DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO BENEFIT FROM NEW UN WEBSITE ON CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDING

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO BENEFIT FROM NEW UN WEBSITE ON CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDING
New York, Nov 30 2010 7:10PM
With developing countries slated to require as much as $100 billion a year for adaptation to climate change and $175 million for mitigation by 2030, the United Nations today launched a website to help them make sense of the multiple funds available to finance their needs.

The Climate Finance Options (<"http://www.climatefinanceoptions.org/cfo/index.php">CFO) web platform, envisioned as the go-to site for information on climate finance, will help them identify critical sources of funding to combat climate change.

"Developing countries need access to information on potential sources of finance, inspiring best practice examples, research results and tools for better investment decision making," World Bank Environment Department Director Warren Evans said at the launch at the UN Climate Conference in Cancun, Mexico. "The Climate Finance Options Platform provides a window to such information."

The World Bank Group and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) jointly developed the web-based knowledge platform in close cooperation with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat.

"For climate assistance to be most effective, it is critical for countries to access, sequence, and effectively integrate climate finance sources at the national level," UNDP Environment and Energy Group Director Veerle Vandeweerd said.

"UNDP is therefore pleased to be working in partnership to provide the CFO platform and assist countries to navigate the complex sources of finance through a one-stop shop."

The CFO analyzes the types of funds available, how much is available for what, the criteria for accessing them, and how they are administered. It also provides examples of successful cases in which different funds were blended to get maximum impact and will lead to greater efficiency in climate finance transactions, faster deployment of mitigation and adaptation projects, and better coordination between the UN system, development banks and the private sector.
Nov 30 2010 7:10PM
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CYPRUS REUNIFICATION TALKS HAVE REGAINED MOMENTUM – UN ENVOY

CYPRUS REUNIFICATION TALKS HAVE REGAINED MOMENTUM – UN ENVOY
New York, Nov 30 2010 6:10PM
Talks aimed at reaching an agreement that will lead to the reunification of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus have gathered pace since Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities earlier this month, the United Nations special adviser on the issue said today.

"The important thing is that the process maintains real momentum," Alexander Downer told reporters in New York after briefing the Security Council in a closed-door session.

"That momentum slowed down very much during the last two or three months and I think with the Secretary-General's meeting on 18 November that momentum has picked up again and it is up to the leaders, of course, to maintain that momentum into the future," Mr. Downer said.

The meeting between Mr. Ban and the Greek Cypriot leader, Dimitris Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu, took place in New York.

Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu are due to meet again in Cyprus tomorrow and on Thursday and get together again on 6 December, Mr. Downer said.

"We expect there to be other meetings before the end of the year … and then other meetings during the first month of next year, [and] around 25 or 26 January the Secretary-General will be meeting again with the two leaders and will be interested to hear from them on the progress that they have made," he added.

The two sides launched the talks in 2008 and committed themselves to working towards a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Mr. Downer said the process has "a good structure" and is unlikely to collapse, but added that negotiations on the "very complex" question of property had become "bogged down" before the Secretary-General met the two leaders. He stressed that it is important that the leaders maintain the political will and the optimism of the public that an agreement is possible.

He expressed appreciation for the Council's strong support to the process and pledged the UN team's continued support for the talks.
Nov 30 2010 6:10PM
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SECURITY COUNCIL URGES INTERIM SOMALI AUTHORITIES TO COMPLETE REMAINING TASKS

SECURITY COUNCIL URGES INTERIM SOMALI AUTHORITIES TO COMPLETE REMAINING TASKS
New York, Nov 30 2010 6:10PM
Members of the Security Council today voiced their full support for Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and urged that it complete priority tasks such as the drafting of a new constitution for the Horn of Africa nation.

Under the Transitional Federal Charter, the interim authority's mandate is set to expire in August 2011. Several tasks remain to be completed such as continuing initiatives on reconciliation, building civilian and security institutions and the completion of the constitution-making process.

Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant of the United Kingdom, which holds the Council's presidency for November, told reporters that the 15-member body reaffirmed its full support for the UN-facilitated Djibouti peace process and the TFG.

"They urged the TFG to remain united and redouble its efforts on reconciliation and the completion of the remaining transitional tasks, in particular the constitution-making process," he stated.

His comments followed a closed-door briefing to the Council via videoconference by Augustine Mahiga, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, as well as by Susanna Malcorra, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support.

Somalia – which has not had a functioning central government since 1991 – has been torn apart by decades of conflict and factional strife, more recently with al-Shabaab Islamic militants. The country is also facing a dire humanitarian crisis in which 3.2 million people, more than 40 per cent of the population, is in need of aid.

Council members expressed their support for the work of Mr. Mahiga, the UN and the African Union – which has a mission in Somalia known as AMISOM – to promote peace and reconciliation in the country.

They also discussed the proposals made by the African Union on AMISOM and called on the international community to mobilize resources to strengthen the mission's operational capabilities, Mr. Lyall Grant said.
Nov 30 2010 6:10PM
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POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA RETURNS TO PRE-CRISIS LEVELS, UN REPORT FINDS

POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA RETURNS TO PRE-CRISIS LEVELS, UN REPORT FINDS
New York, Nov 30 2010 4:10PM
The number of poor people in Latin America will fall this year to 180 million – the pre-crisis levels seen in 2008 – thanks to robust economic recovery in most of the countries of the region, says a United Nations report released today.

The "Social Panorama of Latin America 2010," produced by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), predicts that poverty and extreme poverty will be 1.0 percentage points and 0.4 percentage points lower, respectively, than in 2009, which was when the region bore the brunt of the international financial crisis.

"The region's countries are showing resilience in terms of social variables that has not been seen in previous crises," said ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, as she presented the report in Santiago, Chile.

The report emphasizes that, despite the major repercussions that the global economic crisis has had in the region, poverty rose by just one tenth of a percentage point in 2009, from 33 per cent to 33.1 per cent.

The Commission says in a <"http://www.eclac.org/cgi-bin/getProd.asp?xml=/prensa/noticias/comunicados/4/41804/P41804.xml&xsl=/prensa/tpl-i/p6f.xsl&base=/tpl-i/top-bottom.xsl">news release that poverty decreased between 2008 and 2009 in most of the nine countries in the study, including in Brazil, Paraguay, Dominican Republic and Uruguay, while it rose in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico.

The report adds that inequality in the region has been reduced thanks to the rise in the labour income of poor households and public transfers aimed at reducing the impact of the crisis.
Nov 30 2010 4:10PM
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DESPITE EASING OF GAZA BLOCKADE, SITUATION STILL DESPERATE, UN OFFICIAL WARNS

DESPITE EASING OF GAZA BLOCKADE, SITUATION STILL DESPERATE, UN OFFICIAL WARNS
New York, Nov 30 2010 4:10PM
Despite encouraging developments in Gaza since Israel eased its blockade in June, with shops now full of consumer goods, the economic, humanitarian, and physical situation is still extremely bleak, the top United Nations official there said today, calling for speedy moves to revive the territory's economy

"We have a huge amount of progress still to make to have a meaningful impact for the population on the ground," John Ging, Gaza Director for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), told reporters in New York, stressing that 80 per cent of the population is dependent on aid and cannot afford to buy what is available in the shops.

"The plight of the people is still desperate," he said, citing the tiny proportion of construction projects that have so far been approved by Israel – only six of the 100 schools UNRWA has sought to keep up with the student population – and the need to revive the economy through full access for both imports and exports.

"All of us on the ground are encouraged by positive developments because we have to turn a corner and we feel that we have turned a corner. We're still at the bottom of the ladder and we have a hell of a long way to climb back up and that's why we're saying now let's go. For four years we were going in the wrong direction. We have now turned that corner and we are going in the right direction. We need to speed it up."

Israel has blockaded Gaza for over three years but in June it started allowing in more civilian goods while still restricting access to concrete, iron and other materials that the UN says are needed to repair the devastating damage caused by the 2008-2009 offensive Israel said it launched to halt rocket and other attacks against it. Israel says these materials could be used for offensive purposes.

Mr. Ging noted that there was 80 per cent aid dependency among Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants. "The water situation is in crisis, 90 per cent according to the World Health Organization calculations is unfit for human consumption, 80 million cubic litres of sewage continues to be pumped out into the Mediterranean every single day untreated," he noted.

Tens of thousands of houses that were destroyed in Israel's offensive still stand in ruins and the construction projects that have been approved so far only account for about 7 per cent of the UN portfolio.

"Moving forward, that is what we have to focus on," Mr. Ging said, stressing the need to revive the commercial sector and resuscitate the import and export economy, with 95 per cent of the business sector now dormant, so as to get people back to work and off aid dependency.

"The donor community is no longer able to meet the financial costs of this level of aid dependency," he added, while still striking what he called "a note of hope and opportunity and urgency."

Detailing the dire needs of the educational sector, with its desperate overcrowding and children learning in shipping containers, he said UNRWA wanted to build 40 schools over the next six to eight months, with 60 more over the next two years, but only six have so far been approved. This would mean turning away 34,000 children. "We must move forward at a much more rapid pace," he declared.

Access is key for all development, he stressed, calling the blockade "illegal, inhumane and counter-productive," and underscoring the need to move beyond the humanitarian and consumer areas to bringing in commercial supplies and opening up exports.

He added that he had encountered good will on the Israeli side and was encouraged by his recent contacts, but this needs to be converted into positive action.

It has been shown over the past six months that progress is possible – "it's small, but possible" – and now the pace must be stepped up, he concluded. "Let's seize on the opportunity."
Nov 30 2010 4:10PM
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HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES SEEK FUNDS FOR CYCLONE EMERGENCY IN MYANMAR – UN

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES SEEK FUNDS FOR CYCLONE EMERGENCY IN MYANMAR – UN
New York, Nov 30 2010 3:10PM
Humanitarian agencies in Myanmar require an estimated $53 million to respond to the needs of at least 260,000 people who were affected by Cyclone Giri that battered the western coast of the South-east Asian country last month, destroying thousands of homes, infrastructure and farms, the United Nations reported today.

The cyclone left at least 45 people dead or missing and nearly 102,000 people remain homeless, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Approximately 17,500 acres of farmland and nearly 50,000 acres of aquaculture ponds were also destroyed.

The storm also washed away roads and bridges, leaving some parts of the affected area only accessible by boat, OCHA said in an update.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, has approved the allocation of approximately $6 million from the OCHA-managed Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to finance projects to assist those affected. The projects include education, emergency shelter, food aid, health services, livelihood assistance, nutrition, water and sanitation and logistics.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners are finalising preparations for a food distribution in December. An estimated 3,300 tonnes of mixed food items will be distributed to some 200,000 beneficiaries.

As of the end of last week, over 9,300 tarpaulins had been distributed. In addition, 6,037 emergency shelter kits are in the final stage of distribution to beneficiaries in the affected area. The cyclone response effort has so far cost $18 million, according to OCHA.

Cyclone Giri, a category-four storm, made landfall in Rakhine State on 22 October, close to the town of Kyaukpyu. The townships of Kyaukpyu, Myebon, Minbya and Pauktaw were badly hit by the storm.
Nov 30 2010 3:10PM
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CRICKETERS UNITE BEHIND UN INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS

CRICKETERS UNITE BEHIND UN INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS
New York, Nov 30 2010 1:10PM
International cricketers will show their support this week for a United Nations-backed initiative supporting people living with HIV and AIDS by wearing red ribbons on their playing shirts during matches.

The effort comes as the UN celebrate World AIDS Day (1 December) and is part of the Think Wise initiative, a partnership between the International Cricket Council, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Global Media AIDS Initiative that has been running since 2003.

"The red ribbon that we wear symbolises our support for the cause to help those living with HIV and AIDS to live a full and productive life in society without giving up hope," <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_57003.html">said Sri Lanka's cricket captain and Think Wise Champion, Kumar Sangakkara.

"It is a disease that we should fight by understanding how it spreads and encouraging people to talk about things like sexuality in their homes," added Mr. Sangakkara, who will wear a red ribbon along with the rest of his team when Sri Lanka faces the West Indies tomorrow.

Players taking part in other One Day Internationals in Bangladesh and India on Wednesday will also wear red ribbons, while players for England and Australia will wear the ribbons on the first day of the 2nd Ashes Test Match on 3 December.

The Think Wise campaign will continue through the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, under the theme 'Get the Facts, Protect Yourself.' The campaign will encourage young people to be informed, take appropriate action to prevent HIV infection and stand together against stigma and discrimination often facing people living with HIV and AIDS. Players will wear red ribbons during the important matches of the tournament, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

South Africa's cricket captain, Graeme Smith, who is also a Think Wise Champion, agrees with his Sri Lankan counterpart that it is vital for cricketers to show their support for the initiative and people living with HIV.

"If I can use my position as international cricketer to deliver important social messages, such as encouraging young people to use protection and wear a condom, and reduce the number of new infections then it is something that I am happy to do," he said.
"Two million people die of AIDS-related deaths each year and nearly three-quarters of them come from sub-Saharan Africa. These are people who watch me play cricket on television, support me in the stadium and this makes it all seem very real to me," he added.

The positive results of AIDS awareness campaigns such as the Think Wise initiative are beginning to bear fruit and a new UNAIDS report shows the beginnings of a reversal of the spread of HIV.

New HIV infections have fallen by nearly 20 per cent in the last 10 years, AIDS-related deaths are down by nearly 20 per cent in the last five years, and the total number of people living with HIV is stabilising.

The report gives new evidence that investments in HIV prevention are producing significant results in many of the highest burden countries. Despite these gains, an estimated 2.6 million people became newly infected with HIV and 1.8 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2009, and 33.3 million people were estimated to be living with HIV.
Nov 30 2010 1:10PM
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REPORTED CHOLERA CASES IN HAITI RISE TO 72,000 – UN AGENCY
New York, Nov 30 2010 1:10PM
The number of reported cases of cholera in Haiti has risen to just over 72,000, including 1,648 deaths, the United Nations health agency said today, noting that fewer deaths are now being recorded than earlier in the epidemic, which erupted in late October.

The case mortality rate now stands at 2.3 per cent, Fadela Chaib, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO), told reporters in Geneva.

There are now 40 cholera treatment centres in the country with a an average capacity of 100 to 200 beds each, Ms. Chaib said, adding that the 61 cholera treatments units – small units established in hospitals and health centres – had an average capacity of 20 beds each.

Ten additional cholera treatment centres and 39 cholera treatments units are required, as well as 350 more doctors, 2,000 nurses, 2,200 support staff and 30,000 community health workers, Ms. Chaib said. The community health workers would mostly work in rural villages, where needs are greatest, she added.

Meanwhile, a survey carried out among 37 aid groups providing health care by Haiti's Ministry of Public Health and Population has identified key challenges to the cholera response, Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said.

These include the removal of the bodies of the dead, the disposal of medical waste, the identification of sites on which to set up health centres, and a lack of trained personnel.

On funding, Ms. Byrs said some $32.9 million of the $164 million humanitarian agencies are seeking for the cholera emergency has been received as of today.
Nov 30 2010 1:10PM
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BAN DISCUSSES SECURITY WITH CENTRAL ASIAN LEADERS, STRESSES VITAL ROLE OF WOMEN

BAN DISCUSSES SECURITY WITH CENTRAL ASIAN LEADERS, STRESSES VITAL ROLE OF WOMEN
New York, Nov 30 2010 12:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today<"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4960">discussed security in Central Asia with regional leaders following recent unrest, and underscored the vital need to end gender-based violence and discrimination and empower women as essential building blocks in ensuring peace and stability.

Mr. Ban, who is in the Kazakh capital, Astana, for the summit of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (<"http://www.osce.org/">OSCE), met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and President Roza Otunbaeva of Kyrgyzstan, which was rocked by political unrest and deadly clashes earlier this year.

He told reporters he "highly commended" Mr. Nazarbayev for his "very able, active intervention" in ensuring peace and stability in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, his contribution to bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan and his visionary leadership in ensuring nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

In his talks with Ms. Otunbaeva, the Secretary-General hailed Kyrgyzstan's peaceful parliamentary elections in October and the important progress made in strengthening democratic institutions that should include the swift formation of a coalition government. The two discussed the importance of protecting the rights of refugees and reinforcing the rule of law for long-term stability, as well as the need for regional cooperation to fight terrorism.

Mr. Ban, who also met with OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, discussed the need to ensure access to transit and trade for the land-locked Central Asian countries and the mutually beneficial use of shared natural resources.

He told reporters he expected the OSCE leaders to discuss regional peace and stability, enhancing human rights, cross-border cooperation on issues like drug control, and how to work together to maintain a globally sustainable environment and development.

Both in his bilateral talks and an address to a regional women's group, stressed the central role of women in peace and security. "Your voice is so important because you have witnessed the suffering caused by violence, terrorism, human trafficking, and organized crime," he told the Women of Central Asia on Women, Peace and Security.

"You have seen the suffering and fear imposed on women and girls by unconscionable abuse, suffering that is exacerbated by impunity, by a lack of accountability for perpetrators. You also know something else: how difficult it is to establish peace. For these reasons, and as a matter of fundamental human rights, you deserve a seat at the table," he added, stressing that women's participation is an essential condition for sustainable peace and development.

"When we discuss how to prevent fighting, when we work to resolve conflicts, when we build peace, you should be there – not as observers but as decision-makers, not as victims but as agents of change."
Nov 30 2010 12:10PM
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SWISS VOTE TO EXPEL CONVICTED FOREIGNERS MUST NOT PUT REFUGEES AT RISK, SAYS UN

SWISS VOTE TO EXPEL CONVICTED FOREIGNERS MUST NOT PUT REFUGEES AT RISK, SAYS UN
New York, Nov 30 2010 12:10PM
The United Nations refugee agency today called on Switzerland to abide by the policy of no forced returns in order to protect refugees and asylum-seekers amid this week's vote on expelling foreigners convicted of serious crimes.

Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), stressed at a news conference in Geneva that the principle of non-refoulement is a cornerstone of international law.

"It exists to ensure that no refugee or asylum-seeker is returned to a situation in which they face serious harm, such as persecution, torture or inhumane or degrading treatment," he said.

UNHCR is appealing to the Swiss political parties to ensure that the principle of non-refoulement is "not put at risk" amid the current debate on expelling convicted foreigners.

According to media reports, 53 per cent of Swiss voters backed a proposal in Sunday's referendum to automatically deport foreigners convicted of crimes ranging from murder to benefits fraud. Under current Swiss law, decisions to expel foreigners convicted of serious crimes are made on a case-by-case basis.

Mr. Edwards stated that for any asylum system to be effective, individual cases must be properly heard and legal remedies provided against being returned to a situation of jeopardy. "Any automatism in this regard would be at variance with fundamental tenets of the rule of law."

Switzerland has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention – the key legal document in defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of States – and related human rights treaties.
Nov 30 2010 12:10PM
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