Press Release

The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Special Envoy for Syria called for a nationwide ceasefire leading to sustained calm and enabling access to the equipment and resources needed to combat COVID-19, as he briefed the Security Council on efforts to forge a political settlement to the nine-year conflict, during a 29 April videoconference meeting.

The Security Council, recalling the link between armed conflict, violence and conflict-induced food insecurity and the threat of famine, called today on all parties to respect humanitarian principles and to comply with their international humanitarian law obligations regarding the production of, and access to, food.

The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in connection with the examination of the fourth report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan (document S/2019/727), agreed to convey the following messages through a public statement by the Chair of the Working Group:

Tragedy looms in Syria where, after nearly a decade of war, the health‑care system is in no position to cope with a full-blown COVID-19 outbreak, putting millions in even greater need of humanitarian aid, the United Nations top humanitarian official told the Security Council during a 29 April videoconference meeting.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, held in Berlin on 28 April:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the meeting of the European Union on the G5 Sahel, in New York today:

Despite improving relations between Sudan and South Sudan, progress is unlikely in determining the final status of the Abyei Area in the short to medium term, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council during a 28 April videoconference meeting.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, held in Berlin today:

Notwithstanding limited strides in youth empowerment, the world’s young people continue to suffer disproportionately from conflict, poverty and now the most severe effects of COVID-19, experts told the Security Council in a 27 April videoconference meeting, as they urged Governments to make youth a centrepiece of — and active participants in — their pandemic recovery plans.