Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Mother Earth Day, observed on 22 April:
Environmental issues and sustainable development
In Madagascar, the United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government’s response to Tropical Cyclone Gamane. According to the Government, the tropical cyclone — which hit the country on 3 April — killed 19 people, injured 3 others and left some 22,000 people displaced.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, announced today the appointment of Astrid Schomaker of Germany as the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
In Cameroon, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned today that vital food assistance to refugees in the country’s far north, Adamawa, and east and north regions is at risk of grinding to a halt due to funding shortfalls.
In the Gambia, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today raised concerns on the proposed repeal of the ban on female genital mutilation in the country, highlighting the proposal as a grave violation of human rights and significant setback in the global fight against gender-based violence.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Zero Waste, observed on 30 March:
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message on the occasion of the State of the Global Climate Report launch:
A report released today by the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that forced labour in the private economy generates $236 billion in illegal profits per year. ILO notes that the total amount of illegal profits from forced labour has risen by $64 billion since 2014.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Water Day, observed 22 March:
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Meteorological Day, observed on 23 March: