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.

**Briefings

All right, good afternoon.

At 12:45 p.m., as you know, there will be a briefing here by our friends at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). They will be here to present the findings of a major new study on political violence against lawmakers by the public, both online and offline.

The speakers will be Martin Chungong, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary General, along with Rogier Huizenga, the IPU Human Rights Manager.

Tomorrow will be the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism. I will have as my guest Alexandre Zouev, who is the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism. He will be here to brief you on the report.

**Trip Announcement/African Union Summit

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will be landing in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, to take part in the thirty-ninth ordinary session of the African Union Summit.

While there, he is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ethiopian authorities, as well as Heads of States and Governments who will be present at the Summit.

On Friday, the Secretary-General has also been invited to take part in the Second Italy-Africa summit, organized on the sidelines of the African Union Summit.

On Saturday Mr. Guterres will address the opening session of the African Union Summit. In his remarks to the continent's leaders, you can expect him to highlight that the African Union is a flagship for multilateralism. He will also reflect on the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, in which in the past decade has reached new heights.

Also on Saturday, the Secretary-General will hold a press conference that is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. local time in Addis. We will be sharing the transcript, I don't think there will be a webcast available.

We will keep you posted on his activities there, and he will be back in the office on Monday, 16 February.

**Canada

I can tell you that the Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the tragic shooting that took place in Tumble Ridge, in British Columbia in Canada. He extends his deepest condolences to those affected and his sympathies to the Government and people of Canada.

**Sudan/Quintet

On Sudan, in a statement released today, the Quintet, which is made up of the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, otherwise known as IGAD, the League of Arab States, the European Union and the United Nations, they all expressed grave concern at the continued escalation of the conflict in the Sudan and called for the immediate halting of any further military escalation.

The group also emphasized the need for coordinated international efforts to de-escalate the conflict and halt the flow of weapons and fighters that are sustaining the violence. As Ramadan approaches, it urged support for efforts to secure a humanitarian truce consistent with international law and Security Council resolution 2736.

The Quintet reaffirmed its commitment to supporting a Sudanese-led, inclusive political dialogue towards ending the war.

**Sudan/Humanitarian

Turning to the situation on the ground in Sudan, which continues to be horrific, and we continue to be deeply alarmed by the escalating attacks that we are seeing in the country, where aerial strikes are placing civilians at grave risk and directly hitting humanitarian and public infrastructure.

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that a drone strike at dawn today hit a mosque in the city of Al-Rahad in North Kordofan State, reportedly killing two children and injuring 13 others, all of them were students in the school at the mosque. This information is relayed to us by the medical association, the Sudan Doctors Network.

This follows a drone attack that struck a primary school late last night in Dilling in South Kordofan, where injuries were also reported.

And last night, also the World Food Programme warehouse in Kadugli, the state capital of South Kordofan, was struck by suspected rockets, significantly damaging buildings and mobile storage units.

In recent days, we have seen drone strikes [have] been reported in other parts of South Kordofan, North Kordofan and West Kordofan States, all close to key supply routes linking the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan to Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan.

This is endangering civilians, including humanitarian workers. The fact that we have to reiterate almost every day that civilians and civilian infrastructure, places of worship, schools and hospitals cannot and should not be targeted is a tragedy into itself. Yet, we have to keep reminding the parties of this almost every day, and that they need to respect international humanitarian law.

Amid these deeply concerning developments, humanitarian efforts continue by ourselves and our partners. A multi-agency UN convoy made up of 41 trucks carrying nearly 800 metric tons of food and other essential supplies left El Obeid for Kadugli yesterday. This marks a significant breakthrough along a previously closed route.

In South Kordofan, we and our partners have distributed nearly 600 metric tons of food to close to 70,000 people. However, the continued arrival of families fleeing their homes is depleting what limited stocks are available. The International Organization for Migration is telling us that more than 115,000 men, women and children have been displaced across the Kordofan region since late October.

All parties must do whatever they can to ensure rapid, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access so that life-saving assistance can reach all of the people who need it in Sudan, and there are millions of people who need that aid.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of our Peace Operations [Department][…] wrapped up his visit to the DRC today. Yesterday, he met with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi. They discussed recent developments and the UN peacekeeping mission's mandate implementation in the country, following the adoption of resolution 2808 by the Security Council last year.

Speaking to the media after his meeting with the President, Mr. Lacroix stressed that in line with its mandate, the peacekeeping mission there will continue to support the implementation of the ongoing peace processes, including through its support for a permanent ceasefire. As a first step, he confirmed that in the coming day, the UN Mission will deploy an initial aerial reconnaissance mission to Uvira, in South Kivu.

Mr. Lacroix added that the Mission deployment to support a permanent ceasefire will be phased, gradual and dependent on guarantees for the safety and security of UN personnel and our assets. Today, he will make his way to the African Union to join the Secretary-General at the summit and Rosemary DiCarlo [the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs], among others who will also be joining him.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo/Humanitarian

And on the ground in the DRC, our humanitarian colleagues warn that the spiralling cholera outbreak in the country demands an immediate scale-up of the response. It is reportedly the country's worst outbreak in 25 years. Since the start of the year, more than 1,300 suspected cases and 35 deaths have been reported.

The Government, we and our partners are continuing to provide support, and there are still major gaps. Water, sanitation and hygiene services are critically underfunded, health workers are overstretched, supplies are running low, and access to treatment [facilities] remains difficult.

On Monday, $750,000 was allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund so our partners working in healthcare can swiftly expand life-saving assistance and curb transmission rates.

This marks the fourth allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund for the so-called anticipatory action since early last year, releasing funds to stay ahead of predictable disaster, for us to save more lives. Last year, the DRC recorded more than 71,000 suspected cases of cholera, and more than 2,000 fatalities.

Our humanitarian colleagues stress that we urgently need more and flexible funding to bolster health services, ensure there are enough supplies and monitor areas affected by cholera.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to Gaza, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that yesterday, our teams supported the medical evacuation of 18 patients and 26 of their companions. That was done through Rafah Crossing.

Our teams also received 41 additional returnees at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where, as you know, we operate a reception centre to help those people who are returning to Gaza. 

Overall, since the re-opening of Rafah in early February, we facilitated the movement of just over 220 people in each direction through this route.

I reiterate that we would like to see more people having the opportunity to move voluntarily and safely, in both directions, in and out of Gaza, especially for those who need to access emergency medical services and other needs.

We also hope to see the movement of cargo enabled through Rafah, to increase the volume of humanitarian supplies [entering], and further expand the scale up of the humanitarian assistance. 

On the education front, over the last few days, we and our partners have taken additional stationery, pens, erasers, and toys into Gaza, hoping to provide a better learning environment for thousands of boys and girls in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, last week, our partners established four new learning spaces, serving more than 5,500 schoolchildren. There are now about 450 temporary learning spaces operating across the Gaza Strip.

Between 29 January and 4 February, our child protection partners provided much needed winter assistance, psychosocial support and safe spaces to more than 6,500 children and caregivers.

Nearly 3,800 children received warm clothing and help that families tell us they so urgently needed.

**Ukraine

Turning to Ukraine, again from our humanitarian colleagues, they tell us that today a humanitarian convoy reached the front-line community of Pokrovske in the Dnipro region, delivering critical medical and hygiene supplies. Access to the town has been extremely difficult due to continued fighting. Of the 10,000 people who lived there before the start of the full-scale war, only about 500 people remain, most of them older people and people with disabilities.

According to authorities, between yesterday and this morning, hostilities across the country have caused several civilian deaths and injuries, including children. The regions of Donetsk, Dnipro, Sumy and Kherson were the hardest hit.

In the region of Zaporizhzhia, a hospital and a pre-school were damaged, and thousands of people were left without heating after an attack.

**Women and Girls in Science

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Globally, one in three researchers is a woman, and women make up just 26 per cent of the workforce in data and the artificial intelligence fields.

In his message, the Secretary-General reaffirms that equality in science is essential for humanity's progress. We must ensure that every girl can imagine a future in STEM, which is science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and that every woman can thrive in her scientific career.

Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, underscores that we will not solve climate change, pandemics, or food insecurity by leaving half the world's brainpower on the sidelines, and we need to truly invest in funding, hiring, promoting, and listening to women in science.

**Financial Contributions

We have some money, which means we have a little lightening quiz, three countries.

The Namazgah Mosque, with a capacity of 10,000 worshippers, is the largest mosque in the Balkans. […] There are not that many countries in the Balkans. It's Albania, okay.

Which African team, soccer team, is known as the Sparrowhawks. […] well let's see if anybody comes closer to Cameroon, but you are in the right region. […] Togo, okay.

And this country, this is an interesting one, has the highest per capita bread consumption in the world. On average, each person consumes about 200 kilograms of bread annually. That seems like a lot. […] No, not Greek, not far. Okay we thank Türkiye.

Islam, we will not tell your editors that you failed the test.

So, we thank our friends in Ankara, in Lomé and in Tirana for their regular payments.

We are now up to 64 fully paid-up Member States and we thank them all for their money. I will now earn my money.

**Questions and Answers

Spokesman: Edie.

Question: Thank you, Steph. Can you tell us what's holding up the increase that was expected in transit through Gaza in both directions? Because the numbers that we were told that were expected when it opened are far, far greater than the numbers that you've just read.

Spokesman: I agree with you. As we said many a times, we don't hold the keys to the crossing. We don't control who gets to go in and out. We're subjected to the policies put in place by the Israelis, by the Egyptians, and all the other procedures. So, we would like, as I said, we'd like to have more people to be able to go out to get medical treatment, more people to go in if they wish to, more people to go in and out as they wish, but we don't control the procedures.

Question: And a question on the West Bank. Who's still there for the United Nations? Or does the UN still have offices?

Spokesman: Yes. Very much. I mean…

Question: It's only UNRWA that's…

Spokesman: UNRWA continues to operate. Other UN agencies are there. OCHA is there as well. They have a monitoring role. They report back on the situation in the West Bank. The UN continues to operate in its best way they can, in the West Bank.

Question: And is the Secretary-General planning or hoping to have any discussions about this apparent crackdown on Palestinians in the West Bank?

Spokesman: I mean, I think the Secretary-General, we issued from here a very strong statement on that. This is the issue of expanding of settlements, is an issue that is raised both publicly and privately with our Israeli counterparts. Gabriel.

Question: Thanks, Steph. The number, following up on Edie's question, the number of 220 that you gave on the Rafah crossing, that is people that have… that's combined entry and exit, correct? As far as you know?

Spokesman: Let me pay attention to what I said, because you clearly weren't paying attention to what I said, but we'll see.

Question: You said each direction.

Spokesman: They're moving at just 220 people in each direction. Yes. So, there were 220 people. I don't have the breakdown of who went in, who went out.

Question: No problem. And if Israel was to allow more people to enter or exit, is the UN prepared to accommodate that?

Spokesman: Listen, if more people come in, we've put in a reception centre. We will do whatever we can to accommodate more people. We are not the barrier to allowing more people in or more people out. Again, the restrictions and the procedures put in place are put in place by the Israelis, by the Egyptians. We want to see more people go in and out freely, like any of us are allowed to go in and out of places freely, and more people being allowed to get medical assistance outside of Gaza that they so urgently need.

Question: And that leads me to my follow-up question on people going in and out of Gaza freely. Journalists, international journalists are still barred from entering Gaza due to policies by the Israeli authorities. Does the UN see any reason why international journalists should not be allowed into Gaza right now?

Spokesman: Journalists should be allowed into Gaza as they should be allowed to do their work anywhere around the world. Efrat, you may do your work.

Question: Thank you. Given the thousands of civilians who were killed by the Iranian regime, do you think that it was wise that today you sent a letter of congratulations to the Iranian authorities?

Spokesman: So, the letter that went out from the Secretary-General is a standard letter that goes out to every member States on their national holiday, and this has been a tradition for decades. Every year, each Member State gets the exact same letter, right? Congratulating on their national holiday and conveying best wishes to the people of that country. As I said, the letters went out yesterday to Iran, Gambia, and Lithuania, if I'm not mistaken. So, like I said, it's a decades long tradition. And I said, each Member State gets the exact same letter. It should not be interpreted by anyone who receives it as an endorsement of whatever policies may be going, that Government may be putting in place. It doesn't change the Secretary-General's view of the crackdown that we saw in Iran, which he called horrendous given the level of violence and deaths that we saw.

Question: Following up on that the Iranian Foreign Minister is set to come, to address the Human Right Council later this month. How does that reconcile with what you just said?

Spokesman: Well, first of all, that's a decision of the Human Rights Council. We also believe this is a membership organization. Every Member State has a right to address legislative bodies and every Member State has a right to question, whatever statements others may be making. It is not within the Secretary-General's authority to bar a Member State from addressing a legislative body. And for the Human Rights Council, I would ask you to ask the President of [the] Human Rights Council. Yes, sir?

Question: You spoke of Secretary-General sending this as a [inaudible], wouldn't it have been appropriate to reconsider given that this is not a national day in Iran. It's not Iran's Independence Day. It's really just a day that this regime has taken over as 47 years ago. And it happened a month after this massacre. And right now, the numbers we have is tens of thousands killed and injured and then, tens of thousands are in jail. I spoke with a family member who said to get the body of their child back, they had to pay the Government a fee. And others are talking about horrific conditions in these jails who are injured and they're not getting medical attention. So, the atrocities are ongoing. Do you think there should be a stronger response? The Secretary would go on camera and say something more than just a statement and then equally send a statement of congratulations.

Spokesman: I think the Secretary-General has spoken out repeatedly about the human rights violations that are very concerning to us in Iran, and not just what we've seen in the last month or so. He has raised those issues directly in his meetings with the Iranian officials, whether it's in New York during the General Assembly or other places he's had a chance to meet with them. He will continue to do so because he's speaking out on this. We've expressed on his behalf his position. Our Human Rights High Commissioner has been very clear as well. As I said, this is an organization sometimes of precedents, and one of the precedents is that every year, every Member State, on what they tell us is their national day, just like they tell us who the members of Government are, they get a letter, and it's the same worded letter. It's not a customized letter in any way, and they get it. And […] no Member State should see it as an endorsement of whatever their policies may be, both internally or externally.

Question: And one follow-up on a lot of doctors and medical staff that have been arrested for giving care to wounded protesters. Do you think it warrants a separate, you know, action by this institution? Because it's, you know, tons of doctors, dozens of doctors in each town and nurses have been violently arrested simply for giving care.

Spokesman: We're aware of that, and those reports are horrendous. And this issue has been raised within the context of the Human Rights Council. It's been raised by the High Commissioner for Refugees. The Secretary-General, as I said, has addressed the human rights situation in Iran and will continue to do so both publicly and privately. Islam.

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. A couple questions. First question is about the budget. Any development, any step regarding what Secretary-General sent a letter to the Member States to amend the UN Charter regarding the budget? [cross-talk]

Spokesman: The returning of the money? [cross-talk]

Question: At the end of the year?

Spokesman: No, it will not happen for this budget cycle. We will push again; I have no doubt for the next budget cycle. But right now, we are stuck with the financial rules and regulations that Member States have imposed on us.

Question: So, this is not for this year, 2026?

Spokesman: Right. So, 2026, you know, whatever money we save, we will not be able to keep.

Question: On separate question, in Israel, according to the reports, tens of thousands, even close to the 100,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel, they are on the street protesting against the organized crime and violence. They are claiming that due to negligence of the Israeli Government. Do your colleagues have any information on that? Pass any information?

Spokesman: No. I mean, I've seen the press reports, you know, and people have a right to demonstrate peacefully, and Governments have responsibly to uphold that right. Pan.

Question: Thank you, Steph. There are reports that Ukraine is making plans for its presidential elections, and President Zelenskyy is going to announce the plans on 24 February, the fourth anniversary of the war with Russia. So does the Secretary-General has any comments on?

Spokesman: No, I mean, I've seen those reports. I don't have any specific information on that. Abdelhamid, I don't see your hand, but I do assume you have a question.

