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

In the aftermath of the global economic slump, a new era in development was dawning and a new international development architecture would make the difference in reversing setbacks and injecting needed momentum to the world economy’s fragile and uneven recovery, the Economic and Social Council heard today as it convened its annual special high-level meeting with the international financial institutions.

Stressing the need for a comprehensive strategy to encourage the establishment of peace and stability in Somalia through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, the Security Council called today for an increased United Nations presence and greater coherence of the Organization’s activities in the country.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the Special High-level Meeting of the Economic and Social Council with the Bretton Woods Institutions, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Trade Organization, in New York, today, 10 March:

The following statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was issued today, 11 March:

The United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa will hold its thirty-second ministerial meeting in Sao Tome and Principe from 12 to 16 March. The Committee’s primary objective is to promote peace and security in Central Africa through confidence-building measures, notably in the fields of disarmament and arms limitation.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, to the memorial service for Robert Muller, in New York, today, 11 March:

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia as the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Ms. Zewde will be the first person to be appointed to the newly created position as head of the Organization’s Nairobi Office, at the Under-Secretary-General level.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan as the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). He succeeds Sergei Ordzhonikidze, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for the services he has rendered to the Organization and for his commitment in leading UNOG since 2002.

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