Michelle Bachelet, the head of UN Women, has expressed great concern about reports of direct attacks on women for exercising their political and civil rights to public assembly and expression in Egypt. She called on the Egyptian authorities to protect them from violence from any side.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Security Council today extended the mandates of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force and the integrated peacebuilding offices in Guinea-Bissau and the Central African Republic, as well as by the Chair of the Council Committee on non-proliferation.
Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said in a briefing to the Security Council this morning that the realization of a two-State solution for Israelis and Palestinians has not advanced, with violent incidents erupting at a worrying rate.
The Secretary-General has learned that the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Il, passed away. The Secretary-General extends his sympathy to the people of the DPRK at this time of their national mourning and reaffirms his commitment to peace and security on the Korean peninsula.
Speaking at a high‑level conference on the UN Central Emergency Response Fund this morning, the Secretary‑General said that the Fund has far exceeded expectations since it was launched by the General Assembly five years ago. He said that the Fund has disbursed more than $2 billion in assistance, making it one of the largest sources of humanitarian funding in the world.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, briefed the Security Council this morning on his investigations regarding Darfur. He reiterated his call for Sudan to transfer indicted suspects to the Court, noting its repeated failure to do so.
The Secretary‑General briefed the Security Council this morning on his visit last week to Somalia. He told Council members that we finally face a moment of fresh opportunities in Somalia, and we must seize it. We must secure gains and extend them beyond Mogadishu, he said.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will brief the Security Council on the human rights situation in Syria, under the agenda item “The situation in the Middle East”, today at 3 p.m.
The Secretary‑General strongly condemns this morning’s attack against a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon vehicle near the town of Tyre, which injured five UNIFIL military personnel. UNIFIL and Lebanese authorities are cooperating closely in the ongoing investigation, and the Secretary‑General expects that the perpetrators will be swiftly identified and brought to justice.
The security of the border between Sudan and South Sudan remains of concern, and the United Nations continues to believe that the establishment of the joint border monitoring mechanism is indeed needed to build confidence, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council this morning.