Following is the text of Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Slovakia Ministry of Foreign Affairs social media campaign on the occasion of International Women’s Day, observed today:

On International Women’s Day, peacekeeping colleagues report that Bangladesh, for the first time, is deploying four justice government-provided personnel, all women, to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), later this month.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the event marking International Women’s Day 2021, observed today:

Schools for more than 168 million children around the world have been closed for an entire year due to lockdowns, a report from UNICEF says, noting that around 214 million children globally, or one in seven, have missed more than three quarters of their in-person learning.  The most vulnerable may never return, it warns.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Women’s Day, observed on 8 March:

The Secretary-General regrets the use of violence and the subsequent loss of life reported at the residence of the presidential candidate Yaya Dillo in N’Djamena, Chad.  He deplores the use of force in the context of the electoral process and urges the authorities to foster an inclusive political process.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on World Wildlife Day, observed on 3 March:

Ten years into Syria’s crisis, humanitarian needs are deepening, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says, with an estimated 13.4 million people requiring protection and assistance, up more than 2 million people from 2020.  Nearly 60 per cent of the population is food insecure.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has asked for $1.5 billion to fund its education, health, social services, infrastructure and other essential services, as well as emergency appeals and priority projects for 2021.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed on 11 February: