The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:
The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres flew from Ankara, Turkey, to Moscow, Russian Federation, on Monday, 25 April.
Donors pledged $1.4 billion to respond to the drought in the Horn of Africa – the worst in the region in four decades – that has left more than 15 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Of the total, $1 billion will go towards immediate and life-saving aid, such as food.
The United Nations Environment Programme today released a report saying sand, the world’s second most exploited resource, must be recognized as a strategic resource and its extraction from rivers and marine ecosystems and its use must rethought, as they can cause erosion and threaten livelihoods.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today strongly condemned the widespread sexual violence, as well as killings of civilians, and attacks on aid workers in Leer County. UNMISS has carried out 10 verification missions and says that 72 civilians were killed, and 64 cases of sexual violence have been recorded.
A three-month flash appeal to provide vital assistance for 542,000 people affected by Tropical Storm Ana, which hit Malawi late in January, has been launched in the country. It seeks $29.4 million and focuses on the six hardest-hit districts — Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Mulanje, Chiradzulu and Balaka.
Some 14.6 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance in 2022, the Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2022 says, 9 per cent more than in 2021. More households are turning to negative ways of coping, including child labour, child marriage and the sale of productive assets.
The last United Nations staff member detained by the Ethiopian authorities has been released. However, humanitarian challenges in the country remain, with thousands of Eritrean refugees in need of emergency aid after they fled fighting in the Afar region. UNHCR remains extremely worried about their safety and well-being.
Against the backdrop of evolving events in eastern Ukraine — including reported violations of the ceasefire agreement in the last 24 hours — it has become clear that the situation is perilous, and diplomacy must urgently prevail, the top United Nations political official told the Security Council this morning.
In Sudan, the first stage of the United Nations-facilitated consultations for a political process on the way forward has concluded. The talks began on 8 January and brought together a range of groups, including civil society, women’s rights groups, political parties, academics, journalists and others.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on Uraine at the press stakeout, today:
Calling for de-escalation of tensions along the borders between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the United Nations political affairs chief told the Security Council today that any military intervention by one country in another would be against international law and the Charter of the United Nations, as Moscow denied any intention of launching a war on that neighbouring State.
The United Nations and the Russian Federation held the Seventh Annual Aviation Talks on 21 and 22 July as part of the official business programme of the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2021.
Clashes in northern Mozambique are driving one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), says with the number of people who have fled their homes in Cabo Delgado having surged by nearly 650 per cent in 2020, and more than 732,000 people currently displaced.
The United Nations learned with deep sadness that Edward Mortimer, Head Speechwriter and Director of Communications for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, died at the weekend. During a tumultuous period in world affairs, Mr. Mortimer made an imprint on many of the Secretary-General’s signature achievements and initiatives.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Humanitarian officials say the security and access situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region remains complex and extremely fluid, with active hostilities impeding people’s access to assistance and the movement of aid workers. They say more than 500 cases of gender-based violence, including rape, were reported in May.
On Tuesday, 11 May, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres travelled to Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Government.
The 2021 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis will be launched on 18 May, hosted by Bangladesh, along with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration, targeting 1.4 million people. “This must not become a forgotten crisis,” UNHCR stated.
Humanitarian officials in Somalia say a “double climate disaster”, marked by drought followed by torrential rains, has killed at least 25 people in two weeks. Warning that 2.7 million people in the country are already food insecure, they note that the Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 19 per cent funded.