The United Nations human rights office is extremely alarmed at continued reports of the increasingly brutal crackdown against protestors by Syrian authorities. It cites reports of prominent human rights defenders being targeted, and is also concerned by reports of attacks against families and sympathizers of the protestors.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly meeting commemorating the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, where he noted that we have come a long way in the past decade, but that we must acknowledge that intolerance has increased in many parts of the world.
The Secretary-General has been chairing the High-level Meeting on Libya this morning, where he said that it was an historic day for Libya, as its new leadership is formally welcomed into the international community. The new Libyan flag flew for the first time at UN Headquarters this morning.
Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, informed the Secretary-General today of his intention to submit an application for membership in the United Nations. The Secretary-General reiterated his support for the two-State solution, and they discussed Quartet efforts for resuming negotiations.
The Secretary-General announced today the appointment of María Eugenia Casar of Mexico as United Nations Controller. Ms. Casar will replace Jun Yamazaki. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Yamazaki’s dedicated service.
The Secretary-General is launching the 7 billion Actions Initiative. In just seven weeks, the global population will reach 7 billion. The campaign is a clarion call to people, communities, countries, and our partners such as non-governmental organizations, businesses, academics, and faith leaders.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement continues in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan States. The Sudanese Red Crescent Society has reported that some 115,000 people fled their homes, while 20,000 more people were displaced in the west of the state.
The Secretary-General attended the closing of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly today and expressed his great appreciation for the outgoing President Joseph Deiss. He said that Mr. Deiss highlighted the relevance of the General Assembly as the United Nations chief deliberative and representative body.
The first-ever report by the Secretary-General on the use of preventive diplomacy by the United Nations and its partners is now available. Entitled Preventive Diplomacy: Delivering Results, it makes the case that building the world's capacities for fast and effective preventive diplomacy is “without a doubt, one of the smartest investments we can make”.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns yesterday’s suicide bombings in Quetta, Pakistan, which reportedly targeted officers of the region’s Frontier Corps. The attacks left scores of people dead, including two children, and wounded many others. The Secretary-General extends his deep condolences to the families of the victims and the Government of Pakistan.