HAITI ADVANCING TOWARDS STABILITY BUT MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE – UN

Haiti has "a remarkable opportunity" to overcome decades of misrule and neglect, but major hurdles remain and the international community must step up its support to ensure the Caribbean country can consolidate its gains, the United Nations Special Envoy and former United States president Bill Clinton said today.

Addressing an <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sc9739.doc.htm">open debate of the Security Council, Mr. Clinton said the outlook for Haiti was positive, with a Government committed to building a modern State, large pledges of aid from donors, a diaspora willing to help and goodwill from the international community.

"I am convinced that Haiti has a remarkable opportunity to escape its past," he said, noting that throughout the region, "there is a deep, wide sense that we can and should support" the country, considered the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

"Haiti can succeed, but not without your help," he stressed, urging those donors that have made aid pledges to now fund them. Only $21 million has so far been disbursed of the $700 million pledged.

He added that any measures that could help expedite the distribution of aid would have a positive impact on the daily lives of Haitians.

Mr. Clinton said he would soon undertake a trade mission to Haiti to try to attract investment and project a more positive image of the country, and noted that the country had especially "enormous untapped potential for wind and solar energy" programmes.

Later, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Hédi Annabi told the Council debate that some advances have been made in extending State authority with aid of the UN mission in the country, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH, and the international community in fields ranging from increased customs revenue, enhanced local management of resources and other capacity-building initiatives.

"However, all of these initiatives combined represent a fraction of what is required to enable the State to deliver basic services to the population, as is critical for lasting stability," he warned. "Real progress in this area will depend upon on the political will of the Haitian leadership, and on strong and coordinated support from bilateral partners."

Mr. Annabi cited the continuing efforts by President René Préval and Prime Minister Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis to foster constructive and inclusive discussions on the country's future as well as improved collaboration between the executive and legislative branches.

"At a time when Haiti faces difficult choices, but also enjoys a valuable opportunity to advance, these positive trends must be strengthened," he said. "It is critical that all branches of Government enhance collaboration, avoid inflammatory language, and jointly assume responsibility for hard decisions."

Turning to security, he noted continued progress in addressing threats in rural and urban areas, and further development of Haiti's own security capabilities with MINUSTAH's help, including the enhancement and enlargement of Haiti's own police force, now numbering nearly 10,000 officers.

"However, at the same time, we must not lower our guard prematurely, before these advances have been consolidated," he cautioned. "Haiti continues to face serious threats, including a potential for resumed activity by gangs, criminals and other armed groups; corruption and violence associated with illegal trafficking; and the risk of civil unrest.

"All of these threats may be manipulated to achieve personal or political objectives, including in the context of forthcoming electoral processes. Potential spoilers are likely to exploit any indication of weakness or disengagement."

He also called for speeding up the recruitment of properly trained magistrates to strengthen the rule of law and protect human rights, areas in which he noted that continued Haitian leadership and sustained international support are indispensable.

At the same time, it is vital that further efforts be made to lay the foundations for long-term socio-economic development based around the revival of private-sector activity. "Today, we see a window of opportunity. Haiti's inherent advantages as an area for investment have been highlighted repeatedly over the past year," Mr. Annabi concluded.

"Over the past two years, events on the ground have highlighted that stability is built slowly and that setbacks are to be expected. But they have also shown that if we persevere and 'stay the course,' we can advance."

Ms. Pierre-Louis told the Council debate, which also heard from dozens of other speakers, that her country was undergoing a sea change with the help of MINUSTAH.

She stressed that it was up to Haitians, backed by the international community, to work towards a path of equitable and sustainable development.

HAITIAN FARMERS BOOST FOOD PRODUCTION WITH UN HELP

A United Nations scheme to combat high food prices in Haiti has yielded fruit by significantly boosting production, making food available at lower cost and increasing farmers' incomes, the world body announced today.

The $10.2 million plan to distribute and multiply quality seeds was being carried out, at the Government's request, by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with financing from the International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD).

Among the results achieved, FAO estimates that quality bean seeds from Guatemala, procured and distributed to poor and vulnerable farmers for the 2008 winter planting season for $300,000, have produced $5 million in bean crops.

"We are extremely encouraged by the results we are seeing in this programme which, along with favourable weather, has been an important factor in increasing the amount of food available to poor people in Haiti," said FAO Haiti Representative Ari Toubo Ibrahim.

The programme was critical for Haiti, where the impact of rising food prices has been so severe that it triggered riots in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in April 2008. Four successive and devastating hurricanes in August and September 2008 meant the seeds poor farmers had saved were either washed away or eaten because people were so hungry.

The scheme helped increase FAO seed stocks in the country so Haiti could have more quality seeds to distribute in case farmers lose their stocks again during this year's hurricane season, which is now under way.

Almost 250,000 smallholder and landless farmers have or will receive adapted quality seeds through the programme, which will also provide basic tools and advice or training via written material and radio broadcasts on best cultivation techniques.

The programme initially covered three planting seasons in Haiti – winter 2008 and spring and summer 2009 – but the Government now wants to extend the project to the upcoming winter season to build on the results achieved so far.
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HAITI: UN ENVOY BILL CLINTON APPOINTS PROMINENT US DOCTOR AS DEPUTY

Former United States President Bill Clinton today appointed the physician and Harvard University professor Paul Farmer as the United Nations Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti to assist in advancing the economic and social development of the impoverished Caribbean nation.

"Paul's selfless commitment to building health systems in the poor Haitian communities over the last 20 years has given millions of people hope for a brighter future for Haiti," said Mr. Clinton, who is the UN Special Envoy to Haiti.

Dr. Farmer, a founding director of Partners in Health since 1987, has dedicated much of his life to improving health care for the world's most vulnerable people. As a student in 1983, he worked in villages in Haiti's Central Plateau bringing modern health care to some of the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere.

Starting with a one-building clinic in the village of Cange, Dr. Farmer's project now extends to a multi-service health complex that includes a primary school, an infirmary, a surgery wing, a training programme for outreach workers, a 104-bed hospital, a women's clinic and a paediatric care facility, according to the Office for the Special Envoy to Haiti.

"His credibility both among the people of Haiti and in the international community will be a tremendous asset to our efforts as we work with the Government and people of Haiti to improve health care, strengthen education and create economic opportunity," said Mr. Clinton.
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BILL CLINTON WRAPS UP FIRST VISIT TO HAITI AS UN SPECIAL ENVOY

Former United States President Bill Clinton is wrapping up a three-day visit to Haiti today, his first since being appointed United Nations Special Envoy for the impoverished Caribbean nation.

During a visit to the country in March, Mr. Clinton and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon assessed the situation in the wake of four back-to-back tropical storms that battered the country in 2008, killing nearly 800 people and affecting an estimated 1 million people.

Mr. Clinton's current trip was aimed at discussing how to support Government efforts to brace the country for hurricanes, generate new jobs and boost the delivery of basic social services.

Today he met with representatives of the private sector, women's groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and discussed the key challenges facing them today in Haiti. The meetings aimed to ensure private sector investments in the country, coordination of NGO activities and the inclusion of women in recovery efforts.

Last night, Mr. Clinton and President René Préval had a working dinner with donors to encourage them to honour the commitments they made at a pledging conference in Washington, D.C. in April and align their contributions to the Government's recovery plan.

The dinner capped off a day that included visits to, among others, the city of Gonaïves, which was devastated by floods last year, and to an emergency hospital that has temporarily replaced one destroyed by hurricanes.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with an annual estimated gross domestic product (per capita) of $390.
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SOME PROGRESS IN HAITI AMID SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES – UN TEAM

SOME PROGRESS IN HAITI AMID SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES – UN TEAM
New York, May 14 2009 4:00PM
The challenge facing Haiti of achieving stability and economic recovery remains great, especially after a year of damaging setbacks, but the impoverished nation has seen significant progress in the last two years, the head of a United Nations team that visited the country said today.

"Last year was an extraordinarily difficult year for the country with the devastation wrought by four hurricanes, the rise in food prices and of oil prices," Ambassador John McNee of Canada told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York

But he noted that the improving security situation and the continued recruitment and training of the Haitian national police were encouraging signs for the future.

"The public opinion polls in Haiti recently suggested very considerable confidence amongst the populace in the police," stressed Mr. McNee, who led the Ad Hoc Advisory Group of the Economic and Social Council (<"http://www.un.org/ecosoc/">ECOSOC) on a four-day trip to Haiti in early May.

The group's main task was to assess progress towards economic and social development and reinforce the UN's long-term commitment to the people of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

The ECOSOC delegation also examined the procedures for the coordination of international aid to Haiti, and Mr. McNee urged donors and aid organizations to ensure their assistance is consistent with the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty Document.

