MICHELE MONTAS is the Spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General and the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.
TV: UN WEBCAST TV VIDEO - 18 minutes

UN: UNITED NATIONS BRIEFING AND TV: FRIDAY, 02/05/2008 (MaximsNews Network)

UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / - 02 May 2008 -- Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General and UN Webcast TV Video.

BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

Friday, May 2, 2008

 MIDDLE EAST QUARTET EXPRESSES STRONG SUPPORT FOR
ONGOING ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATIONS

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with the other principal members of the Middle East Quartet in London today to discuss the situation in that region, and they were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair.
   

• The Secretary-General read a joint statement by the Quartet after that meeting, when he and the other principal members spoke to the press. He said that Quartet expressed its strong support for ongoing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and encouraged the parties to make every effort to realize the shared goal of an agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.
   

• The Quartet expressed its deep concern at continuing settlement activity and called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001. It called on the Palestinian Authority to fulfill its commitments to fight terrorism and to accelerate steps to rebuild and refocus its security apparatus.
   

• The Quartet also called for continued emergency and humanitarian assistance and the provision of essential services to Gaza without obstruction.
   

• After the Quartet meeting, the Secretary-General chaired an ad hoc meeting of Quartet members and Tony Blair with Arab participants in the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, as well as with the United Kingdon and Norway as the hosts and chairs of the Committee.
   

• During that meeting, participants discussed the ongoing political negotiations, as well as the efforts underway to ensure implementation of Road Map commitments, support the Palestinian Authority, and improve the situation on the ground in both the West Bank and Gaza, in furtherance of the Annapolis process.
   

• The Secretary-General also participated in an enlarged meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Economic Development for the West Bank and Gaza. He also held a number of bilateral meetings before flying back to New York.

 SOARING FOOD PRICES THREATEN RELIEF EFFORTS IN WEST BANK AND GAZA

• The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that soaring food prices have led to severe financial burdens. The Agency’s General Fund is currently facing a shortfall of more than US$117 million. That hampers its efforts to provide emergency and regular food aid to nearly one million refugees in the West Bank and Gaza alone.
   

• Regarding the fuel situation in Gaza, UNRWA says that, even though the fuel it has gotten has allowed it to resume food aid distribution, the haphazard supply is making it impossible to carry out any planning. And today, the Agency is worried that it is again running out of fuel.
   

• The agency reports that the streets of Gaza are virtually empty of cars and that public transportation has stopped. Enrolment in UNRWA schools is now basically limited to those who are able to walk to school.

 SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR MONTH

• The Security Council held consultations this morning on its programme of work for May, in its first meeting under the Council Presidency of the United Kingdom.
   

• The Council also adopted a presidential statement on Myanmar.

 U.N. PEACEKEEPING CHIEF DEPARTS ON KOSOVO FACT-FINDING MISSION

• With regard to Kosovo, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno is leaving today on a fact finding mission to the region.
   

• He will be holding talks with all stakeholders in both Pristina and in Belgrade concerning the future of the international civil presence in Kosovo.

 HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SOMALIA IS WORSENING

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the situation in Somalia is deteriorating, due to soaring food prices and worsening drought. 
   

• More than a third of the population now needs food assistance, largely because of an increase in the number of urban poor who don’t have enough to eat.
   

• The World Food Programme (WFP) has signed an agreement with the Danish Refugee Council to continue providing cooked meals to 50,000 people a day in Mogadishu.  WFP is also feeding nearly 400,000 people in Puntland, Somaliland and South Central Somalia.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME AND WORLD BANK WELCOME
 U.S. FOOD AID INITIATIVE

• The World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank have issued statements welcoming U.S. President Bush’s call for an additional US$770 million in financing for food and development programmes.
   

• WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran noted that ever since reaching out to a hungry world devastated by World War Two, the American people have generously come to the urgent aid of those trapped in hunger.
   

• World Bank President Robert Zoellick encouraged other countries to follow the lead of the U.S. and take similar bold action.
   

• Asked about the Secretary-General’s comments on reducing food tariffs, the Spokesman noted that issues concerning the rise in food prices are complex, which is why the Secretary-General wants as high a level of participation as possible at the High-Level Conference on Food Security that will take place in Rome in June.

 U.N. DISABILITIES CONVENTION ENTERS INTO FORCE TOMORROW

• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is set to enter into force tomorrow.
   

• Twenty-five countries have now ratified the treaty, which aims to ensure that existing rights are fully extended and guaranteed to the world’s estimated 650 million people with disabilities. 
   

• A ceremony to mark the Convention’s entry into force will take place in the General Assembly Hall on May 12th.

 U.N. POLITICAL FACT-FINDING MISSION TO VISIT THE MALDIVES

• A UN Inter-agency Fact Finding Mission, led by the Department of Political Affairs, will visit the Maldives between 4-9 May, in response to a request from the Government.
   

• The Mission will meet with a broad spectrum of interlocutors, including Government officials, political leaders, civil society, non-governmental organizations and other important national actors, as well as diplomatic representatives, in order to assess whether UN assistance to the forthcoming elections would be appropriate.

 COMMITTEE POSTPONES DECISION ON LOCATION OF RACISM REVIEW CONFERENCE

• A two-week meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the review conference on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance ended in Geneva on Friday after agreeing to postpone decisions on where to hold the review conference. It is likely, however, to be in one of the four UN centres of Geneva, Nairobi, New York or Vienna.
   

• The precise duration of the conference was also not decided, with some States wanting it to last for three days and others wanting five. While the precise date will depend on the availability of the venue, there was general consensus that the conference would probably take place in June 2009.
   

• The Preparatory Committee agreed to hold a special extension of the current session on 26 May, in order to decide the outstanding issues.

 U.N. ENVOY CONVEYS CONDOLENCES
 FOLLOWING PLANE CRASH IN SOUTHERN SUDAN

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Sudan, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, has conveyed his condolences to the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) on hearing of today's tragic plane crash, which took the lives of GoSS SPLA Affairs Minister Dominic Dim Deng and other military officials.
   

• Qazi has also offered deepest sympathy on behalf of the United Nations and the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to the bereaved families of the crash victims.
   

• UNMIS flight assets have been made available to bring Government of National Unity and GoSS aviation safety officials to the scene of the crash in order to facilitate their inquiries.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

RENOVATED MINISTRY BUILDING HANDED OVER TO LIBERIAN GOVERNMENT: The United Nations has handed over a newly-rehabilitated Ministry of Internal Affairs building to the Liberian Government. Speaking at a ceremony on Wednesday, Jordan Ryan, the Deputy Special Representative for Liberia and UN Development Programme resident representative, called the handover a crucial step in rebuilding Liberia’s post-war infrastructure, as well as consolidating peace and fostering development. The UN provided more than US$200,000, or nearly three quarters of the cost, to refurbish the building.

U.N. TAKES DR CONGO ALLEGATIONS VERY SERIOUSLY: Asked about a letter from Human Rights Watch concerning alleged misconduct by UN peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Spokesman said that the United Nations takes the allegations very seriously. He noted that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) had briefed the press on the allegations earlier this week.

SECRETARY-GENERAL PREPARED TO PROVIDE GOOD OFFICES FOLLOWING ZIMBABWE ELECTIONS: Asked about the reported announcement of electoral results in Zimbabwe, the Spokesman reiterated the Secretary-General’s call on all parties in the country to resolve issues peacefully, and he noted that the Secretary-General was willing to offer his good offices in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community and the African Union. He declined to speculate on whether the United Nations would be requested to assist in a run-off round of elections.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER HAS CALLED FOR DUE PROCESS AT GUANTANAMO: Asked about the release of a prisoner from the US camp in Guantanamo Bay, the Spokesman noted that High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour had spoken out in favour of due legal process for the inmates at Guantanamo.

U.N. GENERALLY CALLS FOR AVOIDANCE OF THREATENING RHETORIC: Asked about reported comments by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton concerning Iran, the Spokesman declined to comment, but he noted that the United Nations, as a general rule, wants rhetoric threatening any group of people or any nation to be avoided.

COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT’S 16^TH SESSION BEGINS NEXT WEEK: On Monday, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) opens its 16th session. It will be devoted to issues at the core of the global food crisis: agriculture, land use, rural development, drought and desertification, with a special focus on Africa. The CSD runs through May 16th.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, May 3

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities enters into force. 

Today is World Press Freedom Day.  In Maputo, Mozambique, UNESCO awards its Guillermo Cano Prize to Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro.

From today through Monday in Cairo, Egypt, the UN Industrial Development Organization holds a Global Conference on Traceability and Food Security.

Sunday, May 4

From today through 9 May, a UN Inter-agency Fact Finding Mission, led by the Department of Political Affairs, visits the Maldives to assess the political climate and technical aspects of the forthcoming elections and consider whether UN assistance would be appropriate.

Monday, May 5

At 10 a.m. in Conference Room 3, the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee begins the second part of its resumed session, which is expected to last until 30 May.

At 10 a.m. in Conference Room 4, Under-Secretary-General Sha Zukang opens the 16th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, which runs through 16 May and will focus on agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification, and Africa.

At 11 a.m., the Secretary-General takes part in the groundbreaking for the construction of the North Lawn Conference Building, marking the beginning of the renovation of the UN Headquarters under the Capital Master Plan. 

From today through 7 May in Oslo, Norway, the Deputy Secretary-General represents the UN at the Sudan Consortium. Co-organized by the UN and the World Bank and hosted by the Government of Norway, the Consortium will evaluate progress in implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan.

Tuesday, May 6

This morning, the Security Council holds an open debate on its Counter-Terrorism, 1267 and 1540 Committees.

The guest at the noon briefing is Christian Thommessen, Director of the U.N. Development Programme’s Private Sector Division, who will brief on the Business Call to Action, a new initiative that seeks to galvanize businesses, governments and civil society as part of a major campaign to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

At 5 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, the Secretary-General presents the Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award to Governor-General Satyanand of New Zealand. 

In London, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim addresses a major private sector meeting on the Millennium Development Goals convened by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown before traveling on to Turkey and Egypt for official visits.

From today through Friday in Geneva, the World Health Organization holds consultations on the revision of pandemic influenza preparedness guidance.

Wednesday, May 7

This morning, the Security Council receives a briefing on Sierra Leone, followed by consultations on that topic.

Following the noon briefing, Eric Falt, Director of the Department of Public Information’s (DPI) Outreach Division and Mia Hanak, Executive Director of the Natural World Museum, join internationally acclaimed artists to brief on DPI’s upcoming Unlearning Intolerance Seminar on "Art Changing Attitudes toward the Environment".

Thursday, May 8

Today and tomorrow, the Secretary-General is in Atlanta, as part of his tour of major U.S. cities.

This morning, the Security Council holds consultations on its 1559 report.

All day in Conference Room 1, an Unlearning Intolerance Seminar focuses on “Art Changing Attitudes toward the Environment”.  At 9:15 a.m. in the Visitors’ Lobby, model and activist Christie Brinkley and Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka participate in a press encounter and photo op.

Today and tomorrow are the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War.

Friday, May 9

All day in Conference Room C, there will be a Seminar on “Climate change, environmental degradation and migration”

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055

Labels: United Nations,  U.N., Secretary-General

 

Advertisement

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MaximsNews® LLC   NEWS NETWORK FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

MaximsNews Network® LLC is a Global News Network that is read worldwide, in 195 countries and territories. It is associated with MediaChannel.org and Globalvision News Network, global news and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 135 countries. 

Established in 1999, MaximsNews now publishes in the six UN working languages: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.  

SEE:  About MaximsNews

The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews® LLC.

REACH THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE  

SEE: Advertise with MaximsNews | MaximsNews MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS      

MaximsNews.com U.N. ® LLC  www.MaximsNews.com | MaximsNews@MaximsNews.com | Please contact us about Republishing: Syndication@MaximsNews.com ©Copyrights 1999 - 2008, MaximsNews® LLC. All rights reserved.