The Security Council held an open meeting this morning to hear briefings by Prosecutors Serge Brammertz of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and Hassan Jallow of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General addressed the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Transnational Organized Crime earlier this morning. He said that the international community’s ability to deliver justice in such cases is not evolving as quickly as the criminals’ skill at evading justice.
The Security Council this morning is holding a meeting to discuss children and armed conflict. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative dealing with children and armed conflict, discussed the progress made on that issue recently, including the naming and shaming of violators, which she said has persuaded parties to cease this reprehensible behaviour and should deter others from future offences.
The Secretary-General spoke separately by telephone today with Roza Otunbaeva, Chairperson of the Interim Government of Kyrgyzstan, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He told Ms. Otunbaeva the United Nations was closely coordinating with others to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the south of Kyrgyzstan. In his call with Mr. Lavrov, he expressed appreciation for Russia's efforts to address the alarming humanitarian situation.
The Secretary-General spoke by telephone on Saturday with the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Kanat Saudabayev, who is the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and they discussed the growing tensions in Kyrgyzstan. The Secretary-General said he was alarmed by the scale of the clashes, the inter-ethnic nature of the violence, the mounting casualties and the large number of displaced people.
The Secretary-General is in South Africa today, where he has been attending the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony and the opening match at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. He regards this World Cup tournament as a major landmark for the people of Africa, and was thrilled to be able to experience the exuberance of the opening ceremony and match.
The Secretary-General arrived in Yaoundé, Cameroon, around midnight from Burundi, and he has another full programme today on the latest leg of his second Africa trip this month. He has already held talks with President Paul Biya and he is scheduled to visit a project site at Mbalmayo outside Yaoundé.
The Security Council this morning adopted a resolution increasing sanctions on Iran, by a vote of 12 in favour, 2 against, which were Brazil and Turkey, and 1 abstention, which was Lebanon. In the resolution, the Council affirms that Iran has so far failed to meet the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors.
The Secretary-General has arrived in South Africa, at the start of his second trip to the continent this month. He will meet President Jacob Zuma of South Africa for bilateral talks. Very early on Wednesday morning, the Secretary-General will fly to Bujumbura for an official visit to Burundi. He will meet the President, Pierre Nkurunziza, and other officials.
The Secretary-General arrived in Washington, D.C. last night and this morning delivered the opening address at the “Women Deliver” 2010 Conference. That Conference brings together 3,500 participants from 140 countries, in what the organizers describe as the largest ever conference on maternal health. “When we work together, we succeed,” he told the Conference.