SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE UP GEORGIA FOR SECOND TIME IN 24 HOURS

• The Security Council has scheduled consultations at 3:00 this afternoon to discuss the situation in Georgia, the second time in the past 24 hours that the Council is meeting on that topic. Today’s consultations are to be followed by a formal meeting.

• In response to a request from the Russian Federation, the Security Council held an emergency meeting on Georgia early this morning, just after 1:00 a.m. Speakers debated the situation in South Ossetia, on which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement expressing his serious concern on Thursday.

• That meeting was preceded by consultations, in which Council members discussed a draft Presidential Statement on the situation on South Ossetia; there was no agreement, however, to adopt that Statement afterward.

• Asked about the Secretary-General’s involvement in resolving the South Ossetia question, the Spokeswoman noted that the Security Council is presently seized of the matter, and the Secretary-General is not directly involved. If the Council asks for Secretariat involvement, she added, the Secretariat would do so.

• She noted, in response to further questions, that on Thursday night, during the Council’s emergency consideration of Georgia, the Secretary-General was represented by his Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, and by a senior political aide, Kishore Mandhyan.

• Also on the Security Council, on Thursday afternoon, the Council unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) by one year.

FOOD, WATER RUNNING OUT IN SOUTH OSSETIA, GEORGIA

• Regarding South Ossetia, Georgia, a local branch of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it has been informed by Russian border officials that thousands of people have been arriving to North Ossetia-Alania in the Russian Federation throughout the night. In addition, UNHCR says that, according to unofficial sources, some 400 people have moved from South Ossetia to other parts of Georgia.

• Reports on conditions on the ground are trickling out of South Ossetia. But in the meantime, a UNHCR staff member in that area has reported that many buildings and houses have been destroyed and that only military personnel are moving in the streets.  Water is in short supply, most transport has stopped, and shops are running out of food.

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNICEF have expressed alarm at the violence, echoing the Secretary-General’s deep concern.

BOLIVIA: BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR PEACEFUL CLIMATE DURING RECALL REFERENDUM

• The Secretary-General is closely following political developments in Bolivia, in particular regarding the recall referendum to be held on 10 August on the mandates of the President and Vice-President as well as those of eight regional authorities (prefectos). 

• In the interest of strengthening democracy and human rights in Bolivia, the Secretary-General calls on all political and social actors to ensure a peaceful climate throughout the electoral process and its aftermath.   

• The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations System to work with the Government and society as a whole towards generating an environment of tolerance, respect and dialogue in Bolivia.

HUMANITARIAN APPEAL LAUNCHED FOR DJIBOUTI

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that Djibouti is currently facing a humanitarian crisis driven by a combination of factors, including several years of drought, insufficient rain, and the sharp rise in global food and fuel prices. The situation is also affected by an influx of Somali refugees. In response, the Government of Djibouti and the UN system have launched a joint appeal for nearly $32 million. The appeal covers a period of six months.

• Meanwhile, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund has allocated an additional $30 million to help alleviate the suffering of millions of people in 12 countries, who are severely affected by the global food crisis. In addition to Djibouti, other recipients include Eritrea, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Lesotho, Madagascar, Niger, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

REFUGEE AGENCY WORRIED BY DISPLACEMENT IN SRI LANKA

• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed deep concern over the safety of thousands of families fleeing fierce fighting in the north of Sri Lanka between government forces and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE).

• Amid intensified fighting in the region, UNHCR calls on both parties to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of those affected; to allow freedom of movement for those seeking safety from the ongoing operations; and to ensure that the internally displaced are neither targeted nor located near military targets.

• UNHCR also calls upon authorities to allow immediately unhindered passage for essential supplies, as food, shelter materials, water, and fuel for civilian transportation are running dangerously low.

• UNHCR is urging all parties to allow humanitarian access to the affected population so they can be provided with much-needed assistance in a timely manner.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CONCERNED BY TEXAN DECISION TO EXECUTE MEXICAN NATIONAL

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed serious concern over the decision by authorities in Texas to proceed with the execution of Mexican national José Ernesto Medellín -- despite an order to the contrary by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Medellín was executed by lethal injection on 5 August.

• OHCHR stresses that the United States has an international legal obligation to comply with decisions of the ICJ, an obligation which cannot be set aside because of domestic constitutional arrangements. The Office also notes that the ICJ orders remain valid for another 50 Mexican nationals on death row in the United States.

• OHCHR adds that the finality of the death penalty makes it essential that it is applied with scrupulous attention to the safeguards set down by international law, including access to consular services by foreign nationals.

