Noon Briefings

The Secretary-General, here at UN Headquarters, this morning addressed a meeting on increasing the participation of women in UN police operations.

The Secretary-General was deeply shocked to learn of the death in Kinshasa of Floribert Chebeya, President of La Voix des Sans Voix (The Voice of the Voiceless). Mr. Chebeya was a well-known and widely respected human rights defender in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Geneva, the Human Rights Council today decided to send an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law resulting from the Israeli attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York. Prior to his departure from Kampala a short while ago, he was on the telephone discussing the flotilla incident and the way forward with several leaders. Once in New York he will be discussing the future course of action, including an investigation, with Arab, Turkish and Israeli officials, as well as with members of the Security Council and other world leaders.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is being celebrated at Headquarters today, and to talk about it, the guests at the noon briefing are Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Susana Malcorra, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support. Earlier today a wreath-laying ceremony was held to honour fallen peacekeepers, at which the Deputy Secretary-General delivered remarks.

The Secretary-General landed in Rio de Janeiro early today, ahead of the Alliance of Civilizations, which opens tomorrow. He was expected to see up close Brazil’s progress in eradicating extreme poverty, and to meet later with the families of Brazilian peacekeepers killed in the Haiti earthquake, for whom he was expected to unveil a commemorative plaque.

The Security Council held an open debate on intercultural dialogue for peace and security today, where the Secretary-General said the discussion was especially relevant on the eve of the third Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, beginning on Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He later left New York to take part in that event.

The Secretary-General marked today the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with UNICEF’s new Executive Director, Anthony Lake. The two Protocols — one on prostitution and child pornography, the other on children and armed conflict — have been endorsed by two thirds of all Member States so far.

The Secretary-General arrived in Istanbul this morning for bilateral talks with Turkish leaders and to attend a major international conference on Somalia. Today, the Secretary-General is meeting with President Abdullah Gül and he will also be meeting Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu later.

In a statement this morning on Darfur, the Secretary-General notes with concern recent reports of military build-up and of clashes there. He is particularly concerned for the safety and welfare of civilians following reports of injuries and displacement, and urges all parties to respect the declared cessation of hostilities and return to the negotiating table in Doha as soon as possible.