Press Releases

New York, 3 March 2021 The planet’s forests are home to some 80 per cent of all terrestrial wild species. They help regulate the climate and support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people. Some 90 per cent of the…

New York, 12 February 2021 Chun Jie Kuai Le! [ 春节快乐！ Happy Lunar New Year!] I send my best wishes to everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year. This year is the Year of the Ox – the same sign as the year of my birth. The ox…

New York, 11 February 2021 Advancing gender equality in science and technology is essential for building a better future. We have seen this yet again in the fight against COVID-19. Women, who represent 70 per cent of all…

New York, 6 February, 2021 Female Genital Mutilation is a terrible human rights violation that affects the health and wellbeing of millions of women and girls around the world. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the…

New York, 4 February 2021 I am pleased to welcome the first International Day of Human Fraternity in World Interfaith Harmony Week. I applaud all Member States that co-sponsored the United Nations General Assembly resolution…

New York, 27 January 2021 Today we honour the memory of the six million Jews and millions of others who were systematically murdered in the Holocaust by the Nazis and their collaborators. This year’s anniversary takes place…

New York, 24 January 2021 When education is interrupted, it affects everyone – especially students, teachers and families. Today, on the third International Day of Education, I pay tribute to their resilience in the face of a…

Dear Friends, 2020 has been a year of trials, tragedies and tears. COVID-19 upended our lives and plunged the world into suffering and grief. So many loved ones have been lost — and the pandemic rages on, creating new waves…

New York, 27 December 2020 This first observance of the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness falls at the end of a year in which a scenario many had feared came tragically true. With COVID-19 having now killed more than…

New York, 18 December 2020 On this International Migrants Day, we reflect on a year in which, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions upon millions of people have experienced the pain of separation from friends and family…