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

Approving a new draft resolution on protecting children from bullying, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) took action on and sent a total of 14 draft texts to the General Assembly.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to be observed on 25 November:

The Secretary-General and the Chief Executives Board of the United Nations system are meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to coordinate efforts in the fight against the spread of the Ebola virus.

While reiterating grave concern about the unprecedented extent of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the Security Council today noted the international community’s “considerable” efforts to scale up its coordinated response, which had led to important progress on the ground.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Major General Birhanu Jula Gelalcha of Ethiopia as Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, Assistant Secretary-General ad interim for Political Affairs, to the United Nations International Meeting of Parliamentarians in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, in New York today:

Parliamentarians from around the world joined diplomats and United Nations officials at Headquarters today to discuss ways of advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process towards a two-State solution, a goal Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said could still be achieved if the parties, supported by the international community, demonstrated collective political will needed to implement the existing constructive proposals.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took stock of the planned refurbishment of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, delegates stressed the need to control costs and integrate the expertise gained during the massive renovation of the Organization’s New York Headquarters.

Politicization of children’s rights should be avoided and national sovereignty and values should be respected, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as it approved 10 draft texts, including a new one on the rights of the child.