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Although strides have been made in implementing the peace process in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – ending the deadly conflict there between the Government and a militia – the United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region said today that progress remains slow.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute today to Palestinian refugees, who he said had shown great courage in the face of conflict, as well as to the efforts over the past 60 years of the United Nations agency tasked with assisting them.

Myanmar should release all political prisoners, including the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today ahead of a planned visit to the Asian country for talks with the leadership on key issues.

Extra funding is urgently needed to strengthen disease control efforts, re-stock rapidly dwindling supplies of essential drugs and improve access to reproductive health services in north-western Pakistan, where some 2 million people have been uprooted by violence, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) says.

On his last day as the top United Nations envoy to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura today congratulated the country’s Government on strides made towards the consolidation of democracy and the restoration of sovereignty.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his deep concern over the situation in Honduras, voicing his strong support for the nation’s democratic institutions and speaking out against the arrest of its constitutional President.

Egypt has made great strides in improving access to drinking water and is well-situated to address remaining challenges related to water and sanitation, a United Nations independent human rights expert said today.

As the demand for United Nations peacekeeping continues to grow, the success of current and future operations will depend on the relationship between the Organization and Member States, top officials with the world body said today, calling for a new partnership to ensure the requisite support and resources.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, condemning recent attacks in several Iraqi cities, called today on the people of the strife-torn nation to reject attempts to incite further violence.

Both the prosecution and defense have wrapped up their cases against four former military officers charged with genocide and other war crimes by the United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the mass killings that engulfed Rwanda in 1994.