The first-ever report by the Secretary-General on the use of preventive diplomacy by the United Nations and its partners is now available. Entitled Preventive Diplomacy: Delivering Results, it makes the case that building the world's capacities for fast and effective preventive diplomacy is “without a doubt, one of the smartest investments we can make”.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General strongly condemns yesterday’s suicide bombings in Quetta, Pakistan, which reportedly targeted officers of the region’s Frontier Corps. The attacks left scores of people dead, including two children, and wounded many others. The Secretary-General extends his deep condolences to the families of the victims and the Government of Pakistan.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the bomb attack at the Indian High Court in New Delhi which has killed and injured many today. He reiterates his firm stance that there is no justification for indiscriminate violence against civilians and expresses his solidarity with the Government and people of India.
The Secretary-General started the weekend in Australia, holding talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra before flying to the Solomon Islands and Kiribati to see for himself the effects of climate change. In Kiribati he joined President Anote Tong and many young people to plant mangroves on a beach to help fight coastal erosion.
The Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident, which was an independent body established in August last year, submitted its report to the Secretary-General this morning. The report is now available on the United Nations website.
The Secretary-General attended the International Conference in Support of the New Libya in Paris today, where he told participants that our most immediate challenge is on the humanitarian front, with some 860,000 people having left the country since February. Public services are under severe strain, with sporadic fighting continuing in the south.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed its alarm at the emerging reports of atrocious human rights violations in Libya, including what appear to be mass summary executions, mostly apparently carried out by the forces of the Qadhafi Government during the last few days before they lost Tripoli.
Around 11 o’clock this morning, local time, the United Nations House in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, was struck by a car bomb. In remarks to the press, the Secretary-General condemned the attack, which he called “an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others”. A number of people are dead; many more are wounded.
The Secretary-General has invited regional organizations to participate in a meeting tomorrow to discuss Libya. The invitees include the African Union, the European Union, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States. The objective is to develop ways to work together on the post-conflict phase.
Senior representatives of the Secretary-General met yesterday with the Chairman of the Executive Bureau of the National Transitional Council of Libya, which highlighted among Libyans’ needs and priorities: transitional justice and human rights; electoral assistance; socio-economic recovery; and security.