Pacific island nations threatened by rising oceans, debt and geopolitical tensions can only fight back if international lenders agree to fairer terms for vital development funding and the world’s biggest polluters make a “massive increase” in contributions to address “climate chaos”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. Speaking in Samoa, where he met residents uprooted from their homes by sea level rise and coastal erosion, Mr. Guterres said that Pacific islanders had refused to be victims of climate change. But their ambitious plans to resist this “existential threat for millions” had been put on hold, amid a lack of promised funding, he insisted.

Secretary-General António Guterres called for warring parties in Gaza to lay down their arms so that humanitarians can safely vaccinate more than half a million children against polio. “I am appealing to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign,” he said, speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. “Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a Polio Pause is a must.”

As the Summer Olympics and Paralympics get underway in Paris, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for global respect of the Olympic Truce – a custom of halting all hostilities from before to after the Games. In November, the UN General Assembly adopted a vote to observe the truce in Paris. “In a moment like this, it's important to say that the first recorded in history real peace initiative was the Olympic Truce,” Mr. Guterres said during a press encounter in the French capital alongside International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

The UN chief issued an urgent call to action to better protect billions around the world exposed to crippling effects of extreme heat, as global temperature rise continues unabated. The appeal comes against the backdrop of record temperatures and deadly heatwaves – from the United States to Africa’s Sahel and Europe to the Middle East – that have killed several hundred people this summer. “The message is clear: the heat is on. Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet. The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.”

The United Nations launched new Global Principles for Information Integrity, emphasizing the need for immediate action to address the harms caused by misinformation, disinformation and hate speech. UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined key recommendations aimed at making information spaces safer while at the same time upholding human rights such as freedom of speech. “At a time when billions of people are exposed to false narratives, distortions and lies, these principles lay out a clear path forward, firmly rooted in human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and opinion,” he said.