Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the release today of a prominent opposition politician in Myanmar after six years of house arrest, saying he hopes the move will lead to a more credible and inclusive political process.

The leaders of the United Kingdom and Ethiopia will head up a new high-level group launched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today, intended to mobilize financing swiftly to help developing countries combat climate change.

Daunting challenges remain in the search for lasting peace in the Middle East, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for the prompt resumption of political talks and the swift delivery of concrete results.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to bring those responsible for the terrorist attack that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others to justice, as the country marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his concerns about recent developments in Sri Lanka, where a defeated presidential candidate has been arrested and Parliament dissolved, to the leader of the South Asian country and announced plans to dispatch his top political official to the island nation for further dialogue.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has transmitted a report to the General Assembly on the follow-up to the report made by the United Nations fact-finding mission into the deadly conflict in the Gaza Strip at the start of last year.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today asked former United States President Bill Clinton, already deeply involved in Haiti before last month’s devastating earthquake as United Nations Special Envoy to the country, to assume a leadership role in coordinating international quake relief, from emergency response to reconstruction to launching a new funding appeal.

The United Nations has taken no position on next year’s referendum on independence for southern Sudan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored today as he refuted recent media reports to the contrary.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - who as a citizen of the Republic of Korea understands the "emptiness" of a country divided into north and south - voiced optimism today that a solution to long-running problems in Cyprus is "within reach," calling for the leaders of the two communities on the Mediterranean island to step up their efforts.