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.

**Briefing Room

You know why this feels like Friday? Because as of this afternoon, the briefing will be shut, from this afternoon, all the way through the end of Friday for a technical upgrade. So tomorrow, there will be no live briefing, unless there is a major emergency. We will just put the highlights online, but we will be here in the office to answer [you].

**Nigeria

Let me start off with the statement on the situation in Nigeria. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack of 3 February, in Kwara State in Nigeria, which reportedly killed over 100 people.

The Secretary-General conveys his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of Nigeria, and of course, he wishes a speedy recovery to all those injured.

The Secretary-General reiterates the solidarity of the United Nations with the Government and people of Nigeria in their efforts to fight terrorism and violent extremism. He stresses the importance of bringing the perpetrators to justice.

And that statement has now been shared with you.

**Olympics

As mentioned yesterday, the Secretary-General is arriving in Milan in a few hours, where he will attend the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics that will take place on Friday in Milan. While there, he will meet with the new President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kirsty Coventry.

As I said to you, there will also be a video message from the Secretary-General played during the Opening Ceremony. In that message, he will underscore that the Olympics and the Paralympics are beacons of hope, as well as a celebration of human potential, of teamwork, fair play and mutual respect. Those remarks were shared with you under embargo earlier today.

Also, I want to flag that Maryam Bukar Hassan of Nigeria, who was named the first Global Advocate for Peace for the UN's Peace & Security Pillar, will be present at the Olympics.

Along with other global influencers, she will be serving as an official [Olympic] Flag Bearer at the opening ceremony.

She was selected by the IOC for her ongoing commitment to gender equality, youth empowerment and inclusive peace.

**New START Treaty

Yesterday evening we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General said that the expiration of the New START Treaty marks a grave moment for international peace and security. For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic [nuclear] arsenals of both the Russian Federation and the United States.

The Secretary-General said that this dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time, as the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest it has been in decades. Even in this moment of uncertainty, however, we must search for hope, he said. This is an opportunity to reset and create an arms control regime fit for a rapidly evolving context.

He welcomes that the Presidents of both the Russian Federation and the United States have made clear that they appreciate the destabilizing impact of a nuclear arms race and the need to prevent the return to a world of unchecked nuclear proliferation.

Mr. [António] Guterres urges both States to return to the negotiating table without delay and to agree upon a successor framework that restores verifiable limits, reduces risks and strengthens our common security.

**Security Council

Speaking of security, in the Security Council this afternoon, our colleague Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of our Peace Operations, will brief Council members along with UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar and the Police Commissioner of our peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Mamouna Ouedraogo, as well as the Police Commissioner for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Meinolf Schlotmann. This is part of the annual briefing by the police components to the Security Council.

**Human Rights Office

Also, I want to flag a very important appeal that was made by our colleague Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, out of Geneva today.

He is appealing for $400 million to address global human rights needs this year, warning that with mounting crises, the world cannot afford a human rights system that is in crisis.

In 2025, despite funding cuts, staff working for the Human Rights Office in 87 countries around the world observed more than 1,300 trials, supported 67,000 survivors of torture, documented tens of thousands of human rights violations and contributed to the release of more than 4,000 people from arbitrary detention.

Mr. Turk called on Member States to step up support for the low-cost, high-impact work that his Office does and helps stabilize communities, builds trust in institutions and supports lasting peace.

**Ukraine

Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) inform us that hostilities in front-line areas continue to kill and injure civilians and damage infrastructure.

As reported by the authorities, a deadly attack on a street market yesterday in Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region killed several civilians and injured a dozen others, including many older residents who were buying food. This latest incident comes on the heels of others in recent days that killed several civilians and injured dozens of others in the front-line regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as in Kyiv.

Our humanitarian colleagues note that evacuations continue, and, in January alone, 6,000 people were evacuated from the region of Donetsk, and the numbers continue to increase, according to what partners on the ground are telling us.

Today, Edem Wosornu, the Director of OCHA's Crisis Response Division, who remains in Ukraine, accompanied Matthias Schmale, our Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, to visit a transit site in Lozova in the region of Kharkiv. That site receives evacuees from the Donetsk region where displaced people are provided with basic and medical supplies, as well as humanitarian cash assistance.

In 2025, aid organizations helped evacuate 260,000 civilians fleeing hostilities near the front lines. Humanitarians provided transportation support; distributed cash assistance, food and other supplies; and assisted people in collective sites.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to Gaza, our OCHA colleagues tell us that […] the Ministry of Health in Gaza, [today] reported dozens of fatalities and injuries over the previous 24 hours, adding that many people remained inaccessible to emergency teams.

As a reminder, all parties must fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Meanwhile, last night, our teams on the ground received 25 additional returnees who had crossed through Rafah. As in previous nights, our colleagues from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) provided transportation to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where OCHA and our partners continue operating a reception area with protection specialists, psychologists, medical personnel and others to help provide support to the newly returned.

Also yesterday, WHO and its partners supported the medical evacuation of eight patients and 17 companions from Gaza to Egypt through Rafah. And earlier today, they supported the medical evacuation of seven patients and 14 companions.

UN colleagues are working with all stakeholders to address persistent challenges hindering the operations, so that more people can receive the care that they so desperately need, and that they can receive it safely and with dignity. Our colleagues from WHO say their key priority is to ensure the entry of more humanitarian supplies into Gaza and to quickly scale up health services, rehabilitate damaged facilities and expand critical services. These efforts are essential to build a resilient and sustainable health system, reducing the need for medical evacuations.

We continue to call for the immediate reopening of the medical referral route to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which will expedite care for more patients. More than 18,500 patients in Gaza still require specialized treatment that is unavailable to them locally.

Turning to the West Bank, OCHA warns that high levels of displacement continue. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 900 Palestinians have been forced out of their homes or communities, mostly due to settler violence and access restrictions, followed by demolitions. These figures are as of yesterday.

In just two weeks, from 20 January until this Monday, OCHA documented more than 50 Israeli settler attacks that resulted in casualties, property damage or both.

OCHA is carrying out preliminary assessments of damage and needs following these incidents, to inform the humanitarian response by both us and our partners.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

A couple of African updates, two from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where we remain deeply concerned by renewed violence in the province of Ituri, in the east of the country, which continues to severely disrupt life-saving humanitarian operations.

Since yesterday, fighting in and around the town of Bule has claimed the lives of at least two civilians and injured several others. That is what local partners are telling us.

The fighting has forced the suspension of food distributions that was scheduled to begin today. More than 78,000 people displaced in and around Bule haven't been able to receive assistance since early December. That leaves families facing shortages of food, healthcare and clean water.

OCHA continues to be in close contact with local authorities and our partners to adapt our operations as conditions on the ground may change.

All parties - needless to remind them, but we need to remind them - have obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and assets. We need safe, we need predictable and we need unimpeded humanitarian access to all those who need it, and there are a lot of people that need it.

On the peacekeeping front, our peacekeeping colleagues in the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo are telling us that earlier this week, they have completed the first phase of Operation Nyundo.

This operation was launched in August of last year to counter the activities of the Allied Democratic Forces, the ADF, which is an armed group, and the operation was meant to counter the activities to target offensive actions against the ADF in parts of North Kivu.

During this time, ADF activities declined by 77 per cent in the area of operations and several communities were protected by peacekeepers.

**Central African Republic

In nearby, in the Central African Republic, the Government and the humanitarian community jointly launched this year's Humanitarian Response Plan, appealing for $264 million to help 1.3 million of the most vulnerable people in the country.

Our colleagues say this is the lowest amount we've asked for in recent years; humanitarian needs remain staggeringly high, as we are focusing on the most urgent life-saving priorities.

Despite security improvements in some parts of the country, conflict, epidemics and climate disasters continue to disrupt lives, [leaving] 2.3 million people - that is about one third of the population - in need of humanitarian aid. Plus, they have about 40,000 Sudanese refugees who sought refuge.

Last year we only got a third of the funding we need.

If we don't get support, more than 1.2 million people could be left without critical assistance. This would mean malnourished children going untreated, families going without food or shelter and communities losing access to healthcare.

**Chad

In Chad, there was also a launch in the capital today of the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan. The Plan calls for $986 million, including $540 million dedicated to refugees alone, and that plan aims to help 3.4 million people.

Chad continues to face one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the Sahel, driven by conflict, large-scale displacement, climate shocks, food insecurity, malnutrition and disease outbreaks. The country is hosting more than 1.5 million refugees, along with hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people and returnees.

We and our partners will focus our efforts on the most impacted regions, including in the east, the Lake Province and parts of the south.

**Peacebuilding Fund

Our friends at the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) have allocated $2 million for a new initiative in Benghazi and Derna in Libya to support locally led peacebuilding and recovery efforts, with a focus on expanding economic opportunities for young people. The initiative will strengthen the capacities of newly established local peacebuilding committees, while entrepreneurship training and business support will help to diversify the economy.

It complements the UN's political mission mandate by addressing socioeconomic drivers of instability and linking local recovery with [conflict] prevention and stabilization.

The Peacebuilding Fund also allocated $5 million for an initiative in Somalia to strengthen interim justice, security and local governance, in the districts of Bahdo and Masajid Ali Gudud.

Implemented by UNDP and IOM (International Organization for Migration), the initiative will support local authorities and communities to establish basic governance [functions], improve community safety, and expand fair and accessible dispute-resolution mechanisms, with particular attention to women, youth and marginalized groups.

**Honour Roll

I have a bit of lightning round for you. Are you ready?

This country was the second country to give women the right to vote, in 1902. […] [Australia].

This country is home to Europe's tallest waterfall, the Krimml Falls with a total height of 380 metres. […] Austria.

From which country did Dalmatian dogs come from? Croatia. […]

Which country puts its map on its national flag? Cyprus. […]

We thank our friends in Canberra, we thank you friends in Vienna, in Zagreb and in Nicosia for their full [payments to the Regular] Budget.

Do you want to know the numbers?

Australia gave $65,309,876, Austria gave $20,041,168, Croatia, $2,801,889, and Cyprus $1,120,513.

**Questions and Answers

Spokesman: Excellent. All right, Abdelhamid, go ahead.

Question: Thank you, Naureen, and thank you, Steph. There [are] 1,520 violations of the ceasefire since it was established; 556 Palestinians were killed, 1,500 were wounded. Israel is trying to make the world live with these casualties and with these violations. Why there is no direct unequivocal condemnation of these atrocities committed by Israel? [cross talk]

Spokesman: I think, if you look at the recent statement from Ramiz Alakbarov to Security Council, it was very clear on what is going on and the continuing suffering of the Palestinian people. As you know, we are not mandated to monitor the ceasefire which frankly, and I think as the Secretary-General said very eloquently here a few days ago, should really be referred as a lesser fire, right? Because people, as you mentioned, including Palestinian children and women and noncombatants, are continuing to be killed. Stefano and then Gabriel.

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. The Secretary-General that he went there, the Olympics game in Italy, did an interview with La Repubblica, and he said, when the law of power replaces the power of law, the consequences are profoundly destabilizing. Which country or leaders was he referring to, specifically? Russia and President [Vladimir] Putin, the United States and President [Donald] Trump?

Spokesman: I think, when you look at the state of the world today, you see a whole host of situations where the power of law has given away to raw power.

Question: I know. But if he's not willing to name them anybody, no country, how can the UN credibly defend the rule of international law? [cross talk]

Spokesman: I think he has. Listen, if you look back at what the Secretary-General has said at the start of the war in Ukraine, he clearly condemned and continues to condemn the Russian Federation's attack and violations of international law. He has… every time there's been a violation of international law, he has condemned it. And he said, you know, he said these things clearly and he's answered every question on the issue.

Question: What about Venezuela?

Spokesman: He clearly said that this was, frankly, for him, questionable when in line with international law, and he said it.

Question: So, when he said that phrase in the interview, he's specifically referring to Russia and the United States? [cross talk]

Spokesman: In the interview, he is looking at the state of the world today, right? On each of these examples, I've given you and others, he's been very clear in condemning the violations of international law. Gabriel Elizondo?

Question: Thanks, Steph. Earlier this week, you briefed us about the incident involving UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) in Southern Lebanon, where Israel said that they dropped, in their words, non-toxic chemicals north of the Blue Line and asked UNIFIL personnel to take cover and avoid the area. The UN helped Lebanese authorities collect samples to see what that chemical was. Lebanon came back late yesterday, saying, in fact, it was very high concentration of, in their words, the herbicide glyphosate at 20 to 30 times the normal accepted levels. This is a very toxic chemical.

Spokesman: I mean, I have not seen that…

Question: Is he worried about peacekeepers being exposed to this?

Spokesman: We're, of course, worried. To be honest with you, I haven't received any updates or information from our peacekeeping colleagues. As soon as I have something to share, I will share it with you. But we obviously stand by what we said earlier. Namo?

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. I know this question has been asked before, but could please?

Spokesman: Then you don't need to ask it again.

Question: I just need you to explain as clearly and as simply as possible what would happen if the United Nations' ongoing financial crisis is not resolved by July? And what would be the effect on vulnerable populations who depend on aid and peacekeeping operations? Thank you.

Spokesman: Well, I mean, listen: On the aid, it's already happened, right? We've seen cuts by the United States. We've seen cuts by European countries over the last year. And every day, I talk to you about what happens when there's no money, right? Rations being reduced, healthcare not being delivered. So, I mean, it's pretty clear. In terms of the Secretariat, should it come to pass, it will impact our ability to run meetings in this building, to do the political work we do, the peacekeeping work that we do. I do also have to say that we saw the reports today - or yesterday, rather, or earlier this week - of the President of the United States signing a budget bill, includes funding for the United Nations. We welcome that, and we will stay in contact with the US over the coming days and weeks to monitor the transfers of those monies. Madam? Oh, sorry, and then we'll go back.

Question: Just to follow-up on the chemicals that have been sprayed. I mean, some organizations have described this as a war crime, because it actually… I mean, the safety of UN peacekeepers which is, of course, important aside, this is being sprayed on Lebanese farmlands and agricultural areas. So, I mean, shouldn't this require…?

Spokesman: I'm not arguing with you or disagreeing with you in any way, shape or form. All I'm telling you is that I'm waiting for some updates from our peacekeeping colleagues on this issue, and I have not yet received any. Monsieur?

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. There are press reports today…

Spokesman: Put the microphone a little bit closer. Thank you.

Question: There are press reports today that Russian and American officials are negotiating an extension of the New START pact. First, what's, your remark on this? And second, is the UN involved in these talks? [cross talk]

Spokesman: No, we're not involved in these talks. Obviously, as the Secretary-General said in his statement, he encourages and very much hopes that both the Russians and the Americans will sit down and talk to hammer out a new framework that's better adapted to the world that we live in. This is a very dangerous period not to have framework dealing with these nuclear weapons. We hope very much that the talks will be positive and will be fruitful. Let's go to Sinan.

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Yesterday, you said there is a request for technical teams to be deployed to Kobani to repair the Internet and electricity connection. I wonder, if you have any update? [cross talk]

Spokesman: No.

Correspondent: Because you said tomorrow.

Spokesman: I know what I said. Unfortunately, no. Yes, Abdelhamid?

Question: Israeli senior military officials admitted that the numbers of [casualties] published by the Health Ministry in Gaza were accurate. You normally stand with these numbers from the Health Ministry. Do you have any comment on that?

Spokesman: I have no comment to make. Our position remains unchanged. Okay. Thank you all. Have a great day.