Representatives of Governments, international organizations and civil society today reflected on ways of promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns, mobilizing resources needed to invest in the post-2015 future and tracking progress of established goals through existing mechanisms during three panel discussions at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

MOSCOW, 2 July — Establishing Palestinian unity, ending Israel’s settlement activity, and ensuring respect for human rights were key factors in breaking the current impasse and achieving the two-State solution, experts said as the United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace concluded this afternoon in Moscow.

Debates on the Middle East and security challenges in small island developing States would be the highlights of the New Zealand presidency of the Security Council in July, a month that would also see several briefings and mandate renewals.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gerard Jacobus van Bohemen (New Zealand):

MOSCOW, 2 July — Experts called for an expansion of the Middle East Quartet, implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative and greater awareness of it in Israel, and a Security Council resolution setting a timetable to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as the United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace continued in Moscow this morning.

The Secretary-General continues to follow the situation in Burundi very closely.  He urges Burundians to express their views peacefully and exhorts relevant Burundian authorities to exercise restraint in their management of security incidents.

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, at an event to end violence against women, in Bridgetown today:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Caribbean Sustainable Development High-level Symposium, in Bridgetown today:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Cooperatives, observed 4 July: