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.

**Noon Briefing Guest

Alright, good afternoon.  Tomorrow, we will have a guest who I hope will be of interest to you, and it is Muhannad Hadi, our Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian Territory.  He will brief you on the situation in Gaza.

**Secretary-General/African Union

I will start with my boss.  The Secretary-General is now back in New York after attending the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, and we shared with you quite a lot of information from his trip over the weekend, including the remarks and readouts of the meetings he had there. Before leaving, and speaking to reporters there, the Secretary-General said that over three days in Addis Ababa, he had met many leaders from across the continent to discuss challenges across the spectrum.  And he emphasized that despite the many tests facing Africa, we start from a position of strength.  At the same time, the Secretary-General drew attention to the UN Security Council, where Africa still inexplicably lacks permanent representation, and the international financial architecture, where the power and place of Africa is not fairly represented at the table.  All of his remarks are on the interweb.

**Security Council

This morning, the Security Council met under the agenda of threats to international peace and security.  Briefing Council members was Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas.  He noted that in one week, we will mark three tragic years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law.  In this context, Mr. Jenča said, today’s ten-year anniversary of Security Council resolution 2202 (2015) — that called for the full implementation of the now-defunct Minsk agreements — is an opportunity to recall past diplomatic efforts towards de-escalation and a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

He noted that the Secretary-General has underlined, time and again, that any peaceful settlement must respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly.  Mr. Jenča said that the UN encourages dialogue among all stakeholders and welcomes all genuine efforts and initiatives, with the full participation of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, that would alleviate the impact of the war on civilians and de-escalate the conflict.  His remarks were shared with you.

**Ukraine

And just since we are on the topic of Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that attacks today and over the weekend in Ukraine killed and injured civilians across the country.  According to what local authorities are telling us, front-line communities in Dnipro, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions were the most affected.  Authorities and partners on the ground also say that yesterday, a thermal power plant in Mykolaiv, in the south of the country, was damaged.  An estimated 100,000 men, women and children were left without heating as temperatures dropped below 0°C.  About 760 residential buildings, nearly 70 schools and kindergartens, and 20 health facilities lost access to heating.  Municipal services are working to restore services.

Humanitarians responded swiftly in Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv, providing aid including mental health support and psychosocial support, emergency shelter kits, food, warm drinks and blankets.  As of this morning, the Ukrainian grid operator, Ukrenergo, imposed emergency power cuts in various regions due to the latest round of attacks. As hostilities continue to damage homes and infrastructure in front-line regions, aid organizations remain committed to providing winter assistance to vulnerable people.  Under the 2024–2025 Winter Response Plan, humanitarian efforts have supported more than 900,000 people.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that as we and our humanitarian partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance across the Gaza Strip, the scale remains overwhelming — requiring urgent and sustained support.  Today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health stressed that oxygen supplies are critically needed to help emergency, surgical and intensive care services running at hospitals throughout Gaza, including Al Shifa and Al Rantisi — both hospitals are in Gaza City.  Health partners are engaging with the authorities to bring in generators, spare parts and equipment required to produce oxygen locally in Gaza. In northern Gaza over the weekend, shelter partners distributed tarpaulins to more than 11,000 families in need.

Meanwhile in Khan Younis, some 450 families are receiving sealing-off kits, kitchen sets and hygiene kits at the displacement site of Al Mawasi.  Educational activities also continue to expand.  As of yesterday, our partners report that more than 250,000 learners have enrolled in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) distance learning programmes.  Across Gaza, 95 per cent of school buildings were damaged over the past 15 months of hostilities, that’s what partners working on education sector are telling us.  Students are currently learning in makeshift tents and open spaces amid cold winter temperatures.

Meanwhile in the West Bank, OCHA says that casualties continue to be reported due to the ongoing operations by Israeli forces in Tulkarm and Jenin.  OCHA warns once again that the use of lethal, war-like tactics during these operations raises concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.  Meanwhile, settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties continue to be reported across the West Bank.  Over the weekend, Israeli settlers attacked residents in several villages in Nablus governorates – in one instance, setting a house on fire.  Humanitarian partners are mobilizing resources to support the impacted communities.

**Secretary-General/Gaza

And just to note, you will have seen that yesterday and over the weekend, the Secretary-General welcomed the continued implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza and urged all parties to abide by their commitments.  We remain fully engaged in supporting the implementation of the deal, including, as I’ve listed, through the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.  The Secretary-General reiterates his call for all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

**Lebanon

And moving north, to Lebanon, you saw that on Friday we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack on a nited Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy near the Beirut airport, in which two peacekeepers from UNIFIL were injured and one vehicle was set ablaze.  One of those people injured was our Deputy Force Commander; just to let you know that Major General Chok Dhakal, who was ending his tour of duty, and one of his staff were injured in the attack and taken to the hospital for treatment.  They were thankfully released from the hospital the following day.  And yesterday, Major General Dhakal departed Beirut and returned home safely to Nepal. The other peacekeepers involved in the attack were able to return safely to Naqoura.

The Government of Lebanon has opened up an investigation into the attack to bring the perpetrators to justice, a step that is clearly welcome.  UNIFIL has also launched its investigation surrounding the circumstances of the attack. We stress that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be respected at all times by everyone.  Such attacks are in violation of international law and of course completely unacceptable.

**Syria

And moving to Syria, on the political end, I can tell you that our friend Geir O. Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, will return to Damascus this week to continue his engagements with the Syrian caretaker authorities and others, including Syrians representing various factions of society. This visit follows Mr. Pedersen’s participation in the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, where he held discussions with high-level representatives from Syria, France, Germany, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and other key interlocutors.  He reiterated the importance of an inclusive, Syrian-led political process, supported by the international community.  He also took part in a side event on women, peace and security.

He emphasized our calls to all parties in Syria to uphold their international commitments, respect the rights and dignity of women, and to ensure their full participation in shaping the country’s future.  This includes guaranteeing access to education, freedom of movement, political representation, and protection from violence and exploitation.

**Syria/Humanitarian

And on the humanitarian front, today our humanitarian colleagues completed a mission to Darayya, in Rural Damascus, to visit a farm that had been cleared of explosive ordnance with support from the Syria Humanitarian Fund.  With hostilities subsiding in parts of the country, our humanitarian partners are scaling up mine action work in newly accessible areas, including former front lines where contamination is high.  Since December 2024, a total of 138 minefields and other areas contaminated with explosive ordnance have been identified in Idleb, in Aleppo, in Hama, in Deir ez-Zor and Lattakia.

During the same period, our partners have disposed of more than 1,400 unexploded ordnance items across Syria.  Mine action partners continue to report casualties due to explosive ordnance, and that is happening sadly on an almost daily basis.  Since December 2024, over 430 deaths and injuries have been recorded — nearly a third of them were children.  Farmers and shepherds account for a significant proportion of these casualties.  Since January, more than 60 people have been killed and over 90 others injured, many while tending to their land or grazing animals.

Meanwhile, the flow of aid continues through the border crossings.  Over the weekend, 40 trucks carrying nearly 1,000 metric tons of WFP food aid — enough for over 270,000 people — crossed from Türkiye to Idleb, in north-west Syria, through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing.  Partners have also expanded the import of food and other assistance from Jordan to Syria since the start of 2025.

**Peacekeeping

Our Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will begin a visit to Sudan, South Sudan and Abyei, starting tomorrow, from 18 to 24 February.  In Port Sudan, discussions with high-level officials of the Government will focus on strengthening cooperation and coordination to support peacekeeping efforts in the Abyei region.  He will then head to South Sudan where he will meet in Juba with Government officials and other key partners to discuss ongoing peace operations both in South Sudan and Abyei, where we have peacekeeping operations.

Discussions will include our support to the peace process, as well as assessing the region’s evolving security dynamics.  In both countries, Sudan and South Sudan, he will meet with representatives of the UN on the ground.  Mr. Lacroix is scheduled to be in Abyei where he will engage with the leadership of our peacekeeping mission there, the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and meet with representatives of the Abyei administrations, as well as with traditional leaders.  He will also engage with civil society organizations and local communities, including women’s and youth groups.

**Sudan

And just to give you a bit more of a dive in the rather depressing humanitarian situation in Sudan, which remains extremely worrying, we are especially deeply concerned about the impact of violence on civilians in and around the Zamzam displacement camp in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.  Following the escalation of hostilities in Zamzam over the past week, about 5,500 people were displaced and sought safety and shelter in Shamal Jabal Marrah locality in Central Darfur State.  There were also reports of others seeking to leave the area being prevented from doing so, due to the intensity of the fighting and key exit routes being blocked. As you recall, Zamzam is one of the areas in Sudan where we have seen famine.

This brings the total number of newly displaced people in Shamal Jabal Marrah to more than 120,000, as reported by our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).  Aid agencies have provided food assistance to about 93,000 of them, and some 53,000 people have received emergency shelter and other supplies.

**South Sudan

And just another example of the importance of maintaining the safety and security of UN personnel, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported that one of its blue helmets was injured by shrapnel in Nassir County in Upper Nile State over the weekend.  This comes as a UN peacekeeping patrol was on a pre-planned visit in the County when violent clashes erupted between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and armed youth.  The fighting reportedly led to civilian casualties, as well as large-scale displacement.  The UN Mission strongly condemns the incident and is engaging with authorities and communities to restore calm.

**Senior Personnel Appointment

A senior personnel announcement to share with you:  Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Jens Wandel of Denmark as Special Adviser on Reforms.  He was previously appointed to this function from 2018 to 2020 during the implementation phase of the reforms.  He has distinguished service within the United Nations.  He served as the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Executive Director (ad interim), the Secretary-General’s Designate for the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and he has also served as the head of the Bureau of Management at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) across the street.

**Tourism Resilience Day

Today is Global Tourism Resilience Day.  This Day spotlights the importance of tourism in supporting our communities and its role in sustainable development as it creates millions of jobs, in particular for women and young people.

**Financial Contribution

Take out your atlases.  I see Benno is so excited.  We have a quiz for you today from our guest quiz master, David Hunter.  Four new contributors to the Regular Budget.  Two are Island nations.  The first island nation on which there is a UN peacekeeping force.  Cyprus? Yes. The second is in the Pacific Ocean with two major chains of islands; one is called Ratak, and the other one is Ralik. No, the Marshall Islands.  The third is in Southern Africa and is the second least densely populated country in the world.  Namibia?  Very good. And finally, the fourth one is the birthplace of the Olympics.  Greece. Alright, we say thank our friends in Namibia, in Greece, Cyprus and the Marshall Islands.  Madame.  Yeah.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Yeah.  Unless I missed it, you did not mention at all DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo]. Bukavu fell into the hands of the M23 [23 March Movement].  It seemed that the African Union Summit did not have any impact on stopping the offensive of the M23 and the Rwandan forces, so any comment from the Secretary-General on the situation in South Kivu and the rest of the eastern DRC?

Spokesperson:  I mean, unfortunately, I was not able to get an update in time for the briefing.  We obviously continue to be very concerned about the situation in South Kivu, notably in Bukavu, which continues to impact humanitarian operations and, obviously, first and foremost, impacts the people, the civilians.  In Bukavu, the reports that we have is that the M23 is basically in charge and has set up an administration.  You are correct in saying that this was a focus of a large part of discussions on the Secretary-General's part [with] his interlocutors in Addis.  But, we are where we are, and the bottom line is that civilians are continuing to suffer. Edie?

Question:  A follow-up on that.  Does the Secretary-General believe there is any prospect for talks between the M23 and Rwanda and the Congolese Government? Was any progress made on that? And was any progress made in his talks in Addis on diplomacy involving both the RSF [Rapid Support Forces] and the Sudanese Government?

Spokesperson:  Look, I think none of these crises are going to be solved overnight. The Secretary-General continues to push for diplomatic and negotiated solutions to all these conflicts and not for a solution that involves more violence, more attacks and more suffering. I think his message has been, which he has said publicly, is that, at least for the eastern Congo, is that those troops that are not Congolese need to leave the Congolese territory.  And that every Congolese, regardless of their ethnic background, needs to feel at home in the Congo and their concerns need to be taken under advisement.

Question:  And on Sudan?

Spokesperson:  On Sudan, as you see, nothing… nothing very positive to report. He spoke publicly about Sudan, but I have nothing to add to what he said over the weekend.

Question:  And just to follow up on Ukraine — does the UN have any representatives in Saudi Arabia monitoring the upcoming talks between Russia and the United States, and in Paris, monitoring this emergency meeting of European leaders?

Spokesperson:  No.  We are not… we're obviously monitoring what is happening, but we do not have anybody in either of those places.  Dezhi?

Question:  Yes.  Let me follow up with the Edie's question.  Also, the two meetings.  Well, first of all, in the Paris emergency meeting, there's an idea of sending out military troops from the European countries floating again.  What is the Secretary-General's position on this issue?

Spokesperson:  Look.  I think it's clear that the reporting that we've seen is talking about sending troops in the eventuality of an agreement, right, as some peacekeeping or peace buffer. I think, obviously, all these things are a moving target.  What is not a moving target is that what the Secretary-General would like to see and what he's been pushing for is a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with General Assembly resolutions, in line with international law, and in line with the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Question:  So, in Saudi Arabia, the talk between US and Russia will be convened tomorrow.  What is the reaction from the Secretary-General that a meeting about Ukraine, there's no Ukraine in that meeting?

Spokesperson:  Look, I think I'm not going to comment on things that have not yet happened.  Right?  I mean, I think we're seeing a lot of different developments.  I think Mr. Jenča sort of addressed your question in his remarks, encouraging dialogue amongst all stakeholders; and as for the end product, we've stated very clearly what we would like to see.

Question:  Last question.  Any conversation between the Secretary-General with the [Donald J.] Trump administration?

Spokesperson:  When that happens, you will be the third to know.  Stefano?

Question:  This is a follow-up.  I'm sorry, but I think you didn't answer to the elephant in the room that we have here with what's happening in Saudi Arabia tomorrow and in Paris today.  Of all this, how the UN comes out of this situation where it's totally excluded?  And if, let's say, will continue between the road to search for this piece will continue without including Ukraine, how the Secretary-General will act? I mean, will consider this is under international law? 

Spokesperson:  The fact remains that the UN remains very present on the Ukrainian file, notably through our humanitarian work.  We have hundreds and hundreds of our colleagues in Ukraine in front-line communities helping the Ukrainian people.  You have the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] involved.  You have other UN entities involved.  There are a lot of moving parts, right?  You're asking me what the Secretary-General will say how he will react.  You're asking me to comment on something that has not yet been agreed to or happened.  What I can tell you and I've reaffirmed is what his position is on how he would like to see the end of this conflict.

Question:  Just a quick follow-up.  We understand that the power of the Secretary-General, but it's like he's giving up totally on at least trying to influence what's happening in announcing that if this really happens, if they go ahead and try to find a solution excluding Ukraine and Europe, well, at least he will say something that this is not according to what UN and what the international law expects.

Spokesperson:  I think I've just answered your… I don't agree with your premise, and I feel I've answered your question.  Yes, sir?

Question:  Thank you.  I have kind of a follow-up to the Saudi Arabia.  As far as I understand, the main focus will be on the possibility of the restoration of the entire range of bilateral relations between Russia and the United States and a possible meeting between the leaders of the two countries. Sob on that, does the Secretary-General keep track of the progress of this meeting?  And maybe you could share if he has any specific expectations?

Spokesperson:  Okay.  You know, of course, we're keeping track of the meeting, and any dialogue between Member States.  Any dialogue especially between two permanent members of the Security Council with the role that we all know they play is critical, right?  We will have to see what comes out of that meeting.  Okay.  On that note, enjoy the day.