UN Radio: Focusing on Africa, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire etc…
UN Official Lauds Afghan Presidential Decree for Start of Voter Registration
The top UN official in Afghanistan has welcomed Tuesday's presidential decree for the registration of voters to begin
leading to elections for a president and the leadership of the country. Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi described
the decree as one of the important landmarks for the Bonn agreement and called for donors' continued support for holding
the general elections. He said the UN would be counting on the donors' continued support to finish the registration
programme and organise the elections.
The UN office in Afghanistan said the voter registration projects for general elections was facing a shortfall in
funding.
Conflict Must End in Africa's Great Lakes for Human Rights to Improve
A UN-sponsored conference on peace, security and stability in Africa's Great Lakes region has been described as an
initiative towards improving human rights observances. But a new report warned that continued clashes are obstacles to
that end. UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burundi, Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum, called on the
international community to support the Great Lakes conference since "its success will undeniably have a positive impact
on the human rights situation in Burundi and Central Africa." She said "a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities must be
quickly established since the complete implementation of the peace agreements depend on them and the war can no longer
be used to justify gross human rights violations."
Cote d'Ivoire Peace in Serious Difficulty: Annan
The peace process in Cote d'Ivoire has encountered serious difficulties. That's the assessment of Secretary-General Kofi
Annan in a new report to the Security Council in which he warns that without a rapid reunification of the country, it
would be impossible for elections to be held in 2005 as scheduled. He cites the pullout of the rebel New Forces from the
power-sharing agreement because they are not getting key government posts, as a central problem. Mr. Annan says "the
fundamental issues behind the current stalemate must be identified and urgently addressed." The Secretary-General urges
the rebel group to return to the reconciliation government of President Laurent Gbagbo.
He also calls on the Government to immediately restructure the nation's defence and security forces in order to help
convince the New Forces to disarm and yield the territory they control.
UN Humanitarian Official Promises More Humanitarian Aid to DRC
The head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, has arrived in Kinshasa at the start
of a 4-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
UN spokesman Fred Eckhard says that in meetings with senior government officials, Mr. Egeland stressed that the
Government should do more to reduce insecurity since it results in limited access to people in need.
"He also discussed the need to continue to work on protection of civilians, stopping human rights violations and ending
impunity."
Mr. Egeland promised to provide as much humanitarian support to the people of the DRC as possible and pledged to
advocate for support for the consolidated appeal for the country.
UNICEF Urges Liberian Factions to Get Children Out of the Military
The top official of the UN children's agency in Liberia has called on the leaders of warring factions to get child
soldiers out of the military so that they may return to school.
UNICEF's Resident Representative Dr. Cyrille Niameogo said the issue of child soldiers in Liberia is a serious one that
needs to be addressed urgently. He said UNICEF is working with the Liberian Government and non-governmental
organizations to address the plight of child soldiers. Dr. Niameogo said lots of these children need serious
psycho-social programmes, adding that that they are traumatized and need to get out of the military and go to school.
UN Says More Aid Needed for West Sudan
The United Nations has received only a modest response to an appeal for aid for West Sudan where more than half a
million people have been displaced by fighting. A spokesman for the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan said donations
so far amounted to around 10 percent of the more than $22 million requested in September to help those caught up in the
fighting that erupted earlier this year.
The spokesman said UN agencies, such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF, had delivered some emergency aid to the
west, but more was needed to provide food, medicine, shelter and clean water supplies.
Governments Urged to Protect the Right to Food
A United Nations official has called on governments to fulfil their legal obligation in protecting the right to food.
Special Rapporteur on the right to food Jean Ziegler said the right to food was a human right protected by international
law.