Secretary-General

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on the International Day for Biological Diversity, to be observed on 22 May:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for Vesak Day, to be observed on 24 May:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Rotary International Peace Forum, in Hiroshima, 17 May:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, observed on 17 May:

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz of Brazil as Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Haile Menkerios of South Africa as the new Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) and Special Representative to the African Union at the level of Under-Secretary-General. While continuing his current assignment as Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Mr. Menkerios will replace Zachary Muburi-Muita, who will complete his UNOAU assignment on 30 June.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Aïchatou Mindaoudou Souleymane of Niger as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI). Ms. Mindaoudou will replace Albert Gerard (Bert) Koenders of the Netherlands, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and excellent leadership of UNOCI.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Albert Gerard (Bert) Koenders of the Netherlands as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Mr. Koenders has served as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) since October 2011.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the International Forum on the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, in The Hague on 16 May:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the launch of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, in New York, on 15 May: