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.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
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.
The Secretary-General has issued this statement: “I welcome the conclusion of negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on a successor agreement to the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It is an important milestone for the international efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. I congratulate President Medvedev and President Obama on this accomplishment and commend their leadership."
The Secretary-General reconvened his Group of Friends on Myanmar today to review developments ahead of this year’s elections -- the first in two decades. He said that the Group stressed the need for elections to be inclusive, participatory and transparent, in order to advance the prospects of stability, democracy and development for all the people of Myanmar.
The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, and he said that the meeting takes place at a time when the world economy shows signs of recovery, yet growth remains fragile. He welcomed the efforts of the International Monetary Fund to improve its lending framework and the support from Group of 20 leaders to expand the Fund’s lending capacity. However, he said, much more needs to be done.
The Secretary-General returned to New York early this morning, having visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Gaza, where he saw the problems resulting from Israeli closures, which he said cause unacceptable suffering.