Following is Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, as delivery by Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, to the High-level Forum on “Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices”, in Vilnius today, 30 June:

Following is UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s address to the seventeenth African Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 30 June:

Emphasizing the fundamentally civilian character of aid, the General Assembly today reaffirmed the need for the consent of disaster-affected States when using military assets to support the implementation of humanitarian assistance, in conformity with international law, including international humanitarian law, and humanitarian principles.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), following days of what its Chairman called “very difficult and at times unorthodox” negotiations, closed its second resumed session this morning by approving the budgets for 13 United Nations peacekeeping operations, and agreed also on a one-time supplemental payment of $85 million over the next year to troop-contributing countries.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Cooperatives, to be observed on 2 July:

The following statement was issued by the Middle East Quartet (United Nations, Russian Federation, United States, European Union):

The following statement was issued on 4 July by Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks to the High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council in Geneva on 4 July:

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Michael Keating of the United Kingdom as his Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan. Mr. Keating will also serve as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.

Two conflicts, two peace operations and two particular ways to photograph the communities they serve. A joint photographic exhibition titled On the Ground: UN Peace Operations in Afghanistan and Darfur opens at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 6 July in the Main Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby.