The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Li Baodong (China):

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the thirty-fifth United Nations International School-United Nations Conference: “The Web: Wiring our World”, today, 3 March, in New York:

“Too many people use money they don’t have to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like,” the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the nineteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development heard today as it considered the elaboration of a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns.

The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization today elected additional members of its bureau, as it continued its 2011 session, which runs at Headquarters from 28 February to 9 March.

The Commission on the Status of Women today adopted two resolutions on mainstreaming gender equality in climate change policies and strategies, and women and the girl child and HIV/AIDS, and approved one text, by roll-call vote, on Palestinian women, to be sent to the Economic and Social Council for adoption. The 45-member Commission had been scheduled to conclude its fifty-fifth session today, but due to ongoing negotiations on its agreed conclusions, it was forced to suspend its work.

Closing its deliberations today, the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the nineteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development adopted its report, which included a draft negotiating document for the Commission’s consideration in May.

Under-Secretary-General Sha Zukang called today for collective action to address rising social tensions, ecological pressures and economic crisis, as representatives from around the world gather to prepare for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, with a preparatory meeting in New York on 7-8 March.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged United Nations Member States to join him in supporting the report of an independent advisory board on civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict, which puts forward wide-ranging recommendations aimed at strengthening international civilian support for post-conflict countries.

The following statement was issued on 6 March by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

With International Women’s Day set to be commemorated on 8 March, United Nations officials and experts form the Collaborative Partnership of Forests have seized the opportunity to stress that the world’s forests cannot be managed sustainably if women — the main users of forest resources in developing countries — continue to be sidelined.