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.
Alright, good afternoon.
**Guest
In a short while, we will be joined by our guest, Ulrika Richardson, who, as you know, is one of what we call a triple-hat UN official. She is the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, she is the Resident Coordinator for Haiti, and she is also the Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti. She will be joining us virtually to brief you about the current situation in Haiti.
**Haiti
And just to add to what she will say, I also want to flag that our colleagues in the World Food Programme (WFP) tell us that, as part of their emergency response in Haiti, they continue to provide critical food assistance, cash-based transfers and hot meals across the Artibonite, Nord and Ouest departments. This includes $1.2 million in cash assistance, as well as nearly 3,000 meals distributed in border regions to Haitians deported back to their country.
Last week, the World Food Programme organized the first of two humanitarian cargo flights from Panama City to Port-au-Prince. This was the first humanitarian cargo flight to land at the Port-au-Prince airport since its closure last November. The flight carried medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies for eight humanitarian organizations. A second flight is scheduled in about one month.
**Secretary-General/Bangladesh
I have a travel announcement. As you know, the Secretary-General does a Ramadan solidarity visit every year, where he likes to visit and fast with a Muslim community, which is facing distress. He began this tradition when he was High Commissioner for Refugees. In his own words, the Secretary-General said that Ramadan embodies the values of compassion, empathy and generosity. It is an opportunity to reconnect with family, with community and a chance to remember those less fortunate. These missions are to remind the world of the true face of Islam.
This year, the Secretary-General will be going to Bangladesh from 13 to 16 March. He will travel to Cox’s Bazaar to join an iftar and meet with Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Myanmar, and also, of course, with the host Bangladeshi communities who have been generously hosting the refugees from Myanmar. During his visit, he will also be in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, where he will meet with the Chief Adviser for the interim government, Professor Muhammed Yunus, as well as with young women and men and representatives from civil society.
**Secretary-General/Ramadan Message
And today, we also share with you the Secretary-General’s annual message on the start of Ramadan, which starts this weekend. In the message, the Secretary-General expresses a special message of support to all those who will spend this sacred time in displacement and facing violence. From Gaza and the wider region, to Sudan, to the Sahel and beyond. The Secretary-General stands with all those who are suffering and joins those observing Ramadan to call for peace and mutual respect.
**Türkiye
I think we have all seen the reports coming out of Türkiye regarding Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, and his message calling for fighters to lay down their arms and the PKK to dissolve itself. The Secretary-General welcomes this important development. This represents a glimmer of hope, which would lead to the resolution of a long-standing conflict.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the Donetsk region has been the focus of hostilities over the past three days. According to local authorities, attacks on the cities of Kostiantynivka and Kramatorsk have caused civilian casualties, including among children. They also damaged more than 100 homes, as well as two educational institutions and several shops, and have disrupted basic services. Aid workers are providing emergency assistance, including by distributing shelter materials. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that more than 40,000 people, including more than 200 children, remain in 17 communities in areas of active hostilities, while evacuations continue in the Donetsk region.
Since the launch of the mandatory evacuation of children with their families from high-risk areas in April 2023, more than 13,000 children have been evacuated from more than 250 towns and villages in Ukraine-controlled parts of the region. That is what local authorities are telling us. As the security situation continues to deteriorate, authorities urge residents to leave for safer regions, either through Government-led evacuations supported by humanitarian organizations or on their own. More than three years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, more than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine-controlled areas of the Donetsk region, while approximately 300,000 people remain.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan: Today, our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed her extreme concern about recent reports of civilians being unable — and in some cases actively prevented — from leaving conflict areas. She said in a statement that they are basically being held hostage in areas of active fighting, reminding that the passage of civilians fleeing to safety must be ensured, as called for under international humanitarian law.
Ms. Nkweta-Salami said that in the Zamzam displacement camp, where famine conditions were confirmed, as you well know, there are tens of thousands of people — the majority of whom are women, children and elderly — who have been facing intermittent conditions of siege, shelling and ground attacks. They are hungry and children are malnourished. Ms. Nkweta-Salami urged all parties to the conflict to de-escalate. The ongoing fighting is affecting civilians and civilian facilities, she added. We reiterate once again that international humanitarian law must be respected across Sudan and elsewhere. Civilians, including humanitarian workers, must be protected and humanitarian operations must be facilitated by all parties.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As you know, our friend Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of our Peace Operations department, arrived in Kinshasa earlier today. Accompanied by a delegation from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), he met with Prime Minister [Judith] Suminwa Tuluka; the Deputy Prime Minister for Interior Affairs, [Jacquemain] Shabani; the Deputy Prime Minister for Defence, [Guy] Kabombo, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, [Thérèse Kayikwamba] Wagner.
Their discussions focused on the security situation in the eastern part of the country, as well as the ongoing diplomatic and political efforts aimed at achieving an immediate cessation of hostilities in North and South Kivu. Mr. Lacroix advocated for the implementation of resolution 2773 (2025), particularly regarding the respect for the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an end to the offensive we are seeing by the 23 March Movement (M23).
And on the humanitarian side, earlier today, also in Kinshasa, we, along with our partners, and the Congolese Government jointly launched the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan. The plan seeks $2.5 billion to provide life-saving assistance and protection for more than 11 million men, women and children, including 7.8 million human beings internally displaced people within their own country.
For years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced a complex humanitarian crisis, driven mainly by conflict, natural disasters and epidemics. As you can imagine, escalating violence in the east in recent months has pushed this crisis to unprecedented levels, severely aggravating humanitarian needs which are already dire. The Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Bruno Lemarquis, said that all warning signals are flashing red.
Adapting humanitarian operations to the dynamic crisis in the East, the goal remains to deliver vital aid to the most vulnerable people, wherever they are. Last year, humanitarian partners mobilized $1.3 billion — a record amount — and assisted more than 7 million people. We are grateful for donors’ generosity and hope this can be sustained. Humanitarian organizations are urgently calling on all those who can help to do everything they can to provide funding, access and the support needed to assist people in need this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. First on Gaza, I can tell you that the polio campaign we have been briefing you about concluded yesterday and reached more than 600,000 children under the age of 10. The World Health Organization (WHO) also provided supplies to three hospitals and five health partners that will serve 250,000 people across the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, in Gaza City, this week the World Health Organization supported the expansion of the triage and emergency departments in Al-Shifa hospital with tents and an additional 20 beds.
For its part, UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] this week delivered essential health kits, paediatric medicines and newborn supplies for more than 20,000 people at the Al Awda Hospital, which is in North Gaza. We and our partners on the ground continue to scale up the provision of aid. Our partners working on food security tell us that as of the third week of February, some 860,000 cooked meals prepared in around 180 kitchens were being distributed daily — that is an increase of more than 10 per cent compared to 780,000 meals in the second week of February.
The World Food Programme says that subsidized bread is now available at 24 retail shops in the South, so families have safe access to basic staples without overcrowding. At least four food distribution points have been re-established in North Gaza to ease the burden on families forced to travel long distances for food with increased transport costs and protection risks. For the past two days, work towards improving access to water and sanitation, we have been telling you, is continuing.
Two water points were established and expanded in North Gaza Governorate. Two sections of water networks were also repaired to support long-term water provision to communities in Khan Younis. Also, on an equally important point, as of yesterday, 100,000 children have enrolled in school following the start of the new academic year, which started on 23 February. To date, 165 public schools across Gaza have reopened across Gaza. For most of these children, this will be their first time returning to in-person learning in 16 months.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces’ operations are continuing in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, leading to further casualties and displacement and hindering access to healthcare, water, electricity and other critical services. Overall, the situation across the West Bank remains deeply alarming. We once again stress that international law must be respected and civilians must be protected.
**Lebanon
Heading north to Lebanon: You will have seen that our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert congratulated the Prime Minister of Lebanon and pointed out that we look forward to a new phase of Lebanese unity and hope it will entail the consolidation of peace and security, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), alongside the advancement of recovery and reconstruction efforts. And on that resolution, the Special Coordinator met earlier today with the acting head of the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander, Major General Hassan Audi, to discuss the army’s ongoing efforts to extend State authority and facilitate the implementation of the resolution.
**Staff Security
And just to note, on staff safety, at least five peacekeeping and associated personnel were killed in malicious attacks in 2024. That is from data from the UN Staff Union Committee on staff security. Scores were injured — from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Central African Republic to Lebanon. There is a full press release available to you. Before we go to our guests, I'm happy to entertain some queries. Edie?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. There are there are some 7,000 people stranded on the Myanmar-Thai border, who've been forced to work on scams trying to get money out of people all over the world. Is the UN involved at all in trying to get them back to their home country?
Spokesman: It's a very valid question. It's the situation from what we've read is truly terrifying where these people have been subject to. We will check with our UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] and IOM [International Organization for Migration] colleagues if they have any direct involvement. Yes?
Question: Shukran, Steph, the [Donald J.] Trump Administration said it is eliminating more than 90 per cent of the US Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts, actually, and $60 billion in overall US assistance around the world. Is any of the UN projects or programmes are affected by this cut?
Spokesman: The short answer is yes. Different agencies are currently in touch with the US authorities to try to get some clarification. But, obviously, this will have an impact on some of the humanitarian development work that we do, given the size of the US contribution to our projects. Monsieur?
Question: Thank you, sir. I have a question. You mentioned that the jailed leader of Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, today called on the group to lay down arms and dissolve itself. And since you know this war has been going on between Türkiye state and PKK last 40 years, and it's one of the biggest issue in the Middle East. And you said the Secretary-General welcomes this new development. And I wonder, will he be interested, I mean, to monitor the negotiation or he will be involved at all or what or Secretary-General, can he play his any role?
Spokesman: You know, this story, I think, as you know, broke a few hours ago. We are monitoring the situation. We're trying obviously to get more details on exactly the next steps. What I can tell you is that for us, it really offers a glimmer of hope in a conflict, as you know, that has been going on for so long in which so many civilians have suffered and paid the ultimate price. There is no… as of today, I know of no role that is being asked of the Secretary-General, but as always, in any situation, he is always available, should all parties involved in anything want him to assist.
Question: And one more, if you don't mind, do it think this negotiation will lead any peace process also in Syria between the Turkish army and Kurdish SDF, led by Kurdish forces?
Spokesman: I think, as you said, this is an extremely important event, and news that we received today. I think I do not want to get ahead of ourselves. I think everything everywhere needs these days needs to be taken one day at a time. Dezhi, then Gabriel.
Question: Few very short questions. First, we didn't hear any comments from the UN on the possible mineral deal between Ukraine and the US. Does the Secretary-General have any comments on that?
Spokesman: I think, you know, before commenting, I would need clarity.
Question: Okay. Second question. If President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy travelled to the States, is there any arrangement for him to visit the UN?
Spokesman: I'm not aware of any arrangement at this time. I mean, all I've seen are reports of him going to Washington.
Question: Third one, very quick. Has the UN participated in any kind of action to push for the second phase of the ceasefire deal in Gaza?
Spokesman: No. As you know, the main facilitators of those discussions have been Qatar, Egypt and the US. We have been keeping in touch with those parties at different levels, but that is correct.
Question: Okay. One last thing. How's the liquidity status now for the UN Headquarters? Will there be any more measures to save money here? If you have any, can you just give us some, you know, heads up?
Spokesman: You know, we're… the Secretary-General has been in touch with staff and with Member States, and this is something that we've been dealing with now for a number of years. And I think the Secretary-General has been very prudent and frugal in how we manage our money to ensure that the operations can continue, and things are being looked at on a very regular basis. Gabby?
Question: Thanks, Steph. Just a quick one on, you know, that, last night, about 46 Palestinians were prisoners were released by Israel, at least 24 children. Can you just give some comments on this in the context of the stage-two negotiations?
Spokesman: Well, I mean, I think what we've been calling for is for, you know, both the Israeli Government and Hamas to live up to the agreement that's made. So, we're seeing the release of people who had been detained by the Israeli Government. We're seeing the release of hostages. We're seeing the remains of hostages, and we saw the release of the remains of hostages. The last one, I think, was done in a much more discreet way, should I say? So, all these things are to be welcomed, and we obviously encourage the parties to continue with the discussions so this ceasefire can continue. If you look at what I read today, the amount of humanitarian aid that we're able to deliver, the food that is able to reach almost every person in Gaza — I mean, these are things that we could not do while the conflict was ongoing. And we do not want to see anything that would jeopardize our ability to reach all the Palestinians that we need to reach. I mean, the return to school for these kids who've been out of school for 16 months, and not out of school enjoying themselves, out of school because they've been living under rubble, under bombs and in a conflict area. Next, please.
Question: Earlier today, Russia and United States concluded negotiations in Istanbul. Does Secretary-General has any comment about intensification of negotiations between them?
Spokesman: Look. I mean, we don't, we're not privy to what is being discussed, but I think any dialogue between the United States and Russia to settle outstanding issues is to be welcomed. Beisan then Pam.