He highlighted meetings with President René Préval and Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis, who he said are "determined to try and take the country forward."

A broad partnership that includes the Government and people of Haiti, the UN and all its funds and programmes, and other international partners was vital to promote recovery and stability in the country, he concluded.

"Haiti merits and needs the continued attention and engagement of the international community."
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UN ENVOY FOR HAITI URGES SPEEDY DISBURSAL OF DONOR PLEDGES

Hailing pledges worth nearly $325 million for Haiti's reconstruction and development made at a donor conference in Washington last week, the top United Nations envoy to the impoverished country today expressed hope the funds will be quickly disbursed.

"I hope that commitments made at the meeting will materialize very rapidly to begin implementation of plans presented by the Haitian Government," Hédi Annabi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, said.

He added that the goal was "not only to respond to the needs for immediate reconstruction after the storms of 2008, but also to attract indispensable investments that would help put the country on a trajectory of sustainable development."

The Special Representative, who also heads the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), stressed that improving the economic and social situation was essential to consolidating stability in the country.

He said that he was impressed not only by the results of the conference, but also by the strong attendance there, including high officials of 28 bilateral and multilateral partners, as well as the Secretary-General.

"The engagement of donors is a good beginning, particularly in the current international economic context," Mr. Annabi said.

"This involvements illustrates the political will of the international community in Haiti to work together to encourage investment and the creation of employment in the country," he said.

Secretary-General Ban, who visited the country with former United States President Bill Clinton last month, said at the conference that the country stands a better chance than almost any emerging economy, not only to recover from instability and natural disasters but to prosper, because of new, favourable US trade legislation.

To lock in the gains, however, he said that the Government requires additional short-term technical and financial assistance.

"I firmly believe that Haiti is poised to make more progress over the next two years than it has made in the past two decades," Mr. Ban told a major donor conference hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington.

Reasserting that the country is now at a turning point, a message he has been stressing since his visit there last month, he added that "for all of us, this is the moment, a break-out moment, to help one of the poorest nations lift itself toward a future of real economic prospects and genuine hope."

Following many years of unrest and high crime, last summer's storms have left $1 billion – equivalent to 15 per cent of Haiti's gross domestic product (GDP) – of damage in their wake.

The global recession has further eroded the country's socio-economic situation, with remittances, which bring three times the amount of funds to Haiti as international aid, plummeting 14 per cent.
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BAN TO PUSH FOR FURTHER INVESTMENT IN HAITI TO WIDEN ‘BREAK-OUT OPPORTUNITY’

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that he will be asking donors to go beyond traditional assistance and invest in Haiti, at a time he called a crucial turning point for the impoverished Caribbean nation.

"This is Haiti's moment, a break-out opportunity for one of the poorest nations to lift itself toward a future of real economic prospects and genuine hope," Mr. Ban wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times on-line edition.

The Secretary-General, who earlier this month visited Haiti with former United States President Bill Clinton, said that Haiti stands a better chance than almost any emerging economy, not only to weather the current economic storms but to prosper, because of new US trade legislation.

HOPE II, as the act is known, offers Haiti duty-free, quota-free access to US markets for the next nine years. "No other nation enjoys a similar advantage," Mr. Ban said. "This is a foundation to build on."

He sees it, he says, as a chance to consolidate the progress the country has made in winning a measure of political stability, with the help of the UN peacekeeping mission, and move to genuine economic development, creating the jobs needed to alleviate the country's massive unemployment, particularly among youth.

Mr. Ban said he will be advocating investment in Haiti, for these purposes, at an international donor conference to take place next month in Washington

Paul Collier, an Oxford University economist and Mr. Ban's special adviser on Haiti, has helped the Government devise a strategy to create those jobs, emphasizing the country's traditional strengths in garments and agricultural production.

The plan calls for the enactment of new regulations lowering port fees (now among the highest in the Caribbean) and creating the sort of industrial clusters that have come to dominate global trade.

It also calls for dramatically expanding the country's export zones, so that a new generation of textile firms can generate economies of scale, drive down production costs and spark "potentially explosive growth constrained only by the size of the labour pool," as Mr. Ban put it.

Describing some of the experiences on his recent trip, Mr. Ban recalls visiting a factory in the capital where workers earned $7 a day making T-shirts for export, vaulting them into the Haitian middle class. "Under HOPE II, the owner figures he can double or triple production within a year," he said.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MINUSTAH) has been working with Haitians for nearly five years towards creating a secure and stable environment within which key reforms and economic development could take place, he stressed.

