The Secretary-General this morning held meetings in Oslo with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Norway, in which he discussed multilateralism and Norway’s role in the international community.

The Secretary-General today is on his way to visit the polar ice rim, while onboard a Norwegian boat, the Svalbard. Earlier, the he and Mrs. Ban visited a Norwegian Zeppelin Station, a research centre where the air in the Arctic region is being monitored, in part to determine the effect of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Launching "The World Economic and Social Survey 2009: Promoting Development, Saving the Planet" at Headquarters today, a high-level official of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs said that pursuing the two goals of fighting climate change and simultaneously meeting development demands would require a global public policy agenda, as market mechanisms were not the most effective instruments to drive change.

For the first time in history, a President of the United States would chair a meeting of the Security Council, the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The Secretary-General has wrapped up his visit to Norway after ending a boat trip this morning that took him to the polar ice of the Arctic Circle yesterday, where he stood on the ice and urged world leaders to take action against climate change.

The Secretary-General takes note of the preliminary results of the 30 August presidential elections announced by the electoral authorities of Gabon, and expresses concern over reports of disturbances in some regions of the country.

Today, as the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala marks its second anniversary, the Secretary-General reaffirms his strong support and appreciation for CICIG’s ground-breaking efforts to help strengthen the justice sector and rule of law in Guatemala.

The stage is set for upwards of 1,700 non-governmental organization representatives and experts from some 70 countries around the world to take a fresh look at how they can contribute to arms reduction while advancing the cause of peace in the world, reporters were told today at a Headquarters press conference.

The real impact of the global financial and economic crisis had yet to be faced, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, President of the General Assembly, said at Headquarters today.

The Secretary-General strongly regrets the decision of the Sri Lankan Government to expel Mr. James Elder, Spokesman for UNICEF in Sri Lanka.