The two men discussed the escalating humanitarian crisis and the disconcerting rise in sectarian violence in Syria over a working dinner in New York last night, according to a read-out provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

In June, discussions about the international conference were held in Geneva with participation from senior United States, Russian and UN officials, led by the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi.

Still not scheduled, the goal of such a conference would to be to achieve a political solution to the conflict in Syria through a comprehensive agreement between the Government and the opposition for the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012.

Issued after a meeting of the Action Group for Syria, the document lays out key steps in a process to end the violence. Among others, it calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers and made up by members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups, as part of agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition.

Since fighting began in March 2011 between the Syrian Government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad, more than 100,000 people have been killed, almost 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries and a further 4 million have been internally displaced. In addition, at least 6.8 million Syrian require urgent humanitarian assistance.

Ban and Lavrov also discussed the Middle East peace process, with the UN chief saying he was encouraged by the resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and reiterating that the UN would do its utmost to support them.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister also discussed the situations in Lebanon and Afghanistan, among other topics.

The agenda for Mr. Avramopoulos’s talks with the UN Secretary General includes the negotiations on the FYROM name issue, the Cyprus issue, and issues concerning the stability and security of the wider region of Southeast Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa.

Within the framework of his visit to New York City, Mr. Avramopoulos will attend a working luncheon with representatives of the Hellenic Initiative to discuss the attraction of investments to Greece and the strengthening of Greece’s international image.

Mr. Avramopoulos will also meet on Thursday morning with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America.

Obama joined New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and other officials to inspect damage from the massive storm that struck the East Coast.

Across the state, the storm damaged homes, flooded communities, and left more than 2 million people without power. According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sandy killed at last 18 people in New York, while at least 64 storm-related deaths were reported nationwide to date.

“One of our challenges now is to get back to normalcy,” said Gov. Christie. “And so the things we need to do is to make sure that we get power restored as quickly as possible; make sure that people have clean drinking water, and waste water treatment plants are working; hospitals are taken care of the way they need to; and that we get kids back to school.

Christie, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said he “can’t thank the president enough” for his concern and compassion during the storm.

President Obama outlined the steps being taken by federal emergency responders. Even before the storm hit, FEMA and other groups were able to preposition supplies like water, food, and power generators. Now more than 2,000 FEMA personnel are on the ground in the state, and the President promised that the recovery effort would continue.

“Number one, and most important, our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones,” he said. “For those like the people I just had the chance to meet on this block and throughout New Jersey and throughout the region whose lives have been upended, my second message is we are here for you, and we will not forget; we will follow up to make sure that you get all the help that you need until you’ve rebuilt.”

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney returned to the campaign trail Wednesday with three stops in Florida attempting to win a battleground state.

Obama’s campaign announced Wednesday he planned to resume campaign travel Thursday after a three-day pause with stops in Nevada, Colorado and Wisconsin.

“Regional and sub-regional organizations are important partners in solving conflicts in the affected areas throughout the world,” President Pohamba said in his address to the General Debate of the Assembly’s 67th session, taking place at UN Headquarters in New York. He said the unresolved conflicts around the world demand commitment and resolve from everyone to find durable solutions.

“There is thus, a compelling need for the United Nations to take into account the views of regional organizations in the areas of mediation and peacekeeping. These institutions should be fully supported in finding lasting solutions to violent conflicts around the world,” he stated.

President Pohamba pointed out that the African Union Peace and Security Council has, since its inception, cooperated with the UN Security Council toward the shared goal of conflict resolution.

Similarly, the Southern African Development Community sub-region has put initiatives in place to resolve political conflicts in the region through mediation.

“However, we are concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” stated the President. “We, therefore, urge the international community to support the regional initiative aimed at resolving this conflict and to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons.”

He also highlighted the need for Sudan and South Sudan to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues stemming from the latter’s independence, and urged political actors in Madagascar, which experienced political upheaval last year, to carry out a roadmap leading to the holding of free, fair, inclusive and credible elections.

Denouncing the unconstitutional changes of government in Mali and Guinea-Bissau earlier this year, the Namibian leader commended the role played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help resolve the conflicts in these two countries. He also urged the international community to provide support and assistance to ECOWAS.

“Namibia firmly believes that, if we all dedicate ourselves to finding lasting solutions to conflicts by peaceful means, our collective efforts will be successful,” President Pohamba said.

In his address to the Assembly’s General Debate, Uganda’s Vice President, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, also highlighted the role of regional and sub-regional bodies in resolving conflicts.

“In cases where national actors cannot resolve the problem, for some reason, then the sub-regional organizations should step in,” he said, adding that the UN and the international community would then provide the necessary support to the sub-regional and regional initiatives.

“The advantages of such an approach include utilizing actors that have more discerning knowledge of the problem, those that are in close proximity and with a greater stake in having the problem resolved, as well as the international support and legitimacy that the United Nations provides,” he noted.

Vice-President Ssekandi called on the Security Council and the international community to support the regional initiative by the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the deployment of a neutral international force, and responding to the humanitarian crisis in the country.

“Our preference for homegrown solutions is premised on the realization that external influences or interventions do not necessarily offer sustainable solutions to resolve conflicts,” he noted. “On the contrary, external interventions often contribute to a cycle of destabilizing tendencies which is why we are still grappling with situations like the one in eastern DRC.”

An estimated 390,000 people have been internally displaced in eastern DRC and more than 60,000 Congolese have fled to neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda since fighting erupted in the eastern DRC in April between Government forces, supported by peacekeepers from the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), and the M23 rebel group, made up of renegade former soldiers.

In addition to President Pohamba and Vice-President Ssekandi, scores of the world’s heads of State and government and other high-level officials are presenting their views and comments on issues of individual national and international relevance at the Assembly’s General Debate, which ends on 1 October.

He was released without charge and allowed to return home to Canada. A Canadian judicial inquiry confirmed that he had been tortured in Syria and considered it likely that US authorities had relied on inaccurate information provided by Canadian authorities. The inquiry also noted that thorough investigations by Canadian authorities had not in fact found “any information that could implicate Mr. Arar in terrorist activities”. The Canadian government subsequently recognized the role Canadian officials played in his ordeal, and gave him compensation and a formal apology.

In contrast, the USA refused categorically to cooperate with the Canadian inquiry and, although a small number of members of Congress took the initiative individually to apologize to Maher Arar via a video link to him in Canada at a committee hearing in the US House of Representatives in 2007, the US President and full Congress have failed to apologize or offer Maher Arar any form of remedy. In fact, the Department of Justice successfully fought his attempts to pursue redress in court, based not on the merits of his claim but supposed “significant national security concerns.”

Canadian officials have also requested that the US government remove Maher Arar’s name from the US watch list. That request has been refused. As such, it remains impossible for him to travel to the USA or over US airspace, and he faces constant uncertainty about other countries that may have adopted the USA watch list. He feels strongly, too, that having his name removed from the list would be an important part of restoring his reputation.

Amnesty International stresses that under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and other human rights treaties, the US government is obligated to fulfil the right of torture victims to remedy and redress—including an apology—for what they suffered.

The International Jazz Day seeks to spotlight the historic influence the jazz music genre has had in connecting people and igniting social change. “Jazz makes the most of the world’s diversity, effortlessly crossing borders and bringing people together,” said the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova. “From its roots in slavery, this music has raised a passionate voice against all forms of oppression. It speaks a language of freedom that is meaningful to all cultures.”

Born in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, jazz is rooted in African traditions, draws from European musical forms, and has evolved into various styles across the globe.

At the UNESCO General Conference in November last year, the international community proclaimed 30 April as International Jazz Day, with the intention of raising awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. In her message to mark the day, Irina Bokova stressed that the values of jazz – freedom, diversity, understanding between cultures and peace – are the same values supported by the UN. “Making the most of cultural diversity is a task we all share,” she said.

In New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, UN Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock will be joined by other jazz luminaries in a performance in Congo Square at sunrise. Students and schools from around the world have been invited to play the song “Watermelon Man” along with Mr. Hancock and upload their performances online through YouTube. On Monday evening, UNESCO, along with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, will host a concert at UN Headquarters which will feature an all-star cast of performers, among them Tony Bennett, Chaka Khan, Angélique Kidjo and Romero Lubambo, as well as Mr. Hancock. Co-hosts include actors Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Quincy Jones. Both concerts will be broadcast live on UNESCO’s website and will be available to the public.

Also on Monday, before the concert in New York, the UN Department of Public Information’s UN Academic Impact, in association with the Committee on Information and the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, will hold a panel discussion, involving jazz artists, on the theme of ‘Conversations on Unlearning Intolerance: Jazz as a Force for Education and Dialogue,’ and will screen a documentary film, ‘Finding Carlton,’ about jazz’s impact in India.