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.

**Guests

We are pleased to be joined by Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He will brief you on the situation in Gaza.

[This part of the briefing was not transcribed.]

In a little while, we will be joined by Chief Economist Máximo Torero of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He will brief you on food price inflation and what to expect from the upcoming State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2025 report.

Tomorrow, our guest will be Ms. Margot van der Velden, the World Food Programme's (WFP) Regional Director for West and Central Africa. She will brief us on the humanitarian situation in Nigeria.

**Secretary-General - Climate

This morning, I am sure you all heard the Secretary-General delivered a special address entitled "A Moment of Opportunity: Supercharging the Clean Energy Age". During his remarks, he underscored that already, the carbon emissions saved by solar and wind globally are almost equivalent to what the whole European Union produces in a year. But, he said, this transformation is fundamentally about energy security and people's security and that it's about smart economics.

The Secretary-General said that the energy transition is unstoppable but is not yet fast enough or fair enough.

His full remarks were shared with you.

**Security Council

Later on, the Secretary-General went to the Security Council chamber, where he spoke on multilateralism, and he warned that around the world, we see an utter disregard for international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law, international humanitarian law, and the UN Charter itself, all of this without any accountability.

He drew attention to what he called the horror show in Gaza, where malnourishment is soaring, starvation is knocking on every door and now we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles.

The Secretary-General said he is appalled that UN premises have been struck, among them facilities of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Health Organization, including WHO's main warehouse, as you all just heard just moments ago from Dr. Rik Peeperkorn. This is despite all parties having been informed of the locations of these UN facilities.

He reminded the Council that these premises, like all civilian sites, are inviolable and must be protected under international humanitarian law without exception.

He noted that today marks three years since the signing of the Black Sea Initiative and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Federation, efforts that show what we can achieve through mediation and the good offices of the United Nations, even during the most challenging moments.

The Secretary-General added that we must work to ensure that the Security Council reflects the world of today, not the world of 80 years ago when the United Nations was created. The Security Council should be made more representative of today's geopolitical realities. And we must continue improving the working methods of this Council to make it more inclusive, to make it more transparent, and efficient and accountable, he told Council members.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Now turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warn that intense hostilities are continuing with no let-up, as does the rapid collapse of the last lifelines keeping people alive.

Earlier today, local health authorities said that, in just the past 24 hours, more than a dozen children and adults died from hunger. Hospitals have admitted people in a state of severe exhaustion caused by a lack of food, and others are said to be collapsing in the streets. This is on top of continued reports of people being shot, killed or injured while simply trying to find food, which is as you know only being allowed into Gaza in far too small quantities.

In too many cases where UN teams are permitted by Israel to collect supplies from closed compounds near Gaza's crossings, civilians approaching these trucks come under fire despite repeated assurances that troops would not engage or be present.

This cannot be stressed enough that this unacceptable pattern is the opposite of what facilitating humanitarian operations should look like. Absolutely no one should have to risk their lives to get food.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed with over 2,000 trauma injuries over the past four days alone; that's what local authorities are telling us. Some have reported not having enough intravenous fluids. And due to lack of fuel, the Nasser Medical Complex and the oxygen unit supplying hospitals in the south are at risk of shutting down. And I won't go into details of WHO operations, which you have just heard about.

Yesterday, I think you asked us how many people have fled the area under a displacement order in Deir al Balah. While about 1,000 families have fled within the first hours, we don't have a reliable current estimate. That's because our teams who normally track population movement are themselves being impacted: Some have been newly displaced, others remain under heavy bombardment and face communication blackouts due to cable damage. Colleagues on the ground tell us that, like everyone else in Gaza, they are hungry and exhausted. They can only confirm that many people have fled under fire, and many others stayed, despite the massive risks, because there's simply nowhere safe for them to go. About 88 per cent of Gaza is either subject to displacement orders or located within Israeli-militarized zones. The 12 per cent that remains is already overcrowded and underserved.

