The new Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations, Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, presented his credentials to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today.

The new Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, Keith Hamilton Llewellyn Marshall, presented his credentials to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today.

The Secretary- General condemns the wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa that has resulted in the deaths of at least seven people in the past few weeks.  He urges all efforts are made to avert future attacks and encourages peaceful solutions.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travelled to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday evening, 15 April, in order to meet with United States officials and participate in the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.  Ban Ki-moon was the first Secretary-General to receive invitations to speak to the Development Committee and the International Monetary and Finance Committee of those two bodies.

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

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Virginia Gamba, Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the “A Century of Weapons of Mass Destruction:  Enough!” event, organized by the municipalities of Ypres and Langemarck-poelkapelle in cooperation with the International Network of Mayors for Peace, held in Ypres, Belgium, today:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the General Assembly thematic debate “Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation:  Fostering Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent Extremism”, in New York today:

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Dina Kawar (Jordan):

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the high-level panel discussion on "culture as an enabler of the sustainable development agenda:  contributions of cultural diversity and cultural exchanges in advancing the post-2015 development agenda", in New York, today:

Addressing the Security Council, the Secretary-General said that both Israelis and Palestinians must demonstrate the commitment and courage necessary to chart a viable course towards a better future, by choosing peace over death and ending the suffering that has defined the conflict for far too long.