The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York. Prior to his departure from Kampala a short while ago, he was on the telephone discussing the flotilla incident and the way forward with several leaders. Once in New York he will be discussing the future course of action, including an investigation, with Arab, Turkish and Israeli officials, as well as with members of the Security Council and other world leaders.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is being celebrated at Headquarters today, and to talk about it, the guests at the noon briefing are Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Susana Malcorra, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support. Earlier today a wreath-laying ceremony was held to honour fallen peacekeepers, at which the Deputy Secretary-General delivered remarks.
The Secretary-General landed in Rio de Janeiro early today, ahead of the Alliance of Civilizations, which opens tomorrow. He was expected to see up close Brazil’s progress in eradicating extreme poverty, and to meet later with the families of Brazilian peacekeepers killed in the Haiti earthquake, for whom he was expected to unveil a commemorative plaque.
The Security Council held an open debate on intercultural dialogue for peace and security today, where the Secretary-General said the discussion was especially relevant on the eve of the third Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, beginning on Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He later left New York to take part in that event.
The Secretary-General marked today the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with UNICEF’s new Executive Director, Anthony Lake. The two Protocols — one on prostitution and child pornography, the other on children and armed conflict — have been endorsed by two thirds of all Member States so far.
The Secretary-General arrived in Istanbul this morning for bilateral talks with Turkish leaders and to attend a major international conference on Somalia. Today, the Secretary-General is meeting with President Abdullah Gül and he will also be meeting Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu later.
In a statement this morning on Darfur, the Secretary-General notes with concern recent reports of military build-up and of clashes there. He is particularly concerned for the safety and welfare of civilians following reports of injuries and displacement, and urges all parties to respect the declared cessation of hostilities and return to the negotiating table in Doha as soon as possible.
The Secretary-General participated in the launch of a global effort to end distractions while driving. Every year, more than 1.2 million people die on the roads around the world, and as many as 50 million others are injured. The Secretary-General said that driver distraction — mainly through the use of mobile phones — was one of the emerging challenges of road safety.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, has condemned in the strongest possible terms the attack in Kabul today, which killed many Afghan civilians, a number of international troops and also injured several dozen Afghan civilians. De Mistura has offered his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those who were injured.
The Secretary-General has appointed Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to succeed Yvo de Boer. Ms. Figueres is an international leader on strategies to address global climate change and brings to this position a passion for the issue, deep knowledge of the stakeholders and valuable hands-on experience with the public sector, non-profit sector and private sector.