United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Maria do Valle Ribeiro of Ireland as his new Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), where she will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that an explosion in Goma this morning killed a girl and wounded 32 peacekeepers from India.  MONUSCO dispatched a Quick Reaction Force at the scene and all the injured are receiving medical treatment in Goma.

Concluding its work for the main part of the General Assembly’s seventy-first session, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved 10 draft resolutions and two draft decisions today, on such issues as Israeli practices, to the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to the question of Gibraltar.

Urging all parties to abide fully by their commitments under the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Security Council renewed its authorization of the European-led multinational stabilization force there (EUFOR ALTHEA) for another year before commencing a debate on the situation in the country today.

The Secretary-General in Mont Pèlerin, Switzerland, this morning, opened a week of intensive negotiations between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders aimed at reaching a settlement this year to their long-standing conflict.  He commended their vision and said the prospect of a solution is within their reach.

After two decades of stalled action on Security Council reform, it was high time to move the process forward, the General Assembly heard today, with many speakers calling for an updated Council that would better reflect the sweeping global changes that had occurred since the founding of the United Nations in 1946.

At a United Nations pledging conference today, 24 countries committed to provide approximately $1.09 billion towards development activities.  The amount represented an increase of more than of fourteen-fold over those commitments made in 2015.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Fodé Seck (Senegal):

Nine Palestinian journalists from broadcast, print and online media will participate in a training programme organized by the Department of Public Information, from 7 November to 8 December.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Security Council open debate on peace operations facing asymmetric threats, in New York today: