#COVID-19

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ update on his appeal for a global ceasefire amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in New York today:

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

Political uncertainty, delays in the start of the peace process, increasing violence and the imminent full force of the COVID-19 pandemic make this a critical time for Afghanistan as it struggles to emerge from decades of conflict, the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told the Security Council in a videoconference meeting on 31 March.

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

The Secretary-General supports the decision of the United Kingdom and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Bureau to delay the next Conference of Parties (COP26), which was due to be held in November in Glasgow.  As hundreds of thousands of people fall seriously ill and many die from COVID-19, the need to suppress the virus and safeguard lives is our foremost priority.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the launch of a report on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19, in New York today:

While Israeli and Palestinian authorities have shown exemplary cooperation in protecting their populations from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no clear signs indicating a return to sorely needed negotiations towards a two-State solution, the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council, which met via videoconference on 30 March 2020.

With 10 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Syria, including one death, the virus could have potentially devastating consequences for vulnerable communities across the country, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council in a videoconference meeting on 30 March 2020.

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

Solidarity is “the first line of defence” against the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to wipe out years of development gains and throw millions of people back into poverty, the highest-ranking United Nations officials warned today as they briefed Member States on the Organization’s response to the crisis.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at a joint briefing to Member States on the Organization’s response to COVID-19, in New York today: