The Secretary-General today addressed the third Global Compact Leaders Summit, telling business leaders and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that the Global Compact has become the world's largest and most ambitious initiative of its kind during its first 10 years. Corporate sustainability is becoming a by-word in companies worldwide. He said the Compact may be voluntary, but that doesn’t mean it lacks teeth.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General has appointed a Panel of Experts that will advise him on the issue of accountability with regard to any alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
The Middle East Quartet today issued a statement on Israel’s actions on Gaza, reaffirming that the current situation in Gaza, including the humanitarian and human rights situation of the civilian population, is unsustainable, unacceptable, and not in the interests of any of those concerned.
The Security Council held an open meeting this morning to hear briefings by Prosecutors Serge Brammertz of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and Hassan Jallow of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
The Secretary-General addressed the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Transnational Organized Crime earlier this morning. He said that the international community’s ability to deliver justice in such cases is not evolving as quickly as the criminals’ skill at evading justice.
The Security Council this morning is holding a meeting to discuss children and armed conflict. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative dealing with children and armed conflict, discussed the progress made on that issue recently, including the naming and shaming of violators, which she said has persuaded parties to cease this reprehensible behaviour and should deter others from future offences.
The Secretary-General spoke separately by telephone today with Roza Otunbaeva, Chairperson of the Interim Government of Kyrgyzstan, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He told Ms. Otunbaeva the United Nations was closely coordinating with others to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the south of Kyrgyzstan. In his call with Mr. Lavrov, he expressed appreciation for Russia's efforts to address the alarming humanitarian situation.
The Secretary-General spoke by telephone on Saturday with the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Kanat Saudabayev, who is the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and they discussed the growing tensions in Kyrgyzstan. The Secretary-General said he was alarmed by the scale of the clashes, the inter-ethnic nature of the violence, the mounting casualties and the large number of displaced people.
The Secretary-General is in South Africa today, where he has been attending the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony and the opening match at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. He regards this World Cup tournament as a major landmark for the people of Africa, and was thrilled to be able to experience the exuberance of the opening ceremony and match.
The Secretary-General arrived in Yaoundé, Cameroon, around midnight from Burundi, and he has another full programme today on the latest leg of his second Africa trip this month. He has already held talks with President Paul Biya and he is scheduled to visit a project site at Mbalmayo outside Yaoundé.