UN RELIEF CHIEF WELCOMES ISRAEL-GAZA CESSATION OF VIOLENCE

UN RELIEF CHIEF WELCOMES ISRAEL-GAZA CESSATION OF VIOLENCE New York, Jun 20 2008 6:00PM The head of the United Nations humanitarian wing today welcomed the announced cessation of violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said in a statement that the cessation of violence "offers particular hope for the ordinary people of Gaza, who have so far borne the brunt of the problems, but also for people in southern Israel."

Mr. Holmes, who is also Emergency Relief Coordinator, said he hoped that the halt in violence will result in a rapid improvement of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where UN agencies currently provide assistance to more than three quarters of all households. Gaza is home to about 1.5 million people.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that the situation inside Gaza has seriously deteriorated over the past year since Hamas took control of the area by force and Israel then imposed severe restrictions on the entry and exit of goods. A lack of raw materials and an inability to export foods has paralyzed economic activity almost entirely and increased Gaza's dependence on outside aid.

Mr. Holmes, whose statement echoes that of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday, added that he hoped the cessation of violence would lead to a sustained opening of the Gaza border crossings for both humanitarian and commercial reasons.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES BECOMING IMPATIENT WITH UGANDAN REBELS - UN ENVOY

CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES BECOMING IMPATIENT WITH UGANDAN REBELS – UN ENVOY New York, Jun 20 2008 6:00PM The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is continuing to commit atrocities in Central Africa, and the countries of the region are growing impatient with the rebel group's actions and its failure to sign a peace deal ending its long-running conflict with Uganda, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council today.

Joaquim Chissano, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the LRA-Affected Areas, briefed the Council on the latest developments in efforts to end the conflict that has ravaged northern Uganda since the mid-1980s.

A series of accords struck by the rebels and the Government earlier this year raised hopes that they could reach a permanent, wide-ranging agreement ending the conflict, but in April LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to sign a deal mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan that his representatives had earlier initialled.

Mr. Chissano said today that Mr. Kony had twice failed to attend signing ceremonies, and countries such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) were growing weary.

The Congolese Government is considering measures to force LRA fighters to leave its territory, particularly amid reports that the rebels are still committing some atrocities against civilians in the DRC, the CAR and Sudan.

But all countries in the region remain willing to continue the peace process, he stressed, noting that they still want the UN to do all it can to bring Mr. Kony to the peace table so that the agreement can be signed and then implemented.

Mr. Chissano said there were no plans to re-negotiate the contents of the various accords reached this year, but some elements may have to be clarified for the sake of the LRA leadership.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

UN PROMOTES SPORTS AND PEACE PROJECT IN KENYA

UN PROMOTES SPORTS AND PEACE PROJECT IN KENYA New York, Jun 20 2008 5:00PM More than 300 children from across the Kenyan capital Nairobi will gather tomorrow to launch a three-month event to promote peace and reconciliation organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/">UNEP).

The "Play for the Planet: Play for Peace" initiative aims to use the power of sport to provide a positive environment for interaction for young people affected by the recent post-election conflict in Kenya.

The 21 June event at the Kenya Cultural Centre will launch a series of events for youth aged six to 24 in schools and communities across Nairobi which were most affected by the recent unrest.

Activities will include talks, drama workshops, tree planting and a clean-up of the Nairobi River, as well as weekend sports tournaments. Community-based organizations will help organize the activities and children will have access to trained peer counsellors.

The initiative, which will be attended by world-famous marathon runners Paul Tergat and Catherine Ndereba, will run until 21 September to coincide with World Peace Day.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

SENIOR UN POLITICAL OFFICIAL MEETS SOUTH AFRICAN LEADER AFTER VISIT TO ZIMBABWE

SENIOR UN POLITICAL OFFICIAL MEETS SOUTH AFRICAN LEADER AFTER VISIT TO ZIMBABWE New York, Jun 20 2008 5:00PM Senior United Nations political aide Haile Menkerios met with South African President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria today, following a five-day visit to neighbouring Zimbabwe, which has been beset by deadly political violence since the first round of the presidential election on 29 March.

Mr. Menkerios, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, was dispatched to Zimbabwe by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in an attempt to reduce political tensions ahead of the run-off round of the presidential election set for 27 June.

"It appears that he will remain in the area for some additional days," UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists in New York.

During his visit to Zimbabwe, Mr. Menkerios met with President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the two men who will face each other in next week's run-off. He also held talks with the Foreign Minister, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, church leaders and civil society groups, including human rights organizations.

Mr. Ban and other top UN officials have called for an immediate end to the hostilities, cautioning that the ongoing violence threatens the credibility of the upcoming polls.

The current political crisis is also compounding an already deep social, economic and humanitarian crisis, in a country where as many as 4 million people are in need of help.

The Security Council will meet on Zimbabwe on Monday, when it will be briefed by the UN's top political official, Under-Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

GREEK AND TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS TO HOLD TALKS IN JULY, ANNOUNCES UN ENVOY

GREEK AND TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS TO HOLD TALKS IN JULY, ANNOUNCES UN ENVOY New York, Jun 20 2008 5:00PM The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities, Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat, will meet again on 1 July for further talks on possible reunification, the United Nations envoy to the Mediterranean island said today.

Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Cyprus, was speaking at a news conference in Nicosia, following an announcement by representatives of the two communities of a series of measures aimed at easing the daily life of Cypriots across the island.

The measures provide for educational programmes in connection with cultural heritage; steps on road safety; easing the movement of ambulances between the two sides; the establishment of a Cyprus Joint Committee on Health; cooperation for an island-wide assessment of all major waste streams; and agreement on environmental education.

Mr. Zerihoun added that further measures could be announced in the coming days.

"The momentum of the process has not slowed," the Special Representative stated. "It is in fact producing tangible results."

Following their last meeting on 23 May, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat committed themselves in a statement to working towards "a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions."

The partnership will comprise a Federal Government with a single international personality, along with a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which will be of equal status.

The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unficyp/index.html">UNFICYP) has been in place on the island since 1964 after the outbreak of intercommunal violence. It is tasked with preventing a recurrence of fighting, contributing to a return to normal conditions and the maintenance of law and order.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

RISING IMMUNIZATION RATES HELPING POOR COUNTRIES, UN-BACKED ALLIANCE REPORTS

RISING IMMUNIZATION RATES HELPING POOR COUNTRIES, UN-BACKED ALLIANCE REPORTS New York, Jun 20 2008 4:00PM The report from the GAVI Alliance, which includes the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO), found that more than 2.9 million premature deaths have been averted by the partnership since it was formed in 2000.

Rising immunization rates are the cause, with 75 per cent of children in 72 GAVI-eligible countries immunized last year with three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and polio vaccines, up from 64 per cent in 2000.

Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary of the GAVI Alliance, said that immunization is the one health intervention that offers poor countries the best opportunity to make economic and social progress.

"Health gains that took rich countries 150 years to achieve can now be attained in just 10 to 15 years by developing countries, thanks to new technology and a revitalized global commitment to protect all children against preventable diseases," he said.

Dr. Lob-Levyt added that new vaccines and forms of technology, as well as new streams of funding, were "allowing us to tackle the killer diseases in a methodical and consistent way. We are at a seminal moment in positively impacting health in poor nations."

The report, released today, also found that more poor countries are making efforts to introduce new or under-used vaccines and more nations are also applying for financial support from the GAVI Alliance to strengthen their health-care systems.

The GAVI Alliance, which was earlier known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, aims to bring together the key stakeholders in immunization, including governments, the vaccine industry, philanthropists such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and research and technical agencies.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

UNICEF REPORTS RISING TREND OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN STRIFE-TORN COUNTRIES

UNICEF REPORTS RISING TREND OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN STRIFE-TORN COUNTRIES New York, Jun 20 2008 4:00PM The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_44539.html">UNICEF) reports that child kidnappings are on the rise in several countries affected by violence – including Haiti where more than 50 children have been abducted so far this year – and are often carried out with impunity.

There have been cases of kidnapped children in Haiti being raped and tortured, and in some cases even murdered, the agency noted in a statement issued today.

Authorities in the small, impoverished nation suspect that criminal gangs in search of easy profits are responsible for many recent kidnappings. "Most of the perpetrators remain unpunished," UNICEF stated.

Earlier this month, the agency joined a national call across Haiti to halt the recent surge the number of child kidnappings. Over 50 children have been abducted in the first six months of this year, more than half of them girls.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (known as MINUSTAH) has been working with the national police force to dismantle criminal gangs wanted for kidnappings, murders and other crimes.

UNICEF also reports similar incidents in other countries, including the Central African Republic (CAR), where armed gangs have seized on the instability created by conflict to terrorize rural farms and communities, including by kidnapping children and holding them for ransom.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), thousands of children have been rounded up by armed groups and used as child soldiers or held in captivity as sexual slaves for extended periods of time, the agency notes.

Meanwhile, UNICEF has received reports that a growing number of children in Iraq have been recruited and used by militias and insurgent groups. "Girls are increasingly subject to murder, kidnapping and rape, or are being abducted and trafficked within or outside Iraq for sexual exploitation," it adds.

The agency stressed the need for concerted action to combat this growing problem, stating that "it is everyone's duty to ensure children are safe from harm, and governments have a responsibility to enact and enforce measures that provide a protective environment for all children."
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

OUTER SPACE TECHNOLOGY CRITICAL TO ALL HUMANITY, UN SAYS

OUTER SPACE TECHNOLOGY CRITICAL TO ALL HUMANITY, UN SAYS New York, Jun 20 2008 4:00PM The use of space technology for disaster management, climate change and food security were among the main themes of the 51st session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which wrapped up today in Vienna.

During the 10-day session the committee heard reports on water resource management initiatives that use space technology to monitor and mitigate the effects of flood disasters and to improve the timeliness and accuracy of forecasts.

The UN body also noted global initiatives to use space-derived geospatial data for sustainable development in areas such as agriculture, deforestation assessment, disaster monitoring, drought relief and land management.

In addition, the committee heard about a number of educational initiatives that use satellite technology for distance education to reach teachers and students at all levels, including the Space Education Programme of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO).

Under the theme "Why should we go to space?" the newly elected Chairman of the Committee, Ciro Arévalo Yepes, cited Professor Stephen Hawking in his opening address:

"In a way the situation was like that in Europe before 1492. The discovery of the new world made profound differences to the old. Spreading out into space will have even greater effect. It will completely change the future of the human race and maybe determine whether we have any future at all. Hopefully, it would unite us to face a common challenge," he said.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA STILL ENDURING SERIOUS DISPLACED PROBLEM - UN EXPERT

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA STILL ENDURING SERIOUS DISPLACED PROBLEM – UN EXPERT New York, Jun 20 2008 4:00PM Too many citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina remain displaced from their homes 13 years after the country's war ended, and many of those that have gone back to their villages live in unfinished buildings and lack basic economic opportunities, a United Nations human rights expert <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/10BA780EC6A194DDC125746E00693962?opendocument">said today.

Walter Kälin, the Secretary-General's Representative on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), wrapped up a week-long visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina by urging the Government and the international community to each step up their efforts to help the displaced and returnees find decent and lasting living conditions.

Mr. Kälin met with senior Government officials, including the Chairman of the Presidency Haris Silajdžic and Prime Ministers Nedzad Brankovic and Milorad Dodik, as well as individual IDPs, returnees and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) during his visit.

He said in a statement today that while the Government and the international community have made enormous efforts to return almost all property to their rightful owners and to reconstruct the majority of destroyed houses, reconstruction as a whole was far from being achieved.

"It is hard to believe that hundreds of families all over Bosnia who have had the courage to return to their remote villages continue to live in unfinished buildings, without electricity or running water and no economic opportunities after so many years."

Most returnees were still struggling to make a living, he said, finding it difficult to obtain jobs – in part because of widespread employment discrimination about minorities – or the start-up capital or equipment needed to generate an income. Discrimination in education and the hostile use of national and religious symbols were also exacerbating the situation.

Mr. Kälin said authorities were becoming increasingly aware that a person's return did not end when they arrived at their former home but instead when they were able to resume a socially and economically sustainable life.

This was particularly true, the Representative said, for the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, the disabled or the infirm.

He praised several municipalities for putting in place microcredit and other support schemes to help returnees get back on their feet.

Mr. Kälin serves in an independent and unpaid capacity and reports to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Most recently he has visited Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Kenya.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

DR CONGO: UN MISSION BEGINS SENSITIZATION TRAINING FOR GOVERNMENT TROOPS

DR CONGO: UN MISSION BEGINS SENSITIZATION TRAINING FOR GOVERNMENT TROOPS New York, Jun 20 2008 3:00PM Government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are being given a week-long training course in child protection, human rights, sexual violence and military justice by the United Nations mission in the country (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC).

Nearly 1,800 soldiers from the national armed services, known as FARDC, are receiving the training in South Kivu province in the east of the country as part of a new zero tolerance campaign on the recruitment of children into armed groups, which was launched by the head of MONUC, Alan Doss, last week.

Earlier this week MONUC released a report that found that the FARDC was among the main violators of human rights in the country with its members accused of rapes, acts of torture, armed robberies, extortion and arbitrary arrests.

The human rights course is part of 12 weeks of professional training that includes courses in military tactics, weapons handling, logistics and professional ethics.

On completing the training the troops will be deployed in South Kivu with the aim of reestablishing state authority in an area that sees frequent attacks by Congolese militia and foreign armed groups.

Meanwhile MONUC, in its weekly report on the security situation in the country, said that the west was relatively calm, although there had been several violations of the ceasefire in the north east, as well as a wave of forced recruitment of children by various armed groups.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

UN SEEKS $445 MILLION TO REBUILD PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP IN LEBANON

UN SEEKS $445 MILLION TO REBUILD PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP IN LEBANON New York, Jun 20 2008 2:00PM The United Nations and the Lebanese Government will be seeking $445 million to rebuild the devastated Nahr El-Bared Palestinian refugee camp during an international donor conference to be held in Vienna on Monday.

The camp, situated in northern Lebanon, was the scene of heavy fighting from May to September 2007 between the national army and Fatah el-Islam gunmen. The violence left 30,000 Palestinian refugees and Lebanese homeless.

Matthias Burchard of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/news/index.html">UNRWA) told reporters in Geneva that 70 countries and international organizations had been invited to the conference, which is being hosted by Austria in cooperation with Lebanon, the European Commission and the Arab League.

The reconstruction of the Nahr El-Bared camp represents the largest undertaking in UNRWA's history, and will require the building of a new town with houses, schools, health centres, mosques and other community facilities, as well as a UN compound and associated infrastructure, he noted.

In a related development, Mr. Burchard said UNRWA will be launching a 10-week summer programme for 250,000 children and youth in the Gaza Strip tomorrow.

The agency and its partners will be providing a range of activities in over 300 locations, including educational programmes, sports, gymnastics and arts and crafts.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

KOSOVO PROPOSAL IS A 'PRACTICAL AND WORKABLE SOLUTION,' BAN TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

KOSOVO PROPOSAL IS A 'PRACTICAL AND WORKABLE SOLUTION,' BAN TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL New York, Jun 20 2008 2:00PM The proposal to reconfigure the United Nations' presence in Kosovo is "a practical and workable solution" to one of the world's most intractable issues, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, warning that reaching a mutually acceptable settlement will not be easy.

<"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=269">Addressing a Security Council debate on Kosovo, a week after unveiling plans to adjust the profile and structure of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (<"http://www.unmikonline.org/">UNMIK), Mr. Ban said he had rarely encountered such a delicate or divisive issue during his 40-year diplomatic career.

"Legally, politically and morally, it is a landscape of enormous complexity and sensitivity that required the exercise of extraordinary objectivity and balance," he said, adding that such developments this year as the declaration of independence in February and the Kosovo Serb community's overwhelming rejection of a new constitution in Pristina have brought lasting changes to the situation.

"It is my assessment that, taken together, these developments have created a profoundly new reality in which UNMIK is no longer able to perform as effectively as in the past the vast majority of its tasks as an interim administration. This needs to be acknowledged as a fact of life."

Under Mr. Ban's plan, the UN is neutral on the question of Kosovo's status. The European Union would also play an enhanced operational role in the area of rule of law under a UN "umbrella" headed by the Secretary-General's Special Representative and in line with the 1999 Security Council resolution that established UNMIK.

A reconfigured and restructured UNMIK would continue to carry out many functions, including those related to a dialogue with Serbia on provisions in six areas: police, courts, customs, transport and infrastructure, boundaries and Serbian patrimony.

To lead this new phase, Mr. Ban said he intends to appoint Lamberto Zannier of Italy to be his new Special Representative, succeeding Joachim Rücker.

"He will help to carry forward the vision I have presented in my report, and to lead a new phase of dialogue, and he will be scrupulously balanced in his approach."

Mr. Zannier is currently on secondment from the Italian Government to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as director of its conflict prevention centre, and has worked closely with the UN system since joining the Italian foreign ministry in 1978.

The Secretary-General stressed to the Council that his package of changes is aimed at finding "an operational modus vivendi to help move Kosovo a few steps back from the brink of further conflict."

He said he now awaited the reaction of Council members and the other participants in today's debate, saying that dialogue was critically important for all of Kosovo's communities.

"The package is a practical and workable solution – a concrete and sustainable response to a complex and difficult situation. It is founded on the imperative, overriding need, as I said, to maintain international peace and security and stability in Kosovo and the region, while responding and adapting to changing circumstances on the ground."

UNMIK has been in place since mid-1999 after NATO forces drove Yugoslav troops out of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one, that year amid deadly inter-communal fighting. On 17 February this year, the Assembly of Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government adopted a resolution declaring independence from Serbia.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

NEARLY 50 SITES NOMINATED TO JOIN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

NEARLY 50 SITES NOMINATED TO JOIN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST New York, Jun 20 2008 1:00PM The committee that considers requests for inscription on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage List will have 47 nominated sites to choose from when it meets for its annual session next month in Canada, UNESCO announced today.

The nominations comprise 13 natural sites and 34 cultural sites, including two that cross national boundaries, according to a <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=42699&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">press release issued by UNESCO ahead of the nine-day World Heritage Committee meeting, scheduled to start in Québec on 2 July.

The nominating countries include five States that have no sites inscribed on the World Heritage List: Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Saudi Arabia and Vanuatu.

UNESCO said the committee would also scrutinize the state of conservation of 30 sites that have been placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of problems such as pollution, pillaging, the impact of natural disasters or poorly managed mass tourism.

Those sites include the cultural landscape of the <"http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1156">Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, which may be deleted from the World Heritage List if the 21-member committee determines that the building of a bridge in the heart of the landscape warrants the move.

Currently there are 851 sites of "outstanding universal value" in 141 countries that have been inscribed on the <"http://whc.unesco.org/en/list">World Heritage List, and each year sites are added after applications are first reviewed by either the International Council on Monuments and Sites or the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

MYANMAR: UN FOOD AGENCY APPEALS FOR FUNDING TO KEEP AID HELICOPTERS FLYING

MYANMAR: UN FOOD AGENCY APPEALS FOR FUNDING TO KEEP AID HELICOPTERS FLYING New York, Jun 20 2008 11:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2874">WFP) says it is critically short of funds to keep a fleet of ten helicopters in the air in Myanmar, where they are playing a critical role in delivering relief supplies to the 2.4 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis.

"WFP is leading the way in moving life-saving supplies to distressed communities by boat, truck and air – but it will all grind to a halt by the end of this month unless we get additional funding now," said Chris Kaye, WFP Country Director for Myanmar.

To date, only just over half of the $50 million required for the logistical operation has been secured and WFP says that much of this money has already been spent on barges, boats, rivercraft and basic infrastructure needed to reach cyclone survivors in remote, hard-hit villages across the Ayeyarwady Delta.

The devastation means that the only way of bringing relief to the survivors is by air or by waterborne craft, which are both costly operations.

The helicopters have been able to provide additional relief items, including water tanks and purification tablets, to people living in the worst affected areas, reaching 60 locations.

"The helicopters have reached several villages which had received no help at all during the six weeks since the cyclone struck," Mr. Kaye said.

WFP's overall emergency operation to provide food assistance to 750,000 people in Myanmar is also struggling for funds, after receiving only 45 per cent of the $69.5 million required.

Currently there is only sufficient funding to provide one month's ration of rice to 750,000 people.

To date, a total of 676,000 people in the Delta have received food assistance from WFP.
Besides WFP-supplied food, consisting mostly of high-energy biscuits and rice, helicopter flights have delivered relief supplies for the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) and other aid agencies.

Additional flights have deployed teams of humanitarian workers who are carrying out an assessment of the impact of Cyclone Nargis across the Delta – a joint project between the UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Government of Myanmar.

The helicopters have also carried out two medical evacuations of Delta inhabitants, including airlifting a small child suffering from serious dengue fever from Bogale to Yangon.

"These helicopters show how the UN can bring immediate help to the people of Myanmar," said Erika Joergensen, WFP Deputy Regional Director.

"We appeal to donors to maintain their generosity towards WFP's emergency logistics and telecommunications operations, which our fellow humanitarian agencies depend on to save lives."
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

'PROTECTION' THE THEME AS UN ACTIVITIES MARK WORLD REFUGEE DAY

'PROTECTION' THE THEME AS UN ACTIVITIES MARK WORLD REFUGEE DAY New York, Jun 20 2008 9:00AM From recreations of refugee camp life in national capitals to film festivals, food bazaars and fashion shows, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is observing World Refugee Day today with a series of activities around the globe to draw attention to the plight faced by the displaced.
The events, which are supported by UNHCR's partners, including governments, donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the agency's Goodwill Ambassadors and refugees themselves, also include light shows, photography exhibitions, lectures, concerts, sports competitions, quizzes, essay-writing competitions, tree-planting projects, seminars, workshops and public awareness campaigns.
Using "protection" as the theme of the Day this year, UNHCR is recreating refugee camp life in around 20 capitals. Earlier this week it set up family tents with exhibits of relief items and a burned-out hut in London's Trafalgar Square to raise awareness of conditions faced by hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Darfur.
Rome's fabled Colosseum is being illuminated with the UNHCR logo and the legend: "Protecting refugees is a duty. Being protected is a right." In keeping with annual tradition, the soaring Jet d'Eau in Geneva is being bathed in blue light to mark the day.
A photographic exhibition, "Do You See What I See?" is taking place at Geneva's Palais des Nations, the UN's European headquarters, as well as in Yemen and Namibia. Refugee children in Yemen's Kharaz camp and Osire camp in Namibia have documented their lives, hopes and dreams through text and images.
In Syria, a charity concert at the Opera House in Damascus by acclaimed Iraqi oud (lute) player, Naseer Shamma, will raise money for UNHCR's Iraqi refugee programme, which faces a funding crisis.
UNHCR offices in Uganda and Ethiopia have full programmes planned in refugee camps and settlements, while refugee-themed film festivals are being held in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Mexico, Poland and Venezuela.
In India, the highlights include a clothes drive and a cultural extravaganza run by UNHCR as well as a free health camp for refugees, organized by the refugee agency's partner, New Delhi YMCA.
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Osvaldo Laport is attending a tent exhibition in Buenos Aires, where the bookshop El Ateneo will be handing out UNHCR bookmarks based on a local awareness campaign.
In neighbouring Chile, President Michelle Bachelet – a former refugee – will meet UNHCR Regional Representative Cristian Koch and refugees living in the country, including some of the more than 100 Palestinians recently resettled in Chile after fleeing the violence in Iraq.
UNHCR's Deputy High Commissioner L. Craig Johnstone will lead World Refugee Day celebrations in the United States, attending a public ceremony and a film screening at the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C.
A special message from UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has been released on the video-sharing website YouTube around the world, while Sudan-born basketball star Luol Deng is inviting YouTube users and Facebook users to join an online campaign to "Give Refugees a Hand."
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

FRESH OUTBREAK OF POLIO EMERGES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA - UN HEALTH AGENCY

FRESH OUTBREAK OF POLIO EMERGES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA – UN HEALTH AGENCY New York, Jun 20 2008 9:00AM An outbreak of polio has hit northern Nigeria again and started spreading into neighbouring countries, the United Nations health agency says, warning of a potential international outbreak on the scale of the one that struck 20 countries between 2003 and 2006.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday that there has been a nine-fold increase in the number of new cases caused by wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) so far this year in Nigeria compared with the same period last year. The West African country now accounts for 86 per cent of all the world's cases with that strain of polio.

Cases of WPV1 linked to the northern Nigeria outbreak have recently been identified in Benin and western Niger as well, a similar pattern to the 2003-06 outbreak that resulted in 1,475 cases in 20 countries, including some as far away as Indonesia and Yemen.

WHO said the new outbreak has occurred because as many as one in five children have not been immunized against polio in key high-risk areas in northern Nigeria. Authorities are planning two large-scale vaccination campaigns next month and in August, and similar campaigns are taking place in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The UN agency said disease surveillance is also being stepped up across the region to try to prevent the outbreak from widening.

Fears are high because of the intensity of the outbreak, the upcoming rainy season – a period associated with increased transmission of the disease – and the anticipated large-scale population movements for the Islamic Hajj to Mecca later this year.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

BAN CALLS FOR 'REDOUBLED' EFFORTS ON CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF FORCED DISPLACEMENT

BAN CALLS FOR 'REDOUBLED' EFFORTS ON CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF FORCED DISPLACEMENT New York, Jun 20 2008 9:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has marked World Refugee Day today with a call for greater international solidarity to protect victims of forced displacement across the globe.

"I urgently call on the international community to redouble efforts to address both the causes and consequences of forced human displacement," Mr. Ban said, noting that the worldwide number of refugees had grown to more than 16 million in the past year.

The Secretary-General stressed that, since the adoption of the UN Refugee Convention in 1951, human displacement has become a far more complex issue.

"Conflict and poverty, the most common reasons people are compelled to leave their homes, are now amplified by the effects of climate change, increasing scarcity of resources and food shortages – factors which may lead to greater insecurity in the future," he stressed.

Mr. Ban also noted that the responsibility of providing asylum for refugees currently falls "disproportionately" on developing nations.

"Contrary to public perceptions in many industrialized nations, developing countries actually bear the burden of hosting a larger number of refugees, despite their limited resources," he said.

He added that the goal of the international community should be to ensure that refugees would be free one day to return home in safety and dignity.

Meanwhile the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres said in a statement that "Refugees show incredible courage and perseverance in overcoming enormous odds to rebuild their lives. Ensuring that they get the protection they deserve is a noble cause because refugee rights are human rights – and rights that belong to us all."

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors actress Angelina Jolie and opera singer Barbara Hendricks also made statements to mark World Refugee Day, as did Pope Benedict XVI.

"Refugees are people forced to flee from their countries as a result of true life-threatening dangers. From the heart I hope that these – our brothers and sisters so tried by suffering – are guaranteed asylum and the recognition of their rights," he said.
2008-06-20 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/apps/news/email/

SECURITY COUNCIL DEMANDS ACTION TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS A TACTIC IN WAR

SECURITY COUNCIL DEMANDS ACTION TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS A TACTIC IN WAR New York, Jun 19 2008 8:00PM The Security Council today demanded that all sides to armed conflicts around the world stop using violence against women as a tactic of war and take much tougher steps to protect women and girls from such attacks.

In a resolution adopted unanimously after a day-long <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9364.doc.htm">debate on women, peace and security, Council members said women and girls are consistently targeted during conflicts "as a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group."

The effect is to also prolong or deepen conflicts and to exacerbate already dire security and humanitarian conditions, particularly when the perpetrators of violent crimes against women go unpunished for their actions.

The resolution demands that all parties immediate stop sexual violence against civilians and begin taking measures, from the training of troops and upholding of military discipline procedures, to protect women and girls.

Sexual violence crimes should be excluded from amnesties reached at the end of conflicts, the 15-member Council added, calling on States to also strengthen their judicial and health-care systems to provide better assistance to victims of violence.

The resolution was adopted after dozens of speakers told the Council about the appalling effects of sexual violence during armed conflicts, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying the problem had reached "unspeakable and pandemic proportions" in some countries.

Mr. Ban announced he will soon appoint a UN envoy tasked entirely with advocating for an end to violence against women.

Opening today's meeting, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the truest test of the will of the international community was the protection it gave to the most vulnerable.

"When women and girls are raped, we cannot be silent… we must be their advocates," Ms. Rice said.

South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana C. Dlamini Zuma called for "the silence" around sexual violence to be broken. Many women were afraid to speak out about their ordeal, the minister said, because they were so traumatized and stigmatized by the crimes they endured.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Slovenia's Sanja Štiglic stressed the need for a gender-sensitive approach to post-conflict countries, from awareness training for judges and court staff to stepped-up efforts to ensure that women's voices are heard in decision-making processes.

Philomène Omatuku Atshakawo, Minister of Gender, Family and Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where sexual violence has reached epidemic levels in the east of the country, said such violence was leading to the feminization of poverty.

Female victims were no longer able to work the land or work at all, she said, adding that as a result the Government was trying to introduce a range of measures – economic, security and psychosocial among them – to ameliorate the situation.

China's Liu Zhenmin backed the Secretary-General's zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation of women and girls by UN peacekeepers and urged troop-contributing countries to boost their training and monitoring of their blue helmets.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN ZIMBABWE 'UNACCEPTABLE,' SAYS UN POLITICAL CHIEF

ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN ZIMBABWE 'UNACCEPTABLE,' SAYS UN POLITICAL CHIEF New York, Jun 19 2008 6:00PM The top United Nations political official today called the escalating violence in Zimbabwe "unacceptable," adding that, should current conditions prevail, it would be difficult for the international community to recognize the outcome of next week's run-off presidential poll.

"It is of utmost importance that the violence is stopped immediately and that humanitarian assistance is facilitated, not prevented," Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said.

Attending a round table on Zimbabwe at UN Headquarters on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mr. Pascoe added that the country is currently so polarized that whatever the result of the election, a "winner-takes-all" strategy will not bring peace and stability to the country.

"We must be prepared to send a strong message to ensure that the will of the Zimbabwean people is respected and to call for renewed efforts to restore security and the rule of law in the country," he stressed.

President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are set to face each other in the run-off scheduled for 27 June.

The Southern African nation has been beset by deadly violence since the first round of the presidential election on 29 March. Many MDC activists have reportedly been killed or injured in recent weeks and human rights defenders and staff with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) harassed.

Commenting on the humanitarian situation, Mr. Pascoe said that the current political crisis is compounding an already deep social, economic and humanitarian crisis, in a country where as many as 4 million people are vulnerable and in need of help.

While the Government has now lifted the suspension of field operations for NGOs running supplementary feeding schemes and those involved in AIDS-related issues, the humanitarian space remains very restricted, he said.

Mr. Ban has dispatched another senior UN official, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios, to Zimbabwe to discuss these issues with the parties. Mr. Menkerios has met with Mr. Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai, as well as the Foreign Minister, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, church leaders and civil society groups, including human rights organizations.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

IMPUNITY MUST END FOR VIOLENCE TO STOP IN SOUTH-CENTRAL NEPAL, UN OFFICIALS SAY

IMPUNITY MUST END FOR VIOLENCE TO STOP IN SOUTH-CENTRAL NEPAL, UN OFFICIALS SAY New York, Jun 19 2008 6:00PM United Nations human rights officials in Nepal have warned that the cycle of violence in the south-central district of Kapilvastu will continue unless impunity ends for the perpetrators of attacks and respect for the rule of law is re-established.

Representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) visited several towns and villages this week in Kapilvastu, where 14 people died last September amid riots and widespread violence.

The officials met with some of the victims of the violence, as well as with police officers, human rights defenders, local authorities and staff from UN agencies.

OHCHR-Nepal representative Richard Bennett said it was important to complete a thorough investigation of last year's deadly violence and to start prosecuting those responsible for the attacks.

He stressed that the security of communities can only be guaranteed when everyone demonstrates a commitment to tolerance and authorities show initiative in building confidence among the population.

"Although some steps were taken at the local level to improve the security of the local population, the authorities and local political leaders need to do much more to restore communities' confidence in the State, and they should be allowed to undertake their important work free from political interference," Mr. Bennett said.

A report issued by OHCHR-Nepal recommended that the key findings of a judicial commission set up in the wake of the killings be made public and then implemented.

It also called for reforms to public security operations and training, and urged that representatives of victims and internally displaced persons (IDPs) be more involved in district-level decision-making.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

SENIOR UNICEF OFFICIAL BEGINS VISIT TO ETHIOPIA TO ASSESS DROUGHT SITUATION

SENIOR UNICEF OFFICIAL BEGINS VISIT TO ETHIOPIA TO ASSESS DROUGHT SITUATION New York, Jun 19 2008 6:00PM The deputy chief of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) arrived in Ethiopia today for the start of a four-day visit to review the humanitarian situation in the south and southeast of the country, which has become parched by drought.

Hilde Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of <"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF, is expected to meet with Government officials, UN agencies, key donors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) while in Ethiopia, according to a statement released in Addis Ababa, the capital.

As many as 4.6 million Ethiopians are now in need of immediate humanitarian assistance because of a lack of seasonal rains, coupled with rising food prices. The worst affected areas are in three administrative states of the Horn of Africa country: Oromio, Somali Region and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR).

Children are among the hardest-hit by the current conditions, with about 75,000 children estimated to be facing severe acute malnutrition already.

Earlier this month the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) revised its appeal for Ethiopia to at least $325 million to meet the growing demand for aid.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

UN RELIEF WING HAILS PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT TO AID APPEALS AFTER MYANMAR CYCLONE

UN RELIEF WING HAILS PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT TO AID APPEALS AFTER MYANMAR CYCLONE New York, Jun 19 2008 5:00PM Private sector donors have emerged as a vital contributor to international appeals for aid after last month's devastating cyclone in Myanmar, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) said today.

About $30 million in contributions has been provided by the private sector, including $10 million raised by the various national committees of the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) around the world.

OCHA said the biggest individual private contributors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has given $3 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Total oil company, which has given $2 million and provided fuel to transport relief supplies.

Many companies are channelling their donations through the Central Emergency Response Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF), which is managed by OCHA so that funds can be quickly directed in the wake of a disaster.

More than 134,000 people are dead or missing as a result of Cyclone Nargis and the subsequent tidal wave, which struck Myanmar on 2-3 May, and as many as 2.4 million people are affected. The Ayeyarwady Delta area and the country's most populous city, Yangon, are among the hardest-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) has unveiled its action plan to try to prevent the spread of dengue fever, which is endemic to Myanmar. The number of cases is expected to rise because of a forecast increase in mosquito breeding sites after the cyclone.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR ELECTED TO HEAD UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR ELECTED TO HEAD UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL New York, Jun 19 2008 4:00PM The United Nations Human Rights Council today elected Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi of Nigeria for a one-year term as President of the Geneva-based body that replaced the much-criticized Commission on Human Rights.

Mr. Uhomoibhi, 57, has been serving as his country's Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva.

Following his election to head the 47-member body, Mr. Uhomoibhi recalled that the Council's main purpose was to uphold the dignity of the human person through the promotion and protection of human rights.

"Failure to advance the aims and objectives of the Human Rights Council collectively by all nations, all peoples and all institutions will be a colossal failure of humanity to protect its own dignity and rights under the rule of law and agreed norms and practices," he said.

"States undoubtedly bear the primary responsibility to protect and promote human rights," he added. "As such, the Council should per force continue to direct its gaze and its searchlight on actions of States to ensure that they abide by all their commitments."

The new President also pointed out that no nation or people have a monopoly over human rights, but all nations, and certainly all people, have a duty to promote and protect them.

Mr. Uhomoibhi succeeds Romania's Doru Romulus Costea, who took over from the Council's inaugural president, Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico.

The Council also elected four Vice Presidents today. They are Elchin Amirbayov of Azerbaijan, Erlinda F. Basilio of the Philippines, Alberto J. Dumont of Argentina and Marius Grinius of Canada. Mr. Amirbayov was also elected as Rapporteur. The terms for the newly-appointed bureau members will end on 18 June 2009.

The Council will hold its next regular session from 8 to 26 September.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

SOMALIS FACE ONE OF WORLD'S WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISES, UN REFUGEE CHIEF WARNS

SOMALIS FACE ONE OF WORLD'S WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISES, UN REFUGEE CHIEF WARNS New York, Jun 19 2008 4:00PM The United Nations refugee chief has spotlighted the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced Somalis and Kenyans on the eve of World Refugee Day, calling on the international community to accelerate its efforts to help people in both countries return safely to their former homes.

Visiting Dadaab refugee camp yesterday on the Kenyan-Somali border, where he then stayed overnight, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/485935d12.html">UNHCR) António Guterres described the plight facing Somalis as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Mr. Guterres stressed the urgency for a political solution to the deadly conflict wracking Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government since 1991.

"Only peace can solve the problems of the 200,000 people living in Dadaab in such dramatic circumstances," he said, noting that the camp has swelled to more than double its planned capacity when it was established 16 years ago.

"Children have been born here in this camp. They are now in secondary school and still there is no peace in Somalia," a female refugee told Mr. Guterres.

The most recent statistics indicate there are about 457,000 Somali refugees around the world, with the most in Kenya, but many others in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen. Another 1 million people are internally displaced in Somalia.

Noting that World Refugee Day is being celebrated tomorrow, the High Commissioner pledged greater support from the agency to alleviate the situation faced by Somalis.

He also visited internally displaced Kenyans in the town of Naivasha, where they have been living after deadly post-election violence broke out at the start of the year.

Although more than 195,000 Kenyans have returned home since the violence subsided, about 43,000 remain in camps around the country, including two such camps in Naivasha.

Mr. Guterres told internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Naivasha camps that his visit was "an expression of solidarity with the Government and the people of Kenya." UNHCR has provided tents and other aid supplies to displaced Kenyans this year, and trained many local relief workers.

"A camp should only be a short-term solution, but we try to make it as dignified as possible for those who must spend time there. Our biggest wish is that you will soon be able to go home in safety and dignity."

As part of its activities to mark World Refugee Day, UNHCR is also launching a pioneering application with the social networking website Facebook to raise funds and awareness about refugee protection.

The application, launched today, provides a variety of activities for Facebook users – estimated at more than 80 million – which are then matched by donations from UNHCR partners.

Claudia Gisiger-Gonzalez, senior external relations officer for UNHCR, said the arrangement was "a cutting-edge experiment" for the agency that brings together technology and new media tools to promote its work.

UNHCR is already using other popular social networking websites, including YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, Reddit and Deli.cio.us.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIAN, IRISH AND SWEDISH RADIO SHOWS WINS AWARDS FROM UN

UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIAN, IRISH AND SWEDISH RADIO SHOWS WINS AWARDS FROM UN New York, Jun 19 2008 4:00PM A programme on homeless American youth and a broadcast on breast cancer survivors in Ireland are among the winners of a series of radio awards presented by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) today.

Radio programmes from the United States, Australia, Ireland and Sweden were all honoured as part of the New York Festivals Radio Programming and Promotion Awards.

The Gold Award has gone to XM Satellite Radio, US, for <i>The Invisible: Children Without Homes</i>, and the Silver Award to SBS Radio, Australia, for <i>The Stolen Generation</i>.

The two Bronze Award winners are: RTE-Ireland, for <i>One in Eleven</i>, and UR, Sweden, for <i>Breaking the Silence in Israel</i>.

<i>The Invisible: Children Without Homes</i>, which was broadcast on The Bob Edwards Show, is a collage of stories on homeless youth and how they navigate their way through a social service system that has failed them. It focuses on how homeless youth are more likely to suffer from abuse, abandonment, health problems and learning disabilities than other children.

<i>The Stolen Generation</i> poses the question of whether one generation can atone for the deeds of another. This youth-produced programme examines how multicultural generations of Australians react to their Government's recent apology to the Aborigines for the former state practice of removing indigenous children from their families.

The first co-winner of the Bronze Award, <i>One in Eleven</i>, tells stories of breast cancer survivors and how a group of women in Ireland struggle to acquire basic health care services.

<i>Breaking the Silence in Israel</i>, the second co-winner, questions freedom of speech in Israel and the need to search for comprehensive information on the conflict in the Middle East.

Jointly sponsored by DPI and New York Festivals, the awards were established in 1990 to honour exceptional radio programming that best reflects and exemplifies the values, aims and ideals of the UN.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

SETTLEMENT IN CYPRUS 'NOT A FOREGONE CONCLUSION,' SAYS UN ENVOY

SETTLEMENT IN CYPRUS 'NOT A FOREGONE CONCLUSION,' SAYS UN ENVOY New York, Jun 19 2008 3:00PM The United Nations envoy to Cyprus says that much hard work still needs to be done to reach a comprehensive settlement of the long-running dispute that has divided the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities on the Mediterranean island.

"A comprehensive settlement is not a foregone conclusion… compromises are indeed always the basis on which durable agreements are constructed. There will be problems along the way – some of them serious. That is precisely why there is a peace process," Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, the UN's Special Representative said today, addressing a medal ceremony for the UN's Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (<"http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1">UNFICYP).

After a meeting on 23 May, Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat committed themselves in a statement to working towards "a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions."

The partnership will comprise a Federal Government with a single international personality, along with a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which will be of equal status.

After further meetings with UN officials, the two leaders are expected to schedule a further face-to-face meeting.

"It is crucial to keep in sight the ultimate objective: that of bringing about a future of durable peace and prosperity for all the people of Cyprus," Mr. Zerihoun said. "And that is why the leadership, courage and vision that the leaders have demonstrated at the present juncture are so crucial."

UNFICYP has been in place on the island since 1964 after the outbreak of intercommunal violence. It is tasked with preventing a recurrence of fighting, contributing to a return to normal conditions and the maintenance of law and order.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

UN AGENCY DEVISES CALCULATOR TO ESTIMATE CARBON FOOTPRINTS OF FLIGHTS

UN AGENCY DEVISES CALCULATOR TO ESTIMATE CARBON FOOTPRINTS OF FLIGHTS New York, Jun 19 2008 3:00PM The United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has unveiled a carbon calculation tool on its website that allows travellers to estimate the "carbon footprint" for any given flight they take.

The Carbon Calculator uses only publicly available and verifiable information to make its calculations about the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from a flight, taking into account such variables as aircraft type, route data, passenger load and the amount of cargo.

Roberto Kobeh González, President of the <"http://www.icao.int/index.html">ICAO Council, said the calculator should benefit both individuals and organizations and will improve as a tool as more technical and operational information becomes available.

"The Carbon Calculator responds to the wish of many travellers for a reliable and authoritative method to estimate the carbon footprint of a flight, so they can choose the programme best suited to offset the impact of their trips on climate change according to the amount of carbon dioxide they are responsible for," Mr. Kobeh said.

It has been introduced by the Montreal-based ICAO as part of efforts to support the UN Climate Neutral Initiative, which calls for all parts of the UN system to determine their total carbon emissions, and is being backed by the UN World Tourism Organization (<"http://www.unwto.org/index.php">UNWTO).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is also recommending the methodology used in the Carbon Calculator to its member airlines for use in their carbon-offsetting programmes, in part to achieve a more consistent approach to estimating the carbon footprint of flights.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

CÔTE D'IVOIRE ELIGIBLE FOR UN PEACEBUILDING FUND - SECRETARY-GENERAL

CÔTE D'IVOIRE ELIGIBLE FOR UN PEACEBUILDING FUND – SECRETARY-GENERAL New York, Jun 19 2008 1:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that Côte d'Ivoire is eligible to receive help from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, set up two years ago to help countries emerging from conflict consolidate their gains and avoid slipping back into war.

Mr. Ban's decision follows a request for funding from the Secretary-General's Special Representative to the West African country, Y. J. Choi, that is also backed by the Ivorian Government.

"The country is now in a pivotal post-conflict phase," with elections scheduled for November, and funding is therefore critical for ensuring that Côte d'Ivoire "continues on the path for peace," said Carolyn McAskie, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

Mr. Choi welcomed the announcement, saying the Fund can fill crucial gaps, "such as for the reintegration of former combatants or the pursuit and facilitation of political dialogue."

It is not the first time that the Fund has allocated spending to Côte d'Ivoire. It already funded an assistance package of $700,000 to support last year's successful efforts of neighbouring Burkina Faso to broker a settlement between Ivorian political forces.

UN officials have warned that although the security and political climate has improved since the signing of the Ouagadougou Agreement last year by the Government and the rebel Forces Nouvelles, the country is still fragile. Violent crimes remain persistently high, and there has been a lack of progress in disarming both the Forces Nouvelles and militia groups in the west.

Since its creation in 2006, as part of reforms that led to the establishment of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, the Fund has exceeded its initial funding target of $250 million and has so far allocated $101 million for projects in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and the Central African Republic (CAR) and for emergency projects and initiatives in Haiti and Africa.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

PROMISING FUTURE FOR NUCLEAR POWER BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

PROMISING FUTURE FOR NUCLEAR POWER BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN, SAYS UN OFFICIAL New York, Jun 19 2008 1:00PM The number of nuclear power reactors around the globe is estimated to increase by 60 per cent by 2030, but the industry still needs to deal with a series of challenges, according to a top official with the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/nppfuture.html">IAEA).

Addressing an event in Seoul to mark 30 years of civilian nuclear power in the Republic of Korea, the Deputy Director General of the IAEA, Yuri A. Sokolov, said that decades of experience in constructing, commissioning, operating and maintaining nuclear power plants would be a crucial help to bring newcomers into the nuclear field.

"The way in which nuclear power has developed in Korea is a clear demonstration of how the challenges can become opportunities," Mr. Sokolov said, speaking at the event which occurred earlier this month.

However, he added that the global nuclear power industry needed to find convincing answers to a number of challenges, including the sustainability of uranium resources; safety and economics; waste management and the fuel cycle; public acceptance and non-proliferation.

The Republic of Korea now has 20 nuclear power units in operation, six units under construction and two units in planning stages.

According to figures released by the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power company, over the last 30 years in Korea nuclear power has generated a total of 2 trillion kW/h of electricity, saving the Asian country an estimated 2.94 billion barrels of heavy oil worth $96 billion.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

PALESTINIANS HIT BY HIGHER FOOD PRICES AND FALLING INCOMES, UN REPORT SAYS

PALESTINIANS HIT BY HIGHER FOOD PRICES AND FALLING INCOMES, UN REPORT SAYS New York, Jun 19 2008 1:00PM Nearly 40 per cent of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank do not have access to sufficient food, a rise of four per cent from 2006, according to a joint report issued by three United Nations agencies.

The report says that the main causes of food insecurity in the occupied Palestinian territories are "rooted in the military and administrative measures imposed by the Israeli occupation – closure regime, permits, destruction of assets – as well as settlement expansion and derived infrastructure multiplication – access to land and water and the construction of bypass roads."

"The agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip is close to collapse, as no exports are allowed, and there is a total unavailability of fertilizer, pesticides and other crucial inputs," according to the report, released yesterday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO), the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?">WFP) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA).

The UN agencies also report that soaring food prices, falling incomes and growing unemployment are all jeopardizing the livelihoods of Palestinians, leading to heavy debt and changes in family eating habits.

"Palestinians are eating less. Many parents reduce their intake to allow for their children to eat. Half the surveyed population have decreased their spending on food, 89 per cent reduced the quality of food they buy while 75 per cent reduced the quantity since January 2008 and almost all people have reduced their consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables and animal protein to save money. Very few Palestinians now eat fresh [red] meat."

More than a third of breadwinners in the Gaza Strip are unemployed, while 27 per cent are without work in the West Bank, the report notes.

"The agriculture sector urgently needs to be strengthened to increase local food productions and create vital income and employment opportunities for the struggling population," said Luigi Damiani, the FAO's Senior Project Coordinator in Jerusalem.

Rising fuel and commodity prices are also making it more difficult to deliver aid.

"It is becoming extraordinarily difficult to cover the growing needs of the Palestinian people," said Christine van Niewenhuyse, WFP Representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, adding that donor contributions have declined recently. "As more people are pushed into hunger and food insecurity, we fear people's health and welfare could sharply deteriorate."

The report notes that in the past year the price of wheat flour has risen by 73 per cent in the West Bank and 68 per cent in the Gaza Strip, while a third of Palestinians have seen a fall in their income, with the poor being hit by a 40 per cent drop.

Farmers in the Gaza Strip have faced three major shocks in recent months, the report says: the complete closure of the Strip by Israel, a late frost and an ongoing drought.

The report paints a picture of an increasingly dependent population. Some 59 per cent of households now rely on credit to buy food, even as the availability of informal credit is drying up. In addition, 76 per cent of households in Gaza have received some type of cash or in-kind aid in the past three months, with higher levels of coverage for refugees, while 23 per cent of households have been assisted in the West Bank.

"The economic downturn results in a much greater need for food assistance, while the severe closure regime makes it harder for us to deliver our services," Karen AbuZayd, Commissioner-General of URNWA, said. "Palestine refugees are facing triple threats – higher prices, greater aid dependency and more restrictions."

The report concludes that "there is little scope for action other than that of a humanitarian-emergency nature to solve food insecurity, until the political dimension is resolved."
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

AGRICULTURE HAS VITAL ROLE IN ENSURING AFRICA'S FOOD SECURITY, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

AGRICULTURE HAS VITAL ROLE IN ENSURING AFRICA'S FOOD SECURITY, SAYS UN OFFICIAL New York, Jun 19 2008 11:00AM Despite the fact that African agriculture remains undercapitalized, inefficient and uncompetitive, it holds the key to ensuring food security on the continent, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) <" http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000868/index.html">said today.

Addressing the <" http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/arc25/Index_en.htm">25th FAO Regional Conference for Africa, Director-General Jacques Diouf stated that with political will and good governance, Africa can boost its agricultural production and feed its population.

He told the gathering in Nairobi that the global surge in food prices, coupled with other factors such as climate change, the diversion of agricultural production for biofuels, rapid urbanization and population growth, and animal and plant diseases have worsened food insecurity in Africa.

At the same time, he called food insecurity a political issue, a matter of priorities in the midst of the most fundamental of human needs. The decisions made by governments determine the allocation of resources, he pointed out.

In 2003 African leaders committed to allocate at least 10 per cent of their budgets to agriculture and rural development. However, a report by the African Union indicates that only one in five countries have reached or exceeded that target.

Mr. Diouf pointed out that, in the last 30 years, agricultural imports have risen more rapidly than exports, with Africa becoming a net importer of agricultural commodities, 87 per cent of which were food products in 2005.

According to FAO, some of the major factors inhibiting agricultural development on the continent relate to the availability of water, arable land, fertilizers and seeds.

To address some of the negative impacts of soaring food prices and to boost food production, FAO launched an initiative last December to support low-income, food-deficit countries by helping farmers access the vital inputs they need.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES EGYPT TO STOP DEPORTING ERITREAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES EGYPT TO STOP DEPORTING ERITREAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS New York, Jun 19 2008 9:00AM The top United Nations human rights official said she was "alarmed" by reports that Egypt has deported some 700 Eritrean asylum seekers in the past few days, and has called on the Government to halt any further forced returns.

"People who could well be at risk in their home country should never be sent back before their asylum claims have been properly addressed," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said in a statement.

"Egypt should respect its international obligations not to send home anyone who could face torture or other serious forms of ill treatment, as may well be the case with those who have apparently been deported in recent days," she added.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Egypt has seen a surge of Eritreans entering the country illegally in recent months by land from Sudan or directly from Eritrea via the Red Sea.

On 15 June, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to High Commissioner António Guterres reaffirming Egypt's commitment to uphold its international obligations relating to the protection of refugees and to grant UNHCR in Cairo access to Eritrean citizens who have entered Egypt illegally.

Ms. Arbour welcomed the Egyptian Government's decision to grant UNHCR staff limited access to the asylum-seekers in order to determine their refugee status.

She urged authorities to immediately stop any further deportation of Eritreans until their asylum status has been properly clarified.
2008-06-19 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/apps/news/email/

ALL SIDES IN DR CONGO CONTINUE TO VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS, UN REPORT FINDS

ALL SIDES IN DR CONGO CONTINUE TO VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS, UN REPORT FINDS New York, Jun 18 2008 8:00PM Government troops, national police, foreign groups and local militia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to contribute to deteriorating human rights conditions, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the country (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC) said in a report released today.

The report, assessing the human rights situation in the DRC in April, found that both the armed forces – known as FARDC – and the police (PNC) are among the main violators, including through rapes and acts of torture.

The inspector-general of the FARDC has been suspended from duty for shooting a 20-year-old street dweller in Kinshasa, the capital, while FARDC members have carried out armed robberies, extortion and many arbitrary arrests.

The number of violations by Congolese police also rose over the previous month's figures, with at least two killings, 13 rape cases and more than 100 arbitrary arrests or acts of detention.

Other segments of the security service, as well as armed militia – including the Patriotic Resistance Front in Ituri (FPRI) and the National Congress for the Defence of the Congolese People (CNDP) – have also been implicated in human rights abuses, such as illegal detention, beatings and arrests.

The report also found that the Government had responded by prosecuting some soldiers, with five men recently given jail sentences ranging from five years to 15 years for the raping of minors.

But it also noted that, at a time when the number of jailbreaks is mounting, the Government continues to deny access to prisons in many parts of the vast country to MONUC's human rights officials.
2008-06-18 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/apps/news/email/

MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONDEMNS 'ONGOING SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS'

MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONDEMNS 'ONGOING SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS' New York, Jun 18 2008 7:00PM The United Nations Human Rights Council today condemned "ongoing systematic violations of human rights" in Myanmar and called on the Government to stop making politically motivated arrests and to release all political prisoners immediately.

In a resolution adopted without a vote, the Council also called on the Government of Myanmar to fully implement commitments it made to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that it would grant relief workers "immediate, full and unhindered access" to people in need in the wake of last month's catastrophic Cyclone Nargis.

It called on the Government to refrain from sending victims of the disaster back to areas where they would not have access to emergency relief, and to ensure that any returns are voluntary, safe and carried out with dignity.

The resolution, introduced before the Geneva-based Council by the European Union, also condemned the recruitment of child soldiers by both Government forces and non-State armed groups and urged "an absolute an immediate stop of this appalling activity."

In addition, it called for an independent investigation into reports of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, acts of torture and forced labour, and called for those responsible for such crimes to be brought to justice.

The resolution also called on the Government "to engage in a real process of dialogue and national reconciliation with the full and genuine participation of representatives of all political parties and ethnic groups who have been excluded from the political process."

Introducing the resolution on behalf of the EU, Slovenian representative Andrej Logar said previous resolutions had not been implemented by Myanmar and many political prisoners remained in detention.

The recent constitutional referendum was conducted in complete disregard of basic standards on such issues as freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, he said.

Myanmar's representative U Wunna Maung Lwin described the resolution as politically motivated and lopsided and said powerful States were trying to influence matters through political interference.

The representative said Myanmar was working with the international community in the response effort to Cyclone Nargis, which struck the country on 2-3 May, and was also making efforts on the political front, such as with the recent holding of the constitutional referendum.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the General Assembly today on his recent trip to Myanmar, saying that overall the relief effort there is continuing to improve and to be scaled up.

More than 134,000 people are dead or missing as a result of Cyclone Nargis and the subsequent tidal wave, and as many as 2.4 million people were affected and now need humanitarian assistance.

In his address to Assembly members, Mr. Ban stressed that the humanitarian tragedy wrought by the cyclone should not be politicized, and he plans to remain focused on the issue, drawing on the efforts of his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari.

The Secretary-General also covered other issues in his remarks to the Assembly, including his latest travels, the most recent developments in the global food crisis and the situation in Zimbabwe.
2008-06-18 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/apps/news/email/

SECURITY COUNCIL URGED TO SUPPORT SUDAN'S 'FRAGILE' NORTH-SOUTH PEACE ACCORD

SECURITY COUNCIL URGED TO SUPPORT SUDAN'S 'FRAGILE' NORTH-SOUTH PEACE ACCORD New York, Jun 18 2008 7:00PM The head of the Security Council's recent mission to Sudan today urged the 15-member body to press the parties to the 2005 peace accord which ended the country's long-running north-south civil war to fulfil their commitments, stressing that the landmark deal is vital to ensuring stability throughout the vast African nation.

"The Comprehensive Peace Agreement remains fragile, and the Council came away convinced that we have to do all we can to support the parties in implementing it," John Ambassador John Sawers of the United Kingdom told an open <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9363.doc.htm">meeting of the Council.

Mr. Sawers, who co-led the Sudan leg of the Council's recent five-nation mission to Africa, added that the delegation believes that the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm">UNMIS) needed to do more to support the CPA, which he said remains "the bedrock of peace in Sudan."

In particular, he said the Mission could do more – and that it should "interpret its mandate more robustly than it has done so far" – if it is to contribute to stability and protect civilians in the disputed town of Abyei.

While in Sudan, the Council team also discussed with President Omar al-Bashir the situation in Darfur, where the UN and African Union have deployed a joint peacekeeping operation, known as <"http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/unamid/">UNAMID, to try to quell the violence and suffering that has plagued the region.

The operation currently has around 10,000 troops and police officers on the ground, far short of the expected total of about 26,000 when the mission reaches full deployment, and is lacking key capacities in air transport, particularly helicopters.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations says that in addition to the four out of six required tactical support helicopters, there is a critical shortfall for three medium utility helicopter units (providing six helicopters each) and reconnaissance aircraft. It adds that discussions are ongoing with Member States to fill the shortfalls. In a related development, the head of the Department of Field Support, Susana Malcorra, has begun a visit to Darfur.

With UNAMID's mandate coming up for review next month, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, who co-led the Sudan segment of the Africa trip, urged the Council to pay closer attention to the details of the operation's structure.

"Even I was shocked at how under-resourced UNAMID was […] this must be watched very closely," he said, expressing concern that the operation's current strength was not sufficient enough to respond to the fears of the people on the ground.

Recalling the reports of insecurity received from internally displaced persons (IDPs) and aid workers during the Council's stop in Darfur, he said "the issue of UNAMID, its strength, resources and the conditions under which it will work need more attention from the Council, so it can assist the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and our humanitarian friends working on the ground."

Mr. Kumalo also briefed the Council on the delegation's visit to Djibouti, where UN-led talks between the Government and the opposition of neighbouring Somalia recently led to an agreement aiming to bring peace to the strife-torn nation that has not had a functioning government since 1991.

The Council had also encouraged the acceleration of the deployment of the UN mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minurcat/">MINURCAT), during its stop in the latter country, reported Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, who led that portion of the trip.

He said Council members had reaffirmed their commitment to Chad's sovereignty and stressed that the country must commit itself to dialogue with Sudan and that both countries must pledge to keep armed groups out of each others territories.

In addition to meeting with Government officials, Council members visited a camp for Chadians displaced by fighting in country's eastern region, and were briefed by UN and other humanitarian workers on security concerns and restrictions on their movement.

While in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Council touched on the country's continued cooperation with the UN, as well as on sexual violence and issues related to war crimes investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mr. Ripert reported.

The Council had expressed to President Joseph Kabila its concerns, including the need to strengthen the country's democratic institutions, reform its justice sector, and to press ahead with the holding of local elections.

"Even with all this, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is nevertheless seeing its first real taste of democracy in the last 50 years," Mr. Ripert said, especially with political opposition playing a role in what appeared to be a "serene" atmosphere.

Reporting on the final leg of the mission, Ambassador Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso said that the Council's stop in Côte d'Ivoire had enabled the body to assess the progress made by the Ivorian players in adhering to the Ouagadougou Agreement, including the preparations for the holding of credible, free and transparent presidential elections later this year.
2008-06-18 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/apps/news/email/

UN PEACEKEEPER IN DARFUR RELEASED AFTER ABDUCTION, ROBBERY BY ARAB MILITIAMEN

UN PEACEKEEPER IN DARFUR RELEASED AFTER ABDUCTION, ROBBERY BY ARAB MILITIAMEN New York, Jun 18 2008 6:00PM A staff member serving with the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was today abducted by armed Arab militiamen, assaulted and stripped of his belongings before being eventually released.

The mission said in a press statement that the man was attacked just before noon and three of his colleagues were also held at gunpoint, close to both the UNAMID military base and the airport in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.

The staff member is now in a stable condition after being repeatedly beaten with rifles during the attack, which only ended when a member of the Sudan National Security intervened and the militiamen released the peacekeeper.

The militia had been moving in a convoy of about 1,000 men on camels, horses and in four-wheel-drive vehicles, on its way to the local headquarters of the Sudanese armed forces.

"UNAMID avoided opening fire in response to avoid further aggravating the situation and in consideration of the lives of the civilian population in that area," according to the mission's statement.

"UNAMID condemns, in the strongest terms, the attack on its peacekeepers. The mission is deployed to help the people of Darfur achieve peace and stability. In their attempt to resolve the conflict in Darfur, peacekeepers should not, in any way, be made party to the conflict."

The mission and UN security officials said they are continuing to monitor the situation across Darfur, where <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamid/index.html">UNAMID has been in place since the start of the year to try to end a brutal conflict that has pitted rebels against Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed, since 2003.

During those five years an estimated 300,000 people have died, either through direct combat or because of disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy. Another 2.7 million people are now displaced, with many living across the border in eastern Chad.

UNAMID currently has around 10,000 troops and police officers on the ground in Darfur, far short of the expected total of about 26,000 when the mission reaches full deployment. It is also lacking key capacities in air transport, particularly helicopters.

The new head of the Department of Field Support, Under-Secretary-General Susanna Malcorra, has begun her visit to Darfur, an impoverished region on Sudan's western flank.

Meanwhile, UN officials in Chad say the security situation in the northeast of that country is calm again after days of gun battles between Government forces and armed opposition groups.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative Victor Da Silva Angelo, who has just completed a field visit to the affected area, expressed his gratitude to the Irish and Dutch contingent of the European Union force (EUFOR) for the protection they provided to UN and aid workers in recent days.

Mr. Angelo, who is also head of the UN mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minurcat/index.html">MINURCAT), said in a statement that the EUFOR contingents also responded with professionalism in Abeché and throughout the country.

"The SRSG considers the EUFOR mandate to be critical for enhancing security in eastern Chad and welcomes the reinforcement of the cooperation between EUFOR, MINURCAT and the Government of Chad as an essential element for a sustainable solution to the existing challenges," he said.

UN aid workers have been instructed to redeploy so they can provide assistance to both internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Darfurian refugees living in camps around the town of Goz Beida.
2008-06-18 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/apps/news/email/

SECRETARY-GENERAL CELEBRATES WRITINGS AND INFLUENCE OF RENOWNED PERSIAN POET

SECRETARY-GENERAL CELEBRATES WRITINGS AND INFLUENCE OF RENOWNED PERSIAN POET New York, Jun 18 2008 6:00PM The writings of Abu Abdullah Jafar ibn Mohammad Rudaki, the poet considered to have laid the foundations of Persian classical literature, should serve as an inspiration to international efforts to combat extremism and attempts to divide peoples and cultures, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

<"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3238">Speaking at United Nations Headquarters in New York at a commemoration ceremony on the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Rudaki, Mr. Ban said it was fitting that the world body, given its goals, should celebrate the life of a poet "who so beautifully extolled the virtues of good and justice.

"With simplicity and elegance, Rudaki pioneered a great tradition, laying the foundation for Persian classical literature," the Secretary-General said. "He took poetry from the realm of the abstract into contemporary life. And, in the process, he shed new philosophical light on society. Rudaki is truly the 'Sultan of Poets'."

Mr. Ban said Rudaki's influence is particularly important today, given the work of the UN-backed Alliance of Civilizations, "our initiative to counter extremism and heal the divisions that threaten our world."

Today's commemoration, which was attended by many scholars and artists, was organized by the permanent representatives of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
2008-06-18 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/apps/news/email/

ZIMBABWEAN VIOLENCE THREATENS CREDIBILITY OF NEXT WEEK'S POLLS - BAN

ZIMBABWEAN VIOLENCE THREATENS CREDIBILITY OF NEXT WEEK'S POLLS – BAN New York, Jun 18 2008 4:00PM The current violence, intimidation and arrest of opposition leaders in Zimbabwe are not conducive to credible elections, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for an immediate halt to hostilities ahead of the presidential run-off round set for next week.

"Should these conditions continue to prevail, the legitimacy of the election outcomes would be in question," Mr. Ban said in an informal briefing to the General Assembly.

The Secretary-General expressed his "profound alarm" at the situation in the Southern African nation, which has witnessed deadly political violence since the first round of the presidential election on 29 March.

Compounding the political crisis is "an already deep social, economic and humanitarian crisis," in a country where as many as 4 million people are vulnerable and in need of help, he told the 192-member body.

Adding to the dire state of affairs is rapid economic decline and inflation of 355,000 per cent, collapsing social services, food insecurity and the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, he added.

Earlier today the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that up to five million Zimbabweans could face hunger by early next year unless immediate action is taken to address the country's food insecurity.

The Secretary-General also pointed out that the delivery of humanitarian assistance has increasingly been obstructed by authorities, community leaders, war veterans and militia members, a situation made worse by the Government's recent decision to ban non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from distributing aid.

"It is of utmost importance that the violence is stopped immediately and that humanitarian assistance is facilitated, not prevented," he stressed, urging the Government to rescind all restrictions on the work of NGOs, to ensure unfettered access to vulnerable populations for all agencies, and to ensure the security of all humanitarian workers.

Last week Mr. Ban dispatched Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios to Zimbabwe to discuss those issues with the parties before the run-off on 27 June, in which President Robert Mugabe will face Morgan Tsvangirai from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Mr. Menkerios has met with both leaders, as well as the Foreign Minister, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, church leaders and civil society groups, including human rights organizations.

Following his meeting with Mr. Mugabe yesterday, Mr. Menkerios told reporters the UN will be supporting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to boost its capacity to observe the election.

Regarding the security situation, he said "the reports have been about violence, people being displaced, houses being burned," adding that the Secretary-General is concerned about what measures can be put in place ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today denounced the expelling of a UN human rights official by Zimbabwe as "regrettable, untimely and uncooperative."

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, she added that the move appeared to fit with a pattern which the Government has chosen on non-cooperation with various international agencies.

The staff member in question, a Geneva-based desk officer, was on a routine mission, expecting to work with the UN Country Team and NGOs on issues relating to human rights. He was asked to leave Zimbabwe yesterday by the authorities, on the grounds that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had not given them enough warning about his visit.

OHCHR says it did alert the authorities, and Ms. Arbour said she would like to see Zimbabwe reverse its decision and allow the staff member to return.
2008-06-18 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/apps/news/email/