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

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the 2022 Pyeongchang Peace Forum in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, today:

World Wetlands Day, observed on 2 February, is being celebrated under the theme “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”, highlighting the importance of actions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for human and planetary health.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed alarm at the continued disappearance of six people abducted in Kabul two weeks ago in connection with recent women’s rights protests.  It called on the de facto authorities to report the findings of their investigation and do their utmost to ensure the safe, immediate release of these individuals.

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

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the 2021 Korea Global Forum for Peace — International Community and United Nations Roles for Permanent Peace on the Korean Peninsula, held today:

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that half a million people in parts of Balochistan province in Pakistan are facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.  Another 100,000 people need immediate life-saving assistance due to severe drought-like conditions.

The Security Council, acting through its temporary written silence procedure today, extended until 30 April 2022 the mandate of the panel of experts assisting the committee which oversees its sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

At least 14 civilians were killed in an attack by suspected combatants of the ADF on Sunday night in Bulongo village, east of Beni, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported.  The Mission’s Force Intervention Brigade deployed to the area yesterday.

On 30 November 2020, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) approved updates to its seventh implementation assistance notice entitled “Guidelines for Obtaining Exemptions to Deliver Humanitarian Assistance to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”, which was adopted by the Committee on 6 August 2018.  The updated implementation assistance notice provides additional guidance on the humanitarian exemption mechanism and is available on the Committee’s website in all official languages of the United Nations (https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1718/implementation-notices and https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1718/exemptions‑measures/humanitarian-exemption-requests).