Press Releases

Osh, Kyrgyzstan, 11 June 2017 When I was here in 2010, the people of Osh were struggling to cope with the consequences of the tragic events in June that year. Those were terrible days but the people of Osh have demonstrated a remarkable resilience, an enormous patience and a capacity to recover from…

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 11 June 2017 Your Excellency Mr. Almazbek Atambaev, President of Kyrgyzstan, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends, I want first of all to express my deep gratitude to President Atambaev for his gentle invitation that allowed me to come back to Kyrgyzstan. I have to say that it is…

Muynak, Aral Sea, Uzbekistan, 10 June 2017 Visiting the Aral Sea and seeing what was the fourth largest inland sea in the world almost dead has caused a tremendous shock. This is probably the biggest ecological catastrophe of our time. And it demonstrates that men can destroy the planet. The Aral…

A cessation of hostilities agreement between warring ethnic groups in the Jonglei region is a “first step to dialogue and engagement but we now need to build on that and show that there is a real dividend for peace,” the head of UN peacekeeping in South Sudan, UNMISS, has said. David Shearer, who is…

In line with the statement issued following the meeting of the Secretary-General with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akıncı, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, in New York on 4 June, and following consultations with all participants, the Conference on Cyprus will…

Astana, 9 June 2017 Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome the opportunity to address this summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Let me start by expressing my appreciation for the hospitality and friendship of the Government and people of Kazakhstan, a country that is currently…

I am very happy to be here for this visit to Kazakhstan and to be participating, of course, in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, and in the opening of the EXPO 2017 that I hope will be a landmark in our commitment to sustainable development, especially in relation to something that is…

The Secretary-General has left New York on Wednesday, seventh of June, for a visit to Central Asia that will take him to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In Astana, Kazakhstan, the Secretary-General will attend the celebrations in honor of the Shanghai Cooperation…

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, A very good morning to you. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to the National Women’s Open Days Conference on Peace and Security. I am honoured to have the opportunity to open this conference that addresses issues that are dear to my heart…

The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic, Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, will visit the Central African Republic (CAR) from 7 to 16 June to assess the critical situation of human rights and the humanitarian response. The visit will take place in a context…