Environmental issues and sustainable development

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, held in Berlin on 28 April:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with Ted-Ed, today launched an online “Earth School” offering free educational content for students, parents and teachers who are currently at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Its videos, reading materials and activities will be translated into 10 languages.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Placencia Ambition Forum, held in Belize today:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Mother Earth Day, observed on 22 April:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at a virtual briefing to Member States on the United Nations development system/United Nations Sustainable Development Group response and support to Member States on COVID-19, in New York today:

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 is UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s opening remarks, as prepared for delivery via video teleconference, at the opening of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in Geneva today:

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, has condemned continued attacks against health facilities in Taizz, which are threatening services for hundreds of thousands of people.  Preliminary reports indicate that two buildings at the Al-Thawra General Hospital were hit by missiles on 13 March.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been suspended and it has closed several repatriation centres until further notice due to the Government’s precautionary steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Meteorological Day, to be observed on 23 March: