The SG: SG Ban Ki-moon visited camps for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkey today, “shocked, humbled and deeply moved” by the stories he heard. The SG has once again appealed to all sides in Syria to stop the killing, pleading for more funds for humanitarian assistance as the Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan is only 50% funded.
Egypt: OHCHR Chief Navi Pillay voiced her concern today over the rising tension, recent deaths, and injuries in Egypt due to protests against their new draft constitution. Seven people were reportedly killed and hundreds wounded this week in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi. Pillay also noted problems within the text itself, such as the absence of any reference to the international human rights treaties which Egypt has ratified and is bound to uphold.
Sahel: At a meeting at FAO HQ in Rome on the Sahel this morning, the DG of FAO emphasized the close link between food insecurity and peace and stability in the volatile region. “We need to make livelihoods more resilient,” the DG said, “We need to ensure that our interventions in different areas – food security and nutrition, agriculture, health, education and security – are as integrated as possible.” The DG noted that the FAO is committed to working more closely with the UN Special Envoy on the Sahel, Romano Prodi, and African leaders to replace short-term humanitarian efforts with longer-term development.
The DSG: DSG Jan Eliasson will travel to Beirut, Lebanon from December 8-12 to chair the annual Regional Coordination Mechanism of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia meeting, to be held on December 10. While there, the DSG will hold bilateral meetings with the President, the Prime Minister and other senior Government officials, will visit UNIFIL troops and staff, and meet with UNHCR representatives.
Next week at the UN:
Monday, December 10: Human Rights Day
Tuesday, December 11: The SC will hold closed consultations on Guinea-Bissau; the annual high-level Conference on the Central Emergency Response Fund, organized by OCHA, will begin at 10 AM.
Wednesday, December 12: The SC will adopt a resolution on Liberia sanctions and on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)/the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and will hear a briefing on UN peacekeeping operations.
Thursday, December 13: The SC will adopt resolutions on Al Qaeda and the Taliban, will hear a briefing on Sudan by the ICC, and will hear a briefing on the 1737 Committee (Iran sanctions).