REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Marie Heuzé, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which also heard from Spokespersons for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration.

Special Session of the Human Rights Council on Darfur

Ms. Heuzé noted that the fourth Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Darfur had opened this morning. The statements of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Council this morning had been made available to the press electronically and in hard copy in Press Room 1.

The Secretary-General’s statement drew attention to the fact that for more than three years now, the people of Darfur had “endured a nightmare”. He recalled that it was nearly two years since the International Commission of Inquiry had submitted its report and that the Commission’s findings had been shocking. “I urge you to lose no time in sending a team of independent and universally respected experts to investigate the latest escalation of abuses,” said the Secretary-General’s statement in conclusion. “It is urgent that we take action to prevent further violations, including by bringing to account those responsible for the numerous crimes that have already been committed. That is the very least you can do to show the people of Darfur that their cries for help are being heard.”

Ms. Heuzé noted that the webcast of the Special Session was available at the following web address: www.un.org/webcast

José Luis Díaz of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) drew attention to the High Commissioner’s statement to the Special Session this morning in which she had said that “victims and other vulnerable civilians are entitled to expect from you [the Human Rights Council] a credible response.”

Mr. Díaz said that two draft resolutions had been submitted to the Council. The first, submitted by Finland, the original convener of the Special Session, had since been co-sponsored by 43 countries. That draft called for the dispatching of an urgent assessment mission to Darfur headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan. The mission would be requested to report to the Council at its next session early next year. The second draft resolution, submitted by the African Group, also called for the Council to dispatch a mission to assess the human rights situation in Darfur, but this mission would be headed by the President of the Council and would include the members of the Bureau and the regional group coordinators members of the Council. That mission would also report back to the Council at its next session. Both draft resolutions were available on the OHCHR website.

Mr. Díaz said that Sima Samar, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan, would not be participating in this Special Session of the Council. The Special Session was expected to last all day and could continue into tomorrow. Asked whether the representative of Sudan was on the list of speakers, Mr. Diaz said that the representative had been speaking when Mr. Diaz left the room to come to the press.

Elizabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) drew attention to copies of the statement by Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, to the Special Session. Mr. Egeland was not himself in Geneva but the statement would be read out on his behalf by an OCHA representative. The statement was embargoed until 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, the approximate time at which the statement was expected to be read. Ms. Byrs quoted the beginning of the final paragraph of the statement, in which Mr. Egeland said: “What we need now is urgent action to ensure that we do not miss what may be our final opportunity to reverse the trends that are pushing Darfur and the region towards disaster.”

Michael Bociurkiw of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that UNICEF would be addressing the Special Session today at approximately 3:00 p.m. today. Copies of the text were available at the back of the room with an embargo until 3:00 p.m. Highlighting a few key points, Mr. Bociurkiw said that clearly the situation in Darfur for women and children was worsening. Over 70 per cent of the population was experiencing food insecurity, and the coverage of lifesaving interventions such as measles vaccination was still below the level required to prevent outbreaks. More than one in five children under the age of five years was acutely malnourished. There was an environment of impunity in Darfur, which must be urgently addressed. The statement gave examples of children being attacked and killed. It concluded by saying that it was imperative that a speedy political resolution to the crisis was found before more lives were lost.

Jennifer Pagonis of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that the statement of the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Erica Feller, would be made available in Press Room 1 following the briefing, embargoed against delivery.

Statement by the Secretary-General at the Truman Presidential Museum

Ms. Heuzé drew attention to an address by the Secretary-General at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library yesterday, in which he had outlined the main lessons he had learned in his decade at the helm of the Organization. The statement had been made available to the press.

UNRWA 2007 Emergency Appeal

Matthias Burchard of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced that at 11:00 a.m. today, UNRWA would be releasing its 2007 Emergency Appeal in Amman, Jordan, at its annual Host and Donor Meeting, which had begun on Sunday, 10 December. The appeal, for USD 246 million, was UNRWA’s largest since its first Flash Appeal in late 2000.

Mr. Burchard said that living conditions in the Palestine areas were now deplorable and had slumped to levels unseen since 1967. Every aspect of life had been affected and the entire Palestinian population was suffering. The majority was now dependent on food and cash handouts. Palestine refugees, representing over 40 percent of the population, was particularly vulnerable. Real GDP had declined by 9 percent in the first half of the year; by year’s end, this decline would most likely have reached 27 percent. Two-thirds of the households in the OPT, representing about 2.7 million people, were below the income poverty line. Most of these, or 2.4 million, lived in deep poverty, unable to provide for their basic needs. Unemployment was at 42 percent.

The funds raised through the appeal would provide a basic social safety net, in the form of food aid, job creation and cash assistance. UNRWA would also respond to the growing demand for health and environmental health services and address the impact of conflict related violence on the most vulnerable.

Ms. Heuzé quoted from the Secretary-General’s statement to the Amman meeting yesterday, in which the Secretary-General had asked for strong support for Palestinian refugees from the international community. “While awaiting the fulfilment of their political rights,” the Secretary-General had said, “Palestinian refugees have a right to live in safety and dignity, and are entitled to services and opportunities. I call on donors to ensure that the Agency's regular budget is fully funded, and to make up the current, worrying shortfall. I also urge donors to support the full implementation of UNRWA's Organizational Development plan over the next three years.

“Despite the setbacks of the past year, we must all persist in our efforts to nurture peace. The United Nations remains committed to a negotiated, two-state solution -- one that would end the occupation that began in 1967, establish an independent State of Palestine, ensure security for Israel, and involve a just and durable solution to the refugee problem…

“Moreover, the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to deliver services has deteriorated severely as a result of a financial crisis precipitated by the reluctance of international donors to provide funding to the Hamas-led PA, and by the withholding by Israel of tax revenues collected on behalf of the Authority. While new mechanisms have been established to channel donor funds, these funds have not been sufficient to prevent economic collapse and widespread distress.”

Mr. Bociurkiw of UNICEF recalled that a statement had been distributed yesterday, attributable to Dan Rohrmann, UNICEF Special Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, expressing shock at the tragic event yesterday where three children were gunned down on their way to school in Gaza city. Mr. Bociurkiw said that there seemed to fewer and fewer safe havens for the children of Gaza. As of the end of November, 121 children had been killed in Gaza this year. Children continued to pay a very high price for this conflict. UNICEF reminded all parties that they had a responsibility to protect children.

Iraq

Mr. Bociurkiw recalled that UNICEF had yesterday released its landmark publication on “The State of the World’s Children”, which focused on the need to empower women and gender equality. One of the countries discussed in the report was Iraq, where it was found that the number of female-headed households was increasing as a result of the ongoing violence and the thousands of male casualties. Although statistics were hard to come by, more than 11 per cent of Iraqi households were believed to be headed by women. Every day dozens of women were widowed, and the number of families struggling to cope without a wage-earner was starting to overwhelm local social services.

In terms of education, many girls were now struggling to get to school in an increasingly violent and repressive climate. More and more families were being forced to choose between education and safety for their daughters. In 2004 it had been estimated that one-fifth of Iraqi girls were not enrolled in primary school. This year, a sharp decline had been observed in the south-central zone, according to the Ministry of Education and other local sources. Girl schools were often singled out for specific threats in the sectarian violence. Further information was available in a press release at the back of the room.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that many Iraqis who were being forced to flee sectarian violence in the volatile governorates in central Iraq were heading to the relatively stable but extremely poor governorate of Missan, where they were in urgent need of food and water, according to a newly-released report by IOM. The report was based on interviews with more than 2,120 families that had been displaced to Missan since February. Almost 30% said that they did not have regular access to water and 60% reported sporadic access to the Public Distribution System food rations provided by the Iraqi Government. In addition, 22% did not have access to fuel because of rising fuel costs or unavailability. IOM’s report was one of 13 in-depth governorate reports that had been released to identify and prioritise areas of operation.

New vaccines against cervical cancer

Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization (WHO) drew attention to a press release in English and French on new vaccines against cervical cancer, the second most common type of cancer among women. A meeting of foundations, NGOs and WHO was taking place in London today at noon GMT to discuss the fact that these vaccines would, for the first time, be widely available soon and could have a major impact on the health of women in the developing world. Of the more than 250,000 women who died from cervical cancer in 2005, more than 80% were in developing countries. Ms. Chaib noted that the press release was embargoed until 1:00 p.m. Geneva time.

Other

Jean Michel Jakobowicz of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) recalled that UNECE had negotiated standards and regulations for motor vehicles for a number of years and that in 1998 it had adopted a global system for certification of these standards. Three new global vehicle regulations had recently been adopted, one on motorcycle brakes, another on heavy-duty vehicle emissions and a third one on on-board diagnostics, bringing to five the total number of global regulations adopted so far. These new regulations would be extremely important for the safety of motorcycle users and for the protection of the environment at the global level, since they would be applied by vehicle manufacturers all over the world.

Catherine Sibut of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) announced that an experts meeting would take place this week to discuss how to enable small commodity producers and processors in developing countries to reach global markets. Tomorrow, at 11:30 a.m., there would be a press conference in Room III on this subject given by Lakshmi Puri, Director, Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities, UNCTAD. Also participating in the press conference would be two experts, one from Cameroon and the other from India.

Ms. Byrs of OCHA drew attention to two press conferences in the coming days. The first, on the launch of the Sudan Work Plan for 2007, would take place on Thursday, 14 December, at 12:30 p.m. in Room III. The speaker would be Manuel Aranda da Silva, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan. The second press conference, on the launch of the transitional appeal for Haiti, would take place on Monday, 18 December, at 12:30 p.m., also in Room III. Speakers would include Joel Boutroue, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and Jean-Max Bellerive, Haitian Minister of Planning and Cooperation.

Brigitte Leoni of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) announced the release of a new ISDR booklet entitled “On Better Terms”, which explained the linkage between climate change and natural disasters. The booklet would be introduced at a press conference on Monday, 18 December, at 2:30 p.m.

Jennifer Pagonis of UNHCR said that UNHCR's Pledging Conference had taken place yesterday in Geneva. UNHCR had received funding pledges of US$393.8 million for next year - up more than 10 percent compared to US$354.3 million pledged last year. UNHCR had presented a budget of US$1.06 billion for next year. Further details were available in the briefing note.

In Kenya, UNHCR had been continuing with air-drops by a US Air Force C-130 cargo plane delivering UNHCR relief supplies to thousands of refugees cut off for a month by flood waters and impassable roads in the Dadaab camps in northern Kenya. The air-drops, which were scheduled to continue until 13 December, had been very successful, with only about 2 per cent of goods damaged on impact.

Ms. Pagonis said that UNHCR hoped to restart returns of south Sudanese refugees from Ethiopia, beginning tomorrow, and from Central African Republic (CAR), beginning on Saturday. She also drew attention to an item in the briefing note on UNHCR welcoming the approval of a new refugee law in Uruguay.

Mr. Chauzy said that IOM was providing emergency assistance to a group stranded in Southern Sudan with registration, protection monitoring, transport and food distribution. The stranded Mbororo, part of a nomadic group originally from western Africa but living in Sudan for several generations, had crossed large parts of South Sudan from the Blue Nile area on foot while herding their cattle. They had become vulnerable following a recent attack some 80 kilometres west of Juba. At the request of the Government, IOM and UN partners agree to assist a group of 191 of the most vulnerable members of the group. Further details were available in the briefing note.

In Ethiopia, Mr. Chauzy said that IOM continued to provide relief assistance to flood victims in the western region of Gambela and rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance to populations displaced by recent flash floods in the eastern town of Dire Dawa. In the Gambela region, IOM would distribute by road or boat non-food items such as plastic sheeting, blankets, jerrycans, cooking pots and soap to some 13,000 persons who remained cut off in the districts of Dimma, Jikawo, Akobo and Wanthwa.

Mr. Chauzy drew attention to two additional items in the briefing note: one on the launch in Ecuador of a regional information campaign to combat human trafficking; and the other on IOM’s new handbook, “Coping with Return”, on how to improve the management of voluntary returns, which would be presented in Brussels tomorrow. Mr. Chauzy introduced an IOM colleague responsible for liaison with the media in Pakistan who was available until 15 December 2006 for information on the situation in Pakistan following the earthquake last year.