The General Assembly today acted on the recommendations of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), adopting 24 resolutions and two decisions focused largely on enhanced reimbursements for police- and troop-contributing countries and the Organization’s peacekeeping budgets.

Concluding its second resumed substantive session, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today recommended financial arrangements for 12 United Nations peacekeeping operations for the year beginning on 1 July 2014, which, once approved by the General Assembly, would total $5.6 billion, and authorized the first increase in reimbursement rates for troop-contributing countries in more than a decade.

The post-2015 development agenda must address the urgent challenges of poverty and inequality and build on the successes and shortcomings of the Millennium Development Goals, with measurable targets and scaled-up investments in areas such as education, health, gender equality and youth employment, the Economic and Social Council heard today during high-level parallel events.

With “remarkable strides” in the stabilization of Mali and Guinea-Bissau and high economic growth in West Africa, regional actors were refocusing on development needs while dealing with Boko Haram terrorists, the Ebola virus and other emerging crises, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General told the Security Council this morning.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the meeting of the Ethics Network of Multilateral Organizations, taking place in Copenhagen from 8 to 11 July:

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

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

The General Assembly decided today to convene a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS in 2016. Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted a draft decision titled “Global Partnerships” (document A/68/L.51) on implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, agreeing that consultations should be held during its seventieth session to determine the modalities and organizational arrangements for the high-level event.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the General Assembly commemoration marking the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War:

Growth must not come at the expense of the environment, delegates heard today, as the Economic and Social Council continued its high-level segment week during which ministers and other senior Government officials explored critical components to be included in a cohesive, forward-looking post-2015 development agenda, which should, for the first time, put the environment front and centre.