“Patience is running out” for many in the international community when it comes to effectively engaging with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers, the Taliban, senior UN envoy for the country, Markus Potzel, told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Education has been Secretary-General António Guterres’ “guide and touchstone,” he said on Monday, the final day of the Transforming Education Summit, warning that it is in “a deep crisis”.
The UN chief commemorated the International Day of Peace on Friday with the annual ringing of the Peace Bell ceremony followed by a minute of silence at the UN Peace Garden in New York.
Just a few hours before the start of the crucial Transforming Education Summit, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday, warned that globally, only a third of 10-year-olds are estimated to be able to read and understand a simple written story. This shocking statistic represents a 50 per cent decrease from pre-pandemic estimates.
One of the centrepieces of the opening week of the new General Assembly session is an event aimed at focusing fresh attention on the global crisis surrounding learning, and proposing solutions to make education fit for the Twenty-First Century. Ahead of the event, UN News spoke to Leonardo Garnier, the Special Advisor charged with making the Transforming Education Summit a success.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday reiterated that the needs in flood-ravaged Pakistan are enormous and called for urgent financial support, as he wrapped up a two-day trip aimed at raising awareness of the climate-driven disaster with flights over some of the hardest hit areas.
As the war in Ukraine “continues to rage,” the UN political and peacebuilding chief updated the Security Council, saying on Wednesday that 5,718 people have been killed, including 372 children.
