Colombia has notched unprecedented achievements in transitional justice as the fifth anniversary of its landmark peace agreement approaches, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, as delegates noted both strides and lingering challenges that led recently to large-scale protests across the country.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as escalating conflict has displaced 270,000 Afghans inside the country since January, bringing the total uprooted population to more than 3.5 million.  UNHCR said the needs of those who have fled are “suddenly acute”.

The world has the means, money, skills and vaccines to strike a monumental post‑pandemic shift towards an inclusive, connected and healthy planet for all, and the time for hesitation is over, world leaders declared at the opening of the ministerial segment of the 2021 high-level political forum on sustainable development today.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, today:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the 2021 high-level political forum on sustainable development’s first session of voluntary national review presentations, held today:

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat has a new draft Global Biodiversity Framework to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect nature, and its essential services to people.  It will serve as the basis for negotiations at the Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, in October.

Experts today explored ways to scale up public and private financing for post-pandemic economic recovery, climate action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the 2021 high-level political forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, entered its second week.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ statement on the Food Systems Summit today:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Population Day, observed on 11 July:

One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s hard lessons demonstrates that the use of technology alone cannot make global development goals a reality, scientists and technology experts said, as the high-level political forum on sustainable development continued its 2021 session.