United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with the Chairpersons of the regional groups of Member States, today informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia as the next Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑Habitat).

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks at the Security Council open debate on “Addressing Complex Contemporary Challenges to International Peace and Security”, in New York today:

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Koro Bessho (Japan):

Acting on the recommendations of its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), the General Assembly adopted 59 resolutions and six decisions today on a range of issues, from women’s rights, terrorism and refugees, to self‑determination and the human rights situations in individual countries.

The head of United Nations political affairs urged the Security Council today to maintain strong support for the agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, asking its signatories to work out their respective concerns, as it remained vital for international stability.

Disappointed with the outcome of the just‑concluded eighth round of talks in Geneva, the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council today that the agenda had not moved forward and that the opportunity for real negotiations had been missed.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the ongoing implementation of the Umoja enterprise resource planning project throughout the Organization, with delegates calling for greater transparency about the real cost of an ambitious initiative that had slipped behind schedule and surpassed its original cost estimates.

Temperatures plummeted across Ukraine, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported, saying the distribution of aid, including clothing, fuel and cash to the most vulnerable people impacted by the conflict in eastern Ukraine.  The aid will reach some 15,300 people, mainly single parents, elderly, families with many children and people with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

The Security Council today renewed the authorization for cross‑border and cross‑conflict‑line humanitarian access to Syria for a further 12 months, until 10 January 2019.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Global Humanitarian Policy Forum, in New York today: