SG: The SG is in Canada today speaking at the Global Summit in support of Every Woman Every Child. He also met with the Canadian Prime Minister and the President of Tanzania.
DSG: The DSG called on innovators and members of the business community to find sustainable solutions to sanitation issues in an address to the Social Innovation Summit this morning.
Security Council: In a briefing on Syria this morning, Assistant SG for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-wha Kang said that SC Resolution 2139, passed in February, has failed to end obstructions to delivering medical assistance and relief and that violence and violations of international humanitarian law by all parties continue to burden the country. The Council also extended mandates for UN missions in Abyei, Somalia and Guinea-Bissau.
Morocco: After meeting with officials during her first official visit to Morocco, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay was encouraged by the willingness to uphold high standards for human rights in the Moroccan constitution and laws.
CAR: The SG condemned the attacks in CAR and called on the CAR Transitional Authority to help prevent violence throughout the country.
Sustainable Urbanization and Climate Change Challenge: Panelists discussed cities as both a source of the problem and the opportunity for solution in a press conference today. The Mayor of Paris, Mayor of Kingston, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and VP of ECOSOC discussed embracing a low-carbon way of life, a balanced approach to sustainable production and consumption, and an international consensus about climate change—specifically in cities. They expressed success of the first-ever integration segment resulting in an urban-focused post-2015 agenda likely to be seen at September’s Climate Summit.
UN Peacekeepers Day: In a ceremony honoring International Day of UN Peacekeepers today, the SG awarded the Dah Hammarskjold Medal posthumously to 106 personnel who died in 2013 serving peacekeeping operations.