Intercultural dialogue was crucial in preventing and ending conflicts, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council today as he opened a meeting on that subject, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon presiding.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the Security Council meeting on intercultural dialogue for peace and security, in New York on 26 May:

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up proposals to give the Secretary-General authority to commit $380.4 million in the next six months to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and $246.6 million in the next six months to the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), whose most recent budgets reached $732.4 million and $690.8 million respectively.

Opening its 2010 resumed session today, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations recommended consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for nine non-governmental organizations and postponed consideration of more than two dozen others pending receipt of more information.

A United Nations meeting in support of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process stressed the importance of the two-year State-building plan put forward by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, aimed at developing institutions and strengthening the foundation for the future State of Palestine, and considered that the entire international community should be ready to recognize the new State once statehood had been declared by the Palestinian Authority at the appropriate time.

Government officials and environmental experts alike weighed in on the effectiveness of the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement and put forward diverse — sometimes divergent — ideas for improving its implementation, as the Conference to review the landmark global instrument continued into its third day.

ISTANBUL, Turkey, 27 May — With tensions high in Jerusalem, and public criticism growing worldwide over the lack of action to alleviate the desperate situation of Palestinians clinging to survival there, experts, students and representatives of non-governmental organizations attending a United Nations Forum called today for an end to Israel’s repressive policies in that city, urging fellow members of civil society to mobilize a coordinated, rights-based response.

The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) until 30 June 2010, in its current configuration pending consideration of recommendations for its revision.

Participants in the Review Conference for the landmark 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement today examined draft outcomes for the five-day meeting in preparation for its final report tomorrow, with some praising the text as reflective of consensual elements raised throughout the week, and others anticipating a “bumpy ride ahead” for achieving agreement on recommendations to be made along four key themes.

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