HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY MARTIN NESIRKY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FRIDAY,
28
JANUARY 2011
The
Secretary-General
spoke at a session of the World Economic
Forum in Davos today, and he said that
climate change is showing us that the old
model for economic growth, which was based
on an abundance of natural resources, is not
just obsolete, but extremely dangerous. Over
time, he said, that model is a global
suicide pact.
The
Secretary-General called for a free market
revolution for global sustainability, and he
urged leaders to send the right signals to
build the green economy.
He
also
addressed the press in Davos and
discussed the efforts to foster progress on
climate change and sustainable development.
Asked about Egypt, he said that all
concerned people and leaders should ensure
that the situation does not lead to further
violence. He emphasized that freedom of
expression and association should be fully
respected.
On
Côte d’Ivoire, he urged Laurent Gbagbo
and his camp to fully respect the will of
the Ivorian people, which has been expressed
through the election.
Asked about African Union views on Côte
d’Ivoire, the Spokesperson noted that the
Secretary-General had said he was concerned
that some difference of opinion had now
surfaced among the African Union. He said
such a difference of views is not desirable
at this time and noted the importance of
preserving the integrity and fundamental
principle of democracy. The
Secretary-General expresses his concern over
the humanitarian impact of continued
hostilities between Government and
belligerent forces in Darfur. He calls on
them to respect international humanitarian
law and the rights of individuals. He
reminds the parties that hostilities will
directly affect the peace process in Doha
and Darfur, where the efforts of the
international community are concentrated to
help the Sudanese build long-term peace and
security in Darfur. The
Secretary-General calls on the Government
and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)
to step up their efforts to conclude a
cease-fire in the coming days. He calls on
other belligerent forces to enter
immediately into discussions with the
Government on security arrangements and a
final settlement of the conflict. The
Secretary-General calls on the Government to
ensure its security elements fully cooperate
with
UNAMID and humanitarian workers in the
delivery of humanitarian assistance and the
protection of civilians. Next
week, the Secretary-General will travel from
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to London, where he
will meet with senior United Kingdom
officials, including Prime Minister David
Cameron and Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague.
While in the UK, the Secretary-General will
deliver the Cyril Foster Lecture at Oxford
University and he will also give an address
at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). He
will then travel to Berlin, where he will
hold talks with senior German officials and
speak at Humboldt University. The
last leg of the Secretary-General’s trip
will be in Munich, where he will address the
Munich Security Conference. As previously
announced, he will attend a meeting of the
Middle East Quartet while he is Munich. He
will return to New York on 6 February. High
Commissioner for
Human Rights Navi Pillay today urged the
Government of Egypt to exercise restraint
and to protect the rights of its citizens to
freedom of expression, information and
assembly. Ms.
Pillay noted reports of police confronting
protestors with rubber-coated bullets, tear
gas, water cannons and batons since the
street protests erupted.
While maintaining law and order are
important, the responsibility of the
Government to protect the rights to life,
liberty and security is paramount, she
stressed. The
High Commissioner called on the Government
to initiate investigations into reports of
the use of excessive force, particularly the
killing of at least five civilians.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s view on
the reports of excessive use of force, the
Spokesperson said that, where there are such
reports, they should be investigated. He
noted that the Secretary-General had
talked to the press today and said that
he had been closely following the situation
in the region, including what is happening
in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen.
He
voiced his hope that leaders should ensure
that the situation does not lead to further
violence, and added that leaders should see
these situations as “an opportunity to
engage in addressing the legitimate concerns
and wishes of their peoples.” The
Secretary-General added that he believes
that “one of the ground principles of
democracy is to protect and ensure the
freedom of speech of the people.”
U.N. ENVOY MEETS WITH
LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE
Michael Williams, the
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, met
with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati
today.
He
said afterward that he had underlined the
importance of maintaining calm and stability
in Lebanon during this period. Mr. Williams
reiterated the position of the United
Nations that all sides need to engage in
dialogue to resolve differences, no matter
how sensitive.
In
that respect, he said, he is sure that the
new government, when it is formed, will
maintain good relations with the United
Nations and will fully abide by its
international obligations.
AFGHANISTAN: U.N. MISSION CONDEMNS ATTACK ON
KABUL SUPERMARKET The
UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA)
has
condemned an attack on a supermarket in
the centre of Kabul today, which has
reportedly killed at least six civilians,
including a child. The
Mission says that this terrible attack comes
on the heels of a number of attacks on
Afghan civilians across the country in the
first weeks of the year. There can be no
credible claim that this or other attacks
involve legitimate targets, when these
attacks indiscriminately kill and injure
civilians.
The
UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
reports that the number of Ivorian
refugees who fled post-election violence to
eastern Liberia has exceeded 31,000. The
Agency is planning for a second airlift of
relief supplies – including blankets and
kitchen sets – for Monrovia this weekend. It
also notes that the influx of refugees from
Côte d’Ivoire to other neighbouring
countries, such as Guinea and Togo, has been
small and slow to date.
The
UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUSCO)
is concerned about a steady increase in
rapes in North and South Kivu, allegedly
perpetrated by members of foreign and
Congolese armed groups, as well as elements
of the Congolese Armed Forces, since the
beginning of this year. Some
of the worst offences took place in early
January in Fizi, where Congolese Armed
Forces elements were alleged to be involved
in a number of violent incidents and rapes.
The Mission welcomes the promptness with
which the Government of the DRC arrested 11
Armed Forces personnel, including the
officer in charge of the operation in the
incidents.
Since then, at least 53 additional rapes
were committed in the Moyens Plateaux, with
members of the Democratic Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda believed to be
involved. The Mission has increased its
protection activities in several areas to
respond to the rapes, including through
stepped up patrolling activities and
dispatches of joint protection teams. On
Thursday, MONUSCO peacekeepers from the
Indian contingent successfully rescued seven
women taken hostage by Mai Mai fighters in
the North Kivu village of Ntoto. Reports
about the hostage taking were made to the
North Kivu Brigade by villagers in the
region. The North Kivu brigade acted
swiftly, cordoned off the village and
negotiated the release of the women with any
fight. The negotiation lasted about two
hours.
Asked about further steps to deal with
rapes, the Spokesperson said that MONUSCO is
considering establishing a strengthened
military presence in these areas. The
Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
has
expressed its grave concern over the
killing of David Kato, a prominent Ugandan
gay activist and human rights defender.
Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS,
urged the Ugandan Government to carry out a
thorough investigation into Mr. Kato’s death
and to ensure adequate security for the
country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender citizens. Mr.
Kato’s death came days after the High Court
of Uganda ruled that the country’s
constitution protects the rights to dignity
and privacy for all Ugandans regardless of
their sexual orientation.
SECRETARY-GENERAL WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY
LEADERSHIP ROLE ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
Asked
whether the Secretary-General will disengage
from leadership during climate change
negotiations, the Spokesperson said that the
Secretary-General is continuing to have a
leadership role, as he did during the Cancún
talks, while
Christiana Figueres will also continue her
role in encouraging leaders to negotiate.
Meanwhile, he said, he was also going to focus
on smaller, incremental gains while we push for
progress on a climate change deal.
MORE
FUNDS NEEDED FOR PAKISTAN HUMANITARIAN APPEALS:
Asked about the
appeals for Pakistan, the Spokesperson said that
a little more than 50 percent of the appeal has
been funded. He said the United Nations was
grateful for the funding given so far, but added
that more money is needed. The Secretary-General
appeals to all countries and donors to
contribute.
SEVERAL MEMBERS OF GABONESE OPPOSITION REMAIN IN
U.N. COMPOUND:
Asked about the situation in Gabon, the
Spokesperson said that a number of opposition
figures remain in the UN compound and the
Resident Coordinator is trying to resolve the
matter. U.N.
ENVOY FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT TO VISIT
AFGHANISTAN: This
weekend, Under-Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict Radhika
Coomaraswamy will be visiting Afghanistan to
sign an agreement with the Afghan Government to
stop the use and recruitment of children in the
Afghan National Security Forces.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE
UNITED NATIONS[1]
Saturday, 29 January There
are no major events scheduled for today.
Sunday, 30 January Today,
the Secretary-General will address the 16th
Ordinary Session of the
African Union Summit
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Monday, 31 January Today,
Gay McDougall, UN Independent Expert on minority
issues, will begin a visit to Rwanda, which will
wrap up on 7 February. The
first 2011 regular session of the Executive
Board of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and
of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) begins today
in Conference Room 3 of the North Lawn Building
(NLB). It will end on 3 February.
Tuesday, 1 February
At 11:00
a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library
Auditorium, there will be a press conference on
a new report from IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) on the “True Economic
Value of Forests” with participants Gill
Shepherd, Report Author; Lucy Emerton, Report
Author; and moderator Stewart Maginnis, IUCN
Director of Development and Environment.
Wednesday, 2 February
This evening, the
Secretary-General will give the Cyril Foster
Lecture at Oxford University in the United
Kingdom.
At 2:00
p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library
Auditorium, there will be a press conference on
the announcement on saving forests organized by
Rwandan Government and IUCN (International Union
for Conservation of Nature). Participants will
be Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Director of
Development and Environment; Carole
Saint-Laurent, Senior Forest Policy Advisor of
IUCN; Jan McAlpine, Director of the UNFF and
moderator Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General
of IUCN.
Thursday, 3 February
Today, the Secretary-General
will speak at an event at the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) in London.
At 12:00
p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library
Auditorium, the guest at the Noon Briefing will
be Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative
for Children and Armed Conflict.
Friday, 4 February Today,
the Secretary-General will give a speech at
Humboldt University in Berlin. Today is
World Cancer Day.
[1]This
document is for planning purposes only
and is current as of DATE \@ "HH:mm"
13:21 DATE \@ "dddd, dd MMMM, yyyy"
Friday, 28 January, 2011.
29 JANUARY – 4 FEBRUARY 2011
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
