DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Guest at Noon

Good afternoon.  You all know Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.  After I finish my briefing, he will be talking to you today about the Secretary-General’s report on the follow-up to the Brahimi recommendations on United Nations peace operations.

**World Environment Day

This morning, in this room, the Secretary-General launched the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment project, a four-year, twenty-one million dollar effort involving 1500 scientists, designed to be the most extensive study of the world’s ecosystems.  In his Millennium Report to the General Assembly, the Secretary-General pointed out that there had never been a comprehensive global assessment of the world’s ecosystems.  This project, co-sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, the United Nations Foundation and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, is a response to this need. 

This study, the Secretary-General said, “will fill important knowledge gaps, enabling policy-makers to make better, more-informed decisions.  Most of all, the Assessment promises to help us improve the lives and livelihoods of the poor, and make considerable gains in our efforts to find an equitable and sustainable balance between environment and development.”

We have a number of other announcements relating to World Environment Day.  Available upstairs is a message from UNEP Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer, entitled “Connect with the World Wide Web of Life”.  Also, in observance of the United Nations Year of the Volunteers, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) are joining to award Certificates of Appreciation to past and present members of UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme National Steering Committee (NSC) in recognition of their invaluable voluntary contributions to the global environmental cause. Award ceremonies are taking place to coincide with World Environment Day celebrations in the 54 developing countries which participate in the Small Grants Programme.

For more information, you can pick up a press release upstairs.

**AIDS

Over 200 representatives from more than 50 donor governments, multilateral and non-governmental organizations, as well as private foundations, concluded consultations yesterday in Geneva on the Secretary-General's proposal for a Global AIDS and Health Fund.  They recommended that the Fund be operational by the end of 2001.

In a briefing to the press in Geneva this morning, Julia Cleeves, UNAIDS senior policy officer, listed the main conclusions of the meeting:  the Fund needs to go ahead rapidly, it should focus on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and it needs to have broad stakeholder consultation and representation.  The stakeholders should include representatives from developing countries, civil society, multilateral agencies, private sector and donor governments.  The creation of the Fund is expected to be officially announced at the Special Session of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, to be held here at Headquarters later this month.  The broad structure of the Fund is expected to be in place in July, and it is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

A full summary of the Geneva press conference is available in my office.

**Statements Attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General

“In response to the violence that continues to plague the Central African Republic following the attempted coup on 27-28 May 2001, which he condemned in a statement on 29 May, the Secretary-General has decided, in addition to his continued involvement from Headquarters to finding a solution to the current situation, to dispatch to Bangui, as his Special Envoy, General Amadou Toumani Touré of Mali, for urgent talks with President Patassé and other authorities and actors.

“The Special Envoy will hold discussions with his interlocutors with a view to ending the fighting that reportedly continues in parts of Bangui between forces loyal to the Government and the rebels for restoring peaceful political dialogue within the framework of respect for the country's democratic institutions.  The Special Envoy is expected to begin his mission in the course of the present week.”

We have a second statement here, of congratulations for elections in Peru:

“The Secretary-General would like to congratulate Mr. Alejandro Toledo Manrique on his election as President of Peru, and to wish him every success in the process of rebuilding and strengthening Peru's democratic institutions, consolidating the rule of law as well as bringing greater prosperity to all Peruvians.

“The Secretary-General wishes to praise the people of Peru for holding elections that have been described as free, fair and transparent.  This process has enjoyed the participation of national and international observers, including the United Nations, which has provided needed technical assistance to Peru's National Office for Electoral Process.”

**Security Council

The Security Council met in informal consultations this morning on the report by a five-member panel of experts on enforcing sanctions against the Taliban.  As you’ll recall, the panel, chaired by Ambassador Haile Menkerios of Eritrea, made a number of recommendations, including one that calls for the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to work alongside the border control services in the countries neighbouring Afghanistan. 

Shortly after 11:15 a.m. the Council began an open meeting on the same item.  The Council members began the meeting with a moment of silence in memory of the deceased members of the Nepalese royal family.  The report was then introduced by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia in his capacity as the chair of the Afghan Sanctions Committee.  There are 19 speakers listed, including Ambassador Menkerios.

**Liberia

The Security Council Sanctions Committee on Liberia, meanwhile, has approved and published a list of more than 100 persons, subject to a travel ban as stipulated in paragraph 7 of resolution 1343 on Liberia.  That resolution says that all States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of senior members of the Government of Liberia and its armed forces and their spouses, and any other individuals providing financial or military support to armed rebel groups in countries neighbouring Liberia, in particular the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone.  The Committee said the list will be updated regularly. 

We have the list available in a press release upstairs.

**Iraq

According to the weekly update from the Office of the Iraq Programme, one last vessel was in the process of completing loading at Mina al-Bakr terminal today, while the loadings at the second authorized terminal of Ceyhan, Turkey, had stopped on 3 June.  Since its announcement of suspending oil exports under the United Nations oil-for-food programme, Iraq has not scheduled any new loadings for the current phase IX of the programme, which has been extended to 3 July.  The extension came into effect on 4 June.

In terms of last week’s oil exports, the total was 17.4 million barrels, at the rate of almost 2.5 million barrels a day, which generated an estimated revenue of €492 million.

There was a significant drop in the total value of contracts placed on hold by the Security Council’s 661 Sanctions Committee, following the release from hold of some 410 contracts, worth $703.5 million by the United States.  The reduction in “holds” brought their total value from the previous week’s $3.7 billion to $2.96 billion. 

As you will recall, yesterday we issued a statement on behalf of the Secretary-General in which he said he welcomed the decision taken to remove these “holds”, and he appealed to all members of the Security Council to expedite the approval of applications and spare no effort in lifting the remaining holds placed onapplications.

The full text of the weekly update is available upstairs.

**Children in Armed Conflict

Here is something else you might be interested in.  This afternoon, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, will deliver the keynote address at a programme called “Children in Armed Conflict:  Everyone’s Responsibility”.  The programme is sponsored by his Office and the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and will feature testimonials of three young people: one from Sierra Leone, one from Colombia and one from Kosovo, who have been affected by conflict.  The programme begins at 3 p.m. in conference room 4.

**Secretary-General at World Assembly of Mayors and Local Authorities

Later this afternoon, at 5:30 in conference room 2, the Secretary-General will speak at a meeting of mayors and local authorities who are here to attend the Habitat conference which gets under-way tomorrow.  At this meeting, the Mayors will present the Secretary-General with a declaration, entitled “The Voice of the Cities.”

In his remarks, the Secretary-General will tell the Mayors and heads of local authorities that since they are most closely in touch with the daily lives of the world’s people, they are ideal partners for the United Nations in many areas, including mobilizing financing for development and the fight against AIDS.  Copies of the Declaration and the Secretary-General’s remarks (embargoed) are available in my office.

Also on Habitat, the special exhibit on Istanbul + 5, entitled "Urban Millennium", will be opened at 7 p.m. today at the General Assembly visitors' lobby by Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat).  You are all invited to attend.

**Budget

The Republic of Korea today became the 86th Member State to pay its

2001 regular budget assessment in full, with a payment of more than $17 million.

**Flags at Half-Mast

You may have noticed that the United Nations flag is at half-mast and no national flags are flying.  This is in observance of the official mourning for Their Majesties King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of the Kingdom of Nepal.

This morning, the Secretary-General visited the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Nepal, where he signed two books of condolences, one for each of the late kings.

**Press Conferences

At 1:30 in this room, Anna Tibaijuka of Habitat will be joined by Joan Clos, Mayor of Barcelona and Chairperson of the World Authorities of Cities and Local Authorities Coordination, and other Mayors, to talk about the implementation of the Habitat Agenda through local governance.

At 3:00 p.m., also in this room, Miloon Kathari, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, and Virginia Bonoan Dandan, Chair of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, will discuss the right to adequate housing.

And finally, at 4 p.m., the Mission of the Czech Republic will be sponsoring a press conference by Emil Scuka, President of the International Romani Union.  You’ll note that the Secretary-General met with Mr. Scuka this morning.  This is the second time he has met with Roma leaders, the first being in Hungary during a visit that he made last June.  During the visit, he raised the issue of the rights of the Roma people with the highest levels of the Hungarian leadership.  He told the press at that time, “I’m leaving here encouraged that the problem is being

tackled and that the minorities concerned are themselves engaged in a search for a solution.”

At 9:30 in the morning tomorrow, the United States Mission is sponsoring a press conference in this room by the Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, Henry McKinnell, who will be making an announcement relating to the General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS.

At 1:00 p.m., again, Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), will be joined this time by the dignitaries for the official opening press conference of the General Assembly Special Session on Habitat.

And finally, at 1:45 p.m., Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Frank Devlyn, President of Rotary International.  They will be talking about the Memorandum of Cooperation on population and development between UNFPA and Rotary International.

Any questions before we go to Mr. Guehenno?  Thank you -- you've made my life very easy.

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