Headquarters and host country

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) issued a statement today — jointly with the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) — noting the presidency’s decision to extend the country’s transitional period by 24 months until February 2027.

The statue Kwibuka Flame of Hope, a gift from Rwanda, was installed on 11 September in the north garden area at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that more than 200,000 people — that is about 9 per cent of Gaza’s current population — have now been displaced over the last week in the wake of evacuation orders issued by the Israel Defense Forces.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the annual memorial service for fallen staff, in New York today:

In Haiti, the UN and its aid partners are responding in the wake of recent attacks in the Port-au-Prince commune of Delmas, providing food, shelter and other supplies. This week, the World Food Programme distributed food to 264,000 schoolchildren and over 5,600 displaced people in the capital.

Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered ongoing projects to improve working conditions and conference facilities at duty stations in New York and Nairobi while addressing the financial needs of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country today, many speakers welcomed progress of the host country on issuing and renewing entry visas to representatives of certain States, while others pointed to unresolved issues that hinder the exercise of functions of representatives in connection with the United Nations.

In Somalia, the number of people affected by flooding has reached 175,000 and displaced 140,000. The United Nations and partners are providing food, shelter, cash and hygiene kits to over 100,000 people. However, the $2.6 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 is only 15 per cent funded.

In Sudan, where humanitarian needs are at a record high, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, today launched the 2023 appeal for $1.7 billion in aid. An estimated 15.8 million people, one third of the population, will need life-saving assistance next year, up 1.5 million from 2022.

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks at the seventieth anniversary of United Nations Guided Tours, as delivered by the Deputy Secretary-General, today in New York: