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.

**Security Council

All right, as you have seen this morning, Hanna Tetteh, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the United Nations in Libya, briefed the Security Council. She told members that Libya now enters a critical phase, that of advancing unified institutions and the conditions necessary for inclusive elections.

Ms. Tetteh told Council members that the consequences of Libya's divisions are visible in daily life. Power cuts in July disrupted electricity and water supplies for hundreds of thousands of people and have continued into August, in the middle of a long heatwave.

Despite these challenges, Ms. Tetteh pointed to the meeting in Sirte in July when the two Chiefs of General Staff from the West and East, who agreed on the principle to establish a joint border force and to undertake joint exercises, regular communications and harmonized training.

Her full remarks were shared with you.

**Yemen/Saudi Arabia

Turning to the situation in the Arabian Peninsula, between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. I can tell you that we are deeply concerned by reports of attacks by the Houthis against targets in Saudi Arabia. Such attacks risk further entangling Yemen in the wider regional confrontation at a time when the region is already facing intense pressure and regional trade and energy flows are under severe strain.

Attacks and threats against shipping must also stop, and freedom of navigation in both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden must be upheld.

We again call on the parties to respect their obligations to protect civilians, to protect civilian infrastructure. The Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg, has stressed this imperative in all his engagements with the parties.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. I can tell you that we are deeply alarmed by the continued deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the northern West Bank yesterday, Israeli forces instructed about 10 Palestinian families in Jabal An Nasr neighbourhood in Tulkarm to leave their homes for seven hours, due to military activities near the adjacent Nur Shams camp for Palestine refugees.

Israeli military bulldozers excavated part of a road, damaging water and sewage networks, and carried out excavation works on Palestinian land before withdrawing. Families reportedly returned to their homes, and municipal crews repaired the damaged infrastructure once Israeli security forces withdrew from the area.

These incidents are taking place against the backdrop of a broader deterioration in the West Bank, where escalating violence, expanding settler presence, severe restrictions on movement and access for Palestinians, and shrinking economic opportunities have become the norm.

Turning to Gaza, we and our partners continue to deliver aid, support essential services and facilitate critical humanitarian operations wherever it is possible for us to do so. Since Sunday, we and our partners have successfully coordinated with the Israeli authorities to carry out several missions in Gaza, including the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Rafah crossings, to monitor humanitarian cargo and collect fuel and support medical evacuations.

The scale of needs remains immense. Our colleagues at the Food and Agriculture Organization also warned yesterday that Gaza's agricultural capacity has been devastated. A new assessment found that only 3 per cent of cropland remains both accessible and undamaged, further undermining local food production and farmers' livelihoods.

At the same time, our humanitarian partners are concerned about the impact of continued Israeli military activities on civilians. Since yesterday and as of this morning, our partners leading on security and safety reported incidents involving Israeli air strikes, shelling, gunfire and naval fire, primarily west of the so-called "Yellow Line"; that's where most of Gaza's 2.1 million residents are forced to be confined, and that is less than half of the Strip's territory.

**Ukraine

Turning to Ukraine, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, arrived in Ukraine yesterday.

Today in southern Ukraine, Mr. Fletcher visited the regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson. In Kherson, he met displaced families at collective sites and also heard first-hand from patients at the regional hospital about the psychological toll of living in front-line areas in this war. Among the patients were victims of drone attacks who suffered severe physical injuries, including amputations.

Mr. Fletcher also met the regional governor in Kherson and discussed operational challenges with aid workers and local organizations.

Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues note that attacks across Ukraine yesterday and this morning killed and injured several civilians. In the Kharkiv region, a missile strike in the town of Pechenihy killed at least 10 people and left nearly 20 injured. And in the Kherson region, strikes on energy infrastructure caused widespread power outages. This is what authorities are telling our colleagues on the ground.

Despite the dangers, humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance across the country. Thanks to donor support, they were able to reach some 3 million people with at least one form of assistance in the first half of the year. Sixty per cent of people in front-line areas received support.

And just to note, as you remember tomorrow is World Humanitarian Day, and Mr. Fletcher will be our guest at the noon briefing virtually from Kyiv to mark that Day. As you will recall, 19 August was chosen to be World Humanitarian Day as it marks the day the UN Headquarters in Baghdad at the Canal Hotel were bombed in a terrorist attack in 2003. Tomorrow, there will be a ceremony of remembrance at 11:30 a.m. at the General Assembly's visitors' area, where the torn flag at the Canal hotel is displayed; you are all invited to attend.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that an Ebola response team was attacked yesterday in the town of Aru, in the north of the Ituri province. According to humanitarian partners, three ambulances were vandalized and an ambulance driver was injured during an incident linked to the transfer of a suspected Ebola patient.

The UN Senior Ebola Coordinator, Julien Harneis, said that the damage to ambulances, of which there are already far too few, obviously deprives residents of vital health services.

The attack comes as humanitarian and health workers intensify efforts to scale up the Ebola response under increasingly challenging conditions. As of 15 August, national health authorities had reported nearly 5,000 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 2,300 deaths, with Ituri remaining the epicentre of this Ebola outbreak.

Insecurity, as we told you, continues to impact civilians and humanitarian operations across the province. Humanitarian partners report that five civilians were killed and around 50 farmers were abducted during an attack on 15 August in Mambasa Territory. This follows another attack earlier this month that reportedly killed 16 people and displaced more than 15,000 human beings.

We call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, to protect health workers and humanitarian personnel, and to ensure the safe delivery of life-saving assistance and health services. Protecting response teams and maintaining safe access to affected communities remain essential to combating the outbreak of Ebola.

**Chad

From Chad, I want to flag that Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, has allocated $1 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the response to cholera in the country.

The outbreak has now reached the western Lac Province, where newly displaced people face heightened risk due to lack of access to adequate water, sanitation, maternal health and other essential services.

As of 16 August, 484 cholera cases and 21 deaths have been reported across three provinces in Chad, including 218 cases in Lac Province.

Mr. Fletcher released $3 million earlier this month from CERF to fund vital aid for thousands of people displaced by violence in Lac Province. Our Humanitarian Coordinator, Dr. François Batalingaya, has also allocated $3 million from the Regional Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa.

Since May, armed clashes have forced more than 75,000 people, mostly women and children, to flee, with many families arriving at displacement sites that have little or no shelter, water, health, nutrition and protection services.

Mr. Fletcher said the funding will help partners bolster surveillance, treatment capacity, and safe water and sanitation.

**Afghanistan

Turning to Afghanistan. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has confirmed that at least 42 children between 9 and 14 years were injured in an explosion at an education centre in the Dasht-e Barchi area of Afghanistan's capital Kabul that took place yesterday evening. Our thoughts are with the children injured and their families.

The UN Mission has called for an investigation to establish the circumstances of this incident.

Our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs note that schooling in Afghanistan already faces a number of challenges; as you know, girls are already denied access to education beyond the sixth grade and around two thirds of the 900,000 children who returned to Afghanistan remain out of school; that's 600,000 children with no access to school.

We, along with our humanitarian partners, are supporting where possible, but continued underfunding has reduced the capacity to support children's education.

**Colombia

Turning to Colombia, where following the earthquake that struck the country just over a week ago, we, along with our humanitarian partners, have provided assistance to 3,000 people across the departments of Chocó, Valle del Cauca and Risaralda, complementing the Government-led response. Our OCHA colleagues said the support includes water, sanitation and hygiene, health and food. We have also established a coordination hub in the western city of Pereira to work alongside local authorities.

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that more than 186,000 people have been impacted by the earthquake and over 300 have lost their lives, according to local authorities. Almost 30,000 homes were damaged beyond repair, and infrastructure, including hundreds of health and education facilities, were also severely damaged. As assessments continue, this figure could increase.

And also to note, today marks the eighth year since the passing of our late Secretary-General Kofi Annan. And on that note, Edie I will turn to you.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you, Stephane, and a sad anniversary day. We have seen an upsurge in attacks by both Russia and Ukraine impacting civilians. I recall that early in the war, after the invasion, the Secretary-General played a key role in getting the Black Sea Grain Initiative started. Is he taking any steps now to try to get both sides together to bring an end to this war?

Spokesman: I don't have anything to share with you at this point, but indeed, I think that the assessment that you unveiled is one that we share. We've seen an increase in drone attacks. We've seen an increase in civilian deaths, attacks on civilian infrastructure, with a very negative impact on the flow of food and energy out through the Black Sea, which twinned with the ongoing issues with the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Aden, is having a negative impact on the global economy.

Question: And on a completely different subject, is there any update on the two UNAMA staffers in Afghanistan who were detained in Herat by the Taliban?

Spokesman: No, unfortunately not. Our two colleagues remain in detention. It's been now more than a week. We're continuing to engage with the de facto authorities in Kabul to get more information and also to get them released, as they need to be released immediately. Yes, Gabriel, then Evelyn.

Question: Thank you, Stephane. Does the Secretary-General have any comment regarding Israel's airstrikes on a Syrian military airport in eastern Idlib province?

Spokesman: We've seen these airstrikes. It's yet another very worrying violation of the territorial integrity and airspace of Syria. These airstrikes should stop, and we stand against them, obviously. Evelyn, then Namo.

Question: Thank you, Stephane. Does the Secretary-General have any reaction to the United States' romance with North Korea and downgrading its planned exercises with South Korea?

Spokesman: No. Our position on the situation in the Korean Peninsula remains very much the same. Namo.

Question: There's been a US proposal for Libya for quite some time. Has the UN mission in Libya or the Secretary-General seen that proposal? Does it include an election date or is it just [cross talk].

Spokesman: I mean, you should ask the US what their proposal is. Obviously, Ms. Tetteh is in touch with all key interlocutors, including the United States.

Question: But has the Secretary-General seen it, that proposal?

Spokesman: I don't know exactly if he's actually seen it, but I know he's aware of it.

OK. It's the August doldrums. Hasta mañana.