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As the United Nations prepares for the official celebration of its 70 anniversary tomorrow, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the General Assembly to “unite our strength” and serve “we the peoples,” as the 193-member body adopted by consensus a resolution declaring a recommitment to the aims and principles of the UN Charter.

The United Nations expert on religious freedom is calling on all Governments represented at the UN General Assembly “to respect religious practices by children and their families and support families in fulfilling their role in providing an enabling environment for the realisation of the rights of the child.”

Two United Nations experts on the human rights of migrants today called on the European Union to open regular and safe channels for migrants, saying “attempting to seal borders and the over-emphasis on the securitisation of borders is not going to reduce irregular migration in the long run.”

The United Nations Security Council today extended the arms embargo on Somalia until 15 November 2016 while reaffirming the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources, while also reaffirming its arms embargo on Eritrea.

Underscoring the urgent need to restore calm amid escalating Israeli-Palestinians tensions, the United Nations and its Middle East Quartet partners today encouraged Israel to work together with Jordan to uphold the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Citing the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the crisis in Yemen, the United Nations special envoy on the situation told the Security Council today that the ongoing violence has left the country “bleeding and its cities collapsing,” and he added that peace talks are the only way to restore the hope of Yemeni people “after all the suffering…crisis they have been victims of.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is closely following developments in Côte d’Ivoire ahead of this weekend’s presidential elections and has welcomed the commitment of national stakeholders to participate in the process in a peaceful and transparent manner.

The United Nations refugee agency today expressed concern over the reported abuse of refugee and migrant women and children on the move in Europe, including “instances of children engaging in survival sex to pay smugglers to continue their journey,” appealing to all concerned to take measures to ensure their protection.

Upon his return from an emergency visit to the crisis-torn Middle East where he reported having “long and detailed” discussions with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said “there is still time to step back from the brink,” despite anger and polarization in the region.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the Organization ahead of UN Day on 24 October, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there is only one flag that belongs to everyone – the blue flag of the United Nations.