Press Release

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

With more than 19,000 participants joining virtually over its two-day session, the 2021 Economic and Social Council Youth Forum concluded today as the largest and most diverse gathering of young people in the United Nations history, amid calls to retain useful pandemic-era tools while addressing the structural inequities that have long held youth back from achieving their full potential.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Marcos De Sá Affonso Da Costa of Brazil as Force Commander for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Expressing deep concern over the high number of civilian casualties caused by landmines, explosive war remnants and improvised explosive devices, the Security Council today reiterated its call on belligerents to “immediately and definitively” end the indiscriminate use of such weapons, as senior Government officials debated ways to rid the world of a pernicious legacy.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message at the presentation of the book Aisha Buhari:  Being Different and the Summit on the Emerging Trend on the Role of the First Lady in National Development, today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the Security Council’s open debate on mine action today:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the Economic and Social Council Youth Forum today:

After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Economic and Social Council Youth Forum reconvened today in a virtual format to mark its tenth anniversary, with speakers emphasizing the critical role that the world’s 1.8 billion young people can — and must — play in “building back better” and fulfilling the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The new Permanent Representative of the Bahamas to the United Nations, Chet Donovan Neymour, presented his credentials to the Secretariat today.

The United Nations will observe World Autism Awareness Day (2 April) with a global virtual event on the theme “Inclusion in the Workplace:  Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World”.