The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

The Security Council will hold a high-level open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict on 19 June, the Council’s President for that month announced today at a press conference at United Nations Headquarters.

Good afternoon and welcome to this distinguished group of delegated. It is especially important to see so many Ministers of Environment around the table, to which I belonged when I was Minister of Environment in Nigeria. It is great to see all of you here.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the opening of the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, in Dushanbe today:

Pledging to serve the international community as “an honest broker and unifier”, Annalena Baerbock of Germany was elected as President of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly — the fifth woman to serve in that post in 80 years.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series High-level Policy Dialogue, in New York today:

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the catastrophic situation there is the worst since the war began. Strikes have continued across Gaza, particularly in north Gaza, where the last remaining partially functioning hospital, Al Awda, was forced to evacuate last night.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for World Oceans Day, observed on 8 June:

The Security Council today extended for one year the sanctions regime it has imposed on South Sudan, which includes asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo — even as some speakers expressed concern that the African position on this issue is being ignored and sanctions are getting misused as a tool for coercion.

The Security Council today adopted the draft of its annual report to the General Assembly, which covers the 15-nation organ’s work from 1 January to 31 December 2024.