SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES JAPAN
NUCLEAR SITUATION WITH SENIOR U.N.
OFFICIALS

• The
  Secretary-General
  
  convened a high-level meeting
  this morning of senior officials of
  UN agencies, funds and programmes to
  take stock of the international
  response to the latest developments
  resulting from the situation at the
  Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
  plant in Japan.
   

• The close
  collaboration between the
  international organizations involved
  in support and relief efforts has
  played an important role in
  bolstering the capacity of the
  Government of Japan and providing
  vital information to the public.
   

• The
  Secretary-General encourages States
  to consider lessons learned and to
  adopt appropriate measures in an
  innovative way to strengthen the
  nuclear safety regime and ensure
  that the highest possible standards
  are implemented to safeguard health,
  food supply and the environment, as
  well as reviewing the disaster risk
  reduction framework.
   

• The situation
  in Japan has nonetheless given rise
  to calls to reassess the
  international emergency response
  framework and the nuclear safety
  regime. The Secretary-General
  supports these calls.
   

• On behalf of
  all the international organizations
  involved in addressing this
  situation, the Secretary-General
  wishes to reassure the people and
  Government of Japan that we stand
  with them as they work to overcome
  this disaster and recover from the
  devastating earthquake and tsunami.
   

• In
  response to a question, the
  Spokesperson said that the
  Secretary-General convened this
  high-level meeting to ensure regular
  and effective communication between
  the various officials. He added that
  this was intended to respond
  effectively to the situation.
   

• Haq
  confirmed that this was the first
  such meeting and that other
  videoconferences could be expected
  over time.
   

• The
  Spokesperson said that although the
  Secretary-General and the other
  officials were concerned with the
  situation at the plant, they also
  praised the Japanese authorities’
  reaction in light of the various
  crises the country had to face
  simultaneously. He also noted the
  steps taken by Japan concerning
  disaster risk reduction, which may
  have helped reduce casualties.
   

• Asked
  about the role of the International
  Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Haq
  said that the Secretary-General had
  said that the Agency had a central
  role to play in the further
  development and universal
  application of the highest possible
  safety standards.  He added that
  this is expected to be discussed at
  the 5th Review Meeting of the
  Contracting Parties to the
  Convention on Nuclear Safety, which
  will be held in early April.

 

NO EVIDENCE OF CEASE-FIRE IN LIBYA,
SAYS BAN KI-MOON

• The
  Secretary-General briefed the
  
  Security Council on Libya
  yesterday, and
  
  said to reporters afterward
  that, despite repeated claims by the
  Libyan authorities, we continue to
  see no evidence of a cease-fire. Nor
  have we seen any steps by the Libyan
  authorities to fulfill their
  obligations under resolutions 1970
  and 1973.
   

• He said that we
  have serious concerns about the
  protection of civilians and respect
  for human rights and international
  humanitarian law. Worrying signs
  include arrests, disappearances,
  threats and incitement, including by
  Colonel Qadhafi on national
  television.
   

• There is an
  urgent need for humanitarian access,
  with more than 330,000 people having
  fled the country. The
  Secretary-General reminded all
  parties of obligations to allow
  unimpeded access to populations in
  need.
   

• Asked if
  the Secretary-General supported
  maintaining Colonel Qadhafi in
  power, the Spokesperson said that
  the Secretary-General had repeatedly
  said that Mr. Qadhafi had lost his
  moral legitimacy in light of his
  actions in the country. Haq added
  that the Secretary-General did
  believe a political solution was
  possible and that his Special Envoy
  for Libya, Mr. Abdul Ilah al-Khatib,
  was holding wide consultations to
  that effect.

 

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY HEARING REPORTS
OF INCREASED DISPLACEMENT IN EASTERN
LIBYA

• The UN Refugee
  Agency,
  
  UNHCR, is
  
  hearing consistent reports from
  new arrivals and humanitarian
  partners of increased internal
  displacement in eastern Libya.
   

• It has sent two
  convoys with medical supplies to
  Benghazi, in addition to thousands
  of blankets, sleeping mats and other
  items.
   

• The Agency is
  ready to dispatch enough supplies
  for up to 50,000 people if
  necessary.
   

• UNHCR reports
  that the number of people fleeing
  Libya has remained steady in recent
  days, with Tunisia and Egypt having
  seen some 2,000 arrivals each day
  from Libya.
   

• In transit
  camps at the Tunisia-Libya border,
  8,500 people are awaiting evacuation
  or alternative solutions.
   

• As of
  Wednesday, more than 350,000 people
  have fled the violence in Libya.
   

• The World Food
  Programme (WFP)
  continues to pre-position food
  supplies in and around Libya. It has
  signed an agreement with the Libyan
  Red Crescent to help 105,000 people
  in and around Benghazi.

 

WORSENING SECURITY SITUATION TAKING
TOLL ON LIVES OF IVORIAN PEOPLE, SENIOR
U.N. OFFICIAL SAYS

• The Assistant
  Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
  Operations, Atul Khare, briefed the
  Security Council this morning on the
  situation in Côte d’Ivoire.
   

• He said the
  deteriorating security situation and
  the escalation in the use of heavy
  weapons has had a serious toll on
  the lives and well-being of the
  Ivorian people. He also said the
  humanitarian situation is very
  grave.
   

• Khare mentioned
  some of the most serious incidents
  of the use of excessive violence
  against civilians. He also
  underlined the continued
  obstructions to operations by the UN
  Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).
  
   

• He added that
  UNOCI continues to investigate and
  document human rights violations and
  has gained access to some sites of
  alleged mass graves, which it is now
  investigating. He added that UNOCI
  had increased its patrols in
  vulnerable communities and
  neighborhoods and has also made
  arrangements for a permanent patrol
  to be stationed on a 24/7 basis in
  Abobo.
   

• In
  response to a question, the
  Spokesperson said that the Security
  Council was circulating a draft
  resolution on the country.

 

CÔTE D’IVOIRE: U.N. HUMANITARIAN
CHIEF CALLS FOR ACCESS, RESPECT FOR
CIVILIANS

• Under-Secretary-General for
  
  Humanitarian Affairs and
  Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie
  Amos called on those involved in the
  violence to respect civilians
  including aid workers and to allow
  rapid, safe and unimpeded access by
  humanitarian organizations.
   

• She said that
  the ongoing harassment and
  obstruction of aid workers from NGOs
  and the UN, the violation of UN
  humanitarian premises, and the theft
  of assets of aid agencies, seriously
  compromises the ability of aid
  workers to reach people who require
  assistance.
   

• The UN Refugee
  Agency (UNHCR)
  said today that up to one million
  people could now be displaced in
  Abidjan and the immediate
  surroundings.  More than 100,000
  have fled the country.

 

SITUATION IN SYRIA DETERIORATING,
SAYS U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE

• The
  
  Office of the High Commissioner for
  Human Rights says that the
  situation in Syria has worsened
  considerably over the past week,
  with the use of live ammunition and
  tear gas by the authorities
  resulting in at least 37 people,
  including two children, being killed
  in Daraa.
   

• The Human
  Rights Office welcomes the Syrian
  Government’s decision to investigate
  the killings and reiterates its call
  for this investigation to be
  independent and impartial; those
  responsible for the killings must be
  held accountable. 
   

• It also
  welcomes the release of those
  associated with the protests in
  Daraa, and hopes that all human
  rights defenders and political
  activists throughout Syria, who had
  also reportedly been arrested, would
  also be released without delay.
   

• In
  response to a question, the
  Spokesperson confirmed that the
  Secretary-General had spoken by
  phone this morning to the Syrian
  President, Bashar al-Assad. He said
  that the Secretary-General had
  discussed the concerns he had
  expressed in the
  
  statement he put out earlier
  this week.

 

TWO NEW U.N. FORCE COMMANDERS
APPOINTED

• The
  Secretary-General has appointed
  Major General Juha Kilpia of Finland
  as Head of Mission and Chief of
  Staff of the United Nations Truce
  Supervision Organization (UNTSO).
  He will succeed Major General Robert
  Mood of Norway, who completed his
  assignment in February.
   

• The
  Secretary-General has also appointed
  Major General Luiz Eduardo Ramos
  Pereira of Brazil as Force Commander
  of the UN Stabilization Mission in
  Haiti (MINUSTAH). 
  Major General Ramos replaces Major
  General Luiz Guilherme Paul Cruz,
  also of Brazil, who will complete
  his assignment on 31 March.

 

U.N. MARKS DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH
DETAINED, MISSING STAFF MEMBERS

• Today marks the
  26th
  
  Day of Solidarity with Detained and
  Missing Staff Members. It is
  commemorated annually in recognition
  of the serious threats to the
  freedom and safety of UN staff
  around the world.
   

• In his message
  to mark the occasion, the
  Secretary-General
  
  calls on all partners to do
  their utmost so that UN personnel
  can do their work in the safest
  environment possible.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES CONTINUED
FIGHT AGAINST MODERN-DAY SLAVERY

• At a ceremony
  marking the
  
  International Day of Remembrance of
  the Victims of Slavery and the
  Transatlantic Slave Trade, the
  Secretary-General
  
  said that our challenge is to
  remember slavery in the past and to
  continue the fight against its
  contemporary versions now.
   

• By studying
  slavery, he says, we give names and
  faces to people and places that had
  been made invisible.
   

• The
  Secretary-General stresses that by
  examining the prevailing assumptions
  and beliefs that allowed the
  practice to flourish, we raise
  awareness about the continued
  dangers of racism and hatred.
   

• On the occasion
  of the International Day, there will
  be a special concert performance
  this evening in the General Assembly
  Hall.
   

• The Living
  Legacy Concert will feature
  performances by Khaira Arby of Mali
  and Aurelio Martinez of Honduras,
  among others.

 

HAITI: U.N RECTIFIED BALLOT SITUATION
DURING RECENT POLLS

• The UN Mission
  in Haiti,
  
  MINUSTAH, and the UN Development
  Programme (UNDP),
  have clarified that some incomplete
  electoral kits were identified
  before voting began last Sunday.
  These kits were in fact materials
  from 2009, which were kept for
  electoral training purposes and
  mistakenly deployed.
   

• This affected
  69 voting centres in the
  Port-au-Prince region. That’s 4.6%
  of the 1,500 voting centres in the
  country.
   

• The UN Mission
  in Haiti, working closely with the
  Provisional Electoral Commission,
  immediately redistributed the
  missing material, between 8:30 and
  11:00 a.m. The Provisional Electoral
  Commission also decided to extend
  the voting by one hour, until 5:00
  pm, in the affected centres.

 

THE WEEK
AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

26 MARCH –
1 APRIL 2011

 

Saturday,
26 March

 

There are no
major events scheduled for today.

 

Sunday, 27
March

 

There are no
major events scheduled for today.

 

Monday, 28
March

 

At 3:00 p.m., the
Disarmament Commission will hold its
organizational session in Conference
Room 1 of the North Lawn Building (NLB).

 

Tuesday,
29 March

 

This morning,
the Security Council will hold
consultations on resolution 1701.

 

At 11:00 a.m., in
the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium,
there will be a press conference on the
launch of a new International Labour
Organization (ILO) report, entitled
“Growth, employment and Decent Work in
the Least Developed Countries”, as a
contribution to the upcoming Fourth UN
Conference on Least Developed Countries
(LDCs) in Istanbul on 9 May 2011.

 

At approximately
12.30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld
Library Auditorium, Michael C. Williams,
the Special Coordinator for Lebanon,
will speak to reporters following his
briefing to the Security Council on the
implementation of resolution 1701.

 

At 3:00 p.m., there
will be a panel discussion on
“Transformative policies for decent work
in the least developed countries” and
the International Labour Organization (ILO)
report entitled “Growth, Productive
Employment and Decent work in Least
Developed Countries” will be launched in
Conference Room 1 of the NLB.

 

Wednesday,
30 March

 

At 2:00 p.m., in
the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium,
there will be a press conference
focusing on the launch of the United
Nations Development Programme’s Creative
Economy Report conference followed by
the screening of the 2011 Oscar
nominated documentary, “Waste Land.”
Participants will include Helen Clark,
UNDP Administrator, and Edna dos Santos,
Chief of the Creative Economy and
Industries Programme of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD).

 

Thursday,
31 March

 

At 11:00 a.m., in
the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium,
there will be a press conference upon
the conclusion of the Human Rights
Committee’s 101st Session. Zonke
Majodina, Chair of the Human Rights
Committee, South Africa, and Mr. Krister
Thelin, Committee Member, Sweden, will
participate.

 

At 12:00 p.m.,

Michael Adlerstein, the Executive
Director of the Capital Master Plan,
will be the guest at the Noon Briefing.

 

Friday, 1
April

 

Today, Colombia
assumes the monthly rotating Presidency
of the Security Council.

 

Today, in Kenya,
there will be a meeting of the United
Nations System Chief Executives Board
for Coordination (CEB).