Environmental issues and sustainable development

In Myanmar, the conflict now spans vast swathes of the country. More than 350,000 people are displaced in Rakhine. The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $994 million to support 5.3 million people in the country, but it is currently just 3 per cent funded.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development 2024, in Beirut today:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its Global Waste Management Outlook 2024. The report, titled “Beyond an age of waste: Turning rubbish into a resource”, provides the most substantial update on global waste generation and the cost of waste and its management.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message, delivered today to the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly under way in Nairobi:

The UN team in Costa Rica is presenting a “Preparedness and Response Plan for People in Transit” to partners this week, which aims to boost assistance to vulnerable refugees and migrants. Over 500,000 people entered Costa Rica from Panama in 2023 — more than double the number of those who did so in 2022.

The UN team in Papua New Guinea condemned the killing of over 53 people in Enga Province, calling for an immediate cessation of violence and warning against possible retaliation. The UN remains committed to assisting the Government in eliminating tribal violence and bringing lasting peace to the Highlands.

Following a surge of hostilities in Ukraine over the weekend, humanitarian organizations have provided materials for emergency repairs to houses. Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are addressing the impact of oil spillage on water sources in Kharkiv after a strike on an oil storage facility in that area on 9 February.

The Security Council today concluded its open debate on climate change and food insecurity, with speakers calling for urgent action to address the profound impact of these escalating crises particularly on vulnerable and conflict-affected nations.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the International Energy Agency fiftieth anniversary celebration, in Paris today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks for the Security Council high-level open debate on the impact of climate change and food insecurity on the maintenance of international peace and security, in New York today: