Despite gains made since the 1995 adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action for Women, a renewed commitment to eliminating inequality was vital to reaching sustainable development goals, senior Government and United Nations officials said as they opened today’s General Assembly thematic debate aimed at inspiring women’s advancement in the run-up to agreement on a post-2015 agenda.

Following the latest findings by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Security Council today condemned in the strongest terms any use of chlorine as a weapon in Syria, signalling it would take “Chapter VII” action if such arms were used again in the nearly four-year-old conflict.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Major General Michael Lollesgaard of Denmark as the Force Commander of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

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

The Secretary-General expresses his concern regarding the 5 March decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council to suspend security coordination with Israel.  He urges restraint by both parties and a reversal of their unhelpful cycle actions and counter-actions.

On Thursday, 26 February, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, flew from Asunción, Paraguay, to Santiago de Chile, to attend a high-level event on “Women in Power and Decision-Making”, organized by the Government of Chile in cooperation with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).

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

On Tuesday, 24 February, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, accompanied by Madam Ban Soon-taek, flew from New York to Asunción, Paraguay, for an official visit to the country.

Following are Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at a meeting on the 2015 World Education Forum, in New York today:

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