Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

"Ethiopian government, Tigray rebels accept peace talks invitation .. "

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

All right. Good afternoon. I would like to welcome our guests at the back, visiting students from Baruch College. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy today’s briefing.

**Chief Executives Board

Just to remind you, the Secretary-General today chaired the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) at the Greentree Estate in Manhasset, New York. That meeting continues tomorrow.

CEB Members will reflect on current world affairs as they affect and relate to the UN system. And they will engage in deliberations on a New Agenda for Peace and on Reclaiming the Digital Commons.

**Emissions Gap Report

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today released its Emissions Gap Report, which says that the international community is still falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place.

Under current policies, the world is headed for 2.8 degrees of global heating by the end of the century.

In a message on the report, the Secretary-General said that we are headed for a global catastrophe unless we take action .. https://press.un.org/en/2022/sgsm21551.doc.htm , and he urged countries to end our reliance on fossil fuels, avoid a lock-in of new fossil fuel infrastructure and invest massively in renewables.

Our world cannot afford any more greenwashing, fake movers or late movers, he said, adding that we must close the emissions gap before climate catastrophe closes in on us all.

**Israel and Lebanon

The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, warmly welcomed today the handover of letters delineating the maritime boundary between Lebanon and Israel following successful US mediation, under the leadership of Special Presidential Coordinator, Amos Hochstein.

[...]

**Iran

In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the terrorist attack that took place earlier in the day .. https://press.un.org/en/2022/sgsm21550.doc.htm .. on the Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz, for which the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility.

Such acts targeting religious sites are especially heinous. The Secretary-General stresses the need to bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime against civilians exercising their right to practise their religion.

**Sudan and South Sudan

This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan. Briefing Council members on the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) .. shorturl.at/ads19 .

Continued -- https://press.un.org/en/2022/db221027.doc.htm