Environmental issues and sustainable development

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the global round table on “Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development”, today:

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo near Gomas has caused 13 deaths and destroyed the homes of 5,000 people, humanitarian colleagues report.  The United Nations is assisting with water, shelter, health and family reunification, and peacekeepers are set to clear the main roads into Goma.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to a thematic webinar titled “COP15:  Road to Kunming, building a shared future for all life on Earth”, today:

The World Health Organization today said that more than 1.2 million people urgently need health assistance in Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, where recent armed attacks sparked further population displacement and deepened a protracted humanitarian crisis.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Group of 7 Climate and Environment Ministerial Meeting, held today:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed on 22 May:

Aid workers in Ethiopia report rising incidents of denial of relief cargo, and the confiscation of humanitarian vehicles and supplies, by parties to the conflict in the Tigray region.  While over 5 million people are targeted for food assistance, only about 1.8 million have been reached since late March amid limited access.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that in Niger’s western Tillabery region, 10,000 people have fled their homes since 14 May, following attacks by non-State armed groups in the Anzourou district, near the border with Mali.  The number of internally displaced persons in Tillabery has nearly doubled in 18 months to 102,000.

The new Permanent Observer for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to the United Nations, Alain Wilfried Biya, presented his letter of appointment to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

Humanitarian officials in Somalia say a “double climate disaster”, marked by drought followed by torrential rains, has killed at least 25 people in two weeks.  Warning that 2.7 million people in the country are already food insecure, they note that the Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 19 per cent funded.