In the face of the continued existence and spread of nuclear weapons by nuclear Powers, the world could profit from the current attention to nuclear disarmament only from sincere political will, real change in past policies and respect for disarmament obligations, and understanding of the new dynamics among nations, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today concluded its debate on measures to counter international terrorism, Sudan’s representative called for the convening of a high-level conference and establishment of the Saudi Arabian proposed centre as strong measures to counter attacks against Islam.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message to the United Nations-International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) ministerial meeting and general assembly in Singapore, 11-15 October (taped on 30 September):

Following is Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon’s message to the “Call of Cotonou” meeting on the trafficking of counterfeit medicines, delivered by Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in Cotonou, Benin, 12 October:

Following is the text of the message by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the International Workshop for National Counter-Terrorism Focal Points, delivered by Jean-Paul Laborde, Special Adviser to the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, in Vienna today, 12 October:

The new Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, Marjon V. Kamara presented her credentials today to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

As the report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) was taken up by the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, the Chairperson of the Commission, Soo Geun Oh (Republic of Korea) said that adoption of the Practice Guide on Cross-Border Insolvency Cooperation was a key and very timely achievement of UNCITRAL’s forty-second session (held in Vienna, 29 June-17 July) during the time of the global economic crisis.

The following Security Council press statement on the crash of a United Nations flight affiliated with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was read out on Saturday, 10 October, by Council President Le Luong Minh (Viet Nam):

The national defence budgets of the major Powers had ballooned, regional disputes had festered, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East, new conflicts had emerged and a new kind of arms race threatened the progressive disarmament and non-proliferation landscape, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it concluded its general debate.

A debt moratorium for developing countries, policies to prevent excessive volatility in commodity markets, and a regulatory overhaul and stronger surveillance of international financial institutions, were urgently needed to restore global economic health and help developing nations overcome obstacles to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, several representatives told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it began its consideration of macroeconomic policy questions.