Noon Briefings

The Secretary-General will be travelling to Chile this evening. He wants to express solidarity and sympathy with the people and Government of Chile following the earthquake on 27 February. He will also assess the humanitarian assistance effort and the scale of the disaster for himself. He is expected to meet on Friday with President Bachelet and President-elect Piñera, as well as senior Government officials in charge of national disaster and emergency humanitarian assistance.

The Secretary-General today addressed the Commission on the Status of Women high-level event marking International Women’s Day. He said that as a son and husband, a father and grandfather to girls, and as United Nations Secretary-General, it is his duty to fight for gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are fundamental to the very identity of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General spoke with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile last night. He again expressed his condolences and reiterated that the United Nations is ready to help and would do its utmost to make the items requested by the Chilean Government available as swiftly as possible.

The Secretary-General expressed his condolences to those who lost family and friends in Chile's earthquake and has been in touch with the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), based in Santiago, for an assessment of the earthquake and information on UN staff.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attacks that took place in Kabul this morning, which caused the death and injury of many Afghan and foreign residents and for which the Taliban claimed responsibility. This deliberate targeting of civilians demonstrates once again a senseless disregard for human life on the part of the perpetrators.

The United States television show American Idol last week travelled to Haiti with the UN Foundation to raise further awareness of the country’s post-earthquake needs. Footage of the trip will be on the show that airs tonight and viewers will be asked to support the efforts in Haiti by donating funds online and via text messaging. Proceeds will go to the Idol Gives Back Foundation to help the UN Foundation's work.

The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) has confirmed that some 1,500 people were displaced from their homes in January as a result of renewed fighting in the Jebel Marra region of West Darfur. The mission says that volatile security conditions prevailing in that region in January had made it impossible for aid workers to verify reports of displacement and deliver relief goods.

The Secretary-General will travel to Los Angeles from 28 February to 2 March, to engage the creative community and explore ways in which the United Nations and the entertainment industry can join forces to raise awareness and mobilize the public around global issues. He will also address UCLA on the role of the United Nations in an era of global challenges, focusing on the power of citizens everywhere to get involved in addressing the world’s problems and building a better world.

Robert Watkins, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement that he was deeply saddened by the report of the terrible loss of civilian life on Sunday in southern Afghanistan. Watkins has reiterated the request by the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for all parties to the conflict to do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties.

The Security Council this morning heard from Under-Secretaries-General John Holmes and Alain Le Roy in an open meeting on Haiti. Mr. Holmes said that help is badly needed for the displaced people and their host communities, and Mr. Le Roy provided an update on the work of the United Nations Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, in maintaining order while restoring its capabilities, following the loss of at least 91 staff in the earthquake.