LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN ON THE RISE AGAIN, UN ECONOMIC SURVEY FINDS

Latin America and the Caribbean is consolidating its recovery from the global economic slowdown, posting higher-than-expected growth in recent months, although some countries in the region face serious pitfalls, according to a new United Nations report.

The 2009-2010 regional economic survey, conducted by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and released today, forecasts that the region will expand by 5.2 per cent this year after the recovery began in the second half of last year. Overall unemployment rates are likely to ease from 8.2 per cent to 7.8 per cent.

But growth is forecast to slow to 3.8 per cent next year because of continued uncertainty about global economic prospects, especially in Europe, a potential fall in remittances to some countries and the risk posed by the high debts of some Caribbean countries.

Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, told the report’s launch today in Santiago, Chile, that this year’s growth rate is higher than expected.

“What stands out are the members of Mercosur [a South American trade grouping] and countries with greater capacity to implement public policies, as well as those with strong domestic markets spurred by regional activity and their exports to Asia,” she said.

Some of the region’s largest economies are driving the revival, according to ECLAC. Brazil is expected to record a growth rate of 7.6 per cent this year, while Uruguay (7.0 per cent), Paraguay (7.0 per cent), Argentina (6.8 per cent) and Peru (6.7 per cent).

Private consumption is on the rise again following the slight improvement in employment, while lending has also increased, as have investment and export revenue.

In its survey ECLAC found that macroeconomic policies by some governments in the region in the years before the global economic crisis have also assisted, ensuring that those countries have better public accounts, reduced debts and increased international reserves.

Yet other countries are continuing to struggle. Venezuela’s economy is forecast to contract by 3 per cent, there will be negative growth in several Caribbean nations as well and Haiti will endure a fall of as much as 8.5 per cent because of the catastrophic earthquake in January.

ECLAC warned that the patchiness of the economic recovery in other regions, particularly Europe, dampens the prospects of strong growth next year. The amount of remittances – which comprise a significant segment of the gross domestic product (GDP) of countries such as Ecuador – are likely to fall.

Many Caribbean nations also have high debt burdens which leave them vulnerable to economic problems in the months ahead. The debt owed by Barbados is equivalent to 93 per cent of its GDP last year and for Grenada the figure is 83 per cent.

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Ban Warns of Costs of InAction on Climate Change

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warned of the risks posed by inaction on climate change, as the high-level group he set up earlier this year to mobilize financing to help developing countries combat global warming reported that they have made progress on the issue.

“The more we delay, the more we will pay – in lost opportunities, resources and lives,” Mr. Ban told reporters today.

The Copenhagen Accord reached at last December’s UN conference in the Danish capital aims to jump-start immediate action on climate change and guide negotiations on long-term action, scaling up support for developing nations for mitigation and adaptation to reach 100 billion dollars per year by 2020, in addition to 30 billion dollars until 2012.

The Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, established in February, is seeking to identify “economically sound” and “politically viable” sources of longer-term financing, Mr. Ban said today.

“Climate financing is an investment in a safer, cleaner, more prosperous future for us all,” he said, stressing that “delivering on these pledges is essential.”

The Secretary-General attended last evening’s session of the body’s two-day meeting in New York, which he characterized as “very stimulating.”

The Group is expected to submit its final report to Mr. Ban before the next conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Mexico, later this year.

Its co-chairs, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, told journalists that discussions are moving forward.

Mr. Zenawi voiced confidence that the Group will be able to submit a “very robust” report to the Secretary-General by the end of October.

For his part, Mr. Stoltenberg, who replaced former United Kingdom leader Gordon Brown last month as co-chair, noted that there are numerous sources of resources for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

“So the problem is not the number of possible sources of financing,” he said, adding that the Group’s main task is translating these potential resources into reality.

The New York gathering, which wraps up today, is the body’s second meeting. It met in London in March, and is scheduled to hold its next meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Its 21 principals include philanthropist George Soros, French Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment Christine Lagarde, and prominent British academic Nicholas Stern.

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NEW APPROACH TO HIV TREATMENT COULD SAVE 10 MILLION LIVES, SAYS UN REPORT

A new United Nations report says that a radically simplified approach to ensuring access to HIV treatment for everyone who needs it could prevent 10 million deaths by 2025 and 1 million new infections annually.

The so-called Treatment 2.0, says the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), could lower the cost of treatment, simplify treatment regimens, ease the burden on health systems, and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV and their families.

“We can bring down costs so investments can reach more people,” Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, said at the report’s launch in Geneva today. “This means doing things better – knowing what to do, channelling resources in the right direction and not wasting them, bringing down prices and containing costs. We must do more with less.”

The agency estimates that there were 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2008, as well as nearly 2.7 million new infections and 2 million AIDS-related deaths.

It adds that only one third of the world’s 15 million people in need of HIV treatment are accessing life-saving medicines.

For the new plan to succeed, the agency’s Outlook report calls for action to be taken across five key areas.

Firstly, it calls for the creation of a better pill that is less toxic and for a simple diagnostic tool to monitor treatment.

Secondly, evidence suggests that people living with HIV who have reduced the level of virus in their bodies, through antiretroviral therapy, are less likely to transmit it. As a result, UNAIDS says that if everyone in need has access to treatment, this could reduce the number of new HIV infections by one third annually.

The report also urges slashing the cost of antiretroviral treatment, especially for hospitalization and monitoring treatment, which can cost twice as much as drugs.

Fourth, UNAIDS stresses the need to improve voluntary HIV testing and counselling, since starting treatment at the right time, optimally when their CD4 count – a measure of immune system strength – is around 350, boosts the efficacy of treatment and increases life expectancy.

Lastly, Treatment 2.0 will be fully successful if communities are mobilized and involved in managing treatment programmes and access.

“Not only could Treatment 2.0 save lives, it has the potential to give us a significant prevention dividend,” said Mr. Sidibé.

The report also shows that young people are leading the prevention revolution, with 15 of the most severely affected countries reporting a 25 per cent drop in HIV prevalence among this key population.

In eight countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe – significant HIV prevalence declines have been accompanied by positive changes in sexual behaviour among young people.

Mr. Sidibé cautioned that flatlining or reductions in investments in HIV will only hurt the AIDS response, with nearly $27 billion required this year to meet country-set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

“The AIDS response needs a stimulus package now,” the official underlined. “Donors must not turn back on investments at a time when the AIDS response is showing results.”

His agency recommends that nations invest between 0.5 and 3 per cent of government revenue into their AIDS response programmes, but warned that for the majority of countries severely affected by the epidemic, national investments, even at optimal levels, are insufficient.

Also included in the report released today are the results of a public opinion poll that shows that nearly three decades into the epidemic, countries continue to rank AIDS high on the list of the most important challenges the world faces.

Overall in the survey, AIDS is perceived to be the top healthcare issue in the world, followed by safe drinking water.

The publication wraps up with a “Last Word” from UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox, who said that “as a woman and mother, I feel compelled to speak out, and try to raise awareness in the best way I can, to try to use my platform to do so.”

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UN Food Agency Reopens Office Destroyed

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today officially reopened an office in the key northern Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi, two years after it was destroyed during heavy fighting in the country’s protracted civil war.

“Much of the 7.5-acre office site had been destroyed following heavy aerial and ground bombardment,” WFP spokesperson Emilia Casella told journalists in Geneva, referring to the September 2008 closure because of clashes between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

In May last year the Government declared victory over the LTTE after defeating their forces and recapturing rebel-held territory in the far north of the island nation.

The new WFP offices, which consist of portable containers, will be expanded to include staff from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

With four WFP staff now on the ground and more to arrive soon, the UN agency said it will be able to re-establish the monitoring of food dispatches to the targeted population in the area and support the ongoing resettlement and early-recovery process of the region.

Even without an office, WFP has been providing food to the displaced population which includes some 62,000 people in camps and 228,000 others who had returned to their home districts.

In addition, the agency provides 300,000 school lunches, and take-home rations to 27,000 pregnant and lactating women and small children.

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UN ASKS FOR $71 MILLION IN RELIEF

The United Nations today called for $71 million to assist hundreds of thousands of people affected by ethnic conflict in Kyrgyzstan, as the top UN official in Central Asia said an international security presence may be needed to calm tensions and prevent a fresh eruption of the deadly violence that rocked the country a week ago.

“I have been shocked by the extent of the violence and appalled by the deaths and injuries, widespread arson, sexual violence, looting of state, commercial and private property and destruction of infrastructure,” said John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

“I therefore urge all donors and supporters to ensure that this flash appeal for Kyrgyzstan receives a generous and rapid response,” Mr. Holmes added.

The appeal would provide life-saving assistance over the next six months to some 300,000 people who have been internally displaced by the conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan, and another 765,000 people who have been affected.

As of 16 June, the Kyrgyz health ministry recorded 187 deaths in the conflict, with 1,966 people injured, but some senior officials within the interim Government believe the number of casualties is much higher.

The head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), Miroslav Jenca, told journalists today that consultations about an international presence were under way with the Kyrgyz Government, countries in the region and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU).

“There are stories about Uzbek people who are scared to death and do not want to allow access to any local authorities or the military because they are afraid that they will be harmed,” Mr. Jenca later told the UN News Centre.

Also today, the UN Human Rights Council called on the Kyrgyz Government to conduct a full and transparent probe into the violence.

In a resolution adopted by consensus, the Council “calls for a full and transparent investigation that holds perpetrators accountable for the loss of life in relation to the events of 7 April 2010.”

Mr. Jenca also called for a proper investigation, one led by the Kyrgyz Government and “as part of a reconciliation and confidence-building process,” but stressed that the UN’s priority at this time is to ensure proper humanitarian access to those most in need.

Due to security concerns, access to the conflict area remains difficult. Mr. Jenca and his team travelled yesterday with local authorities through the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, where restrictions on movement have forced the UN to rely on the Red Cross and other local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spoken by phone with Kyrgyzstan’s interim President Roza Otunbaeva and Uzbek President Islam Karimov and told journalists today he would remain actively engaged on the issue to help efforts to restore calm to the region.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today that a lack of access was hampering the UN agency’s ability to provide aid.

“We are concerned that we will be unable to easily and quickly distribute the supplies to the most affected,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF’s Head of Office, referring to 40 tons of life-saving water and sanitary supplies that are scheduled to arrive in Bishkek tomorrow.

Movement is also restricted in the southern city of Osh, where inter-agency assessment teams believe some people remain barricaded.

In total, at least 375,000 of the 5.2 million residents have fled the conflict in the region of Osh and Jalalabad. Of these, 100,000 or more have sought refuge in neighbouring Uzbekistan, where the UN and its partners have been stepping up their aid operations. The sixth relief flight into the country is expected to land at Andijan airport today. It will complete an initial airlift of relief supplies under way since Wednesday.

A separate humanitarian appeal for the response in Uzbekistan is expected next week.

In a related development, the first of two chartered cargo planes carrying aid is due to land tomorrow in Osh. Carrying 800 tents and other supplies, the plane will be part of an air-lift of aid for 15,000 people.

Along the border, water and sanitation remain challenges in the refugee settlements. For now, the settlements remain small and can be managed against communicable diseases, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said today in a briefing in Geneva.

WHO said its two major concerns are to address the health needs of women that had been subject to gender-based violence, and to deal with the special health needs of the elderly, women and children displaced in Uzbekistan.

UNICEF said 35 tons of emergency aid consisting of sanitation equipment would arrive in Bishkek tomorrow.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it has been able to move food from its warehouses to Osh and would increase its staffing there in coming days. So far, food has been distributed to 13,000 people.

In addition, there are also concerns about the safety of national UN staff working in Kyrgyzstan who identify with one of either ethnic group.

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United Nations on FIFA 2010 World Cup

The United Nations is gearing up for this week’s start of the soccer World Cup, aiming to harness public excitement about the world’s biggest sporting event to advance efforts to slash poverty, fight hunger and tackle other key social and economic problems.

With community festivals, television shows, posters, electronic games, multimedia campaigns and even a new song, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be under the spotlight during the month-long World Cup.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived today in Johannesburg ahead of Friday’s World Cup opening ceremony in the same city, beginning a five-nation African tour that will also take the UN chief to Burundi, Cameroon, Benin and Sierra Leone.

Mr. Ban held talks with South African President Jacob Zuma and later addressed the “Sports for Peace” gala dinner tonight alongside Wilfried Lemke, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace. In his speech Mr. Ban highlighted the unifying power of sport and underscored the importance of the MDGs.

As part of the UN-wide effort, agencies that include the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have started promoting 8 Goals for Africa, a song recorded by eight artists from across the continent. A video recorded for the song will be shown in public viewing areas in South Africa throughout the World Cup.

The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) is holding community events in slum neighbourhoods that aim to promote sustainable urbanization; UNICEF is staging football festivals to raise awareness about the fight against child trafficking and exploitation; and the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is screening TV programmes about racism and tolerance.

Numerous other events and campaigns involving UN agencies, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), will also be held.

The renewed push on the MDGs is taking place just three months before world leaders are scheduled to gather at UN Headquarters in New York in September to chart the progress so far towards achieving the eight MDGs and discuss the ways forward.

At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders agreed to try to attain the MDGs – which include halving the number of people living in extreme poverty, tackling environmental degradation, and slashing maternal mortality – by 2015.

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BAN URGES NATIONS TO MAKE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT TARGETS A REALITY

The world is looking to the more than 100 nations gathered at United Nations Headquarters today for a major nuclear non-proliferation conference to take decisive action to build a safer world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the event’s start.

“We have a choice: to leave a legacy of fear and inaction… or to act with vision, courage and leadership,” he told the five-yearly review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which kicked off today in New York.

“We all know it is possible,” the Secretary-General said of disarmament and non-proliferation, which have been among his top priorities since taking office in 2007.

He characterized the NPT, the cornerstone of the world’s nuclear non-proliferation regime, as one of the most important global treaties ever reached.

With the nuclear threat still real, “we need this regime as much as ever,” Mr. Ban underscored.

The last NPT review conference in 2005 was a failure, he said, having wrapped up without any substantive agreement having been reached. “This time, we can – and must – do better.”

The Secretary-General today laid out five benchmarks for success in pushing the agenda forward.

First, he said, “real gains” must be made towards disarmament, calling on nuclear-weapons States to translate their commitment to eliminating the arms into action.

Another of his benchmarks is taking steps to achieve the NPT’s universality. India, Pakistan and Israel are not parties to the pact, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) withdrew in 2003.

Mr. Ban highlighted the need to ensure that the right to use nuclear energy peacefully does not have unintended consequences. “It should be unacceptable for countries to the treaty as cover to develop nuclear weapons, only to withdraw afterwards.”

Thirdly, he underscored the importance of strengthening the rule of law, including the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Convention on Nuclear Terrorism.

Also crucial is making strides towards cementing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, as well as other regional concerns.

Currently, there are five such zones: Latin America and the Caribbean; the South Pacific; South-East Asia; Central Asia; and Africa.

“They build confidence that can lead to progress in other areas,” the Secretary-General stressed, reiterating his support of the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

His last benchmark, he said, is a strengthened NPT review process, which would benefit from enhanced national reporting and increased organizational support.

Mr. Ban pointed out that many countries have already shown great leadership by abolishing nuclear weapons, slashing their arsenals and setting up nuclear-weapons-free areas.

“I challenge you to go further still,” he said. “We need more examples of what can be achieved – not more excuses for why it is not possible.”

Also in attendance at today’s gathering is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, whose authorities hold that the country’s work in the nuclear field is for peaceful purposes, while some countries contend it is driven by military ambitions. The programme has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the NPT.

In his address today, the Secretary-General encouraged the Iranian leader to “engage constructively,” calling on the country to comply with Security Council resolution and cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He also encouraged the country to accept an IAEA-backed proposal on fuel for a civilian nuclear research site in the capital, Tehran, in which Iranian low-enriched uranium would be shipped for further enrichment to Russia and then to France to be fabricated into fuel.

The other three parties to the talks – France, Russia and the United States – have all indicated their approval of the agreement, but Iran has yet to respond.

The Secretary-General said today that Iran’s acceptance of the proposal would help to boost confidence.

“Let me be clear: the onus is on Iran to clarify the doubts and concerns of its programme,” he said.

In response, Mr. Ahmadinejad told the conference that his country has accepted the fuel exchange deal, with country throwing “the ball in the court of those who should accept our proposal.”

The Iranian leader spoke out in his address against how “certain nuclear-weapon States widely exploit” the Security Council and the IAEA. “This unjust practice, repeated over and over, has turned into a pattern.”

He voiced concern that to date, no non-nuclear-weapon State “has ever been able to exercise their inalienable and legal rights for peaceful use of nuclear energy without facing pressures and threats.”

Countries with nuclear weapons have equated nuclear arms with nuclear energy, which Mr. Ahmadinejad characterized as “one of the gravest injustices” committed by these nations.

“The nuclear bomb is a fire against humanity rather than a weapon for defence,” he stated. “The possession of nuclear bombs is not a source of pride; it is rather disgusting and shameful. And even more shameful is the threat to use or to use such weapons, which is not even comparable to any crime committed throughout the history.”

For his part, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, who also addressed today’s meeting, said that Iran’s lack of cooperation is preventing the agency from confirming that all nuclear material is not being diverted to a weapons programme.

He called on Iran to “clarify activities with a possible military dimension.”

Mr. Amano also noted that the IAEA has not been able to confirm the nature of nuclear activities in the DPRK, which ceased all cooperation with the agency last year, and has no made progress in resolving questions related to the nature of the Dair Alzour site – alleged by some to be the site of a nuclear reactor – which was destroyed by Israel.

The IAEA chief urged the 20 parties to the NPT which have yet to bring comprehensive safeguards agreements into force to take immediate steps to join the 98 countries which have done so.

He also drew attention to the importance of additional protocols, which are vital to the agency to “provide credible assurance not only that declared nuclear material is not being diverted from peaceful uses, but also that there are no undeclared nuclear material and activities in a State.”

Nuclear technologies, Mr. Amano noted, can also be used to meet people’s basic needs, with radiotherapy helping to treat cancer and nuclear technology being utilized to enhance global food security.

The current gathering is expected to wrap up on 28 May.

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BAN APPEALS FOR NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONES TO SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD

On the eve of a major non-proliferation conference to be held at United Nations Headquarters, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the number of nuclear-weapon-free zones to multiply and ultimately span the globe.

Representatives from more than 100 countries, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are slated to attend the latest five-yearly review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), kicking off on Monday in New York.

“The talks will bring almost all the countries in the world together to try to move forward in restricting and dismantling these weapons of mass destruction,” Mr. Ban told a conference of States parties and signatories of treaties setting up nuclear-weapon-free zones.

Currently, there are five such zones: Latin America and the Caribbean; the South Pacific; South-East Asia; Central Asia; and Africa.

“My goal – our goal – is to make the whole world a nuclear-weapon-free zone,” the Secretary-General said. “Nuclear-weapon-free zones are the success stories of the disarmament movement. You are leading by example.”

Earlier this month, he visited Semipalatinsk, known as “Ground Zero,” the former nuclear test site in Kazakhstan which was shut down in 1991.

It is now a “beacon of hope for a nuclear-weapon-free world,” Mr. Ban said.

While some believe that the weapons are vital to their national security and deterrence strategies and that they serve as status symbols, this is not true, he stressed.

Disarmament and security are “mutually reinforcing,” the UN chief underscored, adding that nuclear-weapon-free zones exemplify what political will can achieve.

“They add weight to the arguments of governments and people around the world who firmly reject these weapons,” he said.

“They have helped to change attitudes. And it is only by changing attitudes that we will change the world.”

Mr. Ban voiced hope that nations in these zones will spread their “message of hope and optimism” so that the world can build on their success stories, starting at the review conference beginning on Monday.

The gathering will begin in a much more positive atmosphere than the last one, thanks to recent moves by the United States and Russia to slash their nuclear arsenals, among others, according to Sergio Duarte, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

At the end of the last meeting in 2005, Mr. Duarte, who served as President of that review conference, said that the event had accomplished “very little” amid widely diverging views on nuclear arms and their spread. It wrapped up without any substantive agreement having been reached by nations.

Under the provisions of the NPT, which forms the foundation of the world’s nuclear non-proliferation regime and which marked the 40th anniversary of its entry into force earlier this month, parties to the pact must meet every five years to discuss how to further its full implementation and its universality.

But the US-Russian accord put a “very positive note… not only on the relations between these… two possessors of nuclear weapons, but also for the rest of the community in the NPT,” Mr. Duarte told UN Radio yesterday.

Also contributing to an improved atmosphere is that, unlike the 2005 review conference, the preparatory meetings ahead of this year’s gathering have been successful, he noted.

“All these things together certainly made a good difference from the climate that prevailed in 2005,” Mr. Duarte stressed.

One of the main challenges this year’s event faces, he said, is how to make the NPT more effective in the fields of disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the three main thrusts of the treaty.

It was confirmed last night that Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader, will be addressing the opening session.

Iran’s authorities hold that its work in the nuclear field is for peaceful purposes, while some countries contend it is driven by military ambitions. The programme has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the NPT.

Earlier this week, the Secretary-General told reporters that if Mr. Ahmadinejad “brings some good constructive proposal in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, that would be helpful.”

The President-elect of this year’s conference, Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan of the Philippines, emphasized yesterday that “all the States parties are equally important to bring their views to the table” and “find ways and means that can provide” a safer world for all.

The forum should serve as “a marketplace of ideas,” he said. “The best ideas or the right ideas must prevail.”

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NUCLEAR FORUM AT UN OFFERS IRAN CHANCE TO REASSURE WORLD – OFFICIAL

Iran can use next week’s global gathering on disarmament at United Nations Headquarters to reassure other States of its peaceful nuclear intentions, the forum’s chair said today as he urged countries to exchange ideas on how to cut the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons.

Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan of the Philippines, who is the President-elect of the latest five-yearly review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), told reporters that the meeting offers an opportunity to “really explore the limits of what is possible” on disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The forum, which starts on Monday, is taking place amid international concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme. The country’s authorities hold that its activities are for peaceful purposes, while some nations contend they are driven by military ambitions. In 2003 it was discovered that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the NPT.

Asked by reporters today whether Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would attend the NPT forum, Mr. Cabactulan said he did not yet have confirmation but that arrangements are being made for his possible participation.

“All the States parties are equally important to bring their views to the table” and “find ways and means that can provide” a safer world for all, he stressed.

Mr. Cabactulan said it may be incumbent upon Iran to “really come up with concrete, definitive ideas” to convince nations of its peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters that if Mr. Ahmadinejad “brings some good constructive proposal in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, that would be helpful.”

More than 100 senior officials from States parties to the NPT are expected to attend the event, slated to run until 28 May. Mr. Ban stated in an opinion column in yesterday’s International Herald Tribune that he hopes the forum will build on recent international momentum on disarmament, including the Russian-United States agreement earlier this month on slashing nuclear arsenals.

“If ever there were a time for the world’s people to demand change, to demand action beyond the cautious half measures of the past, it is now,” he stated.

The President-elect said that consultations he has held with States parties indicate that the treaty’s universality and the lack of institutional support for the NPT compared to other pacts will be among the key priorities for discussion at the forum.

The forum should serve as “a marketplace of ideas,” he said. “The best ideas or the right ideas must prevail.”

On the issue of universal adherence to the NPT, he said that it is not enough to have non-parties to the pact – including India, Pakistan and Israel – sign on. Countries such as the US and Russia, must take further measures beyond their recent agreement on stockpiles, he stressed.

“If we are true to the real objective” of eliminating nuclear weapons, “something concrete must be done in this regard,” he underscored.

The last review conference, held in 2005, has been characterized by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as “disappointing.”

At the end of that meeting, Sergio Duarte, the President of that gathering and now the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said the gathering ended having accomplished “very little” amid widely diverging views on nuclear arms and their spread. It wrapped up without any substantive agreement having been reached.

Mr. Cabactulan said that he cannot promise a successful outcome to this year’s meeting, but expressed hope that States parties “will really see eye-to-eye” and “see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MEETS WITH CHINESE MINISTER DURING ASIAN VISIT

General Assembly President Ali Treki spotlighted the United Nations’ priorities today as he continued his visit to China by discussing development topics and peace and security in the Middle East and Africa with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

“They underlined the need to strengthen multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, to address effectively the global challenges confronting the international community,” Jean-Victor Nkolo, spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, told journalists in New York about today’s meeting.

Dr. Treki and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host a high-level plenary meeting in September in New York to stress the importance of increasing efforts to achieve the internationally agreed upon Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 target year.

In addition, Dr. Treki told Mr. Yang that he plans to hold General Assembly thematic debates on disarmament, peacekeeping, dialogue among civilizations, and the Middle East peace process.

“Both sides emphasized the urgent need for a just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and the enhanced role that the United Nations should play in that regard,” Mr. Nkolo said.

He added that the Chinese minister also expressed his country’s support for development and peace in Africa, including the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The Security Council yesterday raised the possibility of special international tribunals to deal with piracy and requested that the UN Secretary-General present a report within three months on possible options for prosecuting and imprisoning suspects in connection with piracy and armed robbery at sea near the Horn of Africa.

Dr. Treki and Mr. Yang also discussed efforts to reform and strengthen the UN, including the ongoing debate over the composition of the Security Council.

Later in the day, Dr. Treki visited with prominent Chinese scholars and researches at the China Institute of International Studies.

He will attend the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo before continuing his tour of Asia with stops in India and Pakistan.

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IRAQI DETAINEES OFFERED FREE LEGAL AID IN UN-BACKED SCHEME

Iraqi detainees can receive free assistance in mounting in their legal defences, thanks to a United Nations-backed scheme aimed to help vulnerable prisoners.

Late last year, 20 legal defence centres (LDCs) were set up in 16 of Iraq’s 18 governorates as part of the €6.4 million “Programme for the Protection of Detainees and Torture Victims” initiative implemented by the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and funded by the European Union (EU).

The sites provide free services to those who do not have easy access to legal representation due to their financial, gender or family status.

Lawyers, legal consultants and representatives of the Iraqi Bar Association and civil society met in Amman, Jordan, today to “identify remaining challenges as well as ways to reach out further to detainees that fall through the cracks in the legal system,” according to Gerhard Pansegrouw, UNOPS’ Iraq Director.

Since its inception last September, more than 600 cases of vulnerable people in need of legal defence were referred to the LDCs by police, lawyers’ groups, courts, prisons, rehabilitation centres and shelters. Of them, 365 were found to be eligible to receive free legal representation.

Each LDC is operated by up to 7 lawyers, and legal consultations provided over the telephone have so far benefited nearly 1,400 people.

A lawyer from the governorate of Babil in central Iraq voiced hope that the programme will bolster the ties between civil society and legal authorities, such as the police and courts and pave the way for the “spread of a human rights culture in Iraq.”

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SOUTH AFRICAN SINGER AND GUYANESE CRICKETER JOIN UN EFFORTS AGAINST AIDS PANDEMIC

Grammy award-winning musician Lebo M and West Indian cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan are the latest personalities from the entertainment and sports worlds to join United Nations efforts against HIV/AIDS, lending their talents and public profiles to boost awareness about the disease.

Lebo M, a South African producer, composer and singer whose real name is Lebohang Morake, was on Monday named UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, allowing him to use his music, outreach and understanding of HIV to raise awareness about the epidemic globally, including helping to break the cycle of stigma and discrimination associated with the virus.

In conjunction with the International Cricket Council (ICC), Mr. Sarwan of Guyana was unveiled on the same day as a new Think Wise Champion, part of a global cricket partnership to raise HIV awareness.

He joins high-profile cricketers Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara and Virender Sehwag, as well as his female West Indian colleague Stafanie Taylor, in becoming a Champion for the ICC’s partnership with UNAIDS, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Global Media AIDS Initiative.

The global partners are also working with the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS as part of the “Live UP” campaign to coincide with the cricket tournament ICC World Twenty20 2010, which begins on Friday and runs through 16 May. The initiative encourages youth in the region to take positive action by informing themselves about the facts about HIV, getting tested and protecting themselves.

Lebo M is a long-time HIV advocate and founder of the Lebo M Foundation, which focuses on HIV as well as child welfare and housing issues in South Africa.

“I have always dreamt big and that has carried me from smoky township nightclubs to Los Angeles. Since my dreams have come true, I want to make sure that other children grow up and reach for the skies. The AIDS epidemic must be stopped and prevented from cutting short lives,” he said.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said: “With his outsized talent, Lebo M has dazzled the world stage. Now he will use his rich and resonant voice to speak up for people living with HIV. Lebo M moves audiences with his music and his insatiable spirit will not rest until AIDS is overcome.”

Lebo M was a co-composer and member of the core creative team for the movie and Broadway production of The Lion King. He is the founder of the Johannesburg-based company Till Dawn Entertainment, which co-produced and staged The Lion King in South Africa. He is currently working with the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa to co-produce the opening and closing ceremonies.

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FUNDING CRISIS FORCES UN AGENCY TO CUT FOOD RATIONS FOR CONFLICT-AFFECTED YEMENIS

The United Nations food agency will be forced to cut rations for tens of thousands of people affected by the conflict in north-western Yemen starting this Saturday because stocks have dwindled as a result of limited funding.

The UN World Food Programmed (WFP) reported today that it is facing a shortfall of nearly 70 per cent on its 2010 budget requirements for relief work in the conflict-affected Yemeni governorate of Sa’ada, meaning that $24 million is still needed to sustain the operation.

The decision to cut rations by half was made in consultation with the Yemeni Government and is the only way to ensure that available food stocks last until the end of August.

On average, IDPs will receive 1,040 kilocalories per person per day, rather than the 2,100 kilocalories required for an active and healthy life.

Nutrition support to as many as 50,000 internally displace persons (IDPs) children under the age of five will, however, be maintained until the end of August.

Regular assistance provided by WFP and partners has contributed to stabilizing the levels of acute malnutrition and morbidity among IDPs in Yemen, particularly in camps. Ration reduction and the possible closure of the operation in the event that no further funding will be forthcoming could reverse the progress, the agency said.

WFP’s relief effort in Sa’ada is not the only one facing severe funding shortage. The agency’s operations in the rest of Yemen are struggling with a 75 per cent shortfall in total estimated requirements for 2010, which means that nearly 96,000 tons of food required for more than 3.4 million refugees, malnourished children, pregnant mothers and other needy people is not available.

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that four of five education projects included in the humanitarian appeal for Yemen in November last year have received no funding at all.

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HAITI CAN GET BACK ON ITS FEET WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT, UN ENVOY SAYS

The coming year will be a very challenging one for Haiti as it seeks to recover and rebuild from January’s tragic earthquake, but with the right international support the country can embark on a new era of stability and growth, the top United Nations official there said today.

“I believe the next 12 to 18 months are a period of great challenge and risk in Haiti, but one which we can help the Government to weather,” Edmond Mulet, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), told a Security Council meeting.

“What Haiti needs now is a supporting arm of a companion on which it can lean as it gets back on its feet. That is the role which we, the international community, can play,” he added.

Dozens of nations and organizations are assisting the small Caribbean country in the wake of the 12 January quake, which killed more than 200,000 people – including 101 UN staff members – and left 1.3 million more homeless, in addition to damaging Government buildings and vital infrastructure.

Mr. Mulet said Haiti’s path to stability following this tragedy depends above all on adherence to the political and electoral timetable to enable a constitutional hand-over of power in February 2011.

Falling behind in this regard would “seriously undermine the stability we have been working towards in Haiti for many years,” he stated.

The coming year will also witness new security pressures, including from criminals who are now at large again in the wake of the earthquake, as well as economic risks with millions living in very vulnerable conditions, and the risk of new natural disasters.

“However, I believe there is good reason to think that Haiti and its international partners can manage and mitigate those risks,” said Mr. Mulet. “If we do so, I hope that within two years, we could again be in the position we had reached in 2009 – a Haiti that is relatively stable and growing economically.”

To manage this critical period, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his latest report on MINUSTAH, asks the Council to endorse a strengthening of the mission to enable it provide better support to recovery efforts. This includes a surge in the mission’s police presence to help ensure their visibility on the streets and in camps for displaced people.

Mr. Ban noted that much of the required “surge” can be achieved by scaling up activities within the current mandate, while a few areas of the mission should provide greater technical, operational and logistical assistance to Haiti’s Government and State institutions.

“Whereas before the earthquake, the mission was entering a period of consolidation, a surge effort is now needed for the next 18 months to two years, in which the mission will help the Government preserve the gains of stabilization to date and enable a smooth transition to long-term reconstruction,” he wrote.

Echoing the Secretary-General’s call, Mr. Mulet said that with just a little more of the support that the UN is already providing, Haiti will make its own way forward. “That would be the best end to the terrible story of 12 January 2010, and a necessary, fitting tribute to the lives of those we have lost.”

Haiti’s Prime Minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, thanked Council members for the solidarity shown in the wake of the earthquake, noting that the tragedy has profoundly changed the context in which MINUSTAH is working.

The coming 18 months will present his Government with new risks within the framework of reconstruction and post-disaster management, during which the presence of MINUSTAH will remain necessary. This is particularly true with regard to the holding of free and fair elections.

Challenges that were already great before the earthquake are greater today, but the solidarity of the international community provides the people and Government of Haiti with the hope that a brighter future is possible, he told the 15-member body.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro announced that the UN, working with the Haitian Government and other partners, is planning a nationwide movement for learning in the country.

“In the aftermath of disaster, school does more than promote learning. It gives children a sense of normalcy amid the chaos. It is a place of security and sanctuary. Above all, it offers hope for the future,” the Deputy Secretary-General wrote in an opinion piece published today in Mexico’s El Sol.

She added that in her native Tanzania, the founding president was known by the highest title bestowed, “Teacher.”

“President Julius ‘Mwalimu’ Nyerere’s first principle of self-reliance was grounded on education, for girls as well as boys – a legacy of gender equality that paved the way for my own career,” Ms. Migiro wrote.

The international community raised nearly $10 billion for Haiti at last month’s donors’ conference in New York. It is not clear yet how much of the money will be allocated for education.

Some 38,000 students and 1,300 teachers and other education personnel lost their lives in the quake, which also destroyed more than 4,000 schools as well as the Ministry of Education’s headquarters, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The UN agency and its partners have been working with the Haitian Government to provide 3,000 school tents, educational materials, recreational items and furniture for children whose schools were destroyed or who are seeking refuge in camps.

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UN REPORT PUSHES FOR ENERGY ACCESS AND EFFICIENCY TO FIGHT POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Increasing access to clean energy and improving its efficiency will be vital to both enhancing global prosperity and combating climate change, according to a new report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s advisory group on the nexus between energy and climate.

“We need a clean energy revolution – in developing countries, where demand is rising rapidly, and in the developed world, in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr. Ban said at the launch of the publication in New York.

Some 3 billion people worldwide rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, resulting in adverse health effects if used in inadequately ventilated buildings, with 1.5 billion having no access to electricity.

As well as lifting the world’s poorest out of poverty, a well-performing energy system will also propel success towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in spurring industrial development in low- and middle-income countries, according to the report by the high-level Energy and Climate Change Advisory Group.

“The decisions we make today on energy will have a profound impact on the global climate, on sustainable development, on economic growth and global security,” the Secretary-General stressed.

According to the World Bank, countries with underperforming energy systems could lose up to 2 per cent of growth potential annually due to electric power outages, inefficient use of scarce energy sources and others.

The study by the Advisory Group – set up by Mr. Ban last year and comprising 20 business leaders, academics and representatives of the United Nations and civil society – called on nations to commitment themselves to two key complementary goals.

First, it calls for universal access to modern energy services that are reliable, affordable, sustainable, and, if possible, from low-emissions sources by 2030.

“All countries have a role to play,” the group emphasizes, urging high-income nations to make this a development assistance priority and secure financing, middle-income countries to share relevant expertise and experience; and low-income countries to help create the right local institutional, regulatory and policy environment for investments – including by the private sector – to be made.

The other challenge is to slash global energy intensity, measured by the quantity of energy per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), the study notes.

“Developed and developing countries alike need to build and strengthen their capacity to implement effective policies, market-based mechanisms, business models, investment tools and regulations with regard to energy use,” which would reduce intensity by about 2.5 per cent annually and helping to curb carbon emissions in the coming decades.

“These are ambitious goals, but I think they are achievable,” Mr. Ban told reporters today at the report’s launch. “And they are necessary.”

At an event earlier this morning, he stressed that tackling the energy challenge cannot be accomplished by governments alone, but will require global cooperation and coordinated action within the UN system.

“And all sectors of society will need to be engaged: the private sector, civil society, international organizations and the world of academia and research.”

Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), speaking to reporters at the report’s launch, highlighted the need to create incentives for a transformation to a “new industrial revolution.”

“Everyone agrees on the need for greater energy efficiency,” which he likened to “low-hanging fruit” that no one has so far picked since the details on achieving the target have yet to be worked out, he said.

Mr. Yumkella, who chairs the Advisory Group, also pointed out the need to ensure that developed countries do not solely extract energy – such as oil and gas – from poor nations, but that they also ensure that developing countries’ energy needs are met to ensure global security.

For his part, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and a member of the Group, sought to emphasize how boosting access to and the efficiency of energy will be part of “an integral transition” to a green economy where the world must “produce more with less” and utilize resources less wastefully.

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UN CHIEF DISCUSSES MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS WITH US SPECIAL ENVOY

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Special Envoy George Mitchell discussed continuing efforts to get the Israelis and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, as well as the situation in Gaza.

During their telephone conversation on Monday, the two men discussed the proposal put forward several months ago by Mr. Mitchell, who was in the region recently for meetings, for the Israelis and Palestinians to begin indirect talks with US mediation.

The Secretary-General thanked Mr. Mitchell for his determined efforts and reiterated the UN’s support, according to information provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

At its meeting in Moscow in March, the diplomatic Quartet promoting Middle East peace – comprising the UN, European Union, US and Russia – called on the Israeli and Palestinian sides to resume negotiations as soon as possible with the aim of reaching a settlement within two years.

On Gaza, Mr. Ban told Mr. Mitchell that there had been some progress since his own visit in March, though much more needed to be done, and he sought the US envoy’s continued support to that end.

During his visit to Gaza earlier this year, the Secretary-General had noted that Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip – instituted for what it called security reasons after Hamas took over power there in 2007 – “causes unacceptable suffering of human beings,” with half of the area’s population, which is under the age of 18, suffering the most.

“The policy is also counter-productive,” he emphasized. “It prevents legitimate commerce and encourages smuggling. It undercuts moderates and empowers extremists.”

Last week, the top UN official in Gaza told reporters that the recent easing of some Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods into the territory is welcome but infinitesimal when compared to the needs of the 1.5 million Palestinians living there.

“[It is] a drop in the bucket,” said John Ging, Director of Operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). “The context is so great, the scale of the need is so large.”

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UN WELCOMES RESUMPTION OF RETURNS OF DISPLACED SRI LANKANS

Following a three-week pause due to parliamentary polls and holidays, Government-backed returns of people uprooted by decades of fighting to their home areas has resumed in northern Sri Lanka, a move welcomed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Since the resumption of returns last week, some 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have gone back to the districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, which both saw intense fighting between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before the rebels were defeated last year.

More than 200,000 people have left camps in Sri Lanka’s north and east following the start of organized returns last August, and they have either returned to their homes or are staying with friends and relatives in Vavuniya, Mannar and other districts.

“People are returning to areas which suffered major destruction,” said spokesperson Andrej Mahecic of UNHCR, which is giving each returning family a cash grant worth $220 for shelter, which people have also been applying towards paying for land clearance or starting up small businesses.

More than 40,000 families had already received these funds by March, but the agency was forced to temporarily suspend its assistance due to a funding shortfall.

“But thanks to the generous contributions by donors, UNHCR will be restarting the shelter cash grants by the end of the week,” Mr. Mahecic noted.

Some 25,000 families, or some 82,000 people, are still living in camps or are sheltering with host families, and the agency said it expects more returns to take place this year, but stressed that additional resources are urgently needed to help them in the near future.

It is also distributing relief items to returnees, including plastic mats, mosquito nets and jungle clearing tools.

Mine clearing efforts are also under way, with the Government rebuilding roads, buildings, bridges and other infrastructure damaged in the war, which at its height last year had displaced some 280,000 people.

UNHCR said that livelihood activities and services such as transport, health and education are still lacking in most areas that IDPs are returning to. “Addressing these issues will help anchor the returns,” Mr. Mahecic emphasized.

Single women who are heading households have told the agency that there are few job opportunities in their home areas, and that they also face obstacles in obtaining documentation, such as death certificates for their deceased husbands, which are necessary to make them eligible for widows’ allowances and Government aid.

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UN LAUDS CHINA’S DECISION TO REMOVE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS BASED ON HIV STATUS

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today hailed the decision by the Chinese Government to lift the country’s travel ban for people living with HIV.

“I commend President Hu Jintao for China’s decision to remove travel restrictions based on HIV status,” said Mr. Ban. “Punitive policies and practices only hamper the global AIDS response. I urge all other countries with such restrictions to remove them as a matter of priority and urgency.”

The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, said the move is yet another example of China’s leadership in the AIDS response.

The agency, which strongly opposes any laws that restrict movement based on HIV-positive status only, stressed that such restrictions are discriminatory and do not prevent HIV transmission or protect public health.

In addition, travel restrictions have no economic justification, as people living with HIV can lead long and productive working lives, UNAIDS stated in a news release.

“Every individual should have equal access to freedom of movement – regardless of HIV status,” said Mr. Sidibé.

According to UNAIDS, 51 countries, territories, and areas currently impose some form of travel restriction on the entry, stay and residence of people living with HIV based on their HIV status.

Five countries deny visas to people living with HIV for even short-term stays, while 23 countries deport individuals once their HIV-positive status is discovered.

In January, Mr. Ban and UNAIDS congratulated the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States for lifting “discriminatory” travel limits that previously prevented people living with HIV from entering both nations.

Several other countries, including Namibia and the Ukraine, have recently pledged to take steps to remove such restrictions.

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BAN VOICES RELIEF AT RELEASE OF UN-AU PEACEKEEPERS FREED IN DARFUR

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his relief at the release of four peacekeepers serving with the joint African Union-United Nations mission in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur who were set free after having spent more than two weeks in captivity.

The unarmed South African police advisers – two women and two men – were released yesterday. They had been abducted at approximately 4 p.m. on 11 April after departing from their team site in Nyala, South Darfur state, on a seven-kilometre journey back to their private quarters.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he “appreciates the efforts made by the Government of Sudan,” as well as that of South Africa, in securing the safe release of the four police officers” serving with the mission, known as UNAMID.

“He once more emphasizes to all parties the importance of ensuring the safety of all UN and other personnel who are on the ground to help the people of Darfur,” it added.

After undergoing medical examinations, the four blue helmets, who are believed to be in good health, will be flown to their home country to be reunited with their families.

Yesterday, UNAMID Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari, who travelled to Nyala to meet with the released kidnappers, expressed hope that “this is the last time that peacekeepers, both military, police and civilians, who are here to bring peace and stability to the people of Darfur, are subjected to such unacceptable ordeals.”

Earlier this week, he held talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who pledged to do everything possible to bring about safe return of the UNAMID personnel.

The mission, with nearly 22,000 uniformed personnel, was set up at the beginning of 2008 to help end a seven-year conflict between the Government and rebels that has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

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UN OFFICIAL URGES RICH NATIONS’ LEADERS TO HELP END CHILD MALNUTRITION

The head of the United Nations food agency today urged leaders of the Group of 8 (G8) industrialized nations to make combating child malnutrition a pillar of the their summit in Canada in June, saying poor nutrition is responsible for the death of 3.5 million children every year.

“No issue is more urgent, or more foundational to other development goals, than getting maternal and child nutrition right,” Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), said in an op-ed published in the Toronto Star.

Ms. Sheeran’s appeal coincides with the meeting of development ministers from the G8 in Halifax, Canada, today and tomorrow to prepare for the G8 Leaders Summit in late June in Muskoka municipality in the Canadian state of Ontario. As President of the G8 in 2010, Canada is championing an initiative to improve maternal and child health in the world’s poorest regions.

“The G8 summit can become a tipping point where the world can rally to make child malnutrition history,” said Ms. Sheeran. “We can do this, and Canada can continue to lead the way,” she added.

She noted children never recover from the mental and physical stunting that occurs if undernourished in their first two years of life. Allowing them to remain malnourished robbed them of future, she said. Globally, malnutrition affects almost 200 million children, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“We know that we need to ensure that the food provided is the right nutritional match for the most vulnerable people – pregnant and lactating women, children under two and those with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses,” Ms. Sheeran added.

WFP provides 100 million people a year with food and nutrition interventions, including school meals and nutritional supplements. Last year, 80 per cent of WFP’s food aid went to women and children because they are often the most vulnerable, Ms. Sheeran said.

The World Bank estimates that about $10 billion per year would provide 13 proven malnutrition prevention and treatments to those most in need, from food fortification to targeted supplementary feeding, Ms. Sheeran noted.

Donor nations and private sector partnerships can then help catalyze home-grown solutions with critical financial backing and scientific know-how, she said. Lasting nutrition solutions, however, must be country-led, she said noting that China, Brazil, Thailand and Chile had succeeded in solving the problem of malnutrition.

“Now is the time. All that is needed is focus, our combined knowledge, political will and resources from around the world. The G8 summit can become a tipping point where the world can rally to make child malnutrition history,” Ms. Sheeran added.

Speaking at the G8 development ministers’ meeting, the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark called for increased foreign aid to help poorer countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“Most of the resources needed to achieve the MDGs have to be raised and allocated effectively from a country itself. Yet, well targeted and predictable ODA [official development assistance] can be catalytic for meeting the Goals. It can support countries to develop the capacities and programmes needed to meet the MDGs and to attract private investment and new sources of climate finance,” Miss Clark said.

She cited recent forecasts by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which show that ODA levels in 2010 will be around $20 billion short, in 2004 prices, of what donors pledged at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2005.

Of that shortfall, around $2 billion is the result of lower-than-expected gross national income in donor countries owing to the global economic crisis. But close to $18 billion is the result of lower-than-promised giving by developed countries, Miss Clark said.

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