Noon briefing of 19 September 2011
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING
BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
MONDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2011
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY LEADER INFORMS SECRETARY-GENERAL OF INTENTION TO APPLY FOR U.N. MEMBERSHIP
- The Secretary-General and
President Mahmoud Abbas
had a constructive meeting
today.
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<![endif]> - President Abbas
informed the Secretary-General of his intention to submit to the
Secretary-General on Friday an application for membership in the United
Nations. The Secretary-General informed President Abbas
of his intention to perform his duties under the UN Charter.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General
reiterated his support for the two-state solution and stressed his desire
to ensure that the international community and the two parties can find a
way forward for resuming negotiations within a legitimate and balanced
framework, and discussed with President Abbas
the ongoing Quartet efforts in this regard. President Abbas
stressed his commitment to a negotiated solution.
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<![endif]> - Asked
if the Secretary-General had a preference concerning the Palestinian bid
for UN membership, the Spokesperson said this was a matter for Member
States to decide through the established procedures.
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<![endif]> - In response to a question on a meeting of the Quartet envoys, Nesirky said they held regular meetings and had met on Sunday in New York.
YEMEN: BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER ESCALATING VIOLENCE
- The Secretary-General is gravely concerned about
the escalation of violence in Yemen. He calls on all sides to exercise utmost
restraint and desist from provocative actions. He strongly condemns the excessive use
of force by Government security forces against unarmed protestors in the
capital, Sana’a, resulting in scores of people killed and many more
injured.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General calls on the authorities to protect civilians
and uphold their obligations under applicable international law.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General urges all political players to engage closely with UN Special Adviser Jamal Benomar, who is currently in Sana’a to continue his good offices, working closely with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other international partners with a view to facilitating a peaceful solution to the ongoing political impasse.
TOP OFFICIALS FOR NEW U.N. LIBYA MISSION NAMED, CONCLUDES VISIT TO TRIPOLI
- The Secretary-General has
appointed Ian Martin of the United Kingdom as his Special Representative
and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), and
Georg Charpentier of Finland as his Deputy
Special Representative and Resident Coordinator, ad interim.
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<![endif]> - Ian Martin has just concluded
three days of discussions in Tripoli.
He is now on his way to New York to
attend the High-Level Meeting on Libya, which is to be hosted
by the Secretary-General on Tuesday on the sidelines of the General
Assembly session.
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<![endif]> - While in Tripoli, Mr. Martin briefed Libyan
officials on immediate plans to implement Security Council Resolution
2009, on establishing the United Nations Support Mission in Libya
(UNSMIL).
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<![endif]> - The visit included a series of meetings with senior Libyan officials, political actors, members of civil society and the diplomatic community. Mr. Martin’s discussions focused on the role of the United Nations in supporting the transition to democracy in Libya, notably the electoral process; establishing public security and the rule of law; transitional justice; and human rights.
BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK IN BURUNDI
- The
Secretary-General strongly condemns the
armed attack on Sunday in Bujumbura
Rural Province, Burundi,
that killed and injured scores of people. He notes that this senseless
attack comes at a time when Burundi is trying to
consolidate recent gains in peace and stability following decades of civil
war.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General conveys his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. He hopes that the perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice promptly and calls on all parties to exercise restraint.
TERRORISM CANNOT BE COMBATED THROUGH SECURITY-RELATED MEANS ALONE, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL
- In his remarks at the Symposium
on International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, the Secretary-General has stressed that
the UN
Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy recognizes that terrorism cannot be
combated only through security-related or law enforcement means.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General asked
that all Member States chart a course that reflects the determination to
defeat terrorism and build a safer, more just and peaceful world for all.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General also
announced that the United Nations has signed an agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the creation of a
United Nations Centre for Counter-Terrorism. The Secretary-General met with the
Saudi Foreign Minister, as well.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General added at the Symposium that the UN is placing a growing emphasis on supporting regional and sub-regional efforts, and welcomed the forthcoming Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.
BAN KI-MOON SPOTLIGHTS THREAT TO DEVELOPMENT POSED BY NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
- The Secretary-General spoke at the
General Assembly meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable
diseases on Monday morning.
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<![endif]> - He stressed that these diseases
are a threat to development, hitting the poor and vulnerable particularly
hard and driving them deeper into poverty.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General said that
addressing these diseases is not only critical for global public health,
but also good for the economy, environment and for the global public good.
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<![endif]> - If we come together to tackle these diseases, we can do more than heal individuals; we can safeguard our very future, he said.
U.N. CALLS FOR OVER $350 MILLION FOR PAKISTAN FLOOD RELIEF
- 鶹ý is calling for $357 million to
help the Government of Pakistan provide life-saving assistance to more
than five million people left destitute by devastating monsoon rains and
flooding in the south of the country.
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<![endif]> - The ’s
Rapid Response Plan for this year seeks to provide food, water,
sanitation, health and emergency shelter for six months.
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<![endif]> - Some 5.4 million people have
been affected by flooding, and nearly one million homes have been
destroyed, while nearly three-quarters of crops have been lost in the worst-affected
areas.
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<![endif]> - According to the Humanitarian Coordinator, Valerie Amos, the next few days will be crucial, as the UN and partners help the Government to get food, safe water and shelter to the most vulnerable. One year after the largest floods in recent history, the people of Pakistan are in desperate need again and we cannot let them down.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. HIGH-LEVEL GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY PANEL MEETING UNDER WAY: The Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability is holding its fourth meeting in New York. This High-level Panel was established by the Secretary-General in August 2010 to examine how the world can reduce poverty and advance sustainable development while protecting our planet, which is under increasing strain, not least from the effects of climate change. During this fourth meeting, the Panel is discussing a draft of its Report, which will be submitted to the Secretary-General in January 2012 and released publicly at that time.
U.N. AWARE OF REPORTS OF SUDAN VIOLENCE BUT HAS NO MANDATED PRESENCE: In response to a question on violence in the border area of Sudan, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations was aware of these reports, adding that the Organization did not have a mandated presence in the country anymore. He noted that the Secretary-General had repeatedly called for an end to the violence and for solving differences through dialogue.
***The guest at the Noon Briefing today was Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
AND THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’S ACTIVITIES
19 - 25 SEPTEMBER 2011
(This document is for planning purposes and is subject to change.)
Monday, 19 September
At 9:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will open the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases in the General Assembly Hall. The meeting will run through 20 September. At 10:00 a.m., round table discussions will begin in the Economic and Social Council Chamber (ECOSOC) in NLB.
At 10:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will convene and address the opening session of the High-Level Symposium on International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation. The Symposium is organized by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office (CTITF) and will take place in Conference Room 2 (NLB). At 1:15 p.m., in parallel to the Symposium, a CTITF-sponsored media roundtable will be organized in partnership with the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General in Conference Room 7 (NLB). The Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), Assistant-Secretary-General Robert Orr, will make opening remarks.
At 12:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will be the guest at the Noon Briefing.
At 3:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at a meeting of the High-Level Group on “Sustainable Energy for All,” which will take place in Conference Room 5 (NLB). (Closed meeting)
At 3:00 p.m., there will be a High-Level event entitled “Women’s Political Participation- Making Gender Equality in Politics a Reality.” Participants will include Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women. The meeting will take place in Conference Room 3 (NLB).
At 5:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago.
Tuesday, 20 September
At 8:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will attend the Francophonie Meeting chaired by Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of Switzerland and Chair of the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie, in the United Nations Delegates’ Dining Room.
At 9:30 a.m., the Secretary-General will open the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the theme, “Addressing desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.” It will be held in the General Assembly Hall.
At 10:30 a.m., the Secretary-General will participate in the High-Level Meeting on Libya in Conference room 3 (NLB).
At 11:30 a.m., the Secretary-General will speak at the High-Level Event on Food and Nutrition Conference Room 2 (NLB).
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Georg Kell, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Office, on the occasion of the Global Compact Private Sector Forum.
At 12:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will chair the United Nations Private Sector Forum 2011: Sustainable Energy for All, in the General Assembly Lobby.
At 1:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on the United Nations Convention for Desertification.
At 1:45 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada.
At 2:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
From 4:00-6:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will host the High-Level Event entitled “Every woman, every child” in the ECOSOC Chamber (NLB).
Today, this year’s Treaty Event will begin on the 2nd Floor of the General Assembly Building. It will run from today to Thursday, 22 September, and from Monday, 26 September, to Tuesday, 27 September.
Wednesday, 21 September
Today is the International Day of Peace.
At 9:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will speak at the opening of the General Debate of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly in the General Assembly Hall. It will be held from today until Saturday, 24 September, and from Monday, 26 September, to Tuesday, 27 September.
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
At 11:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Evo Morales Ayma, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
At 1:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will host a State Luncheon for the Heads of Delegation to the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly in the Visitors Lobby of the General Assembly building.
At 1:15 p.m., there will be a briefing on “The role of mediation in the settlements of disputes by peaceful means,” co-organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Office of the President of the General Assembly, in Conference Room 6 (NLB).
Thursday, 22 September
At 8:00 a.m. the Secretary-General will convene the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security in the General Assembly Hall. He will speak at the closing session at 12:00 p.m. in Conference Room 2 (NLB), after which he will address the press at the Stakeout location outside Conference Room 1 (NLB).
At 9:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in the General Assembly Hall.
At 9:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Leonel Fernandez Reyna, President of the Dominican Republic.
At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with پá ʾñ, President of the Republic of Chile.
At 12:30 p.m., there will be an interactive luncheon on the theme “Empowering Rural Women for Food and Nutrition Security” at the Sentry Centers on 730 Third Avenue. Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), and Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women.
At 2:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Demetris Christofias, President of Cyprus.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will attend the Security Council’s High-Level Meeting on preventive diplomacy.
At 3:30 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the meeting on Cooperation with Member States on preventing and responding to Sexual Violence in Conflict in Conference Room 4 (NLB).
At 4:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the opening of the Round-table Discussion to commemorate the untimely death of former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.
Friday, 23 September
At 10:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the opening ceremony of the Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 in Conference Room 2 (NLB).
At 11:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will participate in the Conference Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The Secretary-General will speak to reporters afterwards at Stakeout Location outside Conference Room 1 (NLB).
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Nabil El Araby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
At 2:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
At 3:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend a Mini-Summit on Somalia.
At 5:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the High-Level Meeting on the Yasuni-ITT Initiative with Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, in Conference Room 5 (NLB).
Saturday, 24 September
At 10:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the Ministerial Mini-Summit on the Humanitarian Response in the Horn of Africa in Conference Room 4 (NLB).
Sunday, 25 September
Today is World Heart Day (World Health Organization).
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017
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