The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gérard Araud (France):

Despite progress made in ensuring the rights of indigenous communities around the world, indigenous peoples still lacked enough say in what happened on, and to, their territories, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was told today during a day-long discussion focused on the environment and free, prior and informed consent.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, observed 21 May:

The Economic and Social Council today adopted three texts, the first a resolution endorsing the decision of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean to hold its thirty-fourth session in El Salvador during the first half of 2012.

The full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples must be regarded as a political, moral and legal imperative without qualification, the Permanent Forum was told today during a half-day discussion on human rights.

Continuing its resumed 2011 session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) today recommended special consultative status for 38 entities to the Economic and Social Council, postponing consideration of an additional 33 until answers to the Committee’s outstanding questions were supplied.

At its thirtieth meeting on 2 May 2011, the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict agreed, in connection with the examination of the second report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan (document S/2011/55), to address the following message, through public statements issued by the Chairman of the Working Group:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, partly delivered in French, to the Security Council on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in New York on 18 May:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the General Assembly’s informal interactive thematic debate on migration and development, 19 May, in New York:

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Margaret Vogt of Nigeria as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA). Ms. Vogt will replace Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia.