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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the decision of the African Union to join forces to stop the advancement of the “murderous campaigns” waged by Boko Haram, as he stressed the importance of the continent's collaboration with the UN, emphasizing that “lives depend on preventive-diplomacy and peacekeeping.”

Condemning the deadly bombing today of a Shia mosque in Sindh province in Pakistan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored this “vicious targeting of people on account of their religious affiliation,” and called on the Pakistan authorities to step up their efforts to protect religious minorities and combat terrorism.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Security Council today condemned the terrorist attacks on towns in the northern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which killed and injured dozens of Egyptian soldiers and civilians.

The United Nations in Ukraine is alarmed over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the eastern part of the country, where heavy fighting has intensified in recent days, and is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities to allow aid to reach civilians.

The United Nations is holding its first ever Social Media Day at its New York Headquarters today, in an event featuring social media professionals, digital diplomacy practitioners and academics who are sharing their experiences, discussing trends and proving insights into their work.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today assured African leaders gathered for a summit in Addis Ababa of the support of the United Nations in helping the countries affected by Ebola “build back stronger than ever,” while the head of the UN development agency tasked with leading the Organization's recovery efforts urged the world to stay the course in aiding hard-hit West Africa.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced encouragement as Colombian stakeholders prepare to resume peace talks in Havana, Cuba, next week in an effort to end the country's decades-long internal conflict.

Despite some positive developments across the United Nations system, the task of protecting civilians has become more onerous as conflicts have become increasingly vicious, with the brutalization of women a deplorable persisting trend, a senior UN relief official said today, as she urged the Security Council to press all conflict parties to abide by their international obligations towards civilian protection.

Greece has made progress in reforming its asylum system despite challenging economic and political circumstances, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed today, adding nonetheless that much more needed to be done to accommodate the influx of asylum-seekers and refugees.

Addressing the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the start of what he called a “crucial year for global action to secure our global future,” the United Nations Secretary-General today said he looked forward to African countries realizing their massive cultural, human and economic potential.