MONUC: in response to a deadly attack this morning which killed three UN Peacekeepers serving with MONUSCO in the DRC, the SG has called on the Government of the DRC to launch in immediate investigation. The attack comes on the eve of World Humanitarian Day (Aug 19), which is also the seven year anniversary of the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, which claimed the lives of 22 UN staff in 2003. Ambassador Rice issued this statement on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, which emphasizes the tremendous need for assistance in Pakistan and offers ways to text contributions to UNHCR or make donations via www.interaction.org.
Pakistan: the SG will brief the GA tomorrow at 3pm on his trip to Pakistan and its humanitarian needs. For its part, OCHA says that the scale of the response has not been commensurate with the scale of the disaster. Secretary Clinton and the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, among other high-level delegates, are expected to attend.
Haiti: in a meeting yesterday of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (co-chaired by Clinton & Bellerive), 29 project proposals totaling over $1.6 billion were announced. Fully-funded projects will include a $200 million agricultural development program which will create over 50,000 sustainable jobs, a rubble removal program, back-to-school initiative and a project to build a teaching hospital to train Haitian doctors and health professionals. Special Envoy Clinton is currently in Haiti, where he is holding meetings with Government officials and MINUSTAH.
Gaza: today the SG issued the second follow-up report to the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, which contains inputs from the Israeli and Palestinian sides regarding efforts to investigate incidences during the winter 2008/2009 Gaza Conflict. The report will be transmitted to the HRC-mandated committee of independent experts who are tasked with monitoring and assessing legal proceedings undertaken by both parties.
AU: the SG has appointed former Kenyan Ambassador to the UN Zachary Muburi-Muita as Head of the UN Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa. The Office was created pursuant to a July 1 2010 GA resolution.