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SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS BOKO HARAM ATTACKS IN EASTERN NIGERIA

· The Secretary-General to reports that hundreds of civilians were killed around the town of Baga, Borno state, near Nigeria’s border with Chad in the past week, as well as to a report on Saturday that a 10-year old girl was used to detonate a bomb at a market in Maiduguri, also in Borno state, killing at least 19 people.

· The Secretary-General utterly condemns this depraved act at the hands of Boko Haram terrorists.

· Â鶹´«Ã½ stands ready to assist the Nigerian Government and all affected neighbouring States in bringing an end to the violence and to alleviate the suffering of civilians with all available means and resources.

FRANCE: SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES PARIS MARCH, CALLS FOR HEIGHTENED EFFORTS FOR TOLERANCE

· The Secretary-General the march that took place Sunday in Paris in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the city earlier this week, and in solidarity with victims of terrorism across the world. Staffan de Mistura represented the United Nations at the march and joined in expressing the Organization’s revulsion for terrorism.

· The Secretary-General is strongly committed to the essential work of countering extremism, fighting anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, and upholding the rights to freedom of speech and expression.

· The Secretary-General calls for heightened efforts to promote tolerance and understanding. In the past week alone, the world has seen horrific bombings and brutality, often with a sectarian dimension. The world must address this violence and division in ways that do not exacerbate the problems and that ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law.

· In the aftermath of this week’s events in Paris, he warns that in particular against targeting Muslims for reprisals. Such unwarranted bias would only play into the hands of terrorists and contribute to the spiral of violence.

ON FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI, SECRETARY-GENERAL PAYS TRIBUTE TO VICTIMS

· Today marks the fifth of the earthquake in Haiti. In a statement, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the more than 200,000 victims, including 102 United Nations personnel, who perished in this tragic event.

· The Secretary-General said that Haiti’s recovery has not been easy. There have been -- and continue to be -- setbacks along the way, and there is much work still to be done to ensure political and institutional stability, democratic governance and sustainable development.

· However, let today be a day of remembrance and one of hope for a stable and prosperous Haiti. Together, let us strive towards a bright future for Haiti.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONGRATULATES NEW PRESIDENT OF SRI LANKA

· The Secretary-General spoke on the phone with H.E. Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka. The Secretary-General congratulated President Sirisena’s election and the successful conclusion of the presidential election.

· The Secretary-General and President Sirisena discussed the President’s 100-day plan and Sri Lanka’s post-war agenda. The Secretary-General affirmed continuous support by the UN to Sri Lanka.

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES INDIA’S ROLE FOR PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND CLEAN DEVELOPMENT

· The Secretary-General spoke today at the Indian Council for World Affairs, where he a keynote address in which he discussed India’s role as a driver for peace in the region and the world, as a champion of human rights, and as a leader on clean sustainable development.

· He told his audience that South Asia faces the grave danger of nuclear weapons. Each addition to the arsenals raises the risks of a nuclear nightmare. He called on India to renew its leadership on nuclear disarmament.

· Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General met with Sushma Swaraj, the Foreign Minister of India. They had a broad discussion on climate change, peacekeeping, Security Council reform and gender issues.

· The Secretary-General also met with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, and they discussed the importance of ending child slavery worldwide.

· And the Secretary-General and Kailash Satyarthi launched UN70, along with other Goodwill Ambassadors – we are just putting out the remarks of that event. Among other things, in those remarks, the Secretary-General that he is proud to stand for the quality of all people, including those who are lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender.

· Over the weekend, the Secretary-General was in Ahmedabad, where he at the Vibrant Gujarat conference and met a number of leaders on the margins of that event.

· He with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanked India for its significant contribution to United Nations peacekeeping operations, as well as to United Nations conflict prevention and humanitarian efforts. They also discussed the need for action on climate change, the post-2015 development agenda, and regional issues. Noting concerns regarding sexual violence and discrimination, the Secretary-General invited the Prime Minister to join UN Women9;s "HeforShe" campaign.

· The Secretary-General held a bilateral with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also attending the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. They discussed international peace and security issues, including UN efforts to address the crisis in Libya, the urgency of returning to negotiations to achieve a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the need for progress on nuclear disarmament of the Korean Peninsula.

EBOLA: WORLD BANK WARNS OF FAR-REACHING AND PERSISTENT IMPACT OF OUTBREAK IN LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE

· On , two new Group reports issued today show that the socio-economic impacts of the outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone are far-reaching and persistent.

· In Liberia, the economy continues to shed jobs faster than they are replaced, with nearly half of Liberian household heads remaining out of work. Women are particularly vulnerable as the labor market stagnates and there are new concerns about the farmers’ ability to organize work teams given Ebola fears.

· In Sierra Leone, the World Bank Group report found that wage and non-farm self-employed workers saw the largest declines in employment in urban areas. An estimated 9,000 wage workers and 170,000 self-employed workers outside of agriculture are no longer working since July/August 2014. Food insecurity is also high and there is some evidence of a decrease in utilization of health services for non-Ebola conditions in Freetown.

· The reports are based on the data collected throughout continuous mobile-phone surveys.

· Meanwhile, the World Food Programme () warned today that the total number of people facing food insecurity due to Ebola could top 1 million by March 2015 unless access to food is drastically improved.

· In December 2014 by itself, WFP distributed food to more than 720,000 people across the three main Ebola-affected countries.

U.N. MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN WELCOMES NEW MINISTERS’ NOMINATION

· From Afghanistan, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan () today’s nomination of Ministers and senior officials as an important milestone in implementing the agreement for a National Unity Government.

· The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nicholas Haysom, reiterated that the UN remains a committed and reliable partner of Afghanistan, and looks forward to working with all new Ministers and officials in support of the Government’s work.

· The Constitution requires that the nominations be put to the Wolesi Jirga, the National Assembly’s Lower House.

LEBANON: U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH FOREIGN MINISTER AFTER TERRORIST ATTACK

· Derek Plumbly, the outgoing Special Coordinator in , met with the Lebanese Foreign Minister today and conveyed his condolences and those of the Secretary-General for the loss of life in the terrorist attack in the Jabal Mohsen area of Tripoli on Saturday.

· The Security Council condemned the attack yesterday in the strongest possible terms.

· Mr. Plumbly said that he was deeply impressed by the way that the leaders and citizens of Tripoli have come together following this vicious attack in sympathy with the victims and support for the security authorities.

MORE WOMEN MANAGERS BUT STILL UNDER REPRESENTED IN TOP MANAGEMENT: I.L.O

· A new study by the International Labour Organization () that while women are still under-represented in top management, the number of women in senior and middle management positions has increased over the last 20 years.

· According to the report entitled , in 80 of the 108 countries for which ILO data is available, the proportion of women managers has increased during the reporting period.

· Despite that progress, only 5 per cent or less of the CEOs of the world’s largest corporations are women.

· ILO says that the larger the company, the less likely the head will be a woman.