The Secretary-General welcomes the release of a US national during the visit to Pyongyang by former US President Jimmy Carter. He appreciates the decision of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to release Mr. Aijalon Mahli Gomes on humanitarian considerations. The Secretary-General commends former President Carter for his humanitarian mission.

The Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this morning voiced hope that a newly-released review of Panel working methods would strengthen its efforts, as well as its public credibility, while he stressed that the overall conclusions of its assessments were not in doubt.

The Secretary-General welcomes the fully independent review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conducted by the InterAcademy Council, which was released this morning. He has expressed his gratitude to the Council for conducting this review of the working practices of the IPCC, which he co-commissioned with the Chairman of the IPCC in March. He also firmly maintains that the fundamental science on climate change remains sound.

Independent experts asked to assess the processes and procedures of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report today recommending fundamental reforms to the Panel’s management structure to reduce errors and the potential for bias in its influential — but recently criticized — reviews of global climate change patterns.

In the wake of the latest incidents of mass sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, perpetrators must be held to account and the response of the United Nations must be improved, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict said this afternoon.

This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the launch of the Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons here at UN Headquarters. Describing the Plan of Action as a clarion call, he said that despite steps taken to stop human trafficking, a common, coordinated and consistent approach must be taken and a Plan of Action will help to achieve exactly that.

Responding to criticism of Equatorial Guinea’s recent execution of four men accused of an armed attack on the country’s presidential palace last year, the country’s Ambassador said this afternoon that the procedure was constitutional and necessary in the face of repeated violent threats against the State that began when domestic oil started flowing.

The Secretary-General condemns the killing of four Israeli citizens in the West Bank on 31 August. He extends his condolences to the families of the victims and calls for the perpetrators of this crime to be promptly brought to justice. This attack must be recognized for what it is: a cynical and blatant attempt to undermine the direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations starting tomorrow.

Highlights of Turkey’s September presidency of the Security Council included a summit on the maintenance of peace and security, which expected to hear from Heads of State and Government, and a high-level review of cooperation in counter-terrorism, the country’s Ambassador told journalists this afternoon.

The Secretary-General arrived in Vienna this morning. He has been holding talks with Austrian officials, including Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger. They discussed, among other topics, the Millennium Development Goals, disarmament, the Balkans and peacekeeping. The Secretary-General also addressed a conference on fighting corruption. The event is part of the founding conference for the new International Anti-Corruption Academy, which will open soon.