While pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden had fallen from 20 per month in the summer of 2009, to between 4 and 5 today, the tenacity of pirates and level of their violence against mariners had changed over the years, said Rear Admiral Peter Hudson, Operations Commander of the European Union Naval Force in Somalia (EU NAVFOR) — Operation Atalanta, expressing hope that other countries would share in the asset-sapping task of combating the problem.

The Secretary-General has appointed Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to succeed Yvo de Boer. Ms. Figueres is an international leader on strategies to address global climate change and brings to this position a passion for the issue, deep knowledge of the stakeholders and valuable hands-on experience with the public sector, non-profit sector and private sector.

As the rest of the world begins to shake off the worst effects of the global economic and financial crisis, a United Nations report launched today argues that Africa should position itself for long-term development by pursuing an employment-intensive strategy prioritizing sustained growth and increased job-creation.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, has condemned in the strongest possible terms the attack in Kabul today, which killed many Afghan civilians, a number of international troops and also injured several dozen Afghan civilians. De Mistura has offered his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

The Secretary-General participated in the launch of a global effort to end distractions while driving. Every year, more than 1.2 million people die on the roads around the world, and as many as 50 million others are injured. The Secretary-General said that driver distraction — mainly through the use of mobile phones — was one of the emerging challenges of road safety.

Despite commitments made 20 years ago at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, a lack of action by several organizations and Governments highlighted a strong need for the upcoming “Rio + 20” Conference to remobilize stakeholders and build upon the economic, social and environmental pillars, said the Executive Director of Vitae Civilis of Brazil.

In a statement this morning on Darfur, the Secretary-General notes with concern recent reports of military build-up and of clashes there. He is particularly concerned for the safety and welfare of civilians following reports of injuries and displacement, and urges all parties to respect the declared cessation of hostilities and return to the negotiating table in Doha as soon as possible.

Michael Adlerstein, Executive Director of the Capital Master Plan, provided an update today on the work of his office as it entered the construction phase of the Secretariat and Conference buildings. At a Headquarters press conference, he outlined current and upcoming changes for both pedestrians and vehicles in accessing the Secretariat campus, and stressed that safety and health were paramount in the work of his Office.

The first Preparatory Committee in the run-up to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as “Rio + 20”, had decided at its conclusion last night to hold intersessional consultations, since the eight days originally allocated for preparatory meetings would not be enough, Committee Co-Chair John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda) said at Headquarters today.

The Secretary-General arrived in Istanbul this morning for bilateral talks with Turkish leaders and to attend a major international conference on Somalia. Today, the Secretary-General is meeting with President Abdullah Gül and he will also be meeting Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu later.