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.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
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 briefed the Member States this morning on how the UN system handled the storm Sandy as it moved from the Caribbean into the United States, even affecting UN Headquarters itself, noting that emergency situations can lay bare where we may have been operating on flawed assumptions and must do better.
The Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences to the Guatemalan Government and people in the wake of the earthquake that struck off the coast of the country yesterday. The United Nations stands ready to lend its assistance to efforts already under way by the Guatemalan authorities to respond to humanitarian needs.
The Secretary-General, congratulating United States President Barack Obama on his re-election, affirmed the Organization’s continued commitment to work, in the spirit of the enduring partnership, with the host country, and tackle the many challenges facing the international community.
There have been sporadic fire fights between the Syrian security forces, including the Syrian army, and armed members of the opposition in the area of separation in Golan, the equivalent of a buffer zone between the parties under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the Israeli and Syrian forces.
Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special Representative for Syria, met last night in Cairo with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil ElAraby. Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Brahimi said that the Syrian crisis could only be resolved through a political process agreed upon by all parties.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered condolences to and expressed solidarity with the millions of people affected by Hurricane Sandy in the United States and Caribbean, as the United Nations and its partners worked to provide food and other aid in Haiti, where the storm left some 60 people dead and displaced more than 1.8 million others.
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.”
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.