Expressing deep concern at the security situation in South Sudan and the possibility of an outright ethnic war, the Security Council this afternoon extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to 15 December 2017, strengthening its mandate with additional powers to protect civilians while expressing its intention to consider sanctions against those whose actions undermined peace, stability and security in the country.

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s press conference, held in New York today:

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this morning that today he was saddened that his final briefing to the Security Council on the question of Palestine brought no sense of optimism for the future.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Council on Foreign Relations, in New York today:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

On 16 December 2016, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1518 (2003) approved the removal of the entries specified below from its List of Individuals and Entities subject to the assets freeze set out by paragraph 23 of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Warsaw Dialogue for Democracy, in Warsaw today:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, today:

Adopting two texts without a vote this morning, the General Assembly committed to implementing the Secretary-General’s newly presented approach to cholera in Haiti, with speakers welcoming the “long-anticipated” move and its focus on the provision of material assistance to the victims of the nearly six-year-long outbreak.