"BAN KI-MOON"

In an event, entitled “Equal in Music,” the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, performed Felix Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E-flat major, Opus 20 at UN Headquarters. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra was founded in 1999 by the Israeli conductor-pianist Daniel Barenboim and Palestinian author-scholar Edward Said. UNIFEED

Secretary-General António Guterres expressed on Saturday his deep sadness at the passing of His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XV, saying the religious leader was “a spiritual guide to millions across the world and one of the leading academic theologians of our time.” UNIFEED

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN Cho Huy, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Catherine Pollard, and Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, on the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting to be held from the 7th to the 8th of December.

In times of global crises, collaboration between regional organizations, United Nations has ‘grown exponentially’, Secretary-General tells Security Council.

Speaking during a Security Council meeting on cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations, Secretary-General António Guterres called for leaders in Asia to bolster efforts towards finding a peaceful solution to the urgent crisis in Myanmar, sparked by the military coup in February. UNIFEED

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has today been awarded the Seoul Peace Prize in recognition of the work he has done to help promoting peace through sport. IOC

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, coordinated, conflict-sensitive responses are crucial to sustaining peace, Secretary-General tells Security Council.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that member states’ commitment to sustaining peace “is more urgent than ever,” as the COVID-19 pandemic “threatens not only hard-won development and peacebuilding gains, but also risks exacerbating conflicts or fomenting new ones.” UNIFEED

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, told the Security Council that “peace will not be fully achieved if the brave voices of social leaders continue to be silenced through violence and if former combatants who laid down their weapons and are committed to their reintegration continue to be killed.” UNIFEED