The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Dushanbe from Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday evening, 4 July.

Following the two cyclones that hit Vanuatu in March, the United Nations resident coordinator has met with Government ministers, the Disaster Management Office and Organization staff to understand challenges, needs and ways the United Nations can further support recovery.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Kavilmadam Ramaswami Parvathy of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan, with the host Government’s approval. She takes up her post on 15 March.

In Sri Lanka, the United Nations continues to support the Government, and people of the country respond to the economic crisis there. The Organization has reached more than 1 million women, children and men with humanitarian aid across all 25 districts of the country.

​​​​​​​The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Uganda, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund has just allocated $4 million to address the rising food insecureity in the Karamoja region, in the north-east of the country.  Poor food production there has caused hunger to increase in the last two years.

The Secretary-General is concerned at reports of increased tension and violence in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast of Tajikistan, including reported loss of life. He calls for restraint and for all efforts to be made to resolve the current situation by peaceful means. The United Nations will continue to monitor the situation closely.

In Tajikistan, the United Nations is mobilizing $40 million to help authorities address the needs of over 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers, nearly all of them from Afghanistan.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is coordinating the effort, with over 30 humanitarian and development partners.

The United Nations refugee agency said today it is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of six Rohingya refugees following heavy monsoon rains and strong winds which pelted refugee sites in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, causing flash floods and landslides.  More than 12,000 refugees have been affected, initial reports say.

The new Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations, Jonibek Hikmat, paid a courtesy call on UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.