Despite reprisals between Palestinians and Israelis, and the ongoing ravages of COVID-19 on a region struggling to staunch its spread, achievement of an  elusive two-State vision remains possible, the senior United Nations official for Middle East peace told the Security Council today, hailing a 15 January decree announcing the conduct of Palestinian elections in 2021 as “a crucial step” towards Palestinian unity and the building of a democratic State.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports rising hunger and malnutrition in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where months of conflict have worsened a dire situation caused by COVID-19 and locusts.  Nearly 80 per cent of hospitals in Tigray are not functional, according to the World Health Organization.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Khassim Diagne of Senegal as his Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, to the High-Level Replenishment Conference for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ virtual remarks to the Park East Synagogue and the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Service, in New York, today:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message for the Climate Adaptation Summit Ministerial Dialogue on Adaptation Action, held today:

The sweeping and devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are continuing to grow, and so too are the risks of instability and tension amidst glaring inequalities in the global recovery, senior United Nations officials warned today during a Security Council videoconference on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on international peace and security.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ special address at the Davos Agenda, held today:

United Nations personnel in the Central African Republic say they have stepped up security patrols following the arrest of former Séléka commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani.  Mr. Kani, who is suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity, was surrendered to the International Criminal Court on 24 January.

NEW YORK, 25 January 2021 (Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs) — At 9 a.m., on Tuesday, 26 January, Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a virtual High-Level Replenishment Conference for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.