENYA New York, Feb 28 2008 2:00PM Urging further measures to end the deadly tensions that erupted after disputed presidential elections in Kenya, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warmly welcomed the agreement on principles for a coalition Government announced in Nairobi today.

"The 'Acting together for Kenya' agreement marks a breakthrough toward resolving the crisis and gives hope to the people of Kenya for a return to democratic stability in their country," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11441.doc.htm">statement.

The Secretary-General commended President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, the rivals in the disputed vote, for the spirit of compromise they demonstrated in reaching the accord, and paid tribute to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Panel of Eminent African Personalities for their mediation efforts.

The focus, Ms. Montas said, now must be on implementing the agreements reached thus far and coming to further accord on the longer-term issues which this crisis have brought to the forefront in Kenya.

"Every effort should be made to involve the people of Kenya at all levels in the process," she added. "Even as today's agreements are celebrated, urgent attention is also still required to lessen tensions in the communities and to overcome the serious humanitarian situation in the country."
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

'GEORGIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD STILL OF CONCERN, DESPITE PROGRESS - TOP UN OFFICIAL

'GEORGIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD STILL OF CONCERN, DESPITE PROGRESS – TOP UN OFFICIAL New York, Feb 28 2008 1:00PM The United Nations' top human rights official today wrapped up a visit to Georgia with a warning that while the country has made some recent progress, it must take action on areas ranging from its treatment of detainees to restoring trust in its judicial system to boosting the living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

"Some positive steps have been taken to improve conditions in the country's detention facilities," said Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in comments at the end of her three-day visit.

"But further work needs to be done, including with regard to access of persons detained to adequate health service and to find sustainable solutions to overcrowding – such as the development of a probation and parole system," she noted, expressing her appreciation for the Government's commitment to consider alternatives to detention.

At the same time, she was concerned about the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility to the age of 12, and hoped that issue will be reconsidered in accordance with international standards.

While recognizing the important steps the Government has taken towards establishing a modern judicial system, the High Commissioner was concerned about the lack of public trust in the system, and the reluctance to seek redress through the courts. "Only by ensuring a truly independent functioning of the judiciary, can public trust in the judicial system be fully restored," she said.

Ms. Arbour also welcomed the Government's new strategy on IDPs, and encouraged Georgia to ratify a number of international human rights treaties related to migrants, persons with disabilities and protection against enforced disappearances.

During her visit, Ms. Arbour met with President Mikheil Saakashvili, key ministers, the Ombudsman, representatives of civil society and with the local leadership and civil society in the Abkhazia region.

In meetings in Sukhumi and Gali, the High Commissioner urged the Abkhaz leadership to continue working towards sustainable rights-based solutions for IDPs, including protection of property rights.

She also stressed the need to provide education in relevant mother tongues, and for all local residents to be able to exercise their right to freedom of movement, including access to essential services and employment opportunities.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN AGENCIES URGE BOLSTERED RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REGARDLESS OF HIV STATUS

UN AGENCIES URGE BOLSTERED RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REGARDLESS OF HIV STATUS New York, Feb 28 2008 12:00PM Two United Nations agencies have issued a joint call to boost protection of the human rights of people regardless of their sexual orientation or their actual or presumed HIV status.

In a <"http://data.unaids.org/pub/PressStatement/2008/080226_humanrights_en.pdf">statement, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en/">UNAIDS) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged "all governments to be vigilant in respecting and protecting the rights of individuals in this regard, in particular the rights of all to be free from murder, torture, violence, arbitrary arrest and vilification, regardless of their HIV status or sexual orientation."

The bodies voiced their concern over reports of forced HIV testing, arbitrary detention on the basis of HIV status and the disclosure of one's HIV status without consent.

"Such punitive measures violate individuals' rights and make it more difficult to reach those in need of HIV prevention, treatment and care services," UNAIDS and OHCHR noted.

They also pointed out that homophobia, where it exists, "fuels the HIV epidemic," calling for the issue to be addressed as a crucial component of HIV responses on a national level.

Action to tackle HIV which is based on respect for human rights, tolerance and unfettered access to HIV prevention and treatment is most effective, the statement said.

In a related development, a UNAIDS-backed biannual global conference on finding safe, effective and accessible microbicides – which could be used by women to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases – has wrapped up in New Delhi, India.

"Developing an effective microbicide will be a critical step forward in the AIDS response," UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said at the close of the four-day meeting, which brought together over 1,000 researchers, public health workers, communities and advocacy organizations.

"To provide women with HIV prevention technology they can use themselves will be nothing short of revolutionary."

This has been a year of mixed results in candidate microbicide clinical trials, with one trial halted early due to safety concerns while another microbicide was found to be safe but not effective in blocking HIV transmission.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN EXPERTS CALL FOR PROTECTION OF HOUSING RIGHTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS

UN EXPERTS CALL FOR PROTECTION OF HOUSING RIGHTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS New York, Feb 28 2008 12:00PM United Nations experts on housing and minority rights today called on the United States Government to halt the demolition of public housing and protect the human rights of African-Americans affected by Hurricane Katrina, which battered New Orleans in 2005.

"We are deeply concerned about information we continue to receive about the housing situation of people in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region," Miloon Kothari, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and Gay McDougall, the Independent Expert on minority issues, said in a joint statement.

The demolition of the St. Bernard public housing development started the week of 18 February and the destruction of three other complexes were planned for the near future without meaningful consultation with the communities involved, they said.

Citing reports that there are more than 12,000 homeless people in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area, they said that the demolition of public housing, in combination with the spiralling costs of private housing and rental units, are helping to drive people, primarily African-Americans, into destitution.

"We understand that the new housing will not be available for a significant period of time nor will there be one for one replacement for housing units destroyed," they said. "These demolitions, therefore, could effectively deny thousands of African-American residents their right to return to housing from which they were displaced by the hurricane."
Whether or not the demolitions were intentionally discriminatory, "the lack of consultation with those affected and the disproportionate impact on poorer and predominantly African-American residents and former residents would result in the denial of internationally recognized human rights," they maintained.

The two experts said they sent a letter stating their concerns to the US Government in December 2007.

Special rapporteurs and experts are unpaid, independent specialists who monitor their area of expertise in association with the UN Human Rights Council.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN REFUGEE AGENCY SEEKS NEARLY $19 MILLION TO AID SRI LANKA'S DISPLACED

UN REFUGEE AGENCY SEEKS NEARLY $19 MILLION TO AID SRI LANKA'S DISPLACED New York, Feb 28 2008 11:00AM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is appealing for $18.6 million to assist an estimated 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka who have been uprooted by decades of armed conflict.

The funds -- part of the Sri Lanka Common Humanitarian Action Plan -- will go towards protection of the displaced, returnees and other populations affected by the fighting between Government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It will also be used to provide shelter, non-food relief items and camp management.

This year's appeal follows a similar request made last year for $22.5 million following the large displacement in the east of the South Asian island nation. Some 170,000 displaced persons subsequently returned to their villages in the Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts, and more returns are expected this year. The agency distributed more than half a million non-food relief items to affected populations last year. <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47c6cdde4.html">UNHCR notes there are still some 187,700 displaced since fighting escalated in April 2006. The agency is also working with the Government to find lasting solutions for some 312,000 people who have remained in a state of protracted displacement during the last 20 years of conflict.

Tens of thousands of IDPs have returned to their areas of origin following the 2002 ceasefire agreement that halted the decades-long conflict between the Government and the LTTE. The Government withdrew from that agreement in January.
2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

MIDDLE EAST: BAN KI-MOON 'DEEPLY CONCERNED' AT RISING VIOLENCE, LOSS OF LIFE

MIDDLE EAST: BAN KI-MOON 'DEEPLY CONCERNED' AT RISING VIOLENCE, LOSS OF LIFE New York, Feb 28 2008 11:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern at the recent escalation of violence in southern Israel and Gaza, including the loss of civilian life resulting from rocket fire by Hamas and strikes by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

"These events underscore the urgent need for a calming of violence, and must not be allowed to deter the continuation of the political process," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3022">statement issued yesterday by his spokesperson.

Condemning rocket fire against Israel by Hamas, which intensified Wednesday and killed an Israeli civilian in Sederot, the Secretary-General called on Hamas and other militant groups to "cease such acts of terrorism."

He also condemned the killing of four Palestinian children, including an infant, in Gaza in IDF strikes.

Mr. Ban called on Israel to "exercise maximum restraint and ensure respect for international humanitarian law so as not to endanger civilians," the statement added.

2008-02-28 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

MOLDOVA: UN AGENCIES MAINTAIN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IN WAKE OF DROUGHT

MOLDOVA: UN AGENCIES MAINTAIN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IN WAKE OF DROUGHT New York, Feb 27 2008 6:00PM United Nations humanitarian agencies are continuing to provide emergency assistance to families in Europe's poorest country, Moldova, which last year experienced its worst drought in six decades.

Enough seed corn is being distributed so that more than 30,000 farming households can start their spring season planting in the coming months, while some 9,000 tons of livestock fodder has already been delivered to over 20,000 households, the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2008/february/un-moldova-drought-20080227.en">UNDP) said in a press release issued today.

Kaarina Immonen, the UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova, told reporters that the provision of livestock fodder and corn is only the latest phase of a multi-step programme to help Moldovans get back on their feet after the drought. So far, more than 135,000 people have received assistance.

The relief and recovery programmes are being organized by UNDP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO), the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/">UNFPA) and the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP), who responded to an appeal for help by the Moldovan Government last July.

Rainfall was so sparse last year that some regions of the small Eastern European nation experienced no rain for four consecutive months, and the overall totals for the year were 50 to 75 per cent below average.

The drought – considered the worst since 1946 – hit Moldova particularly hard because its economy is so dependent on agriculture, which provides a livelihood for two-thirds of the population of roughly 4.5 million. About 84 per cent of arable land was affected.

Ms. Immonen said a study by the International Monetary Fund (<"http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm">IMF) estimated that the agricultural sector lost 100,000 jobs, while inflation caused the price of many basic goods and services – including gas and petrol – to soar.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

UN AGENCIES RALLY TO END TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION WITHIN A GENERATION

UN AGENCIES RALLY TO END TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION WITHIN A GENERATION New York, Feb 27 2008 5:00PM Ten United Nations agencies have banded together to help eliminate the harmful practice of female genital mutilation within a generation, stressing the need for strong leadership and greater resources to protect the health and lives of millions of women and girls.

An estimated 3 million girls are at risk of undergoing the procedure – which involves the partial or total removal of external female genital organs – that some 140 million women, mostly in Asia, the Middle East and in Africa, have already endured.

In a statement issued today, the agencies pledged to support governments and communities to abandon female genital mutilation, which remains widespread in many parts of the world, highlighting the damaging effects of the practice on the health of women, girls and newborn babies.

The agencies expressed their concern about the "medicalization" of the practice, whereby it is performed by health professionals in health facilities, and the belief that it enhances a girl's chastity and chances of marriage by controlling her sexuality.

"We recognize that traditions are often stronger than law, and legal action by itself is not enough," they said. "Change must also come from within. This is why it is critical for us to join hands and work closely with communities and their leaders so that they can bring about sustainable social change."

The aim is to have a major reduction in female genital mutilation in many countries by 2015, the target date for the achievement of the global anti-poverty objectives known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"If we can come together for a sustained push, female genital mutilation can vanish within a generation," said Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro, adding her voice to the pledge made today. "But this goal demands both increased resources and strengthened coordination and cooperation among all of us."

She called on countries to join the UN as full partners in the fight against female genital mutilation, which "clashes with our core universal values and constitutes a challenge to human dignity and health."

Pledging their commitment to end the practice are the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCHR), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

AFTER YESTERDAY'S ROADBLOCKS, NO NEW RESTRICTIONS REPORTED BY UN IN ERITREA

AFTER YESTERDAY'S ROADBLOCKS, NO NEW RESTRICTIONS REPORTED BY UN IN ERITREA New York, Feb 27 2008 5:00PM No new restrictions have been reported today from Eritrea on the regrouping of the United Nations peacekeepers there in preparation for their temporary relocation to Ethiopia, though the vehicles blocked yesterday were unable to complete their tasks.

According to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmee/index.html">UNMEE), the majority of peacekeepers from the Jordanian, Indian and Kenyan battalions, along with most military observers, have now relocated to Eritrea's capital, Asmara, from the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) that separates the two countries, which fought a bloody border war that ended in 2000.

The remaining troops in the TSZ are actively engaged in packing and moving equipment and supplies destined for Asmara, the mission said.

The eight UNMEE vehicles that were stopped by soldiers of the Eritrean Defence Force at a checkpoint yesterday were unable to load supplies as they had planned. They returned to Asmara empty.

The blue helmets were ordered to relocate temporarily to Ethiopia after Eritrean authorities cut off their fuel supplies. UN officials and the Security Council have urged them to end their restrictions amid growing concern over rapidly dwindling supplies.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

MADAGASCAR: UN FOOD AGENCY BEGINS PROVIDING AID TO CYCLONE VICTIMS

MADAGASCAR: UN FOOD AGENCY BEGINS PROVIDING AID TO CYCLONE VICTIMS New York, Feb 27 2008 4:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has started distributing emergency food assistance to tens of thousands of people in Madagascar, where at least 73 people have died and almost 150,000 others have been left homeless after Cyclone Ivan battered the island nation last week.

<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP has already handed out three-day rations of high-energy biscuits to 2,000 Malagasy living in tents in the capital, Antananarivo, after their homes were destroyed by the cyclonic winds, which reached speeds of about 190 kilometres per hour when it struck the country on 17 February.

Later this week it expects to distribute corn-soya blend porridge to some of the tent camps, the agency said in a press statement, adding that general food distributions and food-for-work activities will also start in the coming days.

WFP has also provided 500 kilograms of the biscuits along the east coast and on the small island of St. Marie, the regions worst affected by Cyclone Ivan, the latest in a series of storms this season to strike Madagascar.

In anticipation of the annual cyclone season in the Indian Ocean country, WFP pre-positioned food in strategic locations, and it currently has about 3,000 tons of food – including rice, pulses, oil and biscuits – in its warehouse in the north-eastern port city of Toamasina.

But with about 140,000 people estimated to need 2,000 tons of immediate food assistance, WFP said it expects to face a shortage of rice and vegetable oil by April.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

BANGLADESHI POLICE UNIT WITH UN FORCE IN DARFUR HOLDS FIRST LONG-DISTANCE PATROL

BANGLADESHI POLICE UNIT WITH UN FORCE IN DARFUR HOLDS FIRST LONG-DISTANCE PATROL New York, Feb 27 2008 4:00PM A Bangladeshi formed police unit (FPU) with the hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID) has conducted its first long-distance patrol, aiming to both test its operational capacity and enhance the visibility of the UN Police in the war-wracked region of western Sudan.

The patrol covered about 200 kilometres during the journey from its base in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the headquarters of UNAMID, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today.

UNAMID Police Commissioner Michael Fryer said the patrol also provided an opportunity to assess the public response in Darfur to a UN Police presence in the region, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others displaced because of fighting between rebels, Government forces and allied militia since 2003.

"We have a long way to go, but the officers are prepared to do their work and to make a difference," Commissioner Fryer said, referring to the operations of UN Police in Darfur since the start of the year, when UNAMID took over from an earlier African Union peacekeeping force.

FPUs are comprised of police officers who have received specialized training in high-risk operations, and the Bangladeshi unit operating in Darfur is the only FPU contingent currently in the region out of the 19 such contingents recommended for UNAMID.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ADDRESS GENEVA-BASED HUMAN RIGHTS, TRADE BODIES NEXT WEEK

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ADDRESS GENEVA-BASED HUMAN RIGHTS, TRADE BODIES NEXT WEEK New York, Feb 27 2008 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel on Monday to Geneva, where he will address the seventh session of the <"http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/">Human Rights Council as well as the executive session of the board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (<"http://www.unctad.org/Templates/StartPage.asp?intItemID=2068">UNCTAD).

"The Secretary-General is putting particular emphasis this year on human rights issues, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights," his spokesperson, Michele Montas, told journalists today.

"He looks to the Human Rights Council to make every effort to meet the expectations of the international community, and to strengthen and make effective the Universal Periodic Review to the fullest extent possible," she added, referring to a new mechanism which allows the human rights records of every country to be scrutinized.

Before leaving for Geneva, Mr. Ban will travel on Friday to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, where he has been invited by former United States President George Herbert Walker Bush to give a lecture on US-UN relations.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

BAN KI-MOON URGES ACCELERATED PROGRESS IN KENYAN TALKS

BAN KI-MOON URGES ACCELERATED PROGRESS IN KENYAN TALKS New York, Feb 27 2008 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly urged the parties to Kenya's national dialogue and reconciliation talks, who are locked in a dispute over the outcome of December's presidential elections, to take the necessary steps to reach an immediate solution to the ongoing crisis.

"It is critical that the two sides maintain the positive momentum," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sgsm11438.doc.htm">statement. "It is also critical that the two leaders exercise their responsibility to the people of Kenya who continue to suffer amid this volatile situation."

In the statement the Secretary-General also expressed gratitude for the "continuing and tireless" facilitation efforts of the mediation panel, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Some 1,000 people have already lost their lives and more than 300,000 others have been driven from their homes since disputed elections in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition leader Raila Odinga.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

COMMENDING INDIA'S CONTROL OF BIRD FLU OUTBREAK, UN SAYS VIGILANCE STILL NEEDED

COMMENDING INDIA'S CONTROL OF BIRD FLU OUTBREAK, UN SAYS VIGILANCE STILL NEEDED New York, Feb 27 2008 2:00PM The recent, worst-ever outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Indian state of West Bengal seems to have been brought under control by the swift and comprehensive measures taken by the country's authorities, though continued vigilance was crucial, the United Nations agricultural agency said today.

"Intensive culling in the predominantly backyard poultry sector appears to have stopped the disease in its tracks," Mohinder Oberoi, a veterinary expert of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000798/index.html">FAO), said after a recent field trip to the affected areas, where no new outbreaks have been seen since 2 February.

FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech, however, urged the country to maintain intensive surveillance in high-risk areas as the possibility of new occurrences remains high. "The virus could still be present in the environment despite heavy slaughtering and extensive disinfection of affected areas, or it could be reintroduced from other countries," he said.

The FAO officials praised the national and state governments' political and financial commitment to stamp out the disease. They said public awareness campaigns, a strong command chain from districts to villages, compensation payments and an effective collaboration between animal and human health departments at field level, have been the key factors for the success.

To achieve rapid control, prevent the spread of the virus to other states and to avoid the risk of human infection, the Indian Government had to cull over 3.9 million chickens and ducks, mainly belonging to poor backyard poultry farmers.

"Public awareness campaigns should continue over the next months introducing rural communities to safe poultry production and basic biosecurity measures with the ultimate goal of reducing the risk of human infections," the agency said in a press release.
In addition, it recommended that the socio-economic impact of the control campaign be urgently assessed to better define and apply measures to mitigate the impact of massive culling on poor small holders. Live bird markets, migration of wild birds and transportation routes of birds and poultry products should be mapped to better understand and control the spread of the disease, it said.

FAO, in collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), has also invited India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar to meet to better coordinate regional avian influenza control campaigns.

The Nepalese Government has agreed to host the meeting in Kathmandu, the agency said.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

INSECURITY HINDERING RETURN OF AFGHAN REFUGEES TO THEIR HOMELAND, SAYS UN AGENCY

INSECURITY HINDERING RETURN OF AFGHAN REFUGEES TO THEIR HOMELAND, SAYS UN AGENCY New York, Feb 27 2008 1:00PM Many Afghan refugees living in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan are reluctant to return to their homeland due to the deteriorating security situation there and difficulty in sustaining their new lives, a senior official with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47c538e94.html">UNHCR) said today.

Erika Feller, UNHCR's top protection official, has been meeting with refugees and the authorities in Iran, which is currently hosting some 920,000 Afghans who have fled violence in their country over the course of the past 20 years.

"What has struck me during this visit is the variety of situations Afghan refugees are living in and the fact that the lack of security in Afghanistan is topmost in influencing their decisions to return home," Ms. Feller said, as she wrapped up her five-day mission.

During the peak of the refugee returns in 2004, there were up to 5,000 people going back to Afghanistan every day; that was the same number of returnees in all of 2007.

"So, we are at a turning point and have to reflect on the way forward with the Iranian authorities for those remaining here," noted Ms. Feller.

The refugees Ms. Feller met with cited lack of security, employment, education, health clinics and access to land in Afghanistan as some of the main concerns associated with returning home. Female Afghan refugees, who can work informally and move around freely in Iran, fear they would face restrictions in Afghanistan.

"Investing in education, the skills and capacity of the refugees is really important so they can make a real contribution back home in Afghanistan to rebuilding their country, or – if they go to a new country – in restarting their lives," she stated.

The Assistant High Commissioner for Protection lauded Iran's "very solid track record" in providing assistance to Afghan refugees, who generally have access to basic health care and education and have not been forced to return to the war-torn nation. "I heard many times how refugees feel part of this culture with a number being born here and knowing no other life," she said.

Ms. Feller discussed the situation of the refugees and their concerns with the Government's Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigration Affairs. She hopes to conduct similar visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the months ahead.
2008-02-27 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml