Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Programming Note

It's Friday. Good afternoon. A programming note, there will be a stakeout at 1 p.m. today by Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations; we will end in time. This is his first stakeout so please be there. Thank you.

**Ramadan Message

In a message marking the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the Secretary-General says this month is a sacred period of reflection and prayer, representing a noble vision of hope and peace. Yet, for too many members of the human family, this remains distant. From Afghanistan to Yemen, from Gaza to Sudan and beyond, people continue to suffer from conflict, hunger, displacement and discrimination.

In these difficult and divided times, the Secretary-General calls on all to heed Ramadan's enduring message, to bridge divides, deliver help and hope to those in need, and safeguard the rights and dignity of every person.

**Secretary-General/AI

Also, yesterday afternoon we issued a statement by the Secretary-General following the appointment of the members of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence that approval was given by the General Assembly. Mr. Guterres noted that the 40 members were selected from more than 2,600 candidates, after independent review by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), our own Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, and UNESCO.

In a world where AI is racing ahead, the Secretary-General said, this Panel will provide what's been missing, which is rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all Member States, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing. The Secretary-General added that he is confident in their work and will inform collective dialogue on AI, and support decisions based on evidence and solidarity.

**African Union/Secretary-General

The Secretary-General meanwhile is continuing his activities in Addis Ababa at the African Union. He started the day by meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

Throughout the day, the Secretary-General had bilateral meetings with several African leaders. He also met with the incoming Chairperson of the African Union, the President of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, and he also met separately with the outcoming Chairperson of the AU, President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye. We've have received readouts of all the Secretary-General's meetings which we've shared with you.

A short while ago, he took part in the second Italy-Africa summit. In his remarks, he said this summit sends a clear message that cooperation must be built on mutual respect and trust, and that partnerships must be about delivering on Agenda 2030 and the African Union's Agenda 2063.

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will address the opening session of the thirty-ninth African Union summit. You have received embargoed copies of his remarks, and throughout the day, he will continue to have bilateral meetings and he will also have a press conference, we will share all of that with you to keep you busy on Saturday.

**South Sudan

Moving to South Sudan, where our peacekeeping mission there says they are gravely concerned by the deteriorating security situation following reports of renewed fighting between the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) that is taking place in Unity State, including shelling in Pakur and Tong last night. UNMISS calls for involved parties to cease hostilities immediately and reminds all armed actors of their obligations to protect civilians as well as civilian infrastructure.

Meanwhile, peacekeepers are maintaining a heightened protective posture, with intensified patrols in and around the Bentiu internally displaced persons' camp, that is in Unity State. UNMISS is also engaging with all relevant stakeholders to reduce tensions and in effort to restore calm.

**Sudan

And just north of that, in Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues warn that a sharp increase in drone attacks across the Kordofan region is endangering civilians, it's damaging critical infrastructure and it's deepening already massive humanitarian needs. Casualties have been reported in several locations.

Over the past week, North Kordofan State recorded more than a dozen attacks in and around the towns of El Obeid, Bara, Rahad and Um Rawaba. Commercial vehicles, telecommunications infrastructure and key transport routes have been affected, disrupting humanitarian movements and supply chains.

In South Kordofan, suspected drone strikes hit health facilities in the capital, Kadugli, and in Kuweik town, reportedly killing four medical workers, injuring more than 20 people, and of course making a fragile health system even more fragile. The violence is triggering new displacement. Many of those fleeing their homes need urgent shelter, they need food, they need healthcare and they need protection.

We and our partners continue to deliver assistance where possible, including food distributions in El Obeid. However, the humanitarian situation in Dilling and Kadugli continues to deteriorate. Rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access is essential for us to scale up our response.

Once again, we call for the protection of civilians, we call for the protection of health facilities and we call for the protection of humanitarian infrastructure, in line with international humanitarian law. Our colleagues at OCHA also need increased funding to support displaced families across the Kordofan region and Sudan as a whole.

**Syria/Security Council

This morning back here at the Security Council, Claudio Cordone, briefed the Security Council for the first time in his new role as Deputy Special Envoy for Syria. He's updating Council members on developments on the ground, and reaffirmed our commitment to supporting the success of the political transition for all Syrians. In New York, Mr. Cordone met with Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he met with Council members and key stakeholders, and he is expected to hold further discussions with officials in Damascus as he will be traveling there shortly.

On the humanitarian front, Lisa Doughten, the Director of Financing and Outreach for OCHA, briefed on the humanitarian situation. She said that there is some progress in Syria, however some 700,000 people remain severely food insecure in Syria, adding that humanitarian teams are prioritizing life-saving assistance, mine clearance, and strengthening essential services while advancing recovery plans for 2026.

**Yemen

A quick note from Yemen where our friends from the World Food Programme tell us that in Yemen in order to prevent food loss and waste, they are facilitating an exceptional one off distribution of safe, quality assured pulses and cooking oil from its warehouses in Sana'a and Hudaydah to over 2.6 million people in areas in the north of Yemen who so desperately need assistance. In total, 7,836 metric tons of food stocks will be distributed. As I said, this is an exceptional, one-off action; WFP's pause in the north remains in place.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to Gaza. Our humanitarian colleagues there on the ground tell us that today, our teams attempted to coordinate eight humanitarian missions, five of which were fully facilitated. The three other missions, including one to reach a wastewater treatment plant in Khan Younis, were denied by the Israeli authorities. The missions that were successfully carried out collected food and medical supplies from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and monitored humanitarian cargo at the Kissufim and Kerem Shalom loading platforms.

Four months since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, the humanitarian scale-up has saved countless lives and pushed back famine in Gaza. Many people there, however, remain living in extremely harsh conditions, and the humanitarian response continues to face significant obstacles, especially to the entry of goods and the ability of humanitarian partners to operate.

Almost 1.5 million people, that's two in every three Palestinians in Gaza, are staying in 1,000 displacement sites across the Strip; those sites are often overcrowded, and in tents that offer no privacy and little protection from the weather. Hundreds of families take shelter in damaged buildings which are themselves at risk of collapse.

Our colleagues continue to provide tents and tarpaulins as well as mattresses, clothes and other items, reaching more than 85,000 families in January alone. But these items offer limited protection and their lifespan is short. To provide more durable solutions, restrictions on the entry of essential construction materials and equipment must be lifted, as we said to you yesterday. Our partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene this week distributed about 20,000 cubic metres of drinking water every day through more than 2,000 distribution points across Gaza.

**Haiti

And more grim news from Haiti, where our colleagues report a surge in the recruitment and use of children by armed groups, as violence and mass displacement continue in the country, that's what UNICEF is telling us in a report just published. Child recruitment increased by around 200 per cent in 2025, 200 per cent in one year. That underscores the deep protection crisis facing children in Haiti.

Our humanitarian colleagues note that children recruited or influenced by armed groups face grave violations of their rights, including physical and psychological violence. More than 1.4 million people are internally displaced and over half of them are children. They are exposed to armed violence, extreme poverty and disruptions in access to essential services such as education.

**World Radio Day

We have two quizzes for you today. This is an International Day quiz, not a financial quiz. In August 1981, MTV first came on the air. What song did they open with? [Journalists: Video Killed the Radio Star song.] Okay. Who sang that? Buggles, exactly. Why is it important? Exactly, it's World Radio Day. So, MTV did not actually fully kill the radio star. We love radio.

More than a medium, radio is a pillar of freedom of expression. Under this year's theme, "Artificial Intelligence is a Tool, Not a Voice," Khaled el-Enany, Director General for UNESCO, stresses the need to ensure that AI serves the public, while radio continues to inform with integrity, empathy and a human voice.

**Financial Contribution

We have money today. I am going to read you a quote and you are going to tell me what country they are referring to: "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?" Exactly. Charles de Gaulle said that about France. So, we say thank merci to our friends in Paris for having paid their money in full. We are now up to 66. On that note, we will go to Benno and Naureen if she has a question. You yield to Edie, to the gentlewoman from the Associated Press. […] Let's go.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Okay. Thank you, Steph. Two questions. First of all, on the Secretary-General at the African Union, we know he has certainly raised Sudan in all of his bilateral meetings. But is there any broader, wider meeting expected in Addis? Because there are so many key players there on Sudan.

Spokesman: I'm not aware of a specific Sudan meeting that the Secretary-General will participate in, at this point. As you said, Sudan will be raised a lot of his discussions. Tomorrow will be a very heavy day for him on bilateral, so we'll keep you updated.

Question: And secondly, on this one-off distribution in Yemen, is it right to assume that basically because the World Food Program is not distributing aid anymore in north to Houthi controlled areas that this is sort of the emptying of their warehouses?

Spokesman: No, I mean, it's not an emptying of their warehouse in the sense that this is a pause, right? That that we had talked about a pause and a reconfiguration of how we distribute aid in the north because, as you all know, the Houthis made it very difficult for us to operate. But obviously, we strive to maintain intermittent contact on a range of humanitarian issues. The one-off will start in the coming weeks, so it's not something that will start in the coming days. And, obviously, anytime there is a window for us to assist and to aid safely based on our principles, we will do so there and anywhere else it is needed. Ephrem, sorry. Did you have a question since you did win, you won at least two cheeses out of 246.

Question: Yes. Thank you so much, Steph. On the recent attacks on the Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Office Spokesman this morning said that the human rights office is very worried, very concerned that UN officials, independent experts and judicial officials are increasingly subjected to personal attacks, threats, misinformation that distracts from the serious human rights issues. I'm asking, if you're seeing eye to eye with the human rights office regarding the recent attacks on Ms. Albanese. Is this how you see it as well?

Spokesman: You know, we know that miss Albanese has been placed on unilateral sanctions by the US. We have made it clear to the US authorities and to others that special rapporteurs are considered expert on missions for the UN, which means that they are covered by the convention on the privileges and immunities of United Nations. UN officials across the board face increasingly personal attacks, whether online or in real life, and that remains a concern. And in that sense, we of course share the concern of the High Commissioner's office. People can disagree. People can criticize, but threats are unacceptable on any target.

Question: Just a quick follow-up, because I was reading so many, you know, a lot of the news from the Middle East in which you are being portrayed as washing your hands off Ms. Albanese, especially with your answer that "sometimes you disagree with the things she says. You're not sure if she's antisemitic or not. You're studying her speeches." Can you give us one example?

Spokesman: Listen. I used a lot of words yesterday, you know, and people on different sides of the issue will use our words to strengthen their own arguments. What remains clear for us is that Ms. Albanese, like all special rapporteurs, are independent experts named by the Human Rights Council. If Member States have an issue with any special rapporteur, that needs to be addressed through the Human Rights Council, which is made up of member States in which they participate in. And that's why we've always said that member States should participate in the work of the Human Rights Council. We've also been firm defenders of the concept of special rapporteurs who are a very important part of the human rights architecture. It is not for me to say we agree or we disagree, and sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't agree. That's a fact. We're all, you know, we all as I said yesterday, we all have our own lanes. We all have our own mandates. The Secretary-General's own mandate is very separate from that of special rapporteurs. We also firmly believe that all special rapporteurs, as I've just said, are covered in their work as special rapporteurs, are covered by the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and that no one, no UN official should be subject to personal attacks, whether in real life or whether online. It's like many things in this organization, it's complicated, right? And I think for those of us who work here and for those of you who've covered the UN, it's complicated. It's complicated for you to explain it to your readers, but we trust that you will do so, Ephrem. Madam?

Question: Just as a follow-up, we both agree that facts matter, right?

Spokesman: Yes. We can. Yes. We, but I'm feeling, I'm walking. I don't know what path you're leading me on to, but I will go there with you a little bit.

Question: Francesca Albanese has been attacked and criticized over the past few months. And as you mentioned, she was sanctioned. But this last round of attack seems to be like a targeted campaign based on misinformation. There is a letter by current and former UN employees basically expressing alarm and condemning that officials, namely the French Foreign Minister and from also Germany and other countries, are attacking her on a video that was clearly doctored. I mean, the jump cuts in that video are laughable how bad that edit was. So, you made a statement yesterday. You just answered Ephrem. But I mean, would you change the nature of your statement yesterday based on the way the question was asked yesterday compared to that this video is actually doctored that was not [cross-talk] what she said?

Spokesman: I've read the transcript of what she said, right? I've read it. Member States that make up this organization are free to express their concern or their support for UN officials. When it comes to special rapporteurs, if they have issues, whether positive ones or negative ones, these need to be addressed to the Human Rights Council. We have our own positions on the issues that all of these special rapporteurs cover. We've defended the concept and the architecture of special rapporteurs. We've also said that no special rapporteurs, including Ms. Albanese, should be subject to these to, you know, to personal and physical attacks or to sanctions. And we've made it clear that she and like other special rapporteurs are covered by privileges, immunities afforded to UN experts on mission, when they're doing their work as special rapporteurs.

Question: Some actually are saying that this attack and campaign against her is akin to what happened to UNRWA because she calls out what is being committed in Gaza, crimes being committed in Gaza. Is it concerning to you and to the Secretary-General in this climate of deepfakes, AI generated videos, that this was a video that was edited and now is being, it's a disinformation campaign against her that this creates another environment that clouds the judgment of people when it comes and, like, public officials, like actually… [cross-talk]

Spokesman: I mean, I think we have been, it is clear to you as journalists, it's clear to us as UN officials that there has been a deluge of disinformation spread on what is going on in the Middle East, on what's going on in the war with Ukraine and Russia, what's going on in all of these conflicts. disinformation has become a weapon, and we try to fight against it. Naureen?

Question: Thanks, Stéphane. It's related to the announcement of the appointment of the panel for the independent inquiry into AI. Can you just clarify or was it ever mentioned who the panel will report to?

Spokesman: Yes, it was clarified in the announcement yesterday. They will share their reports with the Secretary-General, but I will get you the exact reporting lines. Sorry. Benno?

Question: Thank you, Steph. So, the German Chancellor Mertz today opened the security conference in Munich, and he said the international order as flawed as it's been, even in its heyday no longer exists in that form. Does the Secretary-General agree with that assessment?

Spokesman: Listen, I'm not just like when Heads of Governments, Head of the States, or ministers make statements here, we're not going to comment on every statement that is made. For us, the Charter remains as relevant as ever. The Universal Declaration remains as relevant as ever. That being said, and this is especially true for the system as a whole, it needs to change. It needs to be reformed on the basis of the international law framework that already exists. Madam?

Question: I am [phonetic] Nashratarsh Yana Chaudhry. I'm the managing editor of Thikana newspaper. What do you think of the election held in Bangladesh of 12 February? Was it credible and fair in your opinion? Number one question. And number two question, what are your expectation from the upcoming Government to be led by BNP and Tarique Rahmani?

Spokesman: Look, we were not observers to the elections, so it's not for us to give a grade, so to speak, if that's the intent of your question. What I can tell you that we of course, congratulate the people of Bangladesh for the holding of the elections yesterday, legislative elections and a referendum. The Secretary-General, as he does often after many elections, he encourages all political stakeholders to build on the momentum so as to strengthen national cohesion, uphold the democratic norms and the rule of law, ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by all, and protecting minorities as the country advances its transition and pursues inclusive and sustainable reform. And for us, it's not what we expect of the Government as after any election. It's what the people expect of their Government. But we continue to be committed to supporting Bangladesh in its effort to build a peaceful and prosperous future. Namo, and then we'll…

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On the new special envoy for Syria, will he be based in Syria?

Spokesman: He is not the new special envoy for Syria.

Question: The Deputy.

Spokesman: He's the Deputy Envoy. So, he will be spending, I believe quite a bit of time in Damascus as well as [cross-talk]

Question: I think, he'll be going soon. Will he…

Spokesman: Yes.

Question: Do you know, if he'll go to the Kurdish region, Rojava?

Spokesman: You know, Namo, it is a fantastic question. You know what's going to happen in 23 minutes? Sorry, I'm getting confused here. I do not know. I will find out for you about the travel.

Question: Okay, thank you. One last question on the Secretary-General has long emphasized the importance of full participation of women in society. In light of that, does he believe that Kurdish female fighters should be integrated into Syria's defence forces as part of the SDF integration.

Spokesman: Okay, it's not for the of course, the Secretary-General's commitment to full participation of women in society as a whole, whether it's politics, whether its security remains unchanged. I think we will leave it to the discussions that are ongoing between the Government of Syria and the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] to work out those issues. Yes, sir.

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. A follow-up to Naureen's question about AI panel. With regards to the lightning speed in which the development of AI is going both by Government and private sector actors. What impact do you expect from recommendations and the work of the AI panel? And do you think they will be listened to?

Spokesman: We very much hope they will be listened to. They will provide Member States, they'll provide the Secretariat with very sound advice. They'll provide this world at large. This is a panel that is representative of the world as a whole, and with an amazing, amazing brainpower, so to speak, or not even so to speak, just an amazing brainpower. And we very much hope that their recommendations will be listened to. Alex, and then we'll go to Iftikhar.

Question: Thanks. Does the Secretary-General have any message on Valentine's Day?

Spokesman: Make, yeah, make love not war. How about that? Okay. Iftikhar, if you can top that question?

Question: My question is about our Secretary-General's message on Ramadan. Has he identified any country or territory where he will spend his traditional solidarity fast?

Spokesman: Yes. There will be travels announced, and the Secretary-General is determined to continue a tradition he started - if I'm correct - when he was High Commissioner for Refugees. Gabriel.

Question: Thanks, Steph. Since you said you read the transcript of Ms. Albanese's remarks in Doha, the comments that were falsely attributed to her that, quote, "Israel is a common enemy of humanity". Do you acknowledge that that was incorrect and she did not say that?

Spokesman: We saw the initial media coverage. I think, it is important for all journalists, all politicians, and others to read the full transcript. Thank you.