Ukraine

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council on Ukraine, in New York today:

The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva released a horrific report today that details violations and abuses by both sides in the conflict in Sudan since April 2023, resulting in thousands of civilians killed, millions displaced, property looted, and children conscripted into fighting.

In a meeting held to mark the two-year anniversary of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many speakers stressed the continued need for a united front against a war whose inimical impacts extended far beyond the borders of Ukraine, emphasizing its repercussions on food and energy insecurity, as well as its erosion of the principles of the United Nations Charter and undermining of international law.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report today on how attacks on Red Sea shipping are reshaping global trade routes. Higher fuel consumption from rerouted trade could result in a 70 per cent rise in greenhouse-gas emissions for these trips, and shipping costs have skyrocketed.

The UN team in Papua New Guinea condemned the killing of over 53 people in Enga Province, calling for an immediate cessation of violence and warning against possible retaliation. The UN remains committed to assisting the Government in eliminating tribal violence and bringing lasting peace to the Highlands.

Following a surge of hostilities in Ukraine over the weekend, humanitarian organizations have provided materials for emergency repairs to houses. Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are addressing the impact of oil spillage on water sources in Kharkiv after a strike on an oil storage facility in that area on 9 February.

A new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Save the Children and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows that globally, 1.4 billion children from the day they are born to the age of 15 lack any form of social protection, leaving them vulnerable to disease, poor nutrition and poverty.

The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, today echoed the concerns of other senior UN officials about the reported plans for a full military incursion in Rafah, stressing the risk it would create for the commission of atrocity crimes is serious, real and high.

In Haiti, the Humanitarian Coordinator there condemned the violence that has further escalated in the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as across the country. She said that civilians — particularly children — are bearing the brunt of the recent violence.

The first State of the World’s Migratory Species report was launched today by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which is a UN biodiversity treaty. The report shows that while some migratory species listed under the treaty are improving, 44 per cent are showing population declines.