UN Webcast

By the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General. Nigel Fisher, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti.

Elements of Today's Noon Press Briefing:

GUEST

Today’s guest at the noon briefing is Nigel Fisher, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti.

SG TRAVEL

The Secretary-General has arrived in Busan in the Republic of Korea.

In a few hours he will be speaking at the formal opening session of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

The forum is an important part of the discussions around the emerging aid architecture leading up to 2015, the deadline year for the Millennium Development Goals.

On arrival in Busan, the Secretary-General told Korean reporters the forum came at an important time, and that aid effectiveness and solidarity were vital in these times of financial austerity.

In his remarks to the forum, the Secretary-General is expected to say that aid needs to reach those most in need and that it needs to be accountable, flexible and country-driven.

While in Busan, the Secretary-General will have a range of bilateral meetings with leaders from both the public and private sectors. We'll provide readouts when we receive them.

The Secretary-General is also expected to visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the Korean War.

He will be the first Secretary-General to visit the cemetery, where 2,300 soldiers from 11 countries are buried.

The Secretary-General will return to New York on Thursday.

PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

In his message marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people delivered by the Deputy Secretary-General, the Secretary-General said the need to resolve this conflict has taken on greater urgency with the historic transformations taking place across the region. Such a solution must end the occupation that began in 1967, and meet legitimate security concerns. 

The parties have a particular responsibility to cease provocations and create a conducive environment for meaningful negotiations.  Israel’s recently intensified settlement activity in East Jerusalem and the West Bank is a major obstacle. Settlement activity is contrary to international law and the Roadmap, and must cease.

He also urged the Palestinians to overcome their divisions, based on the commitments of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the positions of the Quartet and the Arab Peace Initiative. Palestinian unity that supports a negotiated two-State solution is essential for the creation of a Palestinian State in Gaza and the West Bank.

To mark the day, hundreds of students from schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Jericho area have created a massive aerial image of the Dove of Peace in conjunction with the world-renowned artist, John Quigley, to send out a peace message to the world. The photograph may be viewed on the UN website.

LEBANON

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is currently investigating, in cooperation with the parties, to determine the facts and circumstances of today’s incident – when UNIFIL radars detected firing of at least one rocket into Israel from south Lebanon. Force Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas is maintaining close contact with the parties and has called for maximum restraint in order to prevent any escalation of the situation.

He said that this was a serious incident in violation of Security Council resolution 1701.

He added that it was imperative to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of this attack and that UNIFIL would spare no efforts to this end working in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces.

The Force Commander is in close contact with the parties, and they have reassured him of their continued commitment to maintain the cessation of hostilities in accordance with resolution 1701.

SOMALIA

In Somalia, following the Secretary-General’s statement we issued yesterday, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that any disruption to ongoing humanitarian efforts threatened to undermine the fragile progress made this year. 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that its office and warehouse in Baidoa remained occupied. It adds that it is assessing the impact on its humanitarian operations and is extremely concerned that interruptions to operations across Somalia pose great risks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) for its part says that all medical supplies were looted when their offices were raided yesterday in Baidoa and Wajid. Although WHO says organizations providing health care in the area have enough supplies to continue their services, the Organization is worried there could be shortages if access is not re-established soon.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that in Mogadishu, the root causes driving forced displacement have changed, moving from drought to conflict.

SECURITY COUNCIL

This morning the Security Council met to discuss the Secretary-General’s report on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo told the Council that no less than the taking of full, statesman-like responsibility is demanded if the present opportunities for moving toward peaceful, durable solutions are not to be missed.

This afternoon they will meet at 3 pm to discuss the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

BRAGG

Wrapping up a four-day visit to Yemen, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg warned that millions of Yemenis are facing a severe and deepening humanitarian crisis.

She said that we are seeing chronic deprivation made worse by continuing violence, with some of the world’s highest malnutrition rates, a breakdown of essential services and a looming health crisis.

Millions of vulnerable people in Yemen – not only those who are directly affected by the conflict or displacement – are now in acute need. 

FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that the global food system needs to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels to succeed in feeding a growing world population.

The challenge is to decouple food prices from fluctuating and rising fossil fuel prices, it notes.

There is more information on the Organization’s website.

PRESS CONFERENCES TOMORROW:

Tomorrow afternoon at 12:30pm, there will be a press conference by the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. William Pace, Convenor of the Coalition for the ICC and Richard Dicker, Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, will be briefing you in this room.