Venezuela

The Secretary-General called on all national stakeholders in Kenya to renew their commitment to credible and peaceful elections, as well as their confidence in the institutions constitutionally mandated to conduct them.  He underlined the importance of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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

The United Nations has allocated $10.5 million to help people in need of life‑saving humanitarian assistance in north-east Nigeria.  The humanitarian crisis there and in the Lake Chad region is among the most severe in the world today, with 8.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance in the three worst‑affected Nigerian States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said today it is deeply concerned about the risk of further violence in Venezuela, where constituent assembly elections will be held on Sunday.  It also expressed concern that demonstrations seen as disturbing the constituent assembly elections have been banned until 1 August.

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

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today that they are stepping up their response to the situation in Venezuela as asylum applications soar.  So far in 2017, over 52,000 people have applied for asylum, which is already two times more than the total number for 2016.

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

The Secretary-General took notice with disappointment and alarm of the decision by Israel to build a new settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  He condemns all unilateral actions that, like the present one, threaten peace and undermine the two-State solution.