Page 2 - United Nations Secretary-general Antonio Guterres

UN airs concerns for civilians as Israel steps up military response in Gaza

The United Nations on Monday expressed growing concerns about humanitarian needs in Palestinian areas as Israel ratchets up a muscular military riposte and lockdown of Gaza, after the weekend attack by Hamas militants who killed and kidnapped hundreds of civilians in Israel. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres led the clarion call Monday, putting the focus on civilians in both Israel and Gaza and renewing his condemnation of the fatalities and hostage-takings by Hamas. He also warned of the prospect of more innocent lives lost. Guterres said in a statement that over 137,000 people in Gaza or about 6% of its population were now sheltering in sites run by UNRWA, the aid agency for Palestinians. He cited reports of Israeli missile strikes on places like schools, health facilities and high-rise apartment buildings. I am deeply distressed by today's announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in -- no electricity, food, or fuel, he ...

EAM meets UN leadership, discusses India's G20 Presidency, UNSC reforms

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed India's G20 Presidency as well as situations in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and other global challenges during their meeting here Monday. Jaishankar posted on X that it was a pleasure to meet Guterres at the UN Headquarters. Discussed how India's G20 Presidency has contributed to strengthening @UN's sustainable development agenda. We have coordinated closely in this regard over the last year, Jaishankar said. He voiced appreciation for the Secretary General's strong commitment to reforming International Financial Institutions. A readout issued by the UN spokesperson's office of the UN Secretary-General's meeting with Jaishankar said that the UN chief expressed appreciation for India's cooperation with the UN and its leadership of the G20. The Secretary-General and the Minister discussed the situations in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and other global challenges. Jaishankar began his day with a meeting wit

UN chief Guterres sends proposal to Russia to revive Black Sea grain deal

Moscow wasn't satisfied with the letter that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week

UN chief urges maritime nations to chart net zero shipping emissions plan

The head of the United Nations called Monday for maritime nations to agree on a course for the shipping industry to reduce its climate-harming emissions to net zero by the middle of the century at the latest. The appeal by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres came at the start of a meeting of the International Maritime Organisation in London that's seen as key for helping achieve the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Shipping, which accounts for almost 3 per cent of global emissions, will be vital, Guterres said. He urged delegates to agree a new greenhouse gas strategy for shipping that includes ambitious science-based targets starting in 2030 both on absolute emissions reductions and the use of clean fuels. The IMO's current target is for the shipping industry to cut its emissions by at least half from 2008 to 2050. Guterres said the new targets should include all greenhouse gas emissions caused by the industry and backed th

UN Child and Armed Conflict report: What it is and why India was removed?

This is the first time India has been removed from the list since 2010 due to cooperative measures taken by the nation with the UN to better protect children

Made effort to remove India from UN report on children in armed clash: Govt

The government was consistently making efforts to exclude India from the UN's annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, the Women and Child Development Ministry has said after the country did not feature in the report for the first time since 2010. The United Nations has removed India from its annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, citing "measures taken by the government to better protect" them. In a statement, the Women and Child Development Ministry said, "The ongoing engagement of the Government of India with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General sped up after an inter-ministerial meeting in November 2021." The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development Indevar Pandey, Ministry of External Affairs, Permanent Mission of India at New York, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Virginia Gamba, the special representative of the Secretary-General for Children and the UN officials in New Delhi. The m

India removed from UNSG report on impact of armed conflict on children

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has removed India from his annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, citing "measures taken by the government to better protect" them. Guterres said in his report last year, he had welcomed the engagement of the Indian government with his special representative and noted that it might lead to the removal of India as a situation of concern. In his 2023 report on Children and Armed Conflict, the UN chief said, "In view of the measures taken by the government to better protect children, India has been removed from the report in 2023." Guterres highlighted the technical mission of the office of his special representative in July 2022 to identify areas of cooperation for child protection, and the workshop on strengthening child protection held in Jammu and Kashmir last November by the government, with the participation of the United Nations. In his latest report, he also called upon India to implement the remaining measures identifi

UN chief calls for coordinated global action on disinformation, hate, AI

The proliferation of hate and lies on digital platforms and the threat that artificial intelligence can become an uncontrolled "monster" demand coordinated global action -- starting with a code of conduct for governments, tech companies and advertisers that promotes truth and protects human rights, the UN chief said Monday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he plans to appoint a scientific advisory board in a few days, and an advisory board on artificial intelligence in September to prepare initiatives that the UN can take. He said he would react favourably to a new UN agency on artificial intelligence and suggested as a model the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is knowledge-based and has some regulatory powers. Guterres told a news conference he plans to consult widely on the just released principles for the UN Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms, which he will issue before next year's UN Summit of the Future. He expressed hope that the c

UN Secy-General saddened by loss of life, injury in Odisha train accident

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed sadness at the loss of lives in the tragic train accident in Odisha that has killed over 280 people and injured hundreds more. The crash in Odisha's Balasore district involving three trains is one of the worst rail accidents in India in nearly three decades. The accident on Friday left at least 288 people dead and over 1,100 injured. The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the loss of life and injury in a train accident in Odisha, India, a statement issued by the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said on Saturday. Guterres extended his deep condolences to the families of the victims, as well as the people and Government of India. He wished a swift and full recovery to those who were injured, the statement added. UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi had also condoled the tragic train crash, saying he is deeply saddened to hear the news of the train crash in Odisha, India. Korosi said that his ..

It's time to reform the Security Council, says UN Secy-General Guterres

The UN Security Council reflects the power relations of 1945 and there is a growing need to redistribute power with the realities of contemporary times, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday, as he asserted that it was time to reform the global body. Guterres, while speaking to reporters in Hiroshima at the G7 meeting, said the crushing economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, unsustainable levels of debt, rising interest rates and spiralling inflation are devastating developing and emerging economies. He stressed that among the reasons for problems being faced by developing countries are power-related dimensions. The Bretton Woods system and the Security Council reflect the power relations of 1945. And many things have changed since then. The global financial architecture became outdated, dysfunctional and unfair, Guterres said. Bretton Woods is an international monetary system that was forged by delegates from 44 .

Don't let SDGs turn into 'mirage of what might have been': UN chief

In the longer term, said the UN chief, the global financial architecture, which "has failed countries at their moment of greatest need," needs to be comprehensively overhauled

UN chief calls for war on garbage, asks not to treat Earth like a dump

"Waste is a killer -- of people, of the planet, of natural resources and ecosystems, of economies, which lose billions each year from waste," he said

Stop funding new oil & gas plans, expanding reserves: UN Chief Guterres

G20 leaders should aim for a new set of carbon reduction targets by November, says Guterres

Gender equality will take 300 years to achieve, says UN chief

Pay gap for women who've never got married getting bigger: Study

$9 bn pledged in support of Pak's flood recovery efforts: Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that more than $9 billion were pledged in support of Pakistans recovery efforts from the worst ever floods that hit the country last year

US Prez Biden, UN Chief Guterres condemn assault on Brazil's govt buildings

On Sunday, supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro breached security barriers and entered Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace

UN chief issues global alert on International Day of Epidemic Preparedness

Covid-19 will not be the last epidemic or pandemic humanity faces, he warned

UN chief Antonio Guterres strongly hopes for Ukraine war to end in 2023

The United Nations chief expressed strong hopes that the Ukraine war will end in 2023 and on other global hotspots condemned the Iranian government's crackdown on demonstrators, urged all countries to fight terrorist threats from the extreme right and called on the international community to tell Israel's new right-wing government that there is no alternative to the two-state solution. In a wide-ranging end-of-year news conference on Monday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he sees no prospect of talks to end the war in Ukraine in the immediate future and expects the already escalating military conflict to continue. But he called for everything possible to be done to halt the most devastating conflict in Europe since World War II by the end of 2023 -- which he strongly hopes will happen. On other issues, Guterres urged Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to include all ethnic groups in the government, restore girls' rights to education at all levels and women's rights to work, and to

Mahatma Gandhi's bust at UN, a reminder of values he upheld: UN Chief

EAM Jaishankar unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the United Nations Headquarters in New York

UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for donations to emergency response fund

'At a time of tough tests for the humanitarian sector, CERF's focus on under-funded crises was more important than ever'