The Security Council today encouraged Member States to comprehensively engage young people in fostering durable peace, building upon the initiative “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020” and on the Council’s 2 October debate on mobilizing young people towards that goal.
Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message to the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace, Security and Development in Africa, in Aswan, Egypt, today:
The Secretary-General, marking Human Rights Day and its theme, “Youth Standing up for Human Rights”, said that, throughout history and across the world, young people have been at the forefront of standing up for what is right and that he is deeply inspired by the energy and passion they bring to the struggle for human rights.
Swift implementation of recommendations that emerged from Cameroon’s recent national dialogue can contribute significantly towards resolving the political and humanitarian crisis enveloping that country’s North‑West and South‑West regions, the Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) told the Security Council today.
Following earthquakes that struck Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina this morning, two United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination technical support members will be deployed to Albania. The United Nations stands ready to provide assistance if required, and is in contact with local authorities.
Following are UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the launch of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report titled “Scaling Fences, Voices of Irregular African Migrants to Europe”, in Abuja, Nigeria, today:
During her 10-day visit to Myanmar, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy met with the Union Electoral Commission, representatives of the main political parties in Parliament and Rohingya and Rakhine political [parties] and activists, as well as local officials, community leaders and returnees in northern Rakhine State.
Following is UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ message for Africa Industrialization Day, observed on 20 November:
Amid a raft of recent rapprochements and revitalized peace processes in the Horn of Africa, the Security Council — fresh off the heels of a visit to the region — must do more to support women peacekeepers and civil society leaders on the front lines of conflict, the 15-member organ heard today.
Heavy rains and flooding have affected 2.5 million people in South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, forcing people to flee their homes and resulting in the loss of property, crops and livestock. Higher-than-usual rainfall is expected to continue in eastern African this month and next.
