UN CONTINUES TO PROVIDING SUPPORT TO SUDAN AHEAD OF REFERENDUM

UN CONTINUES TO PROVIDING SUPPORT TO SUDAN AHEAD OF REFERENDUM
New York, Nov 1 2010 6:10PM
The United Nations stands ready to assist the upcoming referendum that will decide whether southern Sudan declares independence from Africa's largest country, an official with the world body said today, with voter registration set to kick off in two weeks.

People in southern Sudan are set to register at referendum centres throughout the country and abroad to vote on 9 January.

"This exercise, conducted by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission [SSRC], is one of the most important steps in the lead-up to the polling," Denis Kadima, Director of the UN Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division (UNIRED), told reporters in Khartoum today.

Over the weekend, more than 3,000 registration kits for distribution in southern Sudan and 840 kits for the north, along with registration books and cards, were handed over to the SSRC and its bureau in Juba, the southern capital.

The UN is helping to transport kits and books from Juba to the capitals of Sudan's states to train nearly 11,000 referendum centre staff, Mr. Kadima said.

UNIRED's technical assistance includes designing voter registration forms, developing complaint regulations and designing voter education materials, he added.

"The UN provides logistical support to deliver those items to locations throughout Sudan and in the eight countries where southerners will exercise their right to vote," the official said, referring to Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.

For its part, the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, known as UNMIS, will deliver these supplies by air to remote and isolated locations, while the joint UN-African Union mission in the Darfur (UNAMID) will transport registration materials from Khartoum to the war-ravaged region's state capitals.

Security for the delivery of referendum materials will be ensured by the Southern Sudan Police Service in the south and by the Sudan Police in the north. UNMIS police have trained nearly 14,000 police officers in the south between May and October, with preparations for referendum security training in the north under way.

"Informing the Sudanese people and potential voters about the referendum process is another way in which UNIRED is helping to create the conditions for a free, fair and transparent process," Mr. Kadima said today.

The SSRC voter education materials – including posters, stickers, banners, caps and bags – are being procured with the support from the UN Development Basket Fund, while donors are supporting civil society organizations in carrying out awareness programmes.

"Within its capacity, UNMIS will continue to do its most to ensure that the referendum is held on time and peacefully," Mr. Kadima said, adding that the upcoming voter registration is one of the most "important milestones" in the referendum process.

On 9 January the inhabitants of southern Sudan will vote on whether to secede from the rest of the country, while the residents of the central area of Abyei will vote on whether to be part of the north or the south.

The referenda will be the final phase in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which was signed in 2005 to end two decades of conflict between the northern-based Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in the south.

"This peace process is unique in the history of the Sudan and the next few months will be critical for safeguarding the achievements made since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote in his latest report to the Security Council on Sudan.

"As the Comprehensive Peace Agreement deadline for the referendums approaches, public anticipation and anxiety are building up at an accelerated pace. The events of the next three months will have a profound impact on the future of the Sudan.

"The stakes are undeniably high, as failure to meet the deadline for the referendums prescribed by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement could have severe consequences. Notwithstanding the progress made so far, it is imperative that the parties to the Agreement and all relevant authorities redouble their efforts to ensure that they successfully meet the deadline," he said.
Nov 1 2010 6:10PM
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HAITI: UN HELPING TO PREPARE FOR IMPENDING HURRICANE

HAITI: UN HELPING TO PREPARE FOR IMPENDING HURRICANE
New York, Nov 1 2010 6:10PM
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti is preparing to help up to half a million people in the impoverished Caribbean nation who could potentially be affected by Hurricane Tomas.

Over the last 24 hours, the mission, known as MINUSTAH, along with the Haitian Government and relief partners, have joined forces to initiate contingency plans, mobilize stocks and identify gaps as the hurricane approaches, on top of managing the continuing response to the cholera epidemic and the devastating January earthquake.

"This storm could not have come at a more difficult time," said Nigel Fisher, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti. "Although we have made some extensive preparations and prepositioned stocks across the country, some crucial supplies have been badly depleted by ongoing needs, particularly the response to the ongoing cholera epidemic."

As of last week, the Haitian health ministry has confirmed 4,649 hospitalizations and 305 deaths due to cholera, with cases having been confirmed in three of the country's 10 departments.

Mr. Fisher said that the UN is scaling up distributions in camps and sending truckloads of supplies down to Haiti's southern coast, "but we must now race to mobilize everything else we need."

Priority needs include 150,000 tarpaulins, 90,000 cases of soap and hygiene kits, 20,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts to treat cholera and 200 field tents, as well as logistics support.

Mr. Fisher underlined the need for as many supplies as possible to be in place as possible before Hurricane Tomas hits. "With our Haitian counterparts, we are appealing to donors, to organizations in the region and to humanitarian partners to help us get what we need in time."

Preparations for the hurricane's arrival began over the weekend, with tarpaulins being moved from Panama and all-terrain trucks with enough fuel to be self-sufficient for 7 days in anticipation of roads being cut off were dispatched to key hubs along the southern coastline.

There is a shortage of some stocks, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as a result of the cholera epidemic and shelter needs.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, where people in camps are very vulnerable to both wind and rain, all rope and tarpaulin stocks have been mobilized to help residents tie down their property, while information campaigns have been scaled up to raise awareness of the need to prepare for the hurricane.

"This storm is approaching at a time when aid agencies in Haiti are already stretched to the limit," Mr. Fisher stressed.

"As well as preparing for a large-scale hurricane response, we must continue to do all we can to help people across the country protect themselves against cholera – an of course to continue responding to the ongoing needs of earthquake survivors," he said, adding that the humanitarian challenges involved in the three simultaneous operations – responding to the earthquake, cholera outbreak and impending hurricane – are among the worst he has seen in his entire career.
Nov 1 2010 6:10PM
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BAN CONGRATULATES KYRGYZSTAN ON RESULTS OF ‘POSITIVE’ PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

BAN CONGRATULATES KYRGYZSTAN ON RESULTS OF 'POSITIVE' PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
New York, Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
United Nations Secretary-General congratulated the people of Kyrgyzstan on the results of the 10 October parliamentary elections, which were released today and were assessed by observers as positive, transparent, and well organized.

"He encourages the timely formation of an inclusive Government that will ensure peace, stability, and prosperity," Mr. Ban's spokesperson, Martin Nesirky said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13218.doc.htm">statement.

The successful polls were held some four months after deadly June clashes between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks affected nearly half a million people, uprooting about 400,000 and sending many fleeing to neighbouring Uzbekistan.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly's annual high-level debate in September, Mr. Ban assured Kyrgyz President Rosa Otunbaeva of continued UN support for the Central Asian nation's rehabilitation, recovery and reconciliation following the clashes.
Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
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RACISM PLAGUES EVERY SOCIETY – UN EXPERT

RACISM PLAGUES EVERY SOCIETY – UN EXPERT
New York, Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
Racism and xenophobia still ravage contemporary society and no state is immune to their effects, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Githu Muigai, said today.

"Racism and xenophobia are not yesterday's problems; they remain an immense challenge for today," Mr. Muigai said while presenting two reports to the UN General Assembly.

"Be it the member of an ethnic minority who is attacked or killed in the context of a conflict due to his or her minority status; the individual subjected to stop and searches, interrogations or arrests, solely because of his or her perceived religious or ethnic background; the migrant, the refugee or asylum-seeker who faces daily discrimination due to his or her status as a non-citizen; or the football player who is insulted because of his skin colour - all these people unfortunately demonstrate the validity of my statement," he said.

Mr Muigai noted that no state is immune to extremist political parties, movements and groups, and warned that racism may lead to genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

"Relying on the dehumanization of the other, hate speech may indeed become an effective tool in times of conflict to incite people to commit acts of violence, including killings, against specific individuals or groups of individuals," he said.

The Special Rapporteur warned in particular against "deeply marked tendencies to characterize migration as a problem and threat to social cohesion."

"Migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, regardless of their migration status, are entitled to have all their human rights protected by the State where they live without discrimination," Muigai said. He urged States to ensure that migration policies are "at all times consistent with international human rights instruments."

He called on states to be vigilant against extremist groups and to condemn and outlaw organizations and activities that promote or incite racial discrimination. He noted, however, that fighting racism requires more than the enactment of anti-discrimination laws.

"Overcoming racism also requires addressing public and private attitudes which justify and perpetuate racism at all levels and in all areas of life," he said.

On the question of incitement to racial or religious hatred, Muigai stressed that "vigorously interrogating and criticizing religious doctrines and their teachings is thoroughly legitimate and constitutes a significant part of the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion."

But he expressed concern about discrimination against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief; attacks on religious sites; religious and ethnic profiling; and negative stereotyping of religions, their followers, sacred persons, and symbols.

Mr. Muigai is a lawyer specialized in international human rights law. He was appointed by the Human Rights Council as a Special Rapporteur – reporting to that body as an unpaid, independent expert – beginning August 2008.
Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
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ON FINAL LEG OF ASIA VISIT, SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN MEETS WITH CHINESE LEADER

ON FINAL LEG OF ASIA VISIT, SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN MEETS WITH CHINESE LEADER
New York, Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
On the final leg of his Asia tour, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arrived in Beijing today, meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on a wide variety of topics of mutual interest.

"They discussed a wide range of topics, including climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, the Korean Peninsula and Africa." Mr. Ban's spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, said at his daily briefing.

Mr. Ban and President Hu also spoke about China's involvement in global affairs, according to the spokesperson.

"The Secretary-General noted that China could play a greater role in peacekeeping and in the search for political solutions to African crises, including in Somalia and Sudan," Mr. Nesirky said.

The Secretary-General arrived in Beijing after visits yesterday to Shanghai and Nanjing. In Shanghai, he delivered the closing speech at the Shanghai Expo, where he praised the city's reputation as one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities and said that the Expo helped highlight China's innovations in a number of important fields.

In Nanjing, the Secretary-General received an honorary doctorate from one of the world's oldest centres of leaning and delivered a speech to students at the university.

China is the last leg of the Secretary-General's four-nation Asian tour, which also included visits to Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
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EXPERTS SEEK TO KEEP ATOMIC ENERGY PEACEFUL AT UN SAFEGUARDS MEETING IN VIENNA

EXPERTS SEEK TO KEEP ATOMIC ENERGY PEACEFUL AT UN SAFEGUARDS MEETING IN VIENNA
New York, Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
Over 700 experts gathered in Vienna today to determine how best the United Nation's nuclear watchdog can prevent nuclear materials from being turned into weapons while preserving States' abilities to benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The Symposium on International Safeguards at the headquarters of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) brings together representatives of member states, the nuclear industry and members of the broader non-proliferation community for five days of meetings at the IAEA's headquarters in Austria.

Most countries around the world use nuclear techniques for a variety of peaceful purposes, the IAEA said in a press release today.

To ensure that these nuclear programmes are not misused the IAEA has developed a system of Safeguards Agreements, with around 170 states submitting nuclear materials, facilities and activities to the scrutiny of the IAEA's inspectors.

The agency currently inspects over 900 nuclear facilities, performing around 2,000 inspections in 2009.

With global interest in nuclear power generation increasing, the demands on the IAEA will inevitably rise, offering both challenges and opportunities to the IAEA and its Member States, the agency stated.

Topics to be addressed during the 2010 Symposium include support to the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, strengthening international safeguards, the role of non-state actors and covert trade networks, and the globalisation of nuclear information and technology.
Nov 1 2010 5:10PM
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BAN LAUDS LANDMARK PACT ON SHARING BENEFITS OF WORLD’S GENETIC WEALTH

BAN LAUDS LANDMARK PACT ON SHARING BENEFITS OF WORLD'S GENETIC WEALTH
New York, Nov 1 2010 3:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed a historic new United Nations treaty on sharing the genetic wealth of the Earth with developing nations and communities, calling the agreement a significant step to reaching global development goals.

The new protocol to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity "provides an innovative approach to conserving and protecting the world's rapidly diminishing living resources, while providing benefits to all, in particular, local communities in developing countries," Mr. Ban said, according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4891">statement released by his spokesperson.

The protocol, which came on the last day of the two-week conference of parties to the Convention in Nagoya, Japan, will set up an International Regime on Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources and will lay down the basic ground rules on how nations cooperate in obtaining genetic resources.

The agreement "demonstrated that countries were committed to pragmatic cooperation in meeting the challenges of sustainable development," Mr. Ban said, as he also welcomed the adoption of a new ten-year plan by the 193 States Parties of the Convention that contains targets to reduce the loss of biodiversity.

The Nagoya Protocol will outline how benefits – for example, from when a plant's genetics are turned into a commercial product, such as a pharmaceutical – will be shared with countries and communities who conserved and managed that resource, in some cases for millennia.

It also lays out rules on how substances and compounds derived from genetic resources will be managed and clarifies important issues related to pathogens, including how developed countries could obtain a flu virus to develop a vaccine in order to stave off an immanent epidemic.
Nov 1 2010 3:10PM
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FORMER RWANDAN BUSINESSMAN SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS BY UN GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL

FORMER RWANDAN BUSINESSMAN SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS BY UN GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL
New York, Nov 1 2010 3:10PM
A former businessman accused of supervising the massacre of some 2,000 Rwandan Tutsi civilians taking shelter in a church was today convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison by the United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the 1994 genocide.

Gaspard Kanyarukiga, who was arrested in South Africa in July 2004, was found guilty of genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity, according to a press release by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (<"http://www.unictr.org/">ICTR).

Handing down the sentence, the court's Trial Chamber II announced it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Kanyarukiga was criminally responsible for planning the killing of the Tutsis who took refuge in the Nyange Church.

According to the indictment presented to the Arusha-based court, which in 2008 decided not to turn over Mr. Kanyarukiga's case to Rwanda, in 1994 he transported police and members of the notorious Interahamwe militia to the church, in western Rwanda.

The police and militia poured fuel through the church's roof, set it on fire and then used guns and grenades to kill those seeking shelter inside. The defendant was accused of having supervised these events and then ordered the corpses to be removed and the church destroyed.

The indictment further alleged that the businessman held several meetings with local political and religious leaders where they discussed how to kill Tutsis.

Having found Mr. Kanyarukiga guilty of genocide, the Chamber dismissed the alternative charge of complicity in genocide.

At least 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were murdered in the 1994 violence in the tiny east African country.
Nov 1 2010 3:10PM
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MODELS OF CLIMATE ACTION TO BE SHOWCASED DAILY BY UN AGENCY, AHEAD OF CANCUN PARLAY

MODELS OF CLIMATE ACTION TO BE SHOWCASED DAILY BY UN AGENCY, AHEAD OF CANCUN PARLAY
New York, Nov 1 2010 2:10PM
A project to light up the Indian countryside with the power of the sun is one of 30 solutions to climate change to be showcased each day, starting today, in the month leading up to the next major meeting on the topic, according to the United Nations Evironmental Programme (UNEP).

The "30 ways in 30 days" initiative, launched one month before the start of the next conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) scheduled from 29 November to 10 December in Cancun, Mexico, will release case studies of successful climate schemes that can be copied and scaled up around the world.

"Across the world, in myriad ways, from community-based programmes to entrepreneurial endeavours, solutions are available to help confront the challenges of climate change and to help countries, communities and businesses move towards low-emission climate-resilient growth," UNEP said in a <"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=651&ArticleID=6812&l=en">press release today.
"More could be done if Governments, corporations and communities scaled up this work," it added.

One of the case studies featured is UNEP's "Solar Loans for Solar Homes" in India where more than 60 per cent of Indian households have no access to reliable electricity supplies and depend on kerosene for light and on burning dung and wood for heat.

The solar loan programme, a partnership involving the UN Foundation, Shell Foundation and two of India's largest banking groups accelerated market penetration of solar lights in the Indian countryside and inspired several similar initiatives in India and elsewhere, the agency said.

Other projects to be featured include "Green Passports" for sustainable tourism, the "greening" of East African tea plantations, the massive potential of carbon financing in Africa and successful reforestation in Panama, UNEP said.
Nov 1 2010 2:10PM
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TOP UN ENVOY IN IRAQ STRONGLY CONDEMNS ATTACK ON BAGDAD CHURCH

TOP UN ENVOY IN IRAQ STRONGLY CONDEMNS ATTACK ON BAGDAD CHURCH
New York, Nov 1 2010 12:10PM
The United Nations' top envoy in Iraq today strongly condemned last night's terrorist attack on a Catholic Church in Bagdad that reportedly took dozens of lives, as he reaffirmed the need to speed the formation of a government in order to boost security in the country.

"[A]cts of violence targeting the Iraqi people, of all different backgrounds, continue to claim lives on a daily basis," Ad Melkert, Special Representative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Iraq, said in a <"http://www.uniraq.org/newsroom/getarticle.asp?ArticleID=1440">statement.

To ensure the country's ability to protect its citizens, he reiterated that every effort should be exerted by Iraqi leaders to expedite agreement on formation of the government and other outstanding issues.

The deaths, along with numerous injuries, occured during an operation to rescue worshippers taken hostage at the Sayidat al-Nejat – our Lady of Salvation – church, media reports said.

In today's statement, Mr. Melkert also extended condolences to the families of the victims and the people and Government of Iraq, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.
Nov 1 2010 12:10PM
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BAN WELCOMES HISTORIC IVOIRIAN ELECTIONS, AFFIRMING "DEEP" UN COMMITMENT
New York, Nov 1 2010 11:10AM
Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon today commended the people of the Côte d'Ivoire for the peaceful conduct of yesterday's historic elections, as he reaffirmed the United Nations' continued commitment to assisting the West African country emerge from its devastating civil conflict.

"This election is an important milestone in the efforts to restore lasting peace in the country," according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4890">statement released by Mr. Ban's spokesperson, following the presidential election held yesterday, which was originally scheduled for as far back as 2005 and repeatedly postponed.

The Secretary-General called on all parties and candidates to help maintain a calm environment and urged them to accept the proclaimed and certified results, filing any complaints through the legally-established mechanisms.

He also pledged the United Nations continued support for the peace process in the country, which was split by civil war into a Government-held south and rebel Forces Nouvelles-controlled north in 2002. "The United Nations remains deeply committed to support the Ivorian peace process," he said

The Secretary-General also credited the Ivorian Independent Electoral Commission and the national and international partners that contributed to for the organization and conduct of this election for yesterday's smooth polling.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Y. J. Choi, will continue, in the context of his certification mandate, all efforts to safeguard the process through the counting and certification phases, according to the statement.

An additional 500 troops are in the country to reinforce the 8,650-strong UN peacekeeping force (<"http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unoci/">UNOCI), and assist with security during the election period. A second round of voting is scheduled for 28 November if the 31 October poll does not produce a clear winner.
Nov 1 2010 11:10AM
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