United Nations Meetings Coverage &Press Releases

Latest Noon Briefings

• Friday, 10 February 2012
  The Secretary-General is concerned by the lack of progress in the negotiations on post-independence issues and the possibility of further escalation of tensions following unilateral decisions taken by the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan over their oil dispute. He says the moment has come for the necessary compromises.
• Thursday, 9 February 2012
  The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has reiterated her call to the Syria authorities to stop the killing and maiming of children, noting that over the past months, the number of child victims in Syria has climbed into the hundreds and the rate is increasing.
• Wednesday, 8 February 2012
  The Secretary-General welcomed the inauguration of the Darfur Regional Authority today. He congratulated the Government and the Liberation and Justice Movement on the important step forward, and reiterated the commitment of the United Nations system to support their efforts to bring peace to Darfur.
• Tuesday, 7 February 2012
  The Secretary-General has learned of the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives and the appointment of former Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan as the new President of the country. He expresses his strong hope that this handover of power will lead to the peaceful resolution of the political crisis that has polarized the country
• Monday, 6 February 2012
  The Secretary-General is appalled by the escalating violence in Syria, particularly at the mounting death toll and continued onslaught on the city of Homs. Such violence is totally unacceptable before humanity. The lack of agreement in the Security Council gives no license to the Syrian authorities to step up attacks on the Syrian population. No Government can commit such acts against its people without its legitimacy being eroded.
• Friday, 3 February 2012
  Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos today welcomed the news that famine conditions are no longer present in Somalia, according to analysis released by FAO, but adds that progress made is fragile and continued and generous support from the international community was needed, or these gains could be reversed.
• Thursday, 2 February 2012
  The Secretary-General is on the last day of his trip to the Middle East. This morning, he was in Gaza, where he visited a school and housing project, both run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
• Wednesday, 1 February 2012
  Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is in Juba today on the first stop of her three-day visit to South Sudan, and she said that South Sudan faces significant humanitarian challenges, including hundreds of thousands of people displaced in 2011, people returning from Sudan and refugees from the conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
• Tuesday, 31 January 2012
  The Secretary-General arrived in Jordan this morning. He has held talks with King Abdullah, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. At a press conference with the Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General said the Security Council meeting on Syria was crucially important and he hoped Council Members would be really united, reflecting the wishes of the international community and the Syrian people.
• Monday, 30 January 2012
  The Secretary-General received the report of his High-level Panel on Global Sustainability from the co-chairs of the Panel, President Zuma of South Africa and President Halonen of Finland. Titled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing”, It contains 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice.
• Friday, 27 January 2012
  The annual Holocaust memorial ceremony is taking place in the General Assembly hall. This year’s observance is dedicated to the children who were victims of the Holocaust. In a message, the Secretary-General said children are uniquely vulnerable to the worst of humankind and that we must show them the best the world has to offer.
• Thursday, 26 January 2012
  The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the killing yesterday of Dr. Abd-al-Razzaq Jbeiro, Secretary-General of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and extends his condolences to his family and colleagues. He condemns the attack that killed him and calls on the Syrian Government to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.
• Tuesday, 24 January 2012
  This morning, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. Mr. Fernandez-Taranco reported that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators started meeting 3 January in Amman, under the auspices of King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Judeh.
• Monday, 23 January 2012
  The Secretary-General is at the Greentree Estate in Long Island, New York, where he has been meeting since this morning with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. The talks will last until tomorrow evening. And tonight, at around 7:20 p.m., the Special Adviser, Alexander Downer, will speak to the media.
• Friday, 20 January 2012
  The Secretary-General will host a joint meeting with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities on 23-24 January at the Greentree Estate in Long Island, New York. This is fifth time that the Secretary-General is meeting with Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroğlu in the framework of the Cyprus negotiations.
• Thursday, 19 January 2012
  The Secretary-General addressed the Security Council on the rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict settings. He said that our task is to usher in an era of respect for the law in every field: from peace and security to trade and development, from the high seas to local communities.
• Wednesday, 18 January 2012
  The Secretary-General has designated David Scheffer of the United States as the Special Expert to advise on the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials for an initial period of six months. Mr. Scheffer replaces Clint Williamson, whose term of office expired on 30 September 2011.
• Tuesday, 17 January 2012
  Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg is in Côte d’Ivoire for a three-day visit to assess the humanitarian situation one year after the post-electoral crisis. Ms. Bragg launched the 2012 appeal for Côte d’Ivoire, which seeks more than $173 million to cover the needs of over 3 million people this year.
• Monday, 16 January 2012
  The Secretary-General is in Abu Dhabi today, where he addressed the opening of the World Future Energy Summit. He said energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity and preserving the environment. His High-level Group on Sustainable Energy had created a framework for a robust action agenda to be ready for this June’s “Rio+20” Conference on Sustainable Development.
• Friday, 13 January 2012
  The Secretary-General today appointed Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen of Denmark as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Management of the United Nations Population Fund. He also appointed Raisedon Zenenga of Zimbabwe as Deputy Special Representative (Political) in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
• Thursday, 12 January 2012
  Today is the second anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. We issued a statement last night in which the Secretary-General honoured the memory of the more than 200,000 people who perished in the earthquake, including 102 United Nations personnel. He also paid tribute to the Government and people of Haiti, who made important strides in rebuilding the country.
• Wednesday, 11 January 2012
  The Secretary-General spoke at the chairmanship handover ceremony of the Group of 77 and China this morning, when Argentina handed over to Algeria. He said Group of 77 leadership is fundamental in ensuring that concrete measures are adopted at the “Rio+20” conference in June.
• Tuesday, 10 January 2012
  The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack in the town of Jamrud in the north-west of Pakistan that left dozens of people dead and many wounded, including children. He extends his heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and reiterates the continued solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of Pakistan in their continuing efforts to confront terrorism and extremism.
• Monday, 9 January 2012
  The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities met in Nicosia today. They discussed the forthcoming talks with the Secretary-General at the Greentree Estate in Long Island, which are to take place from the 22nd to 24th of this month.
• Friday, 6 January 2012
  The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said today that United Nations agencies, with the support of the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, have launched a major humanitarian emergency operation in Pibor, Jonglei State. Around 50,000 people are estimated to be in need and a rapid response plan is being finalized.
• Thursday, 5 January 2012
  The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq has strongly condemned the recent bombings in different parts of the country, which have reportedly resulted in many deaths and injuries. He urges all Iraqis to remain steadfast in the face of those who are using violence in its worst forms to prevent the country from succeeding as a democratic nation.
• Wednesday, 4 January 2012
  The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, is in Khartoum today. She met with the Sudanese Minister for Social Welfare, Amira Al-Fadil, and they discussed the situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Ms. Amos said the Government and her Office had agreed to share information and data on the humanitarian situation and a mechanism would be established to ensure continuous dialogue.
• Tuesday, 3 January 2012
  The Secretary-General was informed today by Josette Sheeran of her decision to accept a position with the World Economic Forum as Vice-Chairman upon completion of her term, in April, as Executive Director of the World Food Programme. He wished Ms. Sheeran great success in her new assignment and looks forward to her continued engagement with the United Nations family.
• Friday, 23 December 2011
  The World Food Programme (WFP) has confirmed today the deaths of two staff members and a colleague working for a cooperating partner organization. The attack took place this morning in Mataban town in Hiraan Province in central Somalia. Two WFP members of a monitoring mission were shot, as was a third person who worked for Doyale, one of WFP’s NGO partners.
• Thursday, 22 December 2011
  Michelle Bachelet, the head of UN Women, has expressed great concern about reports of direct attacks on women for exercising their political and civil rights to public assembly and expression in Egypt. She called on the Egyptian authorities to protect them from violence from any side.