In a visit to Mongolia on Tuesday, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the UN’s full solidarity for the country, which he described as “a symbol of peace in a troubled world”.
Crimes against humanity continue to be systematically committed in Myanmar, with ongoing conflicts severely impacting women and children, according to a UN report released on Tuesday.
In a joint briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday, UN counterterrorism officials confirmed that the threat posed by Da’esh terrorist fighters and their affiliates remains “global and evolving”.
After three days of deadly fighting, the Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday to assess a fragile truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza.
Greater investment in State institutions is critical to counter peace and security challenges in Africa, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Monday.
Mr. President,
Members of the Security Council,
The past days witnessed a deeply worrying escalation in the Gaza Strip ...
New York, 9 August 2022
On this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we are highlighting the role of Indigenous women in preserving and passing on traditional knowledge.
Indigenous women are knowledge keepers of traditional food systems and medicines.
They are champions of Indigenous languages and cultures.
...UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned a recent attack on a nuclear power station in southern Ukraine during a meeting in Tokyo on Monday with the Japan National Press Club.
In July, a UN human rights officer embarked on an outreach visit to the Horn of Africa’s Sool and Sanaag regions, a seven-day round-trip of more than 1,600 kilometres by road.
United Nations has been intensively engaged and closely working with Egypt on mediating a restoration of calm.
We underscore our commitment to do all we can towards ending the ongoing escalation, ensuring the safety and security of the civilian population, and following-up on the Palestinian prisoners file.
I will continue to work with all relevant parties to de-escalate the...
The ongoing and serious escalation of violence in and around Gaza between Palestinian militants and Israel has claimed the lives of 13 Palestinians by Israeli airstrikes, including a 5-year-old child and one woman, informed Lynn Hastings, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the territory.
It is totally unacceptable for states in possession of nuclear weapons to admit the possibility of a nuclear war, António Guterres underscored early on Saturday in Japan at a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
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Nuclear weapons will continue to pose a risk to humanity unless countries fully adhere to the treaty that prohibits their testing, a senior UN official said at a press conference in New York on Friday.
Armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) must lay down their arms and engage in political dialogue, a UN-appointed independent human rights expert said on Friday, urging the international community to strengthen efforts to restore State authority and end impunity there.
Established in 1973, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a grouping of 20 countries: 15 Member States and five associated members, most of which are Small Island Developing States. The CARICOM Secretariat is located in Georgetown, Guyana, and the Secretary-General is Ms. Carla Barnett of Belize, who was appointed in 2021.
In July 2023, Secretary-General António Guterres attended the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, in Trinidad and Tobago, which also served to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the regional organization, as a special guest. Heads of CARICOM welcomed his remarks and advocacy on issues of critical importance to member States, particularly climate change and the reform of the global financial system.
CARICOM was granted observer status before the UN General Assembly in 1991 (A/RES/46/8). In 1994, the General Assembly resolution on “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Caribbean Community” (A/RES/49/141) requested the Secretary-General to, in consultation with the Secretary-General of CARICOM, “promote meetings between their representatives for consultations on policies, projects, measures and procedures that will facilitate and broaden cooperation and coordination between them”.
In 1997, the Secretariats of CARICOM and the UN signed a Cooperation Agreement establishing that both entities should “act in close collaboration and hold consultations regularly on matters of common interest”. It also established that the Secretariats should “develop the appropriate framework for such consultations as and when necessary”.
The consultations between the Secretariats of the two organizations from 2000 to 2021 took the form of biennial General Meetings, held alternatively at their respective Headquarters. The Joint Statement of the 11th CARICOM-UN General Meeting fed into General Assembly resolution 75/323 on “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Caribbean Community” (A/RES/75/323). Further to the General Meetings, DPPA has supported the CARICOM Secretariat´s capacity in electoral assistance to its Member States, and helped facilitate UN support for CARICOM’s Counter-Terrorism and Crime and Security Strategies.
The inter-institutional collaborative mechanism allowed both organizations to enhance their analyses, strategies and programmes, as well as to explore how they could support the CARICOM Secretariat and Associated Institutions in carrying out their tasks.
With coherence among UN actors in the Caribbean significantly advanced through the General Meeting mechanism, DPPA and CARICOM’s Directorate for Foreign and Community Relations are now exploring options on how to best take the CARICOM-UN consultations forward within the framework of the 1997 Cooperation Agreement.
Rising acute food insecurity in Somalia has caused more than 900,000 people to flee their homes in search of humanitarian assistance since January last year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.
Activists who raise concerns about business projects in Colombia are under serious threat for speaking out, and UN human rights experts are urging the government to do much more to protect them.
Three more ships have been given the green light to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Friday, carrying just over 58,000 tons of corn, in a move that will raise hopes further for the success of a UN initiative aimed at lowering prices of essential foods and easing the global crisis.
The United Nations continues to engage with authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the wake of the deadly shooting this past weekend involving peacekeepers from its Mission there, MONUSCO.
A powerful new sculpture unveiled at UN Headquarters on Wednesday honours the memory and mission of two human rights experts who were murdered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) five years ago.
Every effort must be made to support the Yazidi community in Iraq, the United Nations said on Wednesday, marking eight years since the extremist group ISIL launched a brutal assault on the religious minority.
The first, eagerly-awaited commercial shipment of grain to leave the Ukrainian port of Odesa since Russia’s invasion more than five months ago, was cleared to proceed to Lebanon on Wednesday, after a scheduled inspection stopover in Istanbul.
On the second anniversary of the tragic explosion at the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020, members of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) express their solidarity with Lebanon and its people, particularly with the families of the victims and all those whose lives were affected by that event that shook Lebanon and the world. We remember the more than 200 dead, and the many thousands who were injured, lost homes or employment, and who...
The landmark truce in Yemen, which has been holding since April, has been renewed for an additional two months through 2 October, UN Special Envoy for the country, Hans Grundberg, announced on Tuesday.
As geopolitical tensions reach new highs, and some governments are spending billions on nuclear weapons in a false bid for peace and security, countries must uphold the nearly 80-year norm against their use, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in New York on Monday.
The UN chief on Monday welcomed the departure of the first ship from the Ukrainian port of Odesa, carrying grain under the landmark deal signed by Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye, overseen by the UN.
Secretary-General António Guterres is “outraged” over a “serious incident” that took place on Sunday morning on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, according to his deputy spokesperson.
Secretary-General António Guterres is “following with concern” ongoing protests in Iraq that have injured many people, according to his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq.
Secretary-General António Guterres is “following with concern” ongoing protests in Iraq that have injured many people, according to his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq.
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New York, 30 July 2022
Human trafficking is a horrific crime and an all-out assault on people’s rights, safety and dignity.
Tragically, it is also a problem that is growing worse — especially for women and girls, who represent the majority of detected trafficked persons globally.
Conflicts, forced displacement, climate change,...
The war in Ukraine shows no signs of ending, more than five months after the Russian invasion, and fighting is intensifying, the UN Security Council heard on Friday.
The war triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine is over five months old and shows no signs of ending. Instead, the fighting is intensifying.
In the face of such a grim prospect, the agreement signed on 22 July in Istanbul to facilitate the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny constitutes a “beacon of hope” for humanity, as the Secretary-General put it.
This humanitarian agreement, together with the understanding between the Russian Federation and the UN Secretariat on promoting access of Russian food products and fertilizers to world markets, will help bridge the global food supply gap and reduce high prices.
Member States received yesterday a virtual briefing on these efforts from Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, and Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Vera Songwe.
The grain agreement is a sign that dialogue between the parties is possible in the search to ease human suffering. The UN is now making every effort to support the parties in operationalizing the initiative, starting with the inauguration of the Joint Coordination Center two days ago.
As the Secretary-General has stated, all parties made clear commitments to ensure the safe movement of grain and related products to global markets. Avoiding incidents such as recent strikes on Odesa and creating enabling conditions will be key for the initiative to succeed.
It is, therefore, imperative that the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Türkiye work in partnership to effectively implement the agreement.
Mr. President,
Since I last briefed this Council on 28 June, the number of civilians killed, wounded or maimed by fighting continued to grow. Deadly missile, air and artillery attacks by Russian armed forces have continued unabated, reducing many Ukrainian cities and towns to rubble.
The streets of Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv have been repeatedly targeted. The port city of Odesa and the surrounding region have also suffered multiple attacks. The capital of the Kirovohrad region (Kropyvnystkyi) was reportedly struck yesterday, as was the town of Liutizh just north of Kyiv. Cities in the Donbass, including Donetsk and Bakhmut, are also reported to be under fire. Renewed heavy fighting is now anticipated in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
At the same time, reported efforts to alter administrative structures on the ground, including attempts to introduce local governing bodies in Russian-controlled areas, raise serious concerns about the political implications of the war.
As the conflict enters a more protracted phase, attention is increasingly turning to its longer-term humanitarian, recovery, reconstruction, and socio-economic impact. As summer wanes, the need for winterization planning is also becoming pressing.
Regrettably, political dialogue has virtually ground to a halt.
Mr. President,
The war has taken an unacceptably heavy toll on Ukrainian civilians. As of 27 July, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had recorded 12,272 civilian casualties in the country: 5,237 killed and 7,035 injured.
This represents at least 1,641 new civilian casualties since my last briefing. These are figures based on verified incidents; the actual numbers are considerably higher.
As we have reported, most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by explosive weapons with a wide impact area. Many of these weapons are inherently indiscriminate when used in populated areas, where they invariably have devastating humanitarian consequences.
OHCHR, WHO and UNESCO continue to document damage and destruction of civilian housing, educational and healthcare facilities, as well as places of worship.
The impact of war on Ukraine’s health sector is particularly alarming. As of 25 July, there have been 414 attacks on health care in Ukraine, resulting in 85 deaths and 100 injuries. This includes 350 attacks on facilities in areas of conflict, where on average around 316,000 patients were treated per month.
Also, UNESCO has verified conflict-related damage to 168 cultural sites since 24 February, including 73 religious buildings and 13 museums. Some 2,129 educational institutions have also reportedly suffered from bombing and shelling.
Indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are a clear violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. We reiterate our urgent call to all parties to respect these laws, including the rules of distinction, proportionality and precaution and to avoid the use of heavy weapons in populated areas.
Mr. President,
As of 20 July, the humanitarian community has provided aid to 11 million people.
Some 9 million people have received food and livelihood assistance, and more than 4.5 million people have benefitted from protection services, including legal assistance, mine clearance and mine-risk reduction.
More than 4.2 million people have also been able to access safe water and proper sanitation, while nearly 2.3 million people have received cash assistance.
Despite difficulties in reaching people in need in the non-Government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, humanitarian partners have provided aid to up to 125,000 people and to over 30 health, education, and social institutions in the area.
Mr. President,
As of 19 July, 5,984,263 refugees from Ukraine were recorded across Europe.
Border crossings from Ukraine since 24 February have totaled over 9.5 million. Crossings to Ukraine numbered 3.8 million.
We are concerned that winter will make it harder for the displaced or the returnee community to have access to shelter and health care.
To address these risks, the humanitarian community is focusing on supporting the national and local systems to respond with housing solutions, social protection, and economic inclusion.
Mr. President,
We cannot ignore the specific way the war is affecting women and girls.
While access to food has significantly declined across Ukraine, women-headed households in Ukraine are twice as likely to experience food insecurity as those headed by men.
Women’s access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health, is rapidly deteriorating, as is access to new-born and child health.
With access to education also largely hindered, women are taking on the primary responsibility of home-schooling children.
Further, women in Ukraine face significantly increased safety and protection risks. Incidents of gender-based violence, including allegations of sexual violence in conflict have increased, but services for survivors are not provided in full. It is also likely that many victims and survivors are currently unable to report their cases.
Especially for these reasons, women must meaningfully participate in discussions and initiatives to shape the future of the country, including peace negotiations, recovery efforts, peacebuilding and accountability efforts.
Mr. President,
The impact of the war globally is glaringly clear. The consequences will only become more pronounced the longer the conflict lasts, particularly with the onset of winter.
Despite the encouraging developments on grain and fertilizers, we remain deeply concerned about the lack of prospects for a shift towards a meaningful resumption of diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Escalatory rhetoric from any side, including about expanding the conflict geographically or denying Ukraine’s statehood, is not consistent with the constructive spirit demonstrated in Istanbul.
Here, let me state once again the commitment of the United Nations to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence within its internationally recognized borders.
Mr. President,
We are all aware of the horrors of this war.
In both Government and non-Government controlled areas, ordinary people bear the brunt of attacks and counterattacks.
Two weeks ago, the city of Vinnytsia became the scene of another atrocious attack. Missiles fired from the Black Sea killed over 20 people, including three children.
Among those brutally cut down in the attack was a 4-year-old girl, Liza, who had been strolling through a park with her mother. We know the heartbreaking story of her killing, but there are many other children, fathers and mothers dying in similar circumstances every day in Ukraine.
This incident and the long list of attacks devastating Ukraine stand as the ultimate indictment of the utter senselessness and brutality of this war.
Thank you, Mr. President.
