UN Daily News. Ban urges world to recall terrorism s victims in wake of Osama bin Laden s death. In the headlines:

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1 For updates and alerts, visit UN NEWS CENTRE at UN Daily News Issue DH/5891 Monday, In the headlines: Ban urges world to recall terrorism s victims in wake of Osama bin Laden s death Annual UN meeting seeks to promote more sustainable use of Earth s resources Libya: UN looking to return to Tripoli after unrest forces temporary relocation Southern Kordofan polls should lead to inclusive government, says UN s Sudan envoy New UN-African Union project aims to boost humanitarian access in Darfur Uganda: UN rights chief deplores 'excessive' use of force by authorities Palestinian unity process needs to promote peace, security and non-violence Ban UN experts meet to discuss standardizing place names worldwide Secretary-General to make official visit to Bulgaria, Turkey and Switzerland Ban urges world to recall terrorism s victims in wake of Osama bin Laden s death 2 May - The death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind some of the world s most notorious terrorist attacks, represents a watershed moment in the fight against the scourge of terrorism, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the press on the death of Osama bin Laden United States President Barack Obama announced last night that Mr. bin Laden the founder and head of Al-Qaida was killed by US forces at a compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, which is located close to the capital, Islamabad. Speaking to reporters at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said it was a day to remember the victims and families of victims, here in the United States and everywhere in the world. Mr. bin Laden claimed responsibility for the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. He is also believed to be responsible for organizing or funding many other attacks, including the 1998 bombing of two US embassies in East Africa, the 1995 bombing of a Saudi security training centre in Riyadh and numerous attacks inside Afghanistan. Mr. Ban described Mr. bin Laden s death as a watershed moment in our common global fight against terrorism. The crimes of Al-Qaida touched most continents, bringing tragedy and loss of life to thousands of men, women and children. In a statement he voiced relief at the news and commended the work and the determined and principled commitment of many people in the world who have been struggling to eradicate international terrorism. For information media - not an official record

2 UN Daily News The Secretary-General stressed that the UN would continue to lead the global campaign against terrorism, drawing from the counter-terrorism strategy adopted by the General Assembly. His remarks were echoed by General Assembly President Joseph Deiss, who said that the UN s fight against terrorism is undertaken in the name of all victims. Terrorists must know that there will be no impunity for their barbaric and cowardly deeds. Mr. Deiss stressed that terrorism remains unacceptable, regardless of what form or purpose it takes. Ambassador Gérard Araud of France, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency this month, read out a presidential statement in which the 15-member panel welcomed the news that Mr. bin Laden will never again be able to perpetrate such acts of terrorism. The statement urged all countries to remain vigilant and intensify their efforts to defeat terrorism, including by working together to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of terrorist attacks. The Security Council stresses that terrorism will not be defeated by military force, law enforcement measures and intelligence operations alone, and can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensive approach involving the active participation and collaboration of all States, and relevant international and regional organizations and civil society to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and to impede, impair, isolate and incapacitate the terrorist threat. Yury Fedotov, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), noted that the huge number of lives lost around the world as a result of the activities of Al-Qaida. Welcoming last night s news, he stressed that nevertheless there remains significant work in addressing terrorism, including tackling conditions that lead to or facilitate terrorism and building the legal basis needed to work against this threat to human security in a humane and effective manner. Annual UN meeting seeks to promote more sustainable use of Earth s resources 2 May - Warning of the consequences of unsustainable consumption and production on the world s ecosystems, a senior United Nations official today urged Member States to agree on a plan to promote a more efficient and safer use of the Earth s resources. We need to change our consumption and production patterns so that our economies proceed on sustainable paths, and so that we are able to address key global challenges like climate change, water and other resource scarcities, and environmental degradation, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said at the opening of the 19th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs At its annual session at UN Headquarters in New York, the Commission will consider policies to promote sustainable consumption and production, improve the safety of chemical usage, and enhance waste management, transport and mining practices. Globally, unsustainable consumption and production threatens to exceed the carrying capacity of life support systems, Mr. Sha told the 53-member body. This imbalance is obvious whether measured by greenhouse gas concentrations, by the number of endangered species, by rates of deforestation, or by decreases in fish stocks. All eyes are on the Commission to launch an ambitious framework this year to support countries and other actors move towards sustainable consumption and production, Mr. Sha said, adding that such an initiative would send the right message

3 UN Daily News and generate positive momentum towards a successful outcome at next year s UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Br azil. He noted that a 10-year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP) would promote development that is within the carrying capacity of ecosystems and contribute to progress on the three pillars of sustainable development social, economic and environmental. We must respond to calls for an ambitious, feasible and actionable 10YFP on SCP, he stated. The 10-year framework must support countries and all stakeholders in scaling up successful initiatives, addressing new and emerging challenges, sharing knowledge widely, accessing technical expertise, forging partnerships and mobilizing financial resources. He added that sustainable consumption and production need to be mainstreamed into the thinking of all stakeholders and into the decision-making of governments and other organizations, including the UN system. Much more can and must be done across the globe to pursue inclusive and environmentally sound economic growth. We must accelerate our efforts to advance sustainable development and to meet our commitments to future generations, said Mr. Sha, who also serves as the Secretary-General of the conference set to take place in Rio de Janeiro next June. He also noted that it is important that the Commission s session deliver concrete, actionable decisions to ensure access to affordable transport, especially for the rural poor; sound management of chemicals and waste; and an enabling environment for sustainable mining. Close to 1,000 representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other parts of civil society are attending the Commission s two-week meeting, which will be the last session before Rio+20. The conference will mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Agenda 21, the blueprint for sustainable development that was agreed to at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. Libya: UN looking to return to Tripoli after unrest forces temporary relocation Displaced children from Ajdabiya play in the grounds of a converted construction camp in Benghazi, Libya conflict between opposition groups and the Qadhafi regime. 2 May - The United Nations is exploring ways to re-enter Tripoli as soon as possible, a spokesperson for the world body said today, following the announcement that 12 international staff left owing to unrest in parts of the Libyan capital. According to media reports, angry mobs attacked a UN office in Tripoli on Sunday after NATO bombed Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi s family compound in an attack that reportedly killed one of the Libyan leader s sons and several grandchildren. NATO forces have been carrying out air strikes in response to a Security Council resolution adopted in March that authorized UN Member States to take all necessary measures to protect civilians in Libya, where initially peaceful protests have transformed into open The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis in the country, while an estimated 665,000 people, including large numbers of third-country nationals, have fled to neighbouring countries. The UN said that humanitarian operations are still being carried out and there are still international staff members in the rebel-held city of Benghazi. It hopes to return to the capital as soon as the situation allows. Humanitarian operations are continuing, with the redeployed staff from Tripoli supporting operations in western Libya from Tunisia, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York.

4 UN Daily News Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, as of yesterday, more than 12,000 people had been evacuated from the besieged city of Misrata. It also remains concerned that deaths and injuries continue to be reported from the fighting there. UN officials have stressed the need for medical supplies and staff, while also warning that stocks of food and water are sufficient for only one to two months in some areas of the country. The protests that began in Libya in February are part of a broader pro-democracy movement across North Africa and the Middle East that has led to the downfall of long-standing regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Southern Kordofan polls should lead to inclusive government, says UN s Sudan envoy 2 May - The top United Nations official in Sudan said that the elections that got under way today for the governorship of the state of Southern Kordofan should lead to an all-inclusive government, and called for the holding of peaceful polls. Haile Menkerios, the Secretary-General s Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), met yesterday in Kadugli with the two candidates for the governor s position Ahmed Harun of the National Congress Party and Abdulaziz al-hilul of the Sudan People s Liberation Movement. It should not be a winner-takes-all election, Mr. Menkerios told the press after meeting with the two men. They have said that they will definitely announce that if they win, either one of them, they will form inclusive governments. UNMIS military unpacking ballot papers in Kadugli on 17 April 2011 for upcoming Southern Kordofan State election In his most recent report on Sudan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that the popular consultations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states are vital for the development of peaceful north-south relations and for the adjustment of the north in the post-comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) period. The interim period of the CPA the historic 2005 accord that ended the decades -long north-south civil war in Sudan is due to end on 9 July, which is when Southern Sudan officially becomes independent after the referendum staged in January. While in Kadugli, Mr. Menkerios also met with the state security committee that is responsible for ensuring security for the election. I told the two candidates and the security committee that there is tension and apprehension in the state and that everything should be done to ensure the security of the election, he said, while noting that the army should play no role whatsoever in securing the elections. The Special Representative reiterated the commitment of UNMIS to provide technical and logistical assistance to the electoral process. The gubernatorial and legislative elections in Southern Kordofan are slated to conclude on Wednesday. They did not take place during the 2010 nationwide elections owing to disputes over the census figures. Meanwhile, an UNMIS patrol sent to verify reports of a clash yesterday between unidentified armed men and the police in the vicinity of Todach in Abyei, which remains disputed by the north and south, found 14 dead bodies. The mission has dispatched a joint military team for further investigation into the incident. The inhabitants of Abyei were due to hold a separate referendum simultaneously with the rest of Southern Sudan in January, but attempts to create a referendum commission remain deadlocked, amid feuds between communities in the area over the right to vote.

5 UN Daily News New UN-African Union project aims to boost humanitarian access in Darfur UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari (right) meets with local leaders in En Siro, North Darfur 2 May - The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur has announced a new initiative to help aid agencies access hard-to-reach communities in parts of the strife-torn Sudanese region. The three-week project is dubbed Operation Spring Basket and will involve visits to several villages which have been inaccessible to humanitarian workers for some time, according to a news release issued yesterday by the mission (UNAMID), which organized the initiative along with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). I can assure you that this will be an ongoing process. The humanitarian community will follow up in order to deliver humanitarian relief to those in need, said Ibrahim Gambari, the head of UNAMID. The mission has been working for months with the Sudanese Government and non-signatory movements to open access to areas in the Jebel Marra region and other parts of North and West Darfur, which UN agencies believe may be in dire need of humanitarian assistance. One of the foremost priorities for UNAMID is facilitating safe and free access for humanitarian agencies and NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] into areas that are suffering from conflict and difficult to reach because of it, Mr. Gambari told reporters in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after returning from a visit to several villages in the area. We have undertaken intense negotiations and outreach to secure access to these areas, which are controlled by various parties. We will provide security and logistical support to the humanitarian community intending to bring assistance to the region, regardless of who controls the territory, he added. According to UNAMID, humanitarian agencies working in Darfur continue to face challenges in accessing populations affected by conflict owing to the vastness of the territory, poor road conditions, erratic security and blockages posed by the parties. Despite the challenges, UNAMID is working to assist the population of the region, where it has been working since 2008 to quell the fighting and ease the humanitarian suffering. We are fully committed to ensuring the protection of civilians where we can implement UNAMID s core mandate of protecting civilians and facilitating humanitarian delivery, Mr. Gambari reaffirmed. Uganda: UN rights chief deplores 'excessive' use of force by authorities 1 May - The United Nations human rights chief today urged Ugandan authorities to immediate halt the use of excessive force against opposition politicians and protesters, saying it was only fuelling the crisis in the African nation, where at least eight people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in recent weeks. High Commissioner Navi Pillay UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay issued a statement in which she described the use of force as disproportionate and said they were impinging on the key freedoms of ordinary Ugandans. Ms. Pillay drew attention to the case of Kizza Besigye, the opposition leader who has been arrested four times in the past three weeks, shot in the hand on one occasion and reportedly not fully recovered his sight after being hit by pepper spray at

6 UN Daily News point-blank range on Thursday in Kampala, the capital. The manner of Dr. Besigye's arrest on Thursday was shocking, she said. The excessive use of force by security officers was plain to see in the television footage of the event. While I do not condone the violent rioting that followed, the Ugandan authorities must realize that their own actions have been the major factor in turning what were originally peaceful protests about escalating food and fuel prices into a national crisis. Uganda's polic e force and the People's Defence Force have indiscriminately used live bullets, rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray against demonstrators since the so-called 'Walk to Work' protests began on 11 April, and even sometimes against individuals not involved in the protests, according to information compiled by Ms. Pillay's office. Tear gas has also been fired into schools, health-care centres and homes, the Uganda Human Rights Commission reported. Many of these actions clearly constitute disproportionate and excessive use of force. Eight people have now lost their lives, including a two-year-old girl allegedly shot by a member of the security forces. More than 250 others, including many children and pregnant women, have been hospitalized because of tear gas inhalation or injuries caused by live ammunition, rubber bullets or severe beatings. Another 580 have been arrested across the country. The intervention of the security forces has resulted in infringements of the rights to life, liberty and security of the person, as well as of the freedoms of association, assembly and expression, Ms. Pillay noted. In addition, the manner and motivation of the arrests and criminal charges against Dr. Besigye and other opposition leaders raise particular concerns. The High Commissioner welcomed the stated intention of the Ugandan Government to begin dialogue with opposition leaders and said it should address the legitimate concerns and demands of the population about rising costs of living and broadening the political space. The Government has offered compensation to some of the victims or their relatives and Ms. Pillay stressed that the compensation must be proportionate to the damage suffered. Further protests are planned to take place on Monday, and Ms. Pillay urged authorities to refrain from any further disproportionate use of force and to ensure respect for the people's rights to freedom of assembly and expression in accordance with Uganda's 1995 Constitution and its international obligations. She also called on the Government to conduct thorough, prompt and impartial investigations into the human rights violations carried out by the country's security forces. Palestinian unity process needs to promote peace, security and non-violence Ban Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Jerusalem on 21 March May - Intra-Palestinian reconciliation should take place in a way that promotes peace, security and non-violence, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed, just days after Hamas and Fatah announced they had reached an agreement to form a national unity government and hold elections within a year. Speaking yesterday by telephone with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, Mr. Ban discussed the recent unity deal between the two Palestinian factions struck under the auspices of Egypt and the Middle East peace process. Mr. Ban said the United Nations would study the agreement carefully and took note of Israeli concerns about the implications of the reconciliation understanding, according to information released by his spokesperson.

7 UN Daily News The Secretary-General underscored the need for progress towards Palestinian unity within the framework of the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas and the commitments of the Palestine Liberation Organization. He welcomed efforts to that end, including the contribution of Egypt. The Secretary-General said he hoped that reconciliation would now take place in a manner that promoted the cause of peace, security and non-violence, the spokesperson noted. UN officials, including Mr. Ban, had been urging Palestinian factions for some time to put their differences behind them, put national interests first and find a way forward so they can tackle the many challenges that Palestinians face. Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after outside the Fatah party that controls part of the West Bank. Discussing the overall Middle East peace process with Mr. Barak, Mr. Ban voiced his concern at the current impasse in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and stressed that continued drift was not desirable for either side. He told Mr. Barak that the diplomatic Quartet comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States continued to discuss balanced and effective ways to help both parties break the deadlock and move towards resolving all final status issues. UN experts meet to discuss standardizing place names worldwide 2 May - Experts from around the world gathered in Vienna today for the start of a five-day United Nations conference aimed at standardizing the use of place names so that governments, organizations and the public can benefit. The UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN), which was created in 1960, is holding its latest session at a time when digital technology has made it easier to disseminate and obtain detailed geographic information. Global expectations are for correct and authoritative information to be available virtually on demand, said UNGEGN Chairperson Helen Kerfoot, adding that the challenges we face today remain as thoughtprovoking as in the past. UNGEGN was established to try to promote the use and availability of accurate, clear and unambiguous geographic names given their importance to national and international communication. Place names are fundamental to many aspects of society, including the coordination of emergency services, tourism, communications systems, economic development and the setting up of planning databases. International standards and the challenges of making standardized names available for disaster responses are among the subjects to be discussed at this week s session in Vienna. UNGEGN is one of seven standing expert bodies of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

8 UN Daily News Secretary-General to make official visit to Bulgaria, Turkey and Switzerland 2 May - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Bulgaria on Wednesday for the first leg of a three-country visit that will also take the United Nations chief to Istanbul, Turkey, and Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Ban will meet with Bulgaria s President Georgi Parvanov, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov as well as the country s Speaker of Parliament and other legislators, according to information released by his spokesperson today. While in the Bulgarian capital Mr. Ban will address the Sofia Platform, a conference bringing together politicians, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), journalists and experts to discuss the experiences of Central and Eastern Europe since 1989 and this year s developments in North Africa and the Middle East. He is also scheduled to address students and NGO representatives at the University of Sofia. The Secretary-General then travels to Turkey to open the fourth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), a five-day event starting on 9 May in Istanbul in which the world s most economically vulnerable countries will discuss how to strengthen their economies and reduce poverty. The conference is being attended by several other top UN officials as well as many heads of State and government. Mr. Ban s final stop of the trip will be in Geneva, where he will open the third session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and the second International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development. The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)