Prior to opening its annual debate on outer space issues today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) unanimously approved a draft resolution on the University for Peace, by which the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to expand the scope for using that institution’s services as part of his conflict-resolution and peacebuilding efforts.

The new Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, Danny Danon, presented his credentials to UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today.

In celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, a monumental art installation entitled Enlightened Universe will be unveiled on Saturday, 24 October, at 4:30 p.m. at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park.  The installation — created by Spanish artist Cristóbal Gabarrón — is presented by The Gabarron Foundation in partnership with the United Nations.

A year after the first ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, Member States were called upon today to give them a greater voice, particularly in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Agenda, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began its consideration of their rights.

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

Any peace based on deterrence was akin to peace between two persons pointing guns at each other’s heads with their fingers on the trigger, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it began its thematic discussion on nuclear weapons, with briefings by the heads of the relevant organizations and agencies. 

The Economic and Social Council was the most important body in the implementation of the newly adopted ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the General Assembly heard today as Member States commented on the Council’s latest annual report.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, to the second informal interactive consultation with stakeholders of the World Summit on the Information Society, in New York on 19 October:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the inauguration of an exhibition on the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, in Bratislava today:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s address, as prepared for delivery, upon receiving an honorary doctorate and gold medal from Comenius University, in Bratislava today: