Afghanistan

The following statement was issued by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:

The fourth round of the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks began at the Palais des Nations in Geneva this morning, with the participation of Stephanie Williams, Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya.  The deliberations in this round will continue until 24 October.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:

Although hand-washing with soap is critical to anti-coronavirus efforts, millions of people around the world lack ready access to a place to wash their hands, UNICEF) warned today, reporting that, according to the latest estimates, only three out of five people worldwide have basic hand-washing facilities.

Marking International Day of the Girl, Zimbabwe Resident Coordinator Maria Ribeiro called for the protection of girls who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 compared to boys. Girls in Zimbabwe also face myriad challenges, including fewer opportunities in education and, for females under 24, a third of maternal deaths.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today said that they remain deeply concerned about the ongoing hostilities along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, calling on all sides to immediately end the fighting and respect international human rights and humanitarian law.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

We are devastated by the sudden passing of our long-time friend and colleague Reynaldo Naval of the Media Documents Centre.  Rey proudly served the United Nations for 39 years, and we always appreciated his kindness, sunny disposition, dedication and pride in belonging to the Organization.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Abdou Abarry (Niger):

The Security Council today decided to extend the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year, welcoming newly launched intra-Afghan negotiations and encouraging the parties to work towards a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive political settlement.