The Secretary-General announced this morning the appointment of Martin Kobler of Germany as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to succeed Bernardino León of Spain. The leadership transition will take place in the coming days.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General, urging the General Assembly to draw larger lessons from the allegations against John Ashe, President of its sixty-eighth session, described a number of specific steps, including an internal audit and establishment of an internal task force, to address, head-on, the important issues being raised.
The Secretary-General supported last Friday’s Syrian peace talks in Vienna while his Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, spent the last two days in Damascus discussing with the Syrian Government the conference’s outcomes and the importance of early confidence-building steps to maintain the spirit of the talks.
The Secretary-General and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees condemned the attack yesterday on Camp Hurriya, near the Baghdad International Airport that had left at least 26 residents dead and many more injured, and called on the Iraqi Government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Today in South Sudan, the 20 United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeepers who, while transporting a barge of refuelling oil, had been detained by 100 armed men affiliated with the SPLA-in Opposition were extracted by helicopter from Kaka to Malakal. However, 12 contractors have not been released.
Accepting a medal of honour at the Carlos III University of Madrid, the Secretary-General told students he looked to them and youth across Spain to help usher in a new future for the country and the world by putting people first. He also urged them to focus on the potential of a green economy.
The major impact of the recent earthquake in Afghanistan was in the provinces of Kunar, Takhar, Badakshan and Nangarkhar, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Authorities reported that 74 people have been killed, more than 250 people have been injured and some 4,000 houses damaged or destroyed.
A powerful earthquake struck Badakshan Province in Afghanistan today, also affecting a large area of Pakistan. Early indications are that the impact of the initial shock may be relatively light, but in Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority says that 148 people were killed and 815 injured.
The Secretary-General briefed King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman on meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in which he appealed to them to put an end to the continuing violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, released a video and radio message ahead of Sunday’s elections. She stressed that there is no room for violence in the electoral process and called on all Haitians to show their engagement for democracy and stability in the country.