Strongly condemning what it called human rights violations by authorities, and abuses by other actors, in Yemen following months of political strife, the Security Council this afternoon demanded that all sides immediately reject violence, and called on them to commit to a peaceful transition of power based on proposals by the major regional organization of the Arabian Gulf.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) forwarded this afternoon a draft text that would have the General Assembly endorse the Committee for Programme and Coordination’s conclusions and recommendations on evaluation, the annual overview report of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination for 2010-2011 and United Nations system support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

Although xenophobic discourse had elevated the anti-immigration agenda in countries around the world, migration remained a common human endeavour and migrants’ rights were human rights, a top United Nations expert on those rights told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today.

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations held today a special event entitled “Enhancing Small Arms Control in Central Africa — The Kinshasa Convention” at the Permanent Mission of Austria. The event — from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations — was to promote this new subregional instrument to control and fight the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Central Africa.

Gravely concerned by the growing threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and by the increased violence employed by pirates, and also strongly condemning the practice of hostage-taking by suspected pirates, the Security Council acted today on a resolution to consider further the establishment of specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia and other States in the region.

The following statement was issued on 22 October by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The following statement was issued on 22 October by the Spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The following statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was issued on 23 October:

The following statement was issued on 23 October by the Spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The following statement was issued on 23 October by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: