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UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
8 May, 2008 =========================================================================
FRUSTRATION GROWING AT LIMITED ACCESS TO MYANMAR CYCLONE VICTIMS – UN
The United Nations humanitarian chief today voiced disappointment at the limited progress made in gaining access to Myanmar, where some 1.5 million people are believed to be severely affected by the recent cyclone and the situation is becoming “increasingly desperate.”
Cyclone Nargis, which made landfall in the Irrawaddy delta region on Friday, left tens of thousands of people dead in its wake and hundreds of thousands without shelter. The storm, which also hit Myanmar’s largest city Yangon later that same night, tore down trees and power lines and caused widespread flooding.
“There’s a real danger that an even worse tragedy may unfold if we cannot get the aid that’s desperately needed in quickly,” John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, told journalists.
He said that while there had been a little bit of progress in gaining access to the country since he last briefed the press yesterday, much more was needed in terms of the granting of visas and easing of regulations, given the “increasingly desperate situation” on the ground.
“Frustrations have been growing that this humanitarian response is being held back because of difficulties of access in different ways,” he said, noting that many visas are still pending.
Mr. Holmes reported that two members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team that is supposed to travel to Myanmar to coordinate relief efforts together with the national authorities are now in Yangon. However, two other members were not allowed in when they arrived “for reasons which we are still trying to establish.”
Since yesterday, the authorities have agreed that customs charges and clearances should be waived for aid delivery, he said, adding that it is not clear whether that has been made fully operational on the ground.
“I do appeal very strongly indeed to the Government of Myanmar both to step up their own relief efforts to help people on the ground and to change their attitude completely to the efforts that we are making to get these relief supplies in.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is attempting to talk to Senior General Than Swe to urge him to facilitate access. Speaking to reporters in the United States city of Atlanta, where he is on an official visit, Mr. Ban said he has been “urging the authorities of Myanmar to be flexible in opening their boundaries” so that aid workers can enter. “I am concerned that if we lose time at this very critical time, then many more people will die because of this crisis,” he stated.
In a related development, Mr. Ban has noted the Government’s decision to proceed with the constitutional referendum scheduled for 10 May, while postponing it in some of the areas most affected by the cyclone.
“Due to the scope of the disaster facing Myanmar today, however, the Secretary-General believes that it may be prudent to focus instead on mobilizing all available resources and capacity for the emergency response efforts,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
In terms of humanitarian aid getting through, Mr. Holmes reported that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was able to get four flights containing relief supplies into Yangon today. There are now more than 40 tons of high energy biscuits available on the ground in Yangon which will be distributed as soon as possible to those that need them.
In addition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is in the process of sending 3 million water purification tablets – enough to provide clean water to 200,000 people for a week – and have pre-positioned emergency supplies, including enough family health kits for 155,000 people.
Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) – the only UN agency located in the Irrawaddy Delta – has sent rotating teams of national staff to four affected townships to make disaster assessments, deliver small relief items and provide support to the population UNDP serves.
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LEBANON FACES MOST SERIOUS CRISIS SINCE CIVIL WAR – UN ENVOY
The stalled political process in Lebanon, combined with the current violence on the streets and the “defiant manoeuvres of militias,” is leaving the country struggling to function as a sovereign, democratic State, United Nations Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen told the Security Council today.
“The riots that started yesterday in Lebanon show tragically that the country today confronts challenges of a magnitude unseen since the end of the civil war,” said Mr. Roed-Larsen.
“The electoral void combined with the stalled functions of Parliament and the defiant manoeuvres of militias are all threats to Lebanon’s ability to function as a sovereign, democratic and independent State,” he added, speaking as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559.
Adopted by the Council in 2004, resolution 1559 calls for free and fair presidential elections in Lebanon without any foreign interference or influence, and for the disbandment of all militia groups operating in the country. Mr. Larsen said that he regretted he had no progress to report on the resolution over the past six months.
Speaking later to reporters, Mr. Larsen said that the Secretary-General “calls for all parties now to show restraint, to find a solution to the current impasse and the current violence, through peaceful dialogue,” and added that the Security Council had unanimously called for “calm and restraint.”
Since last November the country has been deadlocked on the election of a new president, with the position remaining vacant. Yesterday and today pro- and anti-government militias have been battling on the streets of Beirut. Mr. Roed-Larsen commented that, “Lebanon for a long time now – several months and more – has been on a slippery slope of violence and turmoil,” adding that “it is in the deep interest not only of the Lebanese but of the whole region and beyond to now stabilize the situation in Lebanon.”
While calling for the disarming of all militias in the country, the UN Envoy said that Hizbullah, the most significant Lebanese militia, “maintains a massive para-military infrastructure separate from the State.” This had “an adverse effect” on the Government’s efforts to impose law and order and was “a threat to regional peace and security.”
The Secretary-General, said Mr. Roed-Larsen, calls on all parties with ties to Hizbullah, “in particular Syria and Iran, to support its transformation into a solely political party.”
The Special Envoy urged a return to political dialogue among the Lebanese parties, stressing that this was “the only way to resolve all outstanding issues.”
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MARTIN LUTHER KING AN ‘UNSURPASSED ADVOCATE’ OF UN VALUES, SAYS BAN KI-MOON
Viewing original papers written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta – the city he called home – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today paid tribute to the renowned United States civil rights leader, saying the values he lived and died for are shared by the United Nations.
“Dr. King remains an unsurpassed advocate of all the UN stands for: peace, economic and social justice, and human rights,” Mr. Ban told an audience of dignitaries, students, faculty and members of the UN Association of the US in the exhibition hall of the Robert W. Woodruff Library, part of the Atlanta University Center.
The Secretary-General said he was especially inspired by the enduring bravery of Dr. King, who was slain by an assassin’s bullet 40 years ago.
“I will leave here forever impressed by Dr. King’s courage,” said Mr. Ban following a private viewing of parts of the King collection entrusted to the Library.
“He could see the bridge between the terrible injustices in our world and the noble rightness that humanity can achieve. He spent his life building that bridge and marching across it, from despair to hope, from suffering to salvation, from war to peace and from hate to love,” the Secretary-General told the audience, which included two of Dr. King’s children, Martin Luther King III and Rev. Bernice King.
Mr. Ban said Dr. King’s principled bravery resonates at the UN. “As the United Nations strives to tackle the problems raging our world and to realize the principles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we carry in our hearts Dr. King’s unending courage and his unbending conviction.”
While serving as Korea’s Consul General in Washington, DC nearly three decades ago, Secretary-General Ban had travelled to Atlanta to speak about Dr. King. He told the audience at the Atlanta University Center today that his profound respect for Dr. King only deepened over the years.
“Today, my admiration grew even further, as I saw the papers lodged in this Library,” said Mr. Ban. “Seeing the original of ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail,’ with paragraphs that Dr. King wrote on scraps of paper, I could only imagine what intellectual courage and conviction went into the effort,” he said, pointing out that the now-revered treatise had to be smuggled out from behind bars.
Mr. Ban also viewed documents showing the links between Dr. King and his long-time supporter Ralph Bunche, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs who, in 1950, became the first African-American man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. King was the second, receiving the honour 14 years later, in 1964.
“What I saw today helped me form a picture of their close relationship,” said Mr. Ban, adding that he had been particularly moved by a letter from Ralph Bunche, on UN stationery, asking Dr. King and his wife to visit him on the way to the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.
During the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Mr. Bunche told supporters at the Montgomery Statehouse that the UN was with them. “In the UN, we have known from the beginning that secure foundations for peace in the world can be built only upon the principle and practice of equal rights and status for all peoples, respect and dignity for all.”
Mr. Ban said those words “capture the conviction underlying the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose 60th anniversary we celebrate this year.”
Adrian Carver, Communications Manager for the Robert W. Woodruff Library, agreed that Dr. King’s overall mission was focused on human rights. “Civil rights was part of human rights. He always talked about human beings, and their right to pursue the highest of heights,” she told the UN News Service. “And it’s even more obvious when you look at the foundings of some of the most famous King materials that that was always central among his thinking, his writing and his actions.”
Also while in Atlanta, the Secretary-General met with Georgia’s Governor, Sonny Perdue, praising the steps he has taken to promote conservation. “I applaud your States’ efforts to conserve water, save energy, safeguard lands, prevent litter and promote recycling,” he said at a joint press encounter. “I’m going to share what I’ve learned here in Georgia with leaders and communities around the world.”
In addition, Mr. Ban visited the Centers for Disease Control, which partners closely with the UN World Health Organization on global health issues. He toured the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center and spoke to assembled staff.
During his two-day official stay in Atlanta, Mr. Ban will continue his talks on health at the Carter Center on Friday, where he will meet with former US President Jimmy Carter.
Today, the Secretary-General also spoke to staff and supporters of CIFAL, an Atlanta-based UN office that helps local and national officials strive to reach anti-poverty targets. “We work with Governments all around the world providing training in support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals,” explained Estrella Merlos, CIFAL Atlanta’s Planning Director.
CIFAL is a part of UNITAR, the Geneva-based UN Institute for Training and Research. The Atlanta branch is one of a dozen CIFAL offices around the world.
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GUNMEN IN CENTRAL SOMALIA KILL DRIVER OF UN FOOD CONVOY
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has denounced the killing of one of its truck drivers in Somalia – the second incident of its kind this year – by militiamen who stopped the agency’s food convoy at an illegal checkpoint in the central part of the strife-torn nation.
“We condemn this senseless killing and, once again, urge all parties to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian staff and cargo across the country,” said WFP Somalia Country Director Peter Goossens.
Yesterday’s attack occurred after the convoy of 12 WFP-contracted trucks, loaded with food, was stopped at an illegal checkpoint, 30 kilometres north of Galkayo in Mudug region, by militiamen who demanded money. A gunman opened fire on the trucks, and shot one of the drivers who later died in hospital. The 275 metric tons of WFP food aboard the trucks was not looted.
UN humanitarian chief John Holmes also spoke out against the attack, which he said “underlines yet again the dangerous and volatile environment aid workers operate in.”
This is the second WFP convoy driver to be killed this year in Somalia, where a deteriorating security situation has made the delivery of assistance to vulnerable people increasingly difficult. On 13 February, the leader of a convoy of WFP-contracted trucks was shot dead by a militiaman in southern Somalia.
WFP warned that nutrition indicators across Somalia are rising to “alarming” levels, with acute malnutrition among young children in some areas, including the Central Region, the Shabelles, Hiran and the southern Nugal region in Puntland, reaching 17 per cent, which is above the emergency threshold.
The humanitarian situation in the country – which has not had a functioning government since 1991 – has been getting worse in recent months due to rising insecurity, soaring food prices and a worsening drought. While WFP had been aiming to feed some 1.4 million people in Somalia, that number is rising as a result of increasing needs.
In addition, WFP this month entered into a partnership with the non-governmental organization, CARE International, to feed an additional 700,000 people in central Somalia between June and August.
“The central region has tipped into a major humanitarian crisis, and we are partnering with CARE to help deliver food to everyone who needs it,” Mr. Goossens said. The region has been particularly hard hit by civil unrest, coupled with a recent increase in major security incidents.
Meanwhile, food riots erupted this week in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, due to soaring prices of items such as cereal, which have soared by up to 375 per cent in the last year and are now at historic highs.
In a related development, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia has voiced optimism ahead of talks between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, scheduled to begin in Djibouti on 10 May.
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said he was happy for Somalia as “this is the first time that the Somali parties have agreed to meet with limited number of delegates, on a scheduled date within a specified time frame and at a planned venue.”
“This is a clear indication that Somalis are willing to respect their commitments when they believe in what they are doing,” he added.
The meeting, which will be attended by seven delegates from each party, is expected to help advance the agenda for peace and will then be enlarged by a further 15 participants from each side.
“The overall objective of this meeting is to prepare the ground for a peaceful and brotherly relationship between Somalis and to initiate the first step towards real stability, true peace and sincere reconciliation based on forgiveness,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said, adding that progress in these areas should pave the way for concrete UN assistance for durable stability in Somalia.
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SECRETARY-GENERAL LAUDS ‘INTENSE’ DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS ON BOLIVIA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the “intense diplomatic work” being carried out by the Organization of American States (OAS), the Group of Friends of Bolivia – comprising Argentina, Brazil and Colombia – and others with regard to political developments in Bolivia.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he “welcomes the call for dialogue made by the OAS in its resolution of 3 May and urges all political and social actors to seek a consensus on the pressing issues affecting the Bolivian people.”
According to media reports, tensions have been high in the South American nation since last weekend, when the region of Santa Cruz held an autonomy referendum.
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PACT WITH UN AIMS TO BOOST GHANA’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
A new agreement signed between the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Ghana aims to boost the West African nation’s economic development and bolster its standing with the international business community.
WIPO Director General Dr. Kamil Idris welcomed the development, saying it “marked a new chapter” in the agency’s cooperation with Ghana. The Intellectual Property Development Plan “offered a comprehensive and coherent approach to establishing a robust intellectual property framework that will support the country’s development objectives,” he added.
The Plan is “timely as Ghana is at the dawn of its economic take-off,” the country’s Attorney General and Justice Minister, Joe Ghartey, said following the signing. He added that progress in administrative reform “was boosting his country’s standing within the international business community.”
The Development Plan seeks to establish a better system for users of intellectual property rights – such as universities, small- and medium-sized enterprises, chambers of commerce and industry, research and development institutions, the judiciary, and copyright organizations – and aims to make sure they have the technical capacity to use the system.
It also promotes the development of creative industries, electronic commerce and agriculture.
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SOUTHERN CHAD RELATIVELY STABLE DESPITE INFLUX OF REFUGEES, SAYS UN
A good level of security prevails in southern Chad, despite concerns over road banditry and an influx of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR), says the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the two countries.
The refugees are arriving from the border town of Gore, where local officials met a delegation from the UN mission, known as MINURCAT, on Monday.
The Prefect of Gore told the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Victor Angelo, that there were “no insecurity problems here the way you will see it in eastern Chad,” but also asked for assistance to cope with the flow of refugees into the area, according to a news release issued by the mission.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that the total number of refugees in Chad is some 296,000, of whom 53,000 are Central Africans while the rest are Sudanese.
Mr. Angelo expressed satisfaction for the work of the humanitarian community as well as the local authorities, and said he was delighted that the security situation in the region is under control. “I commend you for the good work that you are doing, and I assure you of all my support in order to reinforce your capacities in the security sector,” he told local officials.
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MIGRATORY BIRDS THREATENED BY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT, UN WARNS
Numbers of migratory birds – considered to be some of the best gauges of the state of global biodiversity – are plunging in the face of a changing environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned today.
Marking World Migratory Bird Day, the agency said that the decline is being recorded for many species along all of the main migration corridors, which birds utilize on their journeys, spanning thousands of miles, between their breeding and wintering grounds.
“Migratory birds are some of the most extraordinary creatures on the p***t and in many countries bird watching is an economically important leisure and tourism activity,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“But migratory birds are more than this. Their dependence on healthy habitats and ecosystems makes them among the key indicators as to whether the international community is truly addressing the decline and erosion of the p***t’s nature-based assets.”
The Day – focusing on the theme “Migratory Birds – Ambassadors for Biodiversity” – will be marked on the weekend of 10-11 May with concerts, films and other public events to highlight the ever-increasing threat to migratory birds and to global biodiversity.
Although the reasons behind the drop in numbers of migratory birds are complex and are specific to certain species, the overall decline is a reflection of the larger environmental problem tied to the global loss of habitats and biodiversity.
UNEP noted that 41 per cent of the 522 migratory waterbird populations on the routes linking Africa and Eurasia are witnessing their populations drop, and it has been reported that numbers of migratory songbirds using the same corridors are also on the decline.
Meanwhile, numbers of Boreal birds in the Western Hemisphere, such as the Canadian Warbler, which migrate from northern Canada to South America, are plummeting because they are losing their forest breeding grounds.
Vulnerable to changes in the environment, migratory birds are dependent on stop-over sites to rest and refuel as they make their long voyages, but these locations are threatened or disappear as a result of agricultural, urban, infrastructural and industrial development.
Climate change also plays an important role, as climbing global temperatures result in larger deserts and more frequent storms, which could lead to rising sea levels and impede migration.
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UN AND COMPUTER MAKER HP PARTNER TO BOOST IT SKILLS OF AFRICA’S YOUNG PEOPLE
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have joined forces to help young unemployed people across Africa build their entrepreneurial and information technology (IT) skills, it was announced today.
The Graduate Entrepreneurship Training Through IT (GET-IT) initiative will initially be launched in six nations – Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda – and eventually be expanded further to span the African continent.
The scheme seeks to train youth and graduates, who are between the ages of 16 and 25 and do not have jobs, acquire IT skills and run their own businesses.
GET-IT courses will focus on teaching practical solutions for businesses in finance, management, marketing and technology management.
“By providing IT technology, curricula and training for entrepreneurs, we aim to foster jobs and opportunities in Africa,” said Kandeh K. Yumkella, UNIDO Director-General.
HP started the programme last year in 18 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and its new partnership with the UN will allow it to extend its reach in Africa.
“It is essential that UNIDO assists developing countries in Africa in educating their young generation in information technology and creating achievable prospects,” Mr. Yumkella noted.
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AFGHANISTAN, IRAN AND PAKISTAN AGREE AN ANTI-DRUGS PLAN BROKERED BY UN
Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan have agreed to step up cross-border controls to stop the flow of illegal drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced today in Vienna.
The three countries, meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, agreed to establish Border Liaison Offices, on each of their three borders, to plan joint operations against traffickers attempting to smuggle heroin out of Afghanistan. The countries also announced that they would step up the campaign to block the transport of precursor chemicals for heroin production in and around Afghanistan.
Another key focus was on how to prevent trade links and road transport from being used for the smuggling of narcotics. “We need to ensure that ways to facilitate trade are not exploited by smugglers of guns, chemicals and weapons,” said Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of UNODC.
Today’s meeting in Tehran was part of the Triangular Initiative brokered by UNODC. Speakers at the meeting stressed the devastating impact of opium and heroin on their countries, and urged the international community, particularly European countries, to reduce demand for drugs and support the new plan.
With UNODC’s assistance, Iran will establish a permanent secretariat for the Triangular Initiative and a regional centre for intelligence exchange.
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