NEW YORK, 10 July (Department of Economic and Social Affairs) — As the COVID-19 pandemic forces lockdowns, most countries and municipalities are pursuing digital government strategies — many with innovative initiatives — but vast numbers of people still do not have access to online services, according to the 2020 edition of the United Nations E‑Government Survey, released today.

Wildlife crime threatens both biodiversity and human health, according to a new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.  It finds that many illegally trafficked animals may spread diseases to people, and the pangolin — a possible source of COVID-19 — remains the most trafficked mammal in the world.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the launch of the policy brief on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean”, in New York today:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme today jointly warned that funding shortages, conflict and disasters — as well as supply chain challenges, rising food prices and loss of income due to COVID-19 — threaten to leave millions of refugees across Africa without food.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Clean Energy Transition Summit, in New York today:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Global Summit on COVID-19 and the World of Work, in New York today:

In June, 921,000 people were forced to leave Burkina Faso, making it the site of one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises.  Increased insecurity has also made humanitarian access more difficult, with the number of people in need of assistance jumping to 2.9 million people, from 2.2 million in January.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that it is providing tents, water, tanks and toilets to the more than 3,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that arrived in north-western Uganda last week during a temporary opening of two border crossing points.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the launch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Livestock Research Institute Zoonotics Report, in New York today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the opening of the 2020 virtual Counter-Terrorism Week, in New York today: