The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Karen Pierce (United Kingdom):

The new Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

The new Permanent Representative of Cambodia to the United Nations, Sovann Ke, presented his credentials to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres today.

Richard Blewitt, the new Permanent Observer for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to the United Nations, presented his letter of appointment to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres today.

The new Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, Mariangela Zappia, presented her credentials to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres today.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is ramping up assistance to Ecuador, which declared a state of emergency in three provinces on Wednesday due to the influx of Venezuelans, some 547,000 of whom entered the country through the Colombian border.  About 30,000 Venezuelans entered at a rate exceeding 4,000 per day in the first week of August.

The General Assembly today approved the nomination of Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile, as the next United Nations human rights chief for a four‑year term, beginning on 1 September 2018.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following approval by the General Assembly, has appointed Michelle Bachelet of Chile the next United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.   She will succeed Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his commitment and dedicated service to the United Nations.

Noting the increased demands on the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWAS), the Security Council today underscored the need for adequate resources, while reiterating its concern about the region’s challenging security situation, notably threats posed by terrorism and transnational organized crime.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres: