Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award, the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage Ceremony and the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal Ceremony, in New York today:
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza launched today with the Lebanese Government an appeal for an additional $331.5 million, bringing the overall Flash Appeal for March through August to nearly $640 million, to sustain life-saving efforts for 1.4 million people in Lebanon.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
In Mauritania, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund has released $2.5 million to prepare for and mitigate the impact of expected severe drought. The funds will enable the Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Children’s Fund, World Food Programme and aid partners immediately support around 120,000 people.
Documented cases of extreme sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression rose sharply in 2025, overwhelmingly targeting women and girls, while multiple and overlapping political, security and humanitarian crises worsened, according to the Secretary-General’s report on the subject issued today.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers will be observed around the world on Thursday, 29 May, to pay tribute to all women and men serving in UN peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
In Uganda, the UN and its humanitarian partners launched a $15.8 million emergency appeal to support the Government-led response to Ebola. As of 28 May, Uganda has confirmed eight Ebola cases, three of which involve health workers. Since 14 May, two deaths linked to the outbreak have been reported — one confirmed and one probable.
Over the weekend, Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and neighbouring regions suffered from one of the largest combined deadly air attacks on the country since full-scale war began in 2022, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, has allocated up to $60 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to expedite the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider region. A first tranche of $10 million has just been released for activities.
In Sudan, the UN and aid partners are rushing to contain multiple disease outbreaks despite insecurity and limited access. The World Health Organization is responding to a suspected outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea in West Kordofan State, where there are over 100 suspected cases and dozens of associated deaths.
