GUATEMALAN, UN INVESTIGATORS SEEK ARREST OF SUSPECTS IN BUS KILLINGS

GUATEMALAN, UN INVESTIGATORS SEEK ARREST OF SUSPECTS IN BUS KILLINGS
New York, Apr 1 2009 7:10PM
Guatemalan authorities with the support of a United Nations-backed anti-crime commission have issued arrest warrants in the allegedly drug-related murders of 15 Nicaraguans and one Dutch citizen travelling on a bus that was forced off a Guatemalan highway last November.

Attorney General Amilcar Velásquez and Carlos Castresana, head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, revealed the warrants at a joint press conference yesterday in Guatemala City.

The officials named 11 suspects in the killings, at least one of them a former police officer, saying they were members of a Guatemalan cocaine and arms trafficking gang that stopped the vehicle in search of illegal narcotics and then killed all of the persons on board before burning the vehicle.

One suspect is under arrest and others remain at large, the officials announced. They appealed for cooperation from Guatemalan citizens in locating the remaining fugitives. Mr. Castresana said the group had international connections and presumed links to public servants.

The burned bus was discovered in the eastern Department of Zacapa on 8 November. It had begun its journey in Nicaragua and continued through El Salvador before being diverted shortly after crossing the border into Guatemala, the officials said.

Since its emergence from a 36-year armed conflict, Guatemala has become an increasingly important transit point for illegal drug shipments between producing countries in South America and the United States market, exacerbating already high rates of violent crime and impunity.

The UN-backed Commission, which goes by its Spanish initials CICIG, began operations last year under an agreement between the UN and the Government of Guatemala. Its mandate is to help the Central American country fight impunity by assisting in the identification and dismantling of criminal networks.

Mr. Castrana, a former prosecutor and judge of the Supreme Court of Spain, was named to his position by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The warrants announced yesterday follow the arrest last week, on a warrant also sought by CICIG, of a former army finance chief on charges of embezzling public funds.
Apr 1 2009 7:10PM
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ARMED ROBBERY REPORTED AT STAFF RESIDENCE OF UN-AFRICAN UNION DARFUR FORCE

ARMED ROBBERY REPORTED AT STAFF RESIDENCE OF UN-AFRICAN UNION DARFUR FORCE
New York, Apr 1 2009 5:10PM
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.

<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamid/">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.
Apr 1 2009 5:10PM
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UN-ASSISTED SCHEME TO DEMOBILIZE EX-SOLDIERS IN EASTERN SUDAN ENTERS NEXT PHASE

UN-ASSISTED SCHEME TO DEMOBILIZE EX-SOLDIERS IN EASTERN SUDAN ENTERS NEXT PHASE
New York, Apr 1 2009 5:10PM
The second phase of a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme supported by the United Nations that aims to help nearly 2,300 ex-combatants put down their weapons and reintegrate into civilian life kicked off today in eastern Sudan.

Senior governmental officials, UN officials and donors were among those on hand at the launch ceremony in Kassala State of the initiative, carried out under the Support to Human Security Project of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The DDR process is part of the 2006 Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) that ended a decade-long conflict between the Government of Sudan and the Eastern Front.

"The DDR is the backbone of consolidating any peace agreement. Without successful reintegration of former fighters, sustainable peace, and accompanying social and economic development will not be possible," said UNDP Country Director Jerzy Skuratowicz.

"Therefore, the work we are undertaking collectively will be central to assisting Sudan to achieve its social and economics goals and to foster peace and development in the East," he added.

During the first phase, carried out from 2007-2008, the project succeeded in registering demobilized combatants, and providing them with services such as medical screening, food and clothing packages, and financial support.

Some 1,200 ex-combatants were trained on veterinary and basic business management skills, and provided with goats, sheep and commodities to help them start up small businesses.
Apr 1 2009 5:10PM
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BAN ‘APPALLED’ AT SUICIDE ATTACKS AT AFGHAN PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OFFICE

BAN 'APPALLED' AT SUICIDE ATTACKS AT AFGHAN PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OFFICE
New York, Apr 1 2009 4:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today's suicide attacks in southern Afghanistan, in which two people were reportedly killed and a large number of civilians injured, including one staff member serving with the United Nations mission in the country (<"http://unama.unmissions.org/">UNAMA).

Mr. Ban is "appalled and deeply saddened" by the attacks which occurred at the Provincial Council Office near the UN Office in Kandahar City, his spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3762">statement.

"Such attacks indiscriminately targeting people and institutions committed to building a better future for the country are morally repugnant and can only set back the efforts to foster peace, reconciliation and stability in Afghanistan."

The statement added that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the escalation of violence in Afghanistan. Just last month terrorist attacks against government buildings in the capital, Kabul, left at least 20 people dead and many more injured.

Last week in Moscow, Mr. Ban told the Special Conference on Afghanistan that terrorism, in addition to illicit drug trafficking and organized crime, is seriously impeding progress in the strife-torn nation.

He had noted that the country's security situation is at a "delicate juncture," but added that while conditions have deteriorated in recent months, indications of "new thinking and new commitment" from Afghanistan's international partners are reasons for cautious optimism.

Afghanistan and its international partners met yesterday in The Hague and outlined a vision for the country that has four main priorities: strengthened security, enhanced regional cooperation, improved economic growth and stronger institutions.

With regard to addressing insecurity, there was a commitment by the participants at the meeting – which included President Hamid Karzai, Mr. Ban and the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of UNAMA, Kai Eide – to increasing the size and capability of the Afghan Security Forces, which will gradually take the lead in protecting the Afghan people.
Apr 1 2009 4:10PM
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HIGH BIRTH RATES HAMPER DEVELOPMENT IN POORER COUNTRIES, WARNS UN FORUM

HIGH BIRTH RATES HAMPER DEVELOPMENT IN POORER COUNTRIES, WARNS UN FORUM
New York, Apr 1 2009 4:10PM
Rapid population growth, fuelled by high fertility, presents a barrier to reducing poverty levels and reaching other internationally agreed development goals, experts attending the current session of the United Nations population body said today.

The meeting of the Commission on Population and Development, which began on Monday and concludes on Friday, is examining the extent to which population growth affects the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), globally agreed targets on reducing poverty and eliminating other social ills by 2015.

Although birth rates have been on the slide across the developing world since the 1970s, women in most of the least developed countries (LDCs) still have five children each on average, according to a policy brief presented by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The lack of access to family planning and to modern methods of contraception is the major cause of this persistence in high fertility.

"When individuals and couples are given the possibility of deciding how many children they want to have, they usually opt for much lower numbers than they used to," Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Population Division, told the press at UN Headquarters in New York at a briefing focusing on the work of the Commission.

Ms. Zlotnik noted that giving people the information and means for reaching their reproductive goals – without any kind of interference or coercion – has significant implications for economic and social development.

Reducing population growth through cutting fertility rates, versus increasing mortality or restricting migration, is beneficial to the economy, as low fertility increases the number of people of working age per capita as well as output per capita, according to the Population Division brief.

Benefits to economic growth also occur as lowering fertility leads to an increase in the supply of female labour, particularly in urban areas in developing countries.

In addition, smaller family size allows for greater investment in the health and education of children in the longer term both from the family and government.
Apr 1 2009 4:10PM
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FINANCIAL TURMOIL COULD TRIGGER DEVELOPMENT CATASTROPHE, UN CAUTIONS

FINANCIAL TURMOIL COULD TRIGGER DEVELOPMENT CATASTROPHE, UN CAUTIONS
New York, Apr 1 2009 4:10PM
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," <"http://undp.org.ua/en/media/1-undp-news/779-higher-death-and-school-drop-out-rates-threaten-poor-countries-as-they-face-the-global-economic-crisis-undp-warns">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.
Apr 1 2009 4:10PM
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[News11] ONGOING ENTRY RESTRICTIONS NEGATIVELY AFFECTING LIVING CONDITIONS FOR GAZANS – UN

ONGOING ENTRY RESTRICTIONS NEGATIVELY AFFECTING LIVING CONDITIONS FOR GAZANS – UN
New York, Apr 1 2009 3:10PM
Restrictions on imports and exports, in addition to limitations on humanitarian deliveries, continue to seriously affect the living conditions of the population of Gaza, the United Nations has reported.

The latest <"http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_humanitarian_situation_report_2009_03_30_english.pdf ">field update from the office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory states that, in the week ending 28 March, 721 truckloads of goods were allowed into Gaza, slightly down from 728 during the previous week.

Food supplies accounted for nearly 80 per cent of imported commodities, and this week items such as tea, yeast and salt that were barred since late October 2008 were allowed entry.

Meanwhile, no construction materials, industrial or electrical appliances, livestock, petrol or diesel fuel was allowed entry into Gaza during the week. In addition, some 35,000 people are without any access to water, down from 40,000 last week.

The update notes that the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza rely on local farming to produce affordable fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Movement restrictions continue to prevent herders and farmers from accessing areas near the borders.

Furthermore, fishermen stand to lose substantial income as a result of new restrictions that limit fishing to three miles from Gaza's shores.

On the health front, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) have voiced serious concern over the halting of patients leaving Gaza for specialised hospital treatment after Hamas took control of the health department tasked with making referrals abroad.

The office also reports that only 35 per cent of the $615 million Flash Appeal for Gaza launched on 2 February has been received. For example, the 27 agricultural recovery projects aimed at protecting the livelihoods of the most vulnerable farming families received only $2.3 million of the $30 million requested.

The Appeal includes nearly 200 projects by UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in response to the emergency humanitarian and early recovery needs of 1.4 million people in Gaza, following the end of the three-week Israeli military offensive launched in late December 2008 with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups.
Apr 1 2009 3:10PM
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[News11] DR CONGO: UN TO PUSH HEAD WITH EFFORTS TO CURB ABUSE ALLEGATIONS FOR BLUE HELMETS

DR CONGO: UN TO PUSH HEAD WITH EFFORTS TO CURB ABUSE ALLEGATIONS FOR BLUE HELMETS
New York, Apr 1 2009 2:10PM
Although the number of misconduct allegations for blue helmets serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is on the decline, the top United Nations envoy to the country today vowed to press ahead with efforts to prevent and act on accusations of sexual exploitation and abuse.

A new report issued by the Conduct and Discipline Unit of the UN mission in the DRC (<"http://monuc.unmissions.org/">MONUC) "indicates that preventive action to train personnel, monitor behaviour and act on allegations is producing results," said Alan Doss, the Secretary-General's Special Representative.

"We will not relax our efforts," he vowed.

Allegations are categorized according to their severity, with Category I offenses including behaviour such as sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), serious fraud and abuse of authority, while Category II offenses pertain to personnel matters, contract disputes, misuse of equipment and small theft, among others.

According to the report, Category I allegations dropped from 66 in 2007 to 56 last year, and within these instances, the number of sexual abuse and exploitation allegations fell from 48 in 2007 to 38 in 2008.

The number of Category II allegations is also on the wane, with 202 allegations received last year, as opposed to 294 the year before. In 2008, 15 of the allegations pertaining to reported sexual abuse and exploitation mainly involved breaches of curfew. MONUC peacekeepers are prohibited from visiting bars frequented by prostitutes or areas that are off-limits for security reasons.

Some 31,000 MONUC personnel have been briefed and trained on sexual abuse and exploitation last year, with the Conduct and Discipline Unit visiting field sites regularly to assess the quality of training.

Additionally, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) requires that all peacekeeping personnel attend training on sexual exploitation and abuse upon arriving in the mission area and every year thereafter for as long as they are employed by the mission.

The UN has imposed a zero-tolerance policy against sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeepers, and senior officials have reiterated in recent years that this means there is no impunity for blue helmets who engage in such practices.

Last July, top officials serving with MONUC, one of the largest UN missions in the world, set up a conduct and discipline advisory committee comprising senior advisers and others to monitor and ensure that the highest standards of conduct and discipline are maintained.
Apr 1 2009 2:10PM
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[News11] LATEST ARMED CLASHES IN COLOMBIA FORCE HUNDREDS FROM THEIR HOMES, REPORTS UN

LATEST ARMED CLASHES IN COLOMBIA FORCE HUNDREDS FROM THEIR HOMES, REPORTS UN
New York, Apr 1 2009 2:10PM
Heavy fighting in south-western Colombia between Government troops and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) uprooted some 600 people at the weekend, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today.

Members of five Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities have escaped armed clashes in the rural town of El Charco, the area most affected by the mass displacement of 2007 when 15,000 people were forced from their homes.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) is monitoring the situation and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) has sent an assessment team to determine the basic needs of those who have fled their homes.

UNHCR reported about two weeks ago that some 2,000 indigenous Embera people were displaced last month from their collective territories in different areas along the Baudó River in the Colombian department of Chocó as a result of threats and conflict between two illegal armed groups.

In addition, more than 1,000 Embera were displaced in March in the Upper Baudó region in southern Chocó, along Colombia's Pacific coast.

According to UNHCR, at least 27 different indigenous groups are considered to be at risk of extinction in Colombia, largely as a result of armed conflict and forced displacement. Their survival depends greatly on being able to remain on their traditional lands.
Apr 1 2009 2:10PM
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[News11] SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES FORMATION OF NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES FORMATION OF NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT
New York, Apr 1 2009 2:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the formation of a new Government in Israel, underscoring his desire for close cooperation and dialogue with the administration to advance the work of the United Nations.

Mr. Ban "looks forward to working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the full range of peace and security issues in the region," according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3763">statement issued by the Secretary-General's spokesperson.

"This includes the resumption of the Middle East peace process, with the aim of achieving an independent and viable Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace with a secure Israel, and a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace as envisaged in Security Council resolutions," the statement added.

Apr 1 2009 2:10PM
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[News11] UN-BACKED FUND NEEDS ADDITIONAL $4 BILLION TO FUND AIDS, TB AND MALARIA EFFORTS

UN-BACKED FUND NEEDS ADDITIONAL $4 BILLION TO FUND AIDS, TB AND MALARIA EFFORTS
New York, Apr 1 2009 1:10PM
The question of how to fill an estimated $4 billion funding gap in the United Nations-backed initiative that helps countries fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria needs to be urgently addressed, donors at a meeting in the Spanish city of Cáceres stressed today, as they wrapped up a review of resource needs.

<"http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria – which helps finance national AIDS programmes – estimates that donor funding for the period 2008-2010 stands at $9.5 billion, $4 billion short of the expected demand of at least $13.5 billion.

"In view of the funding gap and the impact of a global economic crisis on the developing world, the Global Fund looks forward to how leaders of G-20 [Group of 20 most industrialized] countries address this situation at their summit in London on 2 April," <"http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/pressreleases/?pr=pr_090401">said Michel Kazatchkine, the Global Fund's Executive Director.

He added that the Group of Eight (G-8) leaders will also address the same challenge when they meet in La Maddalena, Italy, in July.

Delegates gathered in Spain for the two-day Mid-Term Review meeting of the Global Fund's Second Voluntary Replenishment process said much of the additional resources needed by the Fund would have to come from donors who have committed to increasing their official development assistance (ODA) budgets in order to meet development financing targets set at a international conference in Monterrey in 2002.

The participants, representing 28 donor countries and foundations, also called on the Global Fund to step up efforts to seek new government donors and attract more private sector contributions, according to a news release issued by the Fund.

Several donors indicated that they would soon consider making additional contributions in response to the success achieved by Global Fund programmes. The last two years have seen reductions in mortality in a number of countries for AIDS and malaria, and a continued fall in global TB prevalence that was first noted in 2004.

"We are now affecting the course of these three epidemics. In the case of malaria, in particular, we are on a trajectory to achieve universal access to bed nets by 2011 and have reason to be hopeful the Millennium Development Goal for malaria can actually be reached," said Mr. Kazatchkine, referring to one of several development targets set by world leaders in 2000.

He added that steps were being taken to ensure efficiency gains in the Fund's grants and in the Secretariat in areas such as travel, telecommunications and corporate procurement of goods and services.
Apr 1 2009 1:10PM
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[News11] OVERFISHING THREATENING STOCKS OF SEA CUMBERS, WARNS UN REPORT

OVERFISHING THREATENING STOCKS OF SEA CUMBERS, WARNS UN REPORT
New York, Apr 1 2009 12:10PM
Stocks of sea cucumbers, found on the ocean bed worldwide and a staple in diets across Asia, are increasingly in trouble from overfishing, according to a new United Nations report released today.

Sea cucumbers, known as bêche-de-mer in French, have long been a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine and are fast gaining recognition among European chefs, helping countries like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines export large quantities to China and other markets.

Asia and the Pacific are the top sea cucumber producing regions, generating some 20,000 to 40,000 tons per year. However, Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean and Newfoundland in Canada are also hotspots for the undersea animal.

"The fast pace of development of sea cucumber fisheries to supply growing international demand is placing most fisheries and many sea cucumber species at risk," <"http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/11225/icode/">said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study.

<i>The Sea Cucumbers: a global review of fisheries and trade</i> report warned that sea cumber stocks are under intense fishing pressure throughout the world, depleting most high value commercial species.

The <"http://www.fao.org/">FAO report underscored the need for the development of sea cumber management plans specific to local circumstances, including measures which establish catch quotas and minimum size limits, ban fishing during breeding seasons, and improve the monitoring of stocks.

Limiting overfishing is difficult, however, as effective management plans for sea cucumber fisheries are uncommon, noted the report, despite the substantial contribution they make to the export economies of many coastal regions.

The FAO report also identified other threats to sea cucumber populations, such as global warming, habitat destruction and illegal fishing.
Apr 1 2009 12:10PM
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[News11] UN PROJECTS GIVE BOOST TO IRAQ’S RECOVERY, FINDS INDEPENDENT STUDY

UN PROJECTS GIVE BOOST TO IRAQ'S RECOVERY, FINDS INDEPENDENT STUDY
New York, Apr 1 2009 11:10AM
United Nations reconstruction projects have made a "real and meaningful impact" on Iraq's recovery, an independent report has found.

Welcoming the study, UN Resident Coordinator for Iraq, David Shearer, said that it shows that "the Iraqi people have benefited from our efforts and donor funds have been well invested, despite a very difficult operating environment for our staff."

Over 85 UN and non-governmental organization (NGO) workers have been killed in the war-torn nation since 2003.

The "Stocktaking Review" carried out by the Norwegian aid effectiveness firm Scanteam assessed UN projects funded by the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), the world's largest UN multi-donor trust fund, which has channeled over $1 billion from 25 nations into the country since 2004.

Some 80 per cent of UN schemes surveyed were either "acceptable" or "satisfactory" – the highest grade – and security costs were found to be just 2 per cent of overall project costs.

The review, issued last week, also found no evidence of systematic corruption.

"The UN was able to deliver despite the poor security situation through our close working relationship with government, civil society and local partners," Mr. Shearer said.

He attributed the world body's success to its reliance on a large team, present in Iraq for many years, of over 400 national staff in governorates and local offices. "Their low-profile approach helped us carry out our work during the worst periods of violence."

However, the report did point out some weaknesses in how UN projects are monitored and reported, as well as delays in completion. The Resident Coordinator acknowledged that some improvements can be made, with UN agencies already having taken necessary steps in these areas.

Currently, the UN has humanitarian and development projects in place across Iraq supporting schools, hospitals and water supply, among other essential services. The world body's schemes also seek to spur economic reform and job creation, strengthen governance, promote human rights and protect women, children, displaced families, returning refugees and other vulnerable groups.

According to Mr. Shearer, improved security has brightened Iraq's development prospects. But he cautioned that the road ahead will be bumpy, with a 32 per cent budget deficit projected this year due to falling oil prices and with capital investment falling by half from last year's levels.

The UN will be expanding both its presence and assistance inside Iraq this year, but will be shifting its support to help the Government in areas including private sector development and public sector reform.

Thanking the international community, the Resident Coordinator called on donors to continue supporting the country's rebuilding efforts. "A coordinated development effort is more vital now than ever to consolidate Iraq's recovery," he said.
Apr 1 2009 11:10AM
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