At a Headquarters press conference today Members of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, both past and present, called on indigenous peoples everywhere to persevere, remain optimistic and remember that, while they have made much progress in the five years since the Indigenous Rights Declaration had been adopted, a lot of work still lay ahead.

Addressing the closing session of the General Assembly’s debate on the world economy, the Secretary-General said another worldwide recession could be even more devastating since there are less resources and fiscal capacity to respond. This is a reason to recommit to sustainable development, not shrink from it, he said.

The Secretary-General told the NATO meeting in Chicago that he had come with one central message: that the United Nations will continue to support the Afghan Government to the maximum of its ability. However, it cannot fill all the gaps. Thus, the enduring commitment of every leader gathered in Chicago was critical.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns yesterday’s attack against Mali’s Interim President, which follows intense mediation efforts by ECOWAS to restore constitutional order. He urges the military and security institutions to fulfil their key function of protecting the State and its legitimate interim authorities.

The security situation in North and South Kivu remained generally volatile and with several armed groups operating in the region, continued fighting had resulted in significant displacement of civilians, both within Congo and across the border into Rwanda and Uganda, Roger Meece, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo said.

Addressing the General Assembly today, the Secretary-General outlined the fundamentals of mediation, saying that consent is important, as are impartiality, preparedness and inclusivity. All mediation efforts must respect international laws and norms, and much more must be done to include women in peace processes.

The concept of South-South cooperation was alive and well and moving into a more dynamic phase as Member States debated their ideas regarding which direction to take the concept going forward, the President of the United Nations High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation, John Ashe, said today at a Headquarters press conference in the lead-up to the launch of a South-South cooperation exchange mechanism by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry dealing with Syria has issued a report to the Human Rights Council on gross human rights violations that have taken place there since this March, saying they continue unabated in an increasingly militarized context, despite the parties to the conflict having reached agreement on the Joint Special Envoy’s “six-point plan”.

Following Egypt’s presidential election process, the Secretary-General says these historic elections, in which Egyptians will freely choose their President from among numerous candidates, are an important milestone in Egypt’s democratic transition.

Marking the International Day of Peacekeepers, the Secretary-General today honoured the 112 people who died while serving under the United Nations flag in 2011 and, speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony, he said that the difference between an ordinary person and a hero is that the hero voluntarily braves danger to save others.