Delegations of 51 states that signed the UN Charter during the first meeting of the General Assembly gathered in one of the halls of the Palace of Westminster in London. (Archive) Top news of the day | Friday: UK, Ukraine, Sudan, ocean protection UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: The UN Secretary General arrived on a visit to London, families across Ukraine are in “survival mode” against the backdrop of severe cold, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees called for help for the Sudanese, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity comes into force.
Secretary General in London
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in London today to participate in events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the UN General Assembly, which was held in the British capital in 1946. Today Guterres met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. They discussed the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Sudan, as well as UN reform. The Secretary General also held a conversation with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the central theme of which was the role of cities in the fight against climate change.Families across Ukraine are in “survival mode” amid ongoing Russian attacks that have left entire neighborhoods – sometimes for days – without power while temperatures plummet to extremely low levels. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced this on Friday. Fund representative Munir Mammadzadeh said that families cover their windows with soft toys to escape the cold. In Kyiv on Friday, the thermometer dropped to -15 degrees Celsius, and next week it could be even colder on the streets and in houses without heating.
Sudanese refugees in Chad
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih today emphasized the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to people fleeing war in Sudan, including Sudanese refugees in Chad. During his visit to the country, he said that the UN Refugee Agency and its partners are working to expand support, including providing shelter, food, water and health services to displaced people. Salih called on the international community to increase funding for humanitarian operations in Sudan and Chad. It was adopted in June 2023. Since then, 145 countries have signed it, and more than 80 countries have officially ratified it. The agreement significantly strengthens the legal framework for the protection of two-thirds of the World Ocean. The head of the UN, in his message on the occasion of the entry into force of the document, called this event a historic moment for people and the planet.