Annan Pledges UN Help and Support to Iraqi People by Secretary-General Kofi Annan UN News Centre 2:16pm 21st Mar, 2003   20 March – Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the United Nations will do whatever it can to bring assistance and support to the Iraqi people and called on all parties in the conflict to scrupulously observe the requirements of international humanitarian law.    In a videotaped message, the Secretary-General said he regretted that, despite the best efforts of the international community and the UN, war has come to Iraq for the third time in a quarter of a century. He also stressed that the peoples of the world had made clear that they wanted their leaders to solve their problems within the UN framework.    “Perhaps if we had persevered a little longer, Iraq could yet have been disarmed peacefully, or – if not – the world could have taken action to solve this problem by a collective decision, endowing it with greater legitimacy, and therefore commanding wider support, than is the case now,” he said.    “But let us not dwell on the divisions of the past. Let us confront the realities of the present, however harsh, and look for ways to forge stronger unity in the future.”    The Secretary-General said his thoughts today were with the Iraqi people, who face yet another ordeal. “I hope that all parties will scrupulously observe the requirements of international humanitarian law, and will do everything in their power to shield the civilian population from the grim consequences of war. The United Nations, for its part, will do whatever it can to bring them assistance and support,” he said.    “Let us hope the future will be much brighter for the Iraqi people than the recent past, and that they will soon have the chance to rebuild their country in peace and freedom, under the rule of law,” he added.    Looking sombre, Mr. Annan concluded: “Over the past weeks, the peoples of the world have shown what great importance they attach to the legitimacy conveyed by the authority of the United Nations. They have made clear that, in confronting uncertainty and danger, they want to see power harnessed to legitimacy. They want their leaders to come together, in the United Nations, to tackle the problems shared by all humanity.    “I will do my utmost to ensure that the United Nations rises to this challenge.”    Iraq: UN officials urge protection for refugees, children, respect for human rights    20 March – With war looming over Iraq today top United Nations humanitarian officials rallied to appeal for respect for human rights, protection for children – “the most vulnerable population” – and open borders for refugees fleeing the conflict.    “My paramount concerns are for the safety and protection of civilians, the provision of adequate resources to the civilian population, and guaranteed access and security for humanitarian workers,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said in a statement.    “Fundamental human rights norms must be respected at all times,” he added. “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his or her life. No one shall be arbitrarily detained and no one shall be subject to torture. Every person shall be presumed innocent. There must be no attacks on civilians and the sick and wounded must be cared for.”    Warning that Iraqi children are “extremely vulnerable,” with more than one million under the age of five malnourished, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged all parties to abide by their international humanitarian obligations.    “I urge them to do all in their power to protect children’s lives, their health, and their general well-being,” UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said in a statement.    For his part, UN refugee agency chief Ruud Lubbers urged Iraq’s neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to those in need of temporary protection and assistance.    “Despite all of the UN’s efforts to find a peaceful solution, we are now faced with the sad reality of war in Iraq and more suffering for the Iraqi people,” Mr. Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said in a press statement. “We must do everything we can to alleviate that suffering, including keeping borders open so that those fearing for their lives can reach safety in neighbouring states.”    UNHCR has recently intensified its efforts to help Iran and Jordan prepare for a possible refugee influx. According to the agency’s chief of mission in Iran, Philippe Lavanchy, the situation at the Iran-Iraq border crossings was calm on Thursday morning, with no reports of Iraqi refugee movements into Iran following the start of strikes on Iraq.    “Our preparations for a possible influx of refugees has been severely hampered by lack of funding by donors, who had been hoping that war in Iraq could be avoided, but now it is upon us, we have to move very quickly,” Mr. Lavanchy said.    Meanwhile, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, made an appeal on behalf of the most vulnerable people in Iraq – the elderly, women, children, and disabled. She warned that the most basic human rights to clean water or to basic health care could not be met, given the devastation of Iraq’s infrastructure.    “We must do everything we can to mitigate this humanitarian disaster…to protect Iraq’s most vulnerable citizens and respond with generosity and speed,” she said in a speech delivered in Geneva, parts of which were read out during a UN humanitarian briefing in Amman, Jordan.    WHO said most basic needs included providing treatment and supplies for trauma and injury, preventing the outbreak of communicable diseases, providing fresh drinking water and sanitation, and efforts to minimize discontinuation of treatment for chronic illnesses in Iraq where, for example, 600,000 people suffer from diabetes.    The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said the conflict came at a particularly bad time for both the winter crops, which are scheduled to be harvested in April and on which Iraqis depend for cereals, and spring crops, which are being planted right now and which provide essential vegetables. 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