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 Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Alright, good afternoon. Happy Friday, as we take our seats.
**Background Briefing
Just to remind you, at 1:00 p.m. here, or maybe just a little before, there will be a background briefing by a senior UN official on the Secretary-General’s upcoming trip to southern Africa, which I will announce now.
**Trip Announcement
The Secretary-General will be heading to South Africa and Lesotho next week.
On Wednesday, he will be in South Africa, where he will meet with the President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and other senior South African Government officials. Discussions will focus on global and regional issues, but especially on South Africa’s G20 Presidency and its leadership on financing for development. The Secretary-General will underscore that with South Africa taking the G20 helm and being the first African country to preside over the G20, there is a significant opportunity for the G20 to help advance Africa’s priorities.
On Thursday, the Secretary-General will proceed to neighbouring Lesotho, where he will meet with the King of Lesotho, Letsie III, the Prime Minister and other officials.
The Secretary-General will seize this opportunity of this visit to show solidarity with the African continent, that has been a victim of global injustices that are denying African nations their rightful place on the world’s stage.
The visit to Lesotho is symbolic, as it is a small land-locked country that has suffered the dramatic impacts of climate change, which will cost African economies billions of dollars every year.
While there, he is scheduled to address the Parliament as Lesotho celebrates the bicentenary of the founding of the Basotho nation, a moment the Secretary-General is honoured to share with the people of Lesotho. The history of this country is rich, and its location in the heart of southern Africa and commitment to sustainable development puts it in a unique position.
Prior to departing Lesotho, the Secretary-General will visit the Katse Dam, which is central to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and to water management in the broader region.
**Secretary-General/Yemen
I have a statement to share with you on Yemen. The Secretary-General renews his call for the immediate and unconditional release of the humanitarian personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Yemen. It has been six months since the detention of more than 50 personnel from the United Nations, international and national non-governmental organizations, from civil society, and diplomatic missions, in addition to the four other UN personnel detained in 2021 and 2023.
The Secretary-General acknowledges the recent release of one UN staff member and two non-governmental organization (NGO) personnel recently but recalls that the continued arbitrary detention of dozens of others is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law.
These detentions threaten the safety of humanitarian personnel and significantly impair efforts to assist millions of people in need. These actions are inconsistent with genuine engagement in peace efforts.
The United Nations, NGOs and other relevant international partners are working through all possible channels and authorities to secure the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained.
**Financing for Development
Also today, the Secretary-General is appointing a group of prominent experts to promote actionable policy solutions and galvanize political and public support required to resolve the debt crisis. This work will inform the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), which is an intergovernmental process facilitated by the UN, which will take place from 30 June to 3 July [2025], in Sevilla, Spain next year.
The developing world is currently facing an unprecedented debt crisis, with dozens of countries struggling under the weight of debt service that threatens economic stability, social progress, and sustainable development. And yet, to date, the global response has fallen short.
The group will be led by Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the UN Special Envoy on Financing for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and co-chaired by Mr. Paolo Gentiloni, the former European Commissioner for Economy, Mr. Trevor Manuel, the former Minister of Finance of South Africa, and Ms. Yan Wang, a Senior Academic Researcher at the Boston University Global Development Policy Centre. That has been shared with you electronically as we speak.
**Syria
Turning to Syria and the continuing very worrying situation on the ground there: Since the escalation of hostilities, at least 370,000 men, women and children, boys and girls have been displaced, including 100,000 who left their homes more than once. Most of the displaced are women and children.
Our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that tens of thousands of people have now arrived in north-east Syria.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and NGOs operating in the north-east estimate that between 60,000 and 80,000 human beings have been newly displaced, including more than 25,000 currently hosted in shelters.
These shelters are filling up as soon as they are assigned. With these sites now at capacity, people are sleeping on the streets or in their cars in sub-zero temperatures as winter is setting on.
The UN is working with our humanitarian partners in the north-east to assess the needs of families who have arrived at reception centres.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that as hostilities in the north escalate and expand to other parts of the country, civilians, including humanitarian workers, are facing grave threats to their safety. The fighting also continues to cause severe damage to critical infrastructure and of course, is disrupting much needed aid operations.
According to local health authorities, hundreds of civilians are estimated to have been killed or injured over the past week — although the situation is highly fluid and exact casualty figures have yet to be confirmed.
**Lebanon
Turning to the situation in Lebanon, we are aware of mutual accusations that have been traded by the parties about adherence to the cessation of hostilities.
We urge all actors to abide by their commitments under the cessation of hostilities [agreement] and also, of course, under resolution 1701 (2006), and that commitment should be made both in letter and in spirit.
