REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which also heard from Spokespersons for the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development, the World Meteorological Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Statements by the Secretary-General

Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said available were two new statements by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In a statement on Lebanon, the Secretary-General said he was gravely concerned about the fighting in the last two days between Fatah al-Islam gunmen and the Lebanese army. He said the actions of Fatah al-Islam were an attack on Lebanon's stability and sovereignty and called on all sides to do their utmost to protect innocent civilians. The Secretary-General also strongly condemned the terrorist bombing in Beirut.

In a statement on the situation in Gaza, the Secretary-General expressed his hope that the ceasefire reached among Palestinian factions in Gaza holds, called on the Palestinian Authority to take the necessary steps to restore law and order, and urged all factions to abide by the ceasefire.

The statements were available in the press room.

Geneva Activities

Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said in Geneva, the Committee on the Rights of the Child yesterday opened its forty-fifth session at the Palais Wilson. This morning, the Committee would be reviewing the second periodic report of Slovakia. On Wednesday, 23 May, it would consider the situation of children in the Maldives, and in Uruguay on 24 May. As usual, press releases in English and French on the work of the Committee would be available.

The Conference on Disarmament, which last week opened the second part of its 2007 session, was this morning holding a public plenary. A press release would be issued at the end of the meeting.

Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said a series of events on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for e-governance and e- development were being held this week in Geneva. Today, a roundtable was being held in Salle IX of the Palais des Nations on the role of information and communication technologies in the realization of development goals. The roundtable would start at 10 a.m., and continue until 6 p.m. On Wednesday, 23 May, an Ambassadors' Briefing would be held in Conference Room XXVI from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to examine “Success, Failure and Management of e-Governance Initiatives”. The briefing was being organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. On Thursday, 24 May, the second Facilitation Meeting on implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) would convene in Conference Room XXVI, from 10 a.m. from 6 p.m. Also, in preparation of the second Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to take place in Rio de Janeiro from 12 to 15 November 2007, a round of open consultations would be held on 23 May from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the International Telecommunications Union headquarters in conference room B. All these meetings were open to the press and press releases were already available.

In this context, Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said that on 23 May at 1:30 p.m., Nitin Desai, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Internet Governance, would speak to journalists in press room 1. He was also available for individual interviews which the Information Service would be happy to set up.

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, would today be participating in the inauguration of an Internet website entitled Diplomacy goes Virtual. The ceremony would be held at 6:30 p.m. this afternoon at the World Meteorological Organization. The event was being organized by DiploFoundation in partnership with the Government of the Maldives.

Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said Mr. Ordzhonikidze would be addressing an official ceremony organized by the African Union to commemorate Africa Day (25 May), on Wednesday, 23 May at the International Labour Organization at 6 p.m. Also available was the Secretary-General’s message on Africa Day.

World Health Assembly

Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization, said this morning, the World Health Assembly would be holding a special meeting in the plenary in memory of Dr. Lee Jong-wook, WHO’s former Director-General who died one year ago on the first day of the World Health Assembly 2006. Margaret Chang, WHO’s Director-General, would be attending the meeting as would Dr. Lee’s widow and others.

Committee A was this morning discussing two important resolutions on a proposal for a World Day on Measles and on the fight against Tuberculosis. The two resolutions would probably be adopted tomorrow. Committee A was also discussing prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and implementation of the global strategy.

Ms. Chaib said Committee B was discussing public health, innovation and intellectual property. The Assembly would be concluding its work tomorrow.

Other

Veronique Taveau of the United Nations Children’s Fund said two health workers had been captured on 19 May on the road between Bozoum and Bocaranga in northwest of the Central African Republic. The United Nations was calling for the release of the two humanitarian workers as soon as possible, and was highly concerned by the recent decline in the security situation which was currently threatening humanitarian work in the northwest of the country. A press release was available as well as contact numbers.

Ms. Taveau said that on 23 May, UNICEF would be launching an appeal to help Iraqi children in Iraq and Iraqi refugee children living in Jordan and Syria. At 3 p.m. in Geneva, Roger Wright, UNICEF’s Representative in Iraq, would launch the appeal. In New York at 12:30 p.m. EST, the appeal would also be launched. A media advisory was available and a press release would be issued tomorrow.

At noon today, Ms. Taveau reminded journalists that UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Zimbabwe would be speaking to the press in press room 1 on the situation of children in Zimbabwe.

Christiane Berthiaume of the World Food Programme said WFP was appealing for high-level international action to stamp out piracy in waters off Somalia, warning that the flow of relief supplies to the country was under severe threat. The appeal followed the killing of a Somali guard who helped repulse a new pirate attack over the weekend on a ship that had just delivered WFP food assistance to the Somali port of Merka. Consequently, the agents of another WFP-contracted vessel had refused to allow the ship loaded with food to sail for Somalia. WFP was warning that unless action was taken now, not only would its supply lines be cut, but also those of other aid agencies working in various parts of Somalia. Shipping was the main and fastest route WFP used to move large amounts of WFP food to Somalia. Despite major operational and security challenges, WFP continued to deliver food to thousands of vulnerable Somalis.

In Gaza, Ms. Berthiaume said with the fragile ceasefire in place, shops were open again. There was a big problem with garbage collection which was creating a health hazard. WFP’s food distribution operation resumed in Gaza on Sunday, 20 May. But the movement of WFP’s national staff was still restricted because of the security situation.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration said in Thailand, a group of 31 Karen refugees today left Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border aboard an IOM bus to start new lives in the United States. The refugees were the first of several thousand expected to travel to the United States from Mae La in the coming months under an agreement between Thailand and the United States Government. In Italy, 80 skilled Moroccan migrants living in the country were today meeting in Turin to take part in a comprehensive training course that would provide them with the necessary knowledge to successfully invest their skills and savings in the socio-economic development of Morocco. In Libya, IOM in partnership with the Libyan Ministry of Justice was organizing a four-day workshop for 25 judges and high-ranking officials of General People's Committees (ministries) dealing with migration issues.

Catherine Sibut-Pinote of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development said UNCTAD´s 11th Africa Oil, Gas, Trade and Finance Conference, which would be held in Nairobi, would bring together ministers and senior-level executives from the oil and gas and finance sectors and provide a meeting place for investors concerned with opportunities and developments in the African energy sector. The three-day meeting would be held from 23 to 25 May.

Ms. Sibut-Pinote reminded journalists that a briefing would be held on 24 May at 11 a.m. on the launch of standards for East African organic products. A press release would be available at the briefing.

UNCTAD’s Commission on Science and Technology for Development was holding its ninth session at the Palais from 21 to 25 May, and today it was discussing the follow-up to the outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) at the regional and international level, to identify achievements, gaps and challenges, as well as future action needed to further implementation.

Mark Oliver of the World Meteorological Organization said there would be a briefing at 2:30 p.m. today on steps WMO was taking to address climate and weather impacts on world food security and agriculture, focusing mainly on agriculture. There would be another briefing at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 23 May on natural disasters where the WMO Congress had endorsed a work plan which was a series of demonstration projects to address natural disasters in different ways.

Claudia McGoldrick of the International Committee of the Red Cross said ICRC President would give a press briefing on 24 May at 3 p.m. on the launch of ICRC’s annual report. The press release and background documents would be available tomorrow. Documentation would be available next week on upcoming events to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1977 Additional Protocols. The anniversary itself would be on 8 June and ICRC intended to use this occasion to focus attention on the continuing relevance of the Protocols in contemporary conflicts, with particular regard to the protection of civilians and the distinction between civilians and combatants.