Antonio Guterres – www.israelhayom.com

Houthi rebels seize UN offices in Sanaa after Israel's deadly strike on leadership

ErezL — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 02:18:58 +0000

Houthi terrorists stormed the offices of the World Food Programme and UNICEF in Sanaa on Sunday, detaining at least 11 UN staff members in a response to an Israeli airstrike that eliminated their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, following months of sending missiles and drones on Israel's cities, CNN reported. The raids targeted critical UN agencies, with local Houthi forces apprehending one WFP employee and multiple UNICEF workers, according to agency spokespersons cited by CNN.

Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, strongly denounced the detentions and the forced entry into UN premises, labeling them a grave breach, CNN noted. He called for the immediate release of the detained staff. UN Secretary-General António Guterres reinforced this stance, declaring, "The personnel of the UN and its partners must never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their duties for the UN," as quoted by CNN. Guterres pointed out that the Houthis have arbitrarily detained UN personnel, NGO workers, and others since 2021, highlighting a recurring pattern of hostility, CNN reported.

Honor guard hold photos of Prime Minister of Yemen's Houthi-led government Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahwi and other Houthi government officials killed in an Israeli strike, during a funeral procession in Sanaa, Yemen September 1, 2025 (REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)

The World Food Programme and UNICEF are urgently engaging with local authorities to secure their staff's release, with spokespersons emphasizing that their top priority is the safety of their employees, CNN stated. While it remains uncertain whether the raids were directly linked to Israel's recent strikes, the Houthis have previously targeted international organizations, according to CNN. Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister of the UN-backed Yemeni government, condemned the Houthi actions, as reported by SABA NEWS.

On Thursday, an Israeli airstrike in Sanaa eliminated Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the Houthi-led government, along with other key officials, the head of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council confirmed, promising vengeance, CNN reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the strike marked "only the beginning" of Israel's campaign against the Houthis, who have launched missiles at Israel and attacked Red Sea vessels in solidarity with Gaza, CNN noted. He stated, "We are doing what no one has done before us, and this is only the beginning of the strikes on senior officials in Sanaa - we will get to all of them," CNN quoted him as saying.

Yemen has been divided since 2014, with the Houthis controlling Sanaa and much of the north, while a rival, internationally recognized government operates in the south. The Houthi raids on UN facilities underscore their defiance amid ongoing clashes with Israel and their broader regional objectives, CNN reported.

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UN staff pass rare no confidence vote against Secretary-General Guterres

omrif — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 20:30:35 +0000

A storm is brewing inside the halls of the world's most prominent international organization, as UN staff have launched an unusual protest against a reform plan advanced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and spearheaded by Deputy Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder.

The initiative, dubbed UN80 to mark the UN's upcoming 80th anniversary, was designed to boost the organization's efficiency, cut redundancies, and strengthen public and member state confidence. Instead, it has ignited an unprecedented internal crisis of trust.

The reform plan rests on three main pillars: slashing bureaucracy and relocating roles to lower-cost countries, conducting a sweeping review of the thousands of mandates assigned to the UN, and reassessing the organization's structural framework. Ryder described the effort as a bid to "enhance the UN's relevance in an era of escalating crises and eroding public trust."

The United Nations General Assembly. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

But many staffers believe the changes will come at their expense. A survey conducted by the UN Staff Coordinating Council found that 72% of respondents said the planned job cuts and outsourcing were unjustified, while 62% said they did not believe the reforms would improve organizational efficiency. Additionally, 73% voiced disapproval of the decision to spare senior leadership from the cuts.

Ian Richards, a senior staff member and former chair of the UN staff union, has publicly denounced the reform plan as "superficial," saying it merely repackages old mistakes. He criticized the reform document published by Ryder as heavy on "slick graphs and recycled statistics" but lacking real solutions. Richards also blamed UN leadership for creating the very mandate redundancies they now seek to eliminate.

"UN80 is nothing more than a scheme by Guterres to preemptively restructure the organization and deflect blame, an attempt to circumvent further 'Doge-like' budget cuts from Washington by creating the illusion of reform," said Dr. Eve Epstein, a former senior communications advisor to top UN officials and UN agencies. "It's very clear that the current state of the UN rests squarely on the shoulders of Secretary-General Guterres and his senior leadership team, not on external factors like US policies under President Trump."

UN Secretary-General Guterres. Photo: Getty Images

The crisis peaked last week during an extraordinary general assembly of the UN staff union in Geneva, attended by some 600 employees. A no confidence motion was put forward in response to mounting frustration over the way the UN80 initiative is being advanced, and it passed without opposition. The resolution stated explicitly: "The staff has no confidence in the UN80 initiative, in UN Secretary-General António Guterres, or in Deputy Secretary-General Guy Ryder."

Employees argued that the reform process was being rushed and driven without genuine worker involvement, disproportionately harming junior staffers while top level roles remained protected or even extended. Critics said the changes would centralize power in UN headquarters, undermining operations on the ground and deepening the disconnect between leadership and staff.

This is the first no confidence vote against a sitting secretary-general since 2007, when a similar motion targeted then secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in New York.

"The UN80 initiative is being pushed in a state of panic, without learning from past failures, and unfairly blames staff while ignoring leadership shortcomings," the union said. "Rather than restoring confidence in multilateral institutions, this move risks deepening division and harming the very populations the UN is meant to serve."

While UN leaders tout the reform as forward looking and innovative, staffers feel abandoned, viewing the initiative as a cost saving maneuver at their expense. The decisive question now is whether UN member states, who hold the final say, will support the leadership's vision or side with the workforce.

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UN secretary-general, UNRWA nominated for Nobel Prize

omrif — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 17:00:48 +0000

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the UNRWA agency, and the International Court of Justice in The Hague have all been nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, as reported by Reuters on Thursday.

According to the report, experts close to the process told the news agency these two organizations and the veteran diplomat are considered frontrunners in the race for the prize, which supposably aims to honor those who have brought peace, security, and the protection of the vulnerable.

Video: IDF raid on UNRWA compound, finding drones, rockets, machine guns, and more

António Guterres assumed his role as UN Secretary-General in 2017, having previously served as Portugal's Prime Minister and President of the Socialist International. Since taking office, Russia has invaded Ukraine, committing numerous atrocities. Additionally, devastating civil wars have broken out in Myanmar, Sudan, and Ethiopia, and the Middle East has entered an unprecedented state of conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

In Israel, Guterres is viewed as pro-Palestinian, and this week Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared him a "persona non grata" - an unwelcome persona - within the State of Israel, following his refusal to condemn Iranian aggression after a missile attack on Israel earlier this week.

IDF Soldiers at UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza (Archive), Photo: Reuters

However, UNRWA's nomination is even more problematic than that of the UN Secretary-General. Throughout the past year of fighting in Gaza, the extent of the Hamas' infiltration into the UN agency has repeatedly come to light. The organization itself admitted that some of its employees, including senior figures, participated in the massacres of October 7 and in the kidnapping of Israeli civilians. The organization's schools and supply systems were commandeered by Hamas, and the group even established a computer and server base beneath UNRWA's headquarters in Gaza City.

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UN chief urges US to remove Iran sanctions as agreed in 2015

Oren Klass — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 08:14:08 +0000

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to US President Joe Biden's administration to lift or waive all sanctions on Iran as agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal aimed at stopping Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

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In a report to the UN Security Council, Guterres also urged the United States to "extend the waivers with regard to the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and fully renew waivers for nuclear non-proliferation projects."

The 15-member council on Tuesday was to discuss the secretary-general's biannual report on the implementation of a 2015 resolution that enshrined the nuclear deal between Iran, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.

Guterres' appeal to Washington comes amid talks to revive the deal – officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – under which Iran accepted curbs on its nuclear program in return for a lifting of many foreign sanctions against it.

Former US President Donald Trump abandoned the pact in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions, prompting Tehran to start violating some of the nuclear limits in 2019. Among its numerous flaws, the nuclear deal fails to address Iran's ballistic missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, which Tehran has said it will not negotiate with foreign powers, nor does it address Iran's ongoing support and financing of regional terrorist organizations, chief among them Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"I appeal to the United States to lift or waive its sanctions outlined in the plan," said Guterres, who also appealed to Iran to return to full implementation of the deal.

Iran has refined uranium up to a purity of roughly 60%, far above the deal's limit of 3.67% and much closer to the 90% suitable for atom bomb cores, though it maintains it could quickly reverse its moves if Washington rescinded sanctions and returned to the 2015 deal.

Guterres said: "I continue to believe that a full restoration of the [JCPOA] remains the best way to ensure that the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains exclusively peaceful."

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UN chief urges to declare 'climate emergency'

RachelG — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 10:45:33 +0000

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders Saturday to declare a state of climate emergency as he opened a summit marking five years since the landmark Paris Agreement.

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The online Climate Ambition Summit comes as the UN warns current commitments to tackle rises in global temperatures are inadequate. The commitments made in Paris in 2015 were "far from enough" to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the UN chief said in his opening address to the summit.

"If we don't change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3.0 degrees this century," he said.

"That is why today, I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached," he added, arguing the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic presents a rare opportunity to recalibrate growth.

Speaking slots were handed to countries that submitted the most ambitious plans to accelerate their Paris promises. These include Honduras and Guatemala, which were hit last month by a pair of monster hurricanes, as well as India, which is battling increasingly erratic weather patterns and air pollution. But major economies, including Australia, Brazil, and South Africa were absent.

More than 110 countries have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. China, the world's biggest polluter, announced in September plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.

The United States, the world's second-largest polluter after China, left the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump. President-elect Joe Biden plans immediately to re-enter the accord and has set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Under the Paris climate accord, signatories committed to action to limit temperature rises to "well below" 2.0 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to try to restrain them to 1.5 Celsius.

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But the UN warned this week that temperatures remain on course to rise more than 3.0C this century, creating a crisis that will "dwarf the impacts of COVID-19."

Countries are set to announce efforts to reduce national emissions, long-term strategies, and financial commitments to support the most vulnerable.

This article was first published by i24NEWS

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UN: Yemen in imminent danger of world's worst famine in decades

Oren Klass — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 06:54:52 +0000

War-torn Yemen is in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen in decades, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday.

"In the absence of immediate action, millions of lives may be lost," Guterres said of the country that has endured a five-year war between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and government forces.

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The government in Yemen is supported by a Saudi-led coalition, assisted by Western powers including the US. Houthis have targeted Saudi territories in multiple attacks, with the coalition reporting a downed Houthi drone that was heading for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

"I urge all those with influence to act urgently on these issues to stave off catastrophe, and I also request that everyone avoids taking any action that could make the already dire situation even worse," the secretary-general said.

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UN names first-ever anti-Semitism monitor

Oren Klass — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 04:38:53 +0000

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has named Miguel Morantinos, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, as the first-ever UN Focal Point to monitor anti-Semitism.

In his new position, Morantinos – a former Spanish foreign minister – will be responsible for enhancing a system-wide response at the United Nations to longstanding anti-Semitism.

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The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement applauded the appointment.

"The importance of this role is reflected by the wealth of high-level experience and prominent leadership" exhibited by Morantinos, said CAM director Sacha Roytman-Dratwa.

"The fight against anti-Semitism has never been more urgent. The rise in attacks across the world has reached truly worrying proportions," he continued. "By appointing an anti-Semitism envoy, the United Nations is sending a very important message to the world that tackling hatred against Jews is very much a global priority."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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UN: Israel pushed 22,000 housing units in West Bank since 2016

Sharon Gilad — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 06:29:56 +0000

The UN Mideast envoy said Wednesday that Israel advanced or approved plans for over 22,000 housing units in West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem in the three years since the Security Council adopted a resolution condemning settlements in lands the Palestinians want for their future state.

Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that in addition, Israel issued tenders for some 8,000 housing units since the December 2016 resolution, which also declared that the settlements have "no legal validity."

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He said the numbers "should be of serious concern to all those who continue to support the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state alongside Israel."

UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a report to the council circulated Wednesday that the settlements have "no legal effect." He declared that construction and approvals "must cease immediately and completely."

"The existence and expansion of settlements fuel resentment and hopelessness among the Palestinian population and significantly heighten Israeli-Palestinian tensions," the UN chief said. "In addition, they continue to undermine the prospects for ending the (Israeli) occupation and achieving the two-state solution by systematically eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous and viable Palestinian state."

Guterres said he regrets the Trump administration's announcement on Nov. 18 that it no longer views "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank" as "per se, inconsistent with international law."

Mladenov was reporting to the council on implementation of the 2016 resolution.

The resolution was approved by the council when the United States, in the final weeks of the Obama administration, abstained rather than using its veto to support longtime ally Israel as it had done many times previously.

US Ambassador Kelly Craft told the council that "the Trump Administration strongly opposes the 2016 resolution. It is one-sided. It is unfairly critical of Israel," she said. "And had I been the ambassador at the time of the vote on the resolution, I would have vetoed it."

Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said two words can summarize the reality for Palestinians: "confinement" in Gaza and the West Bank and "expansion" for Israeli settlements.

In Area C, which represents 60% of the West Bank and is under exclusive Israeli control and home to dozens of Israeli settlements, only 1% of land has been planned for Palestinian development, Mansour said. In east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state, only 13% is zoned for Palestinian construction, he said.

"The purpose of this policy is crystal clear: acquiring maximum Palestinian land with minimum Palestinians," Mansour said.

He said Israel had taken no steps to "cease all settlement activities" and its demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures also continued.

He warned that "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in a fragile phase with the occupation deepening, political uncertainty prevailing, and volatile regional dynamics threatening to further destabilize the situation."

Without the commitment of Israel, the Palestinians and the international community "to pursue concrete measures that will lead to genuine political progress, the situation will continue to worsen," the UN envoy said.

On a positive note, he welcomed discussions on holding Palestinian legislative and presidential elections in 2020, which would be the first since 2006. "The international community should support this process," he said.

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Marking Kristallnacht, UN chief vows to fight anti-Semitism

Sharon Gilad — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 11:37:12 +0000

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pledged on Thursday to increase his organization's efforts to fight anti-Semitism.

"Since nobody is born to hate, intolerance can be prevented and unlearned," he told a gathering at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, marking the 81st anniversary of the Kristallnacht – the violent attack in Germany and Austria against Jews and their homes, synagogues, and businesses in 1938.

Scores of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed during "the Night of Broken Glass" on Nov. 9-10, 1938.

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Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon and dozens of ambassadors and foreign dignitaries attended the event.

In a speech underlining his continued fight to stamp out anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of hatred, Guterres recognized the need for continued vigilance.

"Decades after the Holocaust, the world's oldest hatred is still with us," he remarked, before listing recent incidents across the world targeting Jews, ranging from the vandalizing of Jewish graves and Holocaust memorial, to the mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh last year - the worst anti-Semitic attack in United States history.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon and UN Secretary General António Guterres (center) (Photo: Perry Bindelglass) Perry Bindelglass

"At the same time, other forms of intolerance are also taking a deadly toll," he noted, citing examples such as church bombings, massacres at mosques, and assaults on migrants and refugees.

"Hatred kills. But hatred also works in insidious ways to undermine relations between people and the foundations of society," he said.

The secretary general called for urgent action by parents, teachers and political leaders "before underground hatred becomes an overt and alarming new normal."

He further highlighted efforts by the global community to counter these threats, such as UN action plans to address hate speech and to ensure the safety of houses of worship.

"Education must be a key part of this preventive approach, and I am announcing today that I intend to convene a conference on the role of education in addressing and building resilience against hate speech," he revealed.

"We are also focusing on the protection of religious sites in the wake of deadly attacks on mosques in New Zealand, the Easter church bombings in Sri Lanka and other assaults. Just last month in Germany, a gunman killed two people while trying to storm a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar."

Next year, the UN marks its 75th anniversary and Guterres said the focus will be on equality and human dignity.

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Mother of captured soldier to address UN Human Rights Council

SteveG — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:16:04 +0000

Leah Goldin, mother of captured IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, will address the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva later this week, calling on the international community to help return her son's remains.

This summer marked five years since Hadar was killed by Hamas during a UN ceasefire in Operation Protective Edge.

With each passing day, as the Palestinian terror group refuses to return Hadar (and the remains of another IDF soldier, Oron Shaul), Goldin says they continue to "cruelly torment our family, with their inhumanity seemingly knowing no bounds."

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The Human Rights Council session will coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York, where world leaders and heads of state will be gathering.

Although the primary responsibility for Hadar's release rests with Hamas, Goldin will stress that the UN and the international community, under whose watch the ceasefire that took their son was enacted, "bears both moral and legal responsibility for his return."

According to Goldin, there has been a "paradigm shift" in the way her son's case must be approached, in the wake of the UN Security Council's unanimous adoption this June of Resolution 2474, regarding the return of all persons reported missing in armed conflict.

"We know beyond doubt Hamas does not abide by international law. However, for the first time, this resolution shifts the burden of responsibility, by mandating that all nations have a duty to help return the remains of persons reported missing in armed conflict," said Goldin.

"Hadar's return cannot be my mission or Israel's mission alone, and must be the responsibility of all nations of goodwill, who respect international humanitarian law and truly seek peace in our region," she added.

Last month, the Goldins met in New York with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who reiterated his support of Resolution 2474, calling to "immediately and unconditionally" release Hadar's remains and undertaking to raise the issue during the upcoming UN General Assembly.

Goldin is traveling to Geneva as a guest of UN Watch and is accompanied by human rights attorney and executive director of the Israeli-Jewish Congress, Arsen Ostrovsky.

During her visit, which is also being supported by the Israeli Mission to the UN in Geneva, Goldin will meet with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has repeatedly been denied access to Hadar, as well hold a number of bilateral meetings with various diplomatic missions and senior officials at the UN.

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