Ridding the Middle East of its nuclear arsenal will help bring lasting peace to the chronically strife‑torn region and make the world a safer, more secure place, the United Nations Secretary‑General said today, as he opened the second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Israel’s continued illegal settlement activities were signalling its blatant rejection of the two-State solution, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine said today during a special meeting to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestine People.
United Nations officials in Myanmar report worsening humanitarian conditions due to conflict, political instability and COVID-19 since the military seized control of the Government in February. More than 230,000 people have been displaced since then, with food running desperately short in some host communities.
Media experts called for the broader application of solutions journalism — an approach focusing on problem-solving responses — in reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as the 2021 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East concluded today.
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, today:
Speakers examined ways to revitalize the peace process for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as diplomats, journalists, media experts and youth representatives gathered virtually for the opening of the annual International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East today.
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.
The 2021 United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East will be held virtually this year on Tuesday, 16 November and Wednesday, 17 November.
In Yemen, the United Nations and partners continue to provide life-saving aid to thousands of civilians on both sides of the front lines in Ma’rib, Al Bayda and Shabwah since fighting escalated in these governorates in September, amid calls by the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, for de-escalation.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the situation in the northern part of Ethiopia is rapidly deteriorating, amid fighting in and around Dessie and Kombolcha in the Amhara region, which led to large-scale displacement and increasing humanitarian needs. The two towns were already hosting a large number of displaced people from nearby areas.
