The following statement was issued on 9 January by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The following Security Council press statement was issued on 9 January by Council President Baso Sangqu (South Africa):

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

The new Permanent Representative of Niger to the United Nations, Boubacar Boureima, presented his credentials on 4 January to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks today to the Economic and Social Council in New York:

As the United Nations embarked on an important year of milestone events, Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon said today that the work of the Economic and Social Council — the central forum for discussing and coordinating action on such issues as sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, and economic growth — would be vital in realizing his vision of global “solidarity for an era of austerity and uncertainty”.

Initial steps taken by parties to the most recent peace accord for Sudan’s Darfur region — the so-called Doha Document — provided “reason for optimism” and should be supported by the Security Council, the top peacekeeping official told the 15-member body this morning.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks today at the opening of an exhibition of calligraphy by United Nations staff and Chinese artists:

As the Security Council met this afternoon to consider the situation in Somalia, it was told that it was now time for the international community to make a vital investment to nurture the fragile peace process, help the Transitional Federal Government establish authority throughout the country, build security and rule-of-law institutions, and expand the presence of the African Union.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the Group of 77 chairmanship handover ceremony in New York on 11 January: