The Food and Agriculture Organization today warned that rising fertilizer prices are threatening Afghanistan’s 2027 wheat harvest ahead of what could be one of the country’s most promising wheat-growing seasons in years; it is appealing for $38.3 million to enable up to 600,000 farms access to fertilizer and certified wheat seed.
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres appointed Shalini Bahuguna of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, with the host Government’s approval.
The Secretary-General has approved a request by Papua New Guinea to renew eligibility for the Peacebuilding Fund’s Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility until the end of 2030 to advance joint UN-Government efforts in the context of the Bougainville post-referendum peace process.
On Tuesday, 2 September, the Secretary-General arrived in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. He travelled to the country at the invitation of Prime Minister, James Marape to take part in events to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN and humanitarian partners are supporting the Government-led response following the declaration on 4 September of a new Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, in the country’s centre-west. Preliminary figures from authorities indicate 28 suspected cases; that includes 15 fatalities.
The de facto authorities in Afghanistan are now reporting 2,205 people killed and 3,640 people injured in the recent earthquake, with some 84,000 people impacted and 6,700 households destroyed. The UN and its partners are continuing to scale up the response.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Parliament of Papua New Guinea, in Port Moresby, today:
A United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recent analysis warns that as global education funding faces steep cuts, an estimated 6 million additional children could be out of school by the end of 2026, around one third of them in humanitarian settings.
A report published today by the UN Human Rights Office shows that between the 2021 military coup and 20 August 2025, credible sources have verified the killing of some 7,100 people by the military in Myanmar, a third of them were women and children.
The new Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations, Fred Sarufa presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.
