ARCHIVES

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

 

BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

 

THURSDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 2011

 

NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS RESPECT NO BORDERS, BAN KI-MOON TELLS HIGH-LEVEL GATHERING

 

• The Secretary-General opened the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security this morning by saying that the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl 25 years ago and in Fukushima this year were a wake-up call for the world’s people. 
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• After all, he said, the effects of nuclear accidents respect no borders. To adequately safeguard our people, we must have strong international consensus and action.  We must have strong international safety standards. The Secretary-General said that we cannot accept business as usual, and we all have a stake in getting it right.
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• He discussed the need for greater transparency and open accountability, for greater cooperation between international organizations and between governments, and for strengthening the capacity of the relevant international organizations – particularly the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES FOCUS ON RACISM, INTOLERANCE

 

• The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly meeting commemorating the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
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• He noted that we have come a long way in the past decade, with new laws enacted, new institutions pursuing justice and new initiatives promoting dialogue.
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• Yet we must acknowledge that intolerance has increased in many parts of the world, the Secretary-General said.
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• Our common commitment must be to focus on the real problems of racism and intolerance, he stressed.

 

PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY TO TOP AGENDA OF HIGH-LEVEL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING

 

• The Security Council will hold a high-level meeting on diplomacy and conflict prevention on Thursday afternoon, at which the Secretary-General will speak.
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• Lebanese President Michel Sleiman will chair the meeting. Another half a dozen Heads of State or Government will participate, as well as a number of foreign ministers.
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• After his appearance in the Security Council, the Secretary-General will give remarks at a separate event on combating sexual violence against women and he will also speak at an event commemorating the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL HAS EMPHASIZED NEED FOR HISTORIC DECISIONS BY ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS

 

• Asked about the submission of a request for Palestinian statehood to the Secretary-General, the Spokesperson explained the procedure by which such requests are handled and noted that, after a standard technical review, the Secretary-General would be expected to hand over any request to the Security Council for its consideration. It would be up to Council members to determine their further response.
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• Asked about the Secretary-General’s discussions on the matter with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General urged the Prime Minister to act with responsibility, wisdom and restraint towards the Palestinian approach to the United Nations.  He emphasized the need for historic decisions on both sides at this critical moment.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES DIALOGUE, RESTRAINT IN KOSOVO

 

• Asked about the role of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) regarding recent border tensions, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General has stressed the need for long-standing issues to be resolved through dialogue and in a peaceful manner, urging patience and restraint in order to ensure stability on the ground.

 

UPCOMING SECRETARY-GENERAL/UNITED NATIONS ACTIVITIES

22 - 30 SEPTEMBER 2011

 

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

 

Thursday, 22 September

 

At 8:00 a.m. the Secretary-General will convene the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security in the General Assembly Hall. He will speak at the closing session at 12:00 p.m. in Conference Room 2 (NLB), after which he will address the press at the Stakeout location outside Conference Room 1 (NLB).

 

At 9:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in the General Assembly Hall.

 

At 10:45 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Ian Martin, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

 

At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Sebastián Piñera, President of the Republic of Chile.

 

At 12:30 p.m., there will be an interactive luncheon on the theme “Empowering Rural Women for Food and Nutrition Security” at the Sentry Centers on

730 Third Avenue

. Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), and Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women.

 

At 2:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Demetris Christofias, President of Cyprus.

 

This afternoon, the Secretary-General will attend the Security Council’s High-Level Meeting on preventive diplomacy.

 

At 3:30 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the meeting on Cooperation with Member States on preventing and responding to Sexual Violence in Conflict in Conference Room 4 (NLB).

 

At 4:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the opening of the Round-table Discussion to commemorate the untimely death of former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.

 

Friday, 23 September

 

At 10:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks at the opening ceremony of the Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 in Conference Room 2 (NLB).

 

At 11:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will participate in the Conference Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt of Sweden; Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa Cantellano of Mexico; Tibor Toth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO); and United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Sergio Duarte will address the press together afterwards at the Stakeout Location outside Conference Room 1 (NLB).

 

At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Nabil El Araby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.

 

At 2:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

 

At 2:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Mahmoud Gebril, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Libya.

 

At 3:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend a Mini-Summit on Somalia.

 

At 4:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Baburam Bhattarai, Prime Minister of Nepal,

 

At 5:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the High-Level Meeting on the Yasuni-ITT Initiative with Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, in Conference Room 5 (NLB).

 

Saturday, 24 September

 

At 8:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos;  Bob Geldof; Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya; and Michael Elliott, Chief Executive Officer of the non-governmental organization ONE.

 

At 10:00 a.m., the Secretary-General will attend the Ministerial Mini-Summit on the Humanitarian Response in the Horn of Africa in Conference Room 4 (NLB).

 

Sunday, 25 September

 

Today is World Heart Day (World Health Organization).

 

Monday, 26 September
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This morning, the Security Council will receive a briefing and hold consultations on Libya and the Libya Sanctions Committee.

 

Tuesday, 27 September

 

This morning, the Security Council will receive a briefing and hold consultations on the Middle East.

 

At 3:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend a Ministerial Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations in Conference Room 5 (NLB).

 

At 5:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will attend the High-Level Meeting of the “Group of Friends” on Myanmar in Conference Room 6 (NLB).

 

Wednesday, 28 September

 

At 10:00 a.m., the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism will hold a special meeting commemorating the tenth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the establishment of the Committee, in the Economic and Social Council Chamber (NLB).

 

At 1:30 p.m., a civil society side event on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Committee will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber (NLB).

 

At 3:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Assistant Secretary-General Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate.

 

Thursday, 29 September

 

This morning, the Security Council will receive hold a debate on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). In the afternoon, the Security Council will hold consultations on the Sudan Sanctions Committee.

 

At 10:00 a.m., the Fifth Committee will hold its organizational meeting in Conference Room 3 (NLB).

 

At 10:00 a.m., the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) will hold its first meeting in Conference Room 4 (NLB).

 

Friday, 30 September

 

At 4:45 p.m., the Secretary-General will make remarks on the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence in the ECOSOC Chamber (NLB). The event is being organized by the Permanent Mission of India.

 

 

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, SA-1B15

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055