The Secretary-General is on his way to Washington, where he will attend the nuclear security summit chaired by President Barack Obama. He told reporters this morning that we can see new momentum towards our ultimate ambition: a world free of nuclear weapons. Nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats we face today and in Washington, he will call on all world leaders to come together, perhaps at the United Nations in September, to further advance this essential cause.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Jan Kubis is on his way to Kyrgyzstan as the Secretary-General's special envoy. Once there, he will meet constitutional authorities and representatives of relevant political groups. He will then fly to New York to brief the Secretary-General on his fact-finding mission. He is liaising closely with the special envoys from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union.
The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of the new START Treaty as an important milestone in the international efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. He commends President [Dmitry] Medvedev and President [Barack] Obama for their leadership.
The Secretary-General is shocked by the reported deaths and injuries that have occurred today in Kyrgyzstan. He once again calls on all concerned to show restraint. He urgently appeals for dialogue and calm to avoid further bloodshed. The Secretary-General is following the situation closely.
The Secretary-General takes note of the release of a Nuclear Posture Review by the United States of America, and he welcomes President Obama's reaffirmation of his commitment towards a nuclear-weapon-free world. Following the recent successful conclusion of negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States for a successor agreement to the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, the release of this new Review is a timely initiative in that direction.
The Secretary-General arrived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, earlier today on the latest leg of his week-long visit to Central Asia. He has been holding talks with President Rahmon and other Tajik officials on topics including Afghanistan, human rights, climate change and the question of tensions over water resources in Central Asia.
The Secretary-General and the other co-chairs of the Donors’ Conference on Haiti spoke to the press yesterday afternoon, and the Secretary-General announced that donors had pledged $5.3 billion for the next two years and $9.9 billion, in total, for the next three years and beyond.
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.
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.