Lakhdar Brahimi, the Joint Special Representative for Syria, held a frank and substantive meeting in Damascus yesterday with President Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Brahimi said President Assad had reacted positively to his call for the Government to declare a military pause during the Eid al-Adha holiday. Mr. Brahimi hopes this appeal will be heeded by all concerned for the good of the Syrian people.

From being on the verge of open war to neighbours living together in stability, Sudan and South Sudan had made remarkable progress in their relations, Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said today at a briefing at Headquarters.

With over 358,000 Syrians registered as refugees across the region, in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it is racing against time to ensure the refugees are protected from winter conditions, even though the revised regional response plan remains only one third funded.

With a growing number of countries abolishing or suspending the death penalty, mounting evidence was making it possible to envision a future where the practice would be eradicated, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment told reporters at Headquarters today.

Durable solutions were needed to address the plight of the world’s internally displaced persons, particularly against a backdrop of unfolding “megatrends” such as rapid urbanization, population growth and more prevalent natural disasters, a senior United Nations human rights expert told reporters at Headquarters today.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in New York today that the past year was marred by developments that tested the international community’s capacity to prevent and promptly respond to human rights and humanitarian crises. The United Nations must act to uphold the rule of law and protect fundamental rights.

Despite some optimistic signs from Iran’s Government, on the whole, the human rights situation in the country remained “disturbing”, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the issue told reporters today at Headquarters.

Blasphemy laws should be repealed worldwide to ensure the rights of converts, said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief at a Headquarters news conference today.

The Secretary-General will visit the Republic of Korea over the weekend and on Monday he will receive the Seoul Peace Prize. While there, he will meet with senior Government officials and address the National Assembly on the topic: “the United Nations and the Republic of Korea: Together Building the Future We Want.”

While the fast pace of reform in Myanmar was encouraging, bolder steps were needed to end persistent right violations, particularly in strife-torn border areas, that were testing the country’s nascent democracy, a top human rights expert said during a Headquarters news conference today.