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, during a visit to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London today:

The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission must take forward the outcomes of the latest reviews on peace operations, and link its work to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, that body’s new Chair said today, at the opening of its 2016 session.

Aid organizations expressed concern today over the thousands of mainly elderly and vulnerable Ukrainian citizens facing daily difficulties in crossing the so-called “contact” line.  Neal Walker, Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, said increased hostilities could expose civilians to violence, mines and unexploded munitions.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today concluded substantive work of its 2016 regular session with the presentation of the body’s draft report, which will be finalized for adoption on 16 February.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s address, as prepared for delivery, upon receiving an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom today:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the briefing on the High-Level Panel Report on Humanitarian Financing, in New York today:

While “enormous” gains had been made since the World Summit for Social Development had resulted in the Copenhagen Declaration in 1995, progress remained uneven — both within and among countries — with millions of people still excluded from access to the very rights, services and income-generating activities that underpinned a sustainable future for all, delegates said today as the Commission for Social Development opened the substantive segment of its fifty-fourth session.

Fuelled by the voices, concerns and demands of young people, the largest-ever Economic and Social Council Youth Forum concluded its two-day session today, hearing from speakers who delved into critical issues, such as entrepreneurship, the quality of education, access to health services, gender equality and the right to contribute to development.

Continuing its regular session for 2016, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended 10 organizations for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and deferred action on the status of 24 others.