Calling for sweeping reforms of global institutions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told African leaders on Saturday that the absence of permanent African seats on the Security Council is “indefensible,” declaring: “This is 2026 – not 1946.”
Tag Archives: General António Guterres
UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by deadly protests in Madagascar
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed the need for dialogue in Madagascar as anti-government demonstrations enter a third week.
Guterres welcomes peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed on Friday in the United States capital, Washington, DC.
UN chief pleads with countries to pay their share for international peacekeeping
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that the world body’s peacekeeping operation is “only as strong as member states’ commitment to it” as he pleaded with them Tuesday to pay their share.
The United Nations’ peacekeeping department currently leads 11 operations, in countries including Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.
The budget for nine of those operations during the fiscal year that ends on June 30 totals $5.6 billion, 8.2% lower than a year earlier. Each of the U.N.’s 193 member countries is legally obliged to pay its share toward peacekeeping.
Guterres argued that, with a budget “representing a tiny fraction of global military spending — around one half of one per cent — U.N. peacekeeping remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security.”
“But it’s only as strong as member states’ commitment to it,” he added at the opening of a two-day, German-hosted conference of ministers to discuss the future of peacekeeping.
“Unfortunately, peacekeeping operations have been facing serious liquidity problems. It is absolutely essential that all member states respect their financial obligations, paying their contributions in full and on time.”
Guterres didn’t offer details of the problems, but acknowledged that “these are tough times for the financing of our work across the board.”
More broadly, the U.N. has been scrambling to respond to funding cuts for aid operations from its biggest donor, the United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that his country, like many others, “is prepared to pledge additional resources” for peacekeeping.
But he said there should also be an effort to make missions “more efficient and more focused” through clearer mandates, cutting back on bureaucracy and avoiding duplication.
Sudan: Port Sudan hit by drone strikes for sixth consecutive day, UN sounds alarm
Port Sudan came under drone attack again on Friday, May 9, the sixth consecutive day of strikes in the coastal city that has become a vital hub for humanitarian aid and a refuge for civilians fleeing Sudan’s two-year war.
The attacks, reportedly carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted key infrastructure including the airport, the port, and public buildings.
Footage online showed thick smoke rising over the city, but no official casualties or damage assessments have been released yet.
The United Nations has expressed grave concern, warning that this latest escalation risks mass civilian casualties and the destruction of essential infrastructure. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through his spokesperson Farhan Haq, said he is alarmed by the violence spreading into an area that has served as a safe haven for thousands displaced from Khartoum and beyond.
The UN is urging all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and refrain from targeting civilians. With aid routes now threatened, the crisis in Sudan risks deepening even further.
Port Sudan: No let-up in drone attacks as UN chief urges peace
Amid reports that renewed drone strikes on a key Sudanese aid hub were thwarted late Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres added his voice to increasingly urgent calls for serious peace negotiations to end more than two years of war in Sudan.
UN chief sends condolences to families of Malawi flood victims
UN Secretary-General
has extended his condolences to the families of flood victims across Malawi, where at least 23 have died in recent days, and to the Government and citizens of the country.
In a statement released on Monday, Mr. Guterres said that he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life and the “significant damage to people’s homes and livelihoods” caused by the heavy rains and subsequent flooding.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that the flooding has affected some 115,000 people, particularly in the south of Malawi. In a factsheet on the floods released on Saturday, OCHA warned that the number of people affected is expected to rise, as assessment teams reach new areas.
The flooding has had a major impact on power supplies in Malawi: according to media reports, the country’s main utility company, EGENCO, has said that more than 80% of the country’s available hydro-electric capacity is down.
On Friday, Malawian President Peter Mutharika declared a State of Emergency in the areas hit hardest by the rains and flooding, which followed the formation of a “tropical disturbance” over the Mozambique Channel earlier in the week.
Search and rescue teams from Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs, have been working with local partners to deliver relief to affected people, including tents, plastic sheets, maize, rice, beans, blankets and kitchen utensils, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Homeland Security.
The United Nations expressed its solidarity with the Malawian authorities, and committed to support them as they respond to the humanitarian needs of the population: the UN response has involved several main agencies. The World Food Programme (WFP) has deployed two boats to accompany the assessment and response; the UN Childrens’ Fund (UNICEF) is providing drones; and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the WFP, will support mapping using satellite imagery.