In related news, today MINUSTAH announced some details of its electoral assistance plan for Haiti's legislative elections scheduled for 19 April.

With voter registration, printing of ballots and training of electoral workers now completed and some 9,500 polling stations in place, the Mission is now distributing some 100 tons of equipment it received last week.

It said some 4,000 electoral security workers will be on hand to keep the peace on election day in addition to 6,500 UN peacekeepers.

To further assure the success of the elections, MINUSTAH said, it would deploy more than 1800 civilian staff, 11 aircraft, 950 vehicles and some 300 horses and mules.
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HAITI: 100 TONNES OF UN-FACILITATED ELECTION EQUIPMENT ARRIVES

The arrival of a massive shipment of election equipment in Haiti has brought the process of legislative polls to a new phase, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) announced today.

Voting booths and associated material for nearly 11,000 voting locations, divided into 12,000 kits, will be distributed throughout the country by the mission, for the election of a third of the Senate, slated to be held on 19 April.

MINUSTAH, which is assisting with security and logistics for the elections has called for the widest possible participation, including people of all political currents, stressed that this is the best way to ensure the credibility and universal acceptance of the results in the impoverished Caribbean country.

The UN mission, set up in 2004 to help re-establish peace after an insurgency forced President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to go into exile, has welcomed the progress made so far in preparing for the vote, including the Provisional Electoral Council's approval of 33 political parties.
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HAITI: UN COUNCIL MISSION REPORTS STRIDES IN SECURITY, WORRISOME POVERTY

HAITI: UN COUNCIL MISSION REPORTS STRIDES IN SECURITY, WORRISOME POVERTY
New York, Mar 19 2009 6:00PM

Haiti is making strides in security sector and judicial reform but continues to grapple with widespread poverty and vulnerability to disasters, the leader of a United Nations Security Council mission to the impoverished Caribbean nation said today.

"It does appear that there is a window of opportunity to enable the consolidation of stability and the undertaking of a process of sustainable development," said Ambassador Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica," who had led the four-day fact-finding visit that concluded on 14 March.

"It was evident to the mission," Mr. Urbina noted, on the other hand, "that the current levels of extreme poverty, in which 80 per cent of the people live on under two dollars a day and 50 per cent on under one dollar are incompatible with the goal to establish stability in the short term."

He said that in the last five years, Haiti had reached its goal of putting 14,000 police officers on the streets, and a successful anti-violence programme, carried out in partnership with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), had brought stability to formerly lawless urban areas.

Border security had also been strengthened with the assistance of MINUSTAH, he said, and the country was also moving forward with an ambitious programme of judicial and constitutional reform eight elections scheduled over the next three years, which officials assured would be free and fair.

However, in addition to the high levels of extreme poverty, local governments were limited in their capacity to provide basic services, even though the Government and MINUSTAH, he were working together to expand the country's administrative capacity, Mr. Urbina said.

In addition, he said, Haiti's limited economic, social and cultural rights proved worrisome, a situation that was exacerbated by natural disasters, particularly the hurricanes last year that slammed into the city of Gonaïves, as well as the current food and financial crises.

During the mission, he said, Japan's representative had expressed concern that agricultural production, which employed more than half the population, barely covered 48 per cent of Haiti's food needs. He and other Council members urged Haitian authorities to adopt agricultural policies that would spur production.

On the regional front, Council also met with members of the core group of countries interested in Haiti and had observed a high level of commitment to the country among Latin American nations.

In addition, he said, Haitian authorities had repeatedly noted their growing interest in South-South cooperation, and the importance of the continued involvement of regional and subregional organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for Haiti's hemispheric integration.
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HAITI: DIALOGUE AND SUPPORT CRUCIAL TO AVOID NEW CRISES, UN COUNCIL STRESSES

HAITI: DIALOGUE AND SUPPORT CRUCIAL TO AVOID NEW CRISES, UN COUNCIL STRESSES
New York, Mar 16 2009 4:00PM

As the United Nations Security Council completed its four-day mission to Haiti this weekend, it stressed that national dialogue and international support were critical to meet coming challenges in security, stability, recovery and development.

"A reinforced partnership between the Haitian Government and the international community remains necessary for the success of actions that must be pursued in the future," Ambassador Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica, leader of the delegation, told correspondents at a press conference in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Saturday.

"The country cannot permit new political crises and in that regard the collaboration of all branches of the State constitutes a very important contribution," he added, emphasizing that the Council encourages all political actors to keep the calm and work in a constructive manner toward the next elections.

He said that continued national and international action was particularly important to strengthen the police force, the justice system and the administration of borders, and Council members also encouraged international support for employment in the short term, without forgetting the need to set clear long-term goals.

Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, was devastated by four successive storms in as many weeks last year, leaving 800 people dead and another one million either homeless or badly affected.

The country was also hit hard by the spike in commodities prices last year as it attempted to recover from earlier natural disasters, as well as the high crime and political instability that come under the mandate of the UN mission in the country (MINUSTAH).

Before leaving Haiti this weekend, the Council delegation took part in the reopening of the Port-au-Prince School of Magistrates, a major component in the reform of the Haitian judicial system – one of MINUSTAH's key mandated priorities.

Justice sector reform was also among the topics of discussion between the Security Council delegation and President René Préval and his prime minister, a UN spokesperson added.

In addition, during its mission the Council delegation visited the city of Gonaïves, which was hard hit by last year's storms and where it was briefed by MINUSTAH on its work in security and institution-building.

It saw a rebuilt regional electric plant and also visited a watershed protection project being implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Office (ILO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), MINUSTAH said.

During the Gonaïves tour, Hédi Annabi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Haiti and head of MINUSTAH, expressed the hope that the Council would conduct more such visits to better understand the challenges faced by the Mission.

"We hope that this visit of the Security Council on the ground will enable it to have a better perception of the reality and to realize the importance of the presence and the usefulness of the United Nations here," he said.

"We hope equally that this visit allows members of the delegation to communicate what they have seen to their respective Governments and to encourage them to augment their contributions for Haiti," he added.
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BAN IN HAITI TO DRAW ATTENTION TO RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS

BAN IN HAITI TO DRAW ATTENTION TO RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS
New York, Mar 9 2009 3:00PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Haiti today to raise global awareness of the Caribbean nation's recovery and reconstruction needs.

On his visit, Mr. Ban is being accompanied by former United States President Bill Clinton, potential investors and representatives of non-governmental organizations, including renowned doctor Paul Farmer, who set up a hospital in the village of Canges, and musician Wyclef Jean, whose Yele Ayiti foundation has worked extensively on community projects in Haiti.

During the first part of the afternoon, the Secretary-General and the delegation will visit education projects, such as a feeding programme at a school in Cité Soleil, the impoverished neighbourhood of the capital Port-au-Prince that was formerly controlled by gangs. They will also meet with honour students from severely disadvantaged backgrounds.

Tonight, Mr. Ban and Mr. Clinton will meet with President René Préval and Prime Minister Michele Pierre Louis, as well as with members of the country's private sector and civil society.

Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, was devastated by four successive storms in as many weeks last year, leaving 800 people dead and another 1 million either homeless or badly affected.

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will head to Washington, where he is scheduled to meet with current US President Barack Obama to discuss a host of issues, including the global economic crisis, Sudan, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

The two leaders are also expected to confer on climate change, non-proliferation, human rights, United Nations reform and US-UN relations. While visiting the US capital from 10 to 11 March, Mr. Ban will also hold talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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UN EXPERT URGES US NOT TO DEPORT THOUSANDS BACK TO HURRICANE-RAVAGED HAITI

UN EXPERT URGES US NOT TO DEPORT THOUSANDS BACK TO HURRICANE-RAVAGED HAITI
New York, Mar 6 2009 12:00PM

An independent United Nations human rights expert today asked the United States Government to reconsider deporting tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants in light of the physical and financial damage inflicted on the impoverished Caribbean nation by a series of hurricanes last August.

In a news release issued in Geneva, Michel Forst voiced deep concern at reports that the US Department of Homeland Security, and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, is planning to deport the immigrants.

According to a recent evaluation cited by the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Haiti, Hédi Annabi, the four back-to-back storms that struck the country from mid-August to mid-September "comprehensively destroyed what little infrastructure there was."

A total of some 800,000 Haitians either lost their homes entirely or were badly affected by the storms which also left 800 people dead.

In addition, the global financial crisis has worsened a food emergency brought about by the widespread destruction of the country's crops during the hurricanes, and critical infrastructure, including bridges and roads, have been wiped out. The storms are believed to have destroyed around 15 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"Considering the extent of the damage to homes, schools, roads, bridges and businesses in Haiti, it is highly unlikely that sufficient repairs can be carried out in time for this year's hurricane season, and as a result many thousands of Haitians will be left without protection," Mr. Forst said.

Mr. Forst has written to the Secretary of Homeland Security, urging the Government to reconsider its decision. "While acknowledging that the hurricanes and storms that drowned low-lying parts of Haiti in mud and misery had been 'severe,' you have concluded on the basis of recommendations provided by the US administration that 'Haiti does not currently warrant a Temporary Protected Status (TPS),'" he noted.

When other countries in the region have been struck by natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, with similar devastating impact to the destruction inflicted on Haiti, those countries have been granted TPS, Mr. Forst added.

"It would therefore be normal to continue to provide support and assistance to all undocumented Haitian migrants living in the US, until the situation has improved in their homeland," he said.

According to many experts, TPS is the least expensive and most immediate form of humanitarian assistance the US could provide to Haiti, since it would allow the Haitian Government to invest all its limited resources in reconstruction, and the redevelopment of its struggling economy.
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PEACEKEEPERS WILL STAY IN DARFUR EVEN IF SUDANESE PRESIDENT INDICTED – UN OFFICIAL

PEACEKEEPERS WILL STAY IN DARFUR EVEN IF SUDANESE PRESIDENT INDICTED – UN OFFICIAL
New York, Mar 2 2009 5:00PM
Whatever the International Criminal Court (ICC) decides on indicting the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes this Wednesday, the United Nations-African Union operation in Darfur (UNAMID) will continue its patrols protecting the local population, the chief of the peacekeeping said today.

"The Government would assume its full duty of protecting UN missions in Sudan against any negative impact that may result from ICC possible decision against the Sudanese political leadership," Alan Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the press in a wide-ranging briefing on the work of the 18 UN peacekeeping missions around the world.

Stressing that the UN did not have any information on whether the ICC will issue an arrest warrant, Mr. Le Roy said that the pre-trial chamber of the Court in The Hague will announce its decision on 4 March.

"We are not informed of their final decision. Anyone can guess," said Mr. Le Roy. "Of course, we are making some plans as any country would have contingency planning to try to react to any situation," he said of the 25,000 personnel deployed in the Sudan that could be affected by the ICC decision.

Mr. Le Roy underscored, however, that there is no plan in place to scale down or move the two UN peacekeeping missions in the Sudan, the UN mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) and UNAMID.

As part of his briefing of the state of peacekeeping for the some 112,000 UN blue helmets on the ground, Mr. Le Roy touched on the challenges in Afghanistan and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

On the intention of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan to bring forward the planned 20 August national elections, Mr. Le Roy considered it would be very difficult to organize the logistics and security before July, and that there must be a consensus on the date of the election among Afghan political parties in conformity with the constitution.

In the eastern region of the DRC, Mr. Le Roy reported that the UN mission to vast African nation, MONUC, had provided technical and logistical support to the joint DRC and Rwandan military offensive aimed at ridding the region of the ethnic Hutu militia, Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR).

Now that the operation is over and Rwandan government forces have left the region, MONUC is tasked with helping the Government repatriate the remaining fighters of the FDLR, which has been involved in a recent flare-up of clashes mostly in North Kivu that caused some 250,000 civilians to flee their homes, in addition to the 800,000 already displaced by violence in recent years.

Mr. Le Roy was keen to highlight some peacekeeping successes, noting that the president of Timor-Leste, Nobel Laureate José Ramos-Horta, told the Security Council recently that without the UN mission, his country would have been in complete chaos.

"He even quoted that the UN mission got in Timor something like 75 [per cent] rate of approval and the Government had only 66 per cent," said Mr. Le Roy, stressing that "In Timor the UN is performing fully its mandate. The president of Timor said that clearly in front of the Security Council the other day."

Reporting on his visit to Haiti, Mr. Le Roy said that "100 per cent of the politicians I have met were all, all of them, praising the work of our UN mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, politically, on the humanitarian side [and] of course on the security side."

In Cité Soleil, the impoverished neighbourhood of the capital Port-au-Prince that was formerly controlled by gangs, people in the street told the peacekeeping chief that thanks to MINUSTAH they could walk in the streets day and night.

Highlighting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to the Caribbean nation next week with former United States President Bill Clinton, as well as the upcoming donor conference for Haiti, Mr. Le Roy spoke of the "allure of hope" in the impoverished country.
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