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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
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BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
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FRIDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2011
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SECRETARY-GENERAL, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE MARK DAY FOR ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN
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- The
Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict,
Margot Wallström, is in West Africa, where she visited Guinea, Sierra
Leone and Côte d’Ivoire.
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- Today,
on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,
she called on people to stand in solidarity with the survivors of sexual
violence in conflict throughout the world. She said these survivors,
mainly women and girls, have lived through unspeakable horrors at the
hands of armed groups who deliberately and systematically use rape as a
tactic of terror.
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- Ms.
Wallström added that women can only reach their full potential when they
feel safe. Underlying attitudes about the rights of women will only change
when people everywhere work together to change them.
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- The
Secretary-General marked the International Day for the Elimination of
Violence against Women with a on
Wednesday, and he issued a today,
in which he says that the right of women and girls to live free of
violence is inalienable and fundamental.Ìý
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SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ARAB LEAGUE EFFORTS TO END BLOODSHED IN SYRIA
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- Asked
about the Secretary-General’s views on the situation in Syria, the Spokesperson that the
Secretary-General remains extremely concerned at the escalating crisis and
mounting death toll in Syria.
He welcomes the efforts of the League of Arab States to end the bloodshed
and promote a political solution.
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- These
efforts need to be encouraged and supported.
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- The
Secretary-General, he said, welcomes in particular the Arab League's
proposal to send an observer mission to protect civilians in Syria, and
strongly urges the Syrian authorities to give their consent and full
cooperation, as demanded by the League.
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- As
invited by the Arab League and the General Assembly's Third Committee, the
Secretary-General is ready to provide the support needed in accordance
with his functions and within the framework of the UN's cooperation with
the League of Arab States.Ìý The is in contact with the Secretariat of
the League of Arab States in this regard.
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- In
response to questions, Nesirky noted that cooperation with regional
organizations is enshrined in Chapter 8 of the , and there
is a General Assembly resolution which deals specifically with cooperation
with the League of Arab States.
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- Asked
about a French proposal for a humanitarian corridor, the Spokesperson said
that the United Nations was aware of it.
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SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON BAHRAIN GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE IMPLEMENTION OF
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY REPORT
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- The
Spokesperson issued a on
Wednesday afternoon about the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission
of Inquiry, a copy of which was given to the Secretary-General on
Wednesday by the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations.
The Secretary-General and his senior aides will closely study that report
and its follow-through.
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- The
Secretary-General calls on the Government to ensure the implementation of
its recommendations as a meaningful step in addressing serious allegations
of human rights violations. He hopes the report's issuance and
implementation would help to create the conditions in Bahrain
for all-inclusive dialogue, reconciliation and reforms that will meet the
legitimate aspirations of the Bahraini people.
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U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS SERIES OF ATTACKS IN BASRA, IRAQ
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- Martin
Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for , strongly condemned the series of
attacks that took place on Thursday in Basra, which have claimed the lives
of dozens of victims and wounded many more.
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- He
extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the people
and the authorities of Basra,
as well as the Government of Iraq. He wishes a speedy recovery to those
who were wounded.
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DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS LEBANON, MARKS PARTNERSHIP WITH U.N.
PEACEKEEPERS
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- The
Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, was in Tyre
Thursday to visit UN peacekeepers and to commemorate Lebanon's Independence Day, and she
delivered
celebrating the United Nations’ partnership with Lebanon.
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- She
said that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon () has
been helping to create a window of opportunity for establishing a
permanent ceasefire and finding a long-term solution to the conflict. And
she said that the United Nations is here for the people of Lebanon
and will never leave them to the mercy of brutal forces seeking to
undermine peace.
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REFUGEE AGENCY SAYS 75,000 PEOPLE HAVE FLED SUDAN
INTO SOUTH SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA
SINCE AUGUST
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- The
UN Refugee Agency ()
reports population movements of more than 75,000 people from Sudan into neighbouring South Sudan and Ethiopia
since August.
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- The
Refugee Agency is concerned that many of those who have moved due to
fighting in Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states are now located in
extremely remote locations in South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Unity states,
where humanitarian assistance can only be provided by helicopter.
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- Meanwhile,
efforts continue to encourage people to relocate from the Yida refugee
site in Unity State to safer sites further south away from the border
area, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA).
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- In
western Ethiopia,
the majority of the 36,000 refugees who arrived since August remain close
to the border and approximately half of them have been transferred to
camps.
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- UNHCR
believes that the number of persons moving from Sudan to the two countries
could reach 100,000 in the coming weeks if the trend continues.Ìý
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MILLIONS OF WOMEN, CHILDREN NEED ASSISTANCE FOLLOWING FLOODS IN PAKISTAN
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- The
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that a quarter of the
more than 5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance following
floods in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces are women, and half
are children, according to a recently completed joint UN-Government Needs
Assessment.
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- Around
660,000 people in Sindh and more than 83,800 in Balochistan remain
displaced.Ìý
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- With
797,000 homes either destroyed or damaged, many of the estimated 1.2
million returnees had gone back to homes that either needed to be repaired
or entirely rebuilt.Ìý
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- OCHA
continues to call for full funding of its humanitarian appeal as soon as
possible.Ìý To date, only $129
million of the $357 million requested, or 36 percent, has been received.
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HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER COMPLETES VISIT TO MALDIVES
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- Navi
Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, concluded her first visit
to the Maldives
yesterday, and
the country’s progress in human rights reforms and its recent
ratifications of key treaties. At the same time, she pointed to the need
for more progress on women’s rights and the rights of migrant workers.
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- She
said that the fact that people, especially women, are still flogged in the
Maldives
is a serious blot on the country’s otherwise increasingly positive and
progressive image overseas. There should be no place for flogging anywhere
in the 21st century, Ms. Pillay said, calling at the very least for a
practical moratorium on flogging.
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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
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SECRETARY-GENERAL
SPOKE BY PHONE WITH PRESIDENT OF YEMEN:
Asked whether Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh would travel to New York, the
Spokesperson noted that the President had the
Secretary-General that during a phone call they had on Tuesday. He noted that
the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Jamal Benomar, will report to the
Security Council on Monday about the agreement reached on Yemen.
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SECRETARY-GENERAL
WANTS TO SEE PROGRESS AT DURBAN TALKS: Asked
about the forthcoming climate change talks at Durban, the Spokesperson said that the
Secretary-General has spoken out on issues such as technology transfer and the
future of the Kyoto Protocol and wants to see progress on them during the
talks.
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THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
26 NOVEMBER-2 DECEMBER 2011
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(This document is for planning
purposes and is subject to change.)
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Saturday, 26 November
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There are no major events scheduled for today.
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Sunday, 27 November
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There are no major events scheduled for today.
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Monday, 28 November
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This morning, the Security Council will hold consultations
on Yemen.
In the afternoon, the Security Council will receive a briefing and hold
consultations on Libya.
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The guest at the Noon Briefing will be Radhika Coomaraswamy,
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict, who will brief on her recent mission to the Central African Republic and Somalia.
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Tuesday, 29 November
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Today and tomorrow, the Secretary-General will be in Busan, republic of Korea, to attend the 4th High Level
Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4).
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This morning, the Security Council will hold a debate on the
UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). It is also expected to
adopt a resolution on DRC sanctions and to hold consultations on Lebanon.
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The guest at the Noon briefing will be Nigel Fisher, Deputy
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti.
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Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the
Palestinian People. At 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 2 (NLB), the Committee on
the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will hold a
Special Meeting in observance of the Day. The Special Meeting will be followed
by a film screening on the history of Palestine
at 1 p.m. in Conference Room 2 (NLB). At 3 p.m., the General Assembly will
discuss Agenda item "The Question of Palestine," which will be
followed by a reception in the General Assembly visitors' lobby at 6.30 p.m.
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Wednesday, 30
November
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Today, the Security Council will hold an open debate on its
working methods.
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Thursday, 1 December
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Today is World AIDS
Day.
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Today,
the Russian Federation
will assume the rotating presidency of the Security for the month of December.
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At 11 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, the
2012 Report on World Economic Situation and Prospects will be launched by Jomo
Kwame Sundaram, Assistant-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
(DESA), and Rob Vos, Director of DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis.
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At 2 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium,
Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Planning and Policy Coordination,
will brief the press on the COP-17 in Durban,
South Africa.
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Friday, 2 December
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The guest at the Noon briefing will be Catherine Bragg,
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, who will brief on the
humanitarian situation in Yemen.
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Today is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.
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United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
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