GEORGIA: TOP UN OFFICIALS DEPART FORMER MISSION AREA

The top military and police officials serving with the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) – which ceased its functions last month – have now left what was formerly their area of operation, a spokesperson for the world body announced today.

The departures of the Chief Military Officer and Senior Police Adviser are part of the Mission's liquidation phase, which includes the withdrawal of its military and police personnel.

It follows the Security Council's lack of agreement to renew the Mission's mandate, which led to UNOMIG effectively ceasing its functions in mid-June.

"According to the drawdown plan, all civilian staff will also be leaving in the near future, with the goal being to completely close the Mission by November 2009," UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

For nearly 16 years, UNOMIG was entrusted with overseeing the ceasefire accord between the Government and Abkhaz separatists in the country's north-western region.

It had no jurisdiction in nearby South Ossetia, the scene of fighting last August which pitted Georgia against separatists and their Russian allies.

Ms. Montas also reported that the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Johan Verbeke, chaired the first meeting, under UN auspices, of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism yesterday.

The purpose of the Mechanism, she said, is to bring together the Georgians, Abkhaz and Russians, as well as representatives from the UN and European Union, on a periodic basis to discuss security matters.

At yesterday's meeting, held in the town of Gali, it was agreed to set up a "hotline" to prevent future incidents. Participants also agreed to meet on a bi-weekly basis, and the next meeting is scheduled to be held in Gali under UN auspices on 28 July.
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BAN TO RECEIVE AWARD FROM ROTARY INTERNATIONAL ON VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is set to travel over the weekend to Birmingham, United Kingdom, at the invitation of Rotary International, to receive an award for his contribution and efforts on the eradication of polio, his spokesperson announced today.

The United Nations chief will deliver a keynote address at the annual Rotary International convention, to recognize the organization for its leadership role in polio eradication and for its work in support of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals, as well as climate change and global health, Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

"His remarks will focus on the importance of partnership between the United Nations and civil society, in dealing with global challenges," she stated.

The UN's partnership with Rotary International – a public service organization with some 1.2 million members worldwide – goes back to the days of the world body's founding in 1945.

Also during the visit, Mr. Ban will meet with the Global Compact Foundation network in the UK, as well as Chancellor Dominique Cadbury of Birmingham University, among other prominent figures.
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BAN RENEWS CALL FOR ISRAELI COOPERATION WITH UN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS PROBE

BAN RENEWS CALL FOR ISRAELI COOPERATION WITH UN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS PROBE
New York, Jun 2 2009 5:01PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has renewed his call for Israel's cooperation with the team mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council to probe alleged rights abuses and violations of international law during the recent conflict in Gaza, his spokesperson said today.

The team, led by Justice Richard Goldstone, is currently on a week-long trip to the area, the first of its planned field visits. On Friday, it announced it would enter Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing point.

Mr. Ban discussed the issue with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at a meeting yesterday in New York.

"On the Gaza fact-finding mission, the Secretary-General renewed his call for cooperation from Israel," his spokesperson, Michele Montas, told reporters today.

Access and movement issues relating to Gaza, the importance of the peace process, Lebanon, and the upcoming report on Security Council Resolution 1701 – which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah – were also discussed, Ms. Montas said.

In addition, the two also talked about the four-member UN Board of Inquiry, led by Ian Martin of the United Kingdom, which examined incidents involving death and damage at the world body's premises in Gaza during Israel's military operation.

Ms. Montas said the Secretary-General is following up on cases covered by the Board's report, a summary of which Mr. Ban forwarded to the Security Council in early May.

Mr. Ban has also instructed the UN Legal Counsel to start preparing and formulating claims to compensation for the losses sustained by the Organization in incidents investigated by the Board, she added.

On a related matter, the spokesperson said that none of the $11 million in assessed damages to the UN's Gaza facilities had been received yet.
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LACK OF FUNDS THREATENS AID TO PAKISTAN’S 2.5 MILLION DISPLACED, WARNS UN

LACK OF FUNDS THREATENS AID TO PAKISTAN'S 2.5 MILLION DISPLACED, WARNS UN
New York, Jun 1 2009 5:00PM
The United Nations said today that the number of people displaced by the conflict in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province has risen above 2.5 million, and a shortage of funds could cut relief services there.

UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York that the new figure, an increase of about 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) over last week's estimate, was based on numbers collected by the UN refugee agency (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a2010ce4.html">UNHCR) and Pakistani authorities, which are registering people both inside and outside camps.

More than two million people have been driven from their homes by clashes between the Government and militants in the past month, in addition to the 400,000 already displaced in fighting last year.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a briefing to the General Assembly today, emphasized the need for greater support to scale up the response of the international community and the Pakistani Government to the situation.

"The human suffering is immense," he said.

The UN and its partners launched an appeal for $543 million on 22 May, of which just over one-fifth has been funded to date. "If we do not get the rest of the funds, we will have to start cutting services," the Secretary-General warned, adding that there is a risk of a destabilizing secondary crisis.

According to media reports, the Pakistani army has stepped up its offensive in the Swat Valley and other areas of the North West Frontier Province as part of its expanded campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaida.

Ms. Montas said that over the past week, five spontaneous camps have been closed with people moving into established camps.

"The existence of numerous spontaneous camps continues to be matter of concern as they impede registration procedures for IDPs," she said. "They also restrict their ability to receive relief supplies, services and information on long-term support."

Rising temperatures are making it more difficult for families to remain in tents, Ms. Montas added. To address the problem, UNHCR and the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) are attempting to provide facilities such as shaded areas, water points and toilets for IDPs living outside camps.

The UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/public/">UNFPA), for its part, has begun psycho-social support for women in camps of four districts – Lower Dir, Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda – through individual counselling and focus group discussions. The agency is also conducting general health, hygiene awareness and reproductive health sessions, Ms. Montas said.

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/pakistan_49840.html">UNICEF) is supporting 29 child-friendly spaces, engaging children in different learning, creative and recreational activities in 13 IDP camps, she said.

Ms. Montas added that water and sanitation conditions in IDP camps need urgent attention to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.
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ARMED ROBBERY REPORTED AT STAFF RESIDENCE OF UN-AFRICAN UNION DARFUR FORCE

Unidentified gunmen broke into a guest house yesterday occupied by personnel from the hybrid African Union-United Nations peacekeeping operation in Darfur, known as UNAMID.

The two men demanded the keys for a couple of UNAMID vehicles parked in the compound of the guest house in Mournei, approximately 80 kilometres from the West Darfur capital, El Geneina.

UNAMID said that the security officer at the guest house escaped without suffering any injuries and was able to report the incident to Sudanese police, informing them that the bandits got away with a VHF hand held radio and DVD player.

The peacekeeping mission tasked with quelling the violence in the war-ravaged western flank of Sudan also reported that banditry remains widespread in West Darfur, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told the press in New York.

Meanwhile, in South Darfur, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra, today travelled to the provincial capital Nyala to pay a courtesy visit on the Wali, or Governor, during which they discussed issues related to the joint AU-UN mission.

The Wali indicated that his government had approved land for UNAMID in South Darfur and reaffirmed his government's commitment to cooperate with the peacekeeping operation.

While in Nyala, Ms. Malcorra also met with UNAMID officials and toured the peacekeepers' facilities, including the Pakistan Level III hospital where she was briefed on the progress of construction work underway.

More than one year on from transferring peacekeeping operations to UNAMID from the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), well over 12,000 of the 19,555 military personnel authorized by the Security Council are now in place across Darfur.

The hybrid force was set up to protect civilians in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.
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FINANCIAL TURMOIL COULD TRIGGER DEVELOPMENT CATASTROPHE, UN CAUTIONS

As leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations gear up for their meeting tomorrow, the United Nations is warning that the current global economic crisis threatens to unleash a human development catastrophe in the world's poorest nations.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will press participants at the London gathering for urgent collective action to boost development and allow people to keep their faith in their future, spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today.

Mr. Ban, who held bilateral meetings with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, is expected to warn the leaders tomorrow that the global recession hurts everyone, but especially the poor, who in some countries spend up to 80 per cent of their incomes on food.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has also called on the heads of the G-20 nations to recognize that those most vulnerable to the crisis – which is not exclusive to Europe or the United States – are living outside the spotlight.

Those attending tomorrow's event "should recognize the human development calamity facing the people of the poorest countries and commit the resources to bail them out," said Ad Melkert, UNDP Associate Administrator.

Remittances have slumped, trade has collapsed and commodity prices continue to be volatile, plunging more families into extreme poverty and increasing mortality as a result, UNDP said. A 3 per cent drop in gross domestic product (GDP) for developing countries leads to between 47 and 120 more infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

The crisis is a "matter of life or death for many people in the poorest countries," Mr. Melkert said.

"While the economic recovery may start in 2010, the damage to human development will be severe and social recovery may take us several more years," he noted, adding that the impacts may be felt as far away as 2020.

