HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY TIME TO RENEW COMMITMENT TO DISARM – TOP UN OFFICIALS

The 64th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima serves not only as a reminder of the destruction wrought by nuclear weapons but as a time to renew the global commitment to rid the world of this deadly scourge, top United Nations officials said today.

Some say the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons is impossible, and that security can be achieved only by acquiring nuclear weapons, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held in Japan.

"Yet we are witnessing today a cascade of new and powerful ideas for security through the elimination of nuclear weapons," he said in a message, delivered by UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte. "All the nuclear-weapon States officially support this goal."

The Secretary-General called on all humanity to support the "sensible and achievable" goal of building a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. "Let us each do our part in this common journey – and thereby ensure that there will be no more victims such as those we honour today."

Last October Mr. Ban launched a five-point plan to achieve the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world, which contains practical steps the international community can take. More recently, he launched the "WMD-WeMustDisarm" multimedia campaign, kicking off a 100-day countdown to next month's observance of the International Day of Peace, which this year focuses on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Also speaking at today's ceremony, General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto said that 64 years later, the "gruesome reality" of atomic destruction has lost none of its power to inspire grief and terror – and righteous anger.

"We cannot, have not, and will not succeed in eliminating the danger of nuclear weapons being used again, unless and until we have eliminated nuclear weapons from the face of the earth and until we have placed the capacity for making those weapons under reliable and lasting international control," he said.

"I understand that this is a tall order, full of technical and political complexities," he added. "Yet, if we are to keep faith with the victims and survivors of the first nuclear terror, we must resolve, here and now, to take convincing action to begin working toward the explicit goal of complete nuclear disarmament."

The anniversary of the 1945 nuclear attacks on Hiroshima (6 August) and Nagasaki (9 August) was also marked by the UN Conference on Disarmament – the world's sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations – which is currently meeting in Geneva.

The President of the Conference, Ambassador Caroline Millar of Australia, drew attention to the fact that today was a sober reminder to all of the destruction and devastation of nuclear weapons and of the compelling importance of the Conference resuming its work on nuclear disarmament.
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UN FINANCIAL SUMMIT ‘FIRST STEP’ ON NEW PATH TOWARDS SOLIDARITY – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

The high-level United Nations meeting on the global economic crisis has culminated in the approval of an outcome document that represents the first step in a long process of putting the world on a new path towards solidarity, stability and sustainability, the President of the General Assembly said today.

The Assembly – the "G-192" – has now been established as the central forum for the discussion of world financial and economic issues, Miguel D'Escoto said, as the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development wrapped up in New York.

"This in itself is a major achievement," stated the President, who was tasked with organizing the summit by Member States during the follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development, held in December 2008 in Doha, Qatar.

In addition, he said, the Assembly has been asked to follow up, through an ad hoc open-ended working group, on a number of issues such as crisis mitigation, the restructuring of the financial and economic system and architecture, external debt, and international trade.

At the same time, it has been recognized that the financial and economic crisis must not delay the necessary global response to climate change and environmental degradation through initiatives for building a 'green economy.'

"We are happy but not content, or rather, not completely satisfied," he stated, noting that other crises loom on the horizon, such as those related to food, clean water and energy.

"We must all join forces to confront these crises. The proposals we have adopted today point in this direction. But much remains to be done," he said.

The three-day meeting also featured several roundtable discussions on topics including the role of the UN in responding to the crisis and how to mitigate the impact of the downturn on development.

Addressing one of the round tables today, the head of the UN Development Programme noted that while developed countries have felt the impact, some severely, for the most part they have had tools at their disposal to address the crisis.

"Some expect a slow recovery towards the end of this year or in the first half of next year,"

"The turn-around for developing countries, however, may well take longer," she pointed out. "Many impacts of the crisis in developing countries, such as slowing growth rates, rising unemployment, and declining budgets are only now beginning to unfold."

Among the main worries is that the crisis will slow down the rate of progress towards meeting the anti-poverty targets world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), or even reverse hard-won gains. "We must do all in our power to stop this happening," she urged.
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TOP UN OFFICIALS URGE CONTINUED AIDS FUNDING AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS

Top United Nations officials today urged countries to maintain and strengthen their commitments to tackle HIV and AIDS in the midst of the global economic downturn, warning that slashing resources now could mean greater costs and suffering in the future.

