The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today reported a sharp increase in violence in the country at the end of 2022. In its quarterly report, the Mission said that the number of civilians harmed increased by 87 per cent, compared to the same period in 2021.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Ana Graça of Portugal as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Panama, with the host Government’s approval.  She took up her post on 7 November.

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General in Colombia told the Security Council that, in a mostly peaceful election, Colombians elected their new President, Gustavo Petro. The electoral outcomes also included the largest ever share of women, close to 30 per cent of lawmakers.

The new Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations, Markova Concepción Jaramillo, paid a courtesy call on UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

The new Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations, Markova Concepción Jaramillo, presented her credentials to the Secretariat today.

On 1 June, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Cristian Munduate of Guatemala as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Panama, with the host Government’s approval.

UNDP announced the winners of the eleventh Equator Prize, recognizing indigenous communities that create innovative, nature-based solutions to biodiversity loss and climate change.  They are from Canada, Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico and Thailand.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released new guidance on COVID-19 and the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, stressing that they must not fear retribution for seeking health care amid the pandemic.

Thousands of Rohingya people continue fleeing Myanmar’s Rakhine State and describe continued violence and human rights abuses, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, told the Human Rights Council yesterday, warning that the international community will not forget the outrages committed.

Today is the International Day of the Tropics.  As you know, the Tropics are the area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, and host approximately 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity and much of its language and cultural diversity.