Secretary-General’s remarks to launch the flash appeal for Ukraine

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

In the past week, a country has been thrown into chaos; a region has been upended; and the reverberations are being felt around the world.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured in Ukraine.

Innocent people are once again paying the highest price of war.

More than half a million people have fled across borders.

Hundreds of thousands of women, children and men are spending days and nights underground, in basements, car parks and subway stations.

Rockets are raining down on cities including Kyiv.

Electricity and water supplies have been disrupted.

Roads have been damaged or destroyed by bombs.

Local supply chains are broken. Food and medicine are in short supply in some areas.

Strikes on an oil depot and a gas pipeline risk severe environmental damage.

I thank the Member States who have welcomed people fleeing Ukraine. It is important that this solidarity is extended without any discrimination based on race, religion or ethnicity.

For many people remaining in the country, life is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous.

Most places have little or no infrastructure to shelter and protect large numbers of people who arrive with virtually nothing. Continue reading →

UN prioritizes least developed countries in ‘plans…investments and…actions’ – Guterres

The vulnerabilities of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) may be different today than they were 50 years ago – when the UN created the category – but left unaddressed, the results are the same, the UN chief told a dedicated meeting on Thursday.

“Inequality. Hunger. Poverty. Weak infrastructure. Competition for dwindling resources. Insecurity and conflict,” Secretary-General António Guterres elaborated in his statement to the Fifth LDC (LDC5) Conference in the General Assembly Hall.

“The hopes, dreams, lives and livelihoods of one-eighth of humanity rest between the pages of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA),” he added, zeroing-in on the “lifelines” it provides to help short-term LDC recovery, achieve the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) in the medium term, and “develop and prosper” over the long-term. More

UN SDG Action Awards

The UN SDG Action Awards are back!

The UN SDG Action Campaign is looking for initiatives and individuals from around the world that Flip the script and rethink how we live and what progress and development look like.

Are YOU or is someone you know the next winner? Award-winning initiatives are those that inspire, mobilize and connect people to drive action towards a more sustainable future on a healthy planet. Award-winning individuals are changemakers who inspire and empower others through their actions.

Apply or nominate by 1 May 2022 for a chance to be celebrated at the Awards Ceremony during the Global Week to Act 4 SDGs in September! More

International Court orders Russia to ‘immediately suspend’ military operations in Ukraine

Russia must immediately suspend military operations in Ukraine, the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Wednesday, in The Hague.

By a vote of 13 to two, with Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian of Russia and Judge Xue Hanqin of China dissenting, the ICJ ruled that Russia “shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February.”

The court’s ruling – the first such verdict handed down by the ‘world court’ since the Russian invasion began – is in response to a suit filed by Ukraine on 27 February, accusing Russia of manipulating the concept of genocide to justify its military aggression.

In a tweet shortly after the ruling, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the majority decision “fully reinforces my repeated appeals for peace.” More

Misinformation that Omicron is ‘the last COVID-19 variant’ fuelling uptick worldwide: WHO

A combination of factors, including misinformation that the pandemic is over, the lifting of mask mandates, ending physical distancing – and a more transmissible Omicron BA.2 variant – are causing an increase of COVID-19 cases globally, the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday.

“After several weeks of declines, reported cases of COVID-19 are once again increasing globally, especially in parts of Asia”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus told journalists in Geneva.

He added that continued local outbreaks and surges are to be expected, particularly in areas where measures to prevent transmission have been lifted, but that there are ‘unacceptably high’ levels of mortality in many countries, especially where vaccination levels are low among susceptible populations.

“Each country is facing a different situation with different challenges, but the pandemic is not over”, he reiterated. More

Ukraine: ‘We need peace now’ declares Guterres, warning of global hunger meltdown

Ukraine is being “decimated before the eyes of the world” with Russia’s military offensive against civilians “reaching terrifying proportions”, said the UN chief on Monday, warning that a resulting meltdown of the global economy is provoking a hunger crisis that is hitting the poorest, hardest.

Secretary-General António Guterres addressed correspondents outside the Security Council chamber in New York, and said that with each passing hour in Ukraine, the death and destruction is getting worse: “Whatever the outcome, this war will have no winners, only losers.”

“For predators and human traffickers, war is not a tragedy. It’s an opportunity. And women and children are the targets. They need safety and support every step of the way. I will continue to highlight the desperate plight of the people of Ukraine as I am doing again today.” More

UN rights chief decries mass execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia

The UN human rights chief has condemned the beheading of 81 people by Saudi Arabia during the course of a single day, charged with terrorism-related offences.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged the authorities in a statement released following Saturday’s mass execution, to “bring the country’s counterterrorism laws fully into line with international standards”.

The beheadings exceeded the total of 67 executions that reportedly took place in the country during the whole of last year.

“Our monitoring indicates that some of those executed were sentenced to death following trials that did not meet fair trial and due process guarantees, and for crimes that did not appear to meet the most serious crimes threshold, as required under international law,” she said. More

To attack babies is ‘an act of unconscionable cruelty’: UN top officials urge end to attacks on health care in Ukraine

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, 31 attacks on health care have been documented by the World Health Organization. These incidents have killed and injured civilians, as well as destroyed facilities and ambulances, disrupting access to essential health services.

“Today, we call for an immediate cessation of all attacks on health care in Ukraine. These horrific attacks are killing and causing serious injuries to patients and health workers, destroying vital health infrastructure, and forcing thousands to forgo accessing health services despite catastrophic needs”, the heads of UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Population Found (UNFPA) declared in a joint statement published on Sunday.

The agencies’ leaders said that to attack the most vulnerable – babies, children, pregnant women, and those suffering from illness and disease, as well as health workers risking their safety to save lives – is “an act of unconscionable cruelty”. More

Ukraine: World must unite in face of Russia’s ‘violation of international law’

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine compels Member States of the United Nations to unite in “cooperation and solidarity” to support all those impacted “and to overcome this violation of international law” said Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday, addressing the General Assembly in New York.

The UN chief was speaking at a meeting on enhancing international cooperation – part of the landmark Our Common Agenda blueprint for multilateralism and collective action going forward, launched last year.

It was the fifth and final Assembly-led consultation, and Mr. Guterres thanked all Member States for their “constructive and active engagement” together with all other stakeholders who have contributed to the themed discussions.

“This conflict also calls on us to come together in cooperation and solidarity to support everyone affected, and to overcome this violation of international law”, he added. More

Social media poses ‘existential threat’ to traditional, trustworthy news: UNESCO

The business model of the news media is ‘broken’ and with it, our fundamental right to information is at risk, a new UNESCO report examining global trends in freedom of expression warns.

In the past five years, both news audiences and advertising revenues have moved in huge numbers to internet platforms, with only two companies – Google and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) – soaking up half of all global digital advertising spending.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) analysed media development trends from 2016 to 2021 and found that global newspaper advertising revenue has fallen by half during the five year period.

A 2021 UNESCO paper found that more than seven out of ten of women journalists surveyed had experienced online violence and a fifth reported being victims of offline violence in connection with online threats. More

Two years on, COVID-19 pandemic ‘far from over’

Almost 500 million people have been infected with the coronavirus since March 2020 and new variants are still a threat. This Friday marks two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) characterised the global spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic.

The UN health agency’s assessment was made six weeks after the virus was declared a global health emergency when there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China. Two years later, more than 6 million people have died.

“Although reported cases and deaths are declining globally, and several countries have lifted restrictions, the pandemic is far from over – and it will not be over anywhere until it’s over everywhere”, said WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus on Wednesday.

The UN Secretary-General issued a statement on Wednesday supporting the WHO chief’s assessment, that it would be ‘a grave mistake’ to think the virus was now in the rear-view mirror. More