Following the recently failed launch of what the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has described as a military reconnaissance satellite, a senior United Nations official today stressed to the Security Council that diplomacy — and not isolation — is the only way forward, as she underlined that the 15-nation organ’s lack of unity and action does little to slow the Korean Peninsula’s negative trajectory.

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

Preventing the diversion of arms transferred to Ukraine is essential for security and stability in that country and beyond, a senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today, as members alternately called for dialogue over proliferation or underscored Ukraine’s right to defend itself from the permanent member that requested the meeting.

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Government of Japan are calling on young people to apply for an innovative learning programme that will empower them to make their contribution to a world free of nuclear weapons.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the fifth Session of the Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, in The Hague today:

All efforts by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to organize the next round of consultations with Syria continue to be unsuccessful, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, stressing the need for full cooperation by Damascus.

After three weeks of discussions, the Disarmament Commission concluded its 2023 substantive session today, with the approval by consensus of its draft report to the General Assembly, as well as the reports of its subsidiary bodies.

While a senior United Nations official today outlined the dangers posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s latest missile launch, Security Council members disagreed on the path forward and whether it should include more sanctions.

In Somalia, the number of people affected by flooding has reached 175,000 and displaced 140,000. The United Nations and partners are providing food, shelter, cash and hygiene kits to over 100,000 people. However, the $2.6 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 is only 15 per cent funded.

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