The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Jerry Matthews Matjila (South Africa):

Holding United Nations officials and experts on mission accountable for crimes required Member States to increase their exercise of national extraterritorial jurisdiction in order to ensure the integrity of the Organization, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today as it took up that topic, alongside the matter of the principle of rule of law.

Today is World Mental Health Day.  This year’s theme focuses on preventing suicide, which claims the lives of nearly 800,000 people annually – or one every 40 seconds, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is asking people to join in “40 seconds of action” to raise awareness about the problem and help prevent it.

The international community should maintain firm support for those working hard and successfully to consolidate peace in Colombia, in light of the announced plans by some former combatants to take up arms again, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country told the Security Council today.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Jerry Matthews Matjila (South Africa):

A World Health Organization study shows that more than one third of women in four lower-income countries — Ghana, Guinea, Myanmar and Nigeria — experience mistreatment during childbirth in health facilities:  42 per cent of women who participated experienced physical or verbal abuse, stigma or discrimination.

Spotlighting a range of positive developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the senior United Nations official in that country today urged the Security Council and other partners to support Kinshasa’s efforts to push forward tangible improvements in the lives of the Congolese people.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Mental Health Day, observed on 10 October:

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of measures to eliminate international terrorism, delegates called for more funding for counter-terrorism efforts, as well as increased cooperation in tackling and stopping the legal and illegal financing that supports terrorist groups and activities.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres: