[19 November, 2007]

TOP UN PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL HEADS TO CHINA TO PUSH FOR GREATER CONTRIBUTION

New York, Nov 16 2007 7:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping chief is heading to China for a regional seminar and meetings with Government officials to encourage the world's most populous country to contribute more to UN operations. Jean-Marie Guhenno, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told reporters in New York today that China's level of involvement in UN missions has surged dramatically in the past five years. The Asian nation is now the thirteenth largest contributor of uniformed personnel. But he said that China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, can increase its contribution even more, particularly in the areas of so-called "force enablers," where it has already provided medical and engineering units. For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[12 November, 2007]

BILLION GRAINS OF RICE DONATED TO UN ANTI-HUNGER AGENCY THANKS TO INTERNET GAME

New York, Nov 9 2007 4:00PM An Internet game in which a website donates 10 grains of race to the United Nations World Food Programme for every vocabulary question answered correctly by participants has passed the 1 billion grain threshold after just one month of operations. The amount donated by FreeRice.com, founded by the United States fundraising pioneer John Breen, reached 1,008,771,910 grains yesterday, 32 days after the site was launched. That is enough to feed more than 50,000 people for one day. WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran hailed the FreeRice game as an example of how the Internet can mobilize millions of people worldwide to end want. "Every grain of rice is essential in the fight against hunger," she said, noting that hunger claims more lives than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[06 November, 2007]

MISSING CREW MEMBER FROM UN LIBERIA COPTER CRASH CONFIRMED DEAD

New York, Nov 5 2007 8:00AM The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) today confirmed that Friday's crash of a UN helicopter which took the lives of two crew members also killed the third person on board, who had been listed as missing. The cargo helicopter which went down near Ganta, Nimba County, in northeastern Liberia killed the Pilot in Command, Vitali Drozdov (42); Co-Pilot Sergey Kolosov (53); and Flight Engineer Nikolai Zhorikov (58). All three were nationals of the Russian Federation. "The United Nations recognizes and appreciates the valuable contribution made to the work of UNMIL by these three men, who have made the ultimate sacrifice," the mission said in a statement. Meanwhile, an extensive investigation has been launched in an effort to determine the causes of the crash. For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[29 October, 2007]

UN ENVOY AND JAPANESE OFFICIALS URGE MYANMAR TO BEGIN TALKS WITH OPPOSITION

New York, Oct 26 2007 5:00PM In Tokyo today, the United Nations Special Envoy for Myanmar joined senior Japanese officials in calling on authorities in the South-East Asian nation to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition to resolve the ongoing crisis there. "The Government and the opposition must sit down together and discuss the future of their country," Ibrahim Gambari told reporters in the Japanese capital, the current stop on a six-nation tour of Myanmar's regional partners. While in Tokyo, the Special Envoy held meetings with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura, Vice-Foreign Minister Osamu Uno, and Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka. They discussed the need for the Myanmar Government to seize the current window of opportunity generated by the recent crisis to start dialogue with the opposition without delay and pursue an inclusive process of national reconciliation, according to a UN spokesperson... For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[22 October, 2007]

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED AT TURKISH MOVE ON ATTACKING KURDISH TARGETS IN IRAQ

New York, Oct 19 2007 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern today about the Turkish Parliament's decision this week to enable the country's armed forces to take cross-border military action in Iraq against targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). "The Secretary-General strongly urges all sides to demonstrate restraint at this delicate juncture," his spokesperson said in a statement released at United Nations Headquarters in New York. "He welcomes the affirmation by the Turkish Foreign Minister that Turkey is open to discussing all problems in Iraq." The statement added that Mr. Ban calls on the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that Iraqi territory is not used to mount cross-border attacks against Turkey. "Recent attacks by the PKK inside Turkey have been rightly condemned by the international community," it noted. For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[08 October, 2007]

MYANMAR SHOULD TAKE 'BOLD ACTIONS' TOWARDS DEMOCRACY, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

New York, Oct 5 2007 5:00PM Myanmar needs to take major steps towards democratizing, protecting human rights and accelerating its national reconciliation process, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling authorities' recent use of force against peaceful demonstrators in the Asian country "abhorrent and unacceptable." Addressing a Security Council meeting, which also heard a briefing from his Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari on his visit to Myanmar earlier this week, Mr. Ban said it was time for a serious and comprehensive dialogue between the Government and the political opposition. "Now, more than ever before, the Government of Myanmar should take bold actions towards democratization and respect for human rights," he said. "The national reconciliation process must be accelerated and be made as broad-based, inclusive and transparent as possible." Both Mr. Ban and Mr. Gambari welcomed news that Senior General Than Shwe has is prepared to meet the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, albeit with certain conditions... For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[01 October, 2007]

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO HOLD SPECIAL SESSION ON MYANMAR NEXT WEEK

New York, Sep 28 2007 6:00PM The United Nations Human Rights Council has announced it will hold a special meeting on 2 October to discuss the situation in Myanmar, amid growing calls for authorities in the Southeast Asian nation to exercise restraint in dealing with ongoing protests. Myanmar has recently witnessed a wave of peaceful demonstrations, which began last month in protest against a surge in fuel prices and more recently have included many of the country's monks. The 47-member Council, which today suspended its sixth session until 10 December, decided to hold the emergency meeting following a request by a number of countries. This will be the fifth special session convened by the Geneva-based Council since it was set up in June 2006 to replace the former Commission on Human Rights. The deteriorating situation in the country prompted Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to dispatch his Special Envoy to the region earlier this week. Ibrahim Gambari held meetings at Singapore's Foreign Ministry today and is expected to arrive in Myanmar tomorrow... For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[24 September, 2007]

FROM BELL RINGING IN NEW YORK TO BATTLE SCARRED AFGHANISTAN, UN MARKS PEACE DAY

New York, Sep 21 2007 12:00PM From the ritual ringing of a bell at its stately Headquarters in New York to the furthest flung trenches of warfare across the world, where a record number of more than 100,000 peacekeepers are struggling to restore stability, the United Nations system today marked the annual International Day of Peace with fervent appeals for an end to violence. "Peace is the highest calling of the United Nations - and for me personally," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on the lawn in front of the towering UN Headquarters as he stood facing the Peace Bell, a gift from Japan cast from the pennies donated by children from 60 nations, before driving the ringing beam into it three times. "Peace defines our mission. It drives our discourse. And it draws together all of our world wide work, from peacekeeping and preventive diplomacy to promoting human rights and development," he added... For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[17 September, 2007]

UNICEF WELCOMES ADOPTION OF DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

New York, Sep 16 2007 2:00PM Welcoming the General Assembly's adoption of a declaration outlining the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for greater policies and programmes to tackle the poverty, discrimination and exclusion faced by indigenous children. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman issued a statement praising UN Member States after they voted in the Assembly on Thursday -- after more than 20 years of debate -- to approve the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A non-binding text, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues. The Declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations... For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

[04 September, 2007]

UN ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ATTACKS IN NEPALESE CAPITAL

New York, Sep 2 2007 6:00PM The top United Nations envoy to Nepal today condemned a series of bomb blasts which struck Kathmandu, resulting in a number of casualties. "The United Nations expresses its condemnation of the bomb attacks which have killed and injured Kathmandu citizens," Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ian Martin said in a statement. "The Nepalese have shown a great capacity to resolve difficult issues through peaceful dialogue, and I have no doubt that acts of terror will discredit whatever cause they are claimed to promote," said Mr. Martin, who is also head of the UN Mission in Nepal. According to media reports, at least two people were killed and more than two dozen others injured following three blasts that took place aboard a minibus packed with commuters, at a bus stop in the busy city centre and outside army headquarters... For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

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