HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING


BY EDUARDO DEL BUEY, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON

FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
 

FRIDAY, 27 JULY 2012

 SECRETARY-GENERAL ATTENDS OPENING OF OLYMPIC GAMES

 

  • The Secretary-General attended a reception at Buckingham Palace in London on Friday before going to the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
  • Earlier, the Secretary-General took part in an event with the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to highlight the Olympic Truce.
  • The Secretary-General also held talks with Mr. Hague and with the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg.
  • The Secretary-General has also spoken about his meeting in London with the Joint Special Envoy, Kofi Annan.
  • The Secretary-General will be returning to New York on Saturday.

 

“DEEP ALARM” AT U.N. OVER THREAT TO CIVILIANS IN SYRIA

 

  • United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday expressed deep alarm at the increased threat to civilians in Syria as the conflict and violence escalated across many towns and villages, as well as the country's two biggest cities Damascus and Aleppo.
  • Ms. Pillay urged the Government and the armed opposition to protect civilians and abide by their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, or face the consequences.
  • The UN human rights chief expressed particular concern about the likelihood of an imminent major confrontation in Syria's second largest city Aleppo.

  

U.N. PROVIDES AID TO 30,000 PEOPLE IN MYANMAR

 

  • The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has delivered aid to over 30,000 people in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
  • The people were displaced by recent inter-communal clashes.
  • An estimated 80,000 people are displaced in and around the towns of Sittwe and Maungdaw, according to UN and NGO assessments.
  • Most of them are living in camps with smaller numbers staying with host families in surrounding villages.

 

U.N. ANNOUCES $20M FUNDING FOR REFUGEES IN SOUTH SUDAN

 

  • More than US$20 million has been provided for life-saving aid to refugees who have recently fled to South Sudan from conflict in Sudan.
  • In a press release, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, said nearly 170,000 people have fled conflict and hunger.
  • The money from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will support emergency projects to help an estimated 65,000 people, including 13,000 children under the age of five.

 

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE: On Monday at 12.40, the Secretary-General will address press at the second floor of the North Lawn Building.  He will brief on his recent overseas trips. There will be no noon briefing.

 

U.N RAPPORTEUR TO VISIT MYANMAR: Asked whether the UN has an estimate for the number of people killed in Myanmar the Deputy Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, released a statement on Thursday about the situation in Rakhine State. The Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar, Mr Tomás Ojea Quintana, is due to visit Myanmar from 30 July  to 4 August and will hold a press conference prior to his departure to inform media about his findings.

 

 

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
28 JULY – 3 AUGUST 2012

 

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

 

Saturday, 28 July

 

There are no major events scheduled for today.

 

Sunday, 29 July

 

There are no major events scheduled for today.

 

Monday, 30 July

 

The Secretary-General will meet with the press at a stakeout in the North Lawn Building at 12:40pm.  He will brief on his recent overseas trips. There will be no Noon Briefing.

 

Tuesday, 31 July

 

At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day 2012.

 

The Secretary-General is expected to brief the General Assembly on the G20 at

3:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, 1 August

 

France assumes the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of August.

 

The 344th meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber.

 

The fifth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities takes place from today through Friday at UN Headquarters.

 

Thursday, 2 August

 

At 12:30, Amb. Gérard Araud of France, President of the Security Council, will brief correspondents on the Programme of Work for August. This will take place in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.

 

Friday, 3 August

 

There are no major events scheduled for today.

 

 

 

 

Secretary-General

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