The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Pascale Christine Baeriswyl (Switzerland):

All efforts by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to organize the next round of consultations with Syria continue to be unsuccessful, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, stressing the need for full cooperation by Damascus.

On 26 April 2023, the Coordinator and members of the Panel of Experts briefed the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic on the Panel’s final report submitted in pursuance of resolution 2648 (2022).

In Nigeria, where severe hunger will affect an estimated 4.3 million people in conflict-affected areas between June and August, the World Food Programme is increasing emergency food and nutrition aid and the United Nations Children’s Fund is giving therapeutic treatment to severely wasted children.

Speakers from around the globe underscored the vital role of inclusive planning and collective learning in harnessing data and artificial intelligence for sustainable development, as the Economic and Social Council concluded its two-day forum on science, technology and innovation.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) dispatched two patrols to protect civilians after receiving two reports yesterday about the presence of members of the CODECO armed group in Blukwa, near Djugu, in Ituri Province, forcing the armed group to withdraw.

Addressing the Security Council today with “a call for an immediate quest for peace”, the Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stressed that, while a terrible battle rages in Europe, war is neither a necessity nor destiny, as he outlined the regional group’s focus for 2023.

While the Secretariat has effectively used improved management tools to avert a liquidity crisis and avoid spending restrictions this year, a senior United Nations financial official warned delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today that the lagging monthly collection rates for the Organization’s 2023 regular budget require careful monitoring.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on World Portuguese Language Day, observed on 5 May:

The United Nations Committee on Information — concluding its forty-fifth session today — approved two resolutions detailing Member States’ priorities for the Department of Global Communications, from combating disinformation, misinformation and information manipulation to reducing disparities in information flows by enhancing assistance for developing countries.