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UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
2 October, 2007 =========================================================================
SECURITY COUNCIL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST DEADLY ATTACK ON AU PEACEKEEPERS IN DARFUR
The Security Council today condemned last weekend’s “murderous” attack on African Union (AU) peacekeepers in Haskanita, South Darfur, and demanded that no effort be spared to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Nearly a dozen personnel from the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) were killed in the attack, reportedly committed by a rebel group, with many more wounded and missing.
“The Security Council deplores the loss of life and injuries that resulted from this attack, and conveys its sympathy to the Governments, families and colleagues of those killed and injured,” according to a statement read out by Ambassador Leslie Kojo Christian of Ghana, which holds the 15-member body’s rotating presidency for this month.
The Council also deplored the fact that this attack took place in the lead-up to peace talks set to begin in Libya on 27 October between the Sudanese Government and Darfur’s many rebel groups in an effort to resolve a conflict that has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people since 2003, underlining that “any attempt to undermine the peace process is unacceptable.”
In July the Council authorized the deployment of a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force to quell the violence in Darfur and protect humanitarian operations. The force, to be known as UNAMID, is slated to take over from AMIS at the start of next year.
At a press briefing this afternoon, Ambassador Christian emphasized that African countries should not be discouraged from contributing troops to the hybrid force in light of the latest attack. “They should not waiver in their commitment of troops to UNAMID. They should remain committed,” he stated.
The Joint UN-AU Special Representative for Darfur Rodolphe Adada met yesterday with AMIS Force Commander General Martin Luther Agwai on the situation in Haskanita, and assured him that both the UN and the AU stand firm in their resolve to help bring peace to Darfur.
Meanwhile, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today reported further attacks civilians and humanitarian agencies in North, South and West Darfur.
In North Darfur, two armed men entered a compound housing an international non-governmental organization (NGO) in El Fasher on Sunday and threatened to shoot the staff if they did not hand over the keys to one of their vehicles. The attackers left with the vehicle and the staff were not harmed.
Then in South Darfur, three armed men shot and killed a resident at the Hassa Hissa camp housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) and fled the scene.
And two armed men approached a UN vehicle in Nyala yesterday and drove away with it after they fired warning shots in the air and beat the driver. Local police arrested two suspects on the same day, and are currently investigating that incident.
In West Darfur yesterday, three armed men attempted to hijack an NGO vehicle in El Geneina. They shot at the vehicle and wounded the driver, who is in critical condition and is being treated in El Geneina hospital.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), attacks against aid workers across all of Darfur are on the rise, with the number of such incidents – including car hijackings, attacks on convoys and other acts of violence – soaring by 150 per cent in the first half of this year.
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UN ENVOY MEETS WITH MYANMAR’S TOP GENERAL TO DISCUSS ‘CURRENT SITUATION’
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari today met with the South-East Asian nation’s top general on the last day of his mission in response to the deteriorating situation there amid reports of the use of force and of the arrest and beating of demonstrators.
The meeting with Senior General Than Shwe in Naypyitaw, the capital, “to discuss the current situation in Myanmar” lasted over one hour, a UN news release from Geneva said.
It came as the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva opened a special session on Myanmar amid denunciations of the “the brutal crack-down” by the authorities and calls for decisive international action to prevent a repeat of the massacres that marked a pro-democracy uprising nearly two decades ago.
Mr. Gambari, who also met with other members of the senior leadership, later returned to Yangon, the main city, where he met with leading democracy advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for the second time. He has now left Myanmar to return to New York to report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the outcome of his mission.
When he announced the mission last week, Mr. Ban called on the 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.”
He urged the country’s senior leadership to cooperate fully with the mission “in order to take advantage of the willingness of the United Nations to assist in the process of national reconciliation through dialogue.”
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UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CALLS ON MYANMAR TO RELEASE DETAINEES, POLITICAL PRISONERS
The United Nations Human Rights Council, convened in special session, today strongly deplored the continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar, calling on the authorities to release without delay all those recently arrested as well as all political detainees, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The adoption of the resolution by consensus came after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, met with the South-East Asian nation’s top general to discuss the “current situation,” while UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour called on the Government to give a full account of those killed, injured and arrested in the anti-Government protests that began last month.
“The peaceful protests we have witnessed in recent weeks and the shocking response by the authorities are only the most recent manifestations of the repression of fundamental rights and freedoms that has taken place for nearly 20 years in Myanmar,” Ms. Arbour told the 47-member Council in Geneva.
“The Myanmar authorities should no longer expect that their self-imposed isolation will shield them from accountability,” she added. “As the protesters have become invisible, our concern only increases for the safety and well being of the monks, presumably confined to their monasteries, if not worse, and for the hundreds of people arrested in the course of the demonstrations, and for those wounded and removed from the streets to unknown locations.”
She stressed that the 2005 Summit of World Leaders at UN Headquarters in New York agreed that the international community has a responsibility to protect civilians against serious international crimes.
“The exercise of such responsibility requires that preventive, reactive and rebuilding measures be put in place to avert and confront crises, as well as to prepare the ground for justice, the rule of law and respect for human rights to take hold,” Ms. Arbour declared. “As we seek to prevent the outbreak of further overt violence and abuse, we must deploy all efforts to reach those clearly in need of international protection, including those whose fate is unknown.”
Also addressing the session, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro called for decisive international action to prevent a repeat of the massacres that marked a pro-democracy uprising nearly two decades ago. “The failure of the international community to prevent the massacre following the 1988 people’s uprising causing the death of over 3,000 protesters must not be repeated,” he said. “The world is watching and while the time for mere words has passed, decisive action is now needed. No State can condone such actions.”
He, too, called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung Sang Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years.
He decried the recent media black-out and cutting of internet access as “a further example of the intolerable and oppressive means used by the authorities,” and urged the Council to seek detailed information from the Government on the number of those killed and injured. “Impunity should not prevail for flagrant violations of human rights,” he said.
Mr. Pinheiro called for a strategic dialogue with the help of regional States to reconcile the army with the people of Myanmar.
“There will be no progress in Myanmar’s political transition unless ordinary people have space to express their views and discontent, peacefully and in public. The starting point for a national reconciliation requires meaningful and inclusive dialogue from the Government with and between political representatives and ethnic groups,” he concluded.
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GREECE, AUSTRALIA CALL ON UN MEMBER STATES TO AGREE TO GLOBAL PACT ON TERRORISM
A comprehensive global convention against terrorism must be concluded as soon as possible, the representatives of Greece and Australia told the General Assembly today, calling for the issue to be a priority among United Nations Member States.
Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis said the convention, which is the subject of ongoing negotiations between Member States, “would be a valuable addition to the counter-terrorism legal framework.”
He added that Member States must also do all they can to fully implement the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which the General Assembly adopted last year.
Mr. Valinakis, who was speaking at the annual high-level debate, stressed that any global counter-terrorism measures must conform to international human rights standards and fundamental freedoms.
He said the UN should be strengthened as part of efforts to contain terrorism and deal with major threats to security.
“In the face of all these threats and challenges that transcend State borders, we need a more comprehensive concept of collective security based on respect and justice as requirements for peace, as well as solidarity as a condition for security, entailing a commitment from all to promote sustainable development.”
Ambassador Robert Hill, the Permanent Representative of Australia, said a global convention “would provide a solid foundation for international cooperation.”
Talks among Member States on a draft treaty have been progressing at the UN for years, but have stalled on a number of issues, including the precise definition of terrorism.
Mr. Hill stressed that the international community must help countries that fight terrorism, especially “fledgling, democratic States. We must help these States to establish strong democratic institutions and accountable government structures – as State weakness can allow terrorism to fester.”
He also called on UN Member States to fully implement all Security Council resolutions relating to freezing the assets of terrorists.
“Terrorist organizations must be starved of their funds and support,” Mr. Hill said.
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NUCLEAR POWERS MUST SLASH THEIR WEAPONS ARSENALS, SWEDEN TELLS UN DEBATE
The world’s nuclear powers have a duty to take the lead on non-proliferation by demonstrating they are willing to substantially reduce their arsenals of weapons, Sweden’s Permanent Representative told the General Assembly tonight.
“It’s a question of self-interest – and far-sighted statesmanship,” Ambassador Anders Lidén said in an address to the Assembly’s annual high-level debate in which he urged the nuclear powers “to live up to their responsibilities.”
He added: “These weapons are of no use in deterring the adversaries we might face if the regime of non-proliferation is eroded or collapses.”
Mr. Lidén warned that “were there to be one new State with nuclear weapons, the danger is that soon another would follow. Shortly, these weapons might well be out of any State’s control. The risk of nuclear terrorism would be a very real one.
“This must be prevented. Our children deserve to live in a world safe from the threat of nuclear war and of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists. These weapons threaten the very existence of mankind.”
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DENMARK PROPOSES UN SUMMIT TO BOOST FINANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT
The United Nations should organize a summit on the progress so far towards the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the need to increase financing for development in poor countries, Denmark’s Permanent Representative told the General Assembly tonight.
Ambassador Carsten Staur said the world was lagging in the race to achieve many of the eight MDGs before their target date of 2015, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The facts are simple. If progress in Africa is not accelerated, we will not live up to our responsibilities,” Mr. Staur told the annual high-level debate, held at UN Headquarters in New York.
Noting that countries in Asia and Latin America had posted remarkable economic results in the past decade, he said this showed “that eradication of poverty is not an elusive, unattainable goal.”
But many industrialized countries were not meeting their previously expressed commitments to increase official development assistance (ODA) to African nations.
“The Danish Government firmly believes that development assistance to Africa should increase. We need to live up to the promise to double aid for Africa by 2010. Denmark is keeping its part of the bargain. We are committed to providing 0.8 per cent of our national income in development assistance. Two-thirds of our bilateral assistance will go to the African continent.”
Mr. Staur stressed that greater development assistance was not enough, and he called for global trading rules to be liberalized and for developing nations to work harder to achieve good governance.
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BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS RECENT VIOLENCE IN TURKEY
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke out against recent attacks in Turkey which have killed over a dozen people and injured at least 10.
The attacks include two bomb blasts in Izmir today which reportedly left one person dead and 10 people wounded, as well as an attack on a bus on 29 September in south-eastern Turkey near the town of Beytüssebab in the Sirnak province, which reportedly killed 13 people.
“The Secretary-General reiterates in the strongest terms his condemnation of violence in all its forms,” according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.
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AT UN, ISLAND AND LANDLOCKED STATES URGE CONCERTED ACTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
At the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly’s high-level debate today, leaders of small island and mountainous landlocked countries alike called for intensified measures to tackle climate change.
“The Maldives, as a low-lying small island State, is particularly vulnerable to the perils of global climate change, a point brought sharply into focus by the recent sea swells which submerged a large part of the country,” the Indian Ocean nation’s Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said.
Despite myriad conferences, summits and plans aimed at combating climate change, rhetoric exceeds implementation and “the past 20 years has been an era of missed opportunities,” he noted.
Underscoring the importance of “collective responsibility” in addressing the issue, Mr. Shahid expressed optimism that the upcoming major climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia, in December provides an occasion to make up for lost time.
Kiribati, another small island developing State (SIDS), stressed that it, too, is greatly threatened by the prospect of sea level rise.
Natanaera Kirata, the country’s Minister of Public Works and Utilities, pointed out that most of Kiribati’s islands are barely two metres above mean sea level, making global warming a crucial security concern.
He called on the international community to adopt a unified response to the challenges posed by climate change and for the issue to receive increased political support and commitment at the UN.
“There is no more time to debate on the issue as climate change is now a fact of life,” Mr. Kirata said. “It is now time to put words into action so that this living p***t is protected from complete destruction and is preserved for use by our many generations to come.”
Although a mountainous country, Bhutan – situated in the Himalayas – is also severely affected by climate change, its Foreign Secretary said. The small nation’s agricultural sector, which is the mainstay of nearly 80 per cent of the population, is jeopardized by global warming.
“More serious and more immediate” is the speed at which Himalayan glaciers are receding, Yeshey Dorji told the debate. Of Bhutan’s 3,000 glacial lakes, 24 have been identified as potentially dangerous, and glacial lake outburst floods, which have devastated the country in the past, could be much more destructive in the future.
“Our capacity to carry out research, monitor developments, forecast outbursts and take mitigation measures are severely constrained by lack of scientific, technical and financial resources,” he said, adding that climate change must be confronted within the context of sustainable development and on the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities.”
Also calling for sustainable development measures was the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.
In the long term, “sustainable development depends on the stability of human relationships based on knowledge of how to use resources available for current socio-economic development and at the same time conserving for future generations,” Foreign Minister Ednan Karabaev noted.
He stressed the importance of the convening of the Second Global Mountain Summit to establish a sustainable development policy for mountainous regions.
“The strategy of every single country should contain social responsibility as a basic characteristic for elaborating approaches toward regional and global coordination thus improving the environment and reducing energy shortages,” he said.
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UN PEACEKEEPING OPERATION SHOULD BE DEPLOYED TO SOMALIA, FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS
The Foreign Minister of Somalia today decried slow international action in response to the crisis in his country and urged the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation there to restore stability.
“Regrettably, we feel that our major efforts in nation-building and State institutions development were confronted with an unreceptive response and reticence of an inexplicable nature,” Husein Elabe Fahiye told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate. “Collective action by this world body was less consistent and devoid of vigour, until very recently, to come to the rescue of a nation in dire need of help.”
He said an example of this was the “dragging” action on a resolution on the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Somalia.
Should this continue, he said, “it will only reveal a lack of commitment and indirect acquiescence to prolong the agony of the Somali people.”
He called on the UN to support “without delay” the deployment of multinational forces to Somalia, where currently the African Union has fielded a mission known as AMISOM.
Somalia’s National Reconciliation Conference had reached a successful conclusion “despite disruptive intimidations by terrorist elements who tried to hijack the proceedings,” he said, paying tribute to the Ethiopian forces which have backed Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) as well as AMISOM, which “effectively dealt with these terrorists who are gradually fading away.”
The Foreign Minister also advocated the convening of a pledging conference on Somalia, appealing to donors “to show serious commitment in organizing and convening” the event in coordination with the TFG.
“We appeal to the world community to provide generous contributions and to work closely with the Somali authorities to ensure that humanitarian access is provided to the most vulnerable populations,” he said.
“Meeting these humanitarian obligations will ultimately provide a strong foundation from which recovery, reconstruction and development can develop in the future.”