Addressing a meeting of the General Assembly convened to assess progress in the response to the global epidemic, its President, Miguel D'Escoto, noted that people living with HIV/AIDS have been placed at greater risk as a result of the global financial and economic crisis that is crippling economies around the world.

"As a result of this ongoing crisis, I fear that many governments are resigned to reducing programmes and diminished expectations," he told delegates. "But it is precisely when times are difficult that our true values and the sincerity of our commitment are most clearly evident.

"Even as we see signs of cutbacks in AIDS funding in many countries, we must remind governments and the international community that the world has the resources to mount the kind of AIDS response to which we have committed.

"If we allow cuts now, we will face increased costs and great human suffering in the future," he stated.

In 2006, the Assembly pledged to achieve universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. A report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on progress on HIV/AIDS commitments shows that achieving national universal access targets by 2010 will require an estimated annual outlay of $25 billion within two years.

Mr. D'Escoto said that, as the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has pointed out, the amounts needed to achieve this goal represent "a miniscule fraction" of the sums that have been spent this year on economic stimulus measures.

The Secretary-General's report also highlights a number of encouraging developments such as countries establishing clear national targets for universal access, and a continued increase in financing for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries, reaching $13.7 billion in 2008.

At the same time, the report says considerable challenges remain, including significant access gaps for key HIV-related services. Also, the pace of new infections continues to outstrip the expansion of treatment programmes, and commitment to HIV prevention remains inadequate.

"Now is not the time to falter," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the meeting. "The economic crisis should not be an excuse to abandon commitments – it should be an impetus to make the right investments that will yield benefits for generations to come."

Mr. Ban said that a vigorous and effective response to the AIDS epidemic is integrally linked to meeting global commitments to reduce poverty, prevent hunger, lower childhood mortality, and protect the health and well being of women.

"But to achieve the goal of universal access, barriers to progress need to be overcome. Not just in battling the disease, but also in confronting obstacles that society puts in the way," he said, adding that the fight against AIDS also requires attacking "diseases of the human spirit – prejudice, discrimination, stigma."

He called on all governments to review their legal frameworks to ensure compliance with the human rights principles on which a sound AIDS response is based. "This is not solely a medical or scientific challenge. It is a moral challenge, too," he said.

Speaking to reporters after addressing the meeting, the Secretary-General discussed his own efforts to attack prejudice, discrimination and stigma. Among them, he said he met regularly with UN staff who lived with HIV and that he is pushing for all people living with HIV to participate in society without fear of discrimination.

He was joined by UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibé, who commended Mr. Ban's leadership in helping to break the "conspiracy of silence" on stigma, discrimination and criminalization against people living with HIV, particularly among vulnerable groups – homosexuals, sex workers and drug users.

He added that "time is running out," noting that the 2010 deadline for achieving universal access is right around the corner. "Unfortunately, we are far from reaching our goals."

Some 84 countries have reported that they have laws and policies that act as obstacles to effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for vulnerable populations, according to UNAIDS.

"Achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support is a human rights imperative. It is essential that the global response to the AIDS epidemic is grounded in human rights and that discrimination and punitive laws against those most affected by HIV are removed," stated Mr. Sidibé.
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INTERNATIONAL DAY SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR MORE WOMEN IN UN PEACEKEEPING

INTERNATIONAL DAY SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR MORE WOMEN IN UN PEACEKEEPING
New York, May 29 2009 11:00AM
The United Nations is marking the annual International Day of Peacekeepers by honouring the brave troops, police and civilians who serve in some of the most difficult places around the world, and by stressing the unique role played by women and the need to deploy more of them.

This year's commemoration comes at a time when the services of UN peacekeepers are in greater demand than ever. Deployment is at a record high, with more than 113,000 peacekeepers serving in 18 operations on four continents.

Yet, "there are still far too few women peacekeepers," as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted in his <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12240.doc.htm">message for the Day, pointing out that women make up only 8 per cent of the UN police and 2 per cent of its military personnel.

"With women joining national militaries and police in greater numbers, it is critical that Member States contribute even more female personnel to the United Nations," he stated, highlighting the "power of women" to strengthen UN peacekeeping while helping women and girls themselves to transform their destinies – and societies – for the better.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has urged troop- and police-contributing countries to deploy more women. India was among the first to answer the call in 2007 with the deployment of a 125-member all-female police contingent to Liberia.

The world body is also working to increase the number of women in senior positions at Headquarters and in field missions.

"We have done a lot but we need to do a great deal more," Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy stated.

"Peacekeeping has become more multifaceted. We assist in providing security, reforming State institutions and supporting political transitions. Our women peacekeepers make a critical contribution in all of these areas and their work encourages others to participate in local peace processes," said Mr. Le Roy.

General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto, in his message for the Day, stressed that peacekeepers do not just carry out their mandated tasks. "They create a lasting legacy by exemplifying how military and police can engage in humanitarian work while interacting respectfully with civil society.

"UN operations do more than just silence the guns," he said. "Increasingly, they help to foster a culture of sustainable peace in countries devastated by conflict, some that have lasted for decades."

From New York to Naqoura, Darfur to Dili, the Day is being marked globally with a range of events, including ceremonies to honour those who paid the ultimate price in the service of peace. In 2008, 132 peacekeepers – including 10 women – lost their lives, whether through attacks, illnesses or accidents – the highest one-year total in the history of the Organization.

Designated by the General Assembly in 2002, the International Day is observed on 29 May, the date in 1948 when the first UN peacekeeping mission, the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), began operations in Palestine.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY POSTPONES ECONOMIC SUMMIT

GENERAL ASSEMBLY POSTPONES ECONOMIC SUMMIT
New York, May 26 2009 6:00PM
The General Assembly has postponed until late June the high-level gathering aimed at assessing the global economic crisis and seeking solutions which take the interests of all nations into account, it was announced today.

Originally scheduled to take place from 1-3 June, the United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development will be held in New York from 24-26 June instead.

Delegates had voiced concern that they needed more time to negotiate the draft outcome document to be adopted at the gathering, according to a <"http://www.un.org/ga/news/news.asp?NewsID=30921&Cr=financial+crisis&Cr1=general+assembly">statement issued by the spokesperson for Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto, who is also the summit's organizer.

The President has appealed for negotiations on the draft outcome document to be wrapped up by 15 June, underscoring at an Assembly <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/ga10829.doc.htm">plenary session that the three-day meeting's success will hinge on "the active engagement of the political leadership of the Member States at the highest possible level."

He further expressed confidence that "Member States will demonstrate the necessary political will and good faith regarding the complex negotiations" at the summit, which was called for by participants at a financing for development meeting held in Qatar in late 2008.
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UPCOMING UN ECONOMIC SUMMIT ‘TIMELY AND HISTORIC’ – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

UPCOMING UN ECONOMIC SUMMIT 'TIMELY AND HISTORIC' – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT
New York, May 8 2009 4:00PM
The upcoming United Nations meeting to tackle the global financial crisis is both "timely and historic," the President of the General Assembly said, urging all States to participate at the highest level and to support the draft outcome document that he presented today.

"The participation of all Member States at the highest level is indispensable for the transcendental gathering to achieve its full potential," Miguel D'Escoto told the 192-member Assembly. "I earnestly believe that this is an opportunity the world cannot afford not to take advantage of."

Mr. D'Escoto is tasked with organizing the UN High-Level Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, which was called for by participants at a financing for development meeting held in Qatar in late 2008.

He emphasized that the outcome document that leaders will adopt at the end of the 1-3 June meeting must reflect the aspirations of the Member States. "In particular, it must speak to the hundreds of millions across the globe who have no other forum in which they can express their unique and often divergent perspectives."

Presenting the draft outcome document to the Assembly, Mr. D'Escoto said he tried his best to reflect the concerns and expectations expressed to him by the government officials he met with in recent weeks as he travelled to different countries.

"This draft outcome document may be the only document that the heads of State and government may see prior to coming to the June meeting," he later told a news conference.

"This is the document that will make it or break it," he said, noting that the text will be the basis on which leaders will decide whether to take the June meeting seriously or to cast it as just another kind of "international charade" that will come to nothing.

"I am hopeful that we will be instrumental in bringing tranquillity to the world that is in the midst of much anxiety caused by many converging crises, but mainly by the financial and economic turmoil."
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ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS FOR UNITY IN PROTECTING PLANET ON EARTH DAY

As the United Nations General Assembly officially designated 22 April as International Mother Earth Day, its president called on States to "cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystems."

General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto stressed that developed countries bear the responsibility for supporting an urgent shift to sustainable development.

"The technologies and financial resources they command can also assist developing countries in the transition to modes of production that are sustainable and assure the universal rights to such dwindling resources as clean air and water and healthy food," said Mr. D'Escoto.

Addressing the Assembly, Mr. D'Escoto emphasized the role of indigenous communities in environmental management and development because of their traditional knowledge and practices.

"States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture and interests and enable the effective participation of indigenous peoples in the achievement of sustainable development," he said.

While noting that the world has been slow to respond to the emergencies posed by global warming and "the reckless damage we are doing to our planet," Mr. D'Escoto paid tribute to the UN, which "has been in the forefront of a global campaign to raise consciousness about the right of all humans to live a healthy life in harmony with nature."

The 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm marked the beginning of a global awareness of the interdependence between people, other living species and our planet, as well as the establishment of World Environment Day on 5 June and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), he said.

"Today the United Nations and so many dedicated non-governmental organizations [NGOs] that organized this event reaffirm our relationship to Mother Earth and our responsibility to coming generations to enhance our rights to a healthy environment and thereby promote the opportunities for peace and justice for all citizens," Mr. D'Escoto said.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGREES ON TERMS OF UN SUMMIT ON FINANCIAL CRISIS

The United Nations will convene a global summit in June to assess the impact of the world economic crisis on development, it was announced today, after the General Assembly agreed on the arrangements for the conference.

"In the midst of the most serious economic downturn since the Great Depression, we now have the opportunity and the responsibility to search for solutions that take into account the interests of all nations, the rich and the poor, the large and the small," Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto stated after the 192-member body adopted a resolution on the 1 to 3 June summit.

Mr. D'Escoto has been tasked with organizing the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development, which was called for by participants at a financing for development meeting held in Qatar in late 2008.

Last month, he travelled to a number of countries to build support for participation at the highest level in the June meeting, and he plans to visit several more in the weeks ahead.

"In agreeing to hold this United Nations conference at the highest level, Member States are recognizing the vital importance of assuring that all nations have an opportunity to participate equally and fully in the common search for solutions that meet the concerns and needs of all countries, large and small," said Mr. D'Escoto.

He stressed that, in this effort, it is vital to draw on "technical expertise and practical wisdom" from all over the world, and from countries at every stage of development, as well as from international organizations, academia, private sector organizations, and civil society.

In addition to the impact of the crisis on development, the conference will also focus on ongoing discussions on reforming and strengthening the international financial and economic system and architecture.

A Commission of Experts appointed by Mr. D'Escoto and chaired by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz has stated that international finance structures must be drastically overhauled in the face of the current global economic crisis.

The panel, as well as the meeting later this month of the Economic and Social Council with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organisation (WTO), are expected to contribute to the preparations for the June summit.

Mr. D'Escoto will likely circulate a draft outcome text for the summit for negotiation in early May.
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ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS ON CHINA TO SUPPORT REFORM OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS ON CHINA TO SUPPORT REFORM OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
New York, Feb 25 2009 7:00PM

The President of the General Assembly today appealed to China to support United Nations initiatives to transform international financial, economic, monetary and trade policies in response to the current global economic and financial crises.

"The enormous economic crisis that we face today threatens to tip millions, perhaps billions, of our people into poverty of catastrophic proportions," General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto told a gathering at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.

He told the meeting that over 150 participating States at the Financing for Development Conference in Doha at the end of last year had called for a high-level international conference to review the international financial and monetary architecture, including a possible expansion in the representation of institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The 192-member General Assembly has decided that its President, Mr. D'Escoto, should be responsible for organizing the conference to be held in June.

He announced today that he had appointed Yu Yongding, the Director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as president of a commission of experts to assist UN Member States in identifying problems and recommending solutions that will be considered in the run up to the June conference.

"The coming June conference represents an historic opportunity for the G77 and China," said Mr. D'Escoto.

"A new system is possible that can truly facilitate the integration of the developing countries into global decision making and ensure that the interests and concerns of all counties are taken into account," he added.

The Assembly President noted that the transformation of China as an economic powerhouse has captivated the world, and that it has "demonstrated what wise management, forward planning and cooperation – particularly South-South cooperation – can do."
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