Public information

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Carmen Morales of Guatemala as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Mexico City.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Marguerite El Helou of Lebanon as Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Cairo.  She assumed her new duties on 1 June 2023.

In Sudan, at least 100 trucks of humanitarian assistance reached their destinations in several states, including the capital, Khartoum. They carried 2,600 tons of supplies, including nutrition, water, sanitation and health items for up to 2 million men, women and children.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Darrin Farrant of Australia as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in New Delhi. He assumed his new duties on 27 May 2023.

In Myanmar, 5.4 million people are expected to have been in the path of Cyclone Mocha – one of the strongest to ever hit the country – in Rakhine and in the north-west. Given the high risk of waterborne and communicable diseases, humanitarian agencies will need access to people impacted by the cyclone, as well as expedited travel authorizations and customs clearances for supplies.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, observed on 17 May:

The United Nations Committee on Information — concluding its forty-fifth session today — approved two resolutions detailing Member States’ priorities for the Department of Global Communications, from combating disinformation, misinformation and information manipulation to reducing disparities in information flows by enhancing assistance for developing countries.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths visited Port Sudan today to reaffirm the UN’s commitment to meet the Sudanese people’s humanitarian needs. In calls with Generals Abdelfattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, he stressed aid must reach everyone in need.

The 2023 edition of the online Africa Dialogue Series begins today. Titled “Market and Scale: Unlocking Industrialization through Intra-African Trade”, the series will focus on how the African Continental Free-Trade Area could accelerate sustainable development.

United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths has allocated $3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to urgently respond to the arrival of Sudanese refugees and others in Chad. In Khartoum, the World Health Organization reports that over 60 per cent of health facilities are closed.