Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Guests and Briefings today
Good afternoon and happy Friday, everyone.
Today, we will be joined virtually by our guests: Waanja Kaaria, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Representative and Country Director in Haiti, and Lola Castro, the World Food Programme’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. They will connect shortly from Haiti and Panama respectively to brief on the situation in Haiti.
Then, at 1 p.m., there will be a briefing here by Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health.
And, finally at 1:30 p.m., there will be a briefing by Alice Jill Edwards, the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General is traveling back to New York from Kazan, in the Russian Federation, and he will be back at the United Nations for the Security Council meeting on Monday.
On the margins of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, the Secretary-General met last night with Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.
The Secretary-General reiterated his position that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law. He further underlined United Nations support for peace, in line with the remarks he delivered at the BRICS summit.
The Secretary-General expressed his belief that establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is of paramount importance for Ukraine, the Russian Federation and for the world’s food and energy security. He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard and expresses his deep appreciation for the work being done by Türkiye. The full readout was sent to you last night.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are extremely alarmed by developments at Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza, one of the last functioning medical facilities for civilians who are being killed, injured and trapped by the tightening Israeli siege.
This morning’s reports of a military raid on the hospital are deeply concerning. As we have said repeatedly, hospitals must be protected, both from use for military purposes and from attack, by any party to the conflict.
The World Health Organization (WHO)says that since the reported raid, the agency has lost touch with personnel at Kamal Adwan.
Yesterday, WHO — accompanied by OCHA, the UN Mine Action Service, and partners — reached Kamal Adwan. The mission took 20 hours, with the team arriving back at 3:30 a.m. this morning. While on their way, the team reported long delays at checkpoints, as hostilities continued nearby, and said that local UN staff were temporarily detained at a mobile checkpoint. The team transferred 23 patients and more than two dozen caregivers from Kamal Adwan to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The mission also delivered 10,000 litres of fuel, 180 units of blood, and enough trauma and surgical supplies for 1,600 interventions at Kamal Adwan. And they supplied a range of medicines sufficient for about 5,000 patients.
Kamal Adwan must be protected. It is the only minimally functional hospital providing trauma care in all of North Gaza governorate. Al Awda Hospital remains isolated due to hostilities in its vicinity.
OCHA warns that the humanitarian crisis in North Gaza is rapidly worsening, with humanitarian essentials in extremely short supply. Moreover, the vast majority of attempts to deliver critical assistance continue to be denied or impeded.
Today, Israeli authorities once again denied permission for the delivery of essential food and water suppliesto Jabalya.
OCHA warns that intense hostilities persist across the Gaza Strip, including the south. Overnight, an Israeli raid on multiple neighbourhoods of Khan Younis left scores dead and many more injured, including numerous women and children. During the operation, families sought safety in An Nasser hospital, the Maan UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) school, and the Al Mawasi area, with most returning home after Israeli forces withdrew. Reports indicate widespread damage to homes, leaving people in urgent need of tents, tarpaulins to cover damaged shelters, hot meals, and clean water.
In the West Bank, OCHA reports that during this month alone, more than 100 incidents linked to Israeli settlers have led to Palestinian casualties and property damage. In October overall, there were some 180 settler-related incidents in almost 90 Palestinian communities across the West Bank, with more than half of these cases involving the olive harvest season.
**UN Relief and Works Agency
I have a response from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to statements from the Israeli Army about an UNRWA staff member who was verified killed on Tuesday.
UNRWA confirms that this staff member was not on the list that the Government of Israel provided to UNRWA in January when it claimed that 12 (and eventually 19) UNRWA staff had allegedly took part in the abhorrent 7 October attack against Israel. A UN investigation was put in place immediately, which was completed this past August.
The staff member in question was later included in a letter that the Israeli Government sent to UNRWA in July 2024. In that letter, it claimed that another 100 UNRWA staff members were allegedly members of the military wing of Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas.
The UNRWA Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, responded to that letter immediately, stating that any allegation is taken seriously. He urged the Israeli Government to cooperate with the Agency by providing more information so he could take action. To date, UNRWA has not received any response to that letter.
**Lebanon/Israel
We note with concern the report that this morning an Israeli strike in Hasbaya in Nabatiyeh, which is located outside the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeeping mission’s area of operations, hit an apartment housing journalists and other media personnel. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health then confirmed that the strike killed three people and wounded three others. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, said he was alarmed by the tragic killing of the three journalists.
And as the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert — and we, as well — state all the time: when journalists, protected under international humanitarian law, are targeted, so too are our fundamental rights to the freedom of information and expression. All parties in conflict must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
South of the Litani River, peacekeepers continue to report hostilities within UNIFIL’s area of operations, with repeated incidents of direct and indirect fire on UN positions, endangering peacekeepers. On 22 October, peacekeepers at a permanent observation post near Dhayra were fired at by IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers. On 24 October, a UNIFIL position near Mays al-Jabal sustained damage to a prefabricated building, from indirect fire. On the same day, as we noted yesterday, nearby airstrikes damaged a UN vehicle inside a UN position near Kfar Shuba and a UN position near Burj Qallawiyah sustained minor damage from airstrikes impacting about 300 meters away.
All actors are reminded of their obligation to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers.
We also reiterate the urgent need for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to this conflict. The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon remain on the ground and ready to support such efforts.
**Lebanon/Humanitarian
Amid the ongoing fighting, we and our partners in Lebanon are stepping up our efforts to reach people in need around the country. Today, a humanitarian convoy — comprised of UN agencies and NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and supported by OCHA — delivered critical aid to Nabatiyeh Governorate, including ready-to-eat meals, hygiene kits and solar lamps.
Also in the south, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) has provided essential supplies to support emergency repairs to water facilities damaged by the ongoing bombardment, which has affected more than 360,000 people.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is supporting Lebanese health authorities in vaccinating displaced children — especially in shelters — against polio and measles, mumps and rubella.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 833,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon. As of Wednesday, almost 192,000 of those displaced were living in nearly 1,100 shelters — 84 per cent of which are at full capacity.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has identified more than 53,400 refugees who have been displaced inside Lebanon since last October — more than 80 per cent of whom have been forced to flee over the last month alone. The vast majority are Syrian refugees.
Since 23 September, UNHCR says that about 440,000 people have fled from Lebanon into Syria, based on estimates from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
UNHCR is also aware of more than 19,000 Lebanese arrivals in Iraq since the escalation of hostilities, based on information from Government authorities and partners.
Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation, we are especially grateful for the generous announcements of support by Member States participating at the conference in Paris on Thursday. OCHA appeals for that funding to be disbursed without delay, to enable the humanitarian community in Lebanon to scale up and sustain the response.
**Sudan
Turning to the dire situation in Sudan, in a joint statement, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today that access constraints in Sudan are hindering the ability to deliver supplies and protection to the most vulnerable communities, and effectively monitor the delivery of aid to ensure that it reaches the intended recipients.
The two agencies sounded the alarm, saying that 14 regions across the country are teetering on the brink of famine, and in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, famine conditions have already been confirmed. Furthermore, there are 3.7 million children under the age of five projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year alone who are in urgent need of treatment that will save their lives.
This is happening on the backdrop of a pressing displacement crisis in Sudan. More than 10 million people are displaced from home in Sudan — multiple times — and over 800,000 refugees are hosted within its borders.
UNHCR, UNICEF and their partners are working to provide critical services, from emergency shelter and water to education, health care, and psychosocial support. However, without sustained international backing — including attention for a political way to address the conflict and the removal of bureaucratic and security obstacles — the situation will continue to worsen, the agencies warned.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that as fighting continues across the country, we, along with our partners, are working to reach civilians in front-line regions with assistance.
Today, our humanitarian colleagues led an inter-agency convoy to one of the impacted communities in the Mykolaiv Region, in southern Ukraine. They provided aid, including food, mattresses, diapers, and hygiene and dignity kits.
As in other front-line areas of Ukraine, communities in Mykolaiv have seen frequent disruptions to the delivery of vital supplies and essential services, as the hostilities continue.
In the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson, authorities and aid workers say attacks today and yesterday caused civilian casualties and significant damage to civilian infrastructure.
And on Wednesday in the Donetsk Region, strikes damaged the office of a national humanitarian organization in the town of Kurakhove. Thankfully, no staff were injured.
