Environmental issues and sustainable development

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Environment Day, observed on 5 June:

A new World Meteorological Organization report forecast global temperatures will continue at or near record levels in the next five years, increasing climate risks and impacts on societies, economies and sustainable development, with an 86 per cent chance that at least one year will be over 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), announced today the appointment of Yasmine Fouad of Egypt as the next Executive Secretary of UNCCD.

The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. This agreement marks a significant step towards resolving a long-standing dispute in the Indian Ocean region.

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that, yesterday and today, Israeli authorities granted access to Kerem Shalom so that UN teams could reach additional humanitarian supplies that crossed into the Strip on Monday and Tuesday.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the “Sagarmatha Sambaad” — Everest Dialogue, in Kathmandu today:

In Colombia, the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs reports that so far in 2025, more than 66,000 people were newly displaced due to fighting. The UN and its partners continue implementing a $3.8 million allocation from the Central Emergency Fund to help more than 56,000 impacted people in Catatumbo.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed on 22 May:

The United Nations Forum on Forests concluded its twentieth session today, setting up its twenty-first session to be held at UN Headquarters from 11 to 15 May 2026 as its Chair observed that those present functioned similarly to that critical global resource — independent units growing together in harmony.

Women and girls must be at the forefront of designing and implementing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to promote gender equality and combat gender-based violence, speakers emphasized today at the tenth multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).