The head of conference management for General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Affairs briefed journalists today on those bodies’ new work programme decided upon in the wake of last week’s disruptive hurricane that had caused flooding damage to the United Nations New York Headquarters and forced its closure for three days.

The Secretary-General, concerned by the potential escalation of violence in the Golan Heights, called for restraint by all sides, the upholding of the Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel, and the halt of firing of any kind across the ceasefire line.

The Secretary-General will depart soon for New Haven, Connecticut, where he will speak at Yale University on the theme “Shaping Solutions for a World in Transition”. He will reiterate his grave concern about Syria, and will also speak about the challenges the world faces — climate change, sustainable development and hunger.

The Secretary-General, having been briefed by Charles Petrie today on the findings of the Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, will convene a senior-level team to review the report’s recommendations and advise him on moving the Organization forward in its core mission of protecting people from harm.

Emphasizing that access to voluntary family planning was a human right, Richard Kollodge, editor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, told journalists today that increased financial support and political commitments were crucial in order to reap both the economic benefits and positive multiplier effect on development that resulted from providing such health services.

Chef de Cabinet, Susana Malcorra, and the Head of the Secretary-General’s Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, Charles Petrie, briefed on the panel’s report, which highlights areas for improvement in the Organization’s system. Ms. Malcorra says this is moment of strong inspection.

More and more disasters were on their way, Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, cautioned at a press conference today at Headquarters.

The Secretary-General is extremely concerned about the violence in Gaza and Israel and about the rising civilian toll. A new cycle of bloodshed will make neither Israelis nor Palestinians more secure. Nor will it open the door to negotiations that could achieve the two-State solution necessary to end such violence permanently.

Before arriving in Cairo to support Egyptian efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza, the Secretary-General visited Yemen to mark the Peace and Transition Agreement’s upcoming first anniversary, and hold meetings with the President, Prime Minister, cabinet, military committee, and Preparatory Committee for the National Dialogue.

The Secretary-General is meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here in Jerusalem. He met the Israeli Foreign and Defence Ministers right after he arrived in Jerusalem from Cairo, and you will have also seen that we met Egyptian Prime Minister [Hisham] Qandil and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States in Cairo earlier today. The Secretary-General will be going to Ramallah tomorrow to meet President [Mahmoud] Abbas.