Speaking to reporters in The Hague, the Secretary-General called the late Margaret Thatcher a pioneering leader for her contribution to peace and security, particularly at the height of the cold war, and a great model as the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and he expressed his deepest condolences to the Government and to her family.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Today marks 1,000 days in the push to meet the Millennium Development Goals and the Secretary-General had a conversation, using Skype, with Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who survived an assassination attempt some months ago and became a world symbol for the rights of girls to have a decent education. He said Malala — who is in good health and wants to be a leader to serve the world — is a “symbol of hope and a daughter of the United Nations”.
On the International Day for Mine Awareness, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the United Nations commitment to eliminating the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war, saying it “is a crucially important endeavour that advances peace, enables development, supports nations in transition and saves lives”.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict is currently on her first visit to Somalia. Zainab Hawa Bangura’s trip seeks to raise awareness and discuss ways of addressing sexual violence in the country. She praised Somali journalists covering the subject, adding that they play an important role in raising awareness. There is more information on her visit online.
The Secretary-General arrived in Andorra from San Marino today. A short while ago, the he addressed the Andorran Parliament, thanking Andorra for its success in empowering women and noted that it is just one of two countries in the world that have 50 per cent of women in parliament. Earlier, he met the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Andorra and gave a press conference.
The Secretary-General is in San Marino, where he is taking part today in the investiture of the country’s two Heads of State. In a speech, said that San Marino offered three universal lessons about democracy: that no one system is right for all countries; that democracy can always be improved; and that democracy allows individuals to engage with authorities to reach collective goals.
This morning the High Representative for Disarmament, Angela Kane, handed over a letter from her to the Deputy Prime Minister of Syria containing the modalities for cooperation, reflecting the standard provisions that would be required to ensure the proper, safe and efficient conduct of the technical mission looking into alleged use of chemical weapons.
The Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda concluded its meeting in Bali, in Indonesia, earlier today. Discussions during the three-day meeting focused on how to build a global partnership and means of implementation for the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
The Secretary-General has appointed Professor Ǻke Sellström as head of the United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate allegations of chemical-weapons use in Syria. He was a Chief Inspector of the United Nations Special Commission and Senior Adviser to the Chairmen of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for the disarmament of Iraq.
Owing to security incidents yesterday and today near the hotel in Damascus housing UN staff, the Security Management Team has decided to temporarily reduce the presence of international staff in Syria. Most Damascus-based staff from the Joint Special Representative’s office will be relocated to Beirut and Cairo.