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 Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

**Guests

Good afternoon, everyone.

In a short while, you will hear from our guests, Rob Syfret, Chief of the Mine Action Programme in Ethiopia, and Mohammad Sediq Rashid, the Chief of the Mine Action Programme in Sudan.

Rob will be here in person, and Sediq will join us virtually from Khartoum.

They will discuss the work under way in those two countries.

**Guest Tomorrow

Tomorrow, my guest will be UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Representative Bhanu Neupane.

He will be here to speak to you about the launch of the UN World Water Development Report for 2026.

**Secretary-General's Travels

The Secretary-General arrived in Brussels earlier this morning for a series of meetings, including with European Union officials. 

He met earlier this afternoon with Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium.

The Secretary-General then began his meetings with European Union officials, starting with Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament. The Secretary-General and the President discussed the partnership between the United Nations and the European Union. The Secretary-General thanked the President for the European Parliament's support for the United Nations and its activities. The Secretary-General briefed the President on the reform process and the challenging financial situation faced by the United Nations. They also discussed a number of crises around the world, including the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Secretary-General will travel to the seat of the European Commission for discussions with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

And later, the Secretary-General will meet with António Costa, President of the European Council, and also have a working dinner with Mr. Costa. 

**Afghanistan-Pakistan

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 16 March, which reportedly resulted in the death and injury of civilians at a hospital.

The Secretary-General recalls that under international humanitarian law, patients, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected at all times. He calls for an independent and impartial investigation into the incident.

The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wishes a swift recovery to those injured. He reiterates his call for de-escalation and the immediate cessation of hostilities and urges all parties to comply with their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians.

The Secretary-General urges the parties to resolve their differences through peaceful means and dialogue, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.

**Afghanistan

Also on Afghanistan, our OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) colleagues note that the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan has entered its third week, with no sign of abating. Between 6 March and yesterday, airstrikes and cross-border attacks have impacted at least ten of Afghanistan's provinces, including Kabul.

Across Afghanistan, displacement is on the rise. Our partners tell us that 115,000 people have been forced to flee and more than 300 shelters have been destroyed or damaged. People who've been displaced need shelter, water, health services and food.

According to our partners, around 160,000 people are facing deteriorating food security. The World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed high-energy biscuits to more than 3,300 households, with plans to provide two months of food assistance, largely through cash-based transfers.

Health services are under severe strain. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 25 health facilities have closed or suspended operations, including ten damaged by airstrikes. WHO has deployed 4.5 metric tons of medical supplies and trauma kits, while UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) say they have supplies sufficient to treat more than 50,000 emergency cases. Still, shortages persist, with more than 70 containers of health supplies delayed due to border closures.

Our humanitarian colleagues also note that the escalating conflict in Iran and the wider region has increased uncertainty for humanitarian logistics, effectively pausing the Iran transit route that our partners had explored as an alternative supply corridor. Border crossings with Pakistan remain largely closed, disrupting supply chains and leaving humanitarian cargo stranded.

OCHA calls for safe and sustained humanitarian access, protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law. Additional humanitarian funding is also urgently required to sustain the response.

**United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

We are deeply concerned about the ongoing escalation between Lebanon and Israel. Our UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers report heavy exchanges of fire, intensified air and ground activity, and increased presence of Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory. Also concerning are renewed "evacuation orders" from conflicting actors affecting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.

A high concentration of airstrikes was reported in Sector East, particularly near Taibe. A high volume of rockets and projectiles was reported from various launch points within the Area of Operation, as well as a high volume of trajectories from south to north of the Blue Line.

UNIFIL has observed a sustained and heavy presence of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) across the Area of Operation. In Sector East, the military concentration was most pronounced near Khyam and Sarda and extended to Adeisse. In Sector West, significant Israeli Defence Forces troop and vehicle movements were also recorded, particularly south-west of Aytarun.

We continue to call for de-escalation and urge all sides to avail themselves of diplomatic channels and recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.

**Lebanon

OCHA reports that we and our humanitarian partners, in close coordination with the Government of Lebanon, continue to scale up assistance, providing food, shelter, water, medical care, and nutrition support to families forced to flee their homes.

Overnight and into the early morning, Israeli strikes on central Beirut reportedly caused additional casualties. A multi-storey building in the neighbourhood of Bashoura collapsed after being hit. Residential areas in the neighbourhoods of Zoqaq al-Blat and Basta were also struck.

More than 1 million people are now displaced, including 367,000 children -that's nearly one third of the displaced.

Attacks on healthcare continue. Earlier today, authorities reported significant damage sustained by three Government hospitals following Israeli strikes, injuring healthcare workers.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and their partners distributed thousands of mattresses, sleeping mats, blankets, solar lamps and other supplies across collective sites in all of Lebanon's governorates.

UNICEF and its partners have distributed thousands of hygiene and menstrual hygiene kits to shelters, as well as hundreds of thousands of litres of clean water.

On the nutrition front, our partners have reached nearly 8,000 children under the age of five, adolescent girls, and pregnant and breastfeeding women with nutritional supplies for one month.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

In Gaza, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) successfully collected more than 400,000 litres of fuel yesterday, while [the] UN and our partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene collected seven truckloads of supplies from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem, which remains the only operational crossing into Gaza.

While the recent Israeli announcement that Rafah will reopen has not yet been implemented, the UN stands ready to resume medical evacuations and support people returning to Gaza as soon as those movements are allowed again. We will also keep calling for more crossings to open for cargo.

Despite the limited supplies, over the past week, our partners leading on shelter delivered to more than 2,200 families, over 11,000 people, across Gaza. These supplies included emergency shelter kits, which include rope, nails, measuring tape, pots, pans and plates.

However, our partners say that stocks of tents, bedding items and other essential supplies are depleting rapidly. Some partners have turned to the local market to buy what they can, including clothing, bedding and basic kitchen items, directly from vendors, whose own capacity is already stretched thin. This is not sustainable, as both the humanitarian and the commercial sectors are subject to the same bottleneck at the Kerem Shalom crossing.

We continue to call for safe, unhindered humanitarian access to ensure that those in need receive the support they urgently need.

**Syria/Security Council

This morning, the Security Council held an open briefing on Syria. Deputy Special Envoy Claudio Cordone said his Office, with international partners, continues to support an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition and the institutions needed to sustain it. He welcomed discussions with Syria's Foreign Minister Shaibani, noting ongoing talks on cooperation with the Government. He hopes to soon report an agreement to the Council, including on relocating the Mission to Damascus.

For her part, Ms. Joyce Msuya, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned that the war's repercussions are rippling across the region. More than 140,000 people have fled from Lebanon to Syria, most of them Syrian nationals, accelerating returns by about 30 per cent.

She urged the Council to ensure sustained diplomacy to resolve flashpoints and create conditions for safe return and recovery, continued humanitarian aid as recovery efforts scale up, and sustained investment in recovery and development.

She added that the humanitarian community is delivering aid as efficiently as possible despite significant funding shortfalls.

**Yemen

Turning to Yemen, we and our humanitarian partners today released this year's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the country.

Humanitarian needs continue to be driven higher by conflict, economic decline, displacement, disease outbreaks and climate shocks. Overall, over 22 million people, more than half the population, need humanitarian assistance.

This year's plan seeks $2.16 billion to provide life-saving aid to 12 million people across Yemen, including over 9 million people facing extreme hunger, severe malnutrition, displacement, disease risk or lack of basic services.

Hunger remains severe, with more than 18 million people facing acute food insecurity. More than 2 million children under five years old are acutely malnourished.

Essential services are collapsing, with nearly 40 per cent of health facilities only partly functioning or closed.

Our colleagues stress that to be able to do their work and support most vulnerable people, humanitarian access must be unhindered. Aid workers and assets must be protected.

OCHA says that humanitarian action alone is not enough. Progress will depend on restoring essential services, reviving livelihoods and strengthening resilience, underpinned by a Yemeni-led political solution.

**Somalia

From Somalia, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that a recent surge in the prices of fuel and essential goods is worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis and hampering humanitarian operations in the country. Fuel prices have doubled in recent days, from $0.60 to $1.50 per litre, a more than 100 per cent increase, largely due to the impact of the escalation in the Middle East, according to authorities and our partners.

Our humanitarian colleagues note that these rising costs are driving up the prices of food and water, while transport costs for humanitarian operations have doubled. Somalia imports more than 90 per cent of its essential commodities. Shipments of nutrition items, medicine, water and sanitation materials, and other critical supplies are facing delays.

Our humanitarian colleagues add that the country is already experiencing severe drought, with at least 6.5 million Somalis facing high levels of hunger and more than 1.8 million children facing acute malnutrition. The drought, which has been ongoing since late last year, has impacted nearly 5 million people. This is a quarter of all people in the country.

Funding gaps are holding back the response, despite the UN and our partners having the capacity to do more. This year's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan seeks $852 million to support 2.4 million people, but so far has received just 11 per cent, or $97 million, of what we need.

**Colombia

Turning to Colombia, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us the humanitarian situation there continue to deteriorate amid armed violence, severe movement restrictions and repeated climate shocks.

Our humanitarian colleagues warn that with up to a 70 per cent chance of above-normal rainfall in April, the risk of new emergencies is rising. Last year, disasters impacted 1 million people, destroyed more than 3,000 homes, displaced over 20,000 people and left more than 330,000 people in need of aid.

In response to recent flooding in Córdoba, in Colombia's north, we, along with our partners, are coordinating with authorities on the Government-led response. Food, cash and hygiene supplies, among other items, have been distributed to people in the most impacted areas.

Our humanitarian colleagues also note that last year more than 1.6 million people were impacted by violence - three times more than the previous year. This includes more than 150,000 people whose movements were restricted and nearly 100,000 people who were displaced, the highest levels recorded since OCHA's monitoring began in 2008.

Also last year, humanitarian operations were increasingly hindered, with more than 400 such incidents affecting more than 1.6 million people. This year, we and our partners are calling for $287 million to reach 1.2 million of the people most in need.

**Child Mortality

Our colleagues at UNICEF have published a new report on child mortality, which says that deaths of children under five have fallen by more than half since 2000.

However, the report adds that since 2015, the pace of reduction in child mortality has slowed by more than 60 per cent.

In 2024, an estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday, including 2.3 million newborns. UNICEF says that most of these deaths are preventable with proven, low-cost interventions and access to quality healthcare.

For the first time, the report estimates deaths directly caused by severe acute malnutrition, finding that more than 100,000 children aged 1 to 59 months died from it in 2024. Some of the countries with the highest numbers of direct malnutrition deaths include Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.

To accelerate progress and save lives, UNICEF calls on Governments, donors and partners to make child survival a political and financing priority, to focus on those at highest risk, strengthen accountability and invest in primary healthcare systems.

The full report is online.

**IMO

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will hold an Extraordinary Session of its Council to address the impacts on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman and the Gulf region, particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The session will be held today and tomorrow at IMO headquarters in London.

The Council is the Executive Organ of IMO, consisting of 40 member States, elected by the IMO Assembly.

**Financial Contribution 

We have a quiz for you today - well, actually three. There are three new full payments to the [regular] budget.

In 2011, this country skipped a day, 30 December, by moving from the East to the West side of the international date line to better align with trading partners, making it one of the first countries to see the sunrise instead of the last.

It is also the birthplace of tattooing: The word "tattoo" is believed to originate from the word "tatau". The traditional tattoo, a rite of passage, is applied by hand using bone or wood tools.

Any guesses? Samoa.

The second. This country had the world's first female Prime Minister: Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first female Prime Minister in 1960.

[response: "Sri Lanka!"] Sri Lanka, you got it.

And last, this country is one of only two "doubly landlocked" countries in the world. The other doubly landlocked country is Liechtenstein.

In this country, they have a unique greeting: Traditionally, men shake hands, but to greet a woman from this country, it is customary to bow with the right hand placed over the heart.

It's Uzbekistan.

We thank our friends in Apia, Colombo and Tashkent for their full payments to the Regular Budget.

The payments from Samoa, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan bring the number of fully paid-up Member States to 90. 

**Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman: All right. Some questions before we get to our guests. Yes, Edie?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the announcement of a suspension of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan for the Eid holiday?

Deputy Spokesman: Yes. That's a welcome development. As I said at the start of the briefing, the Secretary-General has called for de-escalation and the immediate cessation of hostilities and for parties to comply with international law. So this is in line with that, and we hope that the suspension during Eid will be extended.

Question: And on Cuba, is the United Nations involved at all in trying to help ease the fuel crisis?

Deputy Spokesman: We are in discussions with a number of countries and parties to see what can be done to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground in Cuba. I gave you some details in recent days about our humanitarian concerns about the situation on the ground, and we'll continue to follow up with different Governments. We'll provide details once we can. Pam, and then Abdelhamid.

Question: Thank you, Farhan. The EU high representative spoke about discussing with the SG a plan for a UN-based initiative to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, patterned after the Black Sea initiative. Is Secretary-General in Brussels going to speak to [Kaja] Kallas? And is that plan moving forward? Thank you.

Deputy Spokesman: I don't have anything to share with you at a specific plan. What I can tell you is the Secretary-General has been talking with all of the major parties involved in the region and beyond in terms of dealing with the humanitarian impact and the economic impact of the situation caused by this conflict, and he'll continue to pursue those contacts. Abdelhamid?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. I have three questions. So, the first is that Israel has targeted the largest gas installation in Iran. The Revolutionary Guard is now threatening that it will retaliate. Do you have any comment on that?

Deputy Spokesman: You've heard what we've had to say about the need to avoid attacking nonmilitary targets. We want to make sure that all of the parties involved see sites that are civilian infrastructure as off limits.

Question: Do you condemn attacking this gas… [cross-talk]

Deputy Spokesman: Yes. We're opposed to all such attacks, yes.

Question: My second question about Western Sahara. I mean, the few congressmen trying to table a motion in the Congress labelling Frente Polisario as a terrorist organization. Do you think that will help or derail the negotiations going on between the four groups led by the Washington itself?

Deputy Spokesman: As you know, the UN has regarded the Frente Polisario as one of the key parties involved in the Western Sahara conflict, and we continue to deal with them, as we do with the Governments of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and other involved regional parties.

Question: My last question about Cuba again. President [Donald] Trump said that he's planning to depose President [Miguel] Diaz in Cuba by the end of the year. Any comment on that?

Deputy Spokesman: Our position across the board is that all nations are sovereign entities and that the leadership in each nation needs to be chosen by the people of that nation. Gabriel?

Question: Thanks Farhan. Do you have any update on the investigation into the attack on UNIFIL from about a week ago?

Deputy Spokesman: What I can say about that is UNIFIL's investigation is still under way and will take some time to complete fully. Once complete, a summary of the results will be shared with the parties, following usual practice. There are a number of technical elements that contribute to a broad and comprehensive investigation.

Question: And a follow-up to one of Abdelhamid's questions. In response to the Israeli attack on the oil and gas field in Iran, Iran has now ordered or said that people should evacuate from oil and gas sites in Saudi Arabia, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Qatar, because Iran says "they will potentially attack sites in those countries in the coming hours", end quote. What specifically is the SG's message to Iran in terms of any sort of retaliation in the Gulf?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, it's clear, as I just told Abdelhamid, that we want all civilian infrastructure in all countries to be off limits and that, of course, includes the ones that you've just mentioned. Beyond that, as you know, I would refer you to the need by Iran to comply with resolution 2817 that was passed by the Security Council. Yes?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. Perhaps piggybacking on my colleague's question about top State officials. Yesterday, you mentioned in your briefing on the killing of Iranian official Ali Larijani that the UN was "not aware that it had in fact happened at the time". Now that the report is confirmed and given the Secretary-General's renewed position that there is no military solution to the conflict, is the SG prepared to issue a statement condemning the assassination of Ali Larijani, along with the recent confirmed death of Iranian intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib, both reportedly resulting from Israeli airstrikes?

Deputy Spokesman: First of all, as a point of principle, the United Nations is opposed to anything that could constitute extrajudicial execution, and that's true in all such cases. But beyond that, we do not believe that there is a military solution to this problem, and we reiterate our call to Israel, to the United States, to Iran and any other parties to avoid any further escalation of this conflict. Yes, please?

Question: Thank you so much for having me here. My name is Iqbal Mahmud, and I'm working for Time Television New York. So, I have one question over the recent issues in Bangladesh. You know, Bangladesh recently held two elections on the same day, the national parliament election and a referendum to reform the constitution. But after winning the parliamentary election and forming the Government, the BNP-led present Government refused to implement the referendum verdict. That means they will not implement the verdict of the people to change the system left by the previous fascist Government. Do you think that Bangladesh has starting to follow the path of fascism again? And will they even make any call so that the Bangladesh Government takes the initiative to implement the verdict given by the people through the referendum? And I'm asking this question as because the country is going to face a big crisis when all the opposition parties have already declared to go for a massive movement demanding the implementation of referendum verdict.

Deputy Spokesman: Regarding the referendum, we hope that all of the constitutional processes of Bangladesh will be followed and that all parties will respect the constitutional process. Islam? Islam, online?

Question: Yes. Hi!

Deputy Spokesman: Hi!

Question: Hi! Farhan. Thank you. Thanks. I have a question. UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon yesterday said at the UN Security Council "Lebanon would be spared from the fires burning across the region, if Hizbullah didn't launch an attack against Israel on 2 March." Does the SG align with this approach, which refers as if the recent conflict in Lebanon started on 2 March and sort of ignoring the facts that Israel has violated the ceasefire and the UN resolution hundreds of times before 2 March?

Deputy Spokesman: As you know, we have been documenting all violations of the Blue Line and of resolution 1701, including by the Israeli Defense Forces and by Hizbullah, and that remains a matter of record. For us, the important point is not how this latest phase of fighting started, but how it can be ended. And we implore all parties to go back to respecting the ceasefire and resolution 1701. And with that, let me turn to our guests.