However, as we said yesterday, our colleagues remain in Deir al Balah, which is our hub for humanitarian operations, with staff spread across dozens of premises - all of which, as I've said before, have been shared with all of the parties.

**UNESCO

And I think most of you must have seen this morning that in a statement issued earlier today, Audrey Azoulay, the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that she deeply regrets the decision of the United States to withdraw once again from the organization she leads.

She added that in the past years, UNESCO has stepped up efforts to take action wherever the agency's mission could contribute to peace.

And of course, the Secretary-General joins her in deeply regretting the decision by the United States.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan, I can tell you that we and our partners have revised and scaled up plans to respond to the overwhelming needs of more than 380,000 displaced people in the locality of Tawila in North Darfur State. This includes 327,000 people, mostly women and children, who fled the famine-stricken Zamzam camp and surrounding areas following the outbreak of hostilities there in mid-April.

Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that this updated plan aims to increase assistance over the next three months, with a focus on food, healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter and protection. An estimated $120 million is urgently needed to implement the plan and to scale up the response.

The health situation in North Darfur, as we've been telling you, has been deteriorating rapidly.

Our humanitarian partners warn that cholera, measles, malaria and trauma cases are surging in Tawila, as well as in El Fasher and Kebkabiya - all are located in North Darfur state. And I think you, Edie, asked me yesterday for information on cholera cases in El Fasher, specifically, and we are following up with our partners to get more details.

But it's important to note that the widespread Internet outage in the El Fasher area and a lack of rapid diagnostic tests are severely hindering disease surveillance, while insecurity has forced the closure of more than 32 health facilities there. Critical shortages of vaccines, essential medicines and surgical supplies are pushing the health system to the brink, leaving thousands without access to the care that they need to stay alive.

Meanwhile, displacement continues to take a deadly toll on civilians who are trying to find safety.

In South Darfur, markets are reeling from sharp price increases, driven by flooding and seasonal rivers that have cut off supply routes from Chad and Northern State.

Just to take a closer look, in Nyala, the state capital, the price of a 50-kilogramme sack of sugar has reportedly risen by 21 per cent in just one month, while wheat flour prices have jumped by 31 per cent, deepening food insecurity for already vulnerable families; that's the information based on our own assessments and that of our partners.

Meanwhile, we remain deeply concerned over escalating violence in the Kordofan region. In West Kordofan State, at least five civilians were killed and several others injured in drone strikes on fuel markets in Al Fula and Abu Zabad towns yesterday, according to local reports. Massive fires destroyed both markets, striking panic, obviously, among the population.

We urgently call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, unimpeded access across conflict lines and borders, and increased international support to address the spiralling humanitarian needs across Sudan.

**South Sudan

And just south to the border, in South Sudan, another dire humanitarian situation which goes underreported. Our colleagues at the World Food Programme (WFP) tell us that so far this year, over 2 million of the most vulnerable people were reached with the much-needed food assistance in the country.

WFP estimates that half the population of South Sudan - that is half of the 7.7 million people - are facing severe hunger. Of these, 83,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

Just to flag that WFP Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, concluded a visit to South Sudan a couple of days ago. He stressed that WFP has the capacity to deliver, even in the most remote and challenging environments, but without sufficient funding and a period of peace, the agency's hands are tied.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Our peacekeeping colleagues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - MONUSCO - are telling us they intervened yesterday in Lopa, in the Ituri province, to protect civilians after heavily armed members of the CODECO militia entered the area.

Gunfire broke out near the peacekeepers' mobile base in the area, as CODECO fighters arrived, seeking a confrontation with the peacekeepers.

The violence quickly escalated, resulting in looting and destruction. Despite the violence, six civilians, including a priest, were safely evacuated.

The UN peacekeeping mission continues to coordinate with Congolese national forces and local leaders to address the ongoing violence and to ensure the protection of civilians in the area.

**Afghanistan

Turning to Afghanistan, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, today allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to scale up life-saving assistance at the country's border; as you know, there has been a surge of returns from Iran in recent weeks. The new funding will help expand support for the most vulnerable, including women and children, as they arrive and in their areas of return.

During the first 12 days of July alone, some 339,000 people returned from Iran to Afghanistan, bringing the total number to 1.1 million this year so far.

Families account for more than 60 per cent of the total returns from Iran, and 43 per cent of those returning are children under the age of 18. This includes a growing number of unaccompanied and separated children, which is obviously raising a lot of concerns.

Our humanitarian colleagues note that the majority of the recent returnees are traveling onward to the urban centres of Herat and in Kabul, and many need urgent support. The new arrivals are also putting further pressure on already vulnerable host communities, as services are already limited and resources scarce in many areas where people are returning.

We, along with our partners, are responding to the escalating needs wherever and whenever possible. So far this year, nearly 600,000 people have received food assistance at the border upon their return, with more than 500,000 receiving health support.

However, additional funding is sorely needed. Halfway through the year, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Afghanistan is less than a quarter per cent funded, with a funding gap of over $1.8 billion.

We need cash, and we need it urgently.

**Ukraine

In Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues report that hostilities yesterday and into the early hours of today killed at least five civilians, including a child, and injured 76 others, including four children. That's what local authorities are telling us.

Widespread damage was reported across the country, with several residential buildings, and civilian infrastructure destroyed or damaged. Essential services were also disrupted.

Meanwhile, strikes in the Sumy and Donetsk regions, in the east of the country, continue to drive displacement.

OCHA warns that the humanitarian situation in the town of Pokrovsk and nearby villages in the Donetsk region continues to worsen as fighting intensifies.

Authorities say all critical infrastructure there has been destroyed, and about 1,400 people remain, with most of them taking shelter in basements. Local authorities are maintaining a few water points and distributing food and medicine, but fuel delivery is impossible, and the last shops are expected to close. Authorities are urging civilians to evacuate, although these efforts are highly constrained and carried out by specialized police in armoured vehicles.

Our humanitarian partners are supporting evacuees in transit centres with cash and other assistance. In the Dnipro region, support from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund is helping aid organizations assist newly displaced people at a transit centre in Pavlohrad. This includes providing psychosocial support, legal aid, and help with documents.

**Haiti

Lastly, I want to turn to Haiti, a horrendous crisis not too far from these shores. Our humanitarian colleagues remain deeply concerned over escalating violence in the Artibonite department, which has triggered a new wave of displacement.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that nearly 15,000 people fled after armed attacks last week in the communes of Dessalines and Verrettes. Most of them sought safety in Poste Pierrot, a remote part of Dessalines, where they are being hosted by local families. This, as you can imagine, like in many other places, is putting additional pressure on already vulnerable communities.

Elsewhere in the Artibonite department, the security situation in the commune of L'Estère is worsening. Clashes erupted there between gangs and local self-defence groups on Saturday leading to additional displacement and damage to civilian property.

This follows a series of coordinated offensives by gangs between 14 and 17 July across several parts of the Artibonite. In addition to casualties, preliminary reports indicate that homes and vehicles were destroyed.

Displaced families are in urgent need of hygiene supplies, food, emergency shelter, medical assistance and other essential items. However, OCHA warns that ongoing insecurity continues to severely restrict humanitarian access, making it difficult to reach those in need.

This latest displacement adds to an already dire situation nationwide. As we told you last week, nearly 1.3 million people in Haiti are displaced - the highest number ever recorded in Haiti due to violence and insecurity.

OCHA reiterates the urgent need of scaling up humanitarian support and protection of families across the country. We continue to work with partners and authorities to improve access, mobilize additional funding - which is obviously critically needed - and ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches those most in need, despite the increasingly constrained operating environment.

Basta! Edie.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you, Steph. On Gaza and the escalating malnutrition reported deaths from starvation, excuse me, what action is the Secretary-General taking in terms of trying to contact Israeli officials and try and get some responses?

Spokesman: We are trying at all levels with Israeli officials to allow us to do the work that we're able to do and that we so desperately need to do. And I can tell you that messages have been passed on at all levels directly from the Secretary-General. Yes?

Question: The United States announced that it would withdraw from UNESCO earlier today. It would withdraw at the end of 2026. Does the Secretary-General have any comment?

Spokesman: He does have a comment, and I read it out. I said he deeply regretted the decision. He joins Audrey Azoulay in deeply regretting the decision.

Question: I must have missed that because I have a follow-up then, that Gideon Sa'ar has said that, on the matter, that singling out Israel and politicization by Member States must end in this and all professional UN agencies. Any comment on that?

Spokesman: I can tell you… first of all, let's be clear. United Nations Secretariat personnel or the heads of agencies cannot be held responsible for the statements that delegations make within the various legislative bodies of this Organization, nor should they be held responsible for the resolutions that Member States pass. And I can tell you from UNESCO's standpoint, they have been at the forefront - and especially its Director General personally - in the fight against antisemitism. Lenka, and then Linda.

Question: Thank you. Just a follow-up on UNESCO. The US also said that UNESCO should revise its own culture and that they have this bias and that they have a globalist agenda. Do you think, does the Secretary-General think that UNESCO should try to accommodate the US concerns because they had the same in 2018? Or does he think that they should try to actually, you know, just continue whatever they are doing?

Spokesman: I don't really understand what a globalist agenda is. I think every Member State has had some complaint about the way the Organization as a whole, the whole UN agency system works. I think our comment to every Member States is: Participate if you want to change things.

Yes, ma'am. Then I'll come to you, Linda.

Question: Hi! Following up on UNESCO, too. We've been through this before. So, I was wondering, what is different this time in the way the organization can face this withdrawal?

Spokesman: UNESCO is a specialized agency. In terms of the impact, the financial impact, operational impact, I would ask you, we can put you in touch with them. I can't speak for them to that, if that makes sense. Linda, then Pam.

Question: Thank you, Steph. I was wondering if, you're familiar with… I gather there was a statement released by the editorial committee of the AFP about the state of their journalists or freelance journalists in Gaza and that they were lamenting, warning that there are very few local journalists who are capable of reporting these days. Some of theirs are, you know, just too weak to work. Hunger has struck them as many locals. And I was just wondering, is this something the UN has heard about? And also, is this situation have you heard this regarding the state of journalism in Gaza?

Spokesman: I mean, I read the statement, and it is heartbreaking. Right? And it is a reminder of the work that those journalists who have stayed in Gaza, those Palestinians who have stayed in Gaza, are putting their lives on the line to report in the face of fighting and in the face of hunger. We have repeatedly called for journalists to be allowed into Gaza to report. And I think often, you all ask me questions saying, you know, the Israelis say this, Hamas says this, and the UN says that. If there were journalists on the ground from your organizations, perhaps those answers could be gotten by doing the work that journalists do. It's also a reminder that everyone in Gaza, every Palestinian, including our own colleagues, are suffering. Our Palestinian colleagues are hungry as well, and they have to work, and they continue to work. They continue to try to feed their fellow Gazans, and they're also trying to feed their own families.

Question: Do you even have any sense of a decrease in the size of the journalists, you know? [cross talk]

Spokesman: We don't have a headcount of journalists, but we all, I think… [cross talk] Listen, I think most international news organizations have stringers or people they work with in Gaza, and I'm sure they're seeing the same thing. Gabriel?

Question: Thank you, Steph. I want to go back to the WHO incident and the attack by Israel on the WHO facilities and staff members. I won't repeat everything that Israel did, but detaining, storming the facility, the list goes on. They still have one staff member that is detained by Israel. If any other Member State did this to a UN facility and UN staff, there would be major uproar. But it seems like because Israel is doing it and because they've been doing it for two years now, that it's just sort of a shrug of the shoulders. Not you, not the SG, but just in general. What is the SG going to do to finally end this impunity by a Member State?

Spokesman: The Secretary-General cannot be and should not be a lone voice in the desert. United Nations staff serve on behalf of the United Nations, and the United Nations is made up of 193 Member States who all signed on to the Charter, right, who all signed on to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All those countries have to respect international law, have to respect the Charter. And when others don't, they have to call them out. Okay. Yes, Pam.

Question: Thanks, Steph. So, a little more on UNESCO. This DG, Azoulay, increased the programmes to fight antisemitism. Now some of the budget will be cut back because of the US withdrawal. We've been through this before. They survived. How do you think they'll make up the money that they'll need to keep some of those programmes going? And then I have a second… [cross talk]

Spokesman: Again, that's a question you have to ask UNESCO. I don't think the US funding of UNESCO is as large, is nowhere near the share of the [UN] Secretariat's own funding. So, I have no doubt that they will continue their activities because they believe in those activities, and they will continue those.

Question: Oh, sorry. Just a second. On the next week's two-State solution conference, we haven't gotten much. Now it's been postponed once. One would think maybe there was a more of an agenda or list of speakers, and we haven't gotten… [cross talk]

Spokesman: I don't have much more detail. I would encourage you to check with the French and Saudi missions.

Question: And do you expect an outcome document?

Spokesman: I think you have to ask the organizers.

Correspondent: I know they don't seem to answer. Okay.

Spokesman: And I do expect the Secretary-General to speak at the opening session.

Correspondent: Thank you.

Spokesman: Michelle Nichols?

Question: Thank you, Steph. Two quick questions. This morning, when the SG was saying that the humanitarian system in Gaza is being denied conditions to function, space to deliver, and safety to save lives, who is he referring to? Who is denying this?

Spokesman: The Israeli authorities, we've been very clear, have put in place a system that is strangling our humanitarian operations.

Question: Thank you. And then a second question on… I know we've spoken about this topic a lot over the past year or so, but if you could just refresh us. Israel and the US say that mass aid diversion by Hamas is a key reason why Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is needed. Has the UN seen evidence of mass aid diversion by Hamas in Gaza?

Spokesman: No. And I think our friend, Carl Skau, used more words to answer that question when he was here about 10 days ago or so.

All right, Sinan and then our friend Maximo has been more patient than usual, so we'll go to him very shortly. Yes, please.

Question: Thank you, Steph. At least 1,700 people, mainly Alawite civilians, were killed in the waves of the violence, according to Syrian Observatory Human Rights. They published this report today, and they said that most of the casualties were caused by government or government-affiliated forces. And on the other hand, they said they also identified nearly 300 suspects. Any comment on that?

Spokesman: We've seen the report from the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, which is extremely disturbing, to say the least. As in other cases of sectarian violence recently in Syria, it is vital that the Government pursue accountability, that all perpetrators, regardless of their own affiliation, whether professional or ethnic, be brought to justice. The families, the victims are entitled to justice.

Question: Just quick follow-up, if you don't mind. Last week during the Security Council meeting, some Member States also said that the Syrian Government, I mean, the transitional Government, still didn't send any report to Security Council since they asked for a report about the casualties a few months ago. So, I wonder if Secretary-General has any critics for the transitional Government about this?

Spokesman: Listen. The transitional Government is exactly that, and I think it inherited, it came into power the way we know it came into power. It inherited a country that had been, for more than 10 years, in conflict. There are a lot of issues that they have to deal with. We are there to support them, but there are things that the transitional Government has to produce, notably an environment in which every Syrian, regardless of their ethnicity or their religion or their past, feels safe.

Okay. Thank you very much.