UN DAILY NEWS from the UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE 10 November, 2008

UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
10 November, 2008 =========================================================================

UN RUSHES AID AS SPORADIC FIGHTING CONTINUES IN EASTERN DR CONGO

The United Nations is rushing relief to civilians affected by the violence engulfing the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as the world body’s peacekeeping mission in the vast African nation reports that fighting continues intermittently.

The mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, has restricted the movement of UN personnel due to the hostilities in North Kivu province, where clashes have recently escalated between Government forces (FARDC) and the Congress in Defence of the People (CNDP), a militia led by former general Laurent Nkunda.

The fighting has displaced more than 250,000 people, on top of the existing 800,000 forced from their homes by previous hostilities. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 15,000 Congolese have been registered in neighbouring Uganda.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to gather at UN facilities, with another 600 people reported to have arrived today.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that 29 tons of emergency aid supplies – including 1 million water purification tablets and sheets – to help 100,000 people displaced in the past 10 days arrived yesterday in Goma, North Kivu’s capital.

“These supplies will contain the spread of cholera and diarrhoea, both extremely contagious diseases on the rise in nearly all internally displaced person settlements in North Kivu,” said Pierrette Vu Thi, the agency’s DRC Representative.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reports that nearly two dozen trucks carrying supplies are crossing into Goma from nearby Uganda and Rwanda on a daily basis. Food is also reaching the provincial capital by barge from Bukavu, South Kivu, and from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on trucks.

Today, the agency expects to finish delivering 10-day food rations for 135,000 people in six camps around Goma.

Distribution to one of these settlements in Kibati was thwarted last Friday by fighting, but has since resumed and delivery of supplies to feed 65,000 people and materials to build shelter for over 300 families is expected to be completed today.

Insecurity, including pillaging of homes and harassment, has also forced aid groups in South Lubero, almost 200 kilometres north of Goma, to withdraw.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s clashes around Rutshuru, also situated north of Goma and near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda, prevented the return of some 5,000 families living in spontaneous settlements in the nearby town of Kiwanja, the site of fighting last week between CNDP and pro-Government PARECO/Mayi Mayi militia.

A MONUC team investigating last week’s violence in Kiwanja received credible reports of the deaths of a large number of civilians, but noted that exact figures cannot be established.

The mission, which visited 11 burial sites that witnesses claim hold bodies of combatants and civilians, also heard reports that civilians were targeted with reprisal attacks after Mayi Mayi forces abandoned the town to the CNDP.

Alan Doss, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of MONUC, characterized the aggression in Kiwanja as “serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that five medical centres in Rutshuru require urgent restocking. Water and sanitation is a priority concern in the area, with no toilets or washing facilities available to IDPs. One cholera death and four new cases of the disease were reported over the weekend.

Last week, the African Union (AU) hosted a summit in Nairobi, Kenya, which brought together DRC President Joseph Kabila and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, as well as the leaders of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and South Africa.

The gathering ended with a joint statement being issued in which the heads of State called for “an immediate ceasefire by all the armed men and militia in North Kivu.”

Also in attendance was Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, joined by Mr. Doss and Mr. Ban’s newly appointed Special Envoy and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.

“For far too long, peace and security in your region has been threatened by armed groups, domestic and foreign, present on the soil of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have been operating from there with impunity, aggravating strains between your countries and between your peoples,” Mr. Ban said at the event.


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TOP UN ENVOY DEPLORES ‘REPUGNANT’ DOUBLE BOMBINGS IN IRAQI CAPITAL

The top United Nations official in Iraq has condemned the double bombings that struck Baghdad’s Kasra district today, killing dozens of innocent civilians and wounding many others.

Staffan de Mistura described the attacks as “repugnant crimes aimed at re-instilling fear, distrust and division among the public just as Iraq prepares itself to assume political normalcy with the upcoming provincial elections,” in a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).

According to media reports, a car bombing was followed by a suicide attack on the crowd that gathered around the car that exploded.

Mr. de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNAMI, extended the world body’s deepest condolences to the bereaved families and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery for the wounded.

The UN is continuing to provide assistance to the Independent High Electoral Commission and other Iraqi institutions for the holding of provincial elections, slated to be staged by 31 January 2009. These will be the first provincial polls to be held in the country since 2005.

“The provincial elections in early 2009 represent the most significant political event in the coming months in Iraq as they can advance political dialogue, establish representative provincial councils and empower community leaders to meet the needs of local citizens in cooperation with the Government of Iraq,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

At the same time, Mr. Ban warns that there is potential for election-related violence and instability. “It is therefore essential that the elections be organized in a secure environment and a transparent manner,” he stressed in his latest report to the Security Council on the work of UNAMI, which was published today.

The holding of inclusive provincial and national elections is part of a wider process of national reconciliation, which remains the “main priority in Iraq and for ongoing United Nations efforts in the country,” he stated.

Other vital elements of the process include the resolution of the internal boundaries issue, and the adoption of constitutional and legislative measures in the political, economic and social fields. The Secretary-General noted that despite a generally improving socio-economic context in Iraq, the lack of jobs and basic services remains a concern and areas of humanitarian need persist.

“Private sector reform is among the most critical of the new initiatives undertaken by the United Nations,” he said, adding that “Iraq’s economy and private sector are fundamentally linked to its national reconciliation process.”

He also described the improvements in the security situation over the past several months as “fragile,” noting in particular the “dramatic” increase in violence in early October against Christians in Mosul, which led to over 2,200 families reportedly fleeing their homes.

Overall, the improvements in the security environment in recent months have proved positive with respect to human rights in Iraq, but continued violations pose serious concerns for Iraqi civilians and remain a priority of the UN, the Secretary-General added.

At the same time, the situation regarding women’s rights and conditions has shown no significant overall improvement and alleged suicides and suspected honour crimes continue to be reported with “alarming regularity.”

Given the “challenging” conditions on the ground, UNAMI still depends on Member States for security, logistical, operational and financial support.

In this regard, Mr. Ban appeals for the legal arrangements for the security of the Mission, and of the wider UN presence in Iraq, to be maintained or amended, as necessary, in the light of the outcome of the ongoing negotiations between Iraq and the United States on a status-of-forces agreement.

In August the Security Council extended UNAMI’s mandate for another year, so that it can continue to assist the Iraqi Government and its people with elections, reconciliation, the resolution of disputed boundaries, human rights and humanitarian concerns, as well as with reconstruction and development, as outlined in resolution 1770 of 2007.


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SENIOR UN OFFICIAL EXPRESSES SADNESS FOR DEATHS IN SCHOOL COLLAPSE IN HAITI

The top United Nations humanitarian official today expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to those affected by the school building that collapsed in Haiti last week, as local authorities reported at least 89 people have died and 150 have been sent to hospital.

Search and rescue efforts, involving personnel from the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), have been underway since early Friday when the upper storey of La Promesse school collapsed during morning classes, crushing all of the classrooms on the ground level.

The Government estimated that some 260 children and teachers were in the building, which holds students from kindergarten to high school, at the time of the collapse.

“This terrible catastrophe means more suffering and tragedy for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, already struggling to recover from years of war, poverty and successive natural disasters,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes.

Concerned and anxious crowds gathered almost immediately around the school, which is perched on a hillside in Pétionville, blocking access to the site for the rescue workers in the suburb of the outlying country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

“Emergency rescue teams attempting to reach trapped people have been seriously impeded by the crowds who are sometime blocking the movement of heavy lifting equipment and medical supplies and preventing the evacuation of wounded people,” said Mr. Holmes, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

“I entirely understand people’s grief and desperation. But this only slows down rescue operations,” he added.

Mr. Holmes appealed for calm to allow emergency rescue workers and medical organizations to do their work. The emergency operation, conducted by Haitian, French and United States rescue teams, is expected to continue sifting through the debris until Tuesday.

“As long as there remains a chance to find survivors, one must hold back on using heavy equipment,” warned the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Haiti, Hédi Annabi.


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INTEGRATION OF MAOIST FIGHTERS IN NEPAL REMAINS DIFFICULT ISSUE, TOP UN ENVOY SAYS

Cooperation among Nepal’s key parties remains “critical” to the success of the peace process, which has made important progress but still faces difficult issues such as the integration of the former Maoist combatants, the top United Nations envoy to the country said today.

The unresolved issue of combatants still remains “very important and quite difficult” for the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), although its mandate is even more limited following Constituent Assembly elections, Special Representative in Nepal Ian Martin told a news conference in New York.

The peace agreement, which ended a decade-long civil war between Maoists and the then-government that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives, provides for a committee of all major political parties, including the Nepali Congress which went into opposition after the formation of the Maoist-led Government, to integrate and rehabilitate Maoist army combatants.

“The Government has announced the establishment of the special committee and indeed the Secretary-General welcomed that during his visit [earlier this month], but there is still a negotiation going on regarding both its composition and its terms of reference before the Nepali Congress is willing to nominate representation to participate,” Mr. Martin said.

Mr. Martin, who briefed the Security Council on Friday, said the country is going through “a very profound transformation” from what he experienced in 2005, when he arrived to the UN human rights office in Nepal at a time when armed conflict raged, the then king exercised executive authority and democratic rights were under attack.

“It is by any standards extraordinary that now only a little over three years later Nepal has taken decisions that have made it a republic,” he added, noting that it had declared itself a federal democratic republic but still had to draw up a new constitution to give reality to the transition to federalism. “That’s a difficult issue because different groups mean different things [when they speak of federalism],” he said.

“One of the most remarkable aspects of the transformation has been the coming to the fore of ethnic groups that have traditionally been marginalized and now for the first time are much more strongly represented in a uniquely inclusive constituent assembly.” He warned that such a profound transformation “should lead us to expect that it will have difficulties along the way.”

Mr. Martin stressed that the issue of former combatants would not be easy. “There are widely differing views among the political parties and sometimes within them regarding the extent to which Maoist army combatants should or should not be integrated into the State army and in what manner,” he said.

He cited other problems, such as the weak implementation of other peace process commitments which remain at issue among the parties and also commissions that have yet to be formed.

“Commitments to compensation to victims of the conflict, to investigations into the fate of those who disappeared, to the return of displaced persons and property seized during the conflict, to ensuring that the youth groups of political parties remain within the law – all of these need to move beyond rhetoric into practical measures to put them into effect,” he said.

Mr. Martin noted that the Security Council had itself called for the political parties to cooperate “in a spirit of compromise” to complete the peace process.

The Secretary-General noted that in his meetings with Mr. Ban in Nepal, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed his view that a UN presence in Maoist army cantonments would remain necessary pending integration and rehabilitation.

But, given that “even under the most optimistic assumptions” that process will not be completed by the time UNMIN’s current mandate expires at the end of January, Mr. Martin said the Secretary-General had urged that the Government come forward very soon with any request for an extension.

“The Secretary-General and we all share the desire of the Council to bring UNMIN’s mandate to completion as soon as possible, to draw down further and close the mission, but of course in a manner that does not jeopardize the peace process,” he said.


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COUNTRIES DISCUSS POSSIBLE UN-BACKED INTERGOVERNMENTAL BODY TO TACKLE BIODIVERSITY

The possibility of establishing a United Nations-supported scientific intergovernmental body to address biodiversity loss and protect ecosystems is being discussed at a global conference which kicked off in Malaysia today.

Representatives from governments worldwide are in Putrajaya, near the capital Kuala Lumpur, for three days to discuss creating a body similar to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was set up in 1988 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The IPCC has validated the science of climate change and has impelled an international response to global warming, UNEP notes in a press release.

A similar impetus may help to reverse the decline of the Earth’s natural assets and spur political action.

The proposed Intergovernmental Platform or Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) could trigger debate, encourage the formation of appropriate policies and elevate the issue in the global consciousness.

“Global GDP has more than doubled in the past quarter century. In contrast, 60 per cent of the world’s ecosystems have been degraded or are being used in an unsustainable manner,” said Achim Steiner, UNEP’s Executive Director.

Treaties including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Migratory Species have tried to address these challenges, but have not been able to match the pace of degradation and decline.

“There is clearly a mismatch between the reality in terms of the science and the economics and the actual global international response, which is plainly failing to make a sustained and transformational difference,” Mr. Steiner said.


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ARMED MEN AMBUSH GROUP OF UN-AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPERS IN WEST DARFUR

Unknown armed men have ambushed a peacekeeping patrol with the hybrid United Nations-African Union mission in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan, injuring one of the blue helmets and stealing a vehicle.

The mission, known as UNAMID, reported that a group of Nigerian peacekeepers were on patrol about 5:45 p.m. yesterday near the Geneina Super Camp in West Darfur state when they were ambushed by a group of men armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles.

The patrol returned fire during the ambush and one peacekeeper was injured in the arm during the firefight, according to a press release issued by UNAMID today. The wounded soldier was later evacuated to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, for medical treatment.

UNAMID said in a statement that it strongly condemned “this unprovoked and dastardly attack,” stressing that it would not deter the operation – in place since the start of the year – from pursuing its mandate. The mission is now investigating the ambush as well.

More than 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Darfur, an impoverished and relatively arid region on Sudan’s western flank, since rebels began fighting Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen in 2003. Another 2.7 million civilians have had to flee their homes.

UNAMID began operations in January to replace an under-resourced African Union mission known as AMIS, and in recent months the mission has expressed deep concern about the rising number of attacks against its personnel and also aid workers operating in the region.


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UN AGRICULTURE AGENCY TO TACKLE FISHERIES CRISIS IN CENTRAL ASIA

The dramatic decline in fisheries production within the Central Asian and Caucasus regions will be tackled today at a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) meeting in Tajikistan.

With the region’s fishing and aquaculture sectors currently in a state of crisis, nine FAO member countries will begin formulating a coordinated response that will likely involve establishing an intergovernmental fisheries body.

According to the chief of FAO’s International Institutes and Liaison Service, Ndiaga Gueye, regional collaboration has been missing in Central Asia for almost two decades.

“In situations like in Central Asia and the Caucasus, the individual countries lack the capacity to develop their sectors on their own,” said Mr. Gueye. “But examples from other regions… show that regional collaboration can be highly effective and provide a real boost to efforts to support sustainable development and management of the sector.”

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, plummeting production and consumption has been experienced throughout the region, with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan’s production dropping by 94 and 98 per cent respectively.

Between 1989 and 2006, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia saw massive reductions in fisheries outputs, with production falling from between 81 and 98 per cent. Aquaculture production in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also experienced dramatic declines.

A background report prepared by FAO for this week’s meeting has attributed a number of issues to the collapse, including over-fishing, poor management, dramatic cuts to investment in research and production facilities, decreased spending on maintenance of fleets and hatcheries and weak management of water bodies and other ecological problems.

A previous FAO study from last year suggested that the privatization of fisheries and aquaculture following the end of the Soviet Union occurred too rapidly and was plagued by corruption, leading to poor management and oversight of the sectors.

The meeting of the FAO member countries from Central Asia and the Caucasus is set to conclude on Wednesday.


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UN OBSERVES ANNIVERSARY OF KRISTALLNACHT POGROM AGAINST JEWS

A film screening and a panel discussion are being held at United Nations Headquarters today as the world body observes the 70th anniversary of the Kristallnacht, the violent pogrom in Germany and Austria against Jews and their homes, synagogues and businesses.

Organized by the Holocaust and UN Outreach Programme of the Department of Public Information (DPI), the screening and the discussion commemorate the events of 9-10 November 1938. The pogrom, known also as the “night of broken glass,” signalled an escalation in violence towards Jews that ultimately led to their mass murder during the Holocaust.

The discussion examined the events leading up to the violence against Jewish people, how immigration policy contributed to the outcome and the lessons this history offers today. The event will also outline Jewish emigration to Shanghai as China was one of the few countries to offer a safe haven to Jews following the pogrom.

Gary Phillips, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor and witness to the Kristallnacht pogrom, which symbolized the shattering of Jewish life in Germany, shared his personal story of survival with participants to discussion, who also heard from the Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev, as well as Jewish scholars.

The film, My Opposition: the Diaries of Friedrich Kellner, tells the story of a justice inspector in Nazi Germany who risked his life by campaigning against the Third Reich and secretly documenting their atrocities.


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AFGHANISTAN: UN EXTENDS PRESENCE WITH OPENING OF NEW OFFICE IN BAGHLAN

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has opened its newest office in Pul-i-Khumri, the capital of the country’s northern Baghlan province, bringing the total number of its field offices to 18.

“Our new office will play a crucial role in the coordination of development efforts, monitoring of human rights issues, strengthening of good governance and the rule of law, assisting local institutions in combating corruption and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid,” a spokesperson for the UN Mission told reporters in Kabul today.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Kai Eide, presided at the opening of the new office, which took place this weekend.

In addition to its headquarters in Kabul, UNAMA also has offices in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Bamiyan, Gardez, Ghor, Kunar, Khost, Nimroz, Badghis, Maimana, Faizabad, Daikundi, Zabul and Uruzgan.

The General Assembly today welcomed the ongoing extension of the world body’s presence into additional provinces in Afghanistan, saying it “ensures that the United Nations fulfils its essential coordinating role.”

In a wide-ranging and unanimously adopted resolution on the situation in Afghanistan, the 192-member body encouraged UNAMA to consolidate its presence and to continue its expansion throughout the country, particularly in the south, “security conditions permitting.”

Last month Mr. Eide reported to the Security Council that the number of violent attacks in Afghanistan in the last few months has been the highest since 2002 as the insurgency spreads beyond the south and east of the country.


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UN CHIEF ‘DEEPLY DISTRESSED’ AT PLIGHT OF PALESTINIANS IN GAZA

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed profound concern over the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip while stressing the importance of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet in the ongoing efforts to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr. Ban told journalists yesterday after a Quartet meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, that he was “deeply distressed about the plight of the civilian population in Gaza,” where around 1.4 million people are forcibly confined to the area and socio-economic conditions are in rapid decline.

“Through the work of several United Nations agencies, including UNRWA [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East], the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations is standing by the people of Gaza and helping them in these difficult times,” Mr. Ban told reporters.

The Secretary-General also said that the closure of crossings and the establishment of roadblocks, as well as ongoing settlement issues and the demolition of houses, do not help the peace process, after the Quartet met with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday.

“The Quartet [comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States] has also made clear its support for a more constructive strategy for Gaza,” Mr. Ban said.

He called for recent violence in the region to stop and stressed that Palestinian factions must work together for national unity and reconciliation and overcome their divisions.

“I stand ready not only to participate and facilitate the political process but also most importantly to facilitate the ongoing humanitarian assistance to these people.”

The importance of the Quartet’s role in monitoring negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, assessing progress in implementing agreements, as well as continuing to support the bilateral talks was also stressed by Mr. Ban.

“I think the most important mechanism is the Quartet, composed of all principals together with Quartet Representative Tony Blair.”

In a statement following yesterday’s meeting, the Quartet called on the international community to put its full weight behind Israeli-Palestinian negotiations after Ms. Livni and Mr. Abbas reported that recent talks have been “substantial and promising.”


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UN, AID PARTNERS APPEAL FOR $11.5 MILLION HELP 650,000 FLOOD VICTIMS IN YEMEN

United Nations agencies and their humanitarian partners today called for $11.5 million to help some 650,000 victims of deadly floods in eastern Yemen to help with food, water and sanitation, health and shelter needs.

Torrential rains last month claimed at least 73 lives and destroyed or damaged over 3,200 homes, mainly made of bricks, while hundreds of farms were inundated and their crops washed away. Up to 25,000 people are in need of shelter, and several health facilities and over 150 schools have been damaged.

The Yemen Floods Response Plan, which will focus mainly on short-term humanitarian aid, will cover projects proposed by seven UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in concert with the Arabian peninsula nation’s Government.

The aid timeline will range from two to six months, and food assistance is expected to extend until the next harvest in April 2009.

UN bodies – including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – have set up a support hub in Sayun in Hadramout, one of the hardest-hit regions.

The new centre seeks to coordinate relief distribution and support local authorities to help survivors of the floods, which have claimed at least 73 lives in Hadramout and Al-Mahara governorates in Yemen’s east.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is helping Yemen track incoming international assistance.

According to OCHA, the most affected areas in both Hadramout and Al-Mahara have passed the acute emergency phase, but there are still regions where needs have not been assessed, including the humanitarian situation of the 20,000 Bedouins living in the mountains.


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AMID GLOBAL CRISES, UN NEEDS PARTNERS LIKE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL MORE THAN EVER – BAN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hailed the long-standing partnership between the United Nations and Rotary International, stressing the vital contributions of civil society groups as the world body tackles multiple global crises, ranging from food to energy to climate change.

“The United Nations attaches great importance to close ties with Rotary International, and is grateful for the contributions you have made to global health, education and poverty eradication efforts,” Mr. Ban told participants at Rotary International Day at the UN on Saturday.

“Today, we need your hard work more than ever,” he said in a message delivered on his behalf by Deputy Chef de Cabinet Kim Wonsoo, stressing that “ours is a good, longstanding partnership.”

Earlier this year, the Secretary-General had highlighted what he described as a “triple crisis” – soaring prices for food and fuel, accelerating climate change, and stalled development for the world’s poorest people.

“Some thought I was exaggerating. Today, we see that, if anything, it was an understatement,” he stated, adding that the global financial crisis has brought an additional shock, compounding all the others.

He also noted that progress towards the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been uneven, with many countries falling behind, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

“We hear much in this country about how problems on Wall Street affect people on Main Street. We also need to think about people around the world with no streets at all,” he said.

In this regard, a series of upcoming meetings “offers a test – and an opportunity to get on track,” Mr. Ban pointed out. These include the meeting in Washington this weekend of the so-called Group of 20 (G-20) nations, the financing for development conference later this month in the Qatari capital of Doha, and climate negotiations next month in Poznan, Poland.

“We must make the most of these occasions,” said Mr. Ban. “Together, we can and must deliver results for a safer, healthier and more prosperous world.

“It is encouraging to know that the United Nations will continue to be able to count on Rotary International to do its part,” he added.


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JORDAN BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO ANSWER BAN’S CALL FOR MORE UN POLICE IN LIBERIA

Jordan has become the first country to pledge an additional unit to United Nations police in Liberia, answering Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call for extra forces to support their Liberian counterparts as the West African State continues its recovery from a disastrous decade-long civil war.

Welcoming the decision to send the unit, which is due to arrive next month, Mr. Ban’s Special Representative Ellen Margrethe Løj today praised Jordanian police officers for supporting the Liberian national police in various ways, particularly in dealing with “mob violence.”

Urging the Jordanian police officers to demonstrate the “patience and reserve” that was necessary to support their Liberian colleagues, Ms. Løj noted that there was a lot of peace building and development work to be done to ensure that Liberia did not slide back into conflict and chaos.

“Development is crucial for sustainable peace and security; and to achieve development, Liberians must be empowered to control their circumstances,” she said at a ceremony where she awarded UN peacekeeping medals to 120 Jordanian officers already in the country.

The strengthened police component will enhance the provision of strategic advice and expertise to Liberian officers in the rule of law and operational support to the police and corrections sector as well as react to urgent security incidents.

Ms. Løj said September’s Security Council extension of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for another year “represents the continued commitment of the UN to be unwavering and vigilant in maintaining peace and security in Liberia.

“We are working with Liberian security forces, as well as with those from neighbouring countries, to ensure that security is maintained at all times,” she added.

UNMIL was set up in 2003 to bolster a ceasefire agreement ending a war that killed almost 150,000 Liberians, mostly civilians, and sent 850,000 others fleeing to neighbouring countries. As of the end of September this year it comprised over 12,700 uniformed personnel, including 11,465 troops and 1,037 police.


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CYPRUS: UN ENVOY ARRIVES FOR MEETINGS WITH LEADERS AS NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE

A top United Nations envoy arrived today in Cyprus to prepare for a series of meetings this week with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders as part of broader UN-sponsored negotiations aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island.

Alexander Downer, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Cyprus, is scheduled to meet separately with Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Wednesday.

He will also host a meeting of the two leaders’ representatives today, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists, and hold discussions and briefings with the diplomatic community and other officials.

In May, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat committed to a partnership that will comprise a Federal Government with a single international identity, along with a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which will be of equal status.

The full-fledged negotiations between the leaders began in September with discussions on the issues of governance and power sharing.


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UN AGENCY PAYS TRIBUTE AFTER DEATH OF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR MIRIAM MAKEBA

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) paid tribute today to Miriam Makeba, the renowned South African singer and one of its Goodwill Ambassadors, who has died suddenly at the age of 76.

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf issued a statement describing Ms. Makeba – who had served as a Goodwill Ambassador since 1999 – as one of the Rome-based agency’s most dedicated advocates.

“For nearly a decade… Miriam Makeba was a strong supporter of FAO’s fight to reduce hunger and improve the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people,” Mr. Diouf said.

“Mama Africa spoke out against the violence, inequality and disease that kept many people, especially women and children, living in conditions of extreme poverty. We will miss her energy and her respectful concern for the world’s most vulnerable.”

During her stint as a Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Makeba participated in numerous events and concerns to raise funds for FAO projects or to raise awareness about key issues. She was also active in various communications campaigns about hunger on behalf of the UN agency.

Ms. Makeba’s last official mission on behalf of FAO was in March to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where she visited emergency projects designed to help survivors of violence and HIV-positive women and men feed their families and revive their livelihoods through farming.


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UN-BACKED GLOBAL FUND AWARDS ALMOST $3 BILLION TO FIGHT KILLER DISEASES

The United Nations-backed Global Fund announced today that it has approved 94 new grants worth $2.75 billion to projects aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

These latest grants bring the Global Fund’s overall commitment to combating the three diseases to more than $14 billion and will finance projects over the next two years to low-income countries around the world.

“This is the highest amount of new financing approved by the Global Fund ever,” said Rajat Gupta, Chair of the Global Fund Board, which met in New Delhi, India, over the weekend to make decisions over the allocation of the money.

“These new resources will significantly help the world in achieving global targets such as universal access to AIDS treatment and prevention, and cutting the number of deaths from tuberculosis and malaria by half by 2015,” added Mr. Gupta.

Programmes combating malaria will receive just over half of the funding, and AIDS and TB initiatives will get 38 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

Africa and the Middle East will see the vast majority of the grants awarded, with 77 per cent of the total. Asia and the Western Pacific will receive 14 per cent, Latin America and the Caribbean 6 per cent and Eastern Europe and Central Asia another 6 per cent.

“We have a fantastic message to bring back to the rich nations of the world: programmes to fight these three diseases save lives, reduce disease burdens, and strengthen health systems,” said the Executive Director of the Global Fund, Michel Kazatchkine.

Programmes backed by the Fund are estimated to have already provided AIDS treatment to 1.75 million patients and TB treatment for 3.9 million people. They have also distributed 59 million insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.


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GLOBAL PACT ON EXPLOSIVE REMNANTS OF WAR VITAL TOOL TO END SCOURGE – BAN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged countries to make full use of the global agreement on explosive remnants of war, a deadly scourge that kills and maims innocent civilians long after armed conflicts have come to an end.

“Explosive remnants of war are generated by every armed conflict, and pose a major threat to civilians,” Mr. Ban told a meeting in Geneva of States parties to Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

“They kill and maim long after the end of hostilities. They are deadly hazards that must be eliminated,” he said in his message, which was delivered by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva.

The Secretary-General stressed that Protocol V is “an invaluable tool” toward that end, as it provides a flexible and stable framework for addressing the humanitarian and developmental impacts of explosive remnants of war. “I urge you to make full use of it.”

He commended the States parties on their efforts to operationalize the Protocol, such as the establishment of a mechanism for cooperation and coordination to improve knowledge about the scope of the problem of explosive remnants of war, as well as to facilitate assistance and advance the Protocol’s implementation.

“You have made a good start, but more is needed,” stated Mr. Ban, calling for strong practical steps to assist victims of the scourge.

“You should give even more support to the clearance, removal and destruction of unexploded ordnance,” he added. “You should also establish a culture of information sharing, in particular to collect and record information despite the obstacles posed by battlefield dynamics. All of this will also mean mobilizing the necessary resources.”

While noting the “considerable” increase by more than one-third in the number of States parties to the Protocol since last year, the Secretary-General called on those that have not yet done so to ratify the instrument without delay.

In addition, he reminded all States of their responsibility to provide effective protection to civilians both during and after armed conflicts.


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