Question: Yes. Yeah. I have my name there. Thank you. I have two questions, One on Gaza and one on a separate issue. I'll start with Gaza. There are reports that Israeli using some local militias that finance and armed by Israel. And these militias are searching those who coming in confiscating materials they brought in, especially including their iPhones and many others. Do you have any information about all these Israeli responsibilities?

Spokesman: As I said, I don't have any information on that. We have seen the press reports. I mean, as I said earlier to Gabriel, what we want to see are Gazans being able to move in and out of the Gaza Strip freely without fear of harassment, arrest, or anything over something worse? Your second question.

Question: My second question. There is a UN staff. His name is Fabrice Aidan, whose name had been mentioned several times in Epstein files. He was passing messages from UN email to Terje Rod-Larsen to Epstein. And you have received a letter, and the SG received a letter asking why he was not investigated. When some UN staff showed some sympathy for Palestinians, they were instructed…

Spokesman: Well, I mean…

Question: To be quiet. But this case…

Spokesman: Abdelhamid, it's a very valid question, but I wish you'd get your facts right. Mr. Aidan is not a UN staff member. He was a French diplomat who was seconded to the United Nations from about 2003 to 2013. He resigned in April 2013. At the time of his resignation, there was a disciplinary process under way against him on a specific matter. Now like many people, I've looked at a lot of the Epstein documents, and I can tell you that obviously there was no way for us to be aware of, we don't monitor staff's emails, so we have no way of, or people's emails, we have no way of knowing what people are doing with their emails. It is clear that looking at what was sent, it was violation of procedures to send from a UN email documents that he should not have been sharing outside of the UN.

Question: What about Terje Rod-Larsen? He was a UN staff, and you know he was. And… and also, Aidan was a UN staff, and he signed his letters as [cross-talk].

Spokesman: Right. But what is your point? Because I'm telling you, he has not worked in the United Nations since April 2013. He resigned. At the time of his resignation, he was under investigation. Mr. Larsen stopped being a full time UN staff member on 31 December 2004. He was then, when actually employed, or a dollar a year, envoy while he served as President of IPI. I can tell you that our focus and everybody's focus should be on ensuring that everyone follows our procedures and, also, focused on the victims of Mr. Epstein.

Question: Talking about victims, did do you have any comment on this testimony of [Trisha Clark]?

Spokesman: Of who?

Question: [Trisha Clark], who gave a very strong statement about the use of girls in Epstein island. I mean, the whole world heard her testimony.

Spokesman: I don't know of this particular testimony, but I think the Secretary-General, everybody at the UN is horrified by the exploitation, the trafficking of young women. But I'm not aware of this particular person.

Question: Thank you.

Spokesman: One second, Namo. Mr. Avni?

Question: Yes, sir. By the way, before my father changed his last name, his name was Epstein, but no relation.

Spokesman: Benny, I should always trust to come to you for a moment of dark humour. Go ahead.

Question: Two quick questions. First of all, is the Secretary-General aware of any human rights violation in either Gambia or Lithuania?

Spokesman: As I understand where you're going with this, Benny. I've known you long enough. As I said, every letter that is sent out to a Member State on the occasion of what they tell us is their national holiday is the same letter. Regardless of these letters, whenever there have been human rights violations in any country, I can tell you that the Secretary-General has spoken up, and the various human rights mechanisms have also been involved. Your other question.

Question: Which brings me to the second question, which is Secretary-General sent a similar letter to Israel on Independence Day?

Spokesman: Every Member State, of which Israel is a Member State, gets the same letter.

Question: Can you produce that for me, if you can? I don't remember that coming out.

Spokesman: Well, because most Member States, as far as I'm aware, don't release the letter, but we will, I will do whatever I can to prove myself right in your eyes, Benny.

Question: Thank you very much for that.

Spokesman: Namo.

Question: Just on that letter, I don't remember the like, a letter being made public to Afghanistan on 19 August this year? Have you sent a letter to the Taliban authorities?

Spokesman: I think you know the issue with the representation of the Taliban authorities here, at the UN. So, we recognize the Permanent Mission here, and so, I will assure you that every Member State gets a letter.

Okay. On that note, I will go write more letters.