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UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
3 June, 2008 =========================================================================
AT ROME SUMMIT, BAN URGES ‘BOLD AND URGENT’ STEPS TO TACKLE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders gathered at a United Nations summit in Rome to take “bold and urgent” steps to tackle the global food crisis, including boosting food production and revitalizing agriculture to ensure long-term food security.
Addressing the High-level Conference on World Food Security, Mr. Ban said that over 850 million people around the globe were short of food before the current crisis began. That number is estimated to rise by a further 100 million, and the poorest of the poor will be the hardest hit.
“The threats are obvious to us all. Yet this crisis also presents us with an opportunity,” Mr. Ban told the gathering, which is being hosted by the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “It is a chance to revisit past policies. While we must respond immediately to high food prices, it is important that our longer term focus is on improving world food security – and remains so for some years.”
Emphasizing that the world needs to produce more food, the Secretary-General noted that production needs to rise by 50 per cent by the year 2030 to meet the rising demand. “We have an historic opportunity to revitalize agriculture – especially in countries where productivity gains have been low in recent years.”
The High-Level Task Force Mr. Ban set up last month to address the situation arising from the surge in food prices has recommended a number of steps, including improving vulnerable people’s access to food and increasing food availability in their communities.
This includes expanding food assistance, boosting small-scale food production through the provision of key inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, and adjusting policies to allow the free flow of agricultural goods.
Mr. Ban noted that some countries have taken action by limiting exports or by imposing price controls, but called on nations to resist such measures as they only distort markets and force prices even higher. “As I have said before, I say again now: Beggar Thy Neighbour food policies cannot work,” he stated.
While the international system is already contributing to immediate needs, the Secretary-General stressed the need to scale up efforts and act together to overcome the current crisis, noting that that “nothing is more degrading than hunger, especially when man-made.”
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf appealed to global leaders for $30 billion a year to re-launch agriculture and avert future threats of conflict over food.
“The structural solution to the problem of food security in the world lies in increasing production and productivity in the low-income, food-deficit countries,” he said at the opening of the summit. This called for “innovative and imaginative solutions,” including partnership agreements between countries that have financial resources, management capabilities and technologies and countries that have land, water and human resources.
Dr. Diouf noted that the current crisis had already had “tragic political and social consequences” in different countries and could further endanger world peace and security.
“If we do not urgently take the courageous decisions that are required in the present circumstances, the restrictive measures taken by producing countries to meet the needs of their populations, the impact of climate change and speculation on futures markets will place the world in a dangerous situation,” he warned.
“The problem of food insecurity is a political one,” he added. “It is a question of priorities in the face of the most fundamental of human needs. And it those choices made by Governments that determine the allocation of
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WORDS MUST BE PUT INTO ACTION TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT
Global and regional pacts must be put into action if the world is to tackle the scourge of human trafficking, a $32 billion annual industry, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said today in New York.
Despite United Nations-backed agreements and initiatives, “there remains a vast gulf between the letter of the law and the situation on the ground,” he told a thematic debate convened by the Assembly on the issue.
Despite such pacts as the landmark UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, roughly 2.5 million people worldwide – mostly women and children – are believed to be victims of human trafficking. Additionally, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified 127 countries as sources of trafficked people and 137 nations as destinations for these victims.
Mr. Kerim told participants at today’s debate that increased global interdependence has “provided new avenues for criminal networks to operate on a global scale,” adding that trafficking affects all regions of the world and does not discriminate between developed and developing areas.
He urged Member States to act on their commitments, to enhance protection and assistance for victims and to prosecute traffickers.
Furthermore, the Assembly President stressed the need to boost the economic and social conditions to minimize people’s vulnerability to trafficking, and also appealed for stepped up cooperation among the private sector and nations.
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro called on all countries to ratify the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
“For millions of people around the world, the fight against human trafficking is a matter of life and death,” she told the debate. “To reunite families that have been torn apart, to restore childhood to kids who have been robbed of their youth, to bring back dignity to all those violated by these abuses – we must act now.”
Last year, the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), an initiative launched by UNODC and several UN partners last year to bring governments, the private sector, academia, civil society and the media together to combat a practice that is viewed as modern-day slavery, was launched.
Anwar Gargash, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said that the Gulf nation, which has been a strong supporter of UN.GIFT since its inception, is endeavouring to address the problem.
The country’s “wake-up call” came in the form when it was discovered that camel jockeys were being exploited, he said at a press conference today and convinced the UAE that global partnerships were key to tackling the problem of trafficking due to its transnational nature.
“We understand that it is not a stigma to have human trafficking but the stigma is not to do anything about it,” Mr. Gargash said, adding that the UAE is leading the fight in the region against human trafficking.
The other keynote speaker at today’s Assembly debate was United States actress Ashley Judd, who, as an active member of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Population Services International (PSI), has toured 12 countries to visit brothels, slums, hospices and other facilities.
“My objective was to bring the UN into the ‘sacred circle’ of sharing because I know that the unheard are helped when they are heard. I know that compassionate listening helps me and my goals was to help them,” she told reporters, referring to the victims of trafficking she has met in her visits to different nations.
Today’s event comes on the heels of the first-ever global forum to address human trafficking in 2007 convened by UN.GIFT, which brought together more than 1,000 experts, government authorities, law enforcement officials, business leaders, people who had been trafficked from over 100 countries, and others.
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UN REFUGEE AGENCY CONDEMNS MURDER OF NIGERIAN MAN IN UKRAINE
The United Nations refugee agency has condemned the murder of a Nigerian man in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in the latest of a series of attacks against foreigners in the country.
The victim was found on the evening of 29 May in the Solomenskiy district of the city suffering numerous knife wounds. Police said the motive for the fatal attack was unknown. The man had approached the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kyiv two years ago, seeking legal assistance.
UNHCR, along with some 30 other groups belonging to the Diversity Initiative human rights coalition in the country, have urged Ukrainian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the killing, including the possibility it was racially motivated. The group asked to be kept informed of the outcome of the investigation.
Over the past two years, human rights groups have reported increasing violent attacks on foreigners and non-Ukrainians in Kyiv and elsewhere in the country.
UNHCR says it has repeatedly expressed concern over unprovoked attacks, beatings and verbal abuse aimed at asylum-seekers, refugees, migrants, foreigners and minorities in Ukraine.
According to anecdotal evidence collected by the Diversity Initiative from victims, media sources and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), there have been at least 40 such attacks so far in 2008, including four murders.
In January, a 19-year old asylum-seeker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was found stabbed to death and in March a 39-year old Sierra Leonean asylum-seeker was also killed after a stabbing.
At the beginning of this year, 2,277 refugees were living in Ukraine. From 2002 to 2007, 285 people were granted refugee status. Last year 33 refugees were recognized, compared to 65 in 2006 and 49 in 2005.
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UN CONTINUES EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PEACE IN DARFUR AND SOUTHERN SUDAN
The Security Council delegation visiting Africa held talks today in southern Sudan on recent violence there, while the top United Nations envoy to Darfur concluded a three-day visit to Khartoum in a bid to advance peace negotiations over the troubled region.
Members of the Security Council mission in Africa met with Sudanese Vice President Salva Kiir in Juba to discuss the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government and the former southern rebels.
The delegation also expressed its concern at the recent violence in Abyei – a disputed town in an oil-rich area near the boundary between the north and south of the country.
The Council mission has now moved to Khartoum, where it will meet with the UN country team in Sudan as well as representatives of the international community.
Sudan is the second stop for the delegation, which is on a 10-day visit that also includes Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Côte d'Ivoire.
Meanwhile, the UN Special Envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson has completed a three-day visit to Khartoum, where he met with Government and international officials.
Mr. Eliasson’s visit focused on the regional and national dimensions of Sudan’s current crises after the recent attack by the rebel Darfurian Justice and Equity Movement (JEM) on Omdurman, close to Khartoum, as well as increased tensions between Sudan and Chad, and the fighting in Abyei.
He also highlighted the urgent need for a political settlement between the Government and rebel movements in Darfur which have not signed a peace agreement.
The Special Envoy is proceeding to Geneva today where, together with African Union (AU) Special Envoy Salim Ahmed Salim, he will convene informal consultations with partners to the Darfur political process tomorrow and Thursday.
The objective of these consultations, which will be attended by a delegation from the Sudanese Government, is to take stock of the situation and discuss ways to bring the parties in Darfur to the negotiating table as soon as practical.
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NEW GLOBAL BAN ON CLUSTER BOMBS WILL SAVE MILLIONS OF YOUNG LIVES – UN AGENCY
Stressing the unspeakable suffering inflicted on millions of children by the use of cluster munitions, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lauded the recent adoption of a new global treaty banning the production, use and transfer of these deadly weapons.
“This is an important treaty and UNICEF calls on all governments to sign and ratify it as quickly as possible,” said the agency’s Deputy Executive Director, Hilde F. Johnson.
Delegations from 111 States agreed on the text of the new international convention at the Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions held in Dublin last month.
The treaty – which will be signed in Oslo in December – has been widely hailed by UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said it will “enhance the protection of civilians, strengthen human rights and improve prospects for development.”
According to UNICEF, the deadly weapons have been in use for over six decades and continue to contaminate wide areas of countries like Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Roughly 40 per cent of victims of cluster bombs are children who are injured or killed long after direct hostilities end. Children are particularly at risk from cluster munitions as they are small and shiny and attract children’s natural curiosity.
“By their very nature, cluster munitions spread out littering wide areas and rendering them uninhabitable. Bomblets are frequently found in school yards, fields and other areas where children play and explore,” Ms. Johnson said.
“With billions of cluster munitions stockpiled around the world, this treaty could help secure the world for generations to come,” she added.
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FIRST BATCH OF CHADIAN POLICE AND GENDARMERIE GRADUATE FROM UN TRAINING COURSE
The first 71 Chadian police and gendarmerie commanders graduated today from a United Nations programme aimed at ensuring the safety and security of an estimated 250,000 refugees and 180,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the east of the country.
The commanders – who will form part of a new unit known as the Détachement Integré de Sécurité (DIS) – took part in a graduation ceremony today after completing more than six weeks of training in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena.
The group received training from staff with the nascent UN mission in Chad and Central African Republic (MINURCAT) in law and order, respect for human rights, humanitarian law and other policing techniques.
In a speech at the ceremony, Victor Angelo, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said the training system was part of an integrated security system that is new to UN peacekeeping.
Under the Security Council resolution which established MINURCAT last year, the mission is tasked with selecting, training, advising and facilitating support to the DIS, which is mandated to provide security inside the 12 refugee camps, many IDP sites and nearby towns in eastern Chad.
By October, MINURCAT expects that 850 DIS personnel will have been trained in four batches, completing the total number required for the unit.
The mission was created last September to help protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid to thousands of people uprooted by insecurity in the northeast of the CAR and eastern Chad and in the neighbouring Darfur region of western Sudan.
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ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS MUST PRESS AHEAD WITH PEACE PROCESS, SAYS BAN
Israelis and Palestinians need to enhance their efforts to bring a peace deal to fruition, although some recent progress has been made, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
In an address to the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People meeting in Malta, he said that “both sides must seize the current window of opportunity to push the peace process forward, especially by acting under their obligations under the Road Map.”
That plan – sponsored by the diplomatic Quartet of the UN, European Union, Russia and the United States – aims to secure a two-State solution to the Middle East conflict, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace.
Mr. Ban, in a message delivered by Max Gaylard, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, underscored the “punishing humanitarian conditions” endured by the Palestinian people, especially the 1.5 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. He noted that two-thirds of Gaza’s residents live in poverty, and the area experienced zero economic growth in 2007.
Exacerbating the situation, he said, are ongoing Israeli air strikes and ground operations.
“Equally unacceptable and deeply irresponsible are the rocket and other attacks by militants against Israeli civilians and at crossing points,” the Secretary-General said.
He welcomed the willingness of Israeli and Palestinian leaders to continue talks, appealing to them not to be deterred by challenges.
“To succeed, current efforts to achieve a peace deal need to be underpinned by visible progress on the ground,” Mr. Ban said.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which was established by the General Assembly in 1975, promotes global support for and assistance to the Palestinian people and seeks to raise awareness of the question of Palestine.
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MORE THAN 1 MILLION MYANMAR CYCLONE VICTIMS HAVE RECEIVED AID, SAYS UN
Some 1.3 million people affected by the deadly cyclone that battered Myanmar one month ago have received assistance, the humanitarian arm of the United Nations said today.
In addition, the percentage of those reached in the Ayeyarwady Delta region had increased from 23 per cent to 49 per cent, Elisabeth Byrs of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told reporters in Geneva today.
At the same time, she noted that assistance has not been consistent. “There remains a serious lack of sufficient and sustained humanitarian assistance. That’s why the priority now is a clear analysis of the needs against the assistance available and planned for,” she said, adding that an in-depth assessment of the needs should be completed later this month.
UN humanitarian officials estimate that more than 77,000 people have been killed and 55,000 others are missing since Cyclone Nargis struck on 2 May. As many as 500,000 to 600,000 people, mainly in the delta, have had to be relocated.
Meanwhile, many children in the delta region returned to school yesterday, one month after the deadly cyclone wreaked destruction on local schools. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Education to repair damaged schools and distribute school materials.
UNICEF’s Veronique Taveau said that the agency had distributed sheet iron for roofing, as well as “school-in-a-box” kits and recreational materials. She added that the return to school had been delayed a further month for children in some of the hardest hit areas.
The Government estimates that 4,100 primary, elementary and secondary schools had been affected by the cyclone, among which 1,255 had been completely destroyed.
UNICEF teams are currently assessing the full damage, taking account of just how many children had returned to school or had not been able to as yet, so that they could adjust their assistance plans accordingly, Ms. Taveau said.
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UNESCO AND TOP SPANISH SOCCER CLUB CAMPAIGN AGAINST RACISM IN SPORT
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today launched a Europe-wide campaign aimed at combating violence and racism in sport.
The campaign is backed by the Spanish football club FC Barcelona, the European Parliament and the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR), the agency said in a press statement issued today in Paris, its headquarters.
“It is more urgent than ever to rid stadiums of the scourge of racism,” said Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO. “The very definition of sport is based on fair play and exchange. Young people are the natural torch-bearers of this message, and we are looking to them to play a key role in making it heard and understood at all levels of society.”
“Racism distorts football and sports in general,” said Joan Laporta, President of FC Barcelona. “Our objective is to support youth in finding solutions against racism in cities, and we believe that the stadium is the right place to start.”
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SECURITY COUNCIL DEPLORES DEADLY BOMBING IN PAKISTAN
The Security Council has condemned the deadly bombing that took place outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad yesterday and reiterated its determination to combat all forms of terrorism.
“The Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that occurred outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad on 2 June 2008, causing numerous deaths, injuries and damage to nearby buildings, including a building housing the UN Development Programme (UNDP),” the Council said in a presidential statement issued yesterday.
“The Security Council underlines the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism to justice, and urges all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law… to cooperate actively with the Pakistani authorities in this regard.”
Media reports say the blast killed at least six people, including a UNDP employee, and wounded 30. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored the attack in a statement yesterday, while UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis voiced his deepest condolences to the family of the staff member killed.
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UN MARITIME AGENCY WELCOMES SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION ON SOMALIA PIRACY
The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has welcomed a new Security Council resolution which aims to curb piracy along Somalia’s coast by allowing ships to enter the country's territorial waters to prevent attacks by armed robbers.
IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos said today in a statement that firm action was needed since the current situation was stifling the flow of much-needed aid to Somalis, jeopardizing the lives of innocent seafarers, fishers and passengers, and adversely affecting international trade.
The Security Council resolution gives permission, for a period of six months, to States cooperating with Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to enter the country's territorial waters and use “all necessary means” to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with international law.
The resolution follows a surge in attacks on ships in the waters off Somalia's coast, including hijackings of vessels operated by the World Food Programme (WFP) and other commercial vessels. The resolution’s text says these developments pose a threat “to the prompt, safe and effective delivery of food aid and other humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia,” and a grave danger to vessels, crews, passengers and cargo.
The text was adopted by the Council yesterday with the consent of the TFG, which lacks the capacity to interdict pirates or patrol and secure its territorial waters.
“We should work together to ensure that acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships sailing off the coast of Somalia are prevented and suppressed to the benefit of the Somali people, first and foremost, the seafarers and passengers on ships sailing in the region, the shipping industry and international seaborne trade," Mr. Mitropoulos said.
The Security Council encouraged States interested in the use of commercial routes off the coast of Somalia to increase and coordinate their efforts to deter attacks upon and hijacking of vessels, in co-operation with the country's Government.
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