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 Today and Tomorrow

Our guest today, who is joining us online, is Angeli Achrekar, the Assistant Secretary-General of UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme Against HIV/AIDS). She will join us virtually to discuss the launch of the 2025 Global AIDS Update, entitled "AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform". For those of you who don't have it, there is a report and QR code in the back if you want to take a look at it.

Tomorrow will be Friday, but it will be a busy day. At 11 a.m., there will be a briefing by Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) Representative in Afghanistan. He will join us virtually to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Then, at noon, my guest will be Carl Skau, who as you know is the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). He will be here in person to brief you on his recent visit to Gaza.

**Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025

Also, on Monday, I want to flag that Monday is 14 July; in addition to being Bastille Day, it is also the day that the Secretary-General will be here to launch in person the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2025. He will be joined by the Deputy-Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, and our Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua.

That will be at 12:45 p.m., just after the briefing. I do expect the Secretary-General to take one or two questions before leaving the Deputy Secretary-General and Mr. Li to answer questions on the report.

**Francesca Albanese

A number of you, in fact a large number of you have asked me questions about our reactions to the sanctions imposed by the United States on Francesca Albanese, and I can say to you that the imposition of sanctions on special rapporteurs is a dangerous precedent.

Francesca Albanese, like all other Special UN Human Rights Rapporteurs, is an independent human rights expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and reporting to the Human Rights Council. Special rapporteurs do not report to the Secretary-General, and he has no authority over them or their work.

That being said, Member States are perfectly entitled to their views and to disagree with the reports by the special rapporteurs, but we encourage them to engage with the UN human rights architecture.

The use of unilateral sanctions against Special Rapporteurs, or any other UN expert or official is unacceptable.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the situation in Gaza, you have been asking us about the dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip, and I promised you an update, and I can share one with you that was given to us by our good colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). And they tell us that yesterday, a UN team managed to bring about 75,000 litres of fuel from Israel into the Gaza Strip. That is the first such provision in 130 days.

As we mentioned yesterday, we and our humanitarian partners need hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel each day to keep essential life-saving and life-sustaining operations going, meaning the amount entered yesterday isn't sufficient to cover even one day of energy requirements. Fuel is still running out, and services will shut down if greater volumes do not enter Gaza Strip immediately.

One partner, for instance, reported to us that this week that in a matter of days, fuel shortages could cut off supplies of clean drinking water to about 44,000 children that depend on that water source.

The lack of fresh water would further increase the risk of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues its operations across the Gaza Strip, including shelling and ground incursions. This morning, people waiting to get nutritional supplements were reportedly struck in Deir al Balah. According to Al-Aqsa Hospital, the attack resulted in dozens of casualties, the majority of whom were women and children.

In a statement issued a short while ago, Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), said she was appalled by the reported killing of 15 Palestinians, including nine children and four women, who were just waiting in line for nutritional supplies for their children. And I can tell you that we, yet again, condemn the killing of civilians in Gaza.

OCHA stresses that parties are bound by international humanitarian law to prevent such excessive death and injury of civilians in the midst of war.

All parties must take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm, and indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited.

Another strike today reportedly hit the office of a humanitarian partner in Gaza City; three staff were killed.

Yesterday, our partners providing education services said that between October 2023 and June of this year, 626 temporary learning spaces have been established in Gaza, with 240,000 students enrolled, about half of those students are girls. However, our partners say that only 299 spaces are currently operational due to the ongoing displacement orders, funding shortfalls and other challenges.

Our humanitarian partners, including first responders, health workers, and aid workers, continue to deliver food and other assistance under intolerable conditions, and they themselves are facing hunger. A number of our own colleagues are also facing hunger. They also face water scarcity and threats to their personal safety, just like everyone else in Gaza.

As we said, time and again: This catastrophic situation must end. A ceasefire is not only urgent, it is long overdue, and all of the hostages need to be released unconditionally and immediately.

Turning to the West Bank, our humanitarian colleagues there report and continue to warn of the intensification of operations by Israeli forces in the northern areas. These operations are causing massive destruction, driving further humanitarian needs and dampening hopes of thousands of displaced families that they will eventually be able to go back home.

Meanwhile, attacks, harassment and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have become a daily reality - including a settler attack on 3 July that led to the displacement of the Mu'arrajat East Bedouin community in central West Bank. This is the ninth community to be fully displaced in the Ramallah and Jericho areas since January 2023 following the recurrent attacks by Israeli settlers.

**Lebanon

Turning to Lebanon, this morning, in southern Lebanon, our UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers faced aggressive behaviour by a group of individuals.

During a patrol in Sector West, several individuals blocked the peacekeepers and began throwing stones at them. Our peacekeepers were forced to use non-lethal smoke grenades to disperse the crowd.

The Lebanese Armed Forces arrived at the scene and the situation was brought under control. As a reminder, any attack against peacekeepers is a serious violation of Security Council resolution 1701, and we call on the Lebanese authorities to bring the perpetrators to account.

Yesterday, UN peacekeepers also discovered two unauthorized weapons caches in Sector West, including three tunnels containing a non-operational military cannon, as well as operational rockets and explosives.

The day before, UNIFIL also found unauthorized ammunition boxes in Sector East. All of these caches were referred to the Lebanese Armed Forces for disposal.

In southern Lebanon, our UNIFIL colleagues report military presence of Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as air and ground activities, including in the area of Kafr Kila. Yesterday, peacekeepers observed 11 IDF activities in the area of operations.

Our UNIFIL colleagues continue to impartially monitor and report on violations of resolution 1701 and support the parties in fulfilling their responsibilities under the resolution, as mandated by the Security Council.

**Ukraine

Moving to Ukraine, the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, says that overnight strikes by the Russian armed forces on the capital, Kyiv, caused several civilians casualties. Four districts were hit during the attacks, damaging residential buildings, a clinic and a TV channel facility. An outpatient clinic was also destroyed.

Meanwhile, authorities also report civilian casualties following missile and drone attacks across the country. In the Donetsk region, 9 people were killed and 10 were injured, with damage to nearly 70 homes in 20 towns and villages in the area. The regions of Kherson, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were also impacted with reports of additional casualties and damages to civilian infrastructure, including an ambulance and health facility.

Overnight attacks also struck four more regions, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava and Kropyvnytskyi, as part of the continued pattern of widespread strikes beyond front-line areas. Humanitarian teams provided psychological support, hot meals, and repair materials.

For its part, our UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) today said that June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in three years in Ukraine, with 232 people killed and [1,343] injured.

In its monthly update on the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine notes that last month the Russian Federation launched 10 times more missile and loitering munitions attacks against Ukraine than in June of 2024. Virtually no region of Ukraine was spared, regardless of the distance from the front line.

Our UN Human Rights colleagues in Ukraine also said that the figures for June confirmed this year's worsening trend, with 6,754 civilians killed or injured in the first half of 2025. This is a sharp 54 per cent rise from the corresponding period last year, in 2024.

Also today, the UN Children's Fund said that around 70 per cent of children in Ukraine, that is 3.5 million children, now lack access to basic goods and services, including adequate food or shelter. According to UNICEF, a third of Ukraine's children live in homes without functioning water supply and sewage and nearly half of them lack access to an area to play at home or outside.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan, where the situation is not getting better and our colleagues tell us that as the country's cholera outbreak continues to worsen. Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, today allocated $5 million to support the urgent response efforts. The new funding will allow us to scale up time-critical health, water, sanitation and hygiene activities to stem further spread of cholera. However, more resources are needed without delay: humanitarian partners require $50 million to sustain cholera response operations through the end of 2025.

Our humanitarian colleagues warn that the outbreak is being fuelled by ongoing conflict, mass displacement and the collapse of public health and water systems.

Since July of last year, Sudanese health authorities have reported more than 84,000 suspected cases and over 2,100 deaths across 17 of Sudan's 18 states, with upwards of 33,000 cases recorded this year alone. However, our partners on the ground warn that underreporting may be masking the true scale of the outbreak. More than 33.5 million people, including 5.7 million children under the age of 5, are at risk of cholera.

Our humanitarian colleagues say that Khartoum, Aj Jazirah, Gedaref and White Nile states account for more than 70 per cent of all reported cases. Khartoum alone has reported more than 23,400 suspected cases. The outbreak is now expanding in Darfur, with cross-border transmission reported into Chad and South Sudan.

OCHA warns that the ongoing rainy season, which lasts through October, threatens to worsen the crisis by contaminating water sources and driving further infections. It is critical that donors and the international community step up, urgently scale up support to prevent further spread of this deadly disease and to save lives.

**Somalia

Turning to Somalia, where humanitarian colleagues say that clashes in the town of Moqokori in the Hiraan region in the centre of the country have intensified since last week, displacing thousands of civilians. Six health facilities in the area have suspended operations due to security concerns, cutting off access to essential healthcare and emergency services for thousands of vulnerable people.

Continued fighting has also compromised water sources and supply routes, significantly increasing the risk of malnutrition and disease outbreaks among the displaced population.

Our humanitarian partners and local authorities are working to verify how many people have been displaced and to assess options on how best to deliver assistance.

More than 58,000 people have been forced to flee due to armed conflict between Government forces and non-State armed groups in the Hiraan and Middle Shabelle regions since January.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

A couple more notes, one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where peacekeepers have established two mobile operating bases in the villages of Ofaye and Bakunvutu in Djugu territory, in the Ituri territory. These mobile bases will help peacekeepers to respond quickly to local threats posed by armed groups in the areas.

The deployments will remain operation until mid-July and are part of Operation Uttor Bhumi, which was launched in March 2025, to help strengthen local security and support broader mission objectives, including by providing protection for quick Impact Projects such as the rehabilitation of a local administrative office in Ofaye and to support the outcomes of a recent dialogue between armed groups that we have been telling you about.

In North Kivu Province, suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out attacks on 7 and 8 July in two locations west of Eringeti, resulting in the deaths of six civilians. The peacekeeping Mission condemns these acts of violence and continues to deploy patrols in ADF hotspots to facilitate the freedom of movement of civilians and access to farming areas.

**Libya

Our Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) strongly urges all parties in Libya to refrain from using force, particularly in densely populated areas, and to avoid any actions or political rhetoric that could trigger escalation or lead to renewed clashes.

The Mission continues its efforts to help de-escalate the situation in and around the capital city of Tripoli and calls on all parties to engage in good faith towards this end. The UN Mission urges the swift implementation of security arrangements developed by the Truce and Security and Military Arrangements Committees, which the Mission continues to support. Forces recently deployed in Tripoli must withdraw from that city without delay.

**UN Environment Programme

Lastly, a report released today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that annual heat-related deaths among older persons have risen by an estimated 85 per cent since the 1990s. The report recommends proactive urban planning that prioritizes age-friendly, resilient cities with reduced pollution and improved accessibility.

UNEP also recommends expanded green spaces to safeguard this vulnerable population, who form an increasingly dominant part of the world population.

**Questions and Answers

Spokesman: Edie and then Gabriel.

Question: Thank you, Steph, on fuel for Gaza: You mentioned how much got in yesterday. Did the UN try again today to get in more fuel? And did anything happen?

Spokesman: No. There's no new fuel. We keep asking, and we keep wanting for more fuel to get in, but no new mission is going on today. Gabriel?

Question: Thank you, Steph. Does the Secretary-General support Francesca Albanese on a personal level?

Spokesman: Look. I think the Secretary-General respects the work of all UN human rights rapporteurs. Their work is extremely important. It's an extremely important part of the human rights architecture. His point is that targeted unilateral sanctions against UN officials, against UN experts, which Ms. Albanese is, are just unacceptable.

Question: And has the Secretary-General sent any communiqué or anything?

Spokesman: I don't know. We're in the process of answering a letter from Ambassador [Dorothy] Shea. Javier?

Question: On the same issue, Steph, did she plan to come to New York, Ms. Albanese, in the coming weeks?

Spokesman: I don't know. You'd have to ask her or human rights colleagues.

Question: If she comes, the issue is will she be able to enter the country and to access the United Nations to brief Security Council?

Spokesman: I mean, the access to the building is not an issue. Access to where the UN office is, in this particular case in New York, has to do with the United States. They grant the visas. The US, there is a Host Country Agreement in which they are bound to facilitate the travel of UN officials, experts, and diplomats, just like headquarters agreements that we have in other places where we have headquarters. Benny, then Ibtisam.

Question: So, a couple of questions. First of all, Albanese, there have been some condemnations by other countries other than the US of her work as antisemitic, including France, which you mentioned in the context of July 14. Does that enter into the calculation of the unacceptable line?

Spokesman: Look. The Secretary-General is not in the business of commenting on the work of the special rapporteurs. They're independent. Those mandates are given to them by Member States. Special rapporteurs, as I told Gabriel, have an important role to play in the human rights architecture. If Member States are unhappy with the work of special rapporteurs and, frankly, if you look at the series of special rapporteurs who have country-based or thematic-based mandates, there are a lot of Member States who are not happy with one or different special rapporteurs at different times. That's their right. But our message is engage diplomatically with the UN human rights architecture and don't issue targeted sanctions.

Question: On another topic in your chronicling of West Bank issues, I'm sorry if I missed that because I was, like, looking at something else. But did you mention today's murder of an Israeli in Gush Etzion?

Spokesman: It's not in my reporting, but I can tell you that we condemn the killings of all civilians, whether they be Israelis or Palestinians.

Question: You did talk about violence by settlers, but this was violence by anti-settlers.

Spokesman: So, if I can refer you back to the various regular reports by senior officials to the Security Council, violence against civilians is routinely condemned, whether it's conducted by Israelis or Palestinians.

Question: Oh, yeah. But you talked today, not in various reports. You talked today about violence, and you do, as you do every day, and you failed to mention this one.

Spokesman: Well, you know, I think that's the one thing you and Abdelhamid will agree on is I failed to mention everything that can please either one of you. Ibtisam?

Question: Thank you. A follow-up on Albanese. Human Rights Watch issued a statement on this issue, and I'm going to read one online in which they say UN and ICC (International Criminal Court) member countries should strongly resist the US Government's shamelessness efforts to block justice for the world's worst crimes.

Spokesman: Sorry, this is Human Rights Watch or UN Watch?

Question: Human Rights.

Spokesman: Human rights, okay. Sorry.

Question: Human Rights Watch. So, in their statement, they also say that Governments should strongly resist the war and condemn the outrageous sanction on Albanese. So, I guess my question here, the following: These attacks on Albanese comes, they are not isolated. They… there were attacks against UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), attacks against Navi Pillay and her committee and like, in any human rights, even UN Human Rights are not able to get visas to Israel, international staff, etc. So, what is that? And if you remember also, Israel actually declared a few years ago six Palestinian human rights organizations and humanitarian organizations as terrorist organizations. And yet, we have constantly the reaction from your office. Yes. You don't agree with these steps that taken by US or Israel, but there is no clear public condemnations and what are you doing? What is the Secretary-General going to protect Albanese and Navi Pillay and all these human rights workers for the UN?

Spokesman: With due respect, I think what I read out today was pretty clear. I'm not going to disagree with the points, the examples that you've raised. But, you know, let's take a step back and look at the attacks on the UN human rights architecture across the board. There are a lot of countries who face country mandates who don't allow their special rapporteurs to get in. We had the case of Venezuela not too long ago that expelled our human rights colleagues. And I think this folds into what the Secretary-General referred to 10 days ago when he spoke about the Charter and saying that it was really unacceptable for Member States to have an à la carte approach to the Charter, to have an à la carte approach to the UN's human rights architecture, which was not drawn up by António Guterres. It was drawn up by Member States themselves. All of these Member States have put their signature to this system, engage with it, work with it, that is our message. Yes, sir.

Question: Hi, Steph. So, reports have come out that the intergovernmental organization, BRICS, is increasingly trying to challenge the US dollar and the US-led economic order, to which President Donald Trump publicly responded by threatening to impose tariffs on any State that allies with or complies with this bloc. My question to you is, has the Secretary-General been contacting any lead officials of BRICS since the recent summit, and does he view their attempted expansion as beneficial or harmful to international peace? Thank you.

Spokesman: Look, Secretary-General was at the BRICS Summit, as you well know. You know, it's not the role of the Secretary-General to get involved in payment systems and all those things. But I think his message has been very clear. We do not want to see more divisions in the global economic system, in the global trade system. Again, as for human rights, there is a global trade architecture that was created by Member States. Use that, work with it, and ensure that it is fair to all. Abdelhamid?

Question: Thank you. Albanese put a report to the Human Rights Council. It's called "From the Economy of Occupation to the Economy of Genocide". In fact, it mentioned a number of companies like IBM, Microsoft, and others who are helping Israel with committing this war of genocide. Does the SG feel that what this information are valid, and it should be highlighted, and he should express his concern about these companies?

Spokesman: I mean, it doesn't need the SG to be highlighted. I think it's getting quite a lot of coverage as it is. Again, the Secretary-General is not going to be drawn into commenting on the work of these independent rapporteurs. I think his message to the private sector, as it always has been, is that the private sector has a critical role to play in ensuring that human rights are respected in their day-to-day work.

Question: Thank you. My second question, 82 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours. And by the way, the man who was killed is a soldier and is not civilian. [cross talk] I'm sorry to say that, but 82 Palestinians, including those who were lining for food near the GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Fund). So now the number had reached over 57,700 Palestinian killed and 137,000 wounded. You normally remind us of the numbers. Why you stopped?

Spokesman: Abdelamid, with all due respect, I talked about what happened today. I talked about the children that were killed waiting to get nutritional supplements. We condemn their killing. I convey to you the information that I have. Alex?

Question: Thanks, Steph. Firstly, on Iran, is there any progress between Iran and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on the Iran nuclear issue?

Spokesman: Please call Vienna.

Question: Sure. All right, secondly, quick follow-up on Ms. Albanese, so just to make it clear.

Spokesman: Sorry, go ahead. Sorry.

Question: On Ms. Albanese. As for now, we don't know what the consequences of these sanctions will be. Right? Is it correct?

Spokesman: Well, my understanding from what I've seen publicly reported is that she will not be allowed, unlikely to receive a visa to come to United States.

Question: Can I have one more?

Spokesman: Oh, please.

Question: Russia's [Sergey] Lavrov met with Secretary [Marco] Rubio today. Do have any comments on that?

Spokesman: As you know, my standard comment is we always welcome dialogue. Thank you. Excellent. Evelyn, did you have a question?

Question: Yes.

Spokesman: Yes. Please go ahead.

Question: I have a couple of questions. First of all, Ms. Albanese, I have read every single word she's written. I find her full of errors, antisemitic. But…

Spokesman: Sorry. But what is your question?

Question: Yeah. So, my question is, I don't see how anyone who's such a bad researcher and has no nuances can be admired. And secondly, on Russia, does Russia give the United Nations any explanation of how killing innocent civilians will help their conquest of Ukraine?

Spokesman: I think if you are looking for Member States to explain their position, I would encourage you to read what they tell the Security Council. Yes, ma'am?

Question: I didn't understand your answer.

Spokesman: What I'm saying, I mean, I think that Russia, like other countries, explains its position when in a debate on Ukraine in the Security Council. So, I would encourage you to read what they say. Yes, ma'am?

Question: I think, following Albanese report, the UN did receive a lot of response being called like, including, Google cofounder Sergey Brin called the United Nations transparently antisemitic in response to the report. Does UN have any response to those comments?

Spokesman: I can tell you, I speak for the Secretary-General, and I think his record on speaking out against antisemitism is unimpeachable. And from the time he's been Secretary-General to his previous roles, including as Prime Minister of Portugal. [inaudible comment from crowd] It's okay. Don't be sorry because I know you're not. But go ahead.

Question: I just I mean, there is a lot of conflating of criticizing the Government of Israel and antisemitism, especially from those who criticize especially who are not happy with different organizations, including actually Israeli organizations who are highlighting the human rights violations in Israel, etc. So, does the Secretary-General believe that criticizing the Government of Israel is antisemitic? And when are you… yeah.

Spokesman: I think people need to have the intellectual bandwidth to separate antisemitism from legitimate criticism of the actions of the Government of Israel. Linda?

Question: Thank you, Steph. I propose Albanese, is there any information we can get in terms of… you had you alluded to, you know, many countries don't cooperate, or a number of countries don't cooperate with UN rapporteurs. They don't let them into the countries, et cetera. Is there any way, maybe a press conference or some kind of briefing, rather, to get a sense of really the level of cooperation by nation States around the world towards these rapporteurs?

Spokesman: I mean, listen. We can ask our human rights colleagues, and I think your colleagues in Geneva can ask the question. But I think you could pretty quickly look at all the country mandates that special rapporteurs have given to them by the Human Rights Council and see which… how many of those special rapporteurs have been allowed to visit the countries they're reporting on. And I think that number will be pretty low. Abdelhamid and then Benny.

Question: Thank you. I hope you will be patient with me. Two questions. One, the settlers today conducted a wedding inside Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebrew. Is that a human, is that a civilized way?

Spokesman: I'm not aware of that specific case, but I think we've spoken extensively about the issues of settlers.

Question: My second question, is the SG worried about the world we live in when a super-Power tries to impose its vision on other countries? Like, President Trump asking Brazil to drop the charges against [Jair] Bolsonaro. He asked Israel also not to try [Benjamin] Netanyahu. He imposes sanctions on UN officials and ICC, Albanese, and many other. What kind of a world that the SG can…?

Spokesman: I mean, I think, listen, if you look at the SG's recent comments, as I alluded to Ibtisam, his view on where the Charter is and the respect for the Charter is, I think you can draw your own conclusions. And I think if you look at most of his General Assembly speeches and how they start, they don't really start by painting a rosy picture. Speaking of rosy pictures, Benny.

Question: Very rosy today. Steph, so I know that you make this distinction every time we talk about this issue, saying these are independent rapporteurs and have nothing to do with the Secretary-General. But, you know, I mean, people outside this room and everywhere else say "the UN says" and then quote Albanese. So, is the Secretary-General concerned that the image that Albanese, I mean, you refused to talk about the content, none of your business, but is it concerned that that reflects on the UN in the eyes of most people in the world who are not in this room?

Spokesman: We trust you and all the other journalists to explain what the UN is and what the UN is not. And let's face it. You know, we have on one hand the world's most recognizable logo, but by design, no brand management, so many people can speak with the UN logo behind them or in front of them. The SG has the authority or the non-authority that he has given to him by the Charter, and we hope that people take the time to truly understand that when they're not happy about the UN, they actually target the criticism to which part of the UN that they're not happy about. Are they not happy about the special rapporteurs? Are they not happy about the legislative bodies of this Organization? Are they not happy about the Secretary-General? Let's be precise.

Question: But he also has a very able spokesman, as far as I know, who isn't it also part of the - for the better word - public relations of the UN, not only to explain that she is not part of the Secretariat, but also to opine on what she actually says, because everybody says, "the UN says".

Spokesman: I try to do my job to the best of my limited ability, and I hope you all do yours in helping the global public understand the UN better. Efraim, and then we have to go to our guest, who's been extremely patient.

Question: I have a very quick one, also on Ms. Albanese. Is it safe to assume that the Secretary-General, if he had heard her say anything antisemitic, he would call her and condemn her?

Spokesman: The Secretary-General is not in the business of grading or commenting on what special rapporteurs say.

Question: But if it is antisemitism, he would not just let it pass. Right?

Spokesman: He has been very outspoken on the issue of antisemitism. On that note, I would ask you to please stay and join us to greet our patient guest who is here to present the global UNAIDS report, so thank you very much for your patience, and if we could put the guest up on the screen.