United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mohamed El Zarkani of Egypt as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Saudi Arabia, with the host Government’s approval.

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria strongly condemned the “shocking” ambush and killings of more than 30 civilians — fisherman, farmers and displaced persons — in Borno state, a reminder of the toll of more than 13 years of conflict in the region.

The new Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdulaziz Alwasil, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

Following is the Security Council press statement issued today by Council President Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom):

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

The World Food Programme said today it has begun providing emergency food aid to vulnerable people in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and urgently needs $170 million to meet critical food and nutrition needs over the next six months.  The agency noted that the outbreak of conflict there coincided with the peak harvest period.

The following statement was issued by the Spokesperson of UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has received its first shipment of more than 130,000 doses from the global COVAX Facility — the first batch of a total of 480,000 doses to arrive in the country this year to vaccinate approximately 20 per cent of the population.

At least 14 civilians were killed in an attack by suspected combatants of the ADF on Sunday night in Bulongo village, east of Beni, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported.  The Mission’s Force Intervention Brigade deployed to the area yesterday.

United Nations Children’s Fund Representative (UNICEF) in Nigeria Peter Hawkins calls on those responsible for the mass abduction of girls from a State-run school in Zamfara to release them immediately and for the Government to take steps to ensure their safe release and the safety of other schoolchildren in the country.