Category Archives: News

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

REMARKS AT FUNERAL OF KOFI ANNAN

Accra, Ghana, 13 September 2018

To Nane Annan and the Annan Family,

To Kofi Annan’s larger family, starting with you, President Akufo-Addo and the people of his beloved Ghana, and extending to every corner of the globe,

To the many members of the United Nations community who grieve the passing of one of our own.

Since the shock of Kofi’s death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special.

To my mind, it is simply this:

Kofi Annan was both one-of-a-kind and one of us.

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Volcano on Vanuatu Ambae Island Causes Full Evacuation

 

The active volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambae island has caused total evacuation.

We ask Andrew Parker, Chief of UNICEF Pacific Vanuatu Field Office – what happened, what UNICEF is doing to help affected communities & what are the long term challenges? Stress and Trauma for children? Education? Health and Health services? Where do people go? Health? Nutrition? Issues for host communities? He answers in our interview from Vanuatu.

Markets for Change – UN Women Project in the Pacific

Participating in economic activities allows women to effect positive changes in their own lives and their communities, with positive ripple effects for the whole nation explained UNWomen Pacific Technical Specialist Sandra Bernklau who spoke to us this week about the UN Women’s Market for Change Project.

 

The Project now in its eight-year, is a multi-country initiative that aims to ensure marketplaces in rural and urban areas of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Short Interview:

 

‘Direct Existential Threat’ Of Climate Change Nears Point Of No Return, Warns UN chief

The world risks crossing the point of no return on climate change, with disastrous consequences for people across the planet and the natural systems that sustain them, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, calling for more leadership and greater ambition for climate action, to reverse course. More

Russian Operatives Carried Out Salisbury Chemical Attack Alleges UK; Accusations Part Of ‘post-truth world’ Asserts Moscow

The United Kingdom and Russia traded a volley of words at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, with the former laying out information which, it alleges, clearly places two Russian military intelligence operatives behind the deadly nerve-agent attack in the English city of Salisbury on 4 March. More

Statement Attributable To The Spokesman For The Secretary-General on Myanmar

The Secretary-General takes note with concern of the conviction and sentencing today in Myanmar of journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo to seven years of imprisonment. He urges the authorities to review their decision.

The right to freedom of expression and information is a cornerstone of any democracy. It is unacceptable that these journalists were prosecuted for reporting on major human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.

The Secretary-General will continue to advocate for the release of the journalists. He calls for full respect of freedom of the press and all human rights in Myanmar.

Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
New York, 3 September 2018

U N I T E D N A T I O N S                    N A T I O N S U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS
29 August 2018

The history of nuclear testing is one of suffering, with the victims of more than 2,000 nuclear tests often from the most vulnerable communities around of the world. The devastating consequences – which were not confined by international borders — encompassed impacts on the environment, health, food security and economic development.

Since the end of the Cold War, a robust norm has developed against nuclear testing, violated by only one State this century. The strength of that norm has been validated by the international community’s overwhelming condemnation of each violation.

Nevertheless, the restraint displayed through voluntary moratoria cannot replace a global, legally-binding ban on nuclear-testing. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has an essential role within the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. It fosters international peace and security by constraining the development of nuclear weapons. Our collective security demands that every effort should be made to bring this essential treaty into force.

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S                    N A T I O N S U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

Remarks to Security Council On Myanmar
New York, 28 August 2018

I join you today with a heavy heart. The massive refugee emergency that began one year ago in Rakhine State, Myanmar, has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian and human rights crises. Last month, I visited Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and heard stories of horrendous persecution and suffering. One father broke down as he told me how his son was shot dead in front of him. His mother was brutally murdered and his house burned to the ground.

He took refuge in a mosque only to be discovered by soldiers who abused him and burned the Quran. I know members of the Council heard similar harrowing accounts on your own visit to the region.

You highlighted in your press statement of 9 May the degree to which you “were struck by the scale of the humanitarian crisis” and how you “remain gravely concerned by the current situation.”

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