The Secretary-General today appointed Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen of Denmark as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Management of the United Nations Population Fund. He also appointed Raisedon Zenenga of Zimbabwe as Deputy Special Representative (Political) in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Today is the second anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. We issued a statement last night in which the Secretary-General honoured the memory of the more than 200,000 people who perished in the earthquake, including 102 United Nations personnel. He also paid tribute to the Government and people of Haiti, who made important strides in rebuilding the country.
The Secretary-General spoke at the chairmanship handover ceremony of the Group of 77 and China this morning, when Argentina handed over to Algeria. He said Group of 77 leadership is fundamental in ensuring that concrete measures are adopted at the “Rio+20” conference in June.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack in the town of Jamrud in the north-west of Pakistan that left dozens of people dead and many wounded, including children. He extends his heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and reiterates the continued solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of Pakistan in their continuing efforts to confront terrorism and extremism.
The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities met in Nicosia today. They discussed the forthcoming talks with the Secretary-General at the Greentree Estate in Long Island, which are to take place from the 22nd to 24th of this month.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said today that United Nations agencies, with the support of the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, have launched a major humanitarian emergency operation in Pibor, Jonglei State. Around 50,000 people are estimated to be in need and a rapid response plan is being finalized.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq has strongly condemned the recent bombings in different parts of the country, which have reportedly resulted in many deaths and injuries. He urges all Iraqis to remain steadfast in the face of those who are using violence in its worst forms to prevent the country from succeeding as a democratic nation.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, is in Khartoum today. She met with the Sudanese Minister for Social Welfare, Amira Al-Fadil, and they discussed the situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Ms. Amos said the Government and her Office had agreed to share information and data on the humanitarian situation and a mechanism would be established to ensure continuous dialogue.
The Secretary-General was informed today by Josette Sheeran of her decision to accept a position with the World Economic Forum as Vice-Chairman upon completion of her term, in April, as Executive Director of the World Food Programme. He wished Ms. Sheeran great success in her new assignment and looks forward to her continued engagement with the United Nations family.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has confirmed today the deaths of two staff members and a colleague working for a cooperating partner organization. The attack took place this morning in Mataban town in Hiraan Province in central Somalia. Two WFP members of a monitoring mission were shot, as was a third person who worked for Doyale, one of WFP’s NGO partners.