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Friday, August 15, 2008 - 12:47 AM

ZIMBABWE MUST LIFT AID AGENCY RESTRICTIONS TO AVOID HUMANITARIAN CRISIS - BAN

Press Release - UN News Center

Aug 14 2008

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Zimbabwe to immediately lift the restrictions it has imposed on aid agencies since June, warning that not doing so could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the southern African nation.

"I call on the Government of Zimbabwe to fully respect humanitarian principles and the impartiality and neutrality of voluntary and non-governmental organizations, allowing them to operate freely and with unrestricted access to those in need," Mr. Ban said in a statement issued today.

The Secretary-General said he remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe where, despite requests made by the UN Country Team and other humanitarian partners, operations of voluntary and non-governmental organizations remain restricted.

He stressed that these groups have a vital role in the delivery of humanitarian aid, including much needed food assistance.

Due to the inability of these agencies to operate, only 280,000 people of the 1.5 million in need of food assistance are being reached with distributions.

"This ban must be lifted immediately so that aid organizations can carry out their relief work and avert a catastrophic humanitarian crisis," Mr. Ban stated.

Prior to the imposition of the ban, many Zimbabweans were already suffering from food shortages and rampant inflation, a situation made worse by the violence that plagued the country ahead of the June presidential run-off election.

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 12:38 AM

UN AGENCY AIRLIFTS FOOD AID TO GEORGIA FOR CONFLICT VICTIMS

Press Release - UN News Center

Aug 13 2008

Two cargo aircraft chartered by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) set off this morning for Tbilisi, Georgia, with 34 tons of high energy biscuits to assist thousands of people displaced by the recent conflict.

UN officials say some 100,000 people have been displaced since heavy fighting began last Thursday between Georgian and South Ossetian forces, with some having fled to other parts of the country while others to North Ossetia in Russia. Russian forces have become involved in South Ossetia, and in the separate region of Abkhazia in north-western Georgia, in recent days.

WFP said two Antonov 12 aircraft departed from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Brindisi, Italy. The biscuits will augment in-country food stocks which WFP started distributing over the weekend to thousands of people.

"The number of people in need of food assistance continues to escalate," said WFP Georgia Country Director Lola Castro, adding that more than 10,000 people were now registered as displaced.

Many of the displaced people have no access to cooking facilities, and the high energy biscuits require no preparation.

WFP will distribute 2,300 rations today, with more planned for the following days. The agency has been providing 10-day food rations to more than 4,500 displaced people living in shelters in the capital, Tbilisi.

It has also identified bakeries near areas where internally displaced persons (IDPs) have concentrated, and the agency will supply wheat flour to make bread for distribution to the displaced.

In addition, WFP is coordinating food assistance and offering logistical support to other humanitarian organisations, drawing on capacity from its existing operation in the country.

Before the crisis erupted, WFP was providing food to more than 212,000 people, mainly poor rural communities, as well as primary schoolchildren, tuberculosis patients and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Yesterday a humanitarian airlift - chartered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - arrived in Georgia, bringing 34 tons of tents, jerry cans, blankets and kitchen sets for those in need. A second UNHCR flight is scheduled for today.

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 12:35 AM

CHILDREN ARE MAIN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE IN CHAD, BAN SAYS IN NEW REPORT

Press Release - UN News Center

Aug 12 2008

Children continue to be the primary victims of the conflict in Chad, whether they are recruited as soldiers, killed or hurt by landmines or denied humanitarian access, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes in a report made public today.

"The political, military and security situation remains highly volatile," he said, due to the ongoing violence between Chadian armed forces and rebel groups, the presence of foreign rebels in the country's east, cross-border raids by allied militiamen known as the Janjaweed and continuing tensions, mainly between Arab and non-Arab communities. As a result, children are made to suffer.

"All parties to the conflict reportedly continue to use and recruit children," the Secretary-General said, adding that the problem is exacerbated by the fact that only 10 per cent of child births are registered in Chad.

Further, he stated that there are "cultural issues related to the concepts of boyhood and manhood" which aggravate the issue.

While indiscriminate killings in eastern Chad are relatively rare, unexploded ordnance and landmines are cause for concern, the report said. Nearly 50 children died as a result of the devices last year, with more than double that number being maimed.

Girls are the main victims of rape and other types of sexual violence, which are "common" in Chad, Mr. Ban wrote. "Both armed groups and community members are being reported as perpetrators of such violations," with perpetrators acting in a climate of near impunity and the Government being unable or unwilling to protect children from such acts.

The report also highlighted the attacks on schools and abductions of children by armed groups.

It characterized the start of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration activities in the landlocked Central African nation are a "very positive step in addressing violations of child rights."

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Chadian Government entered an agreement on 9 May to guarantee the release and reintegration of all children associated with armed forces and groups.

The Secretary-General estimated that 2,500 child soldiers - out of a total of 7,000 to 10,000 - will be released over the coming months.

"Ending grave violations against children will not be possible unless significant progress is made in the political dimension," he said, noting that outbreaks of violence earlier this year have intensified mistrust and curtailed hopes for progress.

Mr. Ban called on all parties to the Chadian conflict to immediately comply with Security Council resolutions on bringing an end to the serious child rights abuses for which they have been cited.

He also urged the Government to fully cooperate with the UN to conduct verification in detention centres and other facilities, and to criminalize the recruitment and use of child soldiers and bring those responsible for such acts to justice.

"As a matter of priority, the Chadian authorities should also increase security and protection of the civilian populations in and around refugee camps and internally displaced person sites," the report said.

In June, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy wrapped up a visit to Chad, where she said she had received assurances from the Government that it would release all former child combatants held in detention.

However, she pointed out that there have still not been any commitments on child recruitment by non-government armed groups who "recruit a great many children."

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 12:33 AM

PLANT MUTATION COULD BOOST CROP YIELDS AND HELP TACKLE FOOD CRISIS - UN OFFICIAL

Press Release - UN News Center

Aug 12 2008

Plant mutation, a scientific technique that dramatically improves crop productivity, could be part of the solution to the current food and energy crisis that threatens to plunge millions worldwide into hunger, according to a United Nations expert on the subject.

"At a time when the world is facing a food and energy crisis of unprecedented proportions, plant mutation breeding can be a catalyst in developing improved, higher-yield, saline-resistant, sturdier crop varieties," Werner Burkart, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a conference that opened at the Agency's headquarters in Vienna today.

The International Symposium on Induced Mutations in Plants brings together over 600 scientists, researchers and plant breeders from around the world to discuss the latest innovations and how they can improve crop varieties in the future.

Mr. Burkart, who is Head of the Agency's Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, said 2008 will be remembered as the year in which the world understood the realities of climate change, the food crisis and the energy debate in its link to hunger.

"These big issues are intimately interlinked, and translate in the agronomy field into a competition between food, feed and fuel for soil, water, human and financial resources," he noted.

He pointed out that plant mutation has been used for more than 80 years, with mutagens such as X-rays, gamma radiation and chemicals having been used to produce plant varieties that are disease-resistant or best suited to conditions such as high altitude or saline soil.

One success story is mutant barley varieties that thrive at altitudes of up to 5,000 metres in the highlands of Peru and which led to a 52 per cent increase in yields between 1978 and 2002.

The IAEA has worked with radiation technology to induce mutation in plants since the 1960s and today the technology is being used worldwide.

"Mutation induction has proven flexible, workable, and ready to use on any crop," said Mr. Burkart, adding that it is a non-hazardous and low-cost technology that has the ability to address current challenges in agriculture.

"The breeding of new mutant varieties - with a higher yield potential, more productive biomass for energy use, better nutrient composition for human health, better adaptation to climate change and variability, or a heightened potential to sequester carbon - will be the driving force to meet the challenges of the 21st century," he stated.

The four-day conference is a joint collaboration by the IAEA and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the eighth of its kind. The first was held in 1969.

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 12:30 AM

UN AGENCY PROVIDES $214 MILLION TO HELP 16 COUNTRIES COPE WITH FOOD CRISIS

Press Release - UN News Center

Aug 12 2008

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the roll-out of a $214 million response to help millions in 16 countries hit hard by high food and fuel prices.

The funds will provide critical assistance by providing life-saving food rations to highly vulnerable groups, continuing to feed school-aged children even while school is out, and giving supplemental food to pregnant women and young children whose mental and physical development is at stake.

WFP also aims to expand food aid to urban areas hardest hit by high food prices, including through cash and vouchers, and to support small farmers and markets in countries where the agency will purchase food assistance locally, through the initiative.

"With hunger on the rise, we are doing our best to stream incoming contributions to the people most in need in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. "It is essential to launch a bold new set of responses to stem a full-blown hunger and nutritional crisis."

Ms. Sheeran noted that impoverished families that already spend more than 60 per cent of their income on food are eating less, buying less nutritious foods, cutting out education and healthcare, and taking on more debt.

"Food prices are not abating, and the world's most vulnerable have exhausted their coping strategies," she said. "Our action plan is targeted and customized to help the most vulnerable meet their urgent needs."

The new funding will assist people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Liberia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Tajikistan, Uganda, Yemen and the occupied Palestinian territory.

At the World Food Security conference in Rome in June, WFP announced a $1.2 billion cash package for 62 countries hit by high food prices.

As a result of the rise in food prices, WFP's budget to reach 90 million people worldwide in 2008 has risen from $3.1 billion to nearly $6 billion. So far, the voluntarily-funded agency has raised about half of its budget for this year, including through a historic $500 million donation by the Saudi Government earlier this year.