Inaugurating its rigorous eight-day deliberation on the work done by the International Law Commission in its sixty-eighth session, the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its debate on the first of three clusters of topics that included subjects as broad-ranging as the protection of persons in the event of disasters and the identification of customary international law.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Quito, Ecuador, from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Saturday evening, 15 October.

NEW YORK, 20 October (Department of Safety and Security) — The United Nations was now continuously engaged in an increasingly complex, dangerous and unpredictable world security environment, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the General Assembly released today.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left Washington, D.C., on 15 October for Haiti to visit communities affected by hurricane Matthew.

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

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement today of the creation of the Museum for the United Nations — UN Live.

This new, global museum, headquartered in Copenhagen, will engage audiences on the work and values of the United Nations through online and other exhibits in locations around the world.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for the opening of the “One Planet” exhibition at the Science and Culture Museum of The Hague, Netherlands, today:

Attempts had recently been made to expand or alter peacekeeping mandates without consulting host States and sometimes without their consent, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, while continuing its general debate on the comprehensive review of United Nations peacekeeping.

Human rights defenders including journalists, lawyers and judges were suffering repression, harassment and censorship as States struggled against terrorism, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as special mandate holders presented their reports.

Enormous technological developments in the field of autonomous weapons required the world to more sharply focus on addressing the range of threats they posed, while taking into account gaps in existing international regimes, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard, as it continued its debate on conventional weapons.

The Secretary-General urged all parties concerned to extend their full cooperation with the Syria Board of Inquiry, which will begin its work on 24 October to ascertain facts of the incident involving a United Nations–Syrian Arab Red Crescent relief operation in Urum al-Kubra, Syria, in September.