UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Top UN envoy speaks out after suicide bomber kills Afghan policemen

2 February - The top United Nations official in Afghanistan has spoken out about on Monday’s (2/02)
attack at a police station in the southern province of Uruzgan which reportedly killed at least 20 officers.

Many others were also wounded in the suicide bombing which took place in the provincial capital of
Tirin Kot.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said the tragedy will not only
affect those who lost their loved ones but also the community at large.

“People across Afghanistan want and need better justice and law enforcement, and efforts to train and
professionalise the police are aimed at meeting this demand,” he said in a statement.

“Monday’s (2/02) attack shows contempt both for human life and for the community's wishes for a just
Afghanistan.”

Just two weeks ago, a suicide bombing in the capital, Kabul, claimed at least two lives and injured
several more.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Germany’s measles outbreak wake-up call for parents to have children vaccinated – UN

2 February - A measles outbreak in Germany has highlighted the need for vaccination reminders and
better information for parents, after a study showed that at least 80 per cent of 614 cases in Duisburg in
2006 involved people who had not been vaccinated, according to research published ton Monday (2/02)
in the Bulletin of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).

“Measles still causes an estimated 197,000 deaths each year around the world, the majority of them
children under five,” Peter Strebel of WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals said.
“Parents and doctors need to be reminded that measles is a highly contagious disease.

“Even healthy and well-nourished children, if unvaccinated, are at risk of measles and its complications
such as pneumonia, encephalitis and, although rare, death,” he added, noting that two children died of
encephalitis and 95 were hospitalized in the German outbreak.

The failure to vaccinate was ascribed to parents either forgetting or rejecting the vaccine for various
reasons including the mistaken belief that it was dangerous.

Even in countries with good health services, measles can be very serious, particularly in young children,
Dr. Strebel stressed.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Talks with senior Government officials bring UN envoy’s Myanmar visit to close

3 February - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser concluded a four-day working visit to
Myanmar on Tuesday (3/02), meeting with senior Government officials in the South- East Asian nation.

Ibrahim Gambari met for about an hour on Tuesday (3/02) with Prime Minister Thein Sein in Yangon,
United Nations spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York. The meeting was attended by the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Planning, Information, Culture and Health.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Gambari also met for the second time with the Government Spokesperson
Authoritative Team composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture.

The UN envoy is expected to meet with the Secretary-General in India on Thursday (5/02) to report on
the overall outcome of his latest visit, during which he also held talks with opposition and other political
parties, including with detained pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi.

This is Mr. Gambari’s fifth visit to Myanmar in the past year and a half, and is part of the good offices
mandate entrusted to the Secretary-General by the General Assembly.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

On surprise visit, Ban reaffirms UN support for Afghanistan

4 February - Making a surprise stop in Afghanistan Wednesday (4/02), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
pledged the United Nations’ strong support for development and the consolidation of peace and
stability in the strife-torn nation.

.“This year is going to be a very important and a crucial year for the Afghanistan people and Government
in many aspects, in addressing security challenges and also establishing fuller democracy and
development and prosperity with the Afghanistan people,” Mr. Ban said at a joint press conference in
Kabul with President Hamid Karzai.

The Secretary-General expressed his determination to “see Afghanistan enjoy full democracy, full
security and full development,” adding that “it is clear that Afghanistan will continue to face many
challenges in 2009, but I think we can confront them.”

With presidential and provincial council polls scheduled for 20 August, he said the UN will ensure that
the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission will receive the funds needed from donors.

Further, Mr. Ban said that the international military presence in the country is still important.

“We also need to balance political and military means to stability in Afghanistan, including through an
Afghan-led political solution based on the Constitution,” he stressed. “Regional cooperation is so crucial
to Afghanistan but also for its neighbours and it has a lot of potential.”

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will continue to work on political, economic and
security issues in the region, the Secretary-General said.

“I fully share the concerns and frustrations that President Karzai has endured because of many tragic
incidents where civilian people have been killed in the course of military operations in fighting against
terrorism,” he said in response to a question on civilian casualties.

“As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in fact, this issue of civilian causalities has been a
source of deep concern and I have expressed on many occasions a strong concern that while conducting
military operations they must ensure that we have all civilian casualties over.”

In addition to talks with Mr. Karzai, Mr. Ban was briefed by his Special Representative in the country and
UNAMA head, Kai Eide, who gave an update on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the UN’s
efforts to support the Government.

An “integrated” mission established in March 2002, UNAMA has two main pillars: one dealing with
development issues, and the other handling political matters.
On Tuesday (2/02), the UN and its partners appealed for $604 million to help meet the needs of Afghans
made vulnerable by natural disasters, lack of access to basic social services, increasing food insecurity
and the worsening security situation.

More than half of the funds will go towards food aid, while almost $100 million will be used to rid the
strife-torn nation of landmines, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told
reporters in Geneva, as he launched the Humanitarian Action Plan for Afghanistan for 2009.

The Plan, with a set of 112 projects from 39 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and eight UN
agencies, also focuses on the delivery of education, water and sanitation, as well as on protection
concerns amid growing insecurity in a country, where 42 per cent of the population lives on less than $1
per day.
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Sri Lanka: bombed hospital now empty, UN says

4 February - A hospital in the zone of fighting between the Government and rebel forces in north-
eastern Sri Lanka, which has been the scene of heavy shelling and aerial bombardment for several days,
was empty on Wednesday (4/02) morning, the United Nations reported.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN staff said that
bombings took place for several hours on Tuesday (3/02), and the hospital was empty this morning after
intense military operations overnight.

The hospital was shelled numerous times on Sunday (1/02), resulting in the killing of 11 people
altogether, including one nurse, Gordon Weiss of OCHA said on Monday (2/02).

The hospital has around 600 patients, with new people arriving all the time of which hundreds are
critically injured and cannot be treated.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is continuing its negotiations to allow a food convoy into the
Vanni region. With the last batch of supplies having reached the area on 29 January, the agency has
been told that the earliest this can happen is Friday (6/02).

An estimated 250,000 civilians are trapped in areas of northern Sri Lanka where fighting continues
between Government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

UN Ambassador Angelina Jolie voices support for Myanmar refugees in Thailand

5 February - Hollywood star and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency Angelina
Jolie has called on the Thai Government to allow greater freedom of movement for tens of thousands of
refugees confined to makeshift camps after fleeing neighbouring Myanmar.

Ms. Jolie on Wednesday (4/02) spent listening to refugees in northern Thailand telling of the difficulties
they have faced over two decades living in closed camps.

“I was saddened to meet a 21-year-old woman who was born in a refugee camp, who has never even
been out of the camp and is now raising her own child in a camp,” the actress said after her visit to Ban
Mai Nai Soi camp, home to 18,111 mainly Karenni refugees.

“With no foreseeable chance that these refugees will soon be able to return to Burma [Myanmar], we
must find some way to help them work and become self reliant,” Ms. Jolie added.

Some 111,000 registered refugees sheltering in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border are
restricted from leaving the camps and as a result unable to earn a living or receive higher education,
according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

At a boarding school for orphans and children separated from their parents, Ms. Jolie told two teenage
girls who feared returning across the border to finish their education that “I hope we can work with the
Thai authorities to speed up the government admissions process and that you will not be forced to go
back to Burma if danger remains.”

Local authorities have yet to process some 5,000 people who fled to northern Thailand’s Mae Hong Son
province between 2006 and 2007, the last time there was significant fighting in Kayah State just across
the border in Myanmar.

And throughout last year, there was a steady trickle of refugees from Myanmar into Ban Mai Nai Soi and
three other camps in the province, mostly fleeing forced labour and other human rights abuses.

Recent media attention has focused on the large number of stateless Muslim refugees making the
perilous trip from northern Myanmar to Thailand in rickety vessels. UNHCR has recently gained access to
78 of the Rohingya boat people held in detention centres in the south of the country to determine their
need for international protection.

Ms. Jolie noted that witnessing the Government’s hospitality towards the 111,000 mostly Karen and
Karenni refugees over the years “makes me hope that Thailand will be just as generous to the Rohingya
refugees who are now arriving on their shores.”
“I also hope the Rohingya situation stabilizes and their life in Myanmar improves so the people do not
feel the desperate need to flee, especially considering how dangerous their journey has become,” she
added.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

World cannot afford to ignore climate change, Ban says at New Delhi summit

5 February - The world must tackle the growing threat of climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon told a sustainable development summit in New Delhi on Thursday (5/02), stressing that the crisis
threatens to roll back development gains and lead to further economic and social misery.

“We cannot afford to ignore or underestimate this existential threat. Failure to combat climate change
will increase poverty and hardship,” Mr. Ban said upon receiving the Sustainable Development
Leadership Award at the summit taking place in the Indian capital.

“It will destabilize economies, breed insecurity in many countries and undermine our goals for
sustainable development,” he told the gathering.

Mr. Ban, who has made climate change the priority of his mandate as United Nations chief, stressed that
tackling the threat will require “all our leadership, all our commitment, all our ingenuity.”

While facing up to the crisis will not be easy, he noted, it does provide an “exciting opportunity” to make
progress on a range of sustainable development issues.

“By pursuing a green economy based on efficient and equitable resource use, we will cut down
greenhouse gas emissions and protect essential ecosystems.

“At the same time, we will reinvigorate national economies, create employment and livelihood
opportunities, improve human well-being and achieve our sustainable development targets,” said the
Secretary-General.

Looking ahead to the crucial climate change negotiations scheduled for December in Copenhagen, Mr.
Ban stressed the need to achieve an ambitious, comprehensive and ratifiable agreement to succeed the
Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A successful outcome will depend on resolving
three main political challenges, he added.

First, Copenhagen must clarify commitments of developed countries to reduce their emissions, by
setting ambitious mid-term targets, with credible baselines. Also important is to achieve clarity on what
mitigation actions developing countries will be prepared to make.

Secondly, Copenhagen must advance on the issue of financing the mitigation and adaptation needs of
developing countries.

Thirdly, governments, as well as the UN system must come up with credible solutions for the
governance of new funds, and for their implementation response.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ban met with CEOs of Indian industry and heard about how they plan to respond
to climate change issues. He emphasized that India has what it takes to lead on green technology.

“Already India has shown ingenuity and dedication. Industrialists here have moved forward on new
energy technologies. I would encourage you to intensify this work and engage even more with other
international efforts in this field,” he told the gathering.

The Secretary-General arrived in New Delhi, following visits to neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan on
Wednesday (4/02), culminating two weeks of travel through Europe, Africa and Asia.

While in the Indian capital, Mr. Ban also met with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, with
whom he discussed the regional situation following the Mumbai attacks, the Secretary-General’s efforts
to foster regional cooperation and India’s important role in dealing with climate change.

He also discussed the regional security situation following the Mumbai attacks with Indian National
Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan. They also talked about the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka and
progress in Nepal.

The Secretary-General discussed development and climate change with Sonia Gandhi, leader of the
United Progressive Alliance.

Also on Thursday (5/02), Mr. Ban met with his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, who briefed the
Secretary-General on the outcome of his recent 31 January to 3 February visit to Myanmar.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Greater efforts needed to end female genital mutilation – UN agency

6 February - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday (6/02) called for greater efforts to
end female genital mutilation, as the agency marked the International Day against the harmful practice
that three million girls and women endure each year.

“Some 70 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital cutting,” UNICEF
Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in a message on the International Day against Female Genital
Mutilation.

“While some communities have made real progress in abandoning this dangerous practice, the rights,
and even the lives, of too many girls continue to be threatened,” she added.

Female genital mutilation or cutting is the partial or total removal of the external genitalia – undertaken
for cultural or other non-medical reasons – often causing severe pain and sometimes resulting in
prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and even death.

Genital cutting can produce complications during child birth, increasing the chances of death or disability
for both mother and child.

Although this practice is in decline, it remains prevalent in many countries and often against national
laws, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. In the Central African Republic (CAR), for example, about
28 per cent of women are circumcised despite a 1966 law prohibiting the tradition.

Foncy Kongo, a 29-year old woman from the CAR, works with the Inter-African Committee on Traditional
Practices (CIAF) trying to stop genital cutting in her country.

As a 10-year old growing up in Bria, central CAR, Kongo was used to hearing about girls undergoing
circumcision, she told UNICEF.

“It is part of our traditional culture, like a rite of passage into womanhood. Most women in my family
are circumcised and even in school there was peer pressure as the girls would contest their
womanhood,” she said.

When her turn came she ran away from home only to be dragged back to the house a few hours later.

“I was scared. I'd heard of girls who died because they lost too much blood.”

Kongo did not die but she experienced immense pain and urinal problems after she was circumcised.

In 2008 data shows that 17 per cent of women in Bangui, the CAR capital, are circumcised and more
than 71per cent of women in Haute Kotto, where Kongo grew up, are victims of the cultural practice.
In February last year, 10 UN agencies banded together to pledge their support for eliminating the life-
threatening practice within a generation and aiming for a major reduction in many countries by 2015,
the year the Millennium Development Goals are set to be achieved.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Ban briefs Council on recent trip to Iraq, Afghanistan

9 February - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday (9/02) briefed the United Nations Security
Council in a closed session on his recent trip to Africa, Asia and Europe, providing a detailed report on
his contacts on a range of conflicts and issues from Somalia and Zimbabwe to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan,
Iraq and Gaza.

It was a “very rich” report with “a lot of substance,” the Council President for February, Ambassador
Yukio Takasu of Japan, told reporters afterwards, adding that Mr. Ban had emphasized the need for
regional cooperation over the conflict in Afghanistan and voiced optimism on Iraq.

Mr. Ban also stressed the importance of strengthening the ceasefire and humanitarian access in Gaza
and the need to resume the Middle East peace process, Mr. Takasu said.

The Secretary-General is expected to give a fuller public account of his trip at a news conference on
Tuesday (10/02). During two-weeks of travel he made unannounced visits to Afghanistan and Iraq,
where the UN is committed to helping to bring stability, and visited both India and Pakistan. In Africa he
attended an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while in Europe he participated in the Davos
Economic Forum in Switzerland.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

UN emergency aid reaches Pakistanis uprooted by conflict

9 Februari – Sekretaris-Jenderal Ban Ki-moon pada hari Senin (9/02) memberikan sebuah taklimat
kepada Dewan Keamanan PBB dalam sebuah sesi tertutup mengenai kunjungan terkahirnya ke Afrika,
Asia dan Eropa, serta menyediakan sebuah laporan lengkap dari mulai masalah konflik di Somalia dan
Zimbabwe hingga Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Irak dan Gaza.

Ini merupakan sebuah laporan yang “sangat mendalam” serta berisikan berbagai substansi,” tutur
Presiden Dewan Keamanan untuk bulan Februari, Duta Besar Yukio Takasu dari Jepang, kepada pers,
dan menambahkan bahwa Ban telah menekankan perlunya sebuah kerjasama regional terhadap konflik
di Afghanistan dan Ban juga menyuarakan optimismenya untuk Irak.

Ban juga menekankan betapa pentingnya memperkuat gencatan senjata dan akses humaniter di Gaza
dan perlunya untuk mengembalikan proses perdamaian di Timur Tengah, tutur Takasu.

Sekretaris-Jenderal diharapkan dapat memberikan sebuah gambaran yang lebih luas pada sebuah
konferensi pers pada hari Selasa (10/02). Selama dua minggu dalam kunjungannya, beliau telah
melakukan perjalanan mendadak ke Afghanistan dan Irak, dimana PBB di sana berkomitmen untuk
membantu mengembalikan stabilitas. Beliau juga mengunjungi India dan Pakistan. Di Afrika beliau
menghadiri KTT Uni Afrika di Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sementara di Eropa beliau juga berpartisipasi dalam
Forum Ekonomi Davos di Swiss.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Upcoming polls crucial for Afghan stability, says UN peacekeeping chief

9 February - The elections slated to be held later this year in Afghanistan will be a vital opportunity to
boost the country’s political stability, the United Nations peacekeeping chief said on Monday (9/02),
pledging the world body’s assistance to ensure fair, timely and transparent polls.

Afghanistan’s Independent Electoral Commission has fixed 20 August as the date for presidential and
provincial council polls, which will be an enormous undertaking for the fledgling democracy.

“We will try to do our best to help because it is clear that this election is very important for the country,”
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy told a news conference in Kabul.

“It’s clearly both a challenge but also a huge opportunity for the country to be able to work together,”
he added, noting that success will be measured based on the elections taking place “on time, with
fairness and transparency.

“My hope is that it could bring political stability and renewed legitimacy,” said Mr. Le Roy.
“harapan saya adalah hal ini akan membawa stabilitas politik dan legitimasi yang baru,” tuturnya.

The UN peacekeeping chief stressed that 2009 will be a year of challenges and new opportunities,
echoing comments made by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week during a surprise visit to
Afghanistan.

At the same time, he noted that insecurity continues to be a problem and cautioned “that some groups
will try to derail the process especially when the elections are coming.”

Mr. Le Roy also highlighted the achievements Afghanistan has been making in health, education,
demining and the strengthening of the armed forces and police. The UN will be in Afghanistan for the
long term to help sustain these achievements, he added.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Joint UN, European initiative seeks to protect children from online dangers

10 February - The United Nations telecom agency and the European Commission have teamed up to
protect children, among the most active – and most vulnerable – users of the Internet from online
dangers, including cyber-bullying and paedophilia.

“Child online safety must be on the global agenda,” Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the UN
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said in a press release.

The Geneva-based ITU has joined forces with the EC to mark Safer Internet Day, which includes more
than 500 events in 50 countries worldwide to promote child online protection.

“We must ensure that everyone is aware of the dangers for children online. And we want to promote
and strengthen the many outstanding efforts that are being made around the world, such as the Safer
Internet Programme, to limit these dangers,” said Mr. Touré.

According to recent surveys, over 60 per cent of children and teenagers talk in chat rooms on a daily
basis. Three in four children online are willing to share personal information about themselves and their
family in exchange for goods and services. One in five children will be targeted by a predator or
paedophile each year.

“Children are very resourceful in making the most of online services such as social networking sites and
mobile phones,” said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media.

“But many still underestimate the hidden risks of using these, from cyber-bullying to sexual grooming
online. Today, I call upon all decision-makers, from both the public and the private sector, to listen and
learn from children and to improve awareness strategies and tools to protect minors.”

ITU notes that while child online protection programmes exist in many developed countries, there are
very few in the developing world – and very little coordination between them.

The agency has set up the Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) and launched the Child Online Protection
(COP) initiative, which aims to bring together partners from all around the world to ensure a safe and
secure online experience for children everywhere.

As part of the Safer Internet Day events, the EC’s Ins@fe Network will launch a virtual exhibition which
will host pavilions where visitors can learn more about initiatives undertaken by the 50 participating
countries.

ITU will host an online pavilion in support of EC’s efforts to raise awareness among youngsters aged 12
to 17 regarding the risks they may face online.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Zimbabwe: Ban calls on new government to tackle economic, humanitarian crises

11 February - Zimbabwe’s new Government of national unity needs to immediately address the
economic and humanitarian crises, including the country’s worst ever cholera epidemic, Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday (10/02), pledging full United Nations support.

“The period ahead will also be critical for consolidating human rights and democratic freedoms,” Mr.
Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, welcoming today’s swearing-in of Zimbabwean
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister in a unity government with President Robert
Mugabe.

“The United Nations reiterates its offer of support to the new Government in its recovery efforts to ease
the suffering of the Zimbabwean people.”

Mr. Ban recently met with Mr. Mugabe at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa where he stressed
to him that the Government must protect the human rights and democratic freedoms of all
Zimbabweans.

“I urged him to release all those arrested or secretly detained in recent months. I remain especially
concerned about the humanitarian situation,” he told a news briefing on Tuesday (10/02), noting that an
estimated 3,400 people have died of cholera and more than 69,000 have been infected.

Zimbabwe has been faced with a worsening humanitarian situation owing to years of failed harvests,
bad governance and hyperinflation, as well as months of political tensions after the disputed
presidential elections in March involving Mr. Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Mobile phones can call for health, education and safety, UNICEF says

11 February - Cell phones can play an important role in education, crisis situations, and in monitoring
health and nutrition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed on Wednesday (11/02) at the
opening of a conference on innovation.

The conference, called “Web4Dev: Innovation for Access” and hosted by UNICEF, brings together
academics, experts in technology, UN officials and development professionals to explore the application
of new and existing communication technologies to dire problems in poor and isolated areas of the
world.

“The task here this week is to put innovation and technology at the service of humanity,” Ann Veneman,
UNICEF’s Executive Director, said as she opened the three-day meeting in New York.

She cited as an example a health-monitoring initiative in Malawi, led by UNICEF and Columbia
University, which allows rural health workers to use mobile phone technology to relay data on children’s
health and nutrition and receive instant, expert advice on critical interventions.

That initiative known as the “RapidSMS” text-messaging system, shared first prize in the United States
development agency’s innovation competition, known as the “Development 2.0 Challenge” last year.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Ban voices sadness at Australia’s deadly fires

11 February - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his sadness at the deadly fires that have swept
across south-eastern Australia, reportedly killing at least 180 people and leaving dozens missing.

“The Secretary-General is deeply saddened about the deaths and injuries of hundreds of people as a
result of bushfires in the state of Victoria in Australia,” a statement issued Wednesday (11/02) night by
his spokesperson said.

“He extends his deepest condolences to the families of those who have been killed or injured in the
fires.”
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Iraqis must not give in to extremism, UN envoy says after attack on pilgrim

11 February - The United Nations envoy to Iraq strongly condemned on Wednesday’s (11/02) bombing
at a bus station in the capital, targeting pilgrims making the journey from Baghdad to Karbala, and called
on all of the nation’s citizens to “not rise to the provocation of extremists.”

Media reports say that at least 16 people have been killed and at least 40 wounded after two
simultaneous explosions struck a bus terminal in south-west Baghdad.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative, Staffan de Mistura, described the bombing as
“a murderous attack which was clearly designed to provoke sectarian tensions, even though the people
of Iraq had clearly indicated through their votes on 31 January that they wish to put that sad phase of
Iraqi history well behind them.”

He extended the UN’s sincere condolences to the families of those killed, and wishes a full and speedy
recovery for the wounded.

Wednesday’s (10/02) attack comes nearly two weeks after Iraqis participated in largely peaceful
provincial elections, which Mr. Ban lauded during his visit there last week as “a remarkable achievement
in a country that has known so much conflict in recent years.”
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Ban repeats call for release of kidnapped UN staff member in Pakistan

14 February 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who spoke with President Asif Ali Zardari of
Pakistan on Saturday (14/02), reiterated his appeal for the release of a United Nations staff member
abducted nearly two weeks ago in the west of the South Asian nation.

According to a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson, the two leaders “agreed on the need to
secure the safe and immediate release of John Solecki,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) representative in the city of Quetta.

Mr. Solecki, who has been with the UN since 1991, was kidnapped on 2 February and his driver, Syed
Hashim, was killed in the attack.

In Saturday's (14/02) statement, the Secretary-General emphasized the importance of Mr. Solecki's
humanitarian work in helping the people of Balochistan.

“He stresses that no cause can be served by prolonging the abduction of Mr Solecki.”

Earlier this week, the UN said it is seeking information on a group called the Balochistan Liberation
United Front, which on 7 February claimed in local media reports that it is holding Mr. Solecki.

The world body said that he has a medical condition requiring regular medication, adding that delaying
his release will lead to a deterioration of health.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Pakistan: UN calls again for immediate release of abducted staff member

17 February - The United Nations on Tuesday once again appealed to those holding John Solecki, a staff
member kidnapped in Pakistan two weeks ago, for his immediate and safe release.

Mr. Solecki, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the city of Quetta,
was kidnapped during a 2 February attack in which his driver, Syed Hashim, was killed.

Last week the UN said it is seeking information on a group called the Balochistan Liberation United
Front, which on 7 February claimed in local media reports that it is holding Mr. Solecki.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Islamabad, the UN encouraged the Balochistan community leaders’
continued engagement and once more asked those keeping Mr. Solecki to initiate direct contact so that
dialogue can be started for his immediate safe recovery.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke over the weekend with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, and
they agreed on the need to secure the safe and immediate release of Mr. Solecki, who has a medical
condition requiring regular medication.

Mr. Ban, in a statement issued on Saturday (14/02), underscored the importance of the humanitarian
work being undertaken by Mr Solecki and stressed that no cause can be served by prolonging his
abduction.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Secretary-General set to travel to Africa next week

18 February - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is slated to leave early next week for Africa where he will
make his first official visits to South Africa and Tanzania, as well as stops in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Egypt, his spokesperson announced on Wednesday (18/02).

While in South Africa Mr. Ban will meet with President Kgalema Motlanthe, as well as the Ministers for
Finance and Environment, Marie Okabe told reporters in New York. He is also expected to meet with
former President Nelson Mandela.

In Tanzania, one of the pilot countries for the UN reform programme on “Delivering as One,” the
Secretary-General will hold discussions with President Jakaya Kikwete, as well as address the diplomatic
and academic community in Dar es Salaam.

In addition, Mr. Ban will inaugurate the One UN Office in Zanzibar which will house all UN agencies
under a single roof. He is also due to fly over the receding ice cap of Mount Kilimanjaro on his way to
Arusha to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Following that, he will head to the DRC where he will meet with President Joseph Kabila, as well as with
parliamentarians and members of civil society. He will then go to Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu
province, to visit Panzi Hospital, where victims of sexual violence are cared for.

Then in the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma, he will meet with members of the UN peacekeeping
mission (MONUC) and with local authorities. He will also visit the Mugunga camp for people displaced
by conflict before flying to Rwanda to meet with President Paul Kagame.

Mr. Ban then plans to travel to the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he will participate
in the 2 March “International Conference in support of the Palestinian Economy, for the reconstruction
of Gaza,” co-chaired by Egypt and Norway.
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Top UN sports envoy attends Special Olympics

16 February 2009 – The United Nations envoy tasked with promoting sport for development attended
the Special Olympic World Winter Games, holding talks with United States Vice-President Joseph Biden
on the role of sport in promoting peace.

Wilfried Lemke, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser, met with Mr. Biden in Boise, Idaho, on 12
February, where they discussed the part that sport can play in peacekeeping operations in conflict areas.

Prior to their meeting, the two mean, along with former US and world figure skating champion Michelle
Kwan, handed out the medals for this year's skating portion of the Winter Games.

Before arriving in Boise, Mr. Lemke visited a rehabilitation centre in Cairo, Egypt, of the non-
governmental organization CARITAS International, which aims to reintegrate people with mental
disabilities into society.

"Through sport the children are gaining confidence about their abilities, strengths and competencies,”
the Special Adviser, who played soccer, basketball and handball during his visit, said. “This makes them
proud and self-confident, a fundamental precondition for successful reintegration into society.”
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Secretary-General set to travel to Africa next week

18 February - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is slated to leave early next week for Africa where he will
make his first official visits to South Africa and Tanzania, as well as stops in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Egypt, his spokesperson announced on Wednesday (18/02).

While in South Africa Mr. Ban will meet with President Kgalema Motlanthe, as well as the Ministers for
Finance and Environment, Marie Okabe told reporters in New York. He is also expected to meet with
former President Nelson Mandela.

In Tanzania, one of the pilot countries for the UN reform programme on “Delivering as One,” the
Secretary-General will hold discussions with President Jakaya Kikwete, as well as address the diplomatic
and academic community in Dar es Salaam.

In addition, Mr. Ban will inaugurate the One UN Office in Zanzibar which will house all UN agencies
under a single roof. He is also due to fly over the receding ice cap of Mount Kilimanjaro on his way to
Arusha to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Following that, he will head to the DRC where he will meet with President Joseph Kabila, as well as with
parliamentarians and members of civil society. He will then go to Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu
province, to visit Panzi Hospital, where victims of sexual violence are cared for.

Then in the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma, he will meet with members of the UN peacekeeping
mission (MONUC) and with local authorities. He will also visit the Mugunga camp for people displaced
by conflict before flying to Rwanda to meet with President Paul Kagame.

Mr. Ban then plans to travel to the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he will participate
in the 2 March “International Conference in support of the Palestinian Economy, for the reconstruction
of Gaza,” co-chaired by Egypt and Norway.
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Top UN envoy urges greater international efforts to achieve durable Gaza ceasefire

18 February - The top United Nations envoy to the Middle East on Wednesday (18/02) urged the
international community to redouble its efforts to help achieve a permanent and durable ceasefire in
Gaza, warning that anything less is unsustainable and could lead to more violence.

“One month since unilateral ceasefires were declared, a proper ceasefire regime is still not in place, and
there is an ever present danger of a return to the unsustainable conditions of last year, or even for
renewed and more devastating violence,” Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Peace Process, warned in a briefing to the Security Council.

Israel’s three-week offensive in Gaza, launched on 27 December with the stated aim of ending Hamas
rocket attacks against it, is estimated to have killed some 1,300 Palestinians and injured more than 5,300
others, in addition to causing widespread damage and destruction.

The fighting ended with declarations of unilateral ceasefires and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from
Gaza. Egypt is conducting talks with Israel and Hamas aimed at achieving a durable and sustainable
ceasefire.

Mr. Serry noted that since the end of major hostilities, “irresponsible” and “unacceptable” attacks have
continued by both sides, including the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants from Gaza towards Israel,
and Israeli air strikes in Gaza.

“We are dangerously close to the previous situation, which we know has proven to be unsustainable,”
he told reporters after the Council meeting.

“If it comes to that, we need to redouble our efforts…because we all want a changed dynamic in Gaza.
For that, we don’t need only a ceasefire but we also need to address all the other underlying issues
which have bedevilled us for so long in Gaza.”

Those issues include an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for the release of Israeli captive Gilad Shalit,
the end to weapons smuggling to Gaza, and the full re-opening of all crossing points.

In the past few weeks, a daily average of 146 truckloads entered Gaza – four times what entered Gaza in
December 2008, but only a third of what entered in May 2007. As a result, Gaza’s 1.4 million residents
remain “desperately” short of vital supplies, he noted.

“While we appreciate Israel’s stated readiness to address humanitarian needs, we have not yet seen
truly open crossings for required access, which is so crucial given the extent of the needs in Gaza,” Mr.
Serry told the Council.
In addition to the severe humanitarian, economic and political repercussions of the Gaza crisis, the
Special Coordinator outlined several other issues that need to be addressed to advance peace during
what he described as a “formative moment for the future of the Middle East.”

These include continued Palestinian divisions; a new political situation in Israel – where last week’s
election produced no clear winner; and unmet obligations under the Road Map peace plan, especially
regarding settlements.

“The challenges are daunting, but peace can prevail, and it must,” Mr. Serry stressed. “In the year
ahead, the international community will need to be united and determined, and intensify its efforts.
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UNESCO on-line atlas seeks to save dying languages

19 February - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on
Thursday (19/02) launched an interactive electronic version of its atlas cataloguing some 2,500
endangered languages worldwide.

The updated Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing can continually be
supplemented, corrected and updated based on user contributions.

It ranks the dying languages according to five levels: unsafe, definitely endangered, severely
endangered, critically endangered and extinct.

Data shows that out of the 6,000 languages currently in existence, over 200 have died out over the last
three generations, 538 are critically endangered, 502 severely endangered, 632 definitely endangered
and 607 unsafe.

According to the Atlas, unveiled on the eve of International Mother Language Day (21 February), nearly
200 languages have fewer than 10 speakers and 178 others have between 10 and 50 speakers.

The language of Manx in the Isle of Man died out in 1974 when Ned Maddrell, the last speaker, passed
away while Eyak, in Alaska, United States, met its demise last year with the death of Marie Smith Jones.

“The death of a language leads to the disappearance of many forms of intangible cultural heritage,
especially the invaluable heritage of traditions and oral expressions of the community that spoke it –
from poems and legends to proverbs and jokes,” said UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.
 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Timor-Leste must begin building foundation for lasting stability, says Ban

19 February - One year after the attacks on the leaders of Timor-Leste, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Thursday (19/02) told the Security Council that the small nation can now embark on paving the way
towards long-term stability.

Last February, President José Ramos-Horta sustained serious injuries, while Prime Minister Xanana
Gusmão escaped unscathed in two separate attacks, which Mr. Ban characterized as a “small but serious
challenge” to Timor-Leste, which the United Nations shepherded to independence in 2002.

Mr. Ramos-Horta participated in Thursday’s Council meeting, which also heard from over 30 other
Member States.

By the end of last year, said Mr. Ban, “remarkable progress had been made in addressing the residual
problems of the 2006 crisis,” referring to the violence that erupted, attributed to differences between
eastern and western regions, which claimed dozens of lives and drove 155,000 people, 15 per cent of
the total population, from their homes.

The Secretary-General pointed to the settlement between petitioners and the Government and the
return home of most internally displaced persons (IDPs) as successes.

“I have the rare pleasure of being able to say to the Council that more progress has been achieved than
had been anticipated in my last report.”

In 2009, Timor-Leste can “finally devote its undivided attention to the essential task of building the
strong and durable foundations that are crucial for long-term stability and prosperity,” Mr. Ban, who
visited the nation over one year ago, told the 15-member body.

One of the key priorities this year must be developing the security sector, he said, noting that one crucial
step will be the gradual resumption of policing responsibilities to the National Police.

In his latest report to the Council on the UN mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), the Secretary-General
wrote that he is encouraged by post-2006 progress, but warned that the root causes of that crisis,
including poverty and unemployment, still linger.

Mr. Ramos-Horta declared that after the 2006 crisis, Timor-Leste is at peace today.

Incidents, including assaults and homicides, have dropped significantly since 2007, he said, adding that
in spite of the international financial crisis, the country’s economy will continue to register two-digit
growth this year.
Since the attacks on Timor-Leste’s leaders last year, “we have turned the corner,” the President stated,
noting strides made such as the closure of most IDP camps.

UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

UNICEF opens 200th school in tsunami-battered Indonesian Region

20 February - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that it has opened its 200th school in
Indonesia’s Aceh-Nias region, which was devastated by the December 2004 tsunami.

“SDN 34” is the largest school constructed by UNICEF, with 22 classrooms and a capacity for more than
1,000 students, according to a news release issued by the agency. As is the case with all UNICEF-built
schools, it is both earthquake-resistant and child-friendly.

The original buildings were destroyed and heavily damaged by the earthquake and tsunami which struck
the province on 26 December, 2004. Since then, classes have been held in double shifts in the remaining
parts of one of the schools until SDN 34 was completed in early February.

“With its child-friendly and earthquake-resistant schools, UNICEF has been setting new standards in
reconstruction in Indonesia,” said Jean Metenier, Chief Field Officer of UNICEF Aceh and Nias.

“However, it is equally important that the schools are filled with motivated students, knowledgeable
teachers and supported by local authorities and a lively and involved community,” he added.

Mr. Metenier encouraged all students, teachers, parents and school committees to take ownership of
their school and ensure that generations of Acehnese children will receive quality education in an
appropriate and safe learning environment.

UNICEF and its partners are planning to open nearly 150 more such schools in Indonesia by September.