Human rights

In Ecuador, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team reports at least 150,000 people have been impacted by the massive oil spill in Esmeraldas in March and need humanitarian assistance.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, delivered by Courtenay Rattray, Chef the Cabinet, to the fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, in New York today:

The United Nations team in Afghanistan today urged the international donor community to maintain critical support for the people of Afghanistan. With 22.9 million men, women and children in need of assistance in 2025, the country is today the world’s second-largest humanitarian crisis.

In Somalia, nearly 4.6 million people are likely to experience high levels of hunger from now until June, according to United Nations estimates. Humanitarian needs in the country are rising at a time when funding for aid operations is plummeting.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message at the opening of the Global Disability Summit in Berlin today:

In Ecuador, a UN team arrived on 24 March to support authorities to respond to the environmental emergency caused by a major oil spill. The spill in the Esmeraldas Province, in the country’s north-west, has contaminated key water sources, leaving half a million people without access to safe water and sanitation.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly event to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, in New York today:

As the new school year starts today in Afghanistan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that an additional 400,000 girls there are being deprived of their right to education, bringing the total number of girls without access to this essential right to 2.2 million.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that a surge in violence in Ituri province is harming civilians and hindering relief efforts.

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: