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UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
26 September, 2007 =========================================================================
BAN KI-MOON DISPATCHES MYANMAR ENVOY TO REGION AS SITUATION WORSENS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today he is sending his Special Envoy dealing with Myanmar to the region in response to the deteriorating situation in the Asian nation, and once again urged authorities there to respond to the ongoing peaceful protests with the utmost restraint.
Noting reports of the use of force and of arrests and beatings, Mr. Ban called again on authorities “to exercise utmost restraint toward the peaceful demonstrations taking place, as such action can only undermine the prospects for peace, prosperity and stability in Myanmar,” in a statement issued by his spokesperson.
The Secretary-General – who held a tête-à-tête with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win later today – called on the country’s senior leadership to cooperate fully with the mission of his Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari “in order to take advantage of the willingness of the United Nations to assist in the process of national reconciliation through dialogue.”
While Myanmar’s Government has not yet accepted Mr. Gambari’s mission, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York that “he will stay in the region, and as soon as he gets the green light he will proceed.”
After Mr. Gambari briefed the Security Council this afternoon on the latest developments, Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert of France – which holds the rotating Council presidency this month – issued a press statement voicing members’ strong support for Mr. Gambari’s visit and underlining the need for the envoy to be received by authorities as soon as possible.
Mr. Ripert said Council members expressed concern at the situation and urged restraint, especially from the authorities.
The demonstrations began last month to protest against a surge in fuel prices. More recently, the protests have swelled and included many of the country’s monks.
Also expressing concern about the well-being of the demonstrators, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today urged the authorities to allow the peaceful expression of dissent in the country and to abide by international human rights law in their response.
“The use of excessive force and all forms of arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters are strictly prohibited under international law,” she said.
Ms. Arbour also expressed her continuing concern for those who have been detained during recent weeks, and for the welfare of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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TODAY’S GLOBAL CHALLENGES AGGRAVATED BY INTOLERANCE – BAN KI-MOON
Promoting tolerance is a vital part of tackling many of today's global challenges which, though mostly political in nature, are aggravated and rendered intractable by the distrust, and even hostility, among different cultural and religious groups, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a high-level gathering on bridging the divide between Islam and the West.
“Across the world, intolerance and cross-cultural tensions are on the rise,” Mr. Ban stated in his remarks to representatives comprising the “Group of Friends” of the global campaign known as the Alliance of Civilizations.
“Every day serves up new instances of the harmful impact cultural misunderstandings and religious prejudices can have on relations between communities, both within countries and across national borders.”
Facing these challenges is the “need of the hour” and demands a collective and broad-based approach that is at the very heart of the Alliance, he said.
Created in 2005 at the initiative of Spain and Turkey and under UN auspices, the Alliance seeks to tackle fear and suspicion, bridge divides and overcome prejudices and polarizations between Islam and the West.
Mr. Ban noted that at the national level, the Alliance is well-positioned to support initiatives aimed at improving cross-cultural relations. “In areas like education, media and the youth, it can help foster partnerships among Governments, international organizations, civil society groups and foundations. By drawing on its networks and expertise, it can bolster grassroots efforts to combat prejudice and promote dialogue among diverse communities.”
At the same time, the Alliance can serve as a “catalyst for joint action” at the inter-governmental level, he said, adding that the partnership between Spain and Turkey that led to the creation of the Alliance is, in itself, “a potent symbol of what dialogue can achieve when backed by strong political will.”
The Alliance can also help reinforce the work of the UN system as a whole by making a real contribution to the Organization’s efforts to prevent war and promote peace.
Mr. Ban said he was confident that, by working together, “we can create conditions that help communities choose the path of dialogue instead of confrontation; we can learn to engage with each other rather than ignore each other; and we can embrace our diversity instead of fearing it.”
General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim told delegates he knows from personal experience how important understanding between cultures is and the need to foster that understanding through dialogue.
“I myself come from a country that lies at a crossroads of different cultures and religions,” stated Mr. Kerim, a diplomat, economist, scholar and businessman from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The President stressed that progress in the Alliance’s four major priority areas – youth, education, media and migration – is indispensable for reducing tensions and polarization between societies which differ in their religious and cultural values.
“How better to enhance the dialogue on a daily basis but through properly sensitized media? How better to promote cross-cultural dialogue in the long-run but through youth and education?”
Highlighting some of the initiatives taken by the UN towards better cross-cultural understanding, he drew attention to a high-level dialogue on interreligious and intercultural understanding and cooperation for peace to be held in October.
In April this year, Mr. Ban appointed Jorge Sampaio, a former President of Portugal, as the first UN High Representative for the Alliance, to provide the campaign with vision and leadership.
The “Group of Friends” network – a growing community of over 50 States and international organizations that support the objectives of the Alliance – was set up to foster partnerships and deepen cooperation on a range of initiatives across different regions.
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NIGERIA TO PRESS FOR REFORM OF SECURITY COUNCIL, ITS PRESIDENT SAYS
The President of Nigeria today called for an expansion of the Security Council to include representation for Africa, and pledged his country’s efforts toward achieving this end.
“The situation whereby Africa is itself totally excluded from the permanent membership of the Council is unfair and untenable and must be rectified,” Umaru Musa Yar’adua told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
He pledged to “continue to collaborate with Member States to press for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations system, including the much-desired expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories in order to reflect the realities of today’s world.”
Speaking more broadly about the needs of the African continent, he said it seeks “genuine partnership for economic development” from the international community.
“This should be manifested in a global economic system predicated on fairness, justice and equity; one that ensures fair trade terms and recognizes the centrality of mutuality in prosperity,” he said. “More specifically, Africa requires massive, focused foreign investment in the infrastructural development across the continent.”
Festus G. Mogae, the President of Botswana, echoed the call for attention to Africa, acknowledging its problems while emphasizing that the continent’s future “is not hopeless or bleak.”
He emphasized the pivotal role being played by the African Union (AU) in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. “While the United Nations Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, Africa should be a dependable and indispensable partner in responding expeditiously to the urgent need to end conflicts and save lives.”
The President added that the countries and peoples of Africa must take a lead role in promoting peace and development. “We should adopt sound policies and programmes that promote economic growth and development, foreign direct investment, as well as domestic investment,” he said.
At the same time, he called for the continent’s development partners to “deliver on the pledges to scale up official development assistance (ODA) to Africa, effect meaningful debt relief, improve market access for African goods and services and encourage their private sectors to invest in Africa.”
Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdellahi, the President of Mauritania, said there was no doubt that “economic and social development constitute the best antidote” to the problems plaguing Africa.
He called for greater levels of official assistance and foreign direct investment for Africa, while pointing out that the continent’s countries hold primary responsibility for development. “They must ensure the primacy of law, promote good governance and create a framework that will foster investments,” he said.
Mauritania is closely following developments concerning Western Sahara and welcomes recent steps which have translated into a return to the negotiating table, he said, voicing supports for efforts by the Secretary-General to achieve a lasting solution acceptable to all parties that would bolster stability in the region.
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GEORGIA CALLS FOR TOTAL REVIEW OF UN MISSION AND PEACE PROCESS
Georgia’s President called today for a complete review of the United Nations observer mission in his country and the wider peace process with the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, saying the status quo was unacceptable and served to reward the architects of ethnic cleansing and a minority of activists, militias and their foreign supporters.
In his address to the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly, Mikheil Saakashvili said there had not been “a comprehensive review of all aspects of the peace process” in the 14 years since the UN mission, known as UNOMIG, was established.
“United Nations has tried to bring peace to this region, but it has not succeeded in making Georgia whole again, despite its unwavering recognition of Georgian sovereignty,” he said. “We cannot allow this to continue.”
Mr. Saakashvili said the review “must result in fundamental changes,” particularly on the ground, where the actions of “supposedly neutral” monitors were actually biased and served to maintain the status quo.
Thousands of people were forced out of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, he said, and to the detriment of those regions.
The Georgian leader outlined the details of a proposal that he said offered “the alternative of security and prosperity to those who have been poisoned by the separatist illusion” in the two regions.
Any plan to advance the peace process and end the current stalemate must focus on economic development and the return of displaced persons, he stressed.
“We offer and recognize the right of full self-government for all those who live in Abkhazia and South Ossetia with our sovereignty, territorial borders und international guarantees. We offer constitutional changes to enshrine the protection of minorities, including language rights, the protection of culture and education.
“And we are even willing to offer special property rights to all interested groups in order to enhance their identity to guarantee and secure that their long-term survival will be secure and guaranteed by the state and the international community. And we offer and welcome a robust role for the European Union and more engagement of the EU on the ground.
“In short, we offer a level of autonomy grounded in the very same principles that has guided the rest of Europe in promoting peace, prosperity in its multi-ethnic tapestry.”
He said continued ignorance of ethnic cleansing was “a stain of the moral copybook of the international community. These disputes are no longer about ethnic grievance. They are about the manipulation of greed by a tiny minority of activists and militants and militias and their foreign backers at the expense of the local population.”
The President asked why “elements of Russia” were building a new military base in South Ossetia, “in the middle of Georgia… very far from the Russian territory,” adding that he had documentary evidence to support his remarks.
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FINLAND’S PRESIDENT SUPPORTS CREATION OF NEW UN AGENCY ON GENDER ISSUES
The President of Finland today backed the creation of a new United Nations agency to deal with gender issues and urged greater involvement of women in peacemaking and peacekeeping.
“We do need to take decisive measures to promote gender awareness across the entire UN system,” said Tarja Halonen, voicing support for a proposal “to set up a new consolidated gender agency” headed by an Under-Secretary-General.
Addressing the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, she stressed the importance of “engaging women in all phases of crisis management: conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding – not forgetting peace talks.”
As an example of the positive role women can play in dealing with conflicts, she cited an initiative by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which has brought together Israeli and Palestinian women under its Middle East initiative. The President said this effort “can help restart peace negotiations.”
In his address to the General Assembly, the President of the Czech Republic called on Member States to proceed with a serious discussion of reforming the United Nations so that this “irreplaceable” institution can better reflect current global realities rather than the era in which it was founded.
The UN is an extremely important forum for dialogue among its 192 Member States, based on mutual respect for differing opinions, Václav Klaus said, adding that “there is no substitute for it in the current world.”
But to move forward and adapt to current realities, “some changes are inevitable and we should discuss them seriously.”
At the same time, Mr. Klaus stressed the need to ensure that the reform process does not take place at the expense of individual countries for the sake of expediency. “It is crucial that every Member State has equal status and that its voice is not ignored,” he stated, urging that the views of all countries be respected, regardless of their size.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY MECHANISM NEEDED TO DEVISE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE – MALTA
The General Assembly should set up a mechanism to devise a global strategy to deal with climate change that avoids the current fragmentation and pays particularly attention to the needs of small island States, Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said today.
Dr. Gonzi told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate that international institutions and organizations such as the United Nations should tackle the issue of global warming and its repercussions “in a more cohesive and concerted manner,” or future generations would pay the price.
“It is imperative that all actors involved in climate risk reduction take a unified stand on a strategy and action to strengthen the resilience of affected countries in building their ability to face and adapt to the adverse impact of climate change,” he said.
Dr. Gonzi said the General Assembly mechanism should also report on all the activities in the field of climate change over the past 20 years to help in proposing its strategy to deal with the problem.
The Prime Minister also welcomed the efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to build momentum – including by holding a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday – on the issue.
“Malta looks forward to decisions at the Bali summit next December that will orient and accelerate action within the United Nations framework to obtain agreement on a comprehensive, effective, fair and urgent global strategy to limit climate change and adapt to its impacts.”
The negotiations in Bali, Indonesia, are aimed at hammering out a successor pact to the legally binding Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which is set to expire in 2012.
Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski told the Assembly that “the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the greatest challenges facing mankind in the years to come,” although he added that “to be objective, it should be noted at this point that many scientists represent dissenting views” about climate change and recent weather extremes.
Development does not have to be coupled with increased greenhouse gas emissions, he said, calling on wealthy nations to ensure that poorer States can take greater advantage of effective technologies and renewable energy sources.
“There is no doubt that deforestation in the developing countries increases the emissions of greenhouse gases and destroys biodiversity. We must counteract that. We cannot demand slower development of those countries at their expense. We must therefore help them in realistic and tangible ways.”
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NORWAY UNVEILS CAMPAIGN TO ACHIEVE UN GOAL ON CHILD MORTALITY, MATERNAL HEALTH
Norway will spend $1 billion over the next decade to help in the fight in the developing world against infant mortality and deaths in childbirth, one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted at a United Nations summit in 2000, its Prime Minister announced today.
Jens Stoltenberg told the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly in New York that the world is struggling to meet the MDGs by their target date of 2015, and particularly the Goal concerning child mortality and maternal health.
“Simple, affordable measures can save millions” of children’s and mothers’ lives, the Prime Minister said. Every year, 500,000 women die because of childbirth and 2 million babies lose their lives before the sun sets on their first day.
“The four million newborn who die in their first month may survive if they are breastfed [and] have access to antibiotics and health workers.”
The Norwegian plan, launched with other governments, agencies and civil society, is aimed at boosting both the organization of the fight and the amount of funding available, and not just for vaccinations.
“Health personnel should treat more patients and file fewer reports. And we must change the financing so that treating patients becomes a source of income rather than a cost for the health systems.”
Mr. Stoltenberg said an advocacy campaign for women and children was being launched and would be overseen by a Network of Global Leaders chosen to help ensure “that our message will reach every corner of the world.”
He stressed that although the Global Alliance for Vaccines has saved more than 2 million lives since its inception in 2000, it was important to move beyond that to other forms of treatment.
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BOLIVIA'S PRESIDENT PROPOSES CONVENING UN WORLD INDIGENOUS FORUM
The President of Bolivia today called for the United Nations to convene a world indigenous forum to foster a new approach to economic relations based on an appreciation of natural resources and not their exploitation.
Addressing the General Assembly's annual high-level debate, Evo Morales welcomed the recent approval of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, thanking all countries, except the four which voted against it.
“Our culture is a culture of life,” said the President, the first indigenous leader of Bolivia.
He called on the UN to convene a world indigenous forum to “understand different ways of life.”
Questioning whether it was necessary to exploit and plunder in order to live well, he suggested instead that living well is living within a community – not having an excess of material wealth.
To indigenous communities, he said, the Earth is sacred, as demonstrated by their practices. “Let us gather these experiences to defend life and to save humankind,” he said.
President Morales said natural resources should be used to benefit nations, he said, adding that while companies have a right to profit, they do not have a right to plunder.
Natural resources should be accessible to all, he argued. “Water is a human right. Energy is a human right,” he said, stressing that these should not be considered commodities to be exploited by private businesses.
He said talk of biofuels was confusing. “I don't understand how we can produce food for cars. Soil should be for life! Because there is a lack of gas we are going to divert food for automobiles?” He called for giving up luxury. “We cannot continue to accumulate garbage,” he said.
President Morales spoke out against “economic policies that have caused genocide” and denounced the arms race. “War is the industry of death,” he declared.
He decried the economic imbalance of the world, where wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. “Collective globalization that does not respect plurality or differences is the source of the problem,” he said.
The President also spoke of his own difficulties traveling to the UN Assembly. “I don't know how all of you managed to come here to the United States but at least my delegation had a great deal of visa problems,” he said, proposing that “perhaps we should change the site of the United Nations.”
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ZIMBABWEAN LEADER URGES ‘REVITALIZED’ UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
To counter the influence of strong countries, the United Nations General Assembly must be reinvigorated and become more active in all areas, including peace and security, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe said today.
“We are for a United Nations that recognizes the equality of sovereign nations and peoples whether big or small,” Mr. Mugabe told the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York. “We are averse to a body in which the economically and militarily powerful behave like bullies, trampling on the rights of weak and smaller States, as sadly happened in Iraq.”
The challenges posed by such nations can be offset by the revitalization of the GA, “itself the most representative organ of the UN,” he stated.
The President expressed frustration over what he said were the undemocratic tendencies of the Security Council due to the sway held by powerful nations.
“In its present configuration, the Council has shown that it is not in a position to protect the weaker States who find themselves at loggerheads with a marauding super-power,” he noted, calling attention to the fact that Africa is the only continent not represented in the 15-member body.
Calling on the UN system to desist from breaching the autonomy of Member States, the President stressed that national-level development efforts must be directed by countries themselves and “not subject to the whims of powerful donor states.”
Mr. Mugabe also pointed the finger at Western nations for violating his country’s sovereignty through its domination of Zimbabwe’s resources, “in the process making us mere chattels in our own lands, mere minders of its transnational interests.”
Criticizing United States President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister Tony Blair for their “misadventures in Iraq,” the Zimbabwean leader said that this action was taken without the consent of the UN.
“The two rode roughshod over the UN and international opinion,” he declared, calling for withdrawal from Iraq.
To address its own problems, Zimbabwe can rely on African regional and continental organizations, without interference from “outsiders and mischievous outsiders.”
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GLOBAL ANTI-POVERTY TARGETS INSUFFICIENT TO MEET NEEDS, ECUADOR'S PRESIDENT SAYS
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of global anti-poverty targets adopted by the United Nations in 2000, serve only as a minimum standard and even if achieved would not approach decent living conditions, the President of Ecuador said today.
“To focus exclusively on minimum agendas as suggested by the MDGs may imply a high risk that would please certain consciences but limit the achievement of profound social changes,” Rafael Correa told the Assembly's annual high-level debate.
He called for looking beyond subsistence to “the right of people to enjoy a human life worthy of being lived.”
Referring to a frequently cited statistic about the poor living on $1 a day, he said: “Having a goal of living on one dollar, or one dollar plus one cent, in order to overcome extreme poverty or avoid a premature death, as implied by the MDGs, does not mean leading a decent life.”
Countries should not be content with reaching minimum objectives “although no one can deny that preventing the premature deaths of boys and girls is without a doubt a fundamental goal.”
He proposed instead common objectives based on “social maximums rather than life minimums.” These should include guarantees to artistic creation and leisure, for example, he said.
The President also spoke out on the issue of migration. “There is a paradox: on the one hand, the free flow of goods and capital searching for maximum profits crashes against the punishment people receive on their freedom to travel globally in search of a better life,” he said. “This cannot be tolerated.”
Ecuador, he said, “does not believe in 'illegal' human beings and is actively working to promote changes to shameful international migration laws, bearing in mind obviously that our great responsibility is to build a country that offers guarantees for a worthy life as a means of preventing migration caused by poverty and exclusion.”
Elias Antonio Saca, the President of El Salvador, emphasized the importance of a humane approach to the issue of migration, pointing out that immigrants make important contributions to the economies of host countries. He voiced appreciation for the work of the United Nations on the matter, which he said must be dealt with from a human rights perspective.
He said Central America has achieved a great deal of security but cautioned that threats persist, especially in relation to the activities of gangs. “These antisocial groups do not follow the patterns of traditional criminals,” he said, adding that the threat is extending to the level of organized crime reaching beyond the region.
The treatment of this issue requires action and cooperation from all States, especially in Latin America, he said.
* * *
JUDGES AT UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA RE-ELECT THEIR PRESIDENT
Judges on the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the worst atrocities of the Balkan wars of the 1990s today re-elected their President and Vice-President to each serve another two-year term.
An extraordinary plenary session of the permanent judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which sits in The Hague, re-elected by acclamation Judge Fausto Pocar as President and Judge Kevin Parker as Vice-President. Their new terms will start on 17 November.
Judge Pocar of Italy, who has been President since November 2005, joined the Tribunal in February 2000. Judge Parker, an Australian, joined ICTY in December 2003 and has served as Vice-President since November 2005.
The Tribunal’s chambers consist of 16 permanent judges and a maximum of 12 ad litem, or temporary, judges at any one time. All are elected by the UN General Assembly.
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SOLUTION TO THE CYPRUS PROBLEM IS ‘WITHIN REACH’, PRESIDENT TELLS UN ASSEMBLY
A settlement to the Cyprus problem in the form of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation that is unified, democratic and inclusive is feasible and need not involve unfair compromises, the President of the country told the General Assembly today.
Tassos Papadopoulos said the status quo on the Mediterranean island was not sustainable and it was important to continue with the process outlined in an agreement signed on 8 July last year by the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
The accord sets out the necessary framework for a political process that was designed to lead to the resumption of full-fledged negotiations under the auspices of the good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General but, more than a year later, the negotiations remain yet to begin.
Mr. Papadopoulos said “the surprising laboriousness in implementing this carefully crafted agreement” is not inherent to the process and he reiterated that the 8 July agreement provides the only basis for taking the issue forward.
He stressed that he regards “the preservation of our interests and those of Turkey in our region not as mutually exclusive but as complementary and interdependent,” adding that it was time to seize the opportunity to prevent the dispute becoming eternal.
“We are convinced that reaching a settlement well above the lowest common denominator is feasible and the creation of a unified, democratic, inclusive and forward-looking society fully assuming its place in the European Union is within reach.
“We are also convinced that a settlement in the form of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation can be truly comprehensive and need not sacrifice justice for the sake of peace.”
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AT UN, MADAGASCAR CALLS FOR ‘ECOLOGICAL PARTNERSHIP’ BETWEEN AFRICA, RICH STATES
Africa and the industrialized world should form an “ecological partnership” in which African States supply clean energy and other natural products and wealthy countries increase their investment in the continent, Madagascar’s President told national leaders gathered at the General Assembly today.
“There is an urgent need for the globalization of responsibility,” Marc Ravalomanana said as he called for new strategies that utilize the international community to help African economies advance more quickly and yet still protect their environment.
During previous addresses to the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, Mr. Ravalomanana has called for a Marshall Plan for Africa to match the economic assistance programme that the United States brought to Europe after World War II.
Reiterating the need for such a plan, he said today that the ecological partnership would form a crucial element.
“Such a partnership could contribute substantially to finding real solutions to some of the climate problems, through a programme of investment. Other important features would be nature conservation, and the preservation of our biodiversity.
“I am convinced that Africa could be the supplier of clean energy, medicinal and industrial plants, as well as other natural products in the future. The world is bound to need more and more of these.”
The Malagasy President said the possibilities in Africa for producing new, clean forms of energy and reducing the output of carbon dioxide were enormous.
“Madagascar could provide some of the energy needs through the development of hydro energy. And half of Madagascar could be reforested. Our island, called the red island, could once again, be known as the green island.”
International help would be vital to this process, he said, stressing “there is a strong link between the quality of the environment and poverty.”
But he voiced concern at what he said was “the lack of seriousness” at forums such as the General Assembly annual high-level debate.
“A lot of promises are made, but not a lot of promises are kept,” the President said, adding that many donor nations are not even close to meeting their vow of doubling aid to Africa.
“Aid to Africa is as weak as ever. Africa can absorb so much more. And all countries would benefit from this.”
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URGENT SCALE-UP OF ACTION NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL ACCESS – UNAIDS
Achieving the goal of providing universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 will require a dramatic and urgent scale-up of efforts, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said in a new report released today.
Universal access for 14 million people in less than three years’ time will also require significant increases in funding, between $32 and $51 billion, up from $10 billon this year. By 2015, between $45 and $58 billion would be necessary to prolong this approach, according to the report, entitled “Financial Resources Required to Achieve Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support.”
Last year, a high-level General Assembly meeting was convened to bolster commitment to achieving the target of universal access by 2010, and by this June 93 countries had set ambitious goals while an additional 60 nations had developed strategic plans.
Brazil and Botswana are among countries that have made strides towards the goal, especially through the achievement of universal access to antiretroviral treatment. Other nations such as Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa are pushing ahead to meet their national targets by 2010.
However, the $10 billion made available this year to fund the fight against the virus falls far short of what is needed to achieve universal access.
The new report also puts forward two other approaches to financing the effort to halt the spread of, and treat those living with, HIV/AIDS.
One suggestion is to boost resources to between $14 and $18 billion and achieve the treatment of 8 million people by 2015.
The other is to increase funding for countries based on their capacities and ultimately reaching universal access in all nations by 2015.
According to the report, the lack of investment in the early years of the AIDS response, particularly in strengthening health systems and addressing the “drivers of the epidemic,” has resulted in a more serious epidemic and the higher levels of funding needed today.
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DEVELOPING STATES NEED HELP COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE, MOZAMBICAN LEADER TELLS UN
Developing countries bear the brunt of climate change and need international assistance to help them mitigate its effects, the President of Mozambique told the United Nations General Assembly today.
Addressing the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, Armando Emí Guebuza said increases in extreme weather patterns, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change are “felt more harshly in developing countries” which lack the capacity to properly respond.
“More than ever, and in the face of recurrent and more and more devastating tragedies, there is a need for involvement of all members of the international community in the implementation of global actions enshrined in [international] commitments,” he said.
The Mozambican President praised Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for having convened an unprecedented global gathering on the issue earlier this week, which he said “opens up new prospects for the renewed momentum required so that substantial progress can be made during the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held this December in Bali, Indonesia.”
That meeting will be tasked with hammering out a successor to the Convention’s Kyoto Protocol, which contains legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but is set to expire in 2012.
The President of Zambia, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, said his country needs assistance in such areas as scientific research, early warning and rapid response to address the effects of climate change.
“Zambia calls for speedy development and transfer of appropriate technologies to help us cope with the negative impacts of climate change as well as put us on a low-carbon economic growth path,” he said.
For its part, Zambia pledged to reduce emissions from industry and other sources, he said. “We call upon industrialized countries, who have a history of producing these emissions, to take serious steps to reduce them,” he said.
“We believe the situation is now serious and narrow national interests in this matter must be discarded.”
King Mswati III of Swaziland said that while countries like his own had developed “pro-green” policies, there was still a need for access to and transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies, particularly from developed to developing countries.
He called for measures to promote technology cooperation which would not only enable the transfer of crucial technological know-how but also help build up local capacity for the efficient use and further development of the transferred technology.
The Swazi leader also encouraged the private sector, particularly multinational corporations, “to be responsible enough to practice in the developing world the same environmental and waste management principles that they practice in the developed world,” including by not dumping harmful waste materials in developing countries.
Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of Switzerland, said her country has also felt the effects of climate change. “Glaciers are receding and floods are on the increase,” she said. “As far as my country is concerned, the cost of efforts to save the p***t affordable, considering the technology that already exists.”
She pointed out that the international community has come together to address poverty and to promote peace and respect for human rights, but added, “our efforts in relation to environmental challenges have not gone far enough.”
Treaties and other mechanisms to deal with the question are fragmented, she said. “We need therefore to unite in order to identify and implement these objectives so that we may make more economical use of the available resources and energy, and protect the biosphere.”
Toward that end, she called for a significant reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. “We also need to help the countries most affected by these changes, the least developed among them in particular, to develop and implement strategies that will enable them to adapt to the changes, and alleviate the adverse effects on them as much as possible.”
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WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL SHOULD NOT CLOSE UNTIL ALL SUSPECTS ARE CAUGHT, BOSNIA TELLS UN
The United Nations war crimes tribunal set up in the aftermath of the 1990s Balkan wars should not close until the most notorious suspects still at large, the former Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, are brought to justice, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina told the General Assembly today.
Speaking this afternoon at the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York, Željko Komšić said all suspected war criminals from the various territories of the former Yugoslavia who have not been arrested should be brought before the courts.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands, was set up by the Security Council in May 1993 to deal with the worst violations of international humanitarian law during the Balkan wars.
Mr. Karadžić and Mr. Mladić are two of only four men who are still at large, but under the completion strategy established with the Council, the ICTY has said it will try to finish all trials at the first instance by the end of next year.
A former political leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Mr. Karadžić faces two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity, three counts of violating the laws or customs of war and one count of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
Mr. Mladić, who led the Bosnian Serb military forces, faces 15 charges, including two of genocide, seven of crimes against humanity and six of violating the rules or customs of war.
Mr. Komšić said authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina had been working closely with the ICTY on issues ranging from extradition and the processing of criminal charges to the provision of working conditions for court representatives and access to documents.
“We are creating a legal framework and have a special department of the War Crimes Court to start processing war crime cases,” he said. “This is one of the conditions for establishing mutual trust and reconciliation in a post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina”
During his address Mr Komšić also stressed the need for urgent UN reform, saying the July 1995 massacre of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica – a Security Council-designated “safe area” – was a notorious example of how “my country paid a high price for the imperfect and inefficient UN system.”
Therefore, he said, it was essential that the UN and its various bodies and agencies be strengthened and revitalized, including the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Secretariat.
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NON-ALIGNED COUNTRIES SEEK ‘MORE DEMOCRATIC AND TRANSPARENT’ UN – CUBA
The Foreign Minister of Cuba, which chairs the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), today called for improvements in the work of the United Nations to make it more transparent and democratic.
Addressing the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, Felipe Pérez Roque called for a “radical” change in the working methods of the Security Council to make it more accessible to all Member States.
“We need a United Nations with a reformed Security Council, acting in conformity with the mandate granted to it by the Organization’s Charter, without infringing upon the functions and prerogatives of other organs of the system.”
The General Assembly, he said, should be able to exercise its influence as the UN’s most representative and democratic body.
“We uphold the idea of having a United Nations where multilateralism and the solutions agreed upon in full compliance with the Charter are the only way to address and resolve the current problems,” the Foreign Minister said.
The Human Rights Council should not repeat the mistakes of its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights, he said, calling for an “end to selectivity and double standards.”
Representing nearly two-thirds of the membership of the UN, he said the NAM would not be forgotten. “We will remain united and we will find support in the defence of our rights. We will make our voice heard.”
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IRAQ’S PRIME MINISTER APPEALS FOR GLOBAL AID TO HELP NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
The Prime Minister of Iraq today appealed to national leaders meeting for the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate to help the country as it embarks on a road toward national reconciliation, which he stressed is essential for the stability of the region and the world.
“We are steadfast and determined to exterminate terrorism in Iraq so that it does not spread around the countries of the world,” said Nuri Kamel Al-Maliki, calling on other States to support this effort.
Having paid such a high price for its freedoms, Iraq “will not retreat from its democratic choice,” he said. “This position necessitates the support and cooperation from the world’s nations, so that Iraq can build a modern State that guarantees justice, equality and a respect for religious, intellectual, sectarian and ethnic pluralism.”
Emphasizing the importance of national reconciliation, Mr. Al-Maliki said it “is our strategic choice that has saved our country from slipping into the pit of a sectarian war.”
Iraq’s priority now, he said, is establishing sovereignty over the land. “We have come a long way in training and equipping our armed forces in order to take over the security responsibilities from the multinational forces,” he said.
At the same time, the Iraqi Prime Minister warned neighbouring States than any destabilization was likely to spread. “We cautioned all countries in the region that continued overflow of weapons, money, suicide bombers and the spreading of ‘fatwas’ inciting hatred and murder will only result in disastrous consequences for the peoples of the region and the world.”
A stable Iraq, he stressed, “will be a guarantee for stability and security in the region.”
Mr. Al-Maliki underscored Iraq’s desire to rejoin the international community, pointing to recent evidence of the country’s stepped-up involvement with the United Nations, including through chairmanship of the General Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee.
The UN resolutions that were adopted following the previous regime’s invasion of Kuwait “inflicted great harm upon the infrastructure, service sector, health and education systems” in Iraq, he said.
“Our people look up to the international community for help to alleviate and lift the burdens of the destruction as well as relieve the people from the heavy bills of debt and compensation.”
He also voiced hope that the United Nations would mobilize its activities in Iraq. “That will contribute to encouraging the international community’s openness towards intensifying their role in the areas of building, construction, development, supporting national reconciliation and the democratic experience.”
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EFFECTIVE SECURITY STRATEGY MOST URGENT PRIORITY FOR AFGHANISTAN – BAN KI-MOON
As Afghanistan continues to grapple with an ongoing insurgency, weak governance and a growing narcotics industry, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has cited an effective plan to ensure security as the war-torn nation’s most pressing need.
“The most urgent priority must be an effective, integrated civilian-military strategy and security plan for Afghanistan,” Mr. Ban wrote in his latest report on the situation in the country and its implications for peace and security.
“A coordinated military response is still needed to defeat insurgent and terrorist groups, but success in the medium term requires the engagement of communities and the provision of lasting security in which development can take place,” he added.
The Secretary-General stated that a key to sustaining security gains in the long term is increasing the capability, autonomy and integrity of the Afghan National Security Forces, especially the Afghan National Police.
He urged the Government to build on the outcomes of the Conference on the Rule of Law in Afghanistan, which he co-chaired with President Hamid Karzai in Rome in July, by finalizing its justice sector strategy and addressing the “apparent impunity enjoyed by those Government officials perceived to be abusing their offices.”
Highlighting the threat to reconstruction and development posed by the continued increase in opium production – which reached record levels this year – Mr. Ban called on Afghan authorities to prioritize interdiction and bring drug traffickers to justice.
Participants at a high-level meeting convened over the weekend at UN Headquarters in New York by Mr. Ban and President Karzai also expressed great concern at that situation, underlining the link between drug production and trafficking and the financing of terrorist activities, and agreed that “breaking this linkage is vital to creating a stable, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile in New York today, President Karzai and the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Kemal Dervis launched the Afghanistan National Human Development Report 2007, which explores the importance of the rule of law to human development in the country.
A key finding of the report, prepared by an independent team of authors, is that the Afghan justice system must be rebuilt in a way that bridges modern and traditional justice institutions, protects rights and strengthens rule of law – “a pivotal step in Afghanistan’s march to successful political transition and development.”
The report makes a strong case for a “hybrid model of Afghan justice” with traditional systems of dispute settlement – jirgas and shuras – complementing the formal justice system.
“This report advocates a bold and creative approach to strengthening the justice institutions in Afghanistan,” President Karzai said at today’s launch.
“While remaining committed to universal principles of human rights and Afghan laws, we believe that the state and traditional justice bodies working together can help make justice and the rule of law more readily available to Afghans,” he added.
The report found that personal security is among the major impediments to achieving development targets in Afghanistan. In 2006 alone, more than 4,400 Afghans – including 1,000 civilians – died in anti-government violence, twice as many as in 2005.
“Security is a prerequisite for the rule of law that, in turn creates an atmosphere conducive to human development,” the report states. “Strengthening the rule of law can nonetheless, serve as an important means to advance the freedom of people to exercise choices and enhance their capacity to live meaningful and healthy lives.”
Afghanistan has adapted the globally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include halving the number of people living in extreme poverty and hunger, to nine Afghan MDGs.
While the country has maintained a steady growth rate and is likely to achieve its poverty goal by 2020, the report notes that the picture is “disappointing” for most of the other goals.
Some 6.6 million – or one third of Afghans – do not have enough food to eat, only 12 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men are literate, and the mortality rate for children under five years and the proportion of mothers dying in childbirth are among the highest in the world.
Mr. Dervis noted that the report showed that despite decades of war, Afghanistan has made measurable progress with regard to some key dimensions of human development as well as towards achieving Afghanistan’s development goals.
He added that “with the spectre of violence and uncertainty lifting ever so gradually from Afghanistan, the need to expand prospects of life and human development across the length and breadth of the country assume ever-greater urgency.”
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POOR NATIONS ARE NOT BENEFITING FROM GLOBALIZATION, SãO TOMé’S LEADER TELLS UN
Globalization has failed to help the poor in many parts of the world, but instead served to benefit already affluent consumers in wealthy countries, the President of the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe told the United Nations General Assembly today.
Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes said the continuing existence of poverty, despite the enormous scientific and technological advances made by humankind, was the disgrace of the modern era.
“Half of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. Twenty per cent of everyone alive suffers from chronic hunger. Every single day 30,000 children die needlessly from dehydration, diarrhoea, or infections, all so easily prevented or cured,” he told the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York.
“In many countries children are not even given a name until they are one month old because so many of them do not live that long. One billion adults today are illiterate. One hundred million children cannot go to school because of their poverty.”
Mr. de Menezes said many poor nations, like his own, had been told that the “rising tide” of globalization was the best way to finance the development they need to lift themselves out of poverty.
“But this rising tide of globalization in many parts of the world lifted the yachts and swamped the rowboats…. It seems that perhaps globalization has made the right to shop more important than the right to vote.”
The President said it was unrealistic to expect private corporations to combine their entrepreneurial activities with furthering social causes.
“Obviously, some companies must improve their practices and be held accountable for cleaning up their environmental disasters – like those in the Niger Delta, for example. But to put companies in the role of economic reformers is unrealistic.”
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CôTE D’IVOIRE: UN MISSION SUPPORTS NEW IDENTIFICATION SCHEME AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
The United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) is helping the authorities plan and execute a new identification scheme ahead of presidential elections called for under a pact signed earlier this year between the Government which controls the south of the West African country and Forces Nouvelles which has held the north since 2002.
UNOCI will send logistics support teams to all 68 districts where the so-called audiences foraines are being conducted. The question of Ivorian identity is a sensitive issue in a country that has also attracted migrants.
The audiences are scheduled to last three months. Elections were slated for last year but then postponed due to differences between the parties, originally until 31 October this year.
UNOCI was set up in 2004 with a mandate to monitor the cessation of hostilities between the warring parties and, among other goals, to contribute “to the security of the operations of identification of the population and registration of voters” and support “the organization of open, free, fair and transparent elections.”
As of the end of August it had a strength of nearly 9,200 uniformed personnel, including almost 8,000 troops and over 1,130 police.
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TOP UN OFFICIAL IN DR CONGO VISITS KANANGA TO ASSESS SECURITY, EBOLA SITUATION
Concerned over the political and security situation on the ground, as well the threat to United Nations staff posed by the deadly Ebola virus, the world body’s top official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has just concluded a visit to the city of Kananga in the western Kasai province.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN mission (MONUC) William Lacy Swing impressed upon local officials during his visit to the province yesterday that the decision to move UN troops to the DRC’s troubled eastern region is only for the short term.
“The temporary withdrawal of MONUC military from Kananga was a strategic decision to fulfil military requirements elsewhere, but I will not cease making pleas for financial backers to come to the aid of Congo and Kasai Occidental,” he noted.
The province’s Governor Trésor Kapuku underscored MONUC’s crucial role in bringing economic prosperity to the area.
“If these efforts by MONUC are reduced now, it will have a counter-productive effect for the future of the province,” he said.
Mr. Swing presented the Governor with 367 mattresses to be distributed to area hospitals through MONUC’s Quick Impact Projects programme.
“One knows one’s friends in times of difficulty,” Governor Kapuku said, expressing his gratitude.
Later, Mr. Swing attended a town hall meeting at which MONUC staff aired their concerns regarding the recent Ebola outbreak and security issues.
The Special Representative assured UN staff that upon returning to the capital Kinshasa, he will establish a commission to seek out immediate solutions to these issues.
Last week, the UN announced that of some 400 cases of illness and 170 deaths reported since April in the Kasai Occidental province, nine cases of the virus, which causes death in 50 to 90 per cent of cases, have been confirmed.
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IVORIAN LEADER URGES UN ASSEMBLY TO PARTIALLY END ARMS EMBARGO
The President of Côte d’Ivoire today called for a partial lifting of the arms embargo against his country, which in 2002 split between a rebel-held north and Government-controlled south, telling the General Assembly that the territory is now reunited.
President Laurent Gbagbo said that as Côte d’Ivoire emerges from crisis, it needs the support of the international community more than ever to build peace and stability within its borders and in the West African region.
Given the climate of calm now prevailing, he asked the UN to revise downward its security rating, saying that “phase III no longer reflects reality.” The UN uses different ‘phases’ to indicate the level of safety for staff; phase III requires relocation.
Declaring that Côte d’Ivoire is “reunified” and that the State must restore law and order throughout the country, he called for a partial lifting of the weapons embargo so that the country can “carry out its task of protecting people and goods.”
He said sanctions remain on individuals who have “put heart and soul into seeking peace,” and asked the UN lift those measures as they applied to three individuals: Charles Goudé Ble, Eugène Djue and Kouakou Fofie.
President Gbagbo also sought international funding to support actions related directly to resolving the country’s crisis through peacebuilding. “Côte d’Ivoire requires international aid to strengthen the basis for a more robust economic recovery in the long-term,” he said, pointing out that the conflict caused extensive damage to infrastructure which must be rebuilt.
He emphasized the importance of holding free and fair elections, calling this the “culmination” of the peace process. “We must organize elections quickly in order to confer legitimacy on those who are exercising State power,” he said.
Drawing on his own experience in negotiating an end to the impasse in Côte d’Ivoire, the President said the United Nations should provide support to local solutions to conflict situations.
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HAITI’S PRESIDENT CREDITS UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION WITH HELPING TO FOSTER STABILITY
The President of Haiti today credited the United Nations Stabilization Mission in his country (MINUSTAH) with promoting stability in the country and said recent gains will be consolidated into a more secure future for its people.
Addressing the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, René Préval noted that Haiti is all too frequently on the UN’s agenda because of its problems of insecurity and political unrest. “I am speaking on behalf of a country that somewhat hasty analysis describes as a ‘failed State,’” he said.
“Haiti is on the way to bidding farewell to that State slowly, patiently yet with determination,” he said, noting that organized armed gangs that had wreaked violence on the population have been dismantled, and there are no longer ‘no-go’ zones too dangerous to enter. Inflation has dipped below 10 per cent, while gross domestic product (GDP) is up after 10 years of decline, he added.
Peace, he stressed, is an essential condition to enable the country’s political forces to “put an end to their endless quarrels.”
Anticipating a one-year extension of MINUSTAH, he said this move would be “quite timely” and served as a reminder that gains in Haiti – including the victory over insecurity, the holding of democratic elections, improved governance and a strengthened judicial system – were made possible “in large part due to the efforts undertaken by the UN force in the country.”
The country’s national police, he added, “although young, inexperienced and ill-equipped, has been courageous and determined in the battle against insecurity, but the support of MINUSTAH at its side has been greatly appreciated.”
Voicing gratitude to the UN, the Security Council and friendly countries that have helped Haiti, he said the country’s people continue to see the presence of foreign armed forces on their soil as a “wound with respect to their national sovereignty.”
At the same time, he stressed that “in practical terms this is the only formula that is realistic and available at this time that enables Haitians to restore freedom and live in peace.”
He said it was up to Haitian people to benefit from the period of calm, regroup and reconsider the future with a positive vision while the country strengthens its cohesion, modernizes its judicial system and improves its ability to take action in favour of economic recovery and sustainable development.
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TURKMEN LEADER WELCOMES PLANNED UN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY CENTRE IN CENTRAL ASIA
Plans by the United Nations to set up a preventive diplomacy centre in Central Asia represent a milestone in the world body’s efforts to bring peace and stability to the region, Turkmenistan’s President told the General Assembly today.
Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov said his country was certain that the work of the centre – which is expected to be established in Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital, later this year – could be “a strong positive force in resolving the problems our region faces.”
Vowing to “do everything necessary to make the centre’s work effective and fruitful,” the President told the annual high-level debate that cooperation with the UN was the critical element in Turkmenistan’s wider foreign policy.
“This is most apparent in regional matters, where it is the participation of the United Nations and its specialized agencies that promotes convergence of approaches of States to issues, [and the] creation of a favourable political, diplomatic and legal environment for their resolution by joint effort.”
The principles enshrined in the UN Charter “should continue to serve as the moral and legal pillar of the international order,” and all UN reforms should take account of this, he said.
Mr. Berdimukhamedov also called for the Security Council’s structure to change and for better and closer relations between the Council and the General Assembly.
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UN-BACKED GLOBAL DRIVE TO SLASH MATERNAL AND CHILD DEATHS KICKS OFF
From public rallies in various locations in New York to a meeting of women leaders at the United Nations, Governments and organizations are uniting to launch a new global and unprecedented drive today to slash maternal and child deaths.
The “Deliver Now for Women + Children” initiative is a direct response to warnings by the UN that the world is lagging behind in achieving the Millennium Development Goals to cut maternal and child deaths by 2015.
“Today is a day of hope for women and children. The cause of women’s and children’s health has remained ‘orphaned’ for too long. Now it is finally emerging from the shadows and gaining the champions it has always deserved,” said Francisco Songane, UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, which is coordinating the new drive.
A woman dies needlessly during pregnancy or childbirth every minute, while a child under five dies every three seconds, according to the new initiative. Most of these over 10 million deaths annually are preventable.
An additional $9 billion yearly is needed to meet the basic health care needs of women and children, but as of 2004 only $2 billion – less than a quarter of the funds required – were made available to help save women and children’s lives in developing countries.
The new campaign hopes to build political commitment to bolster health services, raise awareness in the media and support community groups.
“We are hopeful this will result in action to ensure health services are available for all with prompt access and without discrimination,” Dr. Songane said.
Country-specific programmes will first be launched in India and Tanzania. India accounts for one in four of the world’s child deaths and one in five of its maternal deaths, and half of the women in Tanzania have no access to skilled care during childbirth.
In New York, public rallies for the campaign are being held in Manhattan and the Bronx, with the participation of supermodel and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Liya Kebede, singer Chaka Khan and actress and talk show host Ricky Lake.
Meanwhile at UN Headquarters, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Thoraya Obaid and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Ann Veneman are participating in a discussion entitled “Saving 77 Million by 2015: Advancing the Health of Women and Children.”
Today’s campaign is part of the broader effort being announced today by the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at the annual meeting in New York of the Clinton Global Initiative and is supported by several governments – including the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Germany – as well as global health organizations.
“UNFPA welcomes all efforts, such as Deliver Now, that help speed up the achievement of the health related MDGs and especially those related to maternal and child health,” said Ms. Obaid “We must work harder and faster to end a situation where far too many women die during pregnancy and childbirth and far too many children are left as orphans. No woman should die giving life; No child should be without hope.”
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UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF SALVADORAN JOURNALIST
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned the murder of Salvadoran radio reporter Salvador Sánchez Roque who was shot dead on 20 September, calling the act an assault on the Central American nation’s freedom of expression.
“This killing is an attack on the people of El Salvador’s right to enjoy the basic human right of freedom of expression,” said UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura. “I trust that the authorities will do all in their power to find and prosecute the culprits of this heinous crime, in the interest of justice and democracy.”
Mr. Sánchez Roque, 37, who was shot near his home in the city of Souyapango, had been reporting for several radio stations on abuses and extortion by gangs. His mother has been quoted in the local media as saying that she was told by Mr. Sánchez Roque that he had recently received threats.
Attacks on journalists have been infrequent in El Salvador, according to the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).
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NEW DEBT RELIEF PROJECT FOR HEALTH PROGRAMMES LAUNCHED BY UN-BACKED FUND
Germany and Indonesia signed a debt conversion accord today, breaking new ground in financing the war on the world’s three most dangerous infectious diseases by tying 50 million Euros of debt relief to Indonesia’s investment of half of that money into health programmes through the United Nations-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Germany is the first donor to support the debt conversion programme of the Global Fund, launched at the G8 summit of industrialized nations in 2001 at the urging of then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and has worked alongside the Fund to develop the concept and modalities of the Debt2Health Initiative. Indonesia is a pilot country of the initiative.
“Debt2Health is a win-win situation for all: it increases predictability for the Global Fund to do its important work, Indonesia strengthens the health system in the country and Germany lives up to its responsibility in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said.
The idea behind Debt2Health is to apply the well-established instrument of debt swaps to financing public health programmes, Global Fund Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine said. “A significant number of countries which do not qualify for debt relief through existing multilateral initiatives still spend as much as a fifth of their export earnings on servicing debt while at the same time struggling with high disease burdens.
“Debt2Health makes it possible for a country to receive economic relief while its citizens benefit from health services. This type of investment in health promises tremendous benefits for all,” he added.
In April, the Fund’s Board approved a two-year pilot phase for Debt2Health in up to four countries. While Indonesia is the first to have completed a deal, Kenya, Pakistan and Peru are lined up to benefit from this new financing initiative during its pilot phase.
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UN REFUGEE CHIEF CALLS FOR EARLY DEPLOYMENT OF NEW PEACE FORCE IN CHAD, CAR
The top United Nations refugee official has called for the early deployment of a new peacekeeping force in Chad and Central African Republic (CAR) authorized to protect civilians and facilitate the provision of aid amid a “very difficult and serious” humanitarian situation.
Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), welcomed yesterday’s adoption of a Security Council resolution establishing the multi-dimensional UN Mission in Chad and CAR (MINURCAT), which will include European Union military forces, to help alleviate the plight of thousands of people uprooted due to insecurity in the two countries and neighbouring Sudan.
Since 2004, eastern Chad has hosted some 240,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 camps who have fled the fighting in Darfur, UNHCR reported in a press release. The country is also facing a surge in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), now totalling more than 170,000. North-eastern CAR is hosting some 2,660 refugees from Darfur.
Mr. Guterres said improving the security of the refugees, IDPs and other civilians in danger and facilitating the delivery of aid will greatly contribute to stabilizing the humanitarian situation in eastern Chad and may encourage the return of displaced persons.
In that regard, he appealed to international partners to provide recovery and development assistance so that the displaced can return and restart their lives, given the heavy burden the people of Chad and CAR bear.
The UNHCR chief looked forward to an early decision of the EU to send military troops so that MINURCAT can deploy in the coming weeks.
In addition to the EU military component, the Mission will also consist of a UN presence composed of UN police, rule of law, human rights and other civilian officers, as well as a special Chadian police unit devoted exclusively to maintaining law and order in refugee camps and areas with large numbers of displaced in the eastern part of the country.
The Security Council has already authorized deployment of a 26,000-strong joint UN-African Union force (to be known as UNAMID) to suppress ongoing violence in Darfur, which has had a spillover effect on the region.
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MEDIA HAVE VITAL ROLE IN PROMOTING TOURISM FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – UN
The media have a crucial role to play in putting emerging destinations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia on the global tourist map, thus helping to boost the local economies, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“The relationship between tourism and the media is vital and complex,” UNWTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli told the opening session of a two-day meeting underway in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, of international and local media representatives and delegates from 37 countries.
“Tourism is highly dependant on media reporting because the vast majority of travel decisions are made by people who have never seen the destination first hand for themselves,” he added.
When there is bad news or a crisis the impact on tourism can be devastating. “Tourists are scared away from destinations caught in the glare of round-the-clock disaster coverage, causing communities dependent on tourism to lose their source of livelihood,” Mr. Frangialli said.
Preparing for a crisis and improving relations with the media are two of the objectives of the conference, the fifth in a series of regional Tourcom Conferences on Strategic Communications, organized by UNWTO.
The agency has in recent years called on the media to avoid over-sensationalizing the effects of disasters.
In 2005 it called on the media to take care in covering destinations hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami so as not to slow the recovery of an important economic sector, avoiding a repeat of the “infodemic” that caused a slump in Asian tourism in 2003 when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) killed 774 people and infected more than 8,000 worldwide, the vast majority of them in China.
Last year UNWTO unveiled a new Internet portal to provide round-the-clock tracking of emergencies and avoid over-reactions to potential crises, focusing initially on the bird flu scare.
Delegates in Tbilisi are also discussing the potential of Silk Road tourism and how to better promote this legendary route so that tourists will begin to travel along the ancient trails once used by camel caravans wending their way from China to Europe.
Some 200 people are participating, including journalists from CNN, BBC World, eTurbo, international news agencies, newspapers in Europe and the United States, as well as Lonely P***t travel guide founder Tony Wheeler, on his first visit to Georgia.
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UN REFUGEE AGENCY APPLAUDS NEW NORDIC CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT ASYLUM SEEKERS
The United Nations refugee agency is supporting a new initiative by 20 Nordic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to persuade their Governments to review their policies towards asylum seekers fleeing generalized violence and armed conflict.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) noted that the simultaneous launch yesterday in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden of the “Keep Them Safe” campaign sought to remedy a gap in the Nordic protection regime under which failed asylum seekers, including Iraqis, Sri Lankans and Somalis, are left in legal limbo or sent back to countries affected by violence – contrary to UNHCR guidelines.
“UNHCR supports and welcomes this campaign as it aims to stimulate discussion on and identify solutions to a critical gap in international protection,” Agency regional representative Hans ten Feld said. “A first step in closing this gap would be a full and consistent adherence to UNHCR’s protection recommendations.”
The NGOs say some reasons given by people in their applications for asylum are seen as more legitimate than others. “People fleeing violent conflict fight an uphill battle to be granted asylum in the Nordic countries,” they declared. “Being labelled as ‘merely’ fleeing ‘generalized violence,’ one is seldom granted protection and asylum in our part of the world.”
Mr. ten Feld said protection gaps for asylum seekers fleeing violence and rights abuses existed in both the law and its interpretation. People risked becoming victims of failed protection twice: in their country of origin and in the country in which they seek asylum.
The campaign will last until the end of the year. Organizations taking part include national Red Cross societies and regional offices of Amnesty International as well as the Danish Refugee Council and the Norwegian Refugee Council, both close UNHCR partners. UNHCR has also provided assistance by facilitating a regional dialogue between the campaign signatories.
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MANY DEATHS, DISABILITIES IN POOR NATIONS AVOIDABLE UNDER UN BASIC SURGERY PLAN
With hundreds of thousands of deaths or permanent disabilities from traffic accidents, violence, war and other causes easily preventable through simple surgery, the United Nations health agency has expanded its programme to train health care staff in low- and middle-income countries in essential basic surgical and anaesthesia skills.
“The initiative signifies a shift in the way we think about surgery,” UN World Health Organization (WHO) clinical procedures official Luc Noel said. “Until recently, surgery was a neglected health issue in developing countries because it was assumed to be too expensive and sophisticated.”
The programme, which already exists in 22 countries, will boost the capacity of first-level health facilities – rural or district hospitals and health centres – to deal with simple but essential surgery in a growing number of developing regions.
In many cases, death and disability can be avoided through simple surgical interventions after road accidents, interpersonal violence or war, abdominal emergencies, pregnancy complications, congenital abnormalities, fractures, burns, or the consequences of acute infections, which together cause the loss of approximately 11 per cent of total lost years of healthy life.
Injuries alone kill more than 5 million people every year, accounting for nearly one in every 10 deaths worldwide. The WHO Emergency and Essential Surgical Care Project trains health staff in simple surgery, anaesthesia and emergency care. After training and with the help of basic equipment, health care staff are able to perform surgical procedures that save lives and prevent disability.
“Why should a child die from appendicitis, or a mother and child succumb to obstructed labour, when simple surgical procedures can save their lives?” WHO surgery programme chief Meena Cherian said.
The quality of emergency and essential surgical care is often constrained by inadequate basic equipment for interventions that are simple but vital, such as resuscitation, giving oxygen, assessing anaemia and inserting a chest drain. Other barriers to the timely and appropriate delivery of basic surgical services include poor infrastructure and insufficient numbers and training of health-care professionals.
In most developing countries, adequate surgical services are found only in urban areas. Furthermore, the migration of health professionals leaves a shortage at primary-health facilities, where services are provided by non-specialist or even non-medical personnel, many of whom are inadequately trained.
A number of isolated local initiatives have shown that even with only basic training and technologies, many lives can be saved or improved. For instance, clubfoot, a congenital deformity of the foot marked by a twisted position of the ankle, heel and toes which affects well over 100,000 newborns each year, can greatly impede mobility in children and if untreated can lead to severe disability and loss of productive life.
Yet, if diagnosed at birth or soon after, it can often be treated using minimally invasive techniques, the so-called Ponseti method, involving multiple manipulations and plaster castings early in a child’s life. The techniques, which have been quite effective in the industrialized world, require minimal resources and can be implemented by health personnel in primary health-care facilities. In Uganda, over 100 professionals have been trained, resulting in effective treatment of 95 per cent of new cases of clubfoot.
Surgical intervention has also become a common component in HIV/AIDS care. Some complications associated with HIV infection, such as abscesses, anorectal disorders, lymphadenopathies, lipoatrophy or mild forms of Kaposi sarcoma, are also diagnosed and treated with simple surgical interventions.
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LATVIA’S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO UN PEACEKEEPING
The President of Latvia today called for a comprehensive approach to United Nations peacekeeping, involving all facets of the system, in his address to the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.
A former surgeon, President Valdis Zatlers drew an analogy between surgery and collective security. “It is not enough for the Security Council to prescribe peacekeeping operations, crucial as they are for international peace and security,” he said. “The whole United Nations system is necessary for the long-term recovery of conflict zones.”
He paid tribute to dedicated staff working in difficult peacekeeping missions. “It is our duty in our capitals and here at the UN Headquarters to support their efforts, each Member State according to its capacity,” he said.
On the specific case of Kosovo, he expressed support for the proposal put forward by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Martti Ahtisaari. “This proposal currently remains the only viable diplomatic solution on the table,” he said, calling the active involvement of the European Union “important to achieve a lasting solution.”
Mr. Ahtisaari’s proposal calls for a phased process of independence for the Albanian-majority Serbian province.
“We urge both parties to show flexibility and commitment to a peaceful, negotiated outcome,” said President Zatlers.
The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, cautioned against letting the situation in Kosovo become protracted.
He pointed out that some conflicts in the world are not visible, calling situations in the GUAM area – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova – ‘frozen conflicts.’
“‘Frozen conflicts’ in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus may become ‘very hot’ unless we act immediately,” he warned. “Let us not forget that it is not only the conflicts that are frozen, but also the lives and dreams of the people living in those areas of artificial conflict.
“This is where the United Nations should be more visible and more outspoken,” he asserted. “This also applies to Kosovo, where attempts to create another ‘frozen conflict’ must be excluded.”
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UN RUSHES AID TO 5,000 NEPALESE UPROOTED BY COMMUNAL VIOLENCE
United Nations agencies today announced an emergency aid programme to feed and provide other relief for 5,000 people displaced by communal violence across two districts in western Nepal.
Some 30 people are reported to have been killed and dozens more injured or missing after the death of a prominent local figure sparked days of communal violence in the Terai region bordering India. Hundreds of houses, stores, vehicles and schools have been burned or looted, and some of the victims have fled to India.
“We are doing our best to rapidly respond to this humanitarian emergency, but the security situation remains tense,” UN World Food Programme (WFP) Country Representative Richard Ragan said of his agency’s plan to distribute more than 70 metric tons of food at the request of the Government. “WFP food assistance should begin arriving within the next two days as long as the security situation does not worsen.”
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is to provide tarpaulins, water purification equipment, cooking utensils, hygiene kits and mosquito nets.
“UNICEF is extremely concerned about children caught up in this new cycle of violence,” UNICEF Country Representative Gillian Mellsop said. “All schools in the area remain closed and in some instances schools have been razed to the ground depriving children of their fundamental right to education.”
A curfew has been imposed in some areas to curb the violence and displaced people are living in public buildings, schools, army camps or in open spaces for lack of shelter.
“Even more worrying is that children have witnessed or been subjected to terrible acts of violence within their communities, some have been injured and others are reported missing or separated from their families,” Ms. Mellsop said. “We call upon all community leaders to end the unrest so that children can begin to recover from this tragic episode.”
Many of those displaced are from very poor and marginalized communities who have few resources available to cope with the loss of their houses and livelihoods.
“WFP has been able to mobilize only enough funds to provide emergency food aid for one month,” Mr. Ragan said. “At this point, it is uncertain what rehabilitation and reintegration support may be needed, but we remain ready to provide additional humanitarian relief if necessary.”
In addition to non-food relief items, UNICEF and its partners are working to restore educational systems, providing teaching, learning materials and psycho-social care for traumatized children.
Despite UN calls for the Government to provide public security and appeals for calm and tolerance across the diverse communities in the region, some areas remain volatile. The UN human rights office continues to investigate the violence and monitor the situation.
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