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

Just a reminder, at 12:45 p.m., there will be a briefing here on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2026. It will be launched by our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed; joining her will be Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, and the Acting Director of the Statistics Division in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), our friend Shantanu Mukherjee.

Then, tomorrow, I will be joined by UNFPA's (United Nations Population Fund) Executive Director, Diene Keita, and Alessio Cangiano, Senior Adviser at UNFPA.

They will be here to brief you on the launch of their new global report based on the findings of the Demographic Futures Survey.

**Secretary-General's Travel

Our Secretary-General António Guterres is on his way back from Geneva, where, as you know, he was at the AI [artificial intelligence] summit. He will be in New York later today and in the office tomorrow morning.

**World Investment Report 2026

Related somewhat to the DESA report, I wanted to flag that the World Investment Report 2026 was released today by our friends at the UN Trade and Development, otherwise known as UNCTAD. And that report shows that global foreign direct investment rose 6 per cent to $1.6 trillion in 2025; that ended two years of decline, but the recovery remains narrow, it remains fragile and it remains uneven. The report notes that inflows to developed economies rose 11 per cent, while developing economies recorded only 2 per cent growth, reaching $901 billion.

According to UNCTAD, the world's top 20 host economies attracted more than 80 per cent of global foreign direct investment in 2025, underscoring a trend that runs throughout the report: investment is becoming more concentrated across countries, across sectors and projects.

The full report is available to you on the internet.

**Venezuela

Also, I want to flag that Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, is arriving today in Venezuela. He will be on a four-day visit to meet with survivors and front-line responders after the devastating earthquakes that hit that country nearly two weeks ago. Mr. Fletcher will also meet senior government officials and those supporting the search and rescue effort.

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. New York time, he will speak from Caracas, at a virtual ministerial-level Member States' briefing about the humanitarian response so far and what comes next and what Member States can do. And that will be available to you on UN Web [TV], starting at 8:30 a.m.

Concerning the ongoing assessments that are going on in Venezuela from our part, our colleagues in OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) are referring to rapid assessments of people's immediate humanitarian needs, a process which includes humanitarian partners, field visits and surveys with affected people. These are not the overall damage and recovery assessments, which normally include development partners, as well as international financial institutions. So, yesterday, I guessed the answer to a question, and I was wrong.

OCHA also wants to clarify the current status of humanitarian funding in Venezuela which, as you know, had a response plan in place prior to the earthquakes. Before the earthquakes, the $632 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela this year had received around $115 million. Since then, total reported funding for that plan has increased to $300 million, and we expect to hear more about the appeal in tomorrow morning's Member States' briefing by Tom Fletcher.

Meanwhile on the ground, we, along with our humanitarian partners, are continuing to help coordinate and deliver assistance to meet people's most urgent needs, in support of the Government-led efforts in Venezuela.

The World Food Programme (WFP) provided ready-to-eat food kits to nearly 2,400 people and family food baskets to over 4,100 people at response centres and shelters that have been set up. They also provided about five metric tons of food to two community kitchens located in La Guaira. Since response efforts began, the World Food Programme has reached more than 25,000 people with food assistance, that was much needed.

WFP aims to reach up to 500,000 human beings sheltering in affected areas during the first three months of the response and has the operational capacity to scale up assistance to up to 1 million people if the funding comes in.

**Lebanon

Moving to Lebanon, where Jean Arnault, the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), kicked off a visit to Israel today. He is scheduled to meet with senior officials for discussions on the importance of consolidating the cessation of hostilities and advancing the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. We will keep you updated as the meetings take place and we are briefed on them.

In recent days, he held meetings in Lebanon with senior officials. Yesterday, he met with the Minister of Interior, Ahmad al-Hajjar, and separately with the Lebanese Army Commander, General Rodolph Haykal. Discussions with the officials focused on recent developments and efforts to strengthen stability in Lebanon.

On the humanitarian front in Lebanon, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the situation on the ground in Lebanon remains critical, with major protection concerns and significant gaps in essential services, despite the reduction in hostilities after the ceasefire that was announced on 19 June. While returns continue, military activities and security incidents are still being reported, and conditions remain fragile in many areas.

More than half a million displaced people have begun returning to their communities, but tens of thousands remain displaced, including more than 34,000 people still living in collective shelters. Many families are reluctant or unable to return due to damaged housing, due to insecurity, and due to the continued presence of unexploded ordnance and absence of basic services in their home villages. Children continue to bear a disproportionate burden in this crisis.

According to UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), an estimated 308,000 children remain displaced, more than 1 million children require some sort of humanitarian assistance and 62 unaccompanied or separated children have been identified. Disrupted education, psychosocial distress and limited access to services continue to impact children across conflict-affected areas.

Partners are reporting increased protection concerns linked to child labour, school dropout, exploitation, gender-based violence, domestic violence, harassment, movement restrictions and barriers to accessing humanitarian services. These concerns are particularly acute in conflict-affected communities.

We and our humanitarian partners are responding despite these challenges, but as you can imagine, as always, funding remains below the needed levels.

The revised Flash Appeal launched by the United Nations and the Government of Lebanon on 5 June seeks $640 million to support 1.4 million vulnerable people through August. So far, the appeal is only 42 per cent funded, which leaves us in critical and active gaps in our work.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Heading south to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that people continue being displaced in areas along the so-called "Yellow Line" in Gaza, as Israeli troop advancement is shrinking the area that families can still inhabit.

According to initial information we received this morning, at least nine families were displaced from Dahab displacement site in southern Gaza, with some saying they fled advancing tanks. Shooting and injuries were also reported nearby.

Our humanitarian partners are responding by providing newly displaced people with tents, with shelter items and other basic assistance. Support to those facing protracted displacement continues.

Last week, we and our partners supported more than 30,000 households, including through vouchers.

The aid included more than 250 tents, 10,000 tarpaulins, 10,000 bedding items and nearly 15,000 kitchen sets. However, the number of families assisted is declining because of funding shortfalls that compound restrictions on the entry of items into Gaza.

So far, just over a quarter of the $4.1 billion required for humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory this year has been secured.

Meanwhile, yesterday, our colleagues from the World Health Organization (WHO) said that while teams are providing wheelchairs, crutches, prosthetic limbs and walking aids to people with complex injuries, this support, as always, falls very much short of the actual need.

Over 43,000 people with life-changing injuries require rehabilitation in Gaza - yet only one third of the need for assistive devices has been met.

Our partners working to support healthcare in Gaza remind us that attempts to bring medical equipment and devices into Gaza continue to face delays and denials. This includes equipment for laboratories, diagnostic, physical rehabilitation and physiotherapy, as well as prosthetic devices.

**Sudan

A quick update on the work of Pekka Haavisto, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Sudan. I can tell you that he is currently in Chad, where he is holding meetings with national authorities and diplomatic counterparts to discuss the situation in Sudan and its regional implications. He is also expected to visit camps hosting Sudanese refugees in Chad.

This visit comes amid growing concern over the regional dimension of the conflict in Sudan. Mr. Haavisto is engaging with all relevant stakeholders, including neighbouring countries, with a view to preventing any further escalation and advancing dialogue towards a resolution of the conflict. In the coming weeks, he is expected to return to Sudan for further political meetings.

**Central African Republic

And a quick note from the Central African Republic on the humanitarian situation, where our colleagues say that we and our humanitarian partners are mobilizing emergency assistance to meet people's urgent needs following clashes just over a week ago in the town of Am-Dafock, near the country's border with Sudan.

People displaced by the fighting there urgently need protection support, they need healthcare, and they need access to safe drinking water. The security situation remains volatile, with the town's sole health facility reportedly looted.

While humanitarians were able to deliver 400 tarpaulins and other shelter assistance to the town over the weekend, the rainy season has rendered the main road into the town impassable, hampering efforts to scale up the response. Some two dozen metric tons of humanitarian cargo are still awaiting transport.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 people displaced from villages around Am-Dafock have sought safety in Birao, putting pressure on already stretched resources in the town, which is hosting some 25,000 refugees from Sudan.

**Climate - South-West Pacific

Just two more brief notes. WMO, the World Meteorological Organization, released a report that shows that the vast ocean expanse in the South-West Pacific is becoming hotter and more acidic. This is harming local economies and marine ecosystems, whilst rising sea levels threaten vulnerable coastal communities and low-lying island nations.

The report shows how the region had its second warmest year on record, behind 2024, with extreme weather causing widespread disruption, economic damage and loss of life.

According to WMO, last year the remaining tropical ice cover in Papua, Indonesia, was estimated to be only about 2 per cent of the ice area observed in 1988. The last remaining tropical glacier of the region is expected to disappear by the end of this year or early next.

**Kiswahili Language Day

And lastly, today is World Kiswahili Language Day. Kiswahili is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, with more than 200 million speakers across Africa and beyond.

And on that note, I will say to you: maswali? Anyone knows what that means? "Questions?" Now you are paying attention. Yes, ma'am, please.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you, so my question is about Cuba. So, on Cuba, we can see the General Assembly has voted for years to call an end to the US embargo. But until now, we can see the embargo still in the place. So, what's the Secretary-General's message today, especially on the impact on the people in Cuba?

Spokesman: Well, I mean, I think as you know, the Secretary-General of the UN system as a whole has been following very closely the humanitarian situation in Cuba. Working with our country team, we are trying to do our best to support the Cuban people in this difficult moment. We've also been involved in efforts to get fuel into Cuba for humanitarian purposes. We continue to be very concerned about the situation on the ground and the impact of the ongoing energy shortage and the knock-on impact it has on healthcare, education and just basic services. I think it's very important that there be some sort of measures to alleviate this situation. And obviously, the Secretary-General continues to believe that there is a broader need for dialogue, cooperation, respect for international law, and he recalls the long-standing position of the General Assembly, which has consistently called, as you said, for an end to the embargo […] on Cuba. Ephrem?

Question: Thank you so much, Steph. On Mr. Arnault's travels, is there any particular message he's bringing with him to Lebanon and Israel?

Spokesman: The message is about full respect for Security Council resolution 1701, for the need for everyone to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, for a return to calm along the Blue Line, both in the south of Lebanon and in the north of Israel, for the sake of people on both sides.

Question: Yes, and quick question on Mr. Haavisto. Who exactly is he meeting in Chad? Do we know?

Spokesman: I will try to get some more detailed names for you, but I'm sure he's meeting people at the senior level. All right, well, that was a lot of questions. And you all have 17 minutes to take a break before the Deputy Secretary-General comes in. I will see you then.