UN Information Centre DC

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Washington, D.C.

Terrorist Attack in Algiers: UN Offices Among Those Targeted

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has joined world leaders in condemning today's terrorist attacks in Algiers that have reportedly killed dozens of people, including a number of UN staff members.

The two blasts which rocked the Algerian capital destroyed the offices of the UN Development Programme and severely damaged the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"Words cannot express my sense of shock, outrage and anger at the terrorist attack on the United Nations mission in Algiers today," said Mr. Ban today in a statement. "This was an abjectly cowardly strike against civilian officials serving humanity's highest ideals under the UN banner - base, indecent and unjustifiable by even the most barbarous political standard."

One of the offices housed staff from UNDP, the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Department of Safety and Security.

Today's attack comes four years after a truck bomb attack destroyed the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, taking the lives of 22 UN staff and wounding more than 150. Among the victims was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq.

For more information about the UN's work in Algeria, click here.

International community's patience with Myanmar 'running out'

Myanmar UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Myanmar's authorities to step up their efforts towards democratization and the full respect of human rights, warning that the international community's patience with the troubled South-East Asian nation is wearing thin.

Speaking to reporters in Bangkok, Mr. Ban seized the occasion of Human Rights Day to urge Myanmar's authorities once more to fully respect the principles of the UN Charter by engaging with the international community, democratizing and promoting human rights.

"I know that the international community is very impatient, and our patience is running out," he stated, stressing once again that a return to the status quo prior to the government's crackdown on peaceful protesters in August and September is "not acceptable and politically unsustainable."

The people of Myanmar have suffered from isolation for a very long time, the Secretary-General stated, adding that it is high time for them to enjoy genuine democracy and freedom. "This is what the international community expects."

Mr. Ban pledged to continue his good offices role through his Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari, who is scheduled to return to Myanmar at the end of this year or early next year.

For more information about the UN's work in Myanmar, click here.

Negotiators at UN Climate Change Conference press forward on key issues

More than 180 countries represented at the conference

Climate change talks aimed at charting a roadmap for action are moving ahead, with focused negotiations on key elements aimed at guiding the two-year process that will continue after this week's conference in Bali, Indonesia ends.

Delegates, non-governmental organizations and conference officials generally agreed that there were signs of progress in the discussions, although no firm decisions have yet been reached.

UN Climate Change Conference

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, reported that countries had held useful discussions on future action on climate change, particularly on the objectives and principles. He said there was a strong focus on providing incentives for developing countries to limit their growth of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as recognizing the efforts those countries were already making in that area.

Talks also continued on ways to provide developing countries with newer and cleaner technologies and on the issue of deforestation, where delegates have agreed to conduct work on how to assess forest cover and emission reductions.

Trade and fiance ministers from more than 30 countries are also in Bali to discuss climate change issues. It is the first time that these ministerial groups have organized meetings in connection with a climate change conference.

Meet the UN

WFP Executive Director

Josette Sheeran

Executive Director

United Nations World Food Programme

Josette Sheeran became the eleventh Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme in April 2007.

Ms. Sheeran oversees the world's largest humanitarian agency, which each year gives food to an average of 90 million people in more than 80 of the world's poorest countries.

She comes to the post after serving as Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs at the United States Department of State. There she was responsible for economic issues including development, trade, agriculture, finance, energy, telecommunications and transportation, with much of her focus on economic diplomacy to help developing nations advance towards economic self-sufficiency and prosperity.