**Deputy Secretary-General
The Deputy Secretary-General is in Washington D.C. today to continue her participation in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings.
She co-hosted a closed-door meeting on Nature Finance, trying to identify ways to advance climate adaptation and nature finance in the run-up to COP29 (29th Conference of Parties) and beyond.
This afternoon, she is attending the event entitled “Accelerating Progress by Working Together” hosted by World Bank Managing Director, Axel van Trotsenburg, to discuss how the UN and World Bank are working together at the country-level to achieve impact at greater scale.
Later today, she will attend the Development Committee Plenary alongside Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF.
Underscoring the importance of unifying our efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and transform the international Financial Architecture, she will meet with Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations, World Bank; and Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnership.
**Cuba
We have an update for you on the impact of Hurricane Oscar in Cuba. Authorities says the death toll has risen to seven, with tens of thousands of people still cut off from communications networks.
The Resident Coordinator, Francisco Pichon, is in contact with the Government on mobilizing UN assistance. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has deployed a small team from Panama to provide coordination support. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has pre-positioned food in the country to immediately assist 275,000 people for 60 days and UNICEF’s supplies in the country will go towards supporting more than 40,000 people with water, hygiene, shelter and education. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has also pre-positioned 4,000 roof tarpaulins.
**Audiovisual Heritage
On Sunday we will mark World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.
Audiovisual archives tell us stories about people’s lives and cultures. Conserving this heritage and ensuring it remains accessible to the public and future generations is a vital goal for institutions and the public at large.
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesman: Any questions for me before we go to our guests? Yes, Edie?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. On Kamal Adwan Hospital, I just want to make sure we have the timeline right. There was a convoy that arrived, as you said, I believe the early morning hours to evacuate 23 patients. And then the Israelis launched an attack. How long after the convoy left with the injured patients to go to Shifa Hospital did the attack begin?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the team actually had left overnight. They arrived back from the mission to Kamal Adwan Hospital at 3:30 this morning local time. And so, they had already left many hours in advance of that. But certainly, it’s worrisome that this attack has happened. But also, it’s a worry that, as the World Health Organization put it, since that reported military raid on the hospital, the agency has lost touch with its personnel who were at Kamal Adwan.
Question: Right. And on Sudan, has the UN been able to get any aid, any convoy into El Fasher?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe that we had reported getting some aid into El Fasher earlier this week, and we’ve been able to use different crossing points, including the Adre crossing point, to get aid from Chad into Sudan. But clearly, it’s insufficient. And the situation, as I described it, is extremely alarming. Benno?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. There was wide criticism about the SG’s trip to Kazan. I bet he thought carefully about it. But explain to me what justifies for Mr. [António] Guterres to shake hands and sit down with President Putin while the ICC (International Criminal Court) has an arrest warrant on him?
Deputy Spokesman: Any involvement by any UN officials, including the Secretary-General, with people who are under indictment has to be done strictly on the basis of operational necessity. There are very clear operational issues that we have to deal with, including the ones that I mentioned at the readout that I read at the start of this briefing. We have concerns about the war in Ukraine. We have concerns about the safe navigation in the Black Sea. And these are all reasons for having a meeting such as this, again, under strict conditions in terms of dealing with operational matters, while you have to deal with indicted personnel.
Question: Would you characterize the conversation with Mr. Putin as a step forward? Did he commit to any tangible measures for de-escalation?
Deputy Spokesman: I think any communication in and of itself helps move things along. And so that is what we’re trying to do. I don’t have any concrete results to report at this stage.
Question: Okay, very last one. Ukraine is upset about this trip of the SG. As a counterweight, can we expect the SG being in Kyiv in the near future?
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General, when he met with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy at the General Assembly meetings last month, did discuss the idea of traveling to Ukraine and we are working to find a mutually convenient time for such a travel. Dezhi?
Question: Yes. First on the killing of the UNRWA driver, Muhammad Abu Attawi. Obviously, this name is on the letter of the July that Israeli Government provided to UNRWA. But they claim that UNRWA didn’t do anything, because to date you haven’t received any evidence. Is there any misunderstanding that maybe Israel thought they just provided the name, that UNRWA should do its own investigation?
Deputy Spokesman: In order for us to follow up, we need the relevant information about what information Israel has that indicated that this was a Hamas member. So, like I said earlier, Mr. Lazzarini had urged the Israeli Government to cooperate with the agency by providing more information so that he could take action. And we did not receive a response to that letter.
Question: It’s funny that because IDF also claimed that Israel has requested urgent clarifications from senior UN officials and an urgent investigation into the involvement of UNRWA employees in the 7 October attack.
Deputy Spokesman: As you have seen, both UNRWA and the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) have investigated once we get information to go forward on. So we do actually mount these investigations. But like I said, he had requested further information from Israel as a step so that we could proceed further.
Question: Wait, so first you confirmed that you indeed received request from Israeli authorities that you need to investigate this?
Deputy Spokesman: I confirmed that we received this letter with a list of names, including this person, in July 2024.
Question: No, that’s of July, but I mean now, I mean today, today or yesterday has UN received any request from Israeli Government that you need to investigate this?
Deputy Spokesman: Like I said, what we’re doing right now is trying to follow up on the letter from July. What we need is information, a reply to what Mr. Lazzarini sent.
Question: Okay, my second question, if you go to Google, if you search UN News, the first advertisement is United Nations agencies’ bias. It’s from an Israeli governmental website here, as I showed you — listed all kinds of UN agencies, how they are biased against Israel. Any response to this?
Deputy Spokesman: I think we’ve been talking at great length for many months about the objectivity of UN agencies. We’re going about our work without favour to any side. And this is something that we do throughout conflict zones; and as you know, in many conflict zones this or that party may allege us of bias, but we try scrupulously to present the evidence as we get it.
Question: Would you consider this a misinformation campaign from Israeli authority against the UN?
Deputy Spokesman: I will leave you to judge for yourself. Mike, online.
Question: Thank you, Farhan, sir. I hope you’re doing well. Two topics. The first, this UNRWA employed terrorist. Do we have any idea what mission he was carrying out in a UN vehicle while he was killed by that IDF strike?
Deputy Spokesman: I don’t know. I mean, drivers drive vehicles. That’s the nature of their job. But beyond that, I have no details on what he was doing at that time.
Question: Is there an investigation that’s going to be carried out to find out whether he was wearing his UN hat at the time or his Hamas hat inside that UN vehicle?
Deputy Spokesman: I think that’s a leading question. At this stage, like I said, we ourselves are in touch trying to get further information from the Israeli authorities about what relevant information they had about him. Yes. Yeah.
Question: Farhan, may I continue?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, yeah. Go on.
Question: I mean, the IDF wouldn’t have information about what an employee was doing at a given time. Wouldn’t UNRWA have the information about what the employee was assigned to do at a given time?
Deputy Spokesman: I’m sure that UNRWA has information about different things, but having hour-to-hour information about the movement of employees during a time of war would be very difficult to collect. Pam?
Question: Second…
Deputy Spokesman: Sure, and then Pam.
Question: Second topic. There was a letter that was sent out to the Secretary-General today from a coalition of 105 or so members of the US Congress on a bipartisan basis. It’s relevant to recent media reports about the Palestinian Authority and a reported scheme to unseat Israel from the UN via the Credentials Committee coming up during the winter. A, is the Secretary-General in receipt of this letter, and B, does he have a position or reaction to it?
Deputy Spokesman: On this, what I can say is that actions taken by bodies such as the Credentials Committee or the General Assembly are actions taken by Member States. These are not actions that the Secretary-General himself has authority over. Pam?
Question: Yes, to follow up. But first, COP16, the Secretary-General is going, biodiversity targets haven’t been met. He mentioned COP29 when he was in Kazan, but he didn’t mention COP16. Does he have any sense that in the time that there’s so much war going on that there’s going to be any progress on this?
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General is certainly hopeful for there to be progress. It’s very clear what the challenge is in terms of preserving biodiversity. And we are at a critical moment where if we do not act now, a lot of the biodiversity upon which we depend for a balanced ecosystem will be lost.
Question: Alright. And a follow-up to Benno’s question. The perception is that this handshake, a very friendly reception in Kazan by Putin of the Secretary-General, is being shown around the world — like Dezhi and the other issue, it’s as equally viral. Is there a message that the Secretary-General has about why? I mean, you mentioned negotiations, but is there a theory that he has? What goes into his thinking when he does that? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I’ve already explained for several days running why he felt it was important to attend the BRICS summit, which is one of the crucial summits with a large number of Member States whose work is vital to the work of the organization. But beyond that, you heard what I said at the start of this briefing, and I think you can have an image of a handshake, but the words that he has said and the words that he’s relayed through me here are very strong ones. And I’d urge you all to look at that and look at the strength of the message that he conveyed with him in his meetings.
Question: And do you think it’s time between the Israel issues about UNRWA and the Ukraine issues, for the Secretary-General to meet with us and talk about all these things where he’s under fire? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the Secretary-General has met with you many times, including just a few weeks ago. I think he did a lengthy one. We’ll see when the next one is going to be. But I would like to point out that, although I haven’t announced it yet, I’ll have some travel to announce in the coming days. Gabriel?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I know we have a guest, so I’ll keep it quick. Most of my questions have been asked already. But just going back to Kamal Adwan in Gaza, the hospital, could we possibly get a briefing with someone from that mission that went there recently to get a first-hand account of what they saw when they were there, if possible?
Deputy Spokesman: Sure, I’ll try to see whether anyone would be available for that.
Question: No problem. Thanks, Farhan. And then you mentioned Israel rejected essential food delivery into Jabalia, if I heard you correctly. Is this something that is still continuing on a regular basis, that Israel is rejecting essential food deliveries to people that need it?
Deputy Spokesman: We’ve talked many, many times about the rejection of missions going into areas. For example, in recent weeks to North Gaza, I believe we had had something like 77 planned missions, out of which six were accepted, which is an absurdly low rate. This is part and parcel of that.
Question: And it seems like Israel could make a case that they always say fuel, there’s issues with fuel, there’s issues with other things. Food — what’s the reasoning for that?
Deputy Spokesman: I’m not the one to provide what the reasoning will be. From our standpoint, these are all things that we believe are essential supplies. Yes, in the back, and then you.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. On the North Korea. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said earlier today that any reported dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia, if true, would align with international law. So my question is, does North Korea’s potential deployment of its troops to the Ukrainian battlefield comply with the UN Charter and the international law? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Without getting into questions about compliance with the Charter, I would just draw your attention to the discussion that the Security Council had on many of these issues on Monday, when they were briefed by Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča about the situation. And in terms of questions involving the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and sanctions, of course, those are to be resolved by the relevant sanctions committee for the DPRK. Yes, please, Sylviane?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Since the situation is so dire in Lebanon, is there any plans for the Secretary-General to travel to see by himself what’s going on the ground and also to visit UNIFIL? It could be a good idea. And the south Lebanon.
Deputy Spokesman: I don’t have any travel from the Secretary-General to announce on that. I would like to point out that many senior officials, including Jean-Pierre Lacroix, visited UNIFIL fairly recently. Yes, Edie?
Question: Farhan, could you give us a list of who else the Secretary-General met with in Kazan? I know I asked yesterday about China’s President Xi Jinping, but is there a greater list than the few people you’ve named?
Deputy Spokesman: No, there’s no greater list. The presidents he met with in terms of formal bilateral meetings were the Presidents of the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and Belarus. And then I mentioned a list of different pull-aside meetings a couple of days ago and those were the various meetings. Yes, please, in the back.
Question: Thank you so much, Farhan. AFP reports that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has rejected Guterres’s visit to Ukraine after his trip to BRICS summit. I’m wondering if you can confirm it.
Deputy Spokesman: I don’t have a confirmation of that. As far as I’m aware, we had been working in recent days with the Ukrainian officials, trying to find a mutually convenient time for a visit.
Question: Can I have one more?
Deputy Spokesman: Oh, yeah, sure.
Question: As everyone said, there would have been a lot of criticism because of Secretary-General’s trip to Kazan. It’s like President Zelenskyy said that Mr. Guterres preferred temptations in Kazan to the content of the UN Charter. So I’m wondering how can you comment on this? And secondly, if there were any context? Any, like…
Deputy Spokesman: I think I’ve gone over the context earlier in this briefing and, in fact, in the briefings of the last few days. So I would just draw your attention to what I’ve been saying on this. And with that, let me turn to our guests.