UNICEF WORKS TO IMMUNIZE CHILDREN IN ZIMBABWE

• UNICEF over the past week has been holding its nationwide Child Health Days in Zimbabwe, trying to reach the nation’s 2 million children under the age of 5 with immunization and vitamin A coverage. During the campaign, children, even in hard-to-reach areas, were immunized against tuberculosis, measles, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza and polio. 

• While continuing its work in Zimbabwe, UNICEF remains seriously concerned about the impact on children of the current ban prohibiting non-governmental organizations from operating in communities. The ban, imposed on 4 June, has now been in effect for over two months, posing serious problems for the humanitarian community working in Zimbabwe.

• Asked about the travels by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios, the Spokeswoman said that Menkerios is in Pretoria, South Africa, and had yet to travel to Zimbabwe from there.

• Asked about reported concerns by Zimbabwe about direct UN involvement in the current political negotiations, Montas said that the United Nations was not directly involved, but was represented, through Menkerios, in the “reference group” that has been in touch with the mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S SUFFERING WAS A DARK EPISODE IN HUMAN HISTORY

• Saturday is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. In a message to mark the day, the Secretary-General says that the suffering of indigenous peoples led to some of the darkest episodes in human history.

• As this is the first observance of the Day since the General Assembly’s landmark adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last fall, the Secretary-General notes that the Declaration provides a momentous opportunity for States and indigenous peoples to strengthen their relationships, promote reconciliation, and ensure that the past is not repeated. His message was delivered today by the Deputy Secretary-General.

BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR CEASEFIRES WHILE OLYMPICS IN PROGRESS

• The Secretary-General today joined the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations General Assembly in calling on all those who are at war to observe the Olympic Truce, a worldwide cessation of hostilities while the Games are in progress. He said, “Let them lay down their weapons, if only temporarily, so that humanity can lay claim to gold even before the Games begin.”

• In a statement, he said that the true excellence of the Games rests in their ability to unite humanity around universal aspirations: equality, fair play, sportsmanship, tolerance and, above all, peace. Taken together, the Olympic Movement and the United Nations constitute a gold medal team in the race to advance humanity's most cherished ideals, he said.

• Asked whether the Secretary-General would watch the Olympics, the Spokeswoman said that he would certainly watch many of the games.

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

RECONFIGURATION PLANS SHARED WITH KOSOVO OFFICIALS: The Secretary-General’s Acting Principal Deputy Special Representative in Kosovo, Nicholas Haysom, met today in Pristina with Kosovo’s President and Deputy Prime Minster. Haysom, who just recently arrived in Kosovo, shared with both officials the reconfiguration plans for the UN Mission there, which will result in the substantial downsizing of staff.

 

BAKASSI RULING ACCEPTED BY BOTH PARTIES: Asked about complaints by some of the local population in the Bakassi Peninsula about the Greentree Agreement, the Spokeswoman said that Greentree is an international agreement that has been accepted by both parties, and which followed a ruling on the peninsula by the International Court of Justice. That ruling, she noted, was also accepted by both parties.

 

DISCUSSIONS CONTINUING ON PROPOSED BHUTTO PROBE: Asked about a proposed Commission to look into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Spokeswoman reiterated that UN legal officials were continuing their discussions on that proposal, and no decision has been made on it yet.
 

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
9 August 2008 – 15 August 2008

Saturday, August 9
 

Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.

Sunday, August 10
 

Henry Anyidoho, the Deputy Joint UN-African Union Special Representative for Darfur, is scheduled to visit Nyala, South Darfur.

Monday, August 11
 

All this week, the Department of Peacekeeping Operation’s Head of Military Components (HOMC) Conference 2008 takes place at U.N. Headquarters.

The guest at the noon briefing, Cecilia Ugaz, Acting Director of the U.N. Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report Office, presents a youth version of the Human Development Report 2007/2008 on climate change.

Tuesday, August 12
 

From today through Friday in Vienna, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency convene an International Symposium on Induced Mutations in Plants.

The guest at the noon briefing is General Martin Luther Agwai, Force Commander of the U.N.-A.U. Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). 

Today is International Youth Day.

Wednesday, August 13
 

In Bangkok, at 11 a.m. local time, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, holds a press conference to brief on his recent mission to Myanmar.

The guests at the noon briefing are Lt. General Babacar Gaye, Force Commander of the U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), and Brig. General Mark Skidmore, Senior Military Adviser of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Thursday, August 14
 

The final transfer of authority in the Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon, in implementation of the 2002 ruling of the International Court of Justice and the 2006 Greentree Agreement, is scheduled to take place today.

In Geneva, the Conference on Disarmament holds a public plenary.

The guests at the noon briefing are Brig. Patrick Davidson-Houston, Acting Force Commander of the U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and Maj. General Claudio Graziano, Force Commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. 

Friday, August 15
 

In Geneva, the first session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee ends today.