This week, I urged the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. Regrettably, the Security Council failed to do it. But that does not make it less necessary. I promise: I will not give up.
People in Gaza are dying not only from bombs and bullets, but from lack of food & clean water, and hospitals without power & medicine. This must stop. I will not relent in my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate & unconditional release of all hostages.
Four out of five of the hungriest people anywhere in the world are in Gaza. As the conflict intensifies and the horror grows, we will continue to do our part. We will not give up.
I wrote to the Security Council invoking Article 99 because of the high risk of the total collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza, with devastating consequences. There is clearly, in my view, a serious risk of aggravating existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security. The @unitednations is totally committed to stay and deliver for the people of Gaza, but under current conditions on the ground, the fulfilment of our humanitarian mandate has become impossible. Even if sufficient supplies were permitted into Gaza, intense bombardment and hostilities, and Israeli restrictions on movement, fuel shortages, and interrupted communications, make it impossible for UN agencies and their partners to reach most people in need. I again and unreservedly condemn the terror attacks by Hamas, and I am appalled by the reports of sexual violence. At the same time, the brutality perpetrated by Hamas can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. International humanitarian law cannot be applied selectively. It is binding on all parties equally at all times, and the obligation to observe it does not depend on reciprocity. The people of Gaza are looking into the abyss. I urge the Security Council to spare no effort to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for the protection of civilians and the urgent delivery of lifesaving aid. 📷: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
As hostilities in Gaza intensify, I remain gravely concerned about further spillover of this conflict, which could have devastating consequences for the entire region. I reiterate my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and release of all hostages.
From its earliest drafts, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been the roadmap to help end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all. But the world is losing its way. Conflicts are raging. Poverty and hunger are increasing. Inequalities are deepening. Authoritarianism is on the rise and civic space is shrinking. Today, it is more important than ever to promote and respect all human rights – social, cultural, economic, civil and political – which protect us all. The Universal Declaration shows the way to common values and approaches that can help resolve tensions and create the security and stability our world craves. This #HumanRightsDay, I urge people around the world to promote and respect human rights for everyone, everywhere. 📷: UN Photo/Greg Kinch
Refugee rights are human rights. We must continue to support refugees, protect their rights and build a better future for everyone who has been #ForcedToFlee.
We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. To ensure sufficient aid gets to where it is needed. To facilitate the release of the hostages. To tamp down the flames of wider war.
I condemn in the strongest terms the overnight large-scale missile and drone attack by Russia on Ukrainian cities and towns across the country. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable and must end immediately.
A humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to begin to meet the desperate needs of people in Gaza and end their ongoing nightmare. I hope that the Security Council resolution adopted today may help to create the conditions for that finally to happen. But much more is needed. As the conflict intensifies and the horror grows, we will continue to do our part. We will not give up. At the same time, the international community must speak with one voice: for peace, for the protection of civilians, for an end to suffering, and for a commitment to the two-state solution – backed with action.
2023 has been a year of enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos. 2024 must be a year for rebuilding trust and restoring hope.
Intense fighting, the lack of electricity, limited fuel and disrupted telecommunications severely restrict the @unitednations’s concerted efforts to provide life-saving aid to people in Gaza. Conditions to allow for large-scale humanitarian operations need to be reestablished immediately.
Migration is a fact of life and a force for good. It enables millions of people to pursue opportunities and improve their lives. But poorly governed migration causes great suffering. It forces people into the cruel realm of human traffickers, where they face exploitation, abuse, and even death. It undermines trust in institutions and inflames social tensions. As we mark #MigrantsDay, we must continue working towards a more humane and orderly management of migration for the benefit of all, including communities of origin, transit, and destination.
The #COP28 Climate Conference occurred at a decisive moment in the fight against climate change that requires maximum ambition both in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate justice. Science tells us that limiting global heating to 1.5°C will be impossible without the phase out of fossil fuels. This was recognized by a growing and diverse coalition of countries at #COP28. The era of fossil fuels must end – and it must end with justice and equity. To those who opposed a clear reference to phase out of fossil fuels during COP28 I want to say: Whether you like it or not, phase out is inevitable. Let’s hope it doesn’t come too late. I remain confident that despite many differences, the world can unite and rise to the challenge of the climate emergency. Multilateralism remains humanity’s best hope. We must come together around real and practical solutions that match the scale of the crisis.
The #COP28 Climate Conference is scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday, but there are still large gaps that need to be bridged. It is time to go into overdrive to negotiate in good faith. It is time to seek compromise for solutions – without compromising on the science or compromising on the need for the highest ambition. As we approach the finish line of #COP28, my main message is clear: We need an ambitious outcome that demonstrates decisive #ClimateAction and a credible plan to keep the 1.5°C warming limit alive and to protect those on the frontlines of the climate crisis. I ask for maximum ambition on two fronts: Ambition on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ambition on ensuring climate justice. In our fractured and divided world, COP28 can show that multilateralism remains our best hope to tackle global challenges.
2023 has been a particularly deadly year for journalists who work in conflict zones. As journalists stand up for truth, the world must stand with them.
Nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza. While there have been some steps to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, life-saving relief is not getting to people who have endured months of relentless assault at anywhere near the scale needed. The obstacles to aid are clear. We cannot effectively deliver humanitarian aid while Gaza is under such heavy, widespread and unrelenting bombardment. This endangers the lives of those who receive aid – and those who deliver it. An effective aid operation requires: Security. An environment where staff can work in safety. The necessary logistics and the resumption of commercial activity. Aid workers, under enormous pressure and with no safety guarantees, are doing their best to deliver, but we need rapid, safe, unhindered, expanded and sustained humanitarian access into and across Gaza.
When global norms collapse, so does trust. I am personally shocked by the systematic undermining of principles and standards we used to take for granted. I am outraged that so many countries and companies are pursuing their own narrow interests without any consideration for our shared future or the common good. And I am certain that unless we take action, we can expect much, much worse. Rebuilding trust requires deep reforms to global governance to manage geopolitical tensions during a new era of multipolarity. And it is essential to building a safer, more stable, more prosperous world.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to justice and non-violent social change. In a world still plagued by racism, the fight for equality is far from over. On #MLKDay and every day, let’s build on his work as we continue working for a better world. 📷: Dr. Martin King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, are welcomed at @unitednations Headquarters in New York in 1964 by Mr. Ralph J. Bunche, UN Under-Secretary for Special Political Affairs.
9 out of 10 people in the world breathe polluted air, which is also one of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis. Ambitious #ClimateAction is crucial to realize everyone’s right to a healthy environment. 📷: UN Photo/Mark Garten
Congratulations to the recipients of the @unitednationshumanrights Prize for their extraordinary work, their humanity and their courage. Across the world, human rights defenders are a light in the darkness – fighting, educating, and holding power to account, to make human rights a living, breathing reality. Being a human rights defender is deeply dangerous work. Last year, almost 450 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists were killed – 40% more than the previous year. 33 vanished without a trace – a staggering 300% increase from 2021. Fight by fight, case by case, human rights defenders are making the vision of universal human rights a reality. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we need leaders of all kinds to embrace their role as human rights defenders too. 📷: UN Photo/Mark Garten
Global temperatures hit record highs in the last year, and extreme weather events continue to affect people around the world. It’s time to move from promises to action. Concrete #ClimateAction. Now.
Friday marks fourteen years since a devastating earthquake in Haiti claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, including 102 members of the @unitednations family. We will always remember them and honour their legacy through our work. 📷: Memorial of Haiti 2010 Earthquake at New York Headquarters. UN Photo/Mark Garten (January 2020)
Many countries are falling short when it comes to investing in public education. Quality education is not a luxury – it is a human right.
