REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Marie Heuzé, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which also heard from Spokespersons of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration. Spokespersons from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Children’s Fund were also present.

Secretary-General

Ms. Heuzé said that available in the press room in English and French was the transcript of the Secretary-General's press conference held yesterday, upon his return to New York, in which he addressed questions related, among other things, to Kosovo, Iraq, Darfur, and climate change.

Also available in the press room was the Secretary-General's statement welcoming the closing of the nuclear reactor in North Korea, Ms. Heuzé said.

Ms. Heuzé noted that on Thursday, 19 July, the Secretary-General would participate in a Quartet meeting in Lisbon.

Mission in Côte d’Ivoire

Ms. Heuzé highlighted that yesterday the Security Council had decided to renew the mandate of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire until 15 January 2008.

Economic and Social Council

Ms. Heuzé recalled that yesterday morning the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) had begun its humanitarian affairs segment, hearing a presentation by John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Relief Coordinator, on strengthening of the coordination of United Nations humanitarian assistance through enhancing the effectiveness of needs-based humanitarian assistance. Copies of Mr. Holmes's address had been put in the press room yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon, ECOSOC had held a very interesting panel discussion on the use of military assets for natural disaster relief. And, this morning, the Council was continuing its focus on humanitarian issues with a panel discussion on needs-based humanitarian financing, including the Central Emergency Response Fund. ECOSOC's humanitarian segment would continue until Wednesday, 18 July, Ms. Heuzé noted.

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that OCHA Head John Holmes was holding a press conference today to present the Mid-Year Review of the UN Humanitarian Appeals 2007, at 3 p.m. sharp in Room III. Responding to a query, Ms. Byrs noted that appeals for 2007 had totalled $4.4 billion to address some 20 situations. As far as the state of funding, details would be provided tomorrow, but the funding situation was only slightly better compared with the situation at the same point last year.

Human Rights Committee

Ms. Heuzé said the Human Rights Committee was continuing its work today, and was scheduled to conclude its consideration of the second periodic report of the Czech Republic this morning. Press releases on all public meetings of the Committee were available in English and French in the press room.

Pakistan Flash Appeal

Ms. Byrs of OCHA announced a donors meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, 18 July, at 9 a.m., to launch a flash appeal for assistance victims of the flooding in southern Pakistan. A press release on the flash appeal would be available at the meeting. The appeal would cover the needs of those affected and displaced for three months, covering medicines, shelter, sanitation and other priority needs.

Colombian Diaspora

Ron Redmond of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that UNHCR welcomed a resolution passed by the United States House of Representatives last week in solidarity with millions of displaced people in Colombia. The resolution recognized 2007 as the Year of the Rights of Displaced People in Colombia and offered support to help the victims rebuild their lives. Victims of one of the world's longest internal armed conflicts, an average of 18,000 Colombians were uprooted by violence every month – more than 1 million in the past five years alone. The House resolution called on the Colombian Government and the international community to prioritize the discussion of the humanitarian consequences of the internal displacement. It also recommended that the U.S. Government increase aid for emergency and long-term assistance to the victims.

Notably, the House resolution commended UNHCR for its work in Colombia and sought to raise awareness, both within Colombia and in the rest of the world, of the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis and to increase solidarity with its victims. Among other things, it noted the disproportionate impact of forced displacement on Afro-Colombian and indigenous minorities. The resolution also restated the figure given by non-governmental organizations of an estimated 3.8 million internally displaced in Colombia. Displacement statistics had been a contentious issue, Mr. Redmond stressed, with Colombia's Constitutional Court issuing a landmark judgment in August 2006 that had pointed to serious discrepancies between the real magnitude of the situation and the figures given by the national registration system, which had cited over 2 million displaced. The resolution was now with the U.S. Senate for approval.

Iraq Displacement Assessment

Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said available in the back of the room was a 2007 mid-year review of Iraq displacement, which IOM had just compiled. Iraq had almost 2.2 million persons displaced within its borders and an additional 2 million had fled the country to the surrounding region. That mass displacement was fast becoming a regional and ultimately international crisis.

Across the country an average now of 60,000 people were now being displaced on a monthly basis, according to figures compiled for the first half of 2007, Ms. Pandya stressed. Although Baghdad continued to be the origin of most of the displacements since February 2006 – about 69 per cent of the people – this year had also seen a significant increase in the number of people being displaced, to the more stable northern governorates. Since February 2006, more than 1 million had been displaced of the 2.2 million total of internally displaced persons in the country.

This was not only the worst displacement crisis the country had ever faced in terms of how many people were forced to leave their homes on a daily basis – the protracted nature of the displacements meant that the situation for the internally displaced was worsening day by day, Ms. Pandya underscored. IOM's mid-year review confirmed the trends observed at the end of 2006, including host community fatigue, and the deteriorating situation with regard to health care and education. Only a fraction of those needing help were getting it, not just because of the security situation, but also owing to a lack of assistance funding. Since it had launched its appeal in mid-June for assistance to Iraq in 2007-2008, IOM had only received 18 per cent of the $85 million requested.