51�Թ�

Wednesday,
September 3, 2008��

��

[There will be
no noon briefing tomorrow. The briefing will resume on Friday, September 5]

��

BAN KI-MOON TO LAUNCH REPORT ON
DEVELOPMENT GOALS TOMORROW��

• Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. there will be a press
  briefing to launch the
  of the (MDG) Gap Task Force, entitled
  “Delivering on the Global Partnership for Achieving the Millennium
  Development Goals”.
  ��

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will make opening
  remarks, and then questions will be taken by Ad Melkert, Associate
  Administrator of the U.N. Development Programme, who chaired the Task
  Force, and Rob Vos, Director of the Development Policy and Analysis
  Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, who was the
  lead author of the report.��
  ��

• The Task Force, which was convened by the
  Secretary-General as an input to the High-Level Event on MDGs, examined
  gaps in achieving Goal 8, on aid, trade, debt relief and access to
  essential medicines and new technologies.

FULL-FLEDGED NEGOTIATIONS ON CYPRUS LAUNCHED TODAY��

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today issued a
  to mark the formal launch by the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr.
  Demetris Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mehmet Ali
  Talat, of full-fledged negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive
  settlement of the Cyprus problem.
  ��

• In that message, which was delivered by his Special
  Adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, the Secretary-General warmly
  welcomed the launch and commended the leaders for their seriousness of
  purpose, sense of compromise, and commitment to seeing the peace process
  through to a successful conclusion.
  ��

• He added that the UN supports and encourages both
  parties as they take this historic step together, so as to reach a
  negotiated settlement to reunify the island for the benefit of all the
  people of Cyprus.
  ��

• The Secretary-General also assured the parties that
  the UN will provide unwavering support to the process, as requested.
  ��

• In a separate statement to the two leaders,
  Alexander Downer said, “You own this process and, as a result, your
  continuing leadership is the critical element to make it succeed.” He
  added that a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue will be the
  leaders’ enduring legacy and an inspiration to a troubled world.

DR CONGO:
RECOVERY TEAMS TRYING TO REACH PLANE CRASH SITE��

• The search for the passengers onboard the flight
  that crashed outside of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of the
  Congo (DRC) continues today, 48 hours after the crash occurred.��
  However, given that aerial reconnaissance found that the plane suffered
  an extremely violent impact, the likelihood of survivors is low.
  ��

• The recovery teams include MONUC (UN Mission in the
  Democratic Republic of Congo) military contingents, Congolese Civil
  Aviation authorities, operations coordinator AirServ, the company that
  owned the crashed plane, and South African Special Rescue Teams. The
  teams have decided to combine ground and air recovery operations.
  ��

• The crash site is 10,000 feet above sea level, in
  extremely difficult terrain. Combined with the current rainy season,
  rescue operations are facing a number of difficulties. It is estimated
  that operations to reach and work on the site could take a few more
  days. Earlier today, two MONUC helicopters carrying 25 MONUC military
  and South African special rescue teams left for the site.

��INCREASED GOVERNMENT POLICE PRESENCE��
REPORTED NEAR DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP��

• The African Union-51�Թ� mission in Darfur
  (UNAMID) today
  an increased presence of Government of Sudan Police near the
  Kalma camp housing displaced persons in Nyala.
  ��

• According to UNAMID, on Monday, a UNAMID patrol in
  Nyala noticed an increased police presence, with more tents going up at
  their new location about five kilometers away from the camp.
  ��

• UNAMID, meanwhile, has decided to deploy, on a
  permanent basis, a joint force of UNAMID Military and Police. Until such
  a force is established, UNAMID police are present in and around the
  Kalma camp, 12 hours a day. Daily UNAMID military patrols have also been
  reinforced since August 25th in the Kalma camp area.
  ��

• The mission also
  that the UNAMID radio unit today started a one-month radio
  journalism training and capacity-building program for ten local radio
  journalists in El Fasher. This is the first in a series of basic radio
  journalism training to be conducted for Darfurians in El Fasher and
  Khartoum between now and December.�� The aim of the training is to
  develop capacity for a full-fledged UNAMID Radio broadcast operation for
  Darfur.

��PEACEBUILDING FUND NEEDS FURTHER
INVESTMENTS AND REFORMS��

• In his latest
  on the Peacebuilding Fund, the Secretary-General notes that
  the Fund has established itself as a unique and strategic instrument
  that is supporting 37 projects in seven countries.�� The Fund has
  attracted nearly $270 million in pledges to date, exceeding its initial
  target.
  ��

• The Secretary-General notes that further
  investments and reforms are urgently required for the Fund to adequately
  fulfill its role. These include a simplification of national
  coordination structures, more in-country training, a review of the
  emergency window to support larger-scale operations, and additional
  staffing and resources to build surge capacity.
  ��

• He adds that an annual pledging conference should
  be held, in order to ensure donor support over the long term to the
  Peacebuilding Fund.

��U.N. ASSISTS HAITI IN RESCUE AND
RELIEF EFFORTS FOLLOWING TROPICAL STORM HANNA��

• The 51�Թ� mission in Haiti ()
  continues to assist local authorities in rescue and relief operations in
  Gonaives. The city was hit by floods and mudslides triggered by Tropical
  Storm Hanna.
  ��

• UN peacekeepers are assessing the safety of roads
  and bridges in the wake of the storm, as part of technical and
  logistical assistance to the authorities. Meanwhile, a UN helicopter is
  carrying three tons of relief supplies to Bainet, a hard-hit area in the
  south-east. UNICEF and the
  are
  life-saving assistance to thousands of people.
  Peacekeepers have also distributed drinking water to some 10,000 people
  in the Cité Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.
  ��

• In the Secretary-General’s latest report on Haiti,
  he says that the country’s stabilization process has suffered a
  significant setback due to political disturbances, a crisis in
  government and the delay in selecting a new Prime Minister.

��EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR CALLS
FOR INCREASED AID FOR ETHIOPIA��

• Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief
  Coordinator John Holmes has wrapped up a three-day visit to Ethiopia by
  renewing his call for a boost in humanitarian activities there.
  ��

• Holmes today chaired a meeting with the head of the
  Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, World Bank representatives, UN agencies and
  non-governmental organizations to discuss the effects of rising food
  prices in the country.
  ��

• Noting that food prices in some parts of Ethiopia
  have risen by as much as 500 percent in the past year, Mr. Holmes
  stressed the need for comprehensive and coordinated policies.
  ��

• Participants at the meeting highlighted the need
  for better investment in agricultural productivity and rural
  development, the vital necessity of the Productive Safety Net Program,
  and the challenges presented by Ethiopia’s high population growth.��
  ��

• Yesterday, Mr. Holmes
  the Somali region, which has been hard-hit by drought, high
  food prices and ongoing conflict.�� At a refugee screening centre, Mr.
  Holmes met Somali refugees and Ethiopians desperately seeking aid.�� He
  noted that the absence of humanitarian assistance has driven many
  Ethiopians to adopt the status of asylum seekers, in the hope of
  obtaining food, shelter and medical care.

��U.N. COUNTRY TEAM IN SRI LANKA
REITERATES COMMITMENT
��TO PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR CIVILIANS��

• The 51�Թ� in Sri Lanka today, in a
  , acknowledged the announcement by the Government of Sri
  Lanka of additional measures aimed at facilitating the freedom of
  movement of civilians who have been affected by fighting in the Vanni.
  ��

• The 51�Թ� remains fully committed to
  assisting the Government in its efforts to provide humanitarian
  assistance to those civilians who remain in the Vanni and to those
  civilians who will leave.
  ��

• Stressing that measures must be taken to prevent
  displacing people from their homes and livelihoods, the U.N. has also
  raised with the Tamil Tigers its urgent concern that civilians be
  allowed maximum freedom of movement at all times.

��WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME TO FEED MORE
THAN SIX MILLION PEOPLE IN DPRK��

• The 51�Թ� World Food Programme is
  a new emergency operation valued at approximately half a
  billion dollars to feed 6.2 million people in the Democratic People’s
  Republic of Korea (DPRK), including many in previously inaccessible
  areas of the country.
  ��

• The new emergency operation, expected to be
  approved in the coming days, will extend to areas in the country that
  were previously inaccessible, targeting the young, the elderly and other
  vulnerable groups. Nearly half of the beneficiaries will be in the
  remote provinces in the northeast that have been hard-hit by industrial
  recession and deemed most vulnerable to food insecurity.
  ��

• WFP says the new operation is designed to make sure
  that the millions of people in the DPRK who do not have enough to eat
  will, and adds that US$8 million per week is needed to provide the level
  of food assistance required in the country.
  ��

• Asked about a reported reopening of the U.N.
  Development Programme ()
  office in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Spokesperson
  later relayed UNDP's categorical denial that a UNDP team chaired by
  Vinnet Bhatia (Deputy Resident Representative) had arrived in Pyongyang
  in mid-August and had started the re-opening of the office.�� “There is
  absolutely no truth to this. Vineet Bhatia has been in New York since
  December 2007, and there are no plans for UNDP to return to the DPRK
  without an explicit green-light from its Executive Board.”

��SECRETARY-GENERAL HAD FRANK/OPEN
DISCUSSIONS WITH SENIOR MANAGERS LAST WEEK��

• Asked to elaborate on a speech on UN personnel the
  Secretary-General gave to a group of top UN officials gathered at a
  in Turin, Italy, the Spokeswoman said that this was one of
  three sets of remarks that Ban Ki-moon made at this internal meeting of
  senior management under the central theme of “Building a stronger UN for
  a better world”.
  ��

• It was a frank and open exchange, and that speech
  is now posted on the UN intranet for all the staff to become aware of.
  ��“There's nothing hidden about it,” Montas explained. It's all about
  pushing for change and making the UN workforce an instrument of change
  towards a more modern, more flexible, more responsive organization, and
  that's what the Secretary-General has been saying all along, she said.
  
  ��

• She added that the issue of UN personnel was one of
  the topics of the retreat which also covered such issues as climate
  change, human rights and meeting the challenges of peace and security.

��FIRST DPI/NGO CONFERENCE OUTSIDE OF
U.N. HEADQUARTERS GETS UNDERWAY IN PARIS��

• The 61st annual DPI/NGO
  got underway today at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.�� This
  is the first time the event is taking place away from U.N.
  Headquarters.�� This year’s theme is the 60th anniversary of the
  Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed in the French
  capital in 1948.
  ��

• In a video message, the Secretary-General noted
  that human rights and freedoms continue to be a distant reality for too
  many people.�� It is our duty to ensure that these rights are a living
  reality, he said, adding that he is committed to doing all he can to
  make the rights in the Universal Declaration a reality.
  ��

• General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim, Under-
  Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka,
  and UNESCO’s Director General Koïchiro Matsuura also addressed the
  gathering.

��ATTENDEE LIST FOR TERROR VICTIMS
SYMPOSIUM NOT YET COMPLETE

• Asked for a
  list of attendees at next week's planned symposium of victims of acts of
  terrorism, Montas explained that the list of attendees is as of yet
  incomplete because not all participants have yet confirmed their
  presence in New York. Invitations went out to all countries, including
  observer states, to help the Organization identify possible participants
  in the symposium. Following that, potential attendees were sent letters
  seeking a confirmation of their attendance.
  ��

• "Now we're
  in the process of getting visas and going through administrative
  procedures for some of the participants. But in some cases it is not
  easy and it takes time," Montas said.
  ��

• Asked if
  the victims of state terrorism would be invited, the Spokeswoman said
  the notion of state terrorism is not recognized or included in
  existing international conventions. A definition of state terrorism is
  still being discussed among member states, she said.

OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS

��

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS PROGRAMME OF
WORK FOR SEPTEMBER: The Security Council adopted its
for the month during consultations this morning.

��

U.N. LEBANON FORCE STAFF MEMBER
ACCIDENTALLY KILLED WHILE CLEARING UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE: ��The UN
Interim Force in Lebanon ()
is saddened by the accidental death of a member of its explosive ordnance
disposal team. The staff member died from an explosion earlier today while
carrying out an unexploded ordnance clearance mission in the vicinity of
Aytarun, in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL medical and explosive ordnance disposal
teams were immediately dispatched to the location and an investigation is
underway.

��

SECRETARY-GENERAL HAS REPEATEDLY CONDEMNED KILLINGS
OF CIVILIANS IN COMBAT SITUATIONS:�� Asked for a reaction on reports of
civilians killed in a an alleged violation of Pakistan's sovereignty by
international forces operating in Afghanistan, Montas said that the
Secretary-General has repeatedly condemned killings of civilians among
"collateral damage" in combat situations, and he has repeatedly appealed for
fighting parties to minimize such occurrences.

��

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS DID NOT FIRE AT DEMONSTRATORS IN
THE DR CONGO:�� Asked if UN peacekeepers had shot at demonstrators in
Rutshuru in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she also relayed later the
U.N. mission’s ()
categorical denial that any live munitions were used by UN peacekeepers to
disperse the rioting crowd. Congolese soldiers fired in the air, though the
Mission is unsure what type of munitions were fired.

��

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY PROVIDES FLOATING CLINIC ON
RIVER IN NORTHERN ECUADOR:�� The UN High Commissioner for Refugees
a new floating health service is bringing urgently needed care to
locals and Colombian refugees in Ecuadorean settlements on the San Miguel
River.