In a tradition that started when he served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to shine a light on Muslim communities in distress, Mr. Guterres arrived in Cairo on Saturday, where he reiterated his urgent calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and the cessation of violence, notably in Gaza and …
Read More »Remembering Holocaust victims, Guterres urges a stand against division
Observing Saturday’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, he highlighted the millions of Jewish children, women and men, along with countless others, who suffered persecution and death during that dark period. “We honour their memory. We stand with the survivors, their families and descendants. …
Read More »‘Act on the lessons of COVID-19’, Guterres says on Epidemic Preparedness Day
The COVID-19 pandemic affected hundreds of millions of lives, caused millions of deaths and inflicted devastating impacts on humanity. After three years of unprecedented global efforts, on 5 May the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, stressing however, that it does not …
Read More »Guterres ‘horrified’ by strike on ambulance convoy in Gaza
“I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital. The images of bodies strewn on the street outside the hospital are harrowing,” the UN chief said in a statement, issued late on Friday New York time. He stated that he did not …
Read More »Situation in Gaza ‘growing more desperate by the hour’, says UN chief Guterres
The UN chief’s visit comes as the crisis in the Gaza Strip enters its third week following the 7 October incursion by Hamas militants into Israel and Israel’s subsequent declaration of war. Late last week the UN adopted a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce, but the past few days …
Read More »At Cairo Peace Summit, Guterres stresses need for sustained humanitarian aid to Gaza
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi convened leaders from the region and around the world in efforts to de-escalate hostilities following the Hamas incursion into Israel on 7 October, and Israel’s bombing of Gaza and complete siege of the enclave. The Summit took place one day after the UN chief travelled …
Read More »Repel intensifying attacks on schools, urges Guterres
Marking the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was important to defend “havens of education”. “Education is not only a fundamental human right, but a pathway to a better future for every person, and a more peaceful, understanding world,” he underscored. He …
Read More »‘Generations of Haitians’ at risk, warns Guterres, calling for international force to help quell gang violence
The UN chief expressed deep concern at the extreme vulnerability faced by the Haitian people – especially women and girls – because of brutally violent and “predatory” armed gangs, like those encircling the capital, blocking main roads and controlling access to water, food, health care. “I condemn in the strongest …
Read More »G7 nations, ‘central to climate action’ says Guterres, calling for global reset
The G7, which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, together with the European Union, is meeting in the city where the first atomic bomb was dropped in 1945, a place which Secretary-General António Guterres described, as a “testament to the human spirit”. …
Read More »Fight slavery’s ‘legacy of racism’ through education: Guterres
He said the history of slavery is one of suffering and barbarity that shows humanity at its worst. “But it is also a history of awe-inspiring courage that shows human beings at their best – starting with enslaved people who rose up against impossible odds and extending to the abolitionists …
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