The Security Council this morning decided to extend the current mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) for just two weeks, until 26 May, while options for a revised mandate are thoroughly considered.

The Security Council this morning renewed the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) until 15 September 2010, in line with a request from the Government of the Himalayan country, stressing that arrangements should immediately be made for withdrawal of the mission by that date.

Noting “widespread interest” among Member States in contributing to the work of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, particularly troop-contributing countries, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved a draft resolution that would have the Assembly endorse the main points of the Special Committee’s report from its 2010 session, which, among other things, addresses cooperation with troop-contributing countries.

NEW YORK, 12 May (United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs) ‑‑ At its thirtieth Ministerial Meeting, held last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 11 member States of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) unanimously adopted the “Central African Convention on the control of small arms and light weapons, their ammunition, parts and components that can be used for their manufacture, repair or assembly”.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the General Assembly in honour of the late President Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria, today, 13 May, in New York:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the United Nations Association of Canada, in Ottawa on 12 May:

Encouraged by the decrease in arrears to both the United Nations regular budget and its peacekeeping account compared to last year, speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning urged that States do even more to ensure that outstanding payments were paid on time and in full, and that the Secretariat reciprocate by making administrative processes more transparent and efficient.

Only through collective dedication and adherence to the decisions taken by the Commission on Sustainable Development — which required commitments by Governments and all partners — could sustainable development be achieved, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today as the Commission held its high-level segment on obstacles and constraints to implementation of the agenda pertaining to themes of its current cycle. The high-level segment runs until Friday, 14 May.

The General Assembly today elected 14 States to serve on the Human Rights Council for three-year terms starting next month, after all of them ran unopposed, following nominations by the regional groups of the exact number required to fill the Council’s vacancies.