The following announcement was made today by UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The number of children used in “suicide” attacks in the Lake Chad Basin conflict has surged to 27 in the first quarter of 2017, compared to nine over the same period last year, according to UNICEF, which states, in a report released today, that the increase reflects an alarming tactic by the insurgents.

The Security Council today rejected a draft resolution that would have condemned the reported chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun and expressed its determination to hold the perpetrators accountable.

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Syria said today that, in the wake of the chemical attack on civilians in that country, there was an opportunity to redouble efforts for a political settlement of a conflict that could have no definitive military outcome.

On 7 April 2017, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan held informal consultations to consider a quarterly update and a work plan presented by its Panel of Experts.

NEW YORK, 12 April (Office of Information and Communications Technology) — The United Nations announced today that Abdulqadir Rashik has won the Unite Ideas #UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualization Challenge.  A software engineer and entrepreneur, Mr. Rashik was awarded the top prize for his submission “Global Policy”, an open-source tool that enables users to search and interactively view General Assembly resolutions to gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns and decisions made by United Nations Member States.

The International Organization for Migration warned today that hundreds of migrants are being held under “slave market” conditions in North Africa.  Describing the situation as “dire”, the agency also reported several cases in which migrants have been kidnapped in exchange for ransom.

Building on political progress and a relatively stable security situation, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) should prepare to drawdown over the next six months and transition into a smaller peacekeeping operation focused on strengthening the rule of law, institutions and the national police force, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General told the Security Council today.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on the designation of Malala Yousafzai as United Nations Messenger of Peace, in New York today:

Today, the Secretary-General will designate Malala Yousafzai as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, with a special focus on girls’ education.  A global advocate for girls’ education and Nobel Peace Laureate, she will become the youngest-ever Messenger and the first to be designated by the current Secretary-General.