HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON
FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, May 21, 2009
BAN KI-MOON TRAVELS TO WASHINGTON D.C.
BEFORE HEADING TO SRI LANKA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travelled today to
Washington, D.C., where he met with the Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and some key members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee.
Topics discussed included climate change, peace and security issues and
development.
The Secretary-General thanked the U.S. Congress for its
support and said he looked forward to working with the United States.
Later this afternoon, the Secretary-General is
scheduled to deliver the Commencement Address at the School of Advanced
International Studies in Washington DC under the theme: “Global Leadership
in a Time of Crisis”.
He is expected to call for a special brand of global
leadership and a new multilateralism to deal with the new and complex
challenges facing the world today.
The Secretary-General will highlight the fact that just
as the world’s people have become more interdependent, so too have the
issues, adding that no nation can deal with them alone.
He will call for bold action and powerful partnerships
for enduring peace and prosperity. He will add that the new multilateralism
should focus on delivering global goods: freedom from hunger, health and
education and security from terror or the threat of Armageddon.
The Secretary-General is expected to urge the students
who are graduating from School of Advanced International Studies to consider
careers in public service, saying that there is no more noble calling and no
greater good than a life of public service.
The Secretary-General leaves Washington, D.C. later
today for Sri Lanka.
SRI LANKA: BAN
KI-MOON'S CHIEF OF STAFF ADDRESSES SITUATION OF WAR-AFFECTED TAMIL CIVILIANS
The Secretary-General’s Chief of Staff, Vijay Nambiar,
traveled to the camps housing the internally displaced (IDPs) in Vavuniya
and the flew over what was formerly known as the conflict zone today, a day
after his helicopter had to turn back midway due to bad weather.
Mr. Nambiar met with the President of Tamil United
Liberation Front, a Tamil political party. They discussed the situation with
the IDPs who remained in the conflict zone. They also discussed civilian
casualties and those who were injured and missing, the continuous shelling
which resulted in abandoned hospitals, and the allocation of more land to
address overcrowding and suitable provisions, especially for children.
Mr. Nambiar also met with a group of Members of
Parliament of the Tamil National Alliance.
He is also scheduled to hold a press conference in
Colombo at 10 a.m. local time tomorrow.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
reports today that according to the Government, all IDPs are out of both the
conflict zone and through all transit points.
Access into Menik Farm camps remains restricted for aid
vehicles, OCHA reports.
We are still extremely concerned about overcrowding in
Menik Farm camps.
Freedom of movement is needed for people in the camps
to allow those who have been identified as non-combatants to voluntarily
relocate to stay with host families if they have that option.
Asked if the Sri Lankan Government was preventing Mr.
Nambiar from traveling to camps housing the internally displaced in Vavuniya
and the conflict zone, the Deputy Spokesperson reiterated that bad weather
had been the cause of his inability to travel earlier. Okabe noted that the
rainy season is underway right now and that, since Mr. Nambiar has been in
Sri Lanka, he has had to cancel several planned flights because of inclement
weather.
U.N. ENVOY IN
IRAQ STRONGLY CONDEMNS LATEST BOMBINGS
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
has strongly condemned bombings in Kirkuk and Baghdad yesterday and
today. The attacks killed dozens of Iraqi civilians and left many others
injured.
De Mistura described these latest bombings as
“reprehensible crimes that have indiscriminately targeted ordinary Iraqis”.
He has extended the sincere condolences of the United
Nations to the bereaved families.He also wishes the wounded victims a full
and speedy recovery.
SECRETARY-GENERAL LAMENTS SLOW PACE OF
PROGRESS IN CYPRUS
The Secretary-General’s latest
on Cyprus is now available. In it, he says that, while the
parties have made steady progress, an increase in the pace of the talks
between the leaders is needed. He adds that it is disappointing that, since
the agreement on nearly two dozen confidence-building measures during the
preparatory phase of the talks, the parties have made little progress in
implementing them.
The Secretary-General says that, in the absence of a
comprehensive settlement, the UN AVkeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
continues to play a vital and unique role on the island, including as a
stabilizing factor on the ground. In that regard, he recommends that the
Security Council extend the Mission’s mandate for a further six months,
until 15 December 2009.
Meanwhile, the two Cyprus leaders met today under UN
auspices in Nicosia. The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus,
Alexander Downer, was present.
UN CHILDREN’S AGENCY STRONGLY CONDEMNS
LOOTING AID SUPPLIES IN SOMALIA
UNICEF has strongly
the looting and destruction of humanitarian supplies and its
facilities in the town of Jowhar by militiamen.
According to the agency, thousands of doses of vaccines
have been destroyed, and food to prevent child malnutrition was stolen.
UNICEF adds that the loss and damage of crucial
supplies for children and women and the break in the supply chain will have
an enormous impact on UNICEF’s overall programmes, since Jowhar is the main
hub for the provision of services and supplies to all of central and
southern Somalia.
UN MISSION IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE URGES PROMPT
RESTART OF VOTER REGISTRATION EXERCISE
The United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire ()
is calling for a prompt resumption of voter registration activities in the
country.
It encourages the Independent Electoral Commission, the
Government and all Ivorian parties, to respect the date that was announced
for the holding of presidential elections in the country—29 November.
In this regard, the Mission stresses the importance of
a string commitment to expedite the remaining tasks for organizing free,
fair and transparent elections in the country-- as defined in the agreed
upon timeline.
NEW REPORT ON
DR CONGO FOCUSES ON NORTH KIVU
The interim
of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo
is out as a document.
The report focuses on the security situation in North
Kivu province, where the most serious fighting took place in late 2008, and
particularly on the accelerated military integration of non-state armed
groups into the national army, the FARDC, in early 2009.
The Group of Experts highlights a number of concerns on
the issue of military integration, notably the maintenance of parallel
command structures operated by former senior officers of CNDP (Congrès
national pour la défense du peuple) rebel movement who have been integrated
into the FARDC. The interim report also underlines the need for a vetting
mechanism to screen the human rights records of officers in the FARDC.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPORTS DROP IN
INFANT DEATHS
Deaths of children under the age of five have
globally by nearly 30% since 1990, according to the
But the agency’s first progress report on the
health-related Millennium Development Goals doesn’t contain only good news.
For example, progress in reducing child mortality has not been sufficient in
many African countries and low-income countries in general.
Also on the health front, UNAIDS Executive Director
Michel Sidibé has been using World Health Assembly week in Geneva to
with more than 80 health ministers. Among his messages has been a
call to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015.
UNESCO CALLS FOR PROMOTION AND
PROTECTION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Today is
for Dialogue and Development. The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
marked the occasion by calling on countries around the world to commit to
promoting and protecting the world’s cultural diversity.
UNESCO has organized a nine-day international festival
that will culminate tomorrow at its Paris headquarters.
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO DENMARK
On Sunday, May 24, the Secretary-General will be in
Copenhagen, Denmark, where he will open the World Business
on Climate Change.
Jointly organized by the
, this three-day summit is expected to send a strong
message from the global business community to governments to seal the deal
on an ambitious new climate agreement in Copenhagen, in December.
According to the Global Compact office, the event will
gather more than 650 business leaders, government representatives,
scientists and civil society leaders from around the world. They will
demonstrate how innovative business models, partnerships and the development
and deployment of low-carbon technologies can help solve the climate crisis
and contribute to long-term global economic recovery.
*** The guests today were Under-Secretary-General
for Management Angela Kane, and Controller Jun Yamazaki, who briefed on the
financial situation of the United Nations.
Office of the
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
