Violence against children, and ways to stem that violence, figured prominently in a discussion between Member States and United Nations officials from the field of child rights, at the start of a multi-day discussion on the promotion and protection of the rights of children convened by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

This is the text of a message by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 13-15 October, delivered on his behalf by Timothy Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation:

The Sixth Committee (Legal) met today to address the issue of the development of the rule of law at national and international levels. Although there were reports of progress in many areas, concerns of an inequality in adherence to desired standards were also expressed. The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said the complex field of rule of law was central to achieving the vision of the United Nations of a just, secure, peaceful world.

Citing “worrying developments” that had heightened tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the past month, Under-Secretary-General of Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council today that now, more than ever, it was vital that politics were made credible, “and those who try to undermine politics by changing facts on the ground or resorting to violence are not allowed to set the agenda”.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks to the Extraordinary Joint Meeting of the European Parliament Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development, delivered in Brussels, 12 October:

Establishing an international day to raise awareness of the deadly dangers of nuclear weapons would be a step towards the noble goal of the complete elimination of those weapons, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today, as two related draft resolutions were introduced and a decision was announced to hold back a third.

For the second consecutive year, the Department of Public Information will mark United Nations Day (24 October) by dispatching senior United Nations officials to speak at school assemblies in the five boroughs of New York City.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks on the fifteenth anniversary of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), today, 15 October:

In one round of voting, the General Assembly today elected Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria to serve as five non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on 1 January 2010. They will fill seats to be vacated by Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Viet Nam. Meanwhile, Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda will continue to serve as elected Council members during 2010, for the second year of their respective terms.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on the International Day of Rural Women, observed today, 15 October: