Page 4 - Antonio Guterres

Executions in Iran up 30%, 419 killed in first 7 months of 2023: UN report

Iran is carrying out executions "at an alarming rate," putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year, the United Nations chief said in a new report. That's a 30 per cent increase from the same period in 2022. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the U.N. General Assembly on the human rights situation in Iran that seven men were executed in relation to or for participating in nationwide protests, sparked by the September 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was picked up by the morality police for her allegedly loose headscarf in violation of Iran's Islamic dress code. In all seven cases, information received by the U.N. human rights office consistently indicated that the judicial proceedings did not fulfil the requirements for due process and a fair trial under international human rights law, Guterres said. Access to adequate and timely legal representation was frequently denied, with reports of coerced confessions, which may hav

Israel pounds Gaza Strip, dismisses calls for cease-fire, hostage swap

Here's what is happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war: PROTESTS SPREAD, CALLING ON ISRAEL TO STOP GAZA WAR Paris: Police encircled hundreds of people who defied a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration Saturday in central Paris. The officers tried to contain the protest but fired tear gas when tensions rose as a breakaway group tried to march. The protest collective known as Urgence Palestine called for a cease-fire in the increasingly intense war between Israel and Hamas. At least 80 people were given citations, according to French media. Other pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held in Marseille and Strasbourg in the east. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin's order to ban pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France was trimmed back by the nation's highest administrative authority. The Council of State ruled any protests in favor of either side in the war are to be authorised on a case-by-case basis after assessing risks to public order. Demonstrations also took place Saturday in

'More purposeful' UN will deliver on Global South's expectations: EAM

On October 24, United Nations Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.

Horrified by killing of hundreds of Palestinians: UN chief on Gaza blast

In a strong condemnation, Guterres said, "I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn," the UN posted on X

LIVE: MEA spokesperson Bagchi appointed India's ambassador to UN in Geneva

Catch all the latest updates LIVE from across the globe here

Release hostages, allow humanitarian aid: UN chief appeals to Hamas, Israel

To Israel, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be granted for humanitarian supplies and workers for the sake of the civilians in Gaza, Guterres said

Key emitter nations absent as attendees demand phase out of fossil fuel

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Climate Ambition Summit highlighted two key aspects: the conspicuous absence of leaders from major emitter nations and a unanimous call for phasing out fossil fuels by attending leaders. Guterres' "no-nonsense summit" on Wednesday came at a time when the world is reeling under the devastating impacts of climate change and probably the hottest year on record. However, leaders from some of the world's largest polluting nations, the US and China, were conspicuously absent from the summit Guterres called to reinvigorate efforts to combat the climate crisis. Notable omissions also included leaders from the UK, Japan, France and India. Among the top carbon emitters, only the European Union received an invitation. Ahead of the summit, Antonio Guterres had unveiled his Acceleration Agenda, saying only 'movers' and 'doers' would be allowed to attend. In a significant shift from the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, this gathering saw nearly

UNGA meet 2023: 'Reform or rupture', says UN chief Antonio Guterres

He emphasised that a multipolar world needs strong and effective multilateral institutions, yet global governance is stuck in time

This is not a 'vanity fair': UN chief on absence of all but one P5 leaders

With the majority of the leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council absent from the UN General Assembly session this year, UN chief Antonio Guterres has said it was not a "vanity fair" and commitment made by governments on various pressing global issues are more important than the presence or absence of a particular leader. US President Joe Biden is the only head of State or Government from among the five permanent members of the powerful UN Security Council -- China, Russia, France, the UK and the US -- who is attending the high-level week. Biden arrived here on Sunday for the 78th high-level session of the UN General Assembly and will address world leaders from the UNGA lectern on the opening day of the General Debate on Tuesday morning. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron are not attending the UNGA high-level session. Russia will be represented by Foreign Ministe

Global financial architecture outdated: UN secretary-general Guterres

Calls upon G20 nations to keep goal of 1.5 degree global temp rise alive

Terrorism unjustifiable; India naturally has its own concerns: Guterres

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Guterres said combating terrorism must be a "fundamental priority" for "all of us" and that it is something that is very high in his priorities

Confident that India will do 'everything possible': UN chief ahead of G20

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed confidence that India, all set to host the leaders' summit during its G20 presidency, will do everything possible to ensure that existing geopolitical divides are overcome and the crucial gathering of world leaders concludes with possible results." Guterres will arrive in Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit on September 9 and 10 for which world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, are travelling to India. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are not attending the summit. "I'm confident that India will do everything possible to make sure that the geopolitical divides that exist are overcome and that the G20 can conclude with possible results, Guterres said in Jakarta where he is participating in the 13th ASEAN-UN Summit. He was responding to a question on his expectations from India as the G20 host as well as New Delhi's support for bringing the African Union (AU) into the grouping o

Unified strategy, funding urgently needed to end Myanmar crisis: UN chief

The United Nations chief renewed an urgent call to the international community Thursday to seek a unified strategy to end the worsening crisis in Myanmar. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said declining financial aid should be boosted to previous levels to enable the world body to respond to an enormous tragedy. He said the situation in Myanmar has further deteriorated since he met with ASEAN leaders in a 2022 summit, and again called on the crisis-wracked country's military-installed government to immediately free all political prisoners and open the door to a return to democratic rule. Myanmar's army seized power on February 1, 2021, from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, arresting her and top members of her governing National League for Democracy party, which had won a landslide victory for a new term in a November 2020 general election. Security forces suppressed widespread opposition to the military takeover with lethal force, killing thousands of civilians and ...

UN chief Guterres sends proposal to Russia to revive Black Sea grain deal

Moscow wasn't satisfied with the letter that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week

UN remembers victims, survivors of terrorism: Secy General Antonio Guterres

Guterres said the theme of this year's International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is "Legacy, Finding Hope and Building a Peaceful Future"

Upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi critical for climate action: Guterres

The upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi and the UN Climate Summit during the high-level General Assembly session are among the critical opportunities ahead for accelerated action on climate change, UN chief Antonio Guterres said as he warned that the world has moved from the era of global warming into that of global boiling. As the World Meteorological Organisation and the European Commission's Copernicus Climate Change Service released official data confirming that July 2023 is set to be the hottest month ever recorded in human history, UN Secretary-General Guterres said humanity is in the hot seat. Guterres said that for vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe it is a cruel summer but it is a disaster for the entire planet. Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived. The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits and climate ...

Summit to act on reforming global financial system, says UN chief Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the G20 Summit to be hosted under India's Presidency provides an opportunity to take action on debt relief and reform the global financial system, as he voiced concern over the "crushing debt crisis" in the world. Speaking at the launch of a UN report 'A World of Debt' here on Wednesday, Guterres said, "Some 3.3 billion people almost half of humanity live in countries that spend more on debt interest payments than on education or health." "Half our world is sinking into a development disaster, fuelled by a crushing debt crisis," he said. Guterres said that because most of these unsustainable debts are concentrated in poor countries, they are not judged to pose a systemic risk to the global financial system. "This is a mirage," he warned, adding that 3.3 billion people is more than systemic risk. "It is a systemic failure. Markets may seem not (to) be suffering yet. But people are. Some of the poorest countries in the world are

'3.3 bn live in countries that spend more on debt interest than education'

Some 3.3 billion people almost half of humanity now live in countries that spend more money paying interest on their debts than on education or health, according to a new UN report released Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a press conference launching the report that because this crushing debt crisis is concentrated mostly in poor developing countries, it is not judged to pose a systemic risk to the global financial system. This is a mirage, the U.N. chief warned. 3.3 billion people is more than a systemic risk, it is a systemic failure. Guterres said financial markets may seem not to be suffering yet but billions of people are and the levels of public debt are staggering and surging. In 2022, global public debt reached a record $92 trillion and developing countries shoulder a disproportionate amount, he said. According to the report, the number of countries facing high debt levels has increased sharply from 22 nations in 2011 to 59 in 2022. The ...

Made effort to remove India from UN report on children in armed clash: Govt

The government was consistently making efforts to exclude India from the UN's annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, the Women and Child Development Ministry has said after the country did not feature in the report for the first time since 2010. The United Nations has removed India from its annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, citing "measures taken by the government to better protect" them. In a statement, the Women and Child Development Ministry said, "The ongoing engagement of the Government of India with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General sped up after an inter-ministerial meeting in November 2021." The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development Indevar Pandey, Ministry of External Affairs, Permanent Mission of India at New York, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Virginia Gamba, the special representative of the Secretary-General for Children and the UN officials in New Delhi. The m

India removed from UNSG report on impact of armed conflict on children

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has removed India from his annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, citing "measures taken by the government to better protect" them. Guterres said in his report last year, he had welcomed the engagement of the Indian government with his special representative and noted that it might lead to the removal of India as a situation of concern. In his 2023 report on Children and Armed Conflict, the UN chief said, "In view of the measures taken by the government to better protect children, India has been removed from the report in 2023." Guterres highlighted the technical mission of the office of his special representative in July 2022 to identify areas of cooperation for child protection, and the workshop on strengthening child protection held in Jammu and Kashmir last November by the government, with the participation of the United Nations. In his latest report, he also called upon India to implement the remaining measures identifi