Acclaimed actor Edward Norton, the newly appointed United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for biodiversity, said today that the key challenge of his new role as advocate for species protection and environmental preservation would be making people more aware that human well-being is fundamentally intertwined with biological diversity.

Ad Melkert, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, has condemned in the strongest terms the series of bombings targeting innocent pilgrims during a religious commemoration, killing dozens of worshippers and wounding hundreds more.

The Security Council this morning adopted a presidential statement in which it deplored the 26 March attack which led to the sinking of the Republic of Korea’s naval ship the Cheonan, resulting in the tragic loss of 46 lives.

After years of protracted talks, the United Nations is finally set to begin intergovernmental negotiations next week on a legally binding treaty to regulate the sale of conventional arms and help keep them from ending up in the wrong hands, “a delicate and sensitive matter and at the same time, a very urgent one”, according to the Argentinean Ambassador who will chair the preparatory process.

Debris removal, freeing up funds for economic development and bolstering education were among the priority areas facing the Haitian people and the United Nations Mission in that country, Nigel Fisher, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, ad interim, said today.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the vicious bombings yesterday in Kampala that claimed the lives of dozens of people and left hundreds wounded among Ugandans and other nationalities at establishments where they were watching the World Cup final.

With 58 cities already committed to “Making Cities Resilient”, and 70 more preparing to participate, the campaign had made great progress, Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said at a Headquarters press conference today.

Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, briefed the Security Council this morning on the situation in that region, and warned of the threat posed by the food crisis, particularly in Niger. But he also noted signs of progress, including the peaceful first round of presidential elections in Guinea.

The UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur, UNAMID, reports that yesterday, Sudanese Armed Forces clashed with Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) fighters near the Adola Mountains and near Kuma, in North Darfur. The number of possible casualties has yet to be determined. UNAMID is also currently investigating reports of similar fighting in Daba Tago, also in North Darfur.

Joseph Mutaboba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Guinea-Bissau, briefed the Security Council this morning in an open meeting on the situation in that country. Mutaboba said that recent developments in the political and security areas have underlined the extreme fragility of the peacebuilding process in Guinea-Bissau, and its vulnerability to reversals.