REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Marie Heuzé, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which provided information on events in commemoration of UN Peacekeepers Day (29 May) at Headquarters in New York and in Geneva, the situation in Lebanon, the activities of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the situation of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, and details of the upcoming 96th International Labour Conference. Spokespersons and Representatives for the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency and the International Labour Organization also spoke.

International Peacekeepers Day

Ms. Heuzé recalled that today, 29 May, was International Peacekeepers Day, which had been established to underscore the invaluable work of the UN Blue Helmets in trying to bring peace to conflict-torn societies. Celebrations at Headquarters in New York were being held today. In Geneva, however, commemorative events would be held on Friday, 1 June, to allow for the traditional participation of the President of the International Association of Soldiers for Peace and peacekeepers from various countries. A two-tiered programme was scheduled: first, a commemorative wreath-laying ceremony would be held in Ariana Park before the memorial to fallen peacekeepers starting at 3 p.m.; and then, starting at 4 p.m., a roundtable discussion in which eminent personalities including the Ambassadors of Ghana and Switzerland would participate, would be held in Room VIII. A press release in English and French was available, as was a schedule of events.

Also available was message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on the occasion of International Peacekeepers Day, which he would deliver today at a wreath-laying ceremony in New York. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, would award peacekeeping medals to military and peacekeeping officers and later hold a press conference in New York.

Secretary-General’s Activities

Ms. Heuzé informed journalists that tomorrow, 30 May, the Secretary-General would be in Berlin, where he would be participating in a meeting of the Quartet on the Middle East.

Situation in Lebanon

Ms. Heuzé recalled that the Security Council was scheduled to hold consultations today on the situation in Lebanon, in accordance with its resolution 1559 (2004). In that connection, it had been announced on Friday that the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team would be in Lebanon this week to begin its work in follow-up to the terms of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). A team of five experts would be in the country for two to three weeks to assess border security arrangements and would then return and report its findings and recommendations to the Secretary-General in New York.

Also during the first part of this week, the Security Council was scheduled to take a decision on a resolution for the setting up of an international tribunal to try those responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Ms. Heuzé observed.

Veronique Taveau of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that UNICEF was continuing to work closely with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) and its other non-governmental organization partners to respond to the urgent basic needs of children and women caught in the Nahr El Bared refugee camp crisis. UNICEF joined UNWRA and its NGO partners in advocating the safety of children and their families still in Nahr El Bared. As of 25 May, an estimated 10,000 civilians remained in the embattled camp with only sporadic humanitarian support. UNICEF stressed that the safety of children and families still living in the camp and their access to humanitarian aid had to become the first priority for all parties. According to UNWRA some 20,000 people had left Nahr El Bared camp for Baddawi camp, 11 kilometres away, which was now faced with severe overcrowding. UNICEF was continuing to supply UNWRA with drinkable water, hygiene kits, essential drugs, and medical supplies, including rehydration salts. UNICEF was committed to facilitating emotional recovery, to making living conditions as child-friendly as possible, and to ensuring that children returned to school as soon as possible. UNICEF had sent recreation kits for the traumatized children, as well as "school-in-a-box" kits with supplies for 1,000 schoolchildren. A press release had been sent to journalists on Friday and copies were available at the back of the room.

Human Rights

Yvon Edoumou of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said High Commissioner Louise Arbour was in New York this week. On Wednesday, 30 May, the High Commissioner would make a presentation before the Peacebuilding Commission – with particular reference to her recent trip to the Burundi as part of her visit to the Great Lakes region of Africa – and on Thursday, 31 May, in the afternoon, she would address the Security Council to brief them on the findings of her trip. Next week, the High Commissioner would be going to Washington D.C. to meet with members of the American Administration and other government representatives. A number of correspondents requested that the High Commissioner brief the press on her visit to Africa.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, John Dugard, had also issued a statement today, which was available, Ms. Heuzé added.

Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal

Christiane Berthiaume of the World Food Programme (WFP) noted that, because of the ongoing violence in camps for Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, WFP had had to temporarily halt its distribution of food aid to the seven camps affected. The stoppage had been in effect for two days so far, and was not critical at this juncture, but could become so if the violence continued.

Jennifer Pagonis of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said UNHCR was deeply concerned over violent incidents in a refugee camp in eastern Nepal in which two refugees had died and others had been injured during clashes which started Sunday. UNHCR appealed for calm to be restored immediately. The clashes had started Sunday in Beldangi II refugee camp between groups of refugees with differing opinions over resettlement. The Bhutanese refugees, many of whom had been in camps in eastern Nepal since the 1990s, had received an offer of some 60,0000 resettlement places by a group of core countries including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and the Netherlands. That offer had generated tension between the refugees who wanted to resettle to third countries and those who insisted on voluntary repatriation to Bhutan.

As yet, following 16 years of negotiations between the two Governments, not a single refugee had returned, Ms. Pagonis stressed. Police had intervened to curb the violence and to maintain law and order, but the situation remained tense and a curfew that had been imposed since Monday in all seven camps was still in force. UNHCR was reviewing its daily presence in the camps until the situation stabilizes. High Commissioner António Guterrres had just returned from a five-day mission to both Nepal and Bhutan last week. During his camp visits had urged refugees to respect others freedom of choice. The High Commissioner had met with the prime ministers of Nepal and Bhutan and other high-level government officials, as well members of the international community and UN agencies, to discuss the situation of the 107,000 refugees in the seven camps in the country and the urgent need to find solutions to their plight.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE

Hans von Rohland of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said that, starting tomorrow, more than 3,000 government, worker and employer leaders were to meet in Geneva for the 96th annual Conference of ILO (30 May to 15 June). They would discuss issues ranging from decent work and development to child labour in agriculture, work in the fishing sector, equality at work, forced labour and the promotion of sustainable enterprises. Six heads of State and Government and two crown princes would participate: the Presidents of Chile and Ghana would address the Conference on 4 June; the Crown Prince of Bahrain, and the President of Poland would speak to the plenary on 11 June; the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the President of Senegal would address Conference on 12 June; the Prince of Asturias would make an address on 13 June; and the President of Sri Lanka would speak on 15 June. ILO Director-General Juan Somavia would provide delegates with an overview of ILO issues and concerns in an address on 11 June. The Director-General would also present a new report on “Decent work for sustainable development” that examined more effective ways of implementing a balanced approach to sustainable development.

Notably, the Conference would focus on child labour in agriculture on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June, Mr. von Rohland said. Also to be examined were the situation in Myanmar with regard to forced labour and the latest report of the ILO on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories.

A press release on the Conference was available in French and English, and daily media bulletins would be released each morning with the daily agenda. Ms. Heuzé noted that, in conjunction with her appearance before the Conference, President Bachelet of Chile would be holding a special one-hour meeting with the Human Rights Council on the afternoon of Monday, 4 June, probably to be followed by a press conference in the Council Chamber. The press conference would be confirmed closer to the date.

Other

Ms. Berthiaume of WFP said that tomorrow in Rome WFP was hosting an expert-level meeting on world grain markets, in collaboration with Sweden and Belgium, with a view to ensuring that grain purchases for food assistance benefited local independent producers in developing countries as much as possible. That mission was particularly dear to the new WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, who, on her first official WFP mission to Ethiopia, chaired a round table on “The power of purchase: food assistance and the cycle of empowerment”. This was an extension of the policy already in place of buying food aid locally. It was worth recalling that WFP was the most important purchaser of aid in Africa, and last year 67 per cent of its purchases made from developing countries. Among participants were the three UN food agencies with headquarters in Rome, non-governmental organizations, and donor and recipient countries.

On Sri Lanka, Ms. Pagonis of UNHCR gave an update on the Sri Lankan Government's resettlement programme in West Batticaloa that had started two weeks ago. Some 30,000 displaced persons had now returned to their homes. The authorities planned to return a total of more than 90,000 displaced people from Batticaloa in phases over the coming months. UNHCR had had access to the areas of return and continued to monitor the process. UNHCR would continue to support the Government in assisting displaced people to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity.

Finally, Ms. Heuzé noted that the Conference on Disarmament was holding closed consultations today, and would next meet in public on Thursday, 31 May.