The Special Committee of 24, resuming its annual session today, approved several texts, including on the dissemination of information on decolonization to the Non-Self-Governing Territories, with particular emphasis on the options for self-determination, and the transmission of information from them, while also considering the question of Gibraltar.

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

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson's Remarks to the African Union Peace and Security Council, in Johannesburg today:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on International Widows’ Day, observed on 23 June:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Yoga, observed on 21 June:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the World Day to Combat Desertification, under the theme “Invest in healthy soils”, observed on 17 June:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the International University for Humanities and Development, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, today:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for International Albinism Awareness Day, observed on 13 June:

People born with albinism can live normal, healthy and productive lives given the right opportunities — but, tragically, far too many suffer isolation, mutilation and even death because of persistent discrimination and ignorance surrounding their condition.  International Albinism Awareness Day offers an opportunity to dispel the myths that surround these individuals and enable them to exercise their inalienable human rights.

The Secretary-General is in Uzbekistan, where he met today with President Islam Karimov and where he told reporters that the United Nations stands ready to assist the country in promoting fundamental freedoms and providing opportunities for public participation.

Delegates concluded the twenty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea today, adopting a draft decision on the workspace needed for those involved in the implementation of the “oceans constitution”, and more broadly, tackling thorny maritime disputes that continued to hamper peaceful ocean governance.