Lebanon, Lamp of Peace & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (17 December 2021)

The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "Lebanon, Lamp of Peace & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (17 December 2021)"
The topics: Highlights - Senior Personnel Appointment - Lebanon - Lamp of Peace - Deputy Secretary-General - Middle East - Occupied Palestinian Territorty - Afghanistan - Ethiopia - Democratic Republic of the Congo - COVID-19 - COVID-19/Schools - International Migrants Day - Financial Contributions - Briefing Monday SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica as his Chef de Cabinet. He will succeed Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for her outstanding service and steadfast commitment to the United Nations. The Secretary-General expresses his profound appreciation to Ms. Ribeiro Viotti. He particularly admires her exemplary leadership in steering the work of the United Nations through some of the greatest tests in the organization’s history, including the global pandemic, a potentially crippling financial crisis and one of the organization’s biggest internal reforms. Her vision, sound judgement and unmatched integrity inspired and shaped the United Nations and will leave a positive impact on the Organization for the years to come. Mr. Rattray has been High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States since July 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations in New York, during which time he was also Co-chair of the Group of Friends of the Sustainable Development Goals. LEBANON As the Secretary-General informed you yesterday, he will travel to Lebanon for a state visit, which starts on Sunday. At this challenging time for Lebanon, this will be a visit of solidarity during which the Secretary-General will reaffirm the support of the entire UN family – from our political teams and peacekeepers to our humanitarian aid workers and development professionals – for the country and its people.    The Secretary-General will meet with Government officials, including President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as well as a number of religious leaders and civil society. He will pay tribute to the victims of the Beirut Port blast and will also travel to southern Lebanon to visit the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. In a video message prior to the trip, the Secretary-General said that lasting solutions can only come from inside Lebanon. It is essential for leaders to put the people first, and implement the reforms needed to set Lebanon back on track, including efforts to promote accountability and transparency, and root out corruption. LAMP OF PEACE Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will receive the Lamp of Peace award. This award, given by the Sacred Convent of Assisi, in Italy, aims to honour those working to promote peace and harmony. Recent honorees include the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; the King of Jordan, Abdullah II; and the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. The Secretary-General will deliver remarks virtually during the ceremony taking place at the Basilica of Saint Francis, in Assisi. The Secretary-General was originally scheduled to travel to Italy to attend the ceremony in person. But as you are aware, following exposure to people who tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, and as a precautionary measure, in accordance with medical advice, the Secretary-General decided to participate virtually. The Secretary-General continues to test negative for the virus. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at about 6:45 a.m. New York time, on Saturday and you will be able to watch it live on UN Web TV. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=17%20December%202021


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