REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Marie Heuzé, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the UN Refugee Agency, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the International Organization for Migration.
Geneva Meetings
Ms. Heuzé said the Committee against Torture was continuing its session at the Palais Wilson. Yesterday, the Committee concluded its review of the fourth periodic report of Italy, and this morning, it was starting its consideration of the fifth periodic report of Ukraine.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was also continuing its work at the Palais Wilson. Yesterday afternoon, the Committee concluded its review of the fifth periodic review of Finland, and this afternoon, it would start its consideration of the initial report of Latvia.
Press releases in English and in French were issued on the meetings of both Committees, which would conclude their work on Friday, 18 May.
Ms. Heuzé said the Conference against Disarmament would commence the second part of its 2007 on Monday, 14 May and it would continue until 29 June. The first public plenary of the Conference would be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 15 May.
Statements by the Secretary-General
Ms. Heuzé said a number of new statements by the Secretary-General were available in the press room. They included Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s statement in which he welcomed the bilateral agreement between Chad and Sudan signed in Riyadh on 3 May 2007; a statement in which he said he was deeply disturbed over a violent incident outside a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school in the Gaza Strip, in which one person was killed and eight injured, including two UNRWA schoolchildren; a statement in which he said he was saddened to learn of the deaths of the eight French and one Canadian members of the Multinational Force and Observers serving in the Sinai in an airplane crash; his message to the fifteenth World Meteorological Congress and his remarks at a preparatory meeting for the International Year of Sanitation.
World Meteorological Congress
Carine Richard Van Maele of the World Meteorological Organization said the fifteenth World Meteorological Congress started its work at the International Geneva Conference Centre yesterday. The Congress heard from a number of Ministers and senior officials and a press release would be available shortly. Yesterday afternoon, WMO President Alexander Bedritsky presented the President’s report on WMO’s work during the past four years, and information was also presented on organization reforms by Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. Mr. Jarraud also spoke about the fraud case which was uncovered at WMO in 2003. A number of press conferences would be organized on topics of interest to the media like droughts, flash floods and climate change. There was also a press conference at 11:45 a.m. today in press room 1.
Other
Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization said there would soon be a press conference held to brief journalists about the main themes of the sixtieth session of the World Health Assembly which would be held from 14 to 23 May at the Palais des Nations. A note to the press was also being prepared with information to help journalists covering the Assembly. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan would address the Assembly at 2 p.m. on Monday, 14 May, following the speech of the President of the Assembly. The provisional agenda was already available on the WHO website.
Hans Von Rohland of the International Labour Organization said ILO would be launching a major new report on 10 May on the state of discrimination in the world of work. The report examined the status of traditional and new forms of discrimination and analyses progress in combating them at the national and global levels. The report, entitled "Equality at work: Tackling the challenges" would be formally launched on 10 May at a high-level event in Brussels. The report highlighted newly emerging forms of discrimination, such as unfair treatment in hiring of younger and older workers, people with disabilities, those living with HIV/AIDS, on the basis of sexual orientation, and others. The report also explored the new challenges stemming from the emergence of practices that penalized people with a genetic predisposition to developing certain diseases or who had lifestyle issues considered unhealthy, such as tobacco use and obesity. There would be a press conference in Geneva on Thursday, 10 May, at 11 a.m. in press room 1. The embargoed report and press release would be available tomorrow.
Ron Redmond of the UN Refugee Agency said UNHCR was shocked and saddened by the tragic death of two staff members this week. This morning, a UNHCR driver was shot dead in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Also a staff member was among the passengers on the Kenya Airways flight which crashed in Cameroon.
Mr. Redmond said Pakistan’s Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions was in Geneva this week, and he would be meeting tomorrow with High Commissioner Antonio Guterres to present him with a cheque for approximately $ 5 million to help Afghan refugees to return to their country. Pakistan had also announced a separate contribution of some $ 1 million towards the registration and de-registration of Afghans in Pakistan. Since 2002, more than 5 million Afghans had returned home from Pakistan and Iran. But in 2006, there was a significant decline in repatriation. In an effort to maintain the momentum of voluntary repatriation, UNHCR earlier this year increased the repatriation grant given to Afghan returnees from $ 60 to $ 100 per person.
Christiane Berthiaume of the World Food Programme said WFP had yesterday started the first distributions of WFP food assistance in Mogadishu to 16,000 residents and people returning to districts most heavily damaged by the worst fighting in the Somali capital in 16 years. By the end of this week, WFP expected to have distributed food since 27 April to a total of 114,000 people who fled the city plus vulnerable people unable to escape the fighting. Urgent WFP food distributions continued to be expanded given the prevailing security situation in and around the capital. A Somali non-governmental organization started distributing WFP maize, nutritious corn-soya blend and vegetable oil to 7,000 people at three sites in Mogadishu. Distributions were due to start today at another five sites to reach 9,000 others in the capital. WFP on Tuesday also planned to start distributing five tons of food to hospitals in Mogadishu for 1,500 people injured in the fighting. WFP needed an extra $ 10 million in donations for its operation due to the fighting in Mogadishu and displacement of civilians. UNHCR estimated that 395,000 people fled the city – over a third of the capital's population – since 1 February. But following the end of heavy fighting, some were now trickling back.
Elizabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said there would be a press conference on Friday, 11 May on the launch of the Revised Appeal for Chad. Kingsley Amaning, Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad, would be giving the press conference at 12:15 p.m. in press room 1.
Veronique Taveau of the United Nations Children’s Fund said this afternoon at the Clinton Foundation in New York, former United States President Bill Clinton would announce major reductions in the price of critical HIV/AIDS medicines. Joining President Clinton for the announcement would be Ministers of Health from Africa and Asia. The announcement was being made in partnership with UNITAID, an international drug purchase facility established in 2006 by France, Brazil, Chile, Norway and the United Kingdom. UNICEF welcomed this agreement which would allow millions of children to be treated.
Jean Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration said IOM's programme to help Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) return to and resettle in their areas of residence in Western Côte d'Ivoire was gathering momentum as more and more displaced West African migrant workers were turning to IOM to receive comprehensive return and reintegration assistance. On-going IOM activities to provide assistance to returning migrant workers and host communities were funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department, the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund and by Norway. IOM urgently needed an additional $ 2 million to expand its peace consolidation, return and community rehabilitation programmes for 2007/2008.
Richard Danziger of the International Organization for Migration said IOM had just published a report on human trafficking and the football world cup in Germany. Research found inconclusive evidence of an increase in trafficking for sexual exploitation during the World Cup. Thirty-three cases were reported to police and were investigated, but only five were confirmed to be human trafficking. A lot of work by the German police had been carried out prior to the World Cup. As for why the expected increase did not materialize, it took a huge effort to traffic a large number of people into the country. Also the information campaigns on the issue probably had some impact. The study also took note of some of the negative consequences of the interventions that took place. A lot of money was spent on information campaigns, but non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with victims of trafficking in the red light areas did not have money to carry out their activities properly. With the coming UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and the Olympics, the study made recommendations on countering human trafficking during such events and provided a tool for future event organizers, policymakers and relevant authorities and NGOS.