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.

Reviews of major peacekeeping and peace-building efforts, as well as a members’ mission to Africa, will be among the most significant activities of the Security Council in April, the permanent representative of Japan said today.

The Economic and Social Council’s focus in 2010 would be on providing substantive input for the September summit on the Millennium Development Goals, the organ’s President said today.

The Secretary-General is shocked by the reported deaths and injuries that have occurred today in Kyrgyzstan. He once again calls on all concerned to show restraint. He urgently appeals for dialogue and calm to avoid further bloodshed. The Secretary-General is following the situation closely.

The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of the new START Treaty as an important milestone in the international efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. He commends President [Dmitry] Medvedev and President [Barack] Obama for their leadership.

With the same players employing, with limited results, the same stale tactics to end long-standing conflicts or diffuse simmering tensions, “we believe peace processes could benefit from fresh ideas [and] an innovative cultural shift,” said Columbia University graduate student Gal Bar Dea today as he previewed the first conference of the United Nations-backed SPIRIT initiative.

Jan Kubis is on his way to Kyrgyzstan as the Secretary-General's special envoy. Once there, he will meet constitutional authorities and representatives of relevant political groups. He will then fly to New York to brief the Secretary-General on his fact-finding mission. He is liaising closely with the special envoys from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union.

The Secretary-General is on his way to Washington, where he will attend the nuclear security summit chaired by President Barack Obama. He told reporters this morning that we can see new momentum towards our ultimate ambition: a world free of nuclear weapons. Nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats we face today and in Washington, he will call on all world leaders to come together, perhaps at the United Nations in September, to further advance this essential cause.

Emerging forms of crime, such as environmental crime, cybercrime and piracy, were expected to figure alongside “traditional” forms of crime, such as bribery and money-laundering, in discussions during the Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, John Sandage, Executive Secretary, said at a press briefing today.

The Secretary-General is in Washington for the Nuclear Security Summit, where he will deliver remarks this afternoon laying out his priorities in dealing with the safety of nuclear stockpiles. Those priorities are preventing nuclear terrorism; securing nuclear fissile materials; strengthening the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency; increasing the engagement of the Security Council; and achieving tandem progress on both nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.