Since the announcement of the cessation of hostilities, we have been actively engaged with the parties as well as with representatives of the United States and representatives of France in support of the commitments made within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) respective mandate. UNIFIL stands ready to support these efforts, together with the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), in line with the recommitment of the parties to their obligations under [resolution] 1701 (2006).
Peacekeepers in UNIFIL’s area of operations in south-eastern Lebanon conducted road clearing and repairing tasks last week, rehabilitating sections of two vital roads connecting the country’s southeastern villages with the capital, Beirut, that were damaged by recent Israeli air strikes.
Turning to Lebanon, more than a week on from the announcement of the ceasefire, the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs says that people are continuing to return to their communities.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) tells us that more than 786,000 people have begun returning to their communities since 27 November, with the largest number in the El Nabatieh district in Nabatieh Governorate, Saida district in the South Governorate and Baalbek district in Baalbek-El Hermel Governorate. Authorities report that collective shelters are now hosting 9,000 displaced people, down from 188,000 people before 27 November.
Delivering humanitarian aid remains challenging, with damage to civilian infrastructure hampering the response and hampering the recovery.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that damaged health and sanitation infrastructure increases the risk of disease outbreaks, while vaccination rates have plummeted and thousands of people urgently need reconstructive surgery.
Fourteen hospitals in Lebanon have been affected by the hostilities. WHO is working together with the authorities to help reopen hospitals that were forced to close.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to Gaza, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that after two months under Israeli siege, the people in North Gaza Governorate continue to flee deadly violence and deprivation to areas farther south.
On Wednesday, more than 5,500 people in North Gaza were displaced to Gaza City, after Israeli forces surrounded three schools and nearby homes in Beit Lahiya. Those arriving in Gaza City reported that Israeli forces opened fire on people fleeing via Salah Ed Din Road.
Our partners say that those newly displaced from Beit Lahiya have sought safety at three shelters in Gaza City. This morning, more than a dozen families displaced from the area around Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza also arrived in Gaza City.
As of today, our partners tell us that about 8,000 people have been displaced toward Gaza City from the north since 28 November. Aid organizations on the ground have been providing the new arrivals with any available assistance.
As winter sets in, some 545,000 people in Gaza are living in damaged buildings and makeshift shelters, underscoring the urgency of ensuring that thousands of tarpaulins and repair materials can be safely brought into the Strip without delay.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says 50 of the agency’s trucks carrying blankets, generators, medicines and surgical equipment have been stuck at the Egyptian border into Gaza, many of them for more than 50 days. We and our partners continue to call for the safe passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as suffering deepens across the Gaza Strip.
**Iraq
And back here, our newly-minted Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Mohamed Al Hassan, briefed the Security Council for the first time on the UN Mission’s (UNAMI) work.
He said that despite the many obstacles, Iraq today is more secure, more stable and more open than it was 20, or even five, years ago. He pointed to recent milestones, including the successful conduct of the national census in late November and the election of a new Speaker of the Council of Representatives on 31 October.
In a region that is “on fire”, Mr. Hassan said, Iraq’s Government has shown strong resolve to keep Iraq out of the widening regional conflict, while standing firm as a strong voice for regional stability and peace.
He added that the proposed amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law are a significant undertaking that could have far-reaching implications for women and children. He said that the UN Mission has extensively engaged with Iraqi stakeholders, emphasizing the need for a constructive and inclusive dialogue on this issue, and has further stressed that any reforms to the Personal Status Law should be in alignment with Iraq’s international human rights commitments.
**Haiti
Turning to Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the humanitarian situation remains dire for millions of people across the country.
Insecurity continues to impact the capital with tens of thousands of people remaining uprooted since the escalation of violence in November.
OCHA also reports that ongoing floods are impacting thousands of people in both the north and the south of the country.
In the face of these challenges, the UN and our humanitarian partners are supporting authorities and providing assistance to people in need.
In the capital, over the last week, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have distributed more than 900,000 litres of water to more than 60,000 [displaced] people in 26 sites across the capital region.
For its part, World Food Programme (WFP) has provided more than 95,000 hot meals to some 24,000 displaced people across four sites in Port-au-Prince.
And this week, mobile medical clinics operated by IOM were made accessible to about 14,000 people at four sites for displaced people.
In the south, we are continuing to support with our partners in coordinating with authorities the floods response and provide emergency aid, including hygiene kits and blankets and implementing cash transfer activities. For example, IOM provided emergency kits to 4,000 people affected by the recent flooding in Les Cayes.
Despite the ongoing efforts, our response remains impacted by lack of funding, no surprise. As we enter into the last weeks of the year, the $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan remains only 43 per cent funded, with $290 million only received. We would love for Member States to show more generosity and send us cash for this and all our humanitarian responses.
We reiterate our call for additional funding to ensure that the dire situation does not further deteriorate.
**Somalia
In Somalia, our Humanitarian Coordinator there, George Conway, allocated $5 million from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund to take action for droughts ahead of the predicted La Niña-induced rainfall deficits. The new funds will complement the recent $5 million released by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the UN and will support work in health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene in high-risk areas.
An estimated 4.4 million human beings in Somalia are facing elevated levels of acute food insecurity as drought conditions loom. Our humanitarian colleagues add that 1.6 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition between August of this year and July of next year, with more than 400,000 children likely to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition.
With just weeks left in the year, our $1.6 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia is only 44 per cent funded, with $690 million in the bank. We need more.
**Latin America and the Caribbean
This morning, our colleagues from IOM, UNHCR and partners launched a strategy to support the integration of refugees and migrants across 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for the 2025-2026 period. This initiative builds on the progress made over the past five years, in which 4.5 million migrants and refugees have secured regular status across the region, thanks to measures from host governments and international financial support.
The new Refugees and Migrant Response Plan seeks $1.4 billion in its first year to support over 2.3 million refugees and vulnerable migrants in their socio-economic integration, as well as, of course, to assist their host communities that are generously opening their doors to them.
This year, over 1.3 million refugees, migrants, and members of host communities benefited from opportunities provided by the Response Plan.
**Food Price Index
And this is the start of the month, so we have the Food Price Index. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today that the benchmark for world food commodity prices rose in November to its highest level since April 2023, increasing by 0.5 per cent from October, driven by surging international vegetable oil quotations.
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 7.5 per cent in November from October, marking its second large increase in two months and 32 per cent higher than its year-earlier level.
**Aviation Day
If I say, “buckle your seatbelts to take off”, what is the International Day? Yes, International Civil Aviation Day.
And in a message on the eightieth anniversary of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Secretary-General says that the organization is a powerful example of multilateralism in action.
He added that aviation faces one of its greatest challenges, which is addressing the climate crisis. Accounting for around 2 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, aviation is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize. But with innovation and investment, it can be done.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Amelie, you almost won. Alright, you won.
Question: Thanks, Steph. Just to double-check the figure you gave on Syria displacement people, you said 370,000 displaced people since the beginning of the escalation of hostilities. Just a few hours ago, your colleagues in Geneva said 280,000, so I was wondering if it’s just that they had the figure from yesterday and you have the new figures or if it’s not the same date of start.
Spokesman: I would hope that my figures are correct, but I guess this demands some double-checking. [He later clarified that the numbers he used were the more recent ones.]
Question: And when you said since the escalation of hostilities, since 27 November?
Spokesman: Yeah. Okay, Sylviane Zehil?
Question: Thank you. It’s on Syria. With Aleppo, Hama and now Homs under pro-Türkiye control, are Aleppo, Idlib, Hama and Homs considered to be under Turkish jurisdiction or domination?
Spokesman: I mean, the territorial integrity of Syria needs to be respected and it continues to be honoured by the United Nations. Now, obviously, there are a lot of different groups fighting and the government doesn’t have effective control over all its territory. The extrapolation and analysis I will leave to journalists.
Question: It’s not another question. In Aleppo, the Turkish flag reportedly flies on the citadel and the Turkish lira has replaced the Syrian currency. Given that Syria is a sovereign country, as you said, how does the United Nations foresee the future of Syria?
Spokesman: Look, the future of Syria needs to belong to the Syrian people, right? We have the political road map resolution 2554.
Correspondent: 2254.
Spokesman: 2254. Thank you. And this is what we’ve been saying since the beginning. This is what Geir Pedersen has been saying from the beginning. We need to return to a political discussion. We need to return to a political solution to respect the rights and the human rights of every Syrian, to respect Syrian territorial sovereignty and its integrity, to stop going from crisis management to crisis management, but to move to crisis resolution, to find a resolution to this crisis.
Question: The President, Bashar [al-Assad], is either in Qatar or Moscow forever. With whom you will have to discuss for the dialogue?
Spokesman: I have no information about the whereabouts of the President of Syria. We continue to deal with all relevant actors in this, including the Government of Syria. Mr. Pedersen spoke to Foreign Minister [Bassam al] Sabbagh not long ago.
Correspondent: Thank you.
Spokesman: Madam, and then we’ll go to Dezhi.
Question: Just to follow up on that. You’ve talked about Geir Pedersen meeting with all the parties involved. Is there any movement in getting the parties to talk to each other and come to a peaceful resolution?
Spokesman: Well, Mr. Pedersen is on his way to Doha for the Doha Forum. As we’ve told you, a number of other foreign ministers will be there. We expect him to have some meetings tomorrow. There’s also a meeting of the Astana format tomorrow. So let this crisis be an opportunity to move solidly forward on finding a political solution. Dezhi?
Question: Yes, several questions. First, also a follow-up on Syria. With the development fast changing, what is the capacity now for the UN there to offer humanitarian help for those people?
Spokesman: Well, we continue to do whatever we can. Obviously, while combat is ongoing, while fighting is ongoing, it limits our ability to distribute aid. It limits the ability of people to seek aid, right? So you’re more in a shelter-in-place situation. There have been other areas. There are other areas of Syria that are not under government control in which we’re able to operate. So I would hope, and I know that as soon as areas are facing less combat, our humanitarian operations can deploy in various ways, either through us or through local partners.
Question: Well, the head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, Mr. [Abu Muhammad al] Julani, when accepting interviews, he said his objective is to overthrow the Syrian Government. What is your reaction?
Spokesman: We do not want to see any more violence. We do not want to see any more fighting. We want to see a political solution so the people of Syria can have the future that they deserve, a future of peace and reconciliation.
Question: Okay, a completely different topic here. The UN Committee of Enforced Disappearances, yesterday, I think, 5 December, they released a report on Colombia. I don’t know whether the Secretary-General is aware of that report or not. In that report, they suggest that over 20,000 unidentified bodies are allegedly stored in a hangar at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport, which got denied by Colombian Government. I mean, where did that source come from?
Spokesman: So, we’re aware of the publication of the preliminary findings of this committee, right, which is an independent committee. It’s not an SG-led initiative. And the committee, as you know, is the Committee on Enforced Disappearances. They went to Colombia. The committee, as you know, is made up of independent Member States. It monitors the compliance of Member States who have adhered to the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. It issues recommendations. We’re not in a position, obviously, to comment on these preliminary findings. It’s up to the committee to do so. But we will continue to keep an eye on this very closely.
Correspondent: It’s very difficult to imagine 20,000 corpses in the hangar.
Spokesman: I’m not debating that point. Okay, Stefano, and then Dulcie.
Question: Yes. Thank you, Stéphane. It’s a follow-up on Syria. President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan today said that he hopes that the march of these rebels arrived to Damascus without incident. So my question is about the call that the Secretary-General had yesterday with President Erdogan. I mean, he told us he had that call, but we didn’t really know first what he asked to President Erdogan because he called. He must have asked something, and what Erdogan respond. He said, Erdogan said that he responded. I mean they released a document about the conversation when they say, “I told to Secretary-General that Assad didn’t respond to demand to meet”. So my question is what the Secretary-General said or asked to President Erdogan?
Spokesman: So, as you can imagine, I’m not going to speak for the Presidency of Türkiye and share with you what the President said to the Secretary-General. For his part, the Secretary-General, and this is part of ongoing consultations that he has and will be having with regional players, including as part of the overall work of the UN, including what Mr. Pedersen is doing. The Secretary-General’s appeal was for greater humanitarian access, obviously, and for recommitment of all the parties — and not only the parties in Syria, but those countries that have an influence over the parties who are also involved in the region to recommit to a political process outlined by resolution 2254 (2015). Dulcie?
Question: Yeah. I just wanted to ask you, given the decimation of Hamas in Gaza, what if, you know, is the Health Ministry, is it still operating?
Spokesman: I mean, it is operating in whatever way it can operate. We continue to get casualty figures from them and we continue to be in touch with them in terms especially of the functioning, or should we say non-functioning of the hospitals in Gaza.
Question: So to your knowledge, it’s basically still operating?
Spokesman: It is operating in whatever way it’s able to operate, but we continue to have contact with officials in the Ministry of Health.
Question: Okay. And on a separate question, the US, have they communicated anything to the UN about possibly reinstating funding to UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] under the Biden camp, or is that a possibility at all?
Spokesman: I’m not aware of any change in that department.
Question: Okay. Thanks.
Spokesman: Okay. Any questions online and then I’ll come back to the room? Okay. Madam Saloomey?
Question: I’m sure the Secretary-General saw this week when it comes to discussions of Syria and the Security Council, things got pretty heated. There’s a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of, I mean, frankly, back and forth in the Security Council like I haven’t seen in a long time. Has he spoken to any of those players? And what would his message be to the United States, Russia and other outside parties?
Spokesman: I mean, his message to the Council is, again, not to repeat myself, is one of unity and cooperation. This organization, the people of the world, benefit from unity of the Security Council, especially when it comes to issues of peace and security. He is happening today to have one of his regular lunches with the five permanent members of the Security Council, so I’m sure those messages will be delivered. Okay, anyone online? Okay, I would ask you just to be patient, maybe come back in exactly 15 minutes for the background briefing on the trip.