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Making use of the latest information and communication technology (ICT) and innovation can help countries expand educational opportunities for all in a way that also advances development, a senior United Nations official said today.

Greater efforts are needed by all Sierra Leoneans to build on the momentum generated by the signing of a key peace pact that led to the cessation of political violence earlier this year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote in a new report released today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged restraint by all parties to avoid an escalation of tensions in Gabon, where disturbances have been reported in some parts of the country following last weekend’s presidential elections.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a senior Sri Lankan Government official today discussed a number of issues concerning the post-conflict situation in the South Asian nation, including conditions in the camps housing displaced civilians and the importance of reconciliation and accountability.

A United Nations assessment team dispatched to China in the wake of Typhoon Morakot – which has claimed hundreds of lives – has found that humanitarian needs have been met by the local, provincial and central authorities.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel next week to Mexico City, where he will open the annual United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) conference with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which this year focuses on disarmament.

There is substantial reason to believe Haiti is moving away from its past of conflict towards a brighter future of peaceful development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report released today, while cautioning that progress remains fragile and highly prone to reversals.

The United Nations has shipped much needed food supplies to thousands of mainly Somali refugees in Yemen as they mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast during daylight hours.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to all sides involved in the political crisis in Madagascar to maintain their commitment to the power-sharing agreement reached last month and to end their deadlock on the composition of a government of national unity.

Representatives of dozens of countries have gathered today at United Nations Headquarters in New York for the start of a three-day meeting to map out practical ways to strengthen the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million persons with disabilities.