Before arriving in Cairo to support Egyptian efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza, the Secretary-General visited Yemen to mark the Peace and Transition Agreement’s upcoming first anniversary, and hold meetings with the President, Prime Minister, cabinet, military committee, and Preparatory Committee for the National Dialogue.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General is extremely concerned about the violence in Gaza and Israel and about the rising civilian toll. A new cycle of bloodshed will make neither Israelis nor Palestinians more secure. Nor will it open the door to negotiations that could achieve the two-State solution necessary to end such violence permanently.
Chef de Cabinet, Susana Malcorra, and the Head of the Secretary-General’s Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, Charles Petrie, briefed on the panel’s report, which highlights areas for improvement in the Organization’s system. Ms. Malcorra says this is moment of strong inspection.
The Secretary-General, having been briefed by Charles Petrie today on the findings of the Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, will convene a senior-level team to review the report’s recommendations and advise him on moving the Organization forward in its core mission of protecting people from harm.
The Secretary-General will depart soon for New Haven, Connecticut, where he will speak at Yale University on the theme “Shaping Solutions for a World in Transition”. He will reiterate his grave concern about Syria, and will also speak about the challenges the world faces — climate change, sustainable development and hunger.
The Secretary-General, concerned by the potential escalation of violence in the Golan Heights, called for restraint by all sides, the upholding of the Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel, and the halt of firing of any kind across the ceasefire line.
The Secretary-General briefed the Member States this morning on how the UN system handled the storm Sandy as it moved from the Caribbean into the United States, even affecting UN Headquarters itself, noting that emergency situations can lay bare where we may have been operating on flawed assumptions and must do better.
The Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences to the Guatemalan Government and people in the wake of the earthquake that struck off the coast of the country yesterday. The United Nations stands ready to lend its assistance to efforts already under way by the Guatemalan authorities to respond to humanitarian needs.
The Secretary-General, congratulating United States President Barack Obama on his re-election, affirmed the Organization’s continued commitment to work, in the spirit of the enduring partnership, with the host country, and tackle the many challenges facing the international community.
There have been sporadic fire fights between the Syrian security forces, including the Syrian army, and armed members of the opposition in the area of separation in Golan, the equivalent of a buffer zone between the parties under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the Israeli and Syrian forces.