Kimberly Prost, the newly appointed Ombudsperson of the Security Council’s 1267 Committee — also known as the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee — pledged at Headquarters today that she would make her office independent and accessible to sanctioned individuals seeking redress.

As the United Nations marks its first Nelson Mandela International Day this weekend with events around the globe, South Africans will be celebrating the 18 July birthday of their nation’s father with a weekend of prayer and acts of goodwill, South Africa’s Foreign Minister told reporters at a press conference held at United Nations Headquarters today.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the suicide bombings in Zahedan, Iran, which have reportedly claimed the lives of scores of people and left many more injured.

The Secretary-General is travelling to Afghanistan, where he will co-chair the International Conference on Afghanistan with President Hamid Karzai tomorrow — the first international conference on Afghanistan to be held in the country, organized by the Afghan Government for the Afghan people.

The Secretary-General opened the International Conference on Afghanistan in Kabul this morning, saying that the Conference marks the true beginning of a very fundamental transition. He told the Afghan people that the officials gathered in Kabul share their aspirations and understand their frustrations.

Somalia is one of the most complicated humanitarian situations in the world, yet the United Nations has made significant achievements there to date, said Mark Bowden, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

Meeting with his senior advisers this morning, the Secretary-General did raise the matter of the end-of-assignment report of the outgoing Head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), Inga-Britt Ahlenius. He noted that it is supposed to be a management tool, an internal document that, regrettably, was leaked.

B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, today told the Security Council meeting on the Middle East that, since Israel’s announcement of its new policy on Gaza, food and other products have entered Gaza and the volume of imports into Gaza has increased steadily, and while these are positive steps forward, it is hoped they can be enhanced to address the deplorable conditions in the Strip.

During a press conference at Headquarters today, two senior United Nations officials responded to questions regarding a leaked 50-page internal memo sent to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from Under-Secretary General Inga-Britt Ahlenius, upon her exit as the Under-Secretary General for the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

The Secretary-General briefed the Security Council this morning in closed consultations to discuss his visit to Afghanistan earlier this week. That meeting, he said, marked the official launch of the Kabul process, which will see a transition to greater Afghan responsibility and ownership, in both security and civilian areas.