Ambassador Gérard Araud, of France, which holds the Security Council’s rotating Presidency this month, told reporters today that the 15-member body would kick off its work with a briefing tomorrow from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his recent travels, as well as on the massive humanitarian effort underway in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

The Spokesperson for the Secretary-General would like to clarify erroneous reports about remarks attributed to the Secretary-General and reaffirm his position on Sudan, which is in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the United Nations mandate in Sudan. Any suggestion that the United Nations may have taken a position that may prejudge the outcome of next year's referendum is incorrect.

Amid a climate of economic and financial insecurity, environmental peril and persistent social exclusion, the United Nations Commission for Social Development would endeavour during its current session to adopt resolutions that would help chart the future of social development policies within the framework of greater participation and accountability, that body’s Chairman said today.

This morning the Secretary-General had a good meeting with President Bill Clinton to talk about Haiti and President Clinton’s role as Special Envoy. He specifically asked President Clinton to assume a leadership role in coordinating international aid efforts, from emergency response to reconstruction of Haiti. The Secretary-General said this would require extraordinary leadership; and he said he couldn’t think of a better-suited leader than President Clinton.

The number of children affected by humanitarian disasters and crises is increasing significantly around the world, and the critical role of partnerships in assisting them and their families is the focus of UNICEF’s flagship humanitarian action report, “The Partnering for Children in Emergencies”, launched today.

With the massive international relief effort continuing to gain traction in Haiti, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was rolling out its “cash-for-work” initiative, aimed at providing temporary work and offering Haitians a chance to play a vital role in rebuilding their earthquake-devastated country, a senior agency official said today.

The 2010 Global Model United Nations Conference, to be held in Malaysia this July, would reinforce the Organization’s efforts to build bridges between cultures, officials of the world body, the Permanent Mission of Malaysia and the Commonwealth Secretariat announced today.

Next week, on 12 February, the World Food Programme will host a high-level meeting at its headquarters in Rome on agricultural development, food security and nutrition in Haiti. And that meeting will kick off the agriculture component of the Haiti redevelopment plan.

Strong action against diabetes, cancers, heart disease and chronic lung ailments must be integrated into the global development agenda, panellists at a Headquarters press conference on non-communicable diseases said this afternoon.

The situation around Port-au-Prince remained calm despite continuing precarious conditions, and assistance was needed to prepare for the approaching hurricane season, Kim Bolduc, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said today.