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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the symbiotic relationship between business and the United Nations at a meeting in New York with leading executives from the private sector.

The world economy is expected to slow this year after three consecutive years of historically high growth, according to a new United Nations report issued today, which says that a weakening housing market in the United States – the world’s largest economy – is a “major factor” in the slowdown.

The Security Council today extended through June the mandate of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) and French forces supporting it while authorizing them to cooperate with blue helmets in Liberia in preventing arms from crossing the border.

Warning that the political crisis in Bangladesh has “severely jeopardized the legitimacy” of this month’s planned elections, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all sides to refrain from violence and seek compromise, adding he hopes the army will continue to play a neutral role.

Voicing concern at the instability and violence across strife-torn Somalia, the Security Council today called for greater humanitarian assistance and more inclusive political dialogue and reiterated its backing for the creation of an African protection and training mission to the volatile nation.

Inter-communal fighting in eastern Chad near Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region has uprooted another 20,000 Chadians within the past three weeks, bringing the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to over 100,000, in addition to more than 220,000 Darfur refugees, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

The head of the United Nations body mandated to protect press freedom today condemned the murder of a Nigerian journalist as a “heinous crime” undermining democracy.

With more than 12 million people suffering dog or snake bites and scorpion stings each year, the United Nations health agency today announced plans to boost the production of crucial therapeutic sera which can make the difference between life and death or crippling disability for millions of people in poor countries.

A United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) staff member was shot dead while driving his car in Baghdad yesterday, sparking mournful tributes to the late father of two who devoted over seven years of his life to improving Iraq’s shattered education infrastructure.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) grew in 2006 for the third consecutive year to reach $1.2 trillion, according to initial estimates released today by the United Nations, which also warned that economic growth is likely to slow this year because of high commodity prices and other factors.