The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the number of deaths in Haiti caused by Tropical Storm Isaac stands at 13, with 27 people injured. The situation is gradually normalizing, but there is still the risk of floods and landslides, and in the longer term, concerns remain over food security.

Authorized transfers of small arms and light weapons, their parts and accessories now totalled at least $8.5 billion, or more than double the previous estimate in 2006, with ammunition accounting for half that amount, correspondents heard at a Headquarters press conference today.

The Secretary-General is travelling to Tehran for the Non-Aligned Movement Summit. He looks forward to the Summit as an opportunity to work with the participating Heads of State and Government, including the host country, towards solutions on issues that are central to the global agenda.

The Secretary-General spoke at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran this morning, and said that, by assuming the group's leadership, Iran had the opportunity to demonstrate that it can play a moderate and constructive role internationally. He urged the Government to build international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

Syrian officials should defect as quickly as possible in order to separate themselves from the Assad regime, Laurent Fabius, Foreign Minister of France, and William Hague, Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom, said today at a Headquarters press conference.

A “neutral international force” under the auspices of a strengthened United Nations peacekeeping mission was needed to police the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the latter’s Foreign Minister said at a Headquarters press conference today, as he accused the neighbouring State of providing assistance to a “terrorist” organization in his country.

The Security Council discussed the humanitarian crisis in Syria more widely in its ministerial meeting yesterday afternoon, and the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, said more than 2.5 million people — including refugees from Palestine and Iraq — are now in grave need of assistance and protection inside the country.

The Secretary-General will speak to the General Assembly this afternoon, along with the new Joint Special Representative for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi. He will discuss developments and say the humanitarian situation is grave, both in Syria and in neighbouring States, but that the response plan is only half-funded.

Investing in the sound management of chemicals could lead to a savings of billions of dollars and significantly reduced human health risks, said a panel of experts at a Headquarters press conference today, as they gathered to launch a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the matter.

Addressing the General Assembly today on the responsibility to protect, the Secretary-General said he is haunted by the fear of not living up to the call “never again”. He praised the Assembly’s response to the Syrian crisis, but said the immense human cost on Syrians of failing to protect was evident to all.