Amidst a global call by Secretary-General António Guterres to reaffirm the sanctity of religious sites and keep worshippers safe, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) launched a new plan of action to counter hate and violence around the globe. Mr. Guterres underscored that houses of worship must be “safe havens for reflection and peace, not sites of bloodshed and terror” and all people “must be allowed to observe and practice their faiths in peace”.

On the third and final day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN chief António Guterres declared that the country is experiencing a historic moment, which could herald the development of democratic institutions. In a meeting earlier in the day with President Félix Tshisekedi, he said that he had expressed his conviction that the country will see “a government that wants to transform the country, an opposition that also plays an important role in political life, with greater respect for human rights and with a vision for the future of Congo”.

On the second day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres salutes the courage of the country’s citizens, as well as the sacrifice of the peacekeepers who have died serving them. He went on to express his condolences to the families, and loved ones, of the victims of violence, and called on all armed groups to immediately end their attacks on the civil population, and the security forces charged with protecting the Congolese people.

United Nations chief António Guterres and senior members of the UN, embark on a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where civilians are facing insecurity and ongoing health crises, including a year-long Ebola epidemic which has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

“Little undermines development like disaster,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres tells attendees at a thematic session on Africa and climate change, at the Tokyo international Conference on African Development (TICAD). “Decades of sustainable development gains can be wiped out overnight,” citing the deadly cyclone streak in Mozambique earlier this year, floods that plagued Japan just days ago, and the wildfires presently ripping through the Amazon.