Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, delivered by Sergio Duarte, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, in Hiroshima, 6 August:

A report issued by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paints a disturbing picture of sexual violence used against civilians in armed conflicts and their aftermath.

A joint exhibition entitled “Against Nuclear Arms” will open with a ceremony and reception on Monday, 10 August at 6 p.m. in the Main Gallery of the Visitors Lobby. It will remain on display until 30 September.

The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations is launching a global effort to recruit more women police into its peacekeeping operations, as part of the campaign launched in May 2009 entitled “Power to Empower” that aims to move the ranks of the Organization towards gender equity.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the General Conference of “Mayors for Peace” in Nagasaki, Japan, today, 7 August:

The Security Council, reiterating its support to the people and Government of Iraq in their efforts “to build a secure, stable, federal, united and democratic nation, based on the rule of law and respect for human rights”, today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in that country for another year.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message yesterday for the “We Must Disarm” campaign:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the Security Council on women, peace and security, in New York, today, 7 August:

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

Wrapping up the forty-fourth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this afternoon, Committee Chairperson Naela Gabr, expert from Egypt, noted that the Committee had adopted decisions on three cases under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and it had continued discussions on the draft general recommendation on article 2 of the Convention related to policy measures.