“The Secretary-General once again urges all sides to act with maximum restraint. He supports the rights of all Egyptians to hold peaceful protests. He calls on the interim authorities to ensure law and order along with guaranteeing the safety and security of all Egyptians,” Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General renews his calls for a meaningful national dialogue and an inclusive reconciliation process. The aim must be to chart a peaceful path towards a full return of civilian control, constitutional order, and democratic governance,” the statement added.

Protests on Friday and Saturday have left scores of people dead and hundreds others injured. In a new statement, Ban stressed that Egypt’s security forces must act with full respect for human rights, including guaranteeing the rights to free speech and assembly. The Secretary-General appeals to all the people of Egypt to address their differences through dialogue and again renews his calls to all parties to engage in an inclusive and meaningful reconciliation process.

Ban also urged demonstrators to exercise restraint and preserve the peaceful nature of their protests.

“The Secretary-General appeals to all the people of Egypt to address their differences through dialogue and again renews his calls to all parties to engage in an inclusive and meaningful reconciliation process,” according to the statement.

The crisis in the country escalated earlier this month, resulting in the Egyptian military deposing President Mohamed Morsy amid widespread protests in which dozens of people were killed and wounded. The Constitution was then suspended and an interim government set up.

Ban urged the interim authorities to end arbitrary arrests and other reported forms of harassment. Morsy and Muslim Brotherhood leaders currently in detention should be released or have their cases reviewed transparently without delay, he added.

Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference in Geneva, the spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed that it is extremely important that security forces in Egypt do not resort to excessive use of force.

“People have a right to make peaceful protests,” said Rupert Colville. “All measures taken by the authorities must fully respect the law and international human rights standards. We will be closely following how the situation develops.”

Yemen has been undergoing a democratic transition, under the leadership of President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour, who came to power in an election in February. This followed an agreement signed by warring factions in November 2011 on a transitional settlement in the wake of widespread protests similar to those seen across the Middle East and North Africa, and the resignation of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The outcome of the national dialogue conference will feed into the constitution-making process that is to conclude in late 2013, enabling general elections to take place in February 2014.

Mansour has appointed a representative preparatory committee tasked with preparing the ground for the conference; and Ban commended him, as well as the Government and people of Yemen, for “their determination to keep the transition process on track,” the spokesperson said.

He also noted that Ban’s Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has just concluded a two-week mission to the country during which he engaged with all Yemeni sides to support preparations for the national dialogue and other transition tasks.

The UN has been providing support in Yemen’s transition in four key areas: political facilitation; technical support; capacity-building; and a public information and awareness campaign.

“We cannot have a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” the President of the General Assembly Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, told the Seminar on Dialogue, Understanding and Countering the Appeal of Terrorism held at UN Headquarters in New York.

“We need to develop a better and deeper understanding of how to combat intolerance, ideological factors, social marginalization and the discrimination of minority communities. These are some of the factors that lead to radicalization and by considering them we can be in a better position to identify the best policies for addressing these challenges successfully,” he added.

The seminar, organized by Assembly President Al-Nasser in partnership with the UN Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, seeks to give countries the opportunity to learn from existing good practices that are being used in various regional and national programmes to counter the appeal of terrorism through a series of interactive panel discussions.

Mr. Al-Nasser emphasized that the seminar was taking place at a “critical time” as the third review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 2006, would start on Thursday.

“We have the opportunity to push forward the agenda on dialogue, understanding and countering the appeal of terrorism,” Mr. Al-Nasser said.

The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy underscores the need to tackle the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, prevent and combat terrorism, build States’ capacity to counter terrorism, and ensure respect for human rights against the backdrop of the fight against terrorism.

In his remarks to the Seminar, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the role of dialogue and understanding between communities and called on governments to boost their efforts to build “tolerant and resilient societies that reject the hate-filled narratives of terrorists.”

“It takes more than traditional security approaches to counter terrorism,” Mr. Ban said. “We must work together to extinguish the flames of hate and intolerance that breed terrorist violence.”

The UN chief encouraged symposium participants to explore how the mass media can contribute to peaceful exchanges of views and leverage public-private partnerships that promote understanding.

“We must spare no effort to provide all people – particularly children – with an environment where they cherish the values that bring us as humans and nourish the diversity that enriches our souls,” Ban said.

“The Secretary-General commends President Sleiman’s initiative in re-launching the National Dialogue,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “He encourages political leaders in Lebanon to continue their work in this important process and looks forward to the next meeting planned for 25 June.”

The spokesperson added that Mr. Ban also welcomed the declaration issued following the National Dialogue meeting – between the leaders of the Hizbollah-led March 8 bloc and the opposition March 14 coalition – on 11 June.

According to media reports, that meeting, chaired by Lebanon’s President Michel Sleiman, was the first session of the National Dialogue in some 18 months. At the meeting, leaders agreed to commit themselves to dialogue and avoid speeches that fuel sectarian hatred.

President Sleiman had reportedly called for the resumption of the National Dialogue, suspended since November 2010, in light of sectarian violence in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.

“The United Nations continues to believe that the National Dialogue can play a crucial part in promoting stability and the authority of the state in Lebanon,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said. He added that the commitment of Lebanon’s political leaders to safeguarding the country from the impact of regional tensions at this difficult time is particularly important.