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 for the Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the International Organization for Migration. Ms. Heuzé said Spokespersons from the High Commissioner for Refugees and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights were available in the room but had no specific news to share. Other Spokespersons had called her to say they would not be coming to the briefing as they had no news or developments to report, but that they were available in their offices if journalists had any questions.

Conference on Disarmament

Ms. Heuzé said that the Conference on Disarmament was today holding the first plenary of the third and last part of its 2007 session. The President of the Conference, Ambassador Jurg Streuli of Switzerland, told delegations that his consultations during the summer recess had shown no change in the position of delegations needing more time to decide on the Presidential draft decision and two other texts which could allow the Conference to resume its substantive work after years of inactivity. The President was the only speaker and the meeting was already over.

The next plenary of the Conference would be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 7 August, when it would be addressed by Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Ms. Heuzé said that Mr. Pfirter and Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and the Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, would give a joint press conference on 7 August at 12:30 p.m. in press room 1. A press release about the visit of Mr. Pfirter and a press kit on the activities of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons would be available later this week.

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Ms. Heuzé said the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was continuing its seventy-first session which started yesterday at the Palais Wilson. This morning, the Committee would conclude its consideration of the seventeenth and eighteenth periodic reports of Costa Rica, and this afternoon, it would start its review of the fifteenth to seventeenth periodic reports of New Zealand. The background press release, which listed all the countries whose reports would be considered by the Committee at this session, was also available.

New Appointments

Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon has announced the appointment of Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore as Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); and Bader al-Dafa of Qatar as Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Cultural Events Organized by Chinese Mission

Ms. Heuzé said that every summer, the Chinese Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva organized a number of cultural events, and this year, it was organizing a painting exhibition entitled “One World”, a concert which would be held this evening in the Assembly Hall, and other events. A programme was available at the back of the room.

General Assembly to Discuss Implementing Scientific Consensus on Climate Change into Broad Political Consensus for Action

Ms. Heuzé said available in the press room was a press release on a two-day thematic debate by the General Assembly beginning today, 31 July, on how to translate the growing scientific consensus on climate change into a broad political consensus for action. The debate, which would feature prominent scientists, business leaders and United Nations officials, was expected to raise awareness and momentum for action on climate change, in preparation for the Secretary-General’s high-level event in September and for the climate change conference that would take place in Bali this December.

Other

Jean-Michel Jakobowicz of the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said every year at this time the UNECE and the Food and Agriculture Organization issued the Forest Products Annual Market Review. The Review for 2006-2007 had just been released, indicating among others the sharp fall in United States house construction, accelerating wood fuel demands to meet targets for renewable energy in Europe and North America; and strong growth in Europe in both production and consumption of sawn softwood. A press release with more details was available. The Review was available on the UNECE and FAO websites.

Veronique Taveau of the United Nations Children’s Fund said the World Breastfeeding Week would be starting on Wednesday, 1 August. The theme this year was early initiation of breastfeeding because studies showed that neonatal death rates could be reduced by breastfeeding infants within one hour of birth. A study from Ghana indicated that 16 per cent of neonatal deaths could be prevented by breastfeeding infants from day one, rising to 22 per cent if breastfeeding began within one hour of birth. A press release with more details were available.

Ms. Taveau said that the latest national nutrition survey in Niger showed that at the onset of the lean season, when communities were most vulnerable, too many children were still at risk of malnutrition. The response put in place had proven to be efficient for thousands of children, but needed to be scaled up to benefit every child in need. A press release with more details was available.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration said IOM Director-General Brunson McKinley and India’s Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi were today signing a Memorandum of Understanding which would serve as a platform for the joint implementation of programmes and activities enhancing the management and facilitation of overseas employment of Indian workers worldwide.

In Haiti, Mr. Chauzy said a one-year pilot project was providing vital reintegration assistance to Haitian migrants who returned to Haiti. In Senegal, women from the ECOWAS region were meeting in Dakar to find new ways to curb irregular migration
from Sub Saharan Africa to Europe.