The official also pointed out that in past recessions, poorer nations have suffered disproportionately compared to their wealthier counterparts, witnessing falls in health and education indicators. Life expectancy, school enrollment and graduation rates all drop, and in low-income countries, women, children and society's poorest segments are most likely to bear the brunt of the economic collapse.

Also warning about the impact of the financial crisis on schooling was Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who called for greater investment in education.

According to research, extending the average period spent at school by one year will boost per capita GDP by 4-6 per cent, he said. "By injecting resources into education now, not only would we stimulate economic recovery, but we would also contribute to stronger growth in the future and guarantee global stability in the long term."

For its part, the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has called on governments to accelerate agricultural development, with the financial downturn pushing millions of people – especially poor rural people – into abject poverty.

"We ignore the world's poor farmers at our peril," said IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze. "As we strive to recover from the current turmoil, these farmers can be part of the solution."

Given the necessary support, they can drive economic growth and help the world to avert food crises, like the one that shook the world in 2008, he said.
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UN BACKS DIALOGUE AS ONLY MEANS TO STABILIZE MADAGASCAR

The United Nations today reiterated its belief that inclusive talks are the only means to bring about a smooth transition in Madagascar, which saw the resignation of President Marc Ravalomanana earlier this month.

Tensions have risen in the country in recent months, claiming some 100 lives and injuring many others since January, amid a dispute between Mr. Ravalomanana and the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina, who now leads the country.

"The United Nations continues to believe that stability, prosperity and democratic freedoms can be ensured only through a consensual and inclusive dialogue process that would address the root causes of the crisis and would be accepted by all parties," UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today.

Tiébilé Dramé, the world body's senior adviser to the African island nation, was in New York this week for consultations and will be returning to Madagascar shortly.

"We will remain engaged through Mr. Dramé to help achieve a peaceful, consensual solution in Madagascar," Ms. Montas said. "The United Nations is ready to work with the Malagasy parties as well as regional and international partners to reach this goal."

Last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that a "peaceful path" to stability in Madagascar "can only be the result of transitional arrangements arrived at by consensus and enjoying wide support."

Further, he called on "all parties concerned to act responsibly to ensure stability and a smooth transition through democratic means," urging all concerned, particularly the police and the army, to "ensure the security of the population and work together toward a non-violent resolution of the crisis."
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AU-UN PEACEKEEPERS AIRLIFT EXAM PAPERS TO SCHOOL STUDENTS IN DARFUR

AU-UN PEACEKEEPERS AIRLIFT EXAM PAPERS TO SCHOOL STUDENTS IN DARFUR
New York, Mar 26 2009 2:00PM

The joint United Nations-African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, today helped airlift examination materials to remote secondary schools in the war-torn western region of Sudan.

The blue helmets flew three helicopters across North Darfur to distribute exam papers to nine locations across the state, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

This is the second such operation UNAMID has conducted for the 2009 certificate examinations, which are held throughout Sudan and slated to start on 30 March, she said.

Elsewhere, the hybrid peacekeeping force has recently characterized the current security situation in Darfur as relatively calm apart from a few incidents of banditry. In the past few weeks, UNAMID has reported a rise in attacks on peacekeeping staff, carjacking, other banditry, and harassment of civilians in Darfur.

There has also been concern over the safety of humanitarian workers, many of whom have been ordered to leave the region following the indictment last month of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

An estimated 300,000 people have died and another 3 million have been displaced in Darfur, where rebels have been fighting Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed, since 2003.
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SRI LANKA: CONDITIONS UNSTABLE FOR CIVILIANS TRAPPED IN CONFLICT

The humanitarian and security situation for civilians caught up in fighting between Government forces and separatist Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka remains precarious, a United Nations spokesperson said today.

Shelling is still reported in the so-called 'no fire zone' of the Vanni region and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have maintained its campaign of forcible recruitment while confining people to the area, Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

The conflict zone shrank from 300 square kilometres to nearly 58 square kilometres in February, with many civilians – the UN puts their number at between 100,000 and 200,000 – sheltering in a new 14-square kilometre no-fire zone.

These internally displaced persons (IDPs) have limited access to food, safe water, sanitation facilities and medical assistance, with the International Red Cross delivering a two-week supply of medicines aboard a ship to the zone and the World Food Programme (WFP) preparing to send 1,000 tons of food to the area by the end of the week.

Since January, some 44,756 IDPs have escaped the conflict zone into makeshift camps, located mostly in Vavuniya, as well as Mannar and Jaffna, and a total of 3,701 shelters have been constructed at various IDP sites in Vavuniya District, where the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is setting up a temporary medical facility.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top UN officials have been calling over recent months on the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE to suspend hostilities to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone and allow immediate humanitarian access to them.
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