Noon Briefings

The Secretary-General has learned of the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives and the appointment of former Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan as the new President of the country. He expresses his strong hope that this handover of power will lead to the peaceful resolution of the political crisis that has polarized the country

The Secretary-General is appalled by the escalating violence in Syria, particularly at the mounting death toll and continued onslaught on the city of Homs. Such violence is totally unacceptable before humanity. The lack of agreement in the Security Council gives no license to the Syrian authorities to step up attacks on the Syrian population. No Government can commit such acts against its people without its legitimacy being eroded.

Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos today welcomed the news that famine conditions are no longer present in Somalia, according to analysis released by FAO, but adds that progress made is fragile and continued and generous support from the international community was needed, or these gains could be reversed.

The Secretary-General is on the last day of his trip to the Middle East. This morning, he was in Gaza, where he visited a school and housing project, both run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is in Juba today on the first stop of her three-day visit to South Sudan, and she said that South Sudan faces significant humanitarian challenges, including hundreds of thousands of people displaced in 2011, people returning from Sudan and refugees from the conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.

The Secretary-General arrived in Jordan this morning. He has held talks with King Abdullah, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. At a press conference with the Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General said the Security Council meeting on Syria was crucially important and he hoped Council Members would be really united, reflecting the wishes of the international community and the Syrian people.

The Secretary-General received the report of his High-level Panel on Global Sustainability from the co-chairs of the Panel, President Zuma of South Africa and President Halonen of Finland. Titled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing”, It contains 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice.

The annual Holocaust memorial ceremony is taking place in the General Assembly hall. This year’s observance is dedicated to the children who were victims of the Holocaust. In a message, the Secretary-General said children are uniquely vulnerable to the worst of humankind and that we must show them the best the world has to offer.

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the killing yesterday of Dr. Abd-al-Razzaq Jbeiro, Secretary-General of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and extends his condolences to his family and colleagues. He condemns the attack that killed him and calls on the Syrian Government to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.

This morning, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. Mr. Fernandez-Taranco reported that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators started meeting 3 January in Amman, under the auspices of King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Judeh.