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Passing an honour guard and welcomed with applause from staff, former Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon took over formally as United Nations Secretary-General today with a call for collective action to address a host of international crises from Sudan’s Darfur conflict to the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea.

Combined export quotas of Caspian Sea caviar for 2007 have been set 15 per cent lower than for 2005, the last year such quotas were published, as long-term efforts continue to reverse the impact of decades of over-fishing, the United Nations-backed body overseeing a global treaty governing trade in endangered species announced today.

Citing “significant challenges” for Haiti’s Government, the United Nations Secretary-General has recommended extending the world body’s mission in the impoverished country for a further 12 months until February 2008.

Following the killing of at least 14 civilians in Sri Lanka today, the United Nations called on the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to stop fighting, protect the innocent and resume talks.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's new spokesperson, Michele Montas, today pledged to bring her experience as a hard-hitting journalist in Haiti to the assignment by providing access to information that is not otherwise readily available.

Describing the Darfur crisis as one of his top priorities in office, the new Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced plans today to enter immediately into diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed in the Sudanese region, holding a meeting with his senior envoy tomorrow and attending an African Union (AU) summit later this month.

Fatal attacks against United Nations personnel last year claimed the lives of at least 22 peacekeepers and civilian staff, mostly in southern Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Sudan, and Afghanistan, the world body’s staff union said today, as it called for greater effort to bring those responsible to justice.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today congratulated the people of Burundi on the successful completion of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the country, as he pledged the world body’s continuing commitment to help the impoverished nation shake off the ravages of civil war and political instability.

Stressing his determination to follow through on the goal of management reform at the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon used his first address to staff as Secretary-General to call on them to work with him to help make the Organization more mobile, professional and capable of responding to the expectations of the international community.