John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told reporters that “we’re extremely concerned about the human and humanitarian impact of what has obviously been a devastating earthquake in Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas”. The earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter scale and struck at approximately 16.53 hours local time yesterday, some 17 kilometres from the capital.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General is indeed encouraged by recent political developments in Guinea, particularly the commitment expressed by the interim Head of State, General Sekouba Konaté, for a return to constitutional order. And he welcomes both the invitation extended to the opposition to put forward a consensus Prime Minister and the guarantees of security given for all Guineans, including the country's political leaders.
The Secretary-General is now at a round-table meeting with heads of international organizations dealing with disarmament to discuss major challenges, existing gaps and ideas on how to foster greater understanding and cooperation towards the common goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction.
The Secretary-General discussed the forthcoming two intensive rounds of substantive negotiations that the Cypriot leaders will have this month. And he encouraged both leaders to remain committed and to show flexibility and leadership. He is convinced that a win-win solution in many different areas is available, and he is confident that together both leaders have the political courage and vision required to make progress.
The Secretary-General expressed the hope that the tremendous political energy released during last year’s elections will now be directed towards forging a meaningful, realistic and renewed compact between the Afghan Government and its people. Kai Eide also briefed the Council, saying there was need for a transition strategy that could place Afghans in charge of their own future.
The World Food Programme has suspended its operations in much of southern Somalia due to rising security threats and attacks on humanitarian operations. WFP offices in half a dozen locations in the south have been temporarily closed, and food supplies and equipment have been moved out of these areas. Staff have also been moved to safer areas to ensure that food assistance reaches as many vulnerable people as possible.
The Secretary-General and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS have welcomed the removal of travel restrictions based on HIV status by the Republic of Korea and by the United States. The lifting of the restrictions took effect on 1 January in the Republic of Korea, and the United States change took effect today.
The General Assembly concluded the main part of its substantive session early this morning. The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation to Member States for the approval of the programme budget of $5.156 billion for the biennium 2010-2011.
This morning, the Security Council adopted a resolution imposing sanctions on Eritrea. The text bans weapons sales to and from the country and imposes travel restrictions on the country’s political and military leadership. It also freezes their assets.
The Secretary-General welcomes the General Assembly’s new resolution on next year’s planned Millennium Development Goals Summit. There has been progress towards the Goals and it has been mixed. The Summit will be a crucially important opportunity to redouble our efforts to meet the Goals by the agreed deadline of 2015.