NEW YORK, United States of America — On the International Day for People of African Descent, celebrated each year on 31 August, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for justice, dignity and equality for people of African descent around the world.

After 500 days under siege, the city of Al Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur has become an epicentre of child suffering, with malnutrition, disease, and violence claiming young lives daily, UNICEF warned today.