United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is monitoring developments in Brazil and urged calm after the country's Senate voted to put President Dilma Rousseff on trial for breaking budget laws, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

"The secretary-general calls for calm and dialogue among all sectors of society," he told reporters. "He trusts that the country's authorities will honor Brazil's democratic processes, adhering to the rule of law and the constitution."