REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the World Health Organization, UN Habitat, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Trade Organization.
Secretary-General and International Day of Non-Violence
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said yesterday was the International Day of Non-Violence, an occasion that coincided with the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Addressing the General Assembly yesterday morning, next to a bust of Gandhi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the rights of too many people around the world were still violated. That was why the Mahatma’s legacy was more important than ever. The text of the Secretary-General’s statement was available in the press room.
Secretary-General and Landlocked Developed Countries
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Secretary-General yesterday addressed a meeting on the needs of landlocked developing countries. He said it was vital that landlocked developing countries increased their volume of exports in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals. He called on the international community to show the same generosity in helping the world’s 31 landlocked developing countries overcome their trade-hobbling isolation as it did last week when it pledged significant new funding to help poor States in general achieve development goals. The text of the Secretary-General’s statement was available in the press room.
Secretary-General’s report on Guinea-Bissau
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Secretary-General’s latest report on Guinea-Bissau was available. In the report, the Secretary-General said he remained concerned over the volatile security and political situation in Guinea-Bissau, especially when the country was preparing for crucial elections. The Secretary-General also expressed concern that drug trafficking – the volume of which was much greater than previously thought – and organized crimes were threatening to undermine peacebuilding efforts. He noted that the country was reportedly becoming not just a transit hub but also a major marketplace for the drug trade. The Secretary-General reiterated his call to the Security Council to consider establishing a panel of experts to investigate drug trafficking and organized crime in Guinea-Bissau, with the possibility of taking measures, including punitive, targeted sanctions to reverse the growth in drug trafficking. The report of the Secretary-General laws available on the UN website.
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Committee on the Rights of the Child was today concluding its forty-ninth session, which started on 15 September. It would make public its concluding observations on the reports of Austria, Uganda, Djibouti, Lithuania, Bhutan, the United Kingdom and Tanzania during the day. Copies of the concluding observations and recommendations would be put in the press room and a round-up press release would also be issued.
Renewal of Accreditation for Journalists
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said in light of the new UN access badges which are presently being issued at the Palais des Nations, the renewal of accreditation for correspondents will exceptionally start this year on Wednesday, 8 October. Journalists can go to Cathy Fegli’s office C-323 to ask for the new badges. A note to correspondents would be issued later today with all the details. The new badge also replaces the old magnetic cards.
Climate Change and Health
Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization said WHO would hold a virtual press conference on climate change and health on Wednesday 8 October at 2 p.m. There was an increasing amount of research being carried out on the effect of climate change on health. Researchers, economists and public health specialists would meet in Madrid from 6 to 8 October to outline a research agenda on this subject for the future. WHO was heavily involved in this meeting. The three speakers participating in the virtual press conference would be in Madrid. She would issue a note with details on how to participate in the virtual press conference at the beginning of next week. A press release would also be issued at the end of the Madrid meeting.
World Habitat Day
Gert Ludeking of UN Habitat said World Habitat Day was commemorated on 6 October this year. Available at the back of the room was some background information on this year’s commemoration, including the Secretary-General’s message on World Habitat Day. There would also be more information on the Habitat website. The United Nations had designated the first Monday of October each year as World Habitat Day. The idea was to reflect on the state of the world’s towns and cities and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. It was also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat. The global observance of World Habitat Day this year would be led from the Angolan capital Luwanda. The celebrations would show the world how Angola, after years of conflict, was progressing in the establishment of harmonious cities through improvements in urban infrastructure and services and new urban development strategies. The United Nations used the theme harmonious cities for 2008 to raise awareness about the problem of rapid urbanization, its impact on the environment, the growth of slums and the urbanization of poverty as more and more people went to towns and cities looking for a better life. Cities had the greatest impact on the environment and climate change. When they were poorly managed, it was the citizens who suffered most.
Executive Committee of UN Refugee Agency
Ron Redmond of the UN Refugee Agency said the annual meeting of UNHCR’s 76-nation governing body, the Executive Committee, would be opening in the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations on Monday, 6 October. The Executive Committee meeting reviewed and approved UNHCR’s programmes and budgets and advised on refugee protection issues. The High Commissioner for Human Rights would open the meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday. His speech would be available on the UNHCR website. Also addressing the meeting on Monday morning would be the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. On Monday afternoon, a ceremony would be held to present the annual Nansen Refugee Award to Christopher Clark and the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre of South Lebanon. The meetings of the Executive Committee were open to journalists. High Commissioner Antonio Guterres would brief journalists at 1 p.m. on Friday, 10 October on the conclusion of the annual meeting.
OCHA
Elizabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes would be making a European tour in October. He would be in Bern on 13 October, in Madrid on 14 October, in Oslo on 15 October, in Stockholm on 16 October, and in Paris on 20 October.
Ms. Byrs said in Somalia, the latest fighting in Mogadishu had forced another 15,000 persons to become displaced and seek shelter, aid and safety. Some of the newly displaced moved to safer districts within the city, while others fled to the Afgooye corridor, joining more than 300,000 displaced persons. The UN’s appeal for $ 646 million for Somalia was short of $ 231 million.
In Syria, Ms. Byrs said the United Nations had launched an appeal for $ 20 million to work with governmental partners and non governmental organizations to help up to one million drought affected people for a period of six months. Syria was experiencing its worst drought in four decades and the Government estimated that up to one million people, predominantly herders and subsistence farmers, were at risk of losing their livelihoods and increased malnutrition. The Central Emergency Response Fund had already allocated $ 1.97 million to three projects in the appeal.
Other
Catherine Sibut Pinote of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development said UNCTAD and the Food and Agricultural Organization invited journalists on Tuesday, 7 October in the afternoon to a special meeting of the International Task Force on Harmonisation and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture. The Task Force would present two tools to simplify the work and price to get a bio certificate in developing countries, thus improving developing countries’ access to bio agricultural markets. A press kit was available in the press room. At the end of the presentation of these two tools on 7 October in the afternoon, journalists were invited to attend the Palais des Nations’ first 100 per cent bio cocktail.
Teresa Buerkle of the Food and Agriculture Organization said FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture 2008 would be launched in a press conference in Rome on Tuesday, 7 October at 11 a.m. by Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, and Hafez Ghanem, Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Development Department. The press conference would be web cast on the FAO website. This year’s report examined the prospects, risks and opportunities of biofuels and called for a review of biofuel policies and subsidies.
Janaina Borges of the World Trade Organization said next week, the Trade and Development Negotiating Group would be meeting on 7 October at 3 p.m.; the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committee would be meeting on 8 and 9 October; and the Trade Policy Review for Korea would be held on 8 and 10 October. On 6 October, Director-General Pascal Lamy would be in Evian where he would participate in the World Policy Conference. On 7 October, he would meet in Geneva with Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD and Kazuaki Miyagishima, Secretary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. On 9 October, Mr. Lamy would be in Montreux where he would participate in the International Trade Centre's World Export Development Forum.