Europe

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the plenary session of the European Parliament, in Brussels today:

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.

Some 1.47 million refugees will be in need of resettlement in 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today.  The agency said that, despite the coronavirus pandemic, wars and conflict continue to rage across the world, displacing millions and barring many from returning home.

Clashes in northern Mozambique are driving one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), says with the number of people who have fled their homes in Cabo Delgado having surged by nearly 650 per cent in 2020, and more than 732,000 people currently displaced.

The United Nations learned with deep sadness that Edward Mortimer, Head Speechwriter and Director of Communications for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, died at the weekend.  During a tumultuous period in world affairs, Mr. Mortimer made an imprint on many of the Secretary-General’s signature achievements and initiatives.

The demand for multilateral solutions in the world today is exceeding supply, and while “rules-based multilateralism” may not be an appealing phrase, the United Nations and the European Union must bring it alive, the bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy told the Security Council today.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the Euronext ESG European Conference, on “Financing the Blue and Green Economy”, in Lisbon from 8 to 9 June:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message on the occasion of Europe Day 2021, today:

The first members of the International Organization for Migration’s emergency response team arrived in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines today to deliver essential shelter and emergency items to thousands of people forcibly displaced after the eruption of La Soufrière volcano.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the European Union-Africa Green Investment Forum, today: