Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on Uraine at the press stakeout, today:

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), non-performing loans in Afghanistan’s credit market have increased from around 30 per cent at the end of 2020 to 57 per cent in September 2021.  As the massive withdrawal of savings continues, UNDP projects that the deposits’ base could shrink by as much as 40 per cent by year-end.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Caroline Ziadeh of Lebanon as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Mahamat Annadif, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative for West Africa, and Foreign Minister of Guinea, Morissanda Kouyaté, launched a new initiative to facilitate an inclusive transition in Guinea by fostering reconciliation at national and community levels and increasing participation of women and all communities.

Meeting today amid heightened political tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Security Council extended the mandate of the European Union-led stabilization force in the Balkan country for another year, as members reviewed progress on implementation of the 26-year-old Dayton Peace Agreement.

Senior officials from Kosovo and Serbia traded accusations of each other’s non-compliance of agreements today as the Security Council considered the recent escalation of tensions between the two sides, trust-building measures and whether the presence of the United Nations special political mission in Kosovo is still necessary.

Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message for the Riga Conference, today:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres departed New York on Tuesday, 22 June, and arrived in Brussels the following morning, Wednesday, 23 June.

In Myanmar, the United Nations team remains very concerned about the humanitarian situation.  Some 230,000 people have been forced to flee their home due to clashes between the military and ethnic armed groups, or among ethnic armed groups, since the military takeover of the Government on 1 February.