Noon briefing of 1 July 2011
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ, ACTING DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FRIDAY, 1 JULY 2011
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO SPAIN, GENEVA AND ATTEND SOUTH SUDAN INDEPENDENCE CEREMONY
- The Secretary-General will travel to Spain next week. Next Wednesday, he will inaugurate the new United Nations Support Base in Valencia, along with King Juan Carlos.
- Then, in Madrid, he will participate with
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the co-Chair of the
Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group, in a meeting on Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs),
food security and sustainable growth. The meeting will also be attended
by representatives of civil society.
- The Secretary-General will also hold
bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of
Spain.
- The Secretary-General will then go to Geneva, where he will host a
joint meeting with the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot leaders on 7
July. This follows his previous meetings with Dimitris Christofias and Dervis
Eroglu in New York on 18 November 2010 and in Geneva on 26 January of this
year.
- That same day, he will launch the 2011
Millennium Development Goals Report during the High-Level Segment of the
2011 Substantive Session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
- The Secretary-General will then go to Juba to attend the independence ceremony of South Sudan. The Secretary-General will meet with President Salva Kiir Mayardit as well as with the troops, staff and management of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL: U.N. COMMITTED TO FINDING POLITICAL SOLUTION TO LIBYAN CRISIS
- The Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose
Migiro, is attending the African Union Summit in Equatorial Guinea, and she addressed
that summit on Thursday. She said that, despite setbacks, South Sudan's
independence is another milestone for Africa, and for Africa's partnership
with the United Nations. The United Nations, she said, stands firm in
supporting South Sudan's peaceful development and to good neighbourly
relations between the north and south.
- The Deputy Secretary-General added the
United Nations will also remain committed to the search for a political
solution to the Libyan crisis, with the objective of protecting civilians
and working for a durable peace that meets the legitimate aspirations of
Libyan people.
- She expressed the hope that the African
Union ad hoc High-Level Committee on Libya will continue to support the
UN’s political and humanitarian objectives as we work together for a
peaceful solution that fulfills the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan
people.
- Asked about reports of arms going to Libyan rebels, the Spokesperson reiterated that the issue falls under the authority of the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee for Libya.
SECRETARY-GENERAL RESPECTS AND SUPPORTS WORK OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
- Asked about South Sudan’s invitation to
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for its independence ceremony, the
Spokesperson noted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent judicial
institution. It has a mandate distinct and separate from that of the
United Nations. The Secretary-General fully respects and supports the
Court and its work.
- Regarding the ICC arrest warrant for President Bashir, Haq said that how States conduct themselves is a matter for States to determine in the light of the legal instruments applicable to them.
SECRETARY-GENERAL SPOKE TO LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER, EXPRESSED EXPECTATION ON COOPERATION WITH TRIBUNAL
- In response to a question, the Spokesperson
confirmed that the Secretary-General spoke by phone on Thursday with
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. He once again expressed his
expectation that Lebanon will abide by the relevant resolutions of the
Security Council, including Resolutions 1701 and 1757, and will continue
to cooperate with the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon.
- In a statement on
Thursday, the Secretary-General reiterated his strong support for the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and for its efforts to uncover the truth and
send a message that impunity will not be tolerated.
- He calls on all states to support the
independent judicial process, in particular by cooperating with the Special
Tribunal in the execution of the indictment and arrest warrants.
- The Secretary-General expects the new Government of Lebanon to uphold all of Lebanon's international obligations and to cooperate with the Special Tribunal.
U.N. CONFIRMS RAPE, VIOLENCE COMMITTED IN SOUTH KIVU BY FORMER MILITIA LEADER
- A UN joint mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo has confirmed that rape, pillaging and cruel and
degrading treatment were committed in Nyakiele, in South Kivu province
between 11 and 13 June 2011 by troops led by a former Mayi Mayi commander,
who reportedly deserted from an integration camp of the Armed Forces of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
- The Mission included staff from the UN
Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO,
the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). According to interviews with
medical personnel, local authorities and alleged victims, the troops raped
121 women. They also committed acts of looting.
- A second mission is planned to Niakele in the next few days for further investigations into these events.
U.N. MISSION IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE TO CREATE EIGHT NEW MILITARY CAMPS
- The UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire, UNOCI, will
establish eight new military camps in the west of the country, where
security concerns remain.
- The Secretary-General’s Special
Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Choi Young-Jin, says that Mission will also rehabilitate and equip a number of municipal offices, police stations
and gendarmeries which were damaged in some areas.
- These measures, he adds, are parts of efforts to assist the Ivorian authorities restore law and order – a pre-condition for other tasks to be carried out successfully.
GERMANY ASSUMES SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY FOR JUNE
- Today is the first day of Germany’s Presidency of the Security Council. The
new Council President, German Ambassador Peter Witting, will brief reporters
on the Council’s programme of work for July next Tuesday, 5 July, in the
Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium at 12:30 p.m.
- On Thursday afternoon, in a press statement, the members of the Security Council welcomed the Government of Iraq’s assumption of full autonomy over the proceeds of the Development Fund for Iraq, as of today. The members of the Security Council welcomed the Government of Iraq’s establishment of a successor arrangement for the transition of the Development Fund for Iraq, consistent with resolution 1956 (2010).
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY: TWO DEAD IN RIOTING IN REFUGEE CAMP IN KENYA
- The UN Refugee Agency says that two
refugees were killed and dozens injured when rioting broke out in the
Dagahley section of the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. The crowds were protesting an attempt to demolish illegal structures around a food
distribution point.
- Tensions have risen due to pressures at
the overcrowded camp that has seen a high number of arrivals from Somalia.
- More than 61,000 Somalis have sought
safety in Kenya since the start of the year.
- Another 55,000 have arrived in Ethiopia this year. The situation is dire there as well, and three in five children are
reportedly malnourished.
- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has introduced a feeding programme for children below the age of five, but urgent funding is needed to deal with this situation.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
2 – 8 JULY 2011
Saturday, 2 July
Today is the International Day of Cooperatives.
Today, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, will begin an official five-day mission to Haiti.
Sunday, 3 July
There are no major events scheduled for today.
Monday, 4 July
Today is a national US holiday. UN Headquarters in New York will be closed.
Today, the Deputy Secretary-General will give the opening remarks at the 2011 Substantive Session of the High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council, in Geneva.
Today, the United Nations Independent Expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall, will visit Bulgaria until 11 July, to examine the human rights situation of different minorities, including the Roma and Muslim minorities.
Tuesday, 5 July
At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, Ambassador Peter Wittig, Permanent Representative of Germany and President of the Security Council for the month of July, will brief press on the programme of work of the Council for the month.
Today, the Security Council is expected to adopt its Program of Work for the month of July.
Today, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will release the World Economic and Social Survey.
Wednesday, 6 July
Today, the Secretary-General will arrive in Spain. He will inaugurate the new United Nations Support Base in Valencia, along with King Juan Carlos, and will participate with the Spanish Prime Minister in a meeting on MDGs, food security and sustainable growth. He will also hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Spain.
At 9:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a background briefing by senior UN officials on the Millennium Development Goals Report 2011.
Today, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) will release the Small Arms Survey.
At 11:15 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference to launch the United Nations Women’s flagship report entitled, “Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice”. Speakers will include: Michele Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; Unity Dow, Judge; and Laura Turquet, lead author of the report.
Thursday, 7 July
Today, the Secretary-General will be in Geneva where he will host a joint meeting with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. He will also launch the 2011 Millennium Development Goals Report during the High-Level Segment of the 2011 Substantive Session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Today, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will release the Economic Development in Africa 2011 report.
At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on the occasion of the signing of a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOPS) and the Permanent Memorial Committee on Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Friday, 8 July
At 12:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, will be the guest at the Noon Briefing.