With millions fighting a daily battle against discrimination to gain access to education, health services and decent work, the President of the General Assembly today urged the United Nations family to join hands with Governments and other stakeholders around the world in embracing diversity and ending discrimination, during a special meeting to mark the end of the International Year of Human Rights Learning.

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at a Human Rights Day panel on race, poverty and power, in New York, 10 December:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Summiteers’ Summit to Save the Himalayas, which will be held in Copenhagen, 11 December

The Secretary-General has decided to appoint Major General Alberto Asarta Cuevas of Spain as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its eighth session from 2 to 4 December 2009. The session, which was held at the United Nations Office at Geneva, was presided over by the Chairman, David M. Walker, with all the members of the IAAC, namely, Vadim V. Dubinkin, Vijayendra N. Kaul (Vice-Chairman), John F.S. Muwanga and Adrian P. Strachan, in attendance.

Acting on the recommendations of its Fourth Committee, the General Assembly this afternoon adopted 25 draft resolutions and three draft decisions covering decolonization, outer space, atomic radiation, information and public outreach, the University for Peace, assistance in mine action, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and Israeli practices in the occupied Arab territories.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for International Migrants Day, to be observed on 18 December:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, to be observed on 19 December:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for International Human Solidarity Day, to be observed on 20 December:

The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia received a letter dated 8 December 2009 from the Coordinator of the Monitoring Group on Somalia informing the Committee that a number of threats and warnings directed at the members of the Monitoring Group (based in Nairobi, Kenya) were made by unknown sources.