ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý
Ìý
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON
BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,Ìý NEW YORK
Thursday, July 21, 2005
ZIMBABWE REPORT
TO BE RELEASED FRIDAY
The report on
Zimbabwe drafted by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy Anna Tibaijuka,
after a to that country, is scheduled to be made
public tomorrow.
Ìý
Ms. Tibaijuka will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. in
this room to release the report.
SECURITY
COUNCIL DEBATES GAZA WITHDRAWAL
Israel’s forthcoming withdrawal from Gaza and parts of
the northern West Bank continues to overshadow all other issues, Alvaro de
Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the
̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Process,
. It is a moment pregnant with hope, but also
fraught with peril.
Ìý
Addressing today’s
public meeting on the Middle East, de Soto said that
Israel’s domestic preparations for the withdrawal continue at a rapid pace. He
said that the Israeli authorities have given clear evidence that they will not
allow Israeli extremists to prevent the plan from being carried out.
Ìý
At the same time, de Soto noted, there is considerable
evidence that settlement activity continues, and Israel has also continued and
accelerated construction of its barrier in the West Bank.
Ìý
He added that, while the deterioration of the informal
cease-fire is profoundly disquieting, there have been encouraging developments
since last week, consisting of the actions of the Palestinian security forces
to take vigorous action to restore law and order, and particularly to
intercept militants preparing to attack Israelis.
Ìý
The Security Council is proceeding with a debate on the
Middle East, following a request by the Arab Group to discuss recent
developments, including settlement activities and construction of the barrier.
ÌýSECURITY COUNCIL URGES ALL STATES TO
JOIN ANTI-TERROR PACTS
The
wrapped up its open meeting on terrorism on Wednesday
afternoon by adopting a
reiterating its call on all Member States to become
parties to all 12 International Conventions against terrorism.
Ìý
In that context, the Council drew attention to this
September’s treaty event in New York, and encouraged Member States also to
sign the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.
Ìý
The Council also urged all States to cooperate to bring
to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of acts of terrorism.
ÌýLATEST GENERAL ASSEMBLY SUMMIT DRAFT DUE
OUT FRIDAY
The closed informal meeting of the plenary scheduled for
Friday afternoon to introduce the revised version of General Assembly
President Jean Ping’s draft outcome document for the September summit has been
cancelled, as the President’s return to New York has been delayed by one day.
Ìý
However, the revised outcome document will still be
submitted to member states tomorrow.
MONTHLY DARFUR
REPORT SENT TO SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
The latest monthly report on
has gone to Security Council members, but is not out yet as a
document.
Ìý
Jan Pronk, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative
for Sudan, will be briefing the Security Council on Sudan in an open meeting
on Friday.
U.N. ENVOY AND
KURDISH LEADER DISCUSS KURDISH ISSUES
Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary General’s Deputy
Special Representative for
, met with Dindar Zebari, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s
Coordinator to the United Nations, to discuss future UN activities in Northern
Iraq.
Ìý
They agreed that Dr. Zebari will help formulate two pilot
programs in collaboration with the Kurdistan Regional Government in order to
ensure that the UN addresses the key priorities of the people of Kurdistan.
MORE THAN 3.7 MILLION AFGHAN REFUGEES
RETURN HOME SINCE 2002
The
reports that the number of Afghan refugees who
have returned from Pakistan has now passed 2.5 million. That brings the total
of people who have come back to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan since 2002
to more than 3.7 million.
Ìý
So far this year, the Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) has helped more than 200,000 Afghans return from Pakistan
and 26,000 Afghans return from Iran.
ÌýU.N. REFUGEE CHIEF HIGHLIGHTS ASYLUM
CONCERNS
High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, today
gave his first press conference at the UN’s Palais des Nations in Geneva,
since taking office just over one month ago.
Ìý
In his opening statement, he said he was concerned by how
difficult it was to preserve asylum rights and to protect refugees in an
environment of growing intolerance and extremism.Ìý Saying that nothing could
justify terrorism, he added that we would only be able to defeat terror if we
stuck to our values. In short, he said, the institution of asylum was an
essential part of democracy and human rights.
Ìý
He also said he was personally committed to having his
agency deal with internally displaced persons, even though such people were
not technically refugees.
ÌýANNAN NAMES NEW HEAD OF U.N. OFFICE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
In response to
questions, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General has appointed William K. Davis as the new Director of the
United Nations’ office in Washington.
Ìý
Davis is an expert on international economic
matters, human rights, development assistance, and peacekeeping. Having worked
in every Administration since President Reagan, Davis comes to the post with a
distinguished record of public service and extensive experience working with
individuals across the political spectrum in Washington.
Ìý
Asked when Davis would start
work at the Washington office, the Spokeswoman said his official start date
was August 22.
ÌýBURNHAM TO BRIEF U.S. SENATE ON CAPITAL
MASTER PLAN
In response to
questions, Under-Secretary-General for Management Christopher Burnham is in
Washington, D.C. today. He will provide a briefing to a U.S. Senate
subcommittee that is today holding a hearing about the
.
Ìý
Asked about recent comments made in the press by Burnham
about his loyalty to the United States, the Spokeswoman said Burnham had
provided a clarification, saying that, as with all UN officials, Burnham took
the oath of office upon joining the United Nations and understands that his
professional obligation is to the United Nations and the Secretary-General.
Ìý
He is fully committed to help implement the
Secretary-General’s reform agenda and to improve the management of the United
Nations.
Ìý
Asked about the UN’s view on Burnham’s comments, the
Spokeswoman said that the status of international civil servants is absolutely
clear: their professional loyalty is to the United Nations and loyalty to
their national government is put aside. Every UN official signs or takes an
oath of office on joining the United Nations, she said, and is bound by
.
ÌýOTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
FAO WARNS LOCUSTS STILL THREATEN AFRICA: The UN Food
and Agriculture Organization today warned that the remains of last year’s locust
invasion of the northern Sahel could threaten the area again this year. A
released in Rome today said that the emergency is not over as
fresh rains in breeding areas may increase locust numbers.Ìý FAO is monitoring
the situation.
TSUNAMI WARNING EXPERTS SET MEETING FOR AUGUST: The
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization today
that the first meeting of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and
Mitigation System will be held August 3 through 5 in Perth, Australia. The
meeting is expected to concentrate on technical and scientific requirements for
tsunami warning systems, UNESCO said.
U.N. MEETING URGES BAN ON CORPORAL PUNISHMENT:
Representatives of some 300 African government agencies and NGOs have called for
a complete ban on corporal punishment for children. The
came at the end of a three day meeting in Johannesburg organized
by the UN Children’s Fund in connection with theÌýÌý Secretary- General’s Study on
Violence against Children.Ìý The study is due out next year.
HEALTH AGENCY TO CONTINUE WITH POLIO IMMUNIZATIONS IN
INDONESIA: According to the World Health Organization, on 19 July 2005, 4
new polio cases were
in Indonesia, in districts already infected, namely Bogor (West
Java province) and Lebak (Banten province). The total number of cases is now
153. These new cases are within the areas included during the two emergency
vaccination campaigns held on 31 May and 28 June. Plans are underway for
National Immunization Days targeting 24.4 million children under 5 years old
throughout the country on 30 August and 27 September.
*The guest at today's noon briefing was Rosario Manalo,
Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women,
who talked about the work of the Committee's current session.
Ìý
ÌýOffice
of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only
Fax. 212-963-7055
All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org
Ìý