ARCHIVES
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
MONDAY, 03 OCTOBER 2011
SENIOR U.N. OFFICIAL WARNS OF COMPLEX GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FOR WORLD’S 43
MILLION REFUGEES
- The
High Commissioner for Refugees
warned today that an
increasingly complex international environment is making it harder to find
solutions for the world’s more than 43 million refugees, internally
displaced and stateless people.
- Speaking
at the opening of the UN Refugee Agency’s annual meeting of its Executive
Committee, António Guterres
said the international community must step up its efforts to prevent
conflict, adapt to climate change and to better manage natural disasters.
- He
said that in such challenging circumstances, we must recognize our shared responsibility
and we must exercise our shared commitment.
GOVERNMENTS RECOGNIZE NEED TO ENHANCE EFFORTS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
– U.N. OFFICIAL
- Governments
recognize that they need to speed up and scale up their efforts to combat
climate change, according
to the head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC.
- Christiana
Figueres was speaking in Panama at the last formal negotiation
session of the year ahead of the next annual UN Climate Change Conference
the South African city of Durban,
which starting in November.
- She
said governments know that the best way to have a successful meeting in Durban is to arrive
there with draft decisions texts. She also said that she sees a lot of
support for that approach.
LIBYA: U.N. HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR MEETS WITH UPROOTED
POPULATIONS
- The
United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Georg Charpentier, met with internally displaced populations
from Bani Walid. He
said he was impressed by the effective organization that local councils
have displayed in mobilizing resources among the local population to
support those arriving in their towns.
- He
said the UN will continue to support local efforts on the ground. Further
joint assessments in conjunction with national authorities are planned in
the coming days for Sirte and subsequently for
the Southern region.
- UN
humanitarian organizations have worked closely with national and
international partners to respond to requests for support from Libyan
authorities and they have rapidly transported relief, particularly water,
food and non-food items to populations fleeing conflict areas in Bani Walid, Sirte and Sabha.
- Asked
about reports of alleged torture of detainees by forces of the National
Transitional Council (NTC), the Spokesperson reported that the
Secretary-General has stated publicly that accountability and
reconciliation are very important and accountability means for everyone.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is
also monitoring this closely.
JUDGES, PROSECUTORS FOR CAMBODIA
COURTS MUST BE ALLOWED TO FUNCTION FREE OF EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE
<![if !supportLists]>·
<![endif]>The judges and prosecutors at the Extraordinary
Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)
must be allowed to function free from external interference by the Royal
Government of Cambodia, the United Nations, donor States
and civil society alike.
<![if !supportLists]>·
<![endif]>The independence of the judiciary is a fundamental
principle that the United Nations upholds in Cambodia as elsewhere.
<![if !supportLists]>·
<![endif]>There are judicial checks and balances built into the
ECCC proceedings. In particular, the
decision of the Co-Investigating Judges in Case 003 is subject to an independent
judicial process.
<![if !supportLists]>·
<![endif]>The United Nations will not comment on issues which
remain the subject of judicial consideration, nor speculate on actions that
should or should not be taken by the judges or prosecutors in any case.
- The
Co-Investigating Judges must ultimately issue a Closing Order in Case 003
which, in relation to each suspect, either sends him or her to trial, or
dismisses the case against him or her. The Closing Order must include
reasons, which will be available for public scrutiny. Speculating on the
content of the Closing Order at this stage does not assist the independent
judicial process.
GREEN ECONOMY KEY TO FACILITATING INCLUSIVE GROWTH, SAYS SENIOR U.N.
OFFICIAL
- Sha Zukang,
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, is in India
where today he opened the Delhi Ministerial Dialogue on Green Economy and
Inclusive Growth today.
- The
Dialogue, which is organized by the Government of India and the Department
of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA),
is addressing the costs and benefits of a green economy transition.
U.N.
APPRECIATIVE OF EFFORTS TO CONSLIDATE ITS OFFICES IN NEW YORK CITY
- The United Nations understands that
the State of New York enacted legislation
to conditionally allow the Host
City to transfer
part of the Robert Moses Playground to the United Nations Development
Corporation (UNDC) to construct a building for use by the United Nations.
The United Nations Development Corporation is a public benefit corporation
of the State of New York.
- The building, which is referred to as
DC-5, would be built by UNDC, not the United Nations. It is our understanding that UNDC would
lease the building to the United Nations with the option to own it at the
end of the lease term.
- The United Nations understands that
the legislation shall take effect only if a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) is negotiated and signed by the Mayor of the Host City,
the Speaker of the State Assembly, and the Temporary President of the
State Senate, after consultation with local elected officials, by 10
October of this year.
- The United Nations is kept informed
of the discussions about the Memorandum of Understanding by United Nations
Development Corporation, but the UN is neither a party in this process,
nor are we involved in any detailed planning at this stage.
- In the event that a Memorandum of
Understanding is reached, the UN would enter lease discussions with United
Nations Development Corporation. If the UN and UNDC arrive at a draft
lease, we would review it and the General Assembly would have the
opportunity to approve or disapprove it.
- Apart from the current renovation,
the UN accommodates about half of its approximately 10,000 staff members
in leased office space outside of its Headquarters compound. A large share of the leased office space
is located in the DC-1 and DC-2 buildings, where leases expire in
2023.
- The UN
is therefore appreciative of the efforts that would enable us to
consolidate its offices that are currently spread out in more than half a
dozen locations around the City.
AFRICAN UNION-U.N. MISSION TO PROTEST DEADLY
INCIDENT IN WEST DARUFR
- Asked
about an incident that took place in Darfur on September 30, the
Spokesperson reported that Government of Sudan (GoS)
military forces were in pursuit of a Sudanese civilian who ran towards an
African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) patrol near Foro Baranga, West Darfur. As the man tried to climb on to a
UNAMID armoured personnel carrier (APC), he was shot and killed by the GoS forces, who fired upon
the APC, damaging it and risking the lives of UNAMID personnel. The
pursuing GoS soldiers numbered about 40 men
armed with automatic weapons. UNAMID plans to protest to the Government of
Sudan about the incident.
SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES REAFFIRMATION OF COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE ON WORLD HABITAT DAY
- On
the occasion of World Habitat Day today, the Deputy Secretary-General said that the
Day falls during the month when it is predicted that the planet’s seven
billionth inhabitant will be born.
- The
future that this child and its generation will inherit depends to a great
degree on how we handle the competing pressures of population growth,
urbanization and climate change, she said in a message delivered on behalf
of the Secretary-General.
- She
called for a reaffirmation of our commitment to the important journey to a
more sustainable future and for greater attention to be focused on
addressing climate change in the world’s cities and beyond.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Asked about reports of alleged torture of detainees by NTC forces, the
Spokesperson reported that the Secretary-General has stated publicly that
accountability and reconciliation are very important and accountability means
for everyone. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is also
monitoring this closely.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
