Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks to the high-level event on “Renewed Partnership to End Hunger in Africa by 2025 — Five Years Later: Taking Stock of Progress and Lessons in Light of the Sustainable Development Goals”, in Addis Ababa today:
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Bience Gawanas of Namibia as Special Adviser on Africa.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed today to donors after they were forced to reduce food rations and cash assistance for more than 100,000 refugees in Rwanda.
Despite progress in West Africa and the Sahel, particularly regarding democratic and peaceful political transitions, the security situation in the region remained a grave concern, the Security Council heard today in a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary‑General in the region.
The United Nations is deeply concerned for the safety and protection of tens of thousands of people in north-eastern Syria displaced since 1 December due to increased fighting. Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock will conduct his first mission to Syria this week to assess and discuss ways to improve the aid response.
Despite some positive developments in Central Africa, the overall situation still required concerted action at all levels to address sociopolitical tensions, economic difficulties and abuses by armed groups, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative to the region told the Security Council today.
Nearly five years after parties signed the cooperation framework for the Great Lakes region, the Security Council reiterated today its call for States to abide by the commitment to non‑interference in the internal affairs of neighbours and the prohibition against abetting armed groups or war criminals.
The Security Council today welcomed the steady and rapid progress achieved in making the joint force of the Group of Five Sahel States (G5 Sahel) functional, including through fulfilment of its initial operational capacity on 17 October.
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Colin Stewart of Canada as his Special Representative for Western Sahara and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the fifth African Union-European Union Summit, in Abidjan today:
