The Secretary-General is saddened by the deaths of three Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), who were killed early this morning following a surprise attack by a group of unidentified armed men. The Secretary-General condemns the assault and calls on the Government to launch an immediate investigation into this incident.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack on an Iraqi army recruitment centre in Baghdad, which claimed the lives of dozens of military recruits and left over a hundred injured. The UN Mission extends its condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and the Government of Iraq, and wishes a speedy recovery to those who were wounded.
The Secretary-General returned this morning from a day-long visit to Pakistan, where he saw for himself the human suffering and damage caused by the current floods. Speaking to reporters after seeing the flood-affected areas yesterday, the Secretary-General said: “This has been a heart-wrenching day, and I will never forget the destruction and suffering that I have witnessed.”
Humanitarian organizations in Pakistan are working round the clock to deliver life-saving assistance to at least 6 million people in need, but far more funding is required to do this in a timely manner. Martin Mogwanja, Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, said that relief supplies must reach women, men and children as soon as possible, to avoid further deaths caused by waterborne diseases and food shortages.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that more than 14 million people — almost 1 in every 10 Pakistanis — have so far been affected by the flooding in that country. The monsoon season could last for at least another month, worsening the flooding that has been seen so far, including in parts of the country not so far affected. The Office also estimates that at least 6 million people are in desperate need of emergency aid.
The United Nations and Pakistan just launched an emergency response plan for $459.7 million over the coming weeks, to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of millions of people affected by the floods in Pakistan. John Holmes, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that the death toll has so far been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters, but the numbers affected are extraordinarily high.
The Secretary-General has just begun a meeting with the four members of the Panel of Inquiry on the flotilla incident of 31 May 2010. The Panel will hold its own first meeting this afternoon.
The Secretary-General took part today in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, becoming the first UN Secretary-General to do so. He said: “Together, we are on a journey from ground zero to global zero — a world free of weapons of mass destruction.” That is the only sane path, he said, to a safer world. For as long as nuclear weapons exist, we will live under a nuclear shadow.
The Secretary-General spent what he described as “a profoundly moving day” in Nagasaki. He toured the Atomic Bomb Museum and met with a number of survivors. He said his visit had strengthened his conviction that nuclear weapons must be outlawed, and he urged all nations to support his five-point action plan for nuclear disarmament and to agree to negotiate a nuclear weapons convention at the earliest possible date.
In Tokyo, the Secretary-General spoke to students this morning, one day before he is to visit Nagasaki, and said that he hoped the younger generation of Japanese will become leaders for disarmament. He told students at Waseda University in Tokyo that they should tell the stories of the survivors of nuclear bombs, the hibakusha, since their testimony is the most graphic argument against the nuclear threat.