The policy responses to the global financial crisis had been inadequate and characterized by double standards, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, told the Commission on Social Development as it began its discussion of policy responses on employment and the social consequences of the financial and economic crises, including its gender dimension.

Despite an encouraging commitment to peacebuilding priorities on the part of the Guinea-Bissau authorities, there had been only slow progress in security-sector reform, economic development and combating drug trafficking, the Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission’s relevant country-specific configuration said today.

Holding its second organizational meeting this year, the Economic and Social Council today adopted five decisions, outlining its agenda and work programme for its 2010 substantive session, set to be held from 28 June to 23 July in New York.

The Commission for Social Development met today to consider its agenda item on programme questions and other matters.

The challenges facing Darfur must be met within a national context at this critical time for Sudan, Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council today, emphasizing that core issues such as power- and wealth-sharing required a comprehensive and farsighted approach that took into account the interests of all stakeholders, particularly those too long marginalized by the conflict.

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

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, delivered by Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, in Qawra, Malta, 12 February:

As the Economic and Social Council continued to fine tune the agenda of its 2010 session, the 54-member body’s President today announced the chairpersons for the thematic clusters examined annually by the Council, and urged delegations to conclude negotiations and present their proposals as soon as possible so that all outstanding matters could be addressed ahead of the substantive session -- set to be held from 28 June to 23 July in New York.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s remarks at event to launch International Biodiversity Year at American Museum of Natural History, delivered by Olav Kjorven, Assistant Secretary-General and Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bureau for Development Policy, in New York, 10 February:

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