The situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has deteriorated rapidly to the point of becoming “very alarming”, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi warned the Security Council today, in a meeting requested by the Russian Federation and marked by resounding calls to allow the Agency’s technical experts to visit the area to address mounting safety concerns.
After the Russian Federation vetoed a draft Security Council resolution on 8 July which would have injected certainty and predictability into the humanitarian response in Syria, the General Assembly today held a debate on the issue, with delegates expressing diverging views on the formula for — and merits of — renewing aid deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing in the country’s north-west.
Negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the United States and Iran are at a critical juncture, briefers told the Security Council today, stressing that the momentum of recent days on that landmark achievement in nuclear non-proliferation must not be lost.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The United Nations remains concerned about reports of continued tensions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. All efforts must be made to ensure full respect for the ceasefire and full implementation of agreed commitments.
Fierce overnight fighting at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power facility — which resulted in a fire, but has not elevated radiation levels — is both unacceptable and “highly irresponsible”, the senior United Nations political affairs official told an emergency meeting of the Security Council today.
International cooperation is vital in reducing disaster risks and building resilience as the world is not insured against future tragedies, speakers told the General Assembly during its commemoration of the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in 1986.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, observed on 26 April:
Millions of refugees across Eastern Africa who rely on the World Food Programme (WFP) to survive will face serious hunger and malnutrition, the agency warned today, citing reduced donor funding due to the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. WFP needs $323 million to assist refugees over the next six months.
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Clean Energy Transition Summit, in New York today:
