“If major steps forward in disarmament are postponed indefinitely, if questions persist of compliance with non-proliferation commitments, and if military spending continues to rise while Millennium Development Goals continue to be unmet, then our potential contributions will be correspondingly limited,” the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio Duarte, warned the Disarmament Committee today, as it began its general debate.

Opening the second meeting of its sixty-fifth session with a discussion on the scale of assessments, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today heard delegates stress the need for all Member States to fulfil their legal obligations to the Organization by making their payments on time and in full.

With the global economy fragile and on an uneven path to recovery, the world’s development needs, especially those of its most vulnerable people, must take centre stage in all fiscal policies and stimulus plans, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, told the Second Committee today, as it began its annual general debate.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the welcome reception for the Global Fund Third Replenishment Meeting and opening of the “Access to Life” exhibition, in New York, 4 October:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remarks at the Global Fund Third Replenishment Pledging Conference, in New York, today, 5 October:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Religions for Peace meeting on “Arms Down! Global Youth Campaign for Shared Security”, delivered by Sergio Duarte, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament, in New York today, 4 October:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s closing remarks, delivered by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), to the Global Fund Replenishment Conference, in New York, today, 5 October:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the International Meeting of the High Representatives on Security Issues, delivered by Yury Fedotov, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in Sochi, Russian Federation, today, 5 October:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Mental Health Day, to be observed on 10 October:

While the United Nations had seen breakthroughs in its efforts to serve the poor and empower women, the Organization must harness its convening power to achieve a binding climate agreement, ensure respect for basic rights of self-determination and, above all, reform its key structures to reflect current geopolitical realities, General Assembly delegates stressed today as they considered the Secretary-General’s report on the work of the Organization.