A strongly worded statement by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. Antonio Guterres, it says, urged the Government of Israel to halt and reverse the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to immediately and completely cease all settlements activities there…
Speaking at the Paris Finance Summit, Mr. Guterres said many African States were spending more on debt repayments than on desperately needed healthcare, and that over 50 countries were either in default or “dangerously” close to it. The UN chief called for a debt relief mechanism that supports payment suspensions, longer lending terms and lower…
With 360 million people worldwide in need of humanitarian assistance, up 30 percent since early 2022, global humanitarian needs have yet again reached record levels. In a video message to the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, a platform created by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to find solutions to pressing humanitarian aid issues, Antonio Guterres cited…
Russia confirmed that for 60 days it would continue to be a part of the Initiative and the complementary Memorandum of Understanding on food and fertilizer exports from Moscow, in late May – but the deal in effect expires on 17 July. The UN brokered the deal guaranteeing safe passage for grain cargo ships, along…
Addressing donors at a pledging event in Geneva convened by the UN with Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the European Union, Mr. Guterres said that some $3 billion was needed to assist people in Sudan and those who have fled to neighbouring countries. “The scale and speed of Sudan’s descent into death…
In his message marking the day, the Secretary-General condemned the use of sexual violence as a tactic of ‘war, torture, and repression’ in the conflicts that affect hundreds of millions of people around the world. “Harrowing reports from across the globe are a terrible reminder that this despicable crime persists despite international commitments to stamp…
“We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open”, he said. “It’s time to wake up and step up.” Mr. Guterres was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters following a meeting with civil society climate leaders from across the world. ‘Catastrophe’ looms He said limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still possible but will…
The two-day meeting has been organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to inform its proposal for a Global Coalition for Social Justice, aimed at reducing and preventing inequalities. “The world is at a decisive moment. Today’s policies on climate, on threats to global security, on social solidarity and more, will shape our future and that of our children and…
Addressing a conference to take stock of action since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) 17 years ago, he urged countries to “do much, much better” to achieve greater inclusion and accessibility. There are more than one billion persons with disabilities worldwide, most of whom are of working…
Water from the reservoir of the Kakhovka dam is also used to cool the nearby Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), Europe’s largest, which has been under constant threat since being occupied by Russian forces early in the conflict. The UN Office in Ukraine tweeted that “thousands of people in Ukraine are in peril” following the major…
