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 Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

All right. Good afternoon, everyone.

**Guests

In a short while, I will be joined virtually by our guests, Julien Harneis, who is the UN Senior Ebola Coordinator, and Carl Skau, Acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

They will both be connecting from Bunia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to update us on the Ebola response on the ground.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Concerning our Ebola response, our humanitarian colleagues note that Julien Harneis is calling on the international community to ramp up support in response to the rapidly rising number of Ebola cases and deaths.

The Government of the DRC is expanding its response, but the epidemic is growing, and our partners on the ground don't have enough medical supplies, specialized health personnel and Ebola treatment facilities.

Last week, Mr. Harneis joined the Prime Minister of the DRC, Judith Suminwa Tuluka; US representative in the DRC, Ian J McCary; and the Humanitarian Coordinator, Damien Mama, on an inter-agency mission to the city of Kisangani, where five cases were recently confirmed. The mission aimed to strengthen containment efforts in the city of 1.6 million people and along the Congo River corridor towards the capital, Kinshasa.

Next Monday, Mr. Harneis will travel with the authorities, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to the Nia-Nia area, an Ebola hotspot at the junction of the provinces of Ituri, Haut-Uélé and Tshopo. We'll hear from him shortly on that.

For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently scaling up food assistance, logistics, telecommunications and air services in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Ebola has evolved from a localized health emergency into the fastest-spreading outbreak on record.

And you'll hear more from our guests.

**Secretary-General/Cyprus

The Secretary-General concluded his visit to Cyprus, and he is now on his way to New York.

Today, he held a meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman. The meeting took place in the United Nations Good Offices Mission compound.

Following today's meeting with the two leaders, the Secretary-General told journalists that the discussions, held separately and jointly, were frank and constructive.

He added that based on the discussions on the way forward, he decided that he "would convene another 5+1 meeting, after adequate preparations on confidence-building, methodology and substance, taking into account the convergences already achieved."

Mr. [António] Guterres stressed that the UN will work in consultation with the two sides and the guarantors to create the conditions for the meeting's success. 

In conclusion, Mr. Guterres said that the UN cannot impose peace. But it remains fully committed to supporting the people of Cyprus in this crucial moment for the island and the wider region.

His full remarks were shared with you.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that civilians in Gaza face major public health risks, adding to the insecurity and displacement.

Widespread rodent and ectoparasite infestations were reported in 83 per cent of displacement sites assessed earlier this month, and that is alongside sewage in streets, stagnant water and poor sanitation conditions.

In response, our humanitarian partners are scaling up rodent control this week. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners are distributing nine metric tons of rodenticides every day, thanks to supplies brought into Gaza by the United Arab Emirates.

To reduce public health risks, sustained access to critical equipment and supplies such as spare parts and engine oil is urgently needed. It is also critical that partners managing solid waste in Gaza are permitted to reach landfills in areas where access is restricted by Israeli forces; that's about 65 per cent of the Strip.

Access to water also remains a daily challenge for families. The UN and our partners are doing what we can to support hundreds of thousands of children and their families with access to essential water, sanitation and hygiene services.

In Khan Younis, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) is supporting the construction of a central water well that is expected to benefit some 7,000 people. In Gaza City, the agency is joining efforts to clean up the Sheikh Ajleen wastewater treatment plant, which served some 700,000 people before it was damaged in the hostilities.

On the education front, UNOSAT (UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme) and partners estimated this week that about 430,000 kindergarten and school-aged children, about 56 per cent of the estimated student population, were enrolled in more than 600 temporary learning spaces across Gaza. In some of these learning spaces, programmes are under way to help children catch up ahead of the new school year.

However, nearly half of school-aged children still lack adequate access to learning opportunities.

**Haiti

From Haiti, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us there has been an alarming surge in gender-based violence in the country, particularly against women and girls, driven by ongoing insecurity and displacement.

Our partners have recorded more than 3,000 incidents of gender-based violence between April and June this year, with more than 1,000 incidents reported in June alone. This brings the total number to 5,500 in the first half of the year, representing a sharp rise in numbers since last year, when partners recorded just over 8,000 incidents.

Our humanitarian colleagues note that nearly 70 per cent of the cases in the last six months involved rape, many of them gang rapes, reportedly perpetrated by armed groups. More than half of the survivors were displaced.

Our partners on the ground report that available resources have enabled some survivors to access medical, psychosocial and protection services, such as safe spaces for women and girls, but needs continue to far exceed current capacity.

Our partners also note that the situation is unfolding against a backdrop of mass displacement and forced returns. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 1.5 million people are displaced within Haiti, with more than 140,000 Haitians forcibly returned to the country between January and June 2026. Many return without identity documents or resources.

Despite extremely challenging operational conditions, we and our partners continue to provide essential protection services, including support to obtain civil documentation and information on rights and available services. However, insecurity, access restrictions, and funding shortfalls continue to limit the reach of humanitarian assistance.

**Central African Republic

We have an update from our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic. On disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation (DDRR), from 24 to 28 July, 100 combatants from the armed group Retour, Réclamation et Réhabilitation (3R) voluntarily laid down their weapons in Besson and Péhouri, in Nana-Mambéré prefecture, as part of the National Disarmament Programme. The operation, which was supported by our peacekeeping operation, led to the collection of 69 weapons, more than 4,400 rounds of ammunition of various calibres and 24 rockets.

Earlier this month, another DDRR operation conducted in Bangui enabled 34 ex-combatants, including members of the UPC (Union du peuple centrafricain), 3R and Anti-balaka, to voluntarily lay down their arms, further contributing to efforts to reduce the circulation of weapons and support community stabilization. With these two operations, 134 ex-combatants voluntarily laid down their arms during the month of July, while 88 weapons, more than 6,800 rounds of ammunition and 26 rockets were collected through the National DDRR Programme, with the support of our peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA.

The Mission continues to work alongside the Central African authorities and national partners in support of peace, security and the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

**Security Council

The Security Council this morning held consultations on the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Central Asia, Kaha Imnadze, briefed Council members on the work of that office.

**School Enrolment/Latin America

An analysis by our colleagues at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) tells us that, by 2050, Latin America will have 38.3 million fewer school-age people. The decline will reshape demands for teachers, infrastructure needs and the distribution of education resources.

The study estimates that demographic change could free up around 30 per cent of the financial resources currently used at each level of education, if per student spending remains constant. While migration, geographical disparities and persistent educational gaps will impact how demographic trends affect educational systems, the challenge will be to use demographic change as an opportunity to close gaps in education, rather than simply reducing the capacity of education systems.

The study therefore recommends integrating diverse data, including about migration, births, enrolment and geographical location, to safeguard investment in education and direct resources towards the people and territories that need them most.

**Financial Contribution

And we have a quiz for you today.

The name of this country translates to "eight standing together". Any ideas what country that is?

I'll give you a hint - it's a Polynesian language; it's not one that any of us necessarily know offhand.

It is a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean, known for being one of the world's smallest countries. Its total land spans just 10 square miles and it has a low elevation. The highest point sits a mere 15 feet above sea level.

[Response: "Tuvalu?"]

Yes, it is. You're right. You got it. It is Tuvalu.

We say thank you to our friends in Funafuti for their full payment to the Regular Budget. Tuvalu's payment brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 122.

You get the first question.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you, Farhan. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the upsurge of attacks in the Middle East, both by the US and Saudi Arabia and Iran?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, the Secretary-General has been worried for some time that if the parties do not return to negotiations, you could have a widening of the conflict, and that seems to be what has been happening in recent hours. He has already made clear his concerns about any renewed fighting and any escalation and widening of the conflict. So, these are not positive developments, and he wants to make sure that the parties can cease fighting and again return to the diplomatic efforts, including the mediation efforts being pressed forward by Pakistan, Qatar and others. Yes, Namo?

Question: Just to follow up on that, where does the Secretary-General stand on Saudi Arabia joining the strikes against Iraqi militia groups that are aligned with Iran? They say it's in response to those militia groups attacking Saudi Arabia in the first place.

Deputy Spokesman: Well, the one thing we don't want to see, again, is any expansion of the conflict. So having more parties involved in the fighting, having the fighting spread to a larger number of countries, all of these are adverse developments and could get us into a much worse situation even than before.

Question: Just one question about accountability. There's an American journalist, Lindsey Snell, says that the acting ambassador, Syria's acting ambassador in Washington DC, used to be her captor in Syria when he was a member of the Al-Qaeda offshoot Jabhat al-Nusra. And I just want to know whether the Secretary-General believes that there should be accountability even for those that win their struggle, like let's say the new Syrian Government, or accountability only applies to the losers?

Deputy Spokesman: No, of course that's not the case. Obviously there has to be accountability for everyone. Anyone who's committed atrocities in the past, they should be made to face justice. And so, the Secretary-General has been calling for accountability, including, by the way, in his travel to Syria just a few days ago. Yes, Dulcie?

Question: Hi, you mentioned in the Haiti section that there were several hundred thousand returnees in the last few months. Do you know where they're returning from?

Deputy Spokesman: I believe a lot of this is internal returnees, that there have been people who've been displaced by fighting from their homes to other areas, and now they're trying to get back to their homes. But as the note I just read made clear, there continues to be a tremendous amount of danger, including the threat of sexual assault and rape.

Question: On those numbers, increased numbers, is it a possibility that more people are reporting these cases or that there actually are an increase in numbers? Because there doesn't seem to be any clear explanation for it.

Deputy Spokesman: Well, we've been reporting for some time, in recent weeks and months, about the increase in gang violence. So, it may be the result of that. But yes, as cases become reported, we know of them. It's not clear whether that's a factor, but certainly the numbers are going definitively up. Abdelhamid?

Question: So Farhan, I have two questions. One is there is a drone attack on a gas depot in the Egyptian port of Damietta. Does that indicate that the war is expanding to include Egypt? Do you have any comment on that?

Deputy Spokesman: We don't have any firsthand information about this. But of course, our worry has been for some time that more and more countries have been getting attacked as the conflict proceeds.

Question: My second question is that the Israeli Prime Minister said that soon they will start a major military operation in the West Bank. What do you say to that - that it will become a large military operation in the West Bank?

Deputy Spokesman: We certainly would stand against any military conflict in the West Bank. There's no justification for that. You heard what Ramiz Alakbarov said in his briefing yesterday to the Security Council and his warnings about the situation there. And those remain our position today. Yes, please?

Question: Thank you. Thank you, Farhan. On Sudan, does the Secretary-General have any reaction to the recent announcement that the Sudanese Armed Forces have regained full control of a major highway linking the capital, Khartoum, with El-Obaid?

Deputy Spokesman: I don't really have any reaction about this. Obviously, different sides have sometimes had military gains. But our general standpoint is that there's no military solution to this conflict. And as you know, our envoy, Pekka Haavisto, is working with the parties to get to a halt in fighting and to a negotiated solution. And with that, I will now turn to our guests, who I believe are on the line from Bunia.