The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: The Secretary-General is following closely the release of political prisoners by the Government of Myanmar as part of the amnesty granted by President Thein Sein. The Secretary-General welcomes the release, thus far, of a number of prominent figures. He hopes […]
The Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People issued the following statement today, 13 October: The Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People expresses its grave concern at the situation of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held by […]
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon?s remarks as delivered to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, today, 12 October, in Uppsala, Sweden: It is with deep emotion that I stand by the graveside of my predecessor to pay tribute to him 50 years after his death. I am honoured to do […]
“Design with the Other 90%: Cities”, the second in a series of themed exhibitions by Cooper-Hewitt that demonstrate how design can address the world’s most critical issues, will open with a formal ceremony in the Main Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby at 6 pm on Monday, 17 October. The exhibit, which will remain on […]
Following are the remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro at the World Knowledge Forum, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, today, 12 October: It is a pleasure to join you for this discussion on a crucial aspect of Africa’s future. The perception of Africa as a place where poverty, hunger, disease and civil wars are […]
Despite the prevailing global financial woes, the financial situation of the United Nations had undergone an overall improvement in 2011, with all its funds enjoying positive cash balances and a drop in the debt it owed to Member States expected by year?s end, the world body?s top management official said at Headquarters today. Speaking […]
Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon?s message for World Food Day, commemorated on 16 October: Today, in the Horn of Africa, more than 13 million people are affected by one of the region?s worst droughts in 60 years. Famine grips swathes of southern Somalia. Yet, drought does not need to become famine ? nor should it ever […]
Following are remarks by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the event marking 150th anniversary of the birth of Fridtjof Nansen, in Oslo, Norway, today, 10 October: Today we celebrate Fridtjof Nansen ? a great Norwegian ? a great global citizen. Some may doubt whether there is such a thing as a ?collective conscience?. They are […]
Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon?s message for International Disaster Risk Reduction Day, observed on 13 October: Each time disaster strikes, nature is often blamed. Rarely do we think about human actions that increase risk and turn danger into catastrophe. Vulnerability to disaster is growing faster than resilience. Over the past year, we have seen […]
Much progress had been made in establishing normative and legal frameworks required to fight discrimination and violence against women, but implementation of those frameworks, as well as necessary social transformation, lagged far behind, United Nations experts told correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon. ?There?s a great difference between de jure and de facto in women?s […]
