HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING

BY FARHAN HAQ, ACTING DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 10 AUGUST 2011 

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY LOOKING TO
REPUBLIC OF
KOREA IN ADDRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

• The Secretary-General met South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in
  Seoul today. In remarks at a dinner at the Presidential Blue House, the Secretary-General thanked the Government for helping to fund United Nations food relief operations in the Horn of Africa. He said that, because of the country's economic development and democratization, the international community was increasingly looking to the Republic of
  Korea's capacity and experience in addressing global challenges.
  

  
  

• Earlier, the Secretary-General spoke at a Global Compact event, thanking the Korean business community for their work in support of the United Nations and encouraging them to be even more engaged in promoting social justice and sustainable development.
  
  

  
  

• The Secretary-General also spoke at a UN Academic Impact forum. He told the audience that the initiative to harness academic power to tackle global challenges has grown since it was launched just last year.
  
  

  
  

• He also spoke at the Yonhap International Press Photo Awards on the Millennium Development Goals, where the Secretary-General called for an accelerated push to meet the targets.

AL-SHABAAB WITHDRAWAL FROM
MOGADISHU COULD EXPEDITE POLITICAL GAINS AND DELIVERY OF AID, SAYS U.N. ENVOY

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Catherine Bragg, briefed the Security Council on
  Somalia this morning.
   

• Regarding the
  Somalia peace process, Mahiga said that the signing on 9 June of the Kampala Accord ended a five month political stalemate by deferring the elections for one year and providing for the establishment of a road-map with clear benchmarks. He said that a Roadmap would be adopted at a Consultative Meeting on Ending the Transition in Somalia, which will be held in
  Mogadishu from 4 to 6 September 2011.
  

  
  

• The Special Representative also noted that the recent withdrawal of the Al-Shabaab insurgent group from
  Mogadishu was a significant event that could expedite political gains as well as the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
  

  
  

• On the humanitarian front, Catherine Bragg warned that the peak of the crisis was still to come, given the high levels of both severe acute malnutrition and under-5 mortality, in combination with an expectation of a continued increase in local cereal prices, and a below-average rainy season harvest. She added that it is expected that assistance needs will continue for the rest of this year, if not longer.

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S
REPORT ON SYRIA TO BE PRESENTED TO SECURITY COUNCIL TODAY

• The Security Council will hold consultations at 3:00 this afternoon on the
  Middle East. Council members will receive a report from Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, on the situation in
  Syria.
  

  
  

• In its Presidential Statement last week, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to provide an update on
  Syria within seven days, and today’s briefing will be the response to that request.
  

  
  

• Asked whether the Secretary-General would appoint a Special Envoy for
  Syria, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General had not yet decided to create such a post. The issue could come up for further discussion, he noted.

REPORT: VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN
TANZANIA SHOULD BE URGENTLY ADDRESSED

• A pioneering survey, led by the Government of Tanzania and funded by UNICEF, reveals an urgent need to address violence against children, particularly in their homes, communities, and schools.
  
  

  
  

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, participated in the launch of the survey in
  Tanzania on Tuesday.
  

  
  

• She commended the report and the plan as an important initiative in confronting a painful problem. She called for greater collaboration among law enforcement organs, including the police and the judiciary, in dealing with the needs of the victims.
  
  

  
  

• Ms. Migiro also called on civil society, faith-based organizations and the mass media to assist in building awareness of the problem and in fostering a safe environment for children, free from all forms of violence and abuse.