The General Assembly today commemorated the International Day against Nuclear Tests, with speakers underscoring the urgent need for universal adherence and entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Korea Global Forum for Peace, in Seoul today:

The United Nations is stepping up its response to severe rains and flooding across Pakistan which have reportedly killed over 1,000 people, including hundreds of children. The situation is expected to worsen with more ongoing rainfall.

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

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day against Nuclear Weapons, observed today:

After four weeks of work, the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ended this evening without reaching agreement on substantive conclusions and recommendations, due to the Russian Federation’s opposition to a summary document presented by the presidency, the adoption of which required consensus.

In Chad, catastrophic flooding in 11 of the country’s 23 provinces has killed 22 people, as of 16 August, and caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, agricultural lands and livestock, impacting 340,000 people. The United Nations and aid partners are supporting Government-led efforts to provide lifesaving aid.

In Senegal, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UN-Women and United Nations Population Fund are helping national authorities tackle the effects of fuel and food price hikes due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and climate change, with a joint programme benefiting over 14,000 food-insecure households in eight regions.

The ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by the United Nations and Egypt, still holds. Humanitarian partners are responding to the needs of affected families and the United Nation Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is providing services, as usual. Meanwhile, Israel has reopened the crossings with Gaza yesterday.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched an appeal for $10.7 million to deliver life-saving health care in the next six months to over 2 million women and girls in Sri Lanka, where the health system risks collapsing amid debilitating power shortages and a lack of critical supplies and equipment.