Question: Just a quick question. There have been some statements from the Israeli side today indicating that they will not withdraw from Philadelphi, if you have any comment on that.
Spokesman: Our message is that we encourage all parties, whether it's Israel, whether it's Hamas, to live up to the commitments made and to work towards a positive movement to the second phase. Pam?
Question: Thanks, Steph. I know we have Haiti coming up, but Haiti and the Secretary-General question, which is that on Monday, he sent a letter to the Security Council saying that the current arrangements, in other words, the multidimensional force is better than having a UN force. Can you just elaborate on why? And he also called for an office in Haiti to support the current mission. Has that been set up?
Spokesman: I mean, so the letters, you know, went to the Security Council. What the Secretary-General is looking for is a mechanism that would increase the operational power and the efficiency of the MSS, right? And that would be by creating a UN mission that would provide logistics support, provide non-lethal support, a bit like the Somalia model, where you have AU [African Union] troops and you have a UN support mission. The letter also calls for the increase in capacity of the existing UN political mission and the UN political office in Haiti, BINUH. The Secretary-General continues to believe that the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in a place where there is no peace to keep is not the right answer. We have the Multinational Security Support force. They need to be supported financially. They need more men and women. They need better equipment, but there's no need to recreate a different sort of security force when there's one already on the ground.
Question: And there's also a flash appeal?
Spokesman: Yes. There's a humanitarian appeal, which thing which we launched yesterday or recently. I'm looking at Stephanie to validate what I'm saying. Linda, then Stefano, and then we'll go to Iftikhar. I see you, Iftikhar.
Correspondent: Thank you, Steph. Going back to your question, I mean, your…
Spokesman: My answer. I'm happy to ask questions.
Question: You know, USAID humanitarian aid. And of course, you know, that it's been disproportionately generous to the UN. And I was wondering, as it's been being limited, are any countries stepping up to increase their fair share of voluntary contributions?
Spokesman: We have been extremely grateful to the support that the United States has given throughout the years to UN's humanitarian and development work, which we feel has improved the state of the world and served, in a way, served the US interests, right, for a safe and stable and prosperous world. We are looking at all the cuts that are being made and the impact, but it is true that there are other Member States that could also support our work with greater generosity, and we've often called on them to do so. Stefano?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. President Donald Trump said that his proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada will go into effect 4 March, plus 10 per cent on China and 25 per cent on Europe. Does the Secretary-General have any reaction? Is he concerned about this tariffs war?
Spokesman: I'm not going to comment on every pronouncement of things that may or may not happen. So, I will leave it at that. Iftikhar, Associated Press of Pakistan.
Question: Thank you, Steph. This is regarding Secretary-General's message on the holy month of Ramadan. Every year, the Secretary-General spends a solidarity force in some Islamic country. Which country or territory he selected?
Spokesman: You may have missed my opening of the briefing. I announced that he would be going to Bangladesh for an iftar with the Rohingya community and the Bangladeshi host communities in Cox's Bazar.
Correspondent: Sorry. I missed the opening.
Spokesman: That's okay. I'm always happy to repeat myself. I actually am. Yes, please?
Question: The FBI accused North Korean entity of stealing one and a half billion dollars of cryptocurrency from an exchange. Does the UN have any comment?
Spokesman: I have not seen that report.
Correspondent: Okay. Thank you.
Spokesman: Go ahead, Tony. What do you want me to repeat?
Question: No. Nothing to repeat. Just can you clarify, please, based on what does the SG choose the country to which he's going for Ramadan?
Spokesman: I mean, listen, it's something that he does personally. We try to do different parts of the Muslim world. It also depends on his calendar. I think that, in his previous incarnation as High Commissioner for Refugees, he dealt with directly with the Rohingya crisis. It was one of his… I think one of his first overseas trips he took when he took office. The plight of the Rohingyas is something that is extremely close to his heart. And then he also wants to thank the Bangladeshi population, especially the population in Cox's Bazar, who has been so generous in, you know, in hosting more than a million, if I'm not mistaken. And it's also, I think, an example to other countries in the world, as you know, often, it is the biggest refugee communities are often are in developing countries, and often in very poor developing countries who open their hearts and open their homes to people seeking shelter. Thank you. Please stay for our guest. We'll have Ulrike join us, and we'll have Stephanie to do the honours.