Christiana Figueres, Costa Rica’s nominee for Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said today that she intended to bring her more than 15 years’ experience of working on climate change issues to bear should her bid succeed.

The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, and he said that the meeting takes place at a time when the world economy shows signs of recovery, yet growth remains fragile. He welcomed the efforts of the International Monetary Fund to improve its lending framework and the support from Group of 20 leaders to expand the Fund’s lending capacity. However, he said, much more needs to be done.

The Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Oqil Oqilov, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference today that, despite the financial, energy and other difficulties his country faced, the Government was determined to overcome its problems and gradually utilize the entire potential of the country for achieving the global development goals on a timely basis.

“We are coming to an important juncture in the fight against impunity and those who commit aggressive wars,” said the Director of a network of 1,300 lawmakers from 117 countries from all regions of the world at a Headquarters press conference today, on the margins of the resumed session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The world’s failure to control and eradicate tuberculosis -- a disease that has been around for more than 4,000 years -- was a human disgrace, Marcos Espinal, Executive Secretary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Stop TB Partnership”, said at Headquarters today.

Over half of the world’s 6.9 billion people now live in urban areas, with burgeoning small cities absorbing much of the growth of the next years, particularly in Asia and Africa, a United Nations demographic official said this morning.

The Secretary-General reconvened his Group of Friends on Myanmar today to review developments ahead of this year’s elections -- the first in two decades. He said that the Group stressed the need for elections to be inclusive, participatory and transparent, in order to advance the prospects of stability, democracy and development for all the people of Myanmar.

Correspondents were briefed today at a Headquarters press conference on a series of week-long events at the United Nations -- including an exhibit launch, a documentary screening and a student video conference -- in commemoration of the third annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy, and Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra, briefed correspondents at Headquarters today on the United Nations effort in Haiti, ongoing reports of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers, and the recent support expressed by Member States for their new strategy aimed at keeping pace with the evolutionary changes shaping most all aspects of their mandate.