The Secretary-General will depart New York on Monday, 17 June, for China, where he is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, 18 June. He will hold meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and State Councillor Yang Jiechi, among other officials, to discuss issues of common interest.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General, concerned at the appalling upsurge of violence in Iraq, today underscored the pressing need for dialogue between political blocs and for all parties to redouble their efforts to ensure that the momentum of national reconciliation is not lost to those groups wishing to reignite sectarian violence.
The UN Support Mission in Libya has expressed its deep concern regarding the violence in Benghazi on Saturday, in which many people died and many others were injured. The Mission calls on all concerned to exercise maximum restraint and reiterates the necessity of resolving disagreements peacefully through dialogue and in a democratic spirit.
In a press statement read this morning, the members of the Security Council strongly condemned intense fighting in the Area of Separation, including the attack yesterday, which led to injuries suffered by two peacekeepers. They also expressed grave concern about the humanitarian impact of the recent heavy fighting in Al-Qusayr, Syria.
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea on their agreement to hold talks. This is an encouraging development towards reducing tensions and promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. The Secretary-General hopes it is the beginning of a process of trust-building between the parties.
The Security Council held a meeting this morning to hear an update from Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, on the work of her office in examining the situation in Darfur. The Council also adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts concerning non-proliferation and Iran.
In a report out today, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry says that the Syrian conflict has reached new levels of brutality, and that war crimes and crimes against humanity have become a daily reality. It also says allegations have been received concerning the use of chemical weapons by both parties.
The Secretary-General said the Arms Trade Treaty, which opened for signature today, will make it harder for weapons to be diverted into the illicit market — reaching warlords, pirates, terrorists and criminals — or to be used to commit grave human rights abuses or international humanitarian law violations.
Over the weekend, the Secretary-General will attend the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohma, Japan, where he will give one of the opening keynote speeches, participate in sessions on post-2015 development agenda issues and take part in a high-level event on “Building Climate and Disaster Resilience for African Development”.
The Secretary-General received today the report of his High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, at a ceremony attended by Panel Co-Chair, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, on behalf of his fellow Co-Chairs, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom.