VIENNA, 31 March — The United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People this afternoon concluded its first plenary session on the immediate and longer-term humanitarian needs in Gaza, and held a second such session focusing on resolving Gaza’s severe energy deficit.
In three interactive panel discussions today, the Economic and Social Council looked at how climate change challenges could be met through creating decent jobs, how dignity and prosperity could become the norm for working people, and how policies could translate sustained economic growth in Africa into “broad-based and job-rich outcomes” towards inclusive sustainable development.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
On 31 March 2015, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities removed the name below from the Al-Qaida Sanctions List after concluding its consideration of the delisting requests for this name submitted through the Office of the Ombudsperson established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1904 (2009), and after considering the Comprehensive Reports of the Ombudsperson on this delisting request.
The Secretary-General, addressing the third pledging conference for Syria today in Kuwait, said that the country has lost nearly four decades of human development. The Syrian people are the victims of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time but that they are not asking for sympathy; they are asking for help.
VIENNA, 31 March — The United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, focusing on “Speeding up relief, recovery and reconstruction in post-war Gaza”, opened this morning at the headquarters in Vienna, hearing a message from the Secretary-General and statements by the senior adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas representing the State of Palestine, the Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria and the Chairperson of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remarks at the Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, in Kuwait today:
The situation in the Middle East, protection of children in armed conflict and crises in Africa dominated the Council’s schedule, the Permanent Representative of France, President of the body for March, said in a monthly wrap-up meeting this afternoon.
Beginning on Monday, 30 March, in New York and around the world, the tenth observance of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action will begin.
The Secretary-General is in Kuwait, where he will participate in the third pledging conference for Syria. Earlier today, he visited Baghdad, where he met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, President Fuad Masum and Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri. He also spoke by phone with President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
