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:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, observed on 6 February:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the high-level event hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, held today:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the International Day of Human Fraternity, observed today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to a virtual meeting on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, held today:

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, raised concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse impact on children in conflict zones.  In her annual report to the Human Rights Council, she urged States to incorporate child rights in virus containment plans and ensure that protection services continue to operate.