António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on World Refugee Day 2020 

António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict (19 June 2020)     Sexual violence in conflict is a brutal crime, mainly perpetrated against women and girls, but also affecting men and boys.  It reverberates throughout communities and societies, perpetuating cycles of violence and threatening international peace and security. 

António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on Policy Brief: COVID-19 and the World of Work 

Food Security and COVID-19: Policy Brief

António Guterres (United Nations Secretary-General) on COVID-19 and People on the Move.

 As COVID-19 spreads across the continent, Africa has responded swiftly to the pandemic, and as of now reported cases are lower than feared. Even so, much hangs in the balance. In recent years Africans have done much to advance the well-being of the continent’s people. Economic growth has been strong. The digital revolution has taken hold. A free trade area has been agreed. 

António Guterres (United Nations Secretary-General) on COVID-19 and the need for action on mental health.

António Guterres (United Nations Secretary-General) Global Appeal to Address and Counter COVID-19 Related Hate Speech     COVID-19 does not care who we are, where we live, what we believe or about any other distinction. We need every ounce of solidarity to tackle it together. Yet the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.

António Guterres (United Nations Secretary-General) at launch of Policy Brief on Persons with Disabilities and COVID-19    The COVID-19 crisis is affecting every aspect of our societies, revealing the extent of exclusion that the most marginalized members of society experience.  Today, I would like to highlight how the pandemic is affecting the world’s 1 billion people with disabilities.

Journalists and media workers are crucial to helping us make informed decisions. As the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic, those decisions can make the difference between life and death.   On World Press Freedom Day, we call on governments -- and others -- to guarantee that journalists can do their jobs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. 

António Guterres (United Nations Secretary-General) on the Launch of the Policy Brief on Older Persons    The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold fear and suffering for older people across the world.  The fatality rate for older people is higher overall, and for those over 80, it is five times the global average. 

  The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency — but it is far more.  It is an economic crisis. A social crisis. And a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.

I extend my warmest wishes as millions of Muslims around the world begin observing the holy month of Ramadan. This will, of course, be a very different Ramadan.  Many community activities will naturally be affected by measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, many people in conflict zones will once again be tragically marking this month with war and insecurity all around.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, we are seeing an alarming pattern. The poorest and most vulnerable members of society are being the hardest hit, both by the pandemic and the response. I am especially concerned about the well-being of the world’s children. Thankfully, children have so far been largely spared from the most severe symptoms of the disease. But their lives are being totally upended.

As the world fights the deadly COVID-19 pandemic – the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War – we are also seeing another epidemic -- a dangerous epidemic of misinformation. Around the world, people are scared. They want to know what to do and where to turn for advice.  This is a time for science and solidarity.  Yet the global ‘misinfo-demic’ is spreading.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold human suffering and economic devastation around the world. I recently called for an immediate global ceasefire to focus on our shared struggle to overcome the pandemic. I appealed for an end to violence everywhere, now. But violence is not confined to the battlefield.  For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest. In their own homes. 

Today, I want to make a special appeal to religious leaders of all faiths to join forces to work for peace around the world and focus on our common battle to defeat COVID19. I do so at a special time on the spiritual calendar.  For Christians, it is the celebration of Easter.  Jews are marking Passover.  And soon, Muslims will begin the holy month of Ramadan.  I extend my warmest wishes to all those observing these important MOMENTS.

Video message by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on World Health Day 2020 (7 April) My message today is to our health care workers -- the nurses, midwives, technicians, paramedics, pharmacists, doctors, drivers, cleaners, administrators and many others -- who work, day and night to keep us safe.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold human suffering and economic devastation around the world. I recently called for an immediate global ceasefire to focus on our shared struggle to overcome the pandemic. I appealed for an end to violence everywhere, now. But violence is not confined to the battlefield.  For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest. In their own homes. 

UN chief António Guterres called for “an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world” appealing to warring parties to “end the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world.” In a remote press briefing, Guterres said the world face a “common enemy” in COVID-19 adding that the virus “does not care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith.”

Facing a global health crisis “unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations,” Secretary-General António Guterres today (19 Mar) called for a “coordinated, decisive, and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies.”

“We Must Declare War on this Virus”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his comments on the global response to the spread of the COVID-19, calling on governments to cooperate in order to “ensure targeted support for the people and communities most affected by the disease.”

António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020 (22 May)