United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Martin Kobler of Germany as his Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). He will replace Ad Melkert of the Netherlands who served in Iraq since July 2009. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Melkert’s leadership of UNAMI in implementing its mandate under Security Council resolution 1770 (2007) and subsequent resolutions.

The States parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea today opened its doors to fill a vacancy in the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, in the midst of that body’s annual session at Headquarters.

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

On 12 August 2011, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) approved the addition of the entry specified below to its Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1989 (2011) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

On 28 July 2011, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) approved the amendments specified with strikethrough and underline in the entries below to its List (the 1988 Sanctions List) of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1988 (2011) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day against Nuclear Tests, observed on 29 August:

Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/37 A, of 7 December 2010, and the decision of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf at its twenty-seventh session, the twenty-eighth session of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf will be held in New York from 1 August to 9 September. The plenary part of the twenty-eighth session will be held from 15 to 26 August.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged young people from more than 60 countries attending the third annual Global Model United Nations Conference to stay united in their resolve to continue the work of the Organization. The Conference, organized by the Department of Public Information and hosted by the Metropolitan City of Incheon and the United Nations Association of the Republic of Korea, took place in the city of Incheon from 10 to 14 August.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Hardeep Singh Puri (India):

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