HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Monday, September 21, 2009
[This is a brief update of developments in the UN system today.
Due to the observance of Eid al-Fitr, a UN holiday, there will be no noon
briefing Monday.
The briefing resumes on Tuesday, September 22.)
MORE THAN 90 WORLD LEADERS EXPECTED AT CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT TOMORROW
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will kick off tomorrow’s
opening session of the Climate Change
Summit, at 9 a.m., followed by
speakers from eight countries.
Delegations will then split up in four parallel
interactive roundtables, in the morning as well as the afternoon.
The Secretary-General will then provide a Chair’s Summary of the day’s discussions at 5:30 p.m., followed by a press conference with the Prime Minister of Denmark, at 6 p.m. More than 90 Head of States and Governments are expected to take part in the Summit.
ON EVE OF CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION
Ahead of the High-Level Climate Change Summit he has
convened tomorrow, the Secretary-General is calling for collective action in
response to the climate change challenge.
He is participating today in the opening ceremony of
the first edition of “Climate Week NY°C.” As the week-long events brings
together all sectors of society to raise awareness about the urgent need for
climate action, the Secretary-General is expected to call on them to send a
strong message to the summit about the need to seal a deal in Copenhagen. He
will also say that the aim of tomorrow’s summit is for leaders to mobilize
the political momentum that can accelerate the pace of negotiations and help
strengthen the ambition of what is on offer.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will address the
High-Level Summit on Climate Change of the Association of Small Island
States (AOSIS) where he will stress the special vulnerability of these
countries to climate impacts. He is expected to ask them to continue showing
dynamic leadership to seal a fair, comprehensive and ambitious deal at
Copenhagen in December. He will also say that tomorrow’s climate change
summit is a chance for national leaders to build bridges and dispel
mistrust.
TOP U.N. ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN WELCOMES ELECTIONS COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENT
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Afghanistan, Kai Eide, welcomed today’s joint announcement by the
Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints
Commission (ECC) concerning the agreement reached on modalities for
resolving issues remaining before final certification of the results of the
20 August presidential elections can take place.
Eide said, "This cooperation between the two
commissions is essential for achieving a credible outcome to this election.
The Afghan people need to know the outcome of this election without undue
delay, including the decision on whether a run-off vote is required."
He went on to call on the IEC and ECC to ensure a timely conclusion to this process while respecting international standards and the need for transparency. The final result of this election must reflect the will of the Afghan people.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Monday, 21 September
Today is the International Day of Peace.
The Secretary-General will attend the opening ceremony of Climate Week in New York, at 12 p.m., at the New York Public Library.
At 2 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the opening of the Summit of the Association of Small Island States (OASIS) on Climate Change, at the American Museum of Natural History.
Tuesday, 22 September
At 9 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall, the Secretary-General will open the plenary session of the High-level Event on Climate Change he has convened.
At 9 a.m. in Room S-226, there will be a press conference by Evo Morales Ayma, President of Bolivia.
At 10.30 a.m. in Room-S226, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, Klavs Arnoldi Holm from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Steve Grove from YouTube and Rebecca Moore from Google Earth Outreach will launch an initiative to promote awareness of the global impact of climate change.
At 11 a.m. in Conference Room 4, there will be a press conference by the UN Global Compact on the UN Leadership Forum on Climate Change. At 1 p.m., the Secretary-General will deliver the keynote address at the UN Leadership Luncheon.
The guest at the noon briefing will be Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team.
At 1.45 p.m. Room-S226, Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway; Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority; and Tony Blair, Special Envoy of the Middle East Quartet, brief on the work of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC).
At 3 p.m. in Room-S226, the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands sponsors a press conference by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh; Elizabeth Peredo, Director of Fundación Solon; and Joseph Donnelly from Caritas Internationalis brief on the occasion of the High-level Event on Climate Change.
At 4 p.m. in Room-S226, H.R.H Prince Albert II of Monaco joins other speakers to brief on climate change.
At 5:30 p.m., the Secretary-General will present a Chair’s summary of the Summit on Climate Change, in the General Assembly Hall.
At 6 p.m., he will then hold a press conference with the Prime Minister of Denmark, in Conference Room 4.
At 9.30 p.m., the Secretary-General and other participating Heads of State are expected to hold a press encounter at the Delegates’ Entrance following the Secretary-General's working dinner on climate change.
Wednesday, 23 September
The Secretary-General will attend and address the opening session of the General Debate of the General Assembly, which starts at 9 a.m. today.
At 10 a.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press briefing by Kazuo Kodama, Press Secretary for the Prime Minster of Japan.
At 12 p.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain.
At 3 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the Innovative International Financing for Health event, hosted by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber.
At 4 p.m., the Secretary-General will join the meeting on Global Health organized by Mrs. Carla Bruni-Sarkozi.
At 4:30 p.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, the Secretary-General will attend a UN-REDD (United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) event, hosted by the Government of Norway.
At 5 p.m., the Secretary-General will take part in the High-level meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar, in Conference Room 6.
At 5 p.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference by Alvaro Uribe Velez, President of Colombia.
At 6 p.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries.
Thursday, 24 September
The Secretary-General will attend the opening session of the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at 8 a.m., in Conference Room 3. At 8:45 a.m., he will hold a press stakeout. The CTBT will resume at 11 a.m. and continue tomorrow, Friday.
From 8:15 to 8:55 a.m., UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd and Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will unveil a banner in the Delegates' Lounge commemorating UNRWA's 60 years.
At 9 a.m., the Secretary-General will attend the High-level Summit of the Security Council on non-proliferation in the Security Council Chamber.
At 10 a.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press briefing by Kazuo Kodama, Press Secretary for the Prime Minster of Japan.
At 11:05, the Secretary-General will attend the ministerial segment of UNRWA’s 60th anniversary commemoration, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. The session will open at 9 a.m. and will end with a Chair's summary from 12:50-13:00. After the meeting, UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd, President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will brief the press at the Security Council stakeout.
At 12 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the High level meeting of the Group of Friends of Democratic Pakistan, in the ECOSOC Chamber.
At 3 p.m., the Secretary-General will participate in a Middle East Quartet meeting.
At 5.15 p.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press briefing by Yasuhisa Kawamura, Press Secretary for the Foreign Minister of Japan.
Friday, 25 September
The Secretary-General will be in Pittsburgh to attend the G-20 meeting.
At 9 a.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press briefing by Yasuhisa Kawamura, Press Secretary for the Foreign Minister of Japan.
At 10.15 a.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference by Dimitris Christofias, President of Cyprus.
At 11 a.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference by Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
At 1.30 p.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference by Johnson Toribiong, President of Palau.
At 5 p.m. in Conference Room 4, there will be a press conference by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran.
At 6.15 p.m. in Room-S226, there will be a press conference by John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand.
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