Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered by Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, to the General Assembly on the thirty-second commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in New York today:
In Abyei, leaders from the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities have signed a Declaration of Intent with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to curb the spread of weapons in the disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan. UNISFA stresses that dialogue remains the only viable path to end disputes.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report today that maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has come to a near halt, with a 95 per cent drop in daily ship transits over the past month, according to UNCTAD report released today. UNCTAD forecasts a drop in world GDP to about 2.6 per cent by the end of the year.
The General Assembly today declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity as Member States debated the legal ramifications of such a declaration.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly event marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, in New York today:
In Haiti, a UN report details the human rights impact of violence perpetrated by gangs, security forces, private contractors and self-defence groups. According to UN-verified data, at least 5,519 people were killed and 2,608 injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today issued a report detailing unrelenting violence against human rights defenders in Colombia over the past decade, with an average of just under 100 killed every year. The High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that the structural causes of this tragedy must be addressed.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed on 25 March:
The Secretary-General’s report on measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse covering 2025 has been issued. It notes that addressing sexual exploitation and abuse requires a collective commitment to tackling root causes, including inequality and power imbalances within and beyond our institutions.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed on 21 March:
