REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Marie Heuzé, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which also heard from Spokespersons for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Development Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration.

Human Rights

Ms. Heuzé said that the Human Rights Council would today conclude its second session. The Council’s third session would be held from 27 November to 8 December 2006, and the spring session in 2007 would take place from 12 March to 6 April. The closing session today was expected to begin with a plenary session at 11:30 a.m., although the time was still to be confirmed.

José Luis Diaz of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that later today OHCHR’s latest periodic report from Sudan would be released. It would focus on attacks against civilians by militias, apparently supported by the Government, that had taken place in Darfur at the end of September 2006.

Statements of the Secretary-General

Ms. Heuzé drew attention to two important statements of the Secretary-General issued in New York yesterday, one on Côte d’Ivoire and the other on Darfur.

On Côte d’Ivoire, the Secretary-General had deplored the inflammatory remarks made on 2 October by the President of the Front Populaire Ivoirien, Mr. Affi Nguessan, which had contained threats against citizens of other members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) living in Côte d’Ivoire. The Secretary-General had called on all Ivorian political leaders and their followers to exercise the utmost restraint at this critical juncture, and had stressed that those instigating or committing violent acts would be held personally responsible by the international community. He had also emphasized the responsibility of the Ivorian Defence and Security Forces to protect the civilian population, including ECOWAS citizens as well as other foreigners residing in Côte d’Ivoire. The Secretary-General had urged the Ivorian leaders to pursue dialogue and work with ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations to break the current impasse and agree on new transitional arrangements that should lead to elections.

On Darfur, Ms. Heuzé recalled that yesterday morning the Security Council had held consultations on the situation in Darfur and had received the Secretary-General’s latest report to the situation in the region. The report characterized the situation as having reached a critical stage, with humanitarian groups at risk of withdrawing or drastically reducing their operations unless security conditions improved rapidly. The Secretary-General urged the Sudanese Government to adhere to the decisions of the United Nations and the African Union and to accept UN peacekeepers.

On the ground, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) had detailed fresh reports of attacks and displacement across the region. About 10,000 people had set up a temporary camp close to an African Union camp in South Darfur following fighting in the area. In Kalma, also in South Darfur, armed men had killed two people and injured another as they abducted three members of a camp for internally displaced persons. Government troops were also reported to have attacked the North Darfur village of Malagat, northeast of Kuttum, although there were no details of any casualties.

Geneva activities

In response to the complaint from the President of ACANU regarding the security alert in Geneva, Ms. Heuzé said that the confidential note on the threat which had been made public yesterday morning, 5 October, had in fact been prepared by UNOG Security the previous evening. Ms. Heuzé said that the security risk was evaluated on a daily basis and that appropriate measures would be taken according to the circumstances. The measures that had been put in place yesterday would be maintained today and reinforced in certain areas. The Visitors’ Service, which conducts guided tours of the Palais des Nations, would today only be receiving groups with advance reservations. Access to the Cour d’Honneur had been closed off. However, all meetings would take place as scheduled and work would continue as usual.

In order to ensure that all residents of the Palais received the same information, Ms. Heuzé said it had been agreed by UNOG Administration that “broadcast” e-mail messages on security and health risks, such as on the avian influenza, intended for UNOG personnel, would also be distributed at the same time to accredited UNOG correspondents, since they were also occupants of the building.

Anniversary of earthquake in Pakistan

Elizabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recalled that 8 October 2006 marked the one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Pakistan. Ms. Byrs reviewed the aid provided during the “emergency relief phase” of the operation, which had been successful for two main reasons. First, an UNDAC team of 20 experts had immediately been dispatched during the first 24 hours after the earthquake struck. Second, this had been followed by a rapid deployment of close to 1,300 United Nations staff and more than 200 NGOs. Moreover, the cooperation with the Pakistani authorities and military at the level of planning and logistics had been exemplary. Clusters had been established by mid-October. As a result of the measures undertaken, including the massive movement of

people from higher altitude areas, the race against the onset of winter (“Winter Race”) had been won. Critical shelter and medical aid had been provided for more than 800,000 people, preventing a second wave of casualties.

On the financial side, commitments covering 72% of the flash appeal issued on 11 October had been received (USD 399 million committed of the USD 552 requested). Some USD 255 million had been requested for the early recovery/reconstruction plan, of which USD 161 million had been received. For this winter, some USD 2 million would be required for a small fleet of helicopters to deliver aid where needed.

Jean Fabre of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) focused on the reconstruction plan, which covered the period May 2006 to April 2007. More than 80 organizations were involved in the reconstruction work being undertaken under the leadership of OXFAM, which had taken over from OCHA once the relief phase had ended. The reconstruction not only involved bricks and mortar but also things like renewal of agricultural materials and reestablishment of essential public services. To illustrate, Mr. Fabre mentioned as an example that UNDP was currently engaged in the reconstruction of a number of schools, as 80% of educational institutions had been affected by the quake. But an equally important element of the project was the training of teachers.

Mr. Fabre said that 500,000 of the 600,000 homes destroyed or damaged had been inspected in order to be able to make the necessary resources available for repairs. The World Bank would be providing the bulk of the resources in this area, in coordination with Pakistani Government. The reconstruction was a process that would take time. It would take two to four years for the entire programme to be put in place. In the meantime, twelve Housing Reconstruction Centres had been established to train more than 7,600 technical professionals (including architects and engineers), construction workers, army personnel and social mobilisers.

Addressing the most pressing current needs, Mr. Fabre said that while 90% of the population had returned to their homes, there were still some 36,000 people in temporary shelters that would have to be relocated. In anticipation of the onset of winter, an emphasis was being placed on helping those in need of shelter. Financially, some sectors were better off than others. The sectors that had received the greatest amount of financial support included education, governance and subsistence. Less well off but equally important were the water and sanitation sector and housing.

Mr. Fabre added that a press conference to mark the anniversary would take place today in New York with the participation of Jan Egeland, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator; George Bush, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the reconstruction in Pakistan, and Hina Rabbani Khar, Economic Min of Pakistan. It would begin at 11:00 a.m. New York time, or 5:00 p.m. Geneva time.

Miranda Eels of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recalled that the earthquake had struck just before 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday when most children were at school. It was estimated that around 18,000 children had died and around 10,000 had been disabled. Nearly 2,000 had become orphans. 853 teaching staff had died and around 67% of educational institutions were fully or partially damaged. The figures showed that children had borne the brunt of the tragedy. However, one year on, there had been some remarkable achievements. Despite the extent of the damage to the schools, the school year had not really been disrupted. Within days of the earthquake the children had been back attending classes in temporary shelters, tents or prefabricated buildings. This had brought back a sense of normalcy to their lives. UNICEF’s motto for the reconstruction was “build back better”, i.e. not just to restore facilities where they had been damaged, but also to build them where they had not previously existed. The goal was the full restoration of health and educational facilities and to raise the standard of medical care, education, and water and sanitation facilities. Background information on UNICEF’s five main programmes in Pakistan was available at the back of the room.

Luc Chevin, UNICEF’s Emergency Coordinator, who arrived in Pakistan within two days of the earthquake, added that it was important to recognize the contribution of the personnel of operational agencies, including national personnel, that were already in Pakistan when the earthquake struck, who had provided an immediate response and filled the gap until the arrival of other aid workers. Second, it was often overlooked what an important role the cooperation with the Pakistani military, and the transport and logistical support that it had provided, had played, particularly in the first few weeks following the earthquake.

Brigitte Leoni of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) said that prevention was an essential part of the reconstruction phase, to ensure that the next disaster doesn’t have as large an impact. ISDR was not an operational agency but it financed programmes, including with UNDP, UN-HABITAT and others. ISDR was also working with Citizen Foundation, an NGO, to train masons to ensure that they integrate anti-seismic standards in their construction of houses. ISDR was also working with the European Commission to train elected officials to better prepare communities better for natural disasters.

Mark Oliver of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) briefed journalists on the preliminary winter outlook just received from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) for the earthquake affected areas. The PMD was predicting that the coming winter would be severe with average temperatures likely to be colder than normal. Winter was expected to arrive about one or two weeks earlier than normal, or around mid-November rather than the end of November. Lowest night temperatures were expected to range between –2 and -7° Celsius in the plain areas. From December through February, day temperatures were likely to remain several degrees below freezing, especially in mountainous regions, with minimum temperatures (night) sometimes as low as 15° C.

Environment

Michael Williams of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) said that the meeting yesterday of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) had decided not to authorize the exports of elephant ivory from Africa. There had been some confusion as to whether Japan had been authorized to buy ivory. Mr. Williams would try to clarify the issue with those interested following the briefing.

Next week, the third major annual conference of the Rotterdam Convention would take place from 9 to 13 October 2006. The main issue on the agenda would be whether to add asbestos to the watch list of dangerous chemicals. This was expected to be a controversial and interesting issue. A press release on this issue had been issued yesterday. It was difficult to predict when a decision would be taken. Correspondents were therefore encouraged to attend the briefing on the Convention and the issue that would take place this morning immediately following the current one.

Health

Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that an important meeting on drug-resistant tuberculosis would take place at WHO headquarters on Monday and Tuesday, 9-10 October 2006. She drew attention to a document containing frequently asked questions on the subject available on the WHO website. A press release would be issued on Wednesday, 11 October, on the results of this technical meeting. Glenn Thomas of WHO was available for further details (tel: +41 79 509 0677).

Also taking place next week, on 11 and 12 October, was a meeting of the independent oversight body of the global polio eradication to scrutinize progress in all the remaining polio-endemic countries. A press briefing on polio eradication would take place on Thursday, 12 October, at 2:00 p.m. in Room III, with the participation of Dr. Steve Cochi, Chairperson of the independent oversight body, and Dr. Yagob Yousef Al-Mazrou of the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia, among other speakers. As in past press briefings on the subject, journalists who were not physically present in Geneva would be invited to dial into the press briefing. Oliver Rosenbauer of WHO was available for further information (tel: +41 22 791 3832).

Ms. Chaib said that WHO observed World Mental Health Day on 10 October each year. A press release on the observance would be issued on Monday, 9 October.

Finally, Ms. Chaib reminded correspondents that Philippe Douste-Blazy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, and Dr. Anders Nordström, Acting Director-General of WHO, would be giving a press conference in Room III on Monday, 9 October, at 12:15 p.m. to discuss the International Drug Purchase Facility, UNITAID, for which WHO provided the secretariat.

Other

Jennifer Pagonis of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recalled that the traditional press conference following the conclusion of UNHCR’s Executive Committee meeting would take place today and would begin somewhere between 12:30 and 1:00 p.m., depending on when the meeting concluded.

Ms. Pagonis said that in Kenya there had been a dramatic rise in the number of Somali refugees in the last two days, pushing to more than 30,000 the total number of new arrivals this year. Since Wednesday, UNHCR had registered more than 2,000 Somali refugees arriving through the Liboi and Amuma border crossings amid reports of an advance on several towns in the Juba Valley by fighters allied to the Islamic Courts Union. The arrival rate of more than 1,000 people a day was severely straining UNHCR’s limited capacity in Dadaab. UNHCR was to organize itself to respond as effectively to the needs of these refugees. Further details on this and other issues she would be discussing were available in UNHCR’s briefing note.

In Chad, Ms. Pagonis said that the security situation throughout the eastern part of the country remained extremely volatile as unidentified armed groups continued to operate in the region and frequently targeted humanitarian workers. In the past 10 days, three more vehicles belonging to humanitarian agencies had been stolen by unidentified armed men in the region of Guereda and Bahai, bringing to a total of 40 the number of cars that had been stolen from humanitarian agencies in less than one year. Only about half of the cars had been recovered and no one had been arrested for these crimes. Meanwhile, on Thursday, UNHCR had begun the transfer of 284 Sudanese refugees from the border in the Guereda area to Kounoungou refugee camp. Another 900 refugees had expressed an interest in being moved to the camp due to the deteriorating security situation.

Ms. Pagonis said that the sailing season had begun in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen. At least 35 smuggling boats carrying more than 3,500 people had crossed the Gulf since the beginning of September. Since the season began, at least 54 people have died making the perilous voyage and 60 more are missing.

On Nepal, Ms. Pagonis said that UNHCR welcomed the generous offer made by the United States to resettle up to 60,000 refugees from Bhutan who had been living in camps in eastern Nepal for 16 years. The announcement had been made earlier this week in Geneva by the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugee and Migration Affairs, Ellen Sauerbrey. This offer might well help break the deadlock which had existed for many years in finding a positive and lasting solution for these refugees.

Information was also available in UNHCR’s briefing note on assistance provided by UNHCR to 6,300 internally displaced persons in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the appointment of Greek musician George Dalaras as UNCHR Goodwill Ambassador.

Jean-Michel Jakobowicz of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) drew attention to two press releases at the back of the room. One was on the annual policy forum of the UNECE and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), which took place in Geneva yesterday, where several countries shared their experience of public procurement schemes intended to encourage sustainable management of forests and discourage illegal producers.

The second press release focused on the TIR Convention, which enables trucks to cross international borders within Europe with the so-called TIR Carnet – a customs transit document – without having to have their goods inspected at each border. On 28 September, the Administrative Committee for the TIR Convention had met and considered a number of important issues for the functioning of the Convention. In particular, concerns raised by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) with regard to the financing of the TIR Executive Board and the TIR Secretariat had been considered. The end result was that a deadline of 15 October 2006 had been given for the IRU to accept certain conditions in this regard. Should the deadline pass without the IRU’s acceptance of these conditions, it could have a significant impact on road traffic in the European region since it is the IRU that issues the TIR Carnet to the trucks.
Samar Shamoon of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said that WIPO would soon be releasing a report on patents and that a press briefing with Francis Gurry, Deputy Director-General of WIPO, would most likely be scheduled for next week. Also taking place next week would be the first in a series of information meetings on a number of patent-related issues between now and September 2007. The meeting, which was open and which would address research exemptions, would take place on Wednesday, 11 October, at 2:00 p.m. Online registration was available on the WIPO website. Otherwise, a press badge should suffice to enter.

Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that IOM had this week distributed its first assistance to people displaced by fighting between NATO-led troops and insurgents in Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan provinces in Afghanistan. An estimated 80,000 people had been displaced in these provinces since July. The new displacement was in addition to 100,000 previously displaced in the south. Most of the people were now living with relatives or camping in parks, schools and on the streets, with many families having lost everything they owned with winter on the doorstep. Continued and new support from donors was required in order to be able to provide aid to these people. Quick action was required in order to avert another humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan. Further details were available in IOM’s briefing note.