HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ, ACTING DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

 

FRIDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2013

 

WRAPPING UP LATVIA VISIT, SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS TO ESTONIA

• The Secretary-General arrived in Estonia earlier today and met in the capital, Tallinn, with the President and Prime Minister. Following his meeting with the President, he spoke to reporters.
• The Secretary-General flew to Tallinn from Riga, where he wrapped up his official visit to Latvia with meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. He also spoke at a conference marking the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Latvia. Tomorrow the Secretary-General will hold further meetings with Estonian leaders and will deliver a lecture at Tallinn University before flying to Lithuania.

SYRIA: ‘HEARTENING’ PROGRESS MADE SO FAR, SAYS HEAD OF JOINT CHEMICAL WEAPONS MISSION

• Sigrid Kaag, the Special Coordinator of OPCW-UN Joint Mission, spoke this morning at the 34th Meeting of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the work that the Joint Mission has been doing in Syria.
• She said that the progress so far has been heartening, furthered by constructive cooperation with the Syrian authorities and strong support from the international community.  However, she added, substantial work remains to be done, and a number of challenges lie ahead.

U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE VOICES CONCERN OVER CLASHES IN CAMBODIAN CAPITAL

• The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that it is seriously concerned about violent clashes which took place in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, earlier this week.
• It said that police were seen beating individuals and shooting live ammunition and rubber bullets from close range.
• The Office is following up with authorities and urging them to launch a prompt and thorough investigation into these clashes and to ensure full accountability for members of security forces found to have used disproportionate and excessive force.
• The Office said that it urges protestors to ensure that the demonstrations remain peaceful. It also called on the authorities to ensure that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly is fully respected.

U.N. ENVOY ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT TO TRAVEL TO D.R. CONGO

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday to assess the situation of children affected by armed conflict and the progress made in the implementation of the Action Plan signed by the Government to end the recruitment and use of children by the Congolese armed forces.
• While in Kinshasa, Ms. Zerrougui will meet with Congolese government authorities and the diplomatic community as well as UN representatives and non-governmental organization partners.
• The Special Representative is also scheduled to travel to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ATTEND AFRICAN-ARAB SUMMIT IN KUWAIT

• On Sunday, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Kuwait to participate in the Third African-Arab Summit on behalf of the Secretary-General and meet with Kuwaiti Government officials, as well as other Arab and African leaders participating in the Summit. 
• On Wednesday, 20 November, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Turkey for meetings with Turkish Government officials. The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York the following day.

NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER NAMED NEW MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL ADVOCATE

• The Secretary-General has named the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, as Co-Chair of his Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Advocacy Group – an eminent group of development professionals from the private sector, academia, philanthropy and civil society, all of whom form a central pillar in our collective development agenda by fostering a global partnership for development.
• Prime Minister Solberg will now work with the other Co-Chair, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, to continue to leverage their unique resources, networks and specialized skills to engage with Member States, civil society organizations and businesses on MDG acceleration efforts in the lead up to 2015. 

SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON KENYA FAILS TO PASS

• The Security Council considered a resolution on Kenya this morning. The resolution failed to pass, with seven votes in favour and eight abstentions.
• Asked about the reaction by some African States to the Security Council vote, the Spokesperson said that the consideration of the resolution had been in the hands of the members of the Security Council.
• Asked about the treatment of Africa, he said that the Secretary-General had consistently put Africa’s concerns at the forefront of his agenda and noted his own recent visit to the Sahel region.

U.N. SUPPORTS RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST

• Asked about human rights concerns in Sri Lanka, the Spokesperson noted that High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay had visited the country and made clear her concerns about the situation in the country at that time. Haq added that the United Nations supports the right of all people to engage in peaceful protest.

 

***The guests at today’s Noon Briefing were John Ging, Operational Director at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and Ted Chaiban, Director of Emergency Programmes for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). They updated the press on the UN’s relief efforts in the Philippines.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
16 – 22 NOVEMBER 2013

(This document is for planning purposes and is subject to change.)

 

 

Saturday, 16 November

Today is World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day.

Sunday, 17 November

Today is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Monday, 18 November

In the morning, the Security Council will adopt resolutions concerning the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and Somalia piracy, followed by a briefing and consultations on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

At 1:15 p.m., in Conference Room 7 in the North Lawn Building (NMU), there will be a lecture Series on Women, Peace and Security on “Women, Peace, Security: Looking Ahead to 2015”, organized by the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein, in collaboration with the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD), Princeton University, and the Peace Women Project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

At 1:15 p.m., in Conference Room E (NLB), there will be a panel discussion on “Problems arising from chemical munitions dumped at sea: Need for increased awareness

and cooperation”, organized by the Permanent Mission of Lithuania.

At 3:00 p.m., in the Trusteeship Council Chamber in the Conference Building (CB), there will be a joint open briefing of the Chairs of the Security Council Committees engaged in countering the financing of terrorism and proliferation and the President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on their respective roles, convened by the Permanent Representatives of Australia, Luxembourg, Morocco and Republic of Korea.

In Geneva, there will be a press conference by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on the launch of the study: "Bangladesh: Seeking better employment conditions for better socioeconomic outcomes" (Under embargo until Monday, 18 November at 22:00 GMT).

In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will hold the 13^th session of the Working Group on the People of African Descent.

In Geneva, OHCHR will hold the 18^th session of the Board of Trustees – UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.

Tuesday, 19 November

Today is World Toilet Day.

In the morning, the Security Council will be briefed on the Middle East, following by consultations.

In the afternoon, the Security Council will hold a debate on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

At 1:15 p.m., in the Economic and Social Council Chamber (CB), there will be the Women’s International Forum: Meeting on “Youth in the Twenty-first Century: Challenges and opportunities”.

Wednesday, 20 November

Today is Universal Children’s Day.

Today is Africa Industrialization Day.

In the morning, the Security Council will be briefed on the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA)/ Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), followed by consultations on Sudan sanctions.

In the afternoon, the Security Council will hold consultations on the Middle East (Yemen).

At 11:00 a.m., in the Press briefing room, there will be a press conference to launch the 2013 Least Developed Countries Report. Speakers will include Mr. Mussie Delelegn, Officer-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

At 12:00 p.m., in the Press briefing room, Mr. Martin Mogwanja, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Ms. Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and the President of Child Help Lines, will be the guests at the Noon Briefing to mark the International Children’s Day.

At 1:15 p.m., in Conference Room 1 (CB), there will be a special event on “Can you hear us now? Giving a voice to children and young people” on the occasion of the Universal Children’s Day, co-organized by the Permanents Missions of the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

In Geneva, there will be a press conference by the UNAIDS on the launch of a new report Going Local––connecting people faster to HIV. The report outlines the importance of a location-based approach to allow HIV programming to focus more precisely and effectively.

Thursday, 21 November

Today is World Philosophy Day.

Today is World Television Day.

At approximately 11:45 a.m., at the Trusteeship Council Stakeout (outside the Trusteeship Council on the 2nd floor of the Conference Building), Mr. Tony Blair, Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, will speak to the reports following his briefing to the open session of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council.

At 12:00 p.m., in the Press briefing room, Mr. Stefan Feller, the United Nations Police Advisor, and Ms. Hester Paneras, Commissioner at the UN Police Service (UNPOL), will be the guests at the Noon Briefing. They will brief on the UNPOL’s work and the “UN Global Effort” to increase the number of female police officers in peacekeeping operations.

Friday, 22 November

At 12:00 p.m., in the Press briefing room, Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), will be the guest at the Noon Briefing. He will brief on what the UN is doing to combat terrorism and to counter violent extremism.

At 3:00 p.m., in Conference Room 2 (CB), there will be a panel discussion on “Job creation and entrepreneurship development: A means to accelerate industrialization in Africa” on the occasion of the Africa Industrialization Day 2013, co-organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) and the Office of the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations.

At 3:00 p.m., in the Economic and Social Council Chamber (CB), there will be a special event on the “Launching of the 2014 International Year of Family Farming”, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).