The Secretary-General, opening the Donors’ Conference on Haiti this morning, which he is co-hosting with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, highlighted the recovery and reconstruction plan being presented by the Haitian Government, which would establish a new Interim Haiti Recovery Commission to channel $3.9 billion into specific programmes and projects during the next 18 months.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General accepted an urgent request by the President of Pakistan to delay the presentation of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the assassination of the former Pakistani Prime Minister, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, until 15 April 2010.
The international Donors’ Conference, “Towards a New Future in Haiti”, is taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York this Wednesday. This Conference will focus on pledges of assistance for the country’s effective long-term recovery and reconstruction.
The Secretary-General has issued this statement: “I welcome the conclusion of negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on a successor agreement to the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It is an important milestone for the international efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. I congratulate President Medvedev and President Obama on this accomplishment and commend their leadership."
The Secretary-General reconvened his Group of Friends on Myanmar today to review developments ahead of this year’s elections -- the first in two decades. He said that the Group stressed the need for elections to be inclusive, participatory and transparent, in order to advance the prospects of stability, democracy and development for all the people of Myanmar.
The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, and he said that the meeting takes place at a time when the world economy shows signs of recovery, yet growth remains fragile. He welcomed the efforts of the International Monetary Fund to improve its lending framework and the support from Group of 20 leaders to expand the Fund’s lending capacity. However, he said, much more needs to be done.
The Secretary-General returned to New York early this morning, having visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Gaza, where he saw the problems resulting from Israeli closures, which he said cause unacceptable suffering.
The Secretary-General met with the other principal members of the Quartet in Moscow today. Following their meeting, he read out a joint statement on behalf of all the Quartet principals. The Quartet welcomed the readiness to launch proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and emphasized that the circumstances which made it possible to agree to launch those talks be respected.
The Secretary-General condemned today’s rocket attack from Gaza which killed a civilian in Israel, saying all such acts of terror and violence against civilians are totally unacceptable and contrary to international law.
The Secretary-General has arrived in Moscow, where he will participate in the meeting of the Middle East Quartet on Friday. He is scheduled to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, among other senior officials.