Press Conferences
Daily Press Briefing: SG Press Encounter, Russia-United States Summit, Middle-Income Countries, Venezuelan Refugees & Migrants, Myanmar, Lebanon, Ethiopia, COVID-19/Brazil, Desertification, WHO/Suicide, Financial Contribution
There is an election taking place in the General Assembly tomorrow. The Secretary-General will deliver remarks, should everything go according to plan.
In a statement on the summit meeting that wrapped up in Geneva yesterday and on the Joint Statement on Strategic Stability which was issued afterwards:
The Secretary-General welcomes the Joint Statement on Strategic Stability issued by the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States following yesterday’s summit, especially the reaffirmation of their adherence to the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the High-Level meeting on Middle-Income Countries. The event took place in the General Assembly Hall.
The Secretary-General also spoke, in a pre-recorded video message, to the International Donors’ Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, which is being hosted by Canada in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration.
On reports of the Myanmar Government forces burning down villages in Kin Ma in Magway Region on 15 June, the Secretary-General is deeply concerned and disturbed by these reports which remind us of the systematic burning of villages in North Rakhine state which we saw in the past and which led to the dramatic exodus of the Rohingya people.
The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, today called on countries taking part in a French-hosted virtual conference in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces to do everything in their power to meet the immediate emergency needs of Lebanon’s military institution, which has been deeply affected by the economic crisis the country faces.
An update on the situation in Ethiopia: Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the security and access situation in Tigray remains complex and extremely fluid, with active hostilities impeding people’s access to aid and the movement of aid workers.
In Brazil, our UN team there, led by the Resident Coordinator, Silvia Rucks, continues supporting national and local authorities to address the multiple impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. In his message, the Secretary-General said that land can be our greatest ally, but that right now it is suffering.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
Guyana has paid its dues in full, becoming the 109th to do so.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General