Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Rural Women, to be observed on 15 October:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the tenth anniversary of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), delivered by Konrad Osterwalder, Rector of the United Nations University, in Chiba, Japan, today, 12 October:

In three rounds of voting, the General Assembly today elected Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa as five non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on 1 January 2011.

A growing asymmetry in military capabilities between major Powers and medium and small States had further increased insecurity among States, and in crucial regions, the pursuit of “great power politics” had destabilized tenuous regional balance, Pakistan’s representative told the Disarmament Committee today.

Delegations in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) lined up today to welcome the establishment of UN Women and the appointment of Michelle Bachelet as its Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General, while underlining the many challenges that remain on the road to women’s empowerment, gender equality and the struggle against gender-based violence throughout the world.

Stating that the rule of law was linked to sovereignty and control over the use of force and resources, as well as similarly sensitive matters, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the Rule of Law Resource and Coordination Group, Asha-Rose Migiro, told the Sixth Committee (Legal) at a briefing today that a 2011 high-level event for a review of activities in the area of the rule of law would be welcome.

The Security Council this morning decided to extend the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan for one year, ending 13 October 2011, while stressing the importance of comprehensively building the Afghan security sector to ensure the rule of law throughout the country.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to mark World Food Day, to be observed on 16 October:

The Security Council today encouraged a more coordinated, coherent and integrated approach to peacebuilding, including stronger partnerships among the Peacebuilding Commission, regional organizations, the World Bank, civil society and other partners with a focus on greater impact on the ground.

Provision of a range of financial services to the poor - from loans and savings to payments and transfer services – played a significant role in the fight against poverty, and more efforts were needed to ensure that coverage reached the most marginalized, who often lived farthest from banks and markets, General Assembly delegates said today as they measured progress in the follow-up to the 2005 International Year of Microfinance.