The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called for urgent humanitarian action in 20 hunger hotspots, where food insecurity is likely to deteriorate in the next three months.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Dmitry Shlapachenko of Ukraine as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, with the host Government’s approval.

In Niger, 2.1 million children need humanitarian assistance, a third more than just a year ago, as the country continues to face conflict, displacement, food insecurity, floods and drought, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports.  The Agency is appealing for safe, sustained access to deliver aid.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the international recognition of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality, today:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres travelled to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday evening, 12 June.

Belligerents in eastern Ukraine have repeatedly failed to implement ceasefire agreements, allowing hostilities to claim more lives as the fighting entered its fourth year, the latest human rights report says.  It recorded 36 deaths and 157 injuries, a rise of nearly 50 per cent over the previous reporting period.