The United Nations welcomes the 13 December release by Belarusian authorities of 123 political prisoners, including the 2022 Nobel Peace laureate, Ales Bialiatski, as well as civic activist Maria Kolesnikova, commending the efforts of the United States in facilitating this and calling for the release of all remaining political prisoners.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The new Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations, James Martin Larsen, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Damian Cardona Onses of Spain as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Canberra, Australia. Mr. Cardona assumed his duties on 20 April.
The death toll from the measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 6,000 people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today. The outbreak is currently the worst in the world.
The new Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations, Mitchell Peter Fifield, presented his credentials to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres today.
The United Nations agencies in Mexico have staff in place, with more to be deployed in the coming days, to cooperate closely with local and federal authorities, among others, to attend to migrant needs in Tapachula, Chiapas and nearby towns.
The UN refugee agency today drew attention to a collapsing health situation among refugees and asylum-seekers at off-shore facilities in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, calling on the Government of Australia to urgently act to prevent a further tragedy to people forcibly transferred under its off-shore processing policy.
Humanitarian operations in Iraq are contracting in 2018 versus last year, when 6.2 million people were targeted with assistance. The 2018 humanitarian response plan, launched on 6 March, seeks $569 million to assist 3.4 million highly vulnerable people struggling in the aftermath of the conflict with Da’esh.
Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks at the signing ceremony of a new maritime boundary agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste, in New York today:
