The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned today’s assassination of Chokri Belaid, who campaigned against political violence in Tunisia. Navi Pillay said she was extremely saddened to hear the news of Mr. Belaid’s murder, calling him a prominent defender of human rights and democratic values and a firm opponent of political violence.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, expressed concern about allegations of serious human rights violations reportedly perpetrated by Malian defence and security forces. The United Nations calls upon all parties to respect international human rights and humanitarian norms, and do everything possible to ensure that all perpetrators are brought to justice.
Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, has condemned in the strongest possible terms the coordinated attacks on the police headquarters in Kirkuk yesterday, which have claimed dozens of lives and injured many more.
The Joint Special Representative for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, will meet this evening with Mouaz Alkhatib, a leader of the Syrian opposition, on the margins of a security conference in Munich. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with United States Vice-President Joseph Biden and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The International Fact-Finding Mission on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory today published its report, which calls for a halt to all Israeli settlement activity. The Mission says that, in compliance with article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel must cease all settlement activities without preconditions.
The Secretary-General is in Kuwait City, where he convened the Pledging Conference on Syria. He told the gathered leaders that the situation in Syria is catastrophic and getting worse by the day, with at least 60,000 people killed and 4 million people in immediate need. He urged the parties in Syria: “In the name of humanity: Stop the violence.”
The Secretary-General arrived in Kuwait City very early this morning. He met with the Emir, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and he expressed gratitude for the important role that Kuwait is playing in convening tomorrow's Donor's Conference on Syria. In the afternoon, the Secretary-General and Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, discussed the crisis in Syria and reiterated their strong support for the Joint Special Representative, Lakhdar Brahimi.
The Secretary-General is wrapping up his visit today to Addis Ababa, where he attended the African Union Summit. In a press conference, he said that he sees Africa on the rise and welcomes progress on development, good governance and human rights. He also held several bilateral meetings and attended an event on combating malaria.
Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, briefed the Security Council this morning on recent challenges in the region, specifically in Mali and the Sahel. He said that, as hostilities are carried out in Mali, the situation there is an example of the fragility and vulnerability prevailing in the whole Sahel region.
The Security Council has been meeting on Burundi this morning, and heard from the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to that country, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga. He said Burundi has travelled a long path out of the cycle of violence that plagued it for over four decades, and it is now essential that both the Government and opposition play their part in ensuring a continuing consensual approach to the challenges ahead.