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BELIZE WARNS UN DEBATE THAT MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM IS THREATENED
Global trading relations could fragment into a series of bilateral and regional arrangements unless the world’s countries commit seriously to ensuring that the current Doha round of negotiations is successful, Belize’s Foreign Minister told the General Assembly today.
Lisa Shoman said the Doha trade talks so far have yielded “harsh consequences for developing countries, particularly those that are commodity and preference-dependent.”
She told the annual high-level debate of the Assembly that “fundamental distrust” in international economic relations was threatening the development agenda for poor countries.
“The international community must keep development in perspective in the current climate change debate, since economic development better enables countries to tackle climate change.”
Ms. Shoman said the recent discussions on climate change and the wider debate about development illustrate the need for “an effective, legitimate multilateral system that is fair and balanced.”
She stressed the importance of “responsible leadership” from the world’s countries.
“We ask the question: is there a serious commitment to the survival of the multilateral trading system? If the answer is no, we can expect to see even more bilateral and regional arrangements resulting in a movement away from the idea that together we are better at solving our common problems.”
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STRENGTHENED UN CRUCIAL FOR RESOLVING GLOBAL CONFLICTS, IRELAND TELLS ASSEMBLY
Ireland’s Foreign Minister has advocated strengthening United Nations efforts in the field of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as sharing lessons learned, as key factors to achieving peace in today’s strife-ridden world.
“Today, despite all our efforts, violence conflict remains all too common,” Dermot Ahern told the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.
Urging nations to make use of the full array of instruments available to resolve conflict, he stressed that “in making peace, we must be as creative and determined as those who wage war.”
Mr. Ahern said it is vital to ensure that the UN Peacebuilding Commission – set up last year to help countries emerging from conflict consolidate their gains and not slide back into war – and the accompanying Peacebuilding Fund are organized and resourced to fulfil their important mandates.
He also urged continued support for UN peacekeeping operations, which are currently at an all-time high in terms of their size, scope and complexity, and for strengthening the Organization’s capacities for conflict prevention and resolution.
The sharing of experiences, particularly lessons learned, from enduring and complex conflicts such as that in Northern Ireland, could also prove useful, he noted.
While he did not believe the success of Northern Ireland, where an historic power-sharing accord has led to the resolution of a decades-long conflict, offers a “universally transferable formula,” its experience provides insights and lessons worth sharing.
“First, in the end, those who are part of the problem must be part of the solution – not because we approve of their actions or beliefs, but because without them it is all too easy for an agreement among others to be destroyed,” he stated.
Among the other lessons is the need for inclusive dialogue on the basis of clear and guaranteed principles, to take risks for peace and to address all issues comprehensively.
“Working with a strengthened UN and sharing lessons with one another, I passionately hope we can advance the day when political leaders from other regions of the world blighted by conflict can announce in this forum that peace has come to them too,” Mr. Ahern stated.
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CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES CALL ON UN TO STAY THE COURSE IN HAITI AND CONSOLIDATE GAINS
Commending the work of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the Bahamian Foreign Minister told the General Assembly today that the peacekeeping operation must stay on to help the troubled Caribbean country consolidate its recent gains.
Brent Symmonette, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said MINUSTAH was playing a vital role in assisting Haiti “on a firm and lasting path to sustainable development, peace, security and democracy.”
He backed calls to extend the mandate of MINUSTAH, which has been in place since June 2004 and has more than 7,000 troops and 1,700 police officers deployed across the nation.
Mr. Symmonette also praised the administration of President René Préval for its efforts to stabilize the country, which has long been beset by poverty and violence, and the Organization of American States (OAS) for its support.
The Foreign Minister noted that Haiti’s continuing struggles are affecting its neighbours in the region as thousands of Haitians leave their country in search of a better life.
“Ensuring that justice and democracy prevail in Haiti, therefore, redounds positively not only for the people of Haiti but also for the Bahamas and indeed for the entire region.”
Dominica’s Foreign Minister Charles Savarin echoed those remarks, calling on the UN to “go beyond the current engagement in Haiti through MINUSTAH to a longer-term engagement that will bring sustainable economic stability and development to Haiti.”
Mr. Savarin stressed the importance of staying the course and not viewing “these interventions as the emergency response of an international fire brigade quickly extinguishing political conflagrations and only remaining long enough to dampen the embers of renewed conflict.”
He added that “Haiti’s problems stem from underdevelopment and extensive periods of dictatorship. It is in democracy and development therefore that the solutions for Haiti lie.”
Mr. Savarin said a stable and prosperous Haiti would “significantly strengthen” the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and deepen progress towards a single market and economy in the Caribbean region.
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NEARLY 50 COUNTRIES TAKE TREATY ACTION AT ANNUAL UN EVENT
This year’s special United Nations event to spur participation in international pacts wrapped up today, with 47 countries having taken a total of 79 treaty actions.
The Focus 2007 Treaty Event – focusing on peace, development and human rights – was held on the sidelines of the General Assembly’s general debate at UN Headquarters in New York, and concluded with 40 signatures and 39 ratifications, approvals, acceptances, accessions or like actions.
Held from 25-27 September and 1-2 October, the event highlighted 43 agreements, including those that cover human rights, terrorism, organized crime, corruption, environmental issues, the law of the sea, disarmament and international trade.
The annual event, held since 2000, seeks to promote increased participation of countries in the more than 500 multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General, and by so doing, to strengthen the rule of law.
Maldives today became the 117th State to sign the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is designed to protect the rights of the estimated 650 million people worldwide who have disabilities. During the event, the Convention received 15 signatures and two ratifications, and its Optional Protocol received seven signatures.
However, even with Gabon and India’s ratifications of the Convention during this year’s event, only seven nations have ratified it, short of the 20 ratifications necessary for the pact to take effect.
France and Mexico acceded to the 1989 Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), aiming for the abolition of the death penalty.
The 2003 UN Convention against Corruption received five ratifications from Canada, Gabon, Moldova, Portugal and Sweden, while the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism was ratified by Gabon, Sri Lanka and Ukraine.
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RACISM TARGETS ‘VISIBLE’ MINORITIES IN FRANCE, UN INDEPENDENT EXPERT SAYS
Following a mission to France, a United Nations independent expert noted that “visible” minority immigrants are targets of racism and called on the Government to enact policies to address “widespread, entrenched and institutionalized discrimination.”
“Racism is alive, insidious and clearly targeted at those ‘visible’ minorities of immigrant heritage, the majority of whom are French citizens,” the UN Independent Expert on minority issues, Gay J. McDougall, said in a statement issued last week.
“Young people’s hopes and dreams are being denied; they see no possibility of upward mobility because of their skin colour, their religion, their surname or their address (in what’s called the sensitive suburbs),” said Ms. McDougall, who visited France from 19 to 28 September.
Many victims of discrimination are stranded in “socially and geographically isolated urban ghettos,” where unemployment is as high as 40 per cent, she noted. “They feel discriminated against and rejected by rigid notions of French national identity to which they do not conform.”
The Independent Expert also voiced concerned regarding statements made during the recent electoral period by French political leaders and candidates which she characterized as unwelcoming at best and racist at worst.
“The Constitutional promise of equality is the vision, but not the reality of modern France,” she stated. “France’s leaders must live up to that promise.”
She urged authorities to make concerted efforts towards an acceptance of cultural diversity.
“Currently, there is a widespread feeling within the communities of new minorities that to become a citizen of France is not sufficient for full acceptance; that acceptance will be granted only with total assimilation that forces them to reject major facets of their identities,” she explained. “Only when a way is found to shed the colour of their skins, hide the manifestations of their religion or the traditions of their ancestors, only then will they be accepted as truly French.”
During her visit, Ms. McDougall travelled to Paris, Marseilles and Strasbourg, and held meetings with Government officials, religious leaders, academics, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups, academics and others working in the field of minority issues, discrimination, racism and gender issues.
She also stopped in the Paris and Marseilles suburbs that were the scene of urban upheavals in 2005 to talk directly to those affected by the turmoil.
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UZBEK FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS ON UN TO PLAY LEAD ROLE IN PROMOTING TOLERANCE
The United Nations has a vital role to play in combating intolerance between people of different faiths, cultures and ethnic groups, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister said today in his address to the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
Vladimir Norov said “the problem of shaping and promoting the ideology of tolerance, mutual understanding and cultural diversity has taken on a special urgency” in recent years.
Therefore, “under the current circumstances the role of the United Nations is more important than ever,” he said, also urging greater dialogue between the world’s peoples.
Mr. Norov used his address to the Assembly to warn against distortions and negative interpretations of Islam.
“We are seriously concerned about some negative interpretations of the historical role of Islam and the deliberate distortion of historical facts. We resolutely stand against [the way] that the counter-terrorism transforms into Islamophobia and acquires the form of open or hidden stand-off with the Islamic world.”
He welcomed the holding of the High-Level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace, a two-day meeting starting on Thursday at United Nations Headquarters. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim is convening the event.
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CHAD PLEDGES FULL COOPERATION FOR NEW UN PEACEKEEPING PRESENCE
The Foreign Minister of Chad today welcomed the recent creation of a United Nations-mandated, multidimensional presence in the country, pledging full support for its work on behalf of the thousands of people who have been uprooted by insecurity in the region, including the conflict-torn Darfur region of Sudan.
Ahmad Allam-Mi told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate that the mission, to be known as MINURCAT, will help lighten the heavy burden that until now has been borne by Chadian gendarmes working to help alleviate the plight of refugees, displaced persons and others victimized by the conflict.
He paid tribute to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and friendly countries which have been supporting Chadian forces who have been acting with courage in the face of a “sensitive and dangerous” mission.
“The new operation can count on the support and cooperation of the Chadian authorities,” he pledged. “We dare to hope that it will create conditions that will foster stability and reconstruction in the eastern region of our country that have been devastated by incursions of the Sudanese Janjaweed and other armed men coming from Darfur.”
According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on the situation in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR), where MINURCAT will also be deployed, the humanitarian situation “has shown no signs of improving” since February, with more than 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the fighting and an estimated 700,000 others in host communities also affected.
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BURKINA FASO URGES UN TO ADDRESS PROLIFERATION OF SMALL ARMS
The Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso today urged the General Assembly to galvanize action against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
“In West Africa, the phenomenon is particularly distressing and its eradication requires cooperation supported by States and the international community,” Djibrill Yipènè Bassole told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
He said the toll on human life taken by small arms and light weapons makes them “veritable weapons of mass destruction.”
In addition to urging attention to the weapons trade, he spotlighted the problem of illicit drug trafficking. This scourge, he said, calls for urgent and appropriate action as it can destabilize countries, distort their economies and exacerbate organized crime and corruption.
“We call for the solidarity and support of the international community to help us eradicate this blight as quickly as possible,” he said.
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‘MARSHALL-LIKE’ PLAN NEEDED FOR AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTANI OFFICIAL TELLS UN DEBATE
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary today called for the adoption of an ambitious international reconstruction plan for Afghanistan during his address to the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
“No country stands to gain as much as Pakistan from peace and stability in Afghanistan,” said Riaz Mohammad Khan, voicing support for “every initiative” that could help with rebuilding and national reconciliation in the war-ravaged country.
“The international community also has an important responsibility to help Afghanistan with a Marshall-like programme for reconstruction,” he said.
Reviewing three decades of conflict in Afghanistan, he said recent events have “impacted on our society, giving rise to terrorism and extremism.”
Pakistan, he said, is fighting Al-Qaida and other terrorist elements “with resolve and determination.”
While emphasizing the country’s efforts to counter extremism, he spoke out against those who would malign religions and reinforce divisions between Islam and the West. “Tolerating Islamophobia in the guise of freedom of expression is dangerous,” he warned.
“More than ever before, in this globalized world, we need understanding, harmony and building of bridges among all cultures and peoples.”
The Foreign Minister of Canada, Maxime Bernier, also urged a united international effort to help rebuild Afghanistan. “International organizations, including the UN, NATO and the World Bank, must work toward this common goal.”
He reviewed Canada’s contribution to Afghanistan, including its participation in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition in the country.
“The countries assisting Afghanistan are united in the conviction that there can be no reconstruction without security,” he said. “Democracy and political stability cannot flourish in a climate of terror.”
He cautioned that attention to development is also critical. “Long-term security requires a sustainable investment in the country’s development – the two go hand in hand.
Pointing to progress achieved so far with international support, he said, “Afghan police officers are being trained, Afghan refugees are returning home and Afghan children are learning to read and write.”
He called for efforts to carry out the Afghanistan Compact, a five-year development blueprint launched in January 2006 by the country and its international partners. “Strong UN stewardship of the Compact, alongside the Afghan Government, is critical to realizing this vision,” he said.
The Foreign Minister also urged leaders attending the Assembly session to support implementation of Security Council resolution 1776, which extended ISAF and called on Member States to contribute personnel, equipment and funding to its operations.
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GLOBALIZATION MUST BECOME A WIN-WIN PROCESS, JAMAICA TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Globalization must be transformed from a process that creates winners and losers into one that benefits all countries and regions, Jamaican Foreign Minister Kenneth Baugh told the General Assembly today.
Speaking at the annual high-level debate at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Mr. Baugh stressed that more needs to be done by nations rich and poor if the world is to achieve the set of anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
Official development assistance (ODA) should be increased, debt relief widened, private capital flows encouraged and the global trading system reformed, he said, calling for a “global partnership for development” between the North and the South.
“We must recognize that progress and upliftment of the poor benefits all of us,” he said. “It can mean the difference between conflict and stability, between hope and despair.”
He warned that the processes of globalization and economic liberalization have exposed many poor and vulnerable nations to external economic forces over which they have little control. “We should refuse to accept that globalization creates winners and losers. What we should strive for is a win-win and inclusive process in which the benefits and opportunities are more widely enjoyed across countries and regions.”
Patrick Pillay, Foreign Minister of Seychelles, echoed those remarks in his address to the high-level debate.
“Globalization has the potential to advance human development throughout the world. But this is not automatic. For globalization has also increased our vulnerability, insecurity and the possibility of marginalization,” he said.
Mr. Pillay said small island developing States (SIDS) deserved special treatment in multilateral trade negotiations because of their specific structural handicaps, adding that the effects of climate change were leaving those countries ever more vulnerable to economic shocks and problems.
Grenada’s Foreign Minister Elvin Nimrod also called for SIDS to receive special treatment given their combination of economic and environmental vulnerability.
He said the UN system, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) need to draw up “a new set of metrics, a new set of rules and a new level of support” to assist these nations.
S. R. Insanally, Guyana’s Foreign Minister, expressed dismay that many industrialized countries were practising “misguided ‘beggar thy neighbour’ policies which effectively preclude developing countries from satisfying the aspirations of their peoples to a better life.”
The Foreign Minister said such nations continue to advance the thesis that free trade will guarantee prosperity for all. “The reality is that most countries, such as my own, simply cannot compete successfully in fully liberalized markets unless they are assisted in making a gradual transition. Instead of assistance, however, some of the preferences which we have enjoyed hitherto in some markets are being summarily withdrawn.”
Mr. Insanally said this indicated how critical it is that the Doha round of global trade negotiations produce a solution that pays due regard to the development challenges facing small and poor States.
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AT UN, TONGA CALLS ON RICH COUNTRIES TO BE FLEXIBLE ON SEASONAL LABOUR SCHEMES
Wealthy countries facing seasonal labour shortages need to be more flexible when crafting their policies towards workers from poorer States if they want to fill those gaps, Tonga’s Foreign Minister told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate today.
Sonatane T. Taumoepeau-Tupou said his country continued to “advocate for ‘labour mobility’ as a vehicle for achieving its pro-poor strategies” and overcoming the lack of economic development and employment opportunities in many island States.
“Earlier this year the New Zealand Government instituted a ‘seasonal labour programme’ for agricultural workers from ‘five kick-start countries’ in the Pacific, including Tonga,” he said. The other four nations involved in the programme are Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
“We view this as an important and positive first step towards wider acceptance of this type of model by developed countries as an option to resolving seasonal labour shortage.”
The Foreign Minister also noted that his country’s Legislative Assembly this year passed laws allowing dual citizenship, in recognition of the large numbers of Tongans who live outside their country but still contribute to the economy and want to have links to their homeland.
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AUDIT OF UN-BACKED CAMBODIAN TRIBUNAL SHOWS RECRUITMENT IRREGULARITIES
The United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other horrific crimes during the late 1970s has made public special audits commissioned by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) showing irregularities in recruitment.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) yesterday released on its website the findings of the audits of the Cambodian side of the tribunal, together with its responses, “in the interests of transparency and fairness,” said UN spokesperson Michele Montas.
The report found that some national staff recruited did not meet the minimum requirements specified in the vacancy announcements and that recruitment was not always performed in a transparent, competitive and objective manner, she added.
The Phnom Penh-based tribunal was set up – under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia – as an independent court using a mixture of Cambodian staff and judges and foreign personnel. It is designated to try those deemed most responsible for crimes and serious violations of Cambodian and international law between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979.
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TOP UN RULE OF LAW OFFICIALS OUTLINE GOALS OF NEW OFFICE; HIGHLIGHT INCREASED POLICE ROLE
Bringing all aspects of United Nations support for rule of law – the police, the judiciary and corrections – under the authority of one office not only helps improve efficiency but also ties in with the world body’s longer term goal of building sustainability in a nation’s rule of law sector, the two senior UN officials responsible for this area said today.
Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions Dmitry Titov, who heads the Office of the same name, outlined the goals and structure of the new pillar, while Police Adviser Andrew Hughes highlighted the challenges facing the Police Division at a time of unprecedented demand for peacekeepers in general and global policing in particular.
“The goal of this new pillar, which is part of the Secretary-General’s wider reform of UN peacekeeping to cope with the growing global demand, is to develop an holistic approach to the rule of law by incorporating all aspects within a coherent framework that includes the police, the judiciary and corrections. It also demonstrates the determination of the Secretary-General to implement reforms towards results-oriented management,” Mr. Titov told the UN News Service.
“The Office of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions is responsible for five areas: the Police Division, the Criminal Law and Judicial Advisory Section, the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Section, the Security Sector Reform Section and the Mine Action Service.”
“All these functions are at the core of UN efforts to support the sustainable reform of security in post-conflict countries and this new Office will provide a coherent, integrated framework for providing this. The Office will also collaborate and enhance our partnerships with all relevant non-UN actors, including regional organizations and bilateral donors, and serve as a global focal point for rule of law issues,” added Mr. Titov.
“The Office will work under the overall guidance of the Under-Secretary-General in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and in close co-operation with the Office of Operations and the Department of Field Support. We will apply a forward-looking approach to Security Institutions capacity-building.”
“Among our priorities will be establishing an efficient, dynamic and integrated Headquarters team and improving the management processes so we are able to provide the strong support needed by our field operations. We will also concentrate on generating UN doctrine and creating special international networks in relevant areas,” said Mr. Titov.
Police Adviser Andrew Hughes said the new rule of law pillar, which formally came into operation on 1 July, was a very positive initiative and one that represented a natural structure for the Police Division to operate within.
“The new structural arrangements represent an opportunity for us to work in our natural habitat as police, which is in the law and justice sector. This is what police around the world do on a day-to-day basis in any country… we work with the courts, we work with prisons, we work with prosecutors, we work with public defenders and we work with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and human rights, and civil society and so on.”
“What we have to do is to inform and educate the broader police community that UN policing now is very much aligned with what police are doing around the world anyway,” said Mr. Hughes, highlighting also the increasing capacity-building role that UN Police (UNPOL) officers are playing in peacekeeping missions.
This changing role for UNPOL officers, away from the more traditional monitoring and observing functions, highlights the need for Member States to put forward quality candidates, stressed the Police Adviser, listing the benefits to all of having experienced police officers performing UN service.
“The quicker we can get the job done and the more effective we can get the job done, the quicker we can hand over to local authorities and responsibly exit. The weaker our presence is on the ground, in terms of the experience and ability of the officers, the longer it’s going to take.”
“When someone goes on a mission they learn and they interact. From my own experiences I’ve seen officers come back and they’re much more worldly in their thinking… They come back with a greater suite of options to problem solving in their own country. And also a police peacekeeping mission will often present the individual officers with opportunities to extend themselves,” said Mr. Hughes.
Mr. Titov, a veteran diplomat, has worked in peacekeeping for the UN since joining the world body in 1991. Before taking up his current post he was the Director of the Africa Division in DPKO from 1998, during which time he helped set up all new peacekeeping missions on the continent and also led the UN team in negotiations to set up the joint mission for Darfur.
Mr. Hughes has over 30 years experience as a police officer, including overseeing Australian contributions to UN peacekeeping operations in Timor-Leste and Cyprus. Before taking up the post of Police Adviser, he was the Interim Chief Police Officer in the Australian Capital Territory and prior to that, the Commissioner of the Fiji Police from 2003-2006.
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SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS SAYS TAIWAN, PROVINCE OF CHINA, SHOULD BE UN MEMBER
Taiwan, Province of China, deserves to become a Member State of the United Nations, the Foreign Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis told the General Assembly today – a position disputed by the Beijing Government, which says a 1971 resolution on the matter settled it permanently.
Timothy Harris told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, being held at UN Headquarters in New York, that “it is of grave concern that the 23 million people of Taiwan have been denied the right of participation in the UN and its related bodies.”
The “exclusion and isolation continued even more aggressively” during the annual session of the Assembly that ended last month, he said. “There were even attempts to muffle the voices of the friends of Taiwan when they implored the UN family to recognize that they are a disenfranchised people.”
Dr. Harris said the UN has to remain open for all States to become members of the Organization.
“Experience has shown that membership of the United Nations is not a deterrent to unification – see, for example, East Germany and West Germany. Nor is it the panacea to fragmentation as some have argued with the deconstruction of the former Soviet Union.”
He added that “Taiwan has shown that it can be a true partner in development,” and its assistance to poor nations as they strive to reach the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their target date of 2015 could be extremely useful.
Last month, after a marathon debate involving 140 speakers, the Assembly decided for the fifteenth consecutive year to exclude a bid by some Member States to discuss the representation of Taiwan, Province of China, in the world body.
In his address to the high-level debate last Friday, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory” and his country would not permit any challenge to the one China principle or the 1971 Assembly resolution on the issue.
Any attempt to change the situation was doomed to failure, Mr. Yang said, adding that he hoped Member States “will not allow themselves to be manipulated by the Taiwan authorities.”
The Foreign Minister stressed: “We will never allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China in any name or in any way.”
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EASING TENSIONS IN DR CONGO PAVE WAY FOR AID DELIVERY TO DISPLACED POPULATION
Due to a recent lull in fighting between Government and rebel forces in the troubled North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations humanitarian officials reported that aid workers have been able to provide assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The “window of opportunity” offered by the current calm allows the humanitarian community to continue to assess vulnerable populations and provide the necessary assistance, stated the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and its non-governmental partner Caritas have completed food distribution for 17,000 people – who had already received non-food and shelter items – in Bweremana, Bitonga and Bishonge, south of Sake.
The UN mission in the country, known as MONUC, is working to organize permanent patrols to protect IDPs in various sites west of the provincial capital Goma.
Congolese armed forces, or FARDC, have agreed to OCHA’s request to start sensitization activities to address the need to respect displaced families.
Also, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will shortly implement a new registration programme – intended to improve accuracy in the figures the UN keeps on beneficiaries of its humanitarian work in the region – for all IDPs residing in sites west of Goma.
Since the end of last year, some 300,000 people have fled their homes in North Kivu because of fighting between Government forces, renegade troops and other armed groups.
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INTER-KOREA SUMMIT CAN OPEN NEW PHASE OF PEACE, PYONGYANG OFFICIAL TELLS UN
The north-south summit between the two Koreas now under way in Pyongyang can open a new chapter in relations between the countries, a senior official from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the General Assembly today, calling for an end to “interference” in his country’s internal affairs.
“Nothing is more urgent and important than the reunification of our nation, which has been living for more than half a century with the sufferings of territorial division imposed by outside forces,” Choe Su Hon, the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
“The north-south summit now under way in Pyongyang will be of great significance in opening up a new phase for peace, co-prosperity and reunification by taking the inter-Korean relations to a higher stage,” he said, voicing confidence that “all problems can surely be resolved” if the two leaders sit face to face in a positive spirit.
At the same time, he said that to achieve reunification, “the US hostile policy on the DPRK and interference in our nation’s internal affairs should be brought to an end.”
Concerning the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, he said this does not require “our unilateral disarming” but can only be realized “through the removal of the DPRK-US hostile relations and the elimination of all nuclear threats on the Korean peninsula and its surroundings.”
He called for the United States to “move towards the removal of its hostile policy on the DPRK and normalization of bilateral relations” and said Japan must “make a clean slate of its past of aggression and crime and discard its hostility toward the DPRK as they have pledged.”
The country, he said, “will watch closely every move on the part of the United States and Japan at the stage that requires actions.”
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SEVERAL ASIAN COUNTRIES NOT ON TRACK TO REACH DEVELOPMENT GOALS – UN
A new United Nations report finds that despite the region’s economic prosperity, some countries in Asia and the Pacific are not on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight targets to slash such ills as poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy by 2015.
The report entitled “Millennium Development Goals: Progress in Asia and the Pacific,” which will be released next week, notes that progress has not been uniform in the region and that some countries face challenges in reducing poverty, child malnourishment and child mortality, as well as improving water quality and sanitation.
While some developing nations in the region are making inroads in achieving the Goals, no country is on course to achieve all eight of them, according to the report, which will be launched by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Detailed assessments of each country’s pursuit of the MDGs, as well as analysis that allows for comparison with other developing regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, are included in the report.
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COSTA RICA URGES UN TO WORK FOR CUTS IN MILITARY SPENDING TO FUND DEVELOPMENT
The Foreign Minister of Costa Rica today urged leaders attending the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate to work for cuts in military spending to fund development objectives.
“Multilateralism is not built on tests of strength,” Bruno Stagno Ugarte declared.
He cited statistics compiled by the Millennium Project which estimated that if the world spent one tenth of its current expenditures on military spending – some $1.2 trillion – “we would have met the targets for 2006 for all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in all countries.” The MDGs are time-bound targets for addressing poverty and other social ills.
“Security does not come from multiplying weapons; history has already proven this too many times,” he said. “Security comes from remedying injustice, easing shortages [and] creating opportunities so that we can have collective prosperity on par with collective security.”
He cited Article 26 of the United Nations Charter, which calls for promoting “the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources” and said it was a “dead letter” that should be brought to life.
The Foreign Minister said the UN must be able to learn from its mistakes. “We do a disservice to the credibility and effectiveness of this Organization if every time we experience a difficult or inconvenient situation we simply produce a report for the archives,” he said.
Nicolás Maduro Moros, Venezuela’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, urged an overhaul of the UN to enable it to better serve the world’s people.
The creation of a “multipolar world of balance without imperialistic hegemony is urgent, and it is possible,” he said. “This Organization has to be transformed. It has to rebuild itself to be the faithful instrument of a multipolar world,” he added.
He said 17 years of a unipolar world has shown the need to overhaul multilateral organizations so that they can better serve humankind.
He called for the UN to move towards democratization of Security Council through an expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent members. He also advocated strengthening the political role of the Secretary-General and other measures that would enable the UN to “move forward with new mechanisms of dialogue and coexistence towards a world of peace, justice and equality.”
The Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Reinaldo Gargano, urged specific measures to help developing countries, including the elimination of subsidies, to allow them to compete fairly on the international market.
“Developing countries don’t need aid so much as free access to markets,” he declared.
He also emphasized the importance of the economic integration of South America, a region he noted serves as a stabilizing and peaceful force in the world.
While hailing the continent’s natural resources, which should suffice to eliminate poverty, he decried the current “criminal” situation whereby half of South America’s 400 million inhabitants live below the poverty line.
Peru’s Vice Minister Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs, Gonzalo Gutiérrez Reinel, also called for measures to reform the UN. “To reinforce its legitimacy, it is necessary to expedite the procedures and reduce the agenda of the General Assembly,” he said, urging also reform of the Security Council to make it a “more efficient, transparent, legitimate, representative forum with better work methods.”
In addition, he stressed the relevance of the work of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in coordinating cooperation strategies for development and for dealing with emergencies.
Looking to next month’s official launch of the International Year of the Potato, he said, “This celebration is of singular meaning for my country, since the potato is originally from Peru.”
He noted that Peru has great genetic diversity. “The cultivation of the potato was developed since time immemorial by the civilizations that gave rise to the current Peru and is one of the major contributions to the world’s food supply,” he said.
For its part, he said Peru has declared 2008 as the “National Year of the Potato” and has set a calendar of wide-ranging actions to be carried out in conjunction with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
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ATTACKS ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS MUST BE PUNISHED, CONGO OFFICIAL TELLS UN
Addressing the General Assembly today, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Congo decried the recent attack on African Union peacekeepers serving in the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan and said the crime must be punished.
Basile Ikouebe “strongly condemned the recent attack perpetrated against the peacekeepers serving with the African Union at Haskanita in South Darfur.” The perpetrators of this crime must be “found and punished,” he added.
Looking to the planned deployment of the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force for Darfur, to be known as UNAMID, he said Congo would contribute a contingent to the mission.
Speaking at the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, he emphasized the need for political dialogue to address the crisis and looked forward to the planned 27 October talks in Libya bringing together the parties. “And for the parties that would be reluctant, sanctions should be envisioned,” he said.
Mr. Ikouebe also underscored the importance of humanitarian assistance in fostering stability in the region.
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KENYA’S FOREIGN MINISTER URGES ENHANCED UN ROLE IN SOMALIA
The Foreign Minister of Kenya today cautioned that the crisis in Somalia threatens to be overshadowed by the Darfur conflict, and called for a stepped-up United Nations role in the volatile Horn of Africa country.
“The problem with Somalia may be less visible today, having been overshadowed by the conflict in Darfur, but the Somalia crisis is far from over,” said Raphael Tuju.
He paid tribute to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), especially the Ugandan troops, which were playing an important role “under very trying circumstances.”
He appealed for the deployment of the remaining troops to strengthen AMISOM, and for the UN to assume greater responsibility in the country as called for by the Security Council.
A “United Nations presence on the ground in Somalia would compliment regional and international efforts to promote peace, stability and reconciliation.”
National reconciliation in Somalia is “a process, not a single event,” he said. All parties should participate in the negotiations, he said, “because no matter how long it takes, the final resolution of the Somalia crisis will only happen when all Somalis agree to sit down and talk.”
At the same time, he appealed to the international community to “honour pledges to provide the necessary resources.”
There are an estimated 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia, which has been torn by factional fighting and has had no functioning central government since Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime was toppled in 1991.
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UN TRADE ARM CHIEF CALLS INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT A ‘MORAL AND POLITICAL’ NECESSITY
The head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) characterized inclusive development – which allows developing countries to reap gains from globalization – as a “crucial moral and political imperative.”
UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi told participants yesterday on the first day of the 54th session of the agency’s governing board that “we must urgently find ways to ensure that even the poorest see tangible benefits from globalization, and that truly all countries are included in this momentum.”
Although developing countries’ share of exports globally has grown, inward foreign direct investment to them has doubled and their outward investment has tripled, he warned that poverty is still an impediment to prosperity.
“Many of the world’s poorest countries continue to be left out of growth,” with poverty persisting even in middle-income nations and in the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe, Mr. Supachai told the Geneva gathering.
Asian-led economic progress in the South must be studied to increase its inclusiveness, he noted, and the reliance on the export of small numbers of commodities or raw materials by many least developed countries (LDCs) must be transformed into broader economic progress.
The session, which will end on 11 October, aims to build momentum for the upcoming UNCTAD XII conference, to convene in April 2008 in Accra, Ghana.
This morning, UNCTAD’s governing body appointed a Preparatory Committee for UNCTAD XII, comprising the organization’s 151 Member States.
Over the next six months, the Committee will endeavour to address pressing issues and promote economic inclusiveness worldwide. “UNCTAD’s next four years are in your hands,” Mr. Supachai told the newly-formed body, adding “there is no reason not to be ambitious in our goals.”
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MUPPETS GO TO SCHOOL IN KOSOVO IN UN-BACKED EFFORT TO BRIDGE ETHNIC DIVIDE
The Muppets are going to school in Kosovo in a new project to teach tolerance to children in the Albanian-majority Serb province, which the United Nations has run since Western forces drove out Yugoslav troops in 1999 amid ethnic fighting.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind the province’s Albanian and Serbian versions – Rruga Sesam and Ulica Sezam respectively – of the famed children’s television programme Sesame Street, have launched a series of story and picture books with Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and the rest of the crew bringing a message of diversity and understanding.
Distribution began on Friday with children, parents and teachers in Pristina and Mitrovica kindergarten classrooms. The TV programme has already been on the air for some time, adapting its content to local needs.
“In a region rich with diversity, but challenged by conflict, our mission is to reach as many children as possible with meaningful content,” Albanian Content Director for Rruga Sesam Anita Pasha said of the new initiative. “Like the Rruga Sesam television series, the outreach materials are designed to better prepare them for school and encourage them to develop a lifelong love of learning.”
Serbian Content Director Jelena Ravnjak was equally enthusiastic. “Since Ulica Sezam debuted in Kosovo, teachers in Serbian regions have shared with us their need for relevant materials that present sensitive social-emotional lessons.
“The beauty of the Muppet characters resides in the fact that they’re multi-coloured, tall and short, wide and skinny, furry and feathered, and incredibly different from one another, yet all the same – learning to live and laugh together. We are thrilled to extend their reach from the television directly into the classrooms and homes.”
Sesame Workshop and UNICEF were joined by UNICEF’s Head of Office Robert Fuderich as well as local celebrities at the launch.
In Pristina, actress and UNICEF local Good Will Ambassador Yllka Gashi took part at the Albanian-language Gëzimi Ynë Kindergarten, while actress Zorica Jovanovic joined children and caregivers at the Serbian-language Danica Jaramaz Kindergarten in Mitrovica, each reading the new story book Dita Ime e Parë në Shkollë/Moj Prvi Dan u Skoli, or My First Day of School, to children in their respective classrooms.
All materials will be disseminated free of charge to preschools, family healthcare centres, women’s literacy centres in conjunction with women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based early childhood education centres and parent/teacher organizations. The materials include 30,000 storybooks and 30,000 picture books in Albanian, 5,000 of each in Serbian Cyrillic letters and 3,000 apiece in Serbian Latin letters.
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GANDHI’S MESSAGE OF NON-VIOLENCE NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER – BAN KI-MOON
The message of Mahatma Gandhi, whose peaceful struggle helped birth an independent India and inspired countless people around the world, is needed now more than ever amid rising global tensions, intolerance and conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
Addressing the General Assembly’s first-ever observance of the International Day of Non-violence, Mr. Ban said that communities around the globe were “increasingly mired in rising intolerance and cross-cultural tensions. We see extremist dogma and violent ideologies gaining ground, as moderate forces retreat.
“And we have witnessed lethal force being used against unarmed and non-violent marchers who exemplified the very spirit of the Mahatma’s teachings,” he added, referring to the recent wave of peaceful protests witnessed in Myanmar.
Calling the man who inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world a “personal hero,” Mr. Ban said that “by incorporating non-violence into everyday life, the Mahatma inspired countless individuals to lead better, more meaningful lives.”
He added, “The Mahatma’s inspiration is needed now more than ever.”
The Secretary-General said he hoped the Day, which will be observed annually on 2 October, Gandhi’s birthday, will help to advance true tolerance and non-violence at every level, from individuals all the way up to Governments.
“May this Day help spread Mahatma Gandhi’s message to an ever wider audience, and hasten a time when every day is a day without violence,” he said.
Also addressing the observance, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim highlighted the need to spread the message that “non-violence, tolerance, respect for human rights, democracy, development, and diversity, are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.”
It was Gandhi’s belief, Mr. Kerim said, that intolerance was the worst form of violence, and that without genuine tolerance, no dialogue can have a lasting impact.
“This message underlines the importance of having various initiatives within this Organization to promote dialogue among cultures, religions and faiths as well as to strengthen mutual understanding,” he added.
The Assembly is set to convene a high-level dialogue on interreligious and intercultural cooperation later this week.
Also marking the occasion, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today participated in a roundtable discussion, at which she said today’s violent and unsettled times “cry for Mahatma Gandhi’s healing touch.”
Gandhi’s philosophy guides much of the UN’s work for peace, she noted. “That is because all of us at the Organization realize that the UN’s efforts to end war must reach well beyond the mere absence of conflict. Peacekeepers and preventive diplomacy remain essential tools in our efforts to silence guns and implement ceasefires. But, by themselves, they are not enough to counter humanity’s worst instincts.
“Instead, the search for a durable and enduring peace demands action at a deeper, more profound level... In short, it requires a culture of Gandhian peace and non-violence,” she stated.
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UN AGENCY APPEALS FOR MORE FUNDS TO FEED 470,000 HUNGRY MAURITANIANS
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today appealed for urgent new funding to feed 470,000 people in Mauritania, warning that flooding is putting greater pressure on its dwindling supplies for both flood victims and returning refugees.
WFP needs $3.8 million or 4,440 metric tons of food to head off a three-month break in supplies for Mauritania from this month. The flooding in Mauritania is part of a larger crisis affecting a wide swath of sub-Saharan Africa, where the agency is struggling to feed some 5 million flood victims from Mali and Niger in the west to Ethiopia and Uganda in the east.
The situation is particularly critical in Mauritania because the number of food insecure people there has risen by 16 per cent since December. Some 420,000 people struggle to feed themselves at the best times, and half rely on WFP food to survive.
“WFP made an appeal in March for Mauritania, but very little has been received so far, and if no fresh contributions are forthcoming now, we will have a total break in supply and thousands of people will be at risk,” Agency Country Director Gian Carlo Cirri said.
The fight against malnutrition has achieved positive results in Mauritania, and supplementary feeding put in place by WFP and its partners in the past year has led to a decline in the number of malnourished children under 5 from 51,000 in February to 31,000 in August.
“This is a fact,” Mr. Cirri said. “We know we can make a difference in fighting food insecurity and malnutrition, but we need continuous support. Unless additional funding is received, all these benefits for children will be washed away and we will be back where we started.”
Floods and the expected repatriation from Senegal of 20,000 Mauritanian refugees who fled ethnic violence 18 years ago have added to the problem. Severe floods in the south and southeast have left 30,000 people without shelter and short of food.
High rates of malnutrition and food insecurity in Mauritania are caused by the limited agricultural potential. Even in good crop years, yields can only cover 30 per cent of the needs of the population of nearly 3.3 million, leading to a high dependency on imports and markets.
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MALTESE LAWYER PRESENTED WITH TOP UN AWARD FOR AIDING MEDITERRANEAN BOAT PEOPLE
A Maltese lawyer who has fought for the rights of boat people fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes at great danger to herself, was presented with the most prestigious United Nations refugee award last night, and immediately pledged to use the money to further her efforts.
“We are all privileged to be able to give the Nansen Refugee Award to an angel,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in handing over the prize, consisting of a medal and $100,000, to Katrine Camilleri at a ceremony in Geneva attended by scores of guests.
Ms. Camilleri, 37, paid tribute to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Malta, whose legal department she heads in representing the interests of asylum seekers, including victims of trauma, torture, and sexual and gender based violence, who face detention after arriving in Malta.
“It is an honour that I share with every member of Jesuit Refugee Service throughout the world,” she said. “When one of us is honoured all of us are honoured because we share the same mission – to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced people.”
She said she planned to use the money to consolidate JRS projects and develop new services, including information DVDs in different languages to reach asylum seekers, especially women, with a low level of literacy, a legal fund to help asylum seekers access courts, and a fund to train and use cultural mediators.
Over the last year, JRS and Ms. Camilleri have faced a series of attacks. Nine vehicles belonging to the Jesuits were burned in two separate incidents and in April, arsonists set fire to Ms. Camilleri’s car and her front door, terrifying her family trapped inside. The attacks shocked Maltese society and drew wide condemnation, including from the Government.
The incident, she said, shattered her own two children’s sense of invulnerability, but has not altered her desire to help asylum seekers risking their lives in flimsy boats to reach safety.
“By making the award to Dr. Camilleri for her civic courage and for the inspiring example set by her actions, the Nansen Refugee Award Committee would like to honour all individuals who are working to improve the well-being of refugees,” the citation said. The prize is funded by the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
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SUDAN: UN REFUGEE AGENCY FACING NEW ‘CRITICAL’ FUNDING SHORTFALL
The United Nations refugee agency today reported another critical shortfall in its funding for Sudan, this time threatening its reintegration operations to help the South recover from two decades of civil war, just a week after announcing that its aid for more than 2 million people in the strife-torn western Darfur region was imperilled.
“The funding situation is so dire that transportation of refugees back home from camps in neighbouring countries to Sudan, due to pick up pace again soon after the rainy season ends, may not be able to go ahead, defeating the purpose of our work in South Sudan,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva of the $11.1 million shortfall.
“We are urgently calling on donors to come forward with funds to help keep this operation going. Our aim this year was to facilitate the return and reintegration of 102,000 Sudanese refugees and some 25,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) but without further funds, this number will certainly be limited,” she added.
So far this year, UNHCR has helped 42,000 refugees to return, and along with other agencies assisted 12,000 IDPs. Southern Sudan remains extensively devastated and under-developed more than two years after a peace accord in 2005 between Government and rebel forces ended a 20-year war that uprooted over 4 million civilians in and outside the country.
There are still 260,000 registered Sudanese refugees in exile with the majority (216,000) living in UNHCR camps in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
UNHCR’s 2007 budget for the Southern Sudan operation is $56.1 million, but only $45 million has been received. “In September, lack of funds forced us to stop buying ahead basic assistance items which we usually distribute to returnees to help them settle back in their communities of origin,” Ms. Pagonis said. The items include plastic sheeting for shelter, blankets, sleeping mats, soap, jerry cans, hygiene cloth for women, mosquito nets and cooking sets.
With the end of the rains in the coming weeks, repatriation operations are set to increase, with 22,000 refugees expected to return to south-eastern Sudan by December. “However, if we don’t receive funding very soon, we will not be able to repatriate them nor provide them with minimum assistance upon return,” Ms. Pagonis stressed.
“Our programmes to build and rehabilitate basic facilities, such as schools, health centres and boreholes, and our de-mining activities in those return areas will also be seriously hampered,” she added. So far, 68,000 refugees have returned home with UNHCR help since the launch of the voluntary repatriation operation in December 2005. Some 92,000 more returned by their own means.
Last week the agency announced that a shortfall of over $7 million was threatening its efforts to aid some of the more than 2 million IDPs and thousands of Chadian refugees in Darfur, where the conflict between the Government, allied militias and various rebel forces is still raging. Ms. Pagonis said then that UNHCR might be compelled to scale down existing operations there if it did not receive additional funding very soon.
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