Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Asia Society Dialogue event, in Brussels today:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the European Development Days Forum, in Brussels today:

Speakers today emphasized the right of the Saharans to seek self-determination through a referendum that would be held under United Nations auspices, as the Special Committee on Decolonization took up the question of Western Sahara on the second day of its substantive session.

The nature of the conflict in Darfur remained unchanged since the renewal of the Hybrid Operation’s mandate, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council today.

The General Assembly, in a secret ballot vote held this afternoon, elected 18 members of the Economic and Social Council to hold three-year terms beginning 1 January 2017. 

In an effort to implement the arms embargo imposed on Libya, the Security Council today authorized Member States, acting nationally or through regional organizations, to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya believed to be in violation of the embargo.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for the Republic of Korea concert celebrating the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in New York today:

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded the work of its seventieth session today, amid pointed calls for it to align its work methods and plans with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and strong concerns that entrenched differences over those tactical processes risked side-lining it from the important work ahead.

Although Guinea-Bissau’s two-week political stand-off in early June was over, thanks to the international community’s intervention, post-electoral gains would suffer a setback if the political crisis there dragged on, the senior United Nations official in the West African country told the Security Council today.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says more than 14,000 Iraqis have been displaced since March following the Iraqi Security Forces’ advance against Da’esh outside Mosul, warning that an eventual assault could displace a further 600,000.  Humanitarian agencies are now making contingency response plans.