The Secretary-General will be returning to New York from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia overnight. Earlier today, he met the Saudi monarch, King Abdullah, and visited the Islamic Development Bank. On Sunday, he opened an advisory board meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre with the Saudi Foreign Minister.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General has been co-chairing the Istanbul conference on Somalia today. In his remarks, he said his message was for the world to commit to long-term assistance for Somalia, and the United Nations would lead in helping achieve peace, stability and prosperity.
In the Secretary-General’s remarks today to the Alliance of Civilizations Partners Forum in Istanbul today, he said the Alliance has emerged as an increasingly important voice on the global stage. The challenge now is how to enable it to play an even more constructive role on the issues that confront us.
The Secretary-General has arrived in Istanbul at the start of his trip to Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, he will take part in a Partners Forum for the Alliance of Civilizations, at the invitation of Turkey’s Prime Minister. He will also meet with the Forum’s co-chairs, the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Spain.
Marking the International Day of Peacekeepers, the Secretary-General today honoured the 112 people who died while serving under the United Nations flag in 2011 and, speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony, he said that the difference between an ordinary person and a hero is that the hero voluntarily braves danger to save others.
Following Egypt’s presidential election process, the Secretary-General says these historic elections, in which Egyptians will freely choose their President from among numerous candidates, are an important milestone in Egypt’s democratic transition.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry dealing with Syria has issued a report to the Human Rights Council on gross human rights violations that have taken place there since this March, saying they continue unabated in an increasingly militarized context, despite the parties to the conflict having reached agreement on the Joint Special Envoy’s “six-point plan”.
Addressing the General Assembly today, the Secretary-General outlined the fundamentals of mediation, saying that consent is important, as are impartiality, preparedness and inclusivity. All mediation efforts must respect international laws and norms, and much more must be done to include women in peace processes.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns yesterday’s attack against Mali’s Interim President, which follows intense mediation efforts by ECOWAS to restore constitutional order. He urges the military and security institutions to fulfil their key function of protecting the State and its legitimate interim authorities.
The Secretary-General told the NATO meeting in Chicago that he had come with one central message: that the United Nations will continue to support the Afghan Government to the maximum of its ability. However, it cannot fill all the gaps. Thus, the enduring commitment of every leader gathered in Chicago was critical.