REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, Chief of the Press and Public Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which provided information on the Secretary-General's visit to Ethiopia and Sudan; new documents; the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference which was wrapping up its work in New York; the activities of the Director-General of UNOG; the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers; Geneva activities; the upcoming ninety-third International Labour Conference; humanitarian and other issues. Spokespersons for the International Labour Office, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization, UNAIDS and the International Organization for Migration participated in the briefing.
Secretary-General's Visit to Ethiopia and Sudan
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan was in Addis Ababa yesterday where he co-hosted a pledging conference with African Union Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konaré to address what he called one of the most pressing and destructive crises of the African continent: the conflict in Darfur.
Mr. Annan said the United Nations was still $ 350 million short of what was required to provide relief to more than two million people in Darfur. He said that it was a race against time, with the fast approach of the rainy season and the "hunger gap". He warned that if violence and fear prevented the people of Darfur from planting and growing crops next year, then millions would have to be sustained by an epic relief effort which would stretch international capacity to the maximum.
The Secretary-General said although the violence in Darfur has stabilized over the last few months, the situation remained unacceptable as civilians were still at risk and subject to attacks. Moreover, the continued violence was increasingly targeted at aid workers, hampering their difficult work. An expanded African Union force at full operational capacity would go a long way to ensuring that the great majority of civilians in Darfur could be protected from violence. The expanded Mission would include a total of more than 6,000 military personnel and 1,500 police and would cost over $ 465 million for one year.
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said that in taking the floor a second time at the end of the conference, the Secretary-General took note of the generous pledges, which included strategic airlift, training and planning support -- all essential elements of the expansion of the AU mission. But he added that these contributions must be complementary if they were to be fully effective. In addition to the support for the AU military force, the Secretary-General also emphasized the importance for the international community to support the crucial mediation effort of the AU in the Abuja peace process. He added that the real solution was a political one and welcomed Mr. Konaré's announcement that Salim Ahmed Salim, the former Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, would lead this process. Copies of the complete statement by the Secretary-General were available in the press room. The Secretary-General would today be arriving in Sudan. He would be visiting Khartoum, Darfur and Rumbek in southern Sudan.
New Documents
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Secretary-General's latest report to the Security Council on the UN Mission in Kosovo was available in the Documentation Centre. In it, the Secretary-General said he believed that a comprehensive review of progress vis-à-vis the internationally-agreed standards should be initiated this summer, and that he intended to appoint a Special Envoy to conduct that review in the near future.
Also available in the Documentation Centre were embargoed copies of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' report entitled "The OHCHR Plan of Action: Protection and Empowerment". The report was embargoed until 4 p.m. today. Geneva time. A summary of the report was also available. Journalists interested in getting the report on email should contact the Service.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said the month-long conference at the United Nations reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was heading into the final hours of its work with its main committees unable to agree on the texts they had been considering. The meeting in New York was trying to reach agreement in three committees that covered the three pillars of the 35-year-old accord – disarmament, verification of safeguards on national nuclear programmes and the peaceful use of atomic energy. But the conference would end with no progress in the committees. Main Committee I was unable to agree on nuclear disarmament and security assurances, and Main Committee II failed to reach consensus on safeguards, regional issues and the Middle East. The Drafting Committee was finishing its work on a final document for the conclusion of the review conference today.
Activities of Director-General of UNOG
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, had yesterday participated in a press conference at the Palais Eynard in Geneva in the presence of the Mayor of Geneva, the Rector of the University of Geneva and the Interim Rector of the Graduate Institute of International Studies. The press conference was held in preparation for the event to be held next week to mark the twentieth anniversary of the 1985 Gorbachev-Reagan Geneva Summit.
On this occasion, UNOG will host a meeting on Monday, 30 May, at 3 p.m. in Salle III between Mikhail Gorbachev and representatives of the Permanent Missions and Specialized Agencies in Geneva. Mr. Ordzhonikidze would give an opening address at the meeting. A note to correspondents on the event was already in the press room. Journalists were cordially invited to attend.
Today, the Director-General would be opening a round table held to launch the book of Sadako Ogata, the former High Commissioner for Refugees, entitled "The Turbulent Decade". The round table would be held at 11:30 a.m. in Salle XXIV.
And on Thursday, 2 June, the Director-General would be welcoming members of the Confederate Government of Bern who would be visiting the Palais des Nations.
International Day of UN Peacekeepers
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said the International Day of UN Peacekeepers was commemorated on 29 May. On this occasion, a ceremony would be held on Tuesday, 31 May at 3:30 p.m. in the Ariana Park. The Director-General of UNOG would be placing a wreath in honour of peacekeepers who had lost their lives. Journalists were cordially invited to attend.
The message of the Secretary-General on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers was available in the press room in all the official languages of the United Nations.
Geneva Activities
Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Committee on the Rights of the Child would be concluding its thirty-ninth session on Friday, 3 June. Today, the Committee would be considering the second periodic report of Nicaragua. It would examine the reports of Costa Rica and Yemen next week.
The second part of the 2005 session of the Conference on Disarmament would take place from Monday, 30 May, to Friday, 15 July. The session would open under the presidency of Ambassador Joseph Ayalogu of Nigeria. The first plenary would be held on Thursday, 2 June at 10 a.m.
Ninety-Third International Labour Conference
Corinne Perthuis of the International Labour Office said the ninety-third International Labour Conference would be held at the Palais des Nations from 31 May to 16 June. Available was a media advisory for the media about coverage. Also available was the report of the Director-General of the International Labour Conference on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories. The report noted that despite a new climate of dialogue among Israelis and Palestinians, conditions of life for workers and their families in the occupied Arab territories continued to be extremely hard. According to the report, fewer than half of all men of working age and only 10 per cent of women of working age were employed.
Ms. Perthuis said that also available was a press release on the meeting of top officials of the International Labour Office and the European Commission in Turin who were exploring new ways of giving the global workforce better access to the benefits of international trade.
Human Rights
David Chikvaidze of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said two meetings of the enlarged Bureau of the Commission on Human Rights had been held on 13 May and 25 May. The Bureau had discussed the appointment of a number of Special Rapporteurs and other Experts. States had until 20 June to nominate persons for the posts, then the Bureau would listen to remarks by the regional groups on the nominations, and then the Chairperson would name the new Experts at the beginning of July. The new appointees would be effective following action by the Economic and Social Council.
Mr. Chikvaidze said the following posts needed to be filled: the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Uzbekistan under the 1503 procedure, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants (a candidate had already been suggested by one of the regional groups), members of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of peoples to self-determination, and members of the Working Group on situations. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises and the Independent Expert on minority issues would be appointed by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights respectively.
Mr. Chikvaidze said the calendar of Working Groups had also been taken up. The list would be made available to journalists soon. A calendar of meetings of the Expanded Bureau with the Economic and Social Council, the Chairpersons of Treaty Bodies, Special Rapporteurs and Chairpersons of Working Groups, and members of the Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection for Human Rights was also reviewed.
The Bureau also reviewed the draft decision by ECOSOC which was under consideration in connection with decision 116 of the Commission on the proposed reform of the Commission. The draft provided for informal two-day consultations to be organized in Geneva by the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights. Action could be expected on this draft decision next week.
José Luis Díaz, Spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that as Mrs. Ponomareva-Piquier had mentioned, copies of the High Commissioner's Plan of Action had been distributed to journalists. The Plan of Action was drawn up by Louise Arbour and her Office at the request of the Secretary-General in his report "In Larger Freedom". The plan of action detailed the proposed overhaul or reform of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Plan of Action was basically an outline of what the Office of the High Commissioner required in order to be better equipped to tackle some of the main human rights challenges of the day. The chief challenge was still the yawning gap between human rights rhetoric and the reality of human rights violations all over the world. As the High Commissioner said in the statement that he had sent to journalists, which was also under embargo until 4 p.m. this afternoon, "Our objective must be to help bridge the gap between the lofty rhetoric of human rights in the halls of the United Nations, and its sobering realities on the ground".
Mr. Díaz said the plan was pretty ambitious. It recommended, among other things, an increased OHCHR presence in the field through country and regional offices; enhanced monitoring of human rights situations in countries; a stronger capacity to deploy rapid response teams in human rights crisis situations; and enhanced engagement with United Nations peace operation units in conflict areas. To ensure the implementation of this ambitious plan, the Office would need a considerable increase in the resources that it had. Journalists knew that the Office received about 1.8 per cent of the UN regular budget and that most of its funding came from voluntary contributions. In order for some of the proposals recommended in the action plan to be realized, the Office would need a doubling of what it already received from the regular budget in the next five to six years.
Mr. Díaz also said that the Working Group on arbitrary detention would be going to Canada as of 1 June and a statement would be issued on its programme there.
Humanitarian Issues
Elizabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Eritrea was one of the world's forgotten crises. Out of a population of 3.8 million Eritreans, about 2.3 million persons needed food assistance. These included 600,000 urban poor who rarely benefited from distributions and subsisted by buying limited amounts of bread at subsidized prices. The remaining 1.7 million were drought-affected peasants, and internally displaced persons from Eritrea's war against Ethiopia. She was bringing up the issue of Eritrea now because of the meagre response to the UN appeal for Eritrea as only 10 per cent of the requested $ 157 million had been funded. In Eritrea, an average of 15 per cent of children were severely malnourished, and WHO considered this an emergency level which demanded blanket supplementary feeding. If funding was not made available, many people would need to be treated in therapeutic feeding centres. This was ten times more expensive than providing them with supplementary feeding. The lack of potable water was the biggest problem.
Ms. Byrs said also available was the programme for the seminar on natural catastrophes which would be held in Havana, Cuba, from 1 to 3 June. The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, would be participating in the seminar.
Simon Pluess of the World Food Programme said in Rwanda, WFP had reached a point where it had simply run out of funds and food to feed refugees and returnees. This was a period when Rwandans living in eastern Congo were returning home in massive amounts and where more and more Congolese were searching for a safe haven in Rwanda. By June, WFP would have exhausted all its cereals which were necessary to feed 54,000 refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This number was higher than the 35,000 that WFP had anticipated earlier this year. WFP and UNHCR were urgently calling on donors to provide $ 5.5 million to bring almost 900 tons of food assistance to these people until the end of the year. The impact of the cut of the food aid would be a nightmare for refugees who were confined in crowded camps with limited facilities and who were exposed to very harsh weather conditions. Since March, WFP had had to reduce the amount of food distributed to refugees by 30 per cent.
Ron Redmond of the High Commissioner for Refugees said he added strong support to WFP's call for funding for the Congolese refugees in Rwanda. A joint press release would be issued shortly.
Mr. Pluess of WFP said the funding situation in Burundi was also very bleak. WFP called for an additional $ 23 million to assist 2 million Burundians until December. Some food distributions had already had to be postponed or cancelled. But in the beginning of June, the main rations would have to be cut by 50 per cent, all food activities to support local development would have to be suspended, and by August, all other food commodities would be reduced. Currently, there were hopes for peace and recovery in Burundi as the country prepared for historic elections which would take place in June and September. But the last six months of drought and consequent food shortages had created an enormous challenge to the most vulnerable, some 600,000 Burundians. Food aid to feeding centres which were providing food to some 250,000 children and nursing mothers would also have to be reduced. Also, the "lean season" was almost starting in Burundi and during that period WFP needed to feed some 1 million farmers.
Concerning that situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, WFP found itself in an unprecedented funding crunch during which it would be forced to halt distributions to almost all of its 3.8 million core beneficiaries over the next two months. These were vulnerable children, women and elderly people. And again, Mr. Pluess said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was also approaching the "lean season" when millions of inhabitants of that country had a hard time dealing with the quadrupling of food prices and the decrease in salaries provoked by the economic crisis. WFP appealed for 504,000 tons of commodities to feed 6.5 million persons in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. So far, it had received 230,000 tons and they had all been distributed. Available was a press release on WFP appealing for prompt donations.
Mr. Redmond of the High Commissioner for Refugees said that the number of refugees fleeing targeted violence and a climate of fear in Togo continued to rise steadily, with a total of 34,416 refugees now registered in neighbouring Benin and Ghana. The majority of those arriving were young men who were either members of the opposition parties or were perceived as such became they came from southern Togo.
Mr. Redmond said that today, UNHCR was winding up one phase of its repatriation of Angolan refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it was phasing out its operations concerning Somali refugees in eastern Ethiopia.
Other
Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization reminded journalists that World No Tobacco Day was commemorated on 31 May. This year, the theme was "Health Professionals against Tobacco: Action and Answers". There would be a briefing on Monday, 30 May, at 2 p.m. in press room 1.
For those who were following polio developments, Ms. Chaib said there would be a day-long meeting at WHO on Monday, 30 May with a number of Indian and Pakistani officials, two countries where polio remained endemic.
Jean Michel Jakobowicz of the Economic Commission for Europe said that a meeting of the States parties to the Aarhus Convention had been taking place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Yesterday, the parties agreed on the text of an amendment to the Convention aimed at extending the role of the public in decisions involving genetically modified organisms. The meeting would be concluding its work today. Available was a press release on yesterday's agreement. And a round-up of the other main agreements which were adopted at the meeting would be available shortly.
Catherine Sibut-Pinot of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development said that a press release would be issued on Monday, 30 May on outward foreign direct investments from emerging markets. The release would include some interesting figures.
Lucie Giraud of the World Trade Organization said that informal meetings and consultations on agriculture negotiations would be held all of next week; the formal meeting would be held on Friday, 3 June and there would be a briefing after that. There would also be a meeting of the dispute settlement body on Wednesday, 1 June which would be followed by a briefing.
Ms. Giraud said WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi would be in Jeju, Korea from 1 to 3 June to attend the 2005 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Meeting.
Dominique de Santis of UNAIDS said there would be a General Assembly high-level meeting on AIDS that would be held on 2 June in New York. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan would issue a report basically reviewing progress made in implementing the UN Declaration on AIDS which was adopted in 2001. The report would be made available on 1 June along with a press release.
Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration said that IOM was continuing to provide much needed transportation and medical assistance to a large group of vulnerable internally displaced persons who remained stranded some 40 kilometres from the Busseri River in western Bahr el Ghazal province in southern Sudan. All had decided to leave camps in western Equatoria in mid April to walk around 365 kilometres of densely forested and hostile terrain to go home in western Bahr el Ghazal. Over the next few days, IOM expected to transport up to 1,500 vulnerable persons and help them cross the Busseri River before it became impassable.
In Indonesia, Ms. Pandya said that IOM and UNICEF were embarking on an accelerated temporary school construction programme that would provide sufficient classroom space for 40,000 tsunami-affected Acehnese children by the start of the next school term. Information on more items was available in the briefing notes.
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