Environmental issues and sustainable development

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message at the virtual event “Investing in Climate Action”, held today:

The World Food Programme said today it has begun providing emergency food aid to vulnerable people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and urgently needs $170 million to meet critical food and nutrition needs over the next six months.  The agency noted that the outbreak of conflict there coincided with the peak harvest period.

Acute hunger could soar in more than 20 countries over the coming months without urgent, scaled-up assistance, a report issued today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme warns.  Yemen, South Sudan and northern Nigeria top the list, according to the “Hunger Hotspots” report.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video remarks for the 2021 Ministerial on Climate Action convened by China, the European Union and Canada, in New York and online today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as prepared for delivery, at a virtual meeting with the African Group today:

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has received its first shipment of more than 130,000 doses from the global COVAX Facility — the first batch of a total of 480,000 doses to arrive in the country this year to vaccinate approximately 20 per cent of the population.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Water Day, observed on 22 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Forests, observed on 21 March:

More than 3 billion people globally are at risk of disease because the quality of their rivers, lakes and groundwater is unknown due to a lack of data, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said today.  UNEP’s survey of over 75,000 bodies of water in 89 countries found more than 40 per cent severely polluted.

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