Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered by Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu, to the Fourth Conference to Review Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, in New York today:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for United Nations Public Service Day, observed on 23 June:

Amid an unconscionable escalation of attacks impacting Ukrainian civilians, world leaders came together at the “Summit on Peace in Ukraine” — hosted by Switzerland on 15 and 16 June — a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as many delegates welcomed the summit’s common vision in several key areas, including nuclear safety, the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of deported and unlawfully displaced Ukrainian children.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Karl-Frédérick Paul of Haiti as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Gambia, with the host Government’s approval, starting on 16 June.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Didier Trebucq of France as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Georgia, with the host Government’s approval, starting on 17 June.

With famine impending, human rights violations on the rise and fighting escalating between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the international community must work towards an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, senior United Nations officials and a women’s rights activist told the Security Council today.

As the United Nations’ disarmament chief urged just and lasting peace in Ukraine before the Security Council today, its members — meeting again, at the Russian Federation’s behest, on Western arms deliveries to that country — alternately reiterated Kyiv’s right to defend itself, pointed to Moscow’s procurement of arms from third States and called for dialogue ahead of a peace summit that will occur in Switzerland on 15-16 June.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, warns that the humanitarian nightmare in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in Sudan, is worsening by the hour, stressing that civilians must be protected, aid must be able to reach them and the fighting must stop now.

Violence often starts with words — words of hatred that spread intolerance, divide societies, and promote and endorse discrimination, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as members examined the international community’s response to such harmful attitude and rhetoric.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Refugee Day, observed on 20 June: