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 Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Guest
Good afternoon, everyone. I will be joined shortly by Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria. He will join us from Damascus to talk about the situation in Syria. Before that…
**Secretary-General’s Travel
The Secretary-General is still in Brussels today, and a few hours ago, he took part in a working lunch with the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. As we mentioned, he was invited by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa — and this lunch took place at the opening of the European Council.
The Secretary-General and Mr. Costa spoke to the press as they entered the European Union building. Mr. [António] Guterres expressed his appreciation for our partnership with the EU, reiterating that it is a fundamental pillar of the multilateral response to the challenges we face in peace and security, climate, sustainable development, and human rights.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the Secretary-General said any ceasefire is welcome because it saves lives, but he added that it is essential that a ceasefire paves the way for a just peace in Ukraine — a peace that respects the UN Charter, international law, and Security Council resolutions, namely about the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The Secretary-General renewed his appeal for respect of the ceasefire in Gaza, for unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas of Gaza, and for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. His full remarks have been shared with you.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks in Leuven, where the universities KU Leuven and UC Louvain will jointly award an honorary doctorate to the United Nations. In his remarks, Mr. Guterres will pay tribute to the work and commitment of our UN colleagues around the world. The ceremony will be webcast live on UN WebTV.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General is also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever. The Secretary-General will be back here on Monday morning.
**United States/Russia/Ukraine
As you have seen, last evening we issued a note to correspondents in which the Secretary-General welcomed the announcements by President Donald Trump of the United States and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation regarding an energy infrastructure ceasefire, as well as negotiations towards implementing the initiative concerning the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. He also welcomed the announcement that President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine have agreed on a partial ceasefire against energy and that technical teams will discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea.
The Secretary-General pointed out that these steps represent important confidence-building measures that can facilitate further discussions among all relevant actors towards de-escalation of the war. He hopes that it will pave the way for achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace that fully respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary-General also stressed that reaching an agreement on safe and free navigation in the Black Sea, with security commitments, and in line with the UN Charter and international law, would be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains. It would reflect the importance of trade routes from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to global markets.
**Security Council
Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari briefed the Security Council this morning on the humanitarian situation faced by the remaining hostages in Gaza.
He said that the UN continues to unequivocally condemn the appalling acts of terror on 7 October 2023 and continued holding of hostages in Gaza. Since the attacks, he noted, the Secretary-General and other senior UN officials have regularly met with the families of hostages and have been deeply moved by their stories, and by the torment and anguish they have endured.
Mr. Khiari noted that the UN has repeatedly condemned the parading of coffins containing the bodies of dead Israeli hostages and public displays accompanying the release of living and deceased hostages, including statements made under duress. The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally, he said.
The resumption of hostilities on 18 March adds further despair and uncertainty for those remaining hostages, their families and their loved ones, and it has also been devastating for the civilian population in the Strip. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including women and children, he said.
He reiterated that a renewed ceasefire is the best way of protecting civilians — in Gaza, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel — releasing hostages and detainees and allowing aid and commercial supplies in.
**Gaza
The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) today confirmed the death of Marin Valev Marinov, 51, from Bulgaria, who died yesterday when two UN guesthouses were hit by an explosion in Deir al Balah, central Gaza.
Five additional UNOPS colleagues were injured in the explosion. Three of those injured worked in support of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Two of the injured worked in support of the UN 2720 Mechanism for Gaza. They are all now in hospital.
The UN is launching an investigation into the incident in Gaza yesterday, and we expect full support from the Israeli authorities
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), today said that in the past few days, another five UNRWA staff have been confirmed killed, bringing the death toll to 284. He said that those killed were teachers, doctors and nurses: serving the most vulnerable.
Meanwhile, he warned, the siege on Gaza tightens. For nearly three weeks now, he said, the Israeli Authorities continue to ban the entry of any humanitarian aid or basic commercial supplies.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the humanitarian situation, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that the situation continues to deteriorate as attacks continue for the third consecutive day.
Mass displacements are being reported across the Strip. Our humanitarian partners estimate that as of yesterday, more than 68,000 people had fled since the evacuation orders were issued on Tuesday. A new evacuation order covering areas in Khan Younis were also issued today, following reports of rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups.
In North Gaza, there are reports of some initial displacement of people from Beit Lahiya following the reported start of the Israeli ground operation there.
Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General-for Humanitarian Affairs, said that for nearly three weeks, Gaza has been completely sealed off to food, medicine, fuel and cooking gas — and he warned that the gains we made during the ceasefire to support survivors in Gaza have been reversed. He said the blockade of lifesaving aid must be lifted, the hostages must be released, civilians must be protected, and the ceasefire must be renewed. Our food security partners cautioned today that more bakeries may be forced to shut down in the coming days unless the inflow of supplies resumes immediately.
Gaza’s healthcare system is under immense strain, with hospitals continuing to receive the wounded and partners doing all they can to provide services as supplies dwindle. Since Tuesday, 13 hospitals have reportedly treated hundreds of trauma injuries. Given the high caseload, health partners warn that blood units are running low.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) this week has activated urgent delivery services in 14 primary care centres and medical points set up for pregnant mothers who may be unable to reach hospitals.
Meanwhile, our partners are continuing water trucking operations, as multiple water facilities have been affected by the evacuation orders. Water production levels remain well below the pre-October 2023 levels. The UN reiterates that the delivery of humanitarian assistance must be facilitated, and civilians must always be protected.
**Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
I want to flag that the report of the Secretary-General on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse covering 2024 has been issued. The report details system-wide efforts to strengthen our capacity to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse, in line with the Secretary-General’s strategy.
Since 2017, we have continued to devote considerable attention and effort to improving the way the sector addresses the issue. System-wide coordination structures, global standards, technical tools, training, improved reporting mechanisms, and increased country-level support and capacity have all contributed to enhancing prevention, response, and transparency. However, challenges persist, and we remain committed to addressing these.
Our approach, which prioritizes the rights and dignity of victims, remains a key objective of the Secretary-General’s strategy. Efforts are ongoing to ensure victims have a voice and better access to assistance and support. While the Trust Fund for Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse has been invaluable, very little funding remains in it. The Secretary-General urges Member States to make available adequate and sustainable support for prevention efforts and for victims and their children. Addressing the underlying issues such as inequality, extreme poverty, and lack of rule of law is crucial to ending this scourge.
The report also highlights the UN’s efforts to end impunity and ensure justice for victims. The Secretary-General calls on Member States to address accountability robustly and resolve outstanding paternity cases without delay. He remains steadfast and committed to effectively tackling this issue with the support of Member States. We will keep pushing forwards on this important issue.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the situation in Zamzam camp near the city of El Fasher has further deteriorated over the past two days. Armed groups advancing towards El Fasher and Zamzam have reportedly gained full control of surrounding routes. According to a humanitarian partner still operating in the camp, the road between El Fasher and Zamzam is now completely blocked, halting all supply movements and medical referrals.
This has had severe consequences on essential services, particularly the water supply. Humanitarians on the ground say the tightening blockade has shut down all diesel-powered infrastructure, including boreholes, leaving only solar-powered systems operational. However, these cannot meet the growing demands. As we mentioned yesterday — displaced people continue to seek shelter in Zamzam. Residents at the camp are reportedly having to wait up to two days to fill a single water container.
Humanitarian partners say security concerns and fuel shortages have prevented water trucking, further exacerbating the crisis. Meanwhile, there were reports yesterday that in neighbouring towns, dozens of villages and markets were burned down during attacks, triggering mass displacement. The ongoing siege on El Fasher and Zamzam is worsening conditions for displaced people, and severe shortages of supplies continue to deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Aid workers have been forced to ration water and supply stocks to sustain operations for as long as possible. Although some basic nutrition services remain operational in Zamzam, they could be suspended if an attack occurs. However, the main stabilization centre in the camp remains closed due to a lack of essential medical supplies, leaving severely malnourished children at extreme risk. In a meeting with aid organizations yesterday, administrative authorities in the town of Tawila in North Darfur state agreed to reopen roads to enable aid deliveries to Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps, as well as displaced communities in El Fasher.
We reiterate that an immediate de-escalation of hostilities is critical to ensure safe, timely and sustained access for life-saving humanitarian assistance and services. All parties must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure that civilians are protected.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that a surge in violence in Ituri province, is harming civilians and hindering relief efforts.
On 18 March, local humanitarian sources reported that an armed group raided a site hosting displaced people in the territory of Djugu, with two people killed and property looted.
As we’ve mentioned before, violence has been mounting in Djugu for weeks, particularly in the areas of Fataki, Drodro, Rethy and Linga. At least four humanitarian organizations have suspended activities in the area, cutting some 300,000 people off from life-saving aid and protection.
OCHA also tells us that clashes continue in parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, leading to new displacements and civilian deaths.
In South Kivu, local humanitarian sources report that fighting in the highlands of Fizi Territory has prevented nearly 30,000 displaced people from returning to villages in the area.
And in North Kivu, local humanitarian sources estimate that more than 10,000 people fled clashes in Walikale Territory yesterday, crossing into the neighbouring provinces of Maniema and Tshopo.
**Haiti
Turning to Haiti, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are concerned about cholera, with new suspected cases being reported daily.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 900 suspected cases and four confirmed cases have been recorded nationwide.
In Cité Soleil, more than 100 suspected cases have been reported in the past three weeks. The deteriorating security situation hinders access for surveillance teams and response efforts, raising concerns about undetected community transmission.
The Government and the World Health Organization (WHO) are jointly responding to the outbreak by providing medicine and medical supplies and setting up rehydration and chlorination points.
OCHA also warns that years of underfunding for the humanitarian response means that millions of Haitians are missing out on the essential support they need.
Funding for water, sanitation and hygiene services is particularly low, with only $3.6 million out of the required $87 million received. Additionally, just less than 30 per cent of health facilities with beds across the country — and just over 40 per cent in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area — are fully operational.
**UN Refugee Agency
In a statement issued today, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that the brutal funding cuts in the humanitarian sector are putting millions of lives at risk, and that the consequences for people fleeing danger will be immediate and devastating. Mr. Grandi said that refugee women and girls at extreme risk of rape and other abuse are already losing access to services that kept them safe, and children are being left without teachers or schools, pushing them into child labour, trafficking, or early marriage. He added that refugee communities will have less shelter, water and food, and that slashing aid will make the world less safe, driving more desperate people to become refugees or keep moving onwards.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that together with its partners, UNHCR responded to 43 refugee emergencies last year alone. With less funding, fewer staff and a smaller UNHCR presence in countries hosting refugees, Mr. Grandi pointed out that the equation is simple: lives will be lost. This is not just a funding shortfall, he said, it is a crisis of responsibility — the cost of inaction will be measured in suffering, instability and lost futures.
**International Days
Today is the International Day of Happiness. This Day is a reminder that happiness is a fundamental human goal and that we should all achieve it, so remember that.
Also, today is French Language Day. As you know, French is one of the six official languages at the UN, in addition to Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, and Spanish.
**Financial Contributions
And last, we would like to say thank you to our friends in Podgorica and Pretoria for their full payments to the Regular Budget. The payments from Montenegro and South Africa bring the number of fully paid-up Member States to 81.
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesman: That's it from me. So before we go to our guest, first, some questions. Dezhi?
Question: Yes. Couple of details and follow-ups. First, yesterday, the Secretary-General’s statement saying that the killing of the UNOPS officers may put the number of deaths of UN colleagues to 280. Today, five more got killed. Why it's 284?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, in this case, the deaths, that they're describing are of UNRWA people.
Question: UNRWA, Okay.
Deputy Spokesman: There are other people who have died, including, as I'm aware, two from UNOPS, one from the World Health Organization, and one from the Department of Safety and Security. So the overall number is actually probably 288.
Question: Okay. Right. About the five injured colleagues, three from UN Mine Action Service, two for the implementation of 2720 resolution. Can you give us some update of their situation? Are they stable? Are they creating critical condition?
Deputy Spokesman: The good news is that all five of them are alive — that the surgeries that they've been undergoing have proved to help their condition. Some of them remain in intensive care. Two of them have very critical injuries, but like I said, they have managed to stay alive, and that is a blessing. There are two others with still somewhat severe injuries and one who is lightly injured.
Question: And for the five UNRWA staff who got killed in the past few days, do we have more details — like when and what they were doing when this happened?
Deputy Spokesman: There are different circumstances in all these times. Unfortunately, as happened in the early stages of this conflict, many of them were simply killed because they were in their homes or in their neighbourhoods when those neighbourhoods were attacked. And again, these are attacks on us, of course, but I would like to point out that the bigger problem is indiscriminate attacks on neighbourhoods that are killing Palestinian civilians as a whole.
Question: One last follow-up. On the incident of the Deir al-Bala, UN's facilities, you just said that you're expecting Israeli authority to help facilitate the investigation. Has they agreed? Is there any response from Israeli authority on the investigation?
Deputy Spokesman: We are in contact with them and will continue to be in contact.
Question: But no words from them yet?
Deputy Spokesman: There's nothing further to say than what I've just said. Yes. Dulcie?
Question: Yeah. I wanted to ask about the post of Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide. I understand that job vacancy posting has been closed.
Deputy Spokesman: I believe the process is continuing. We don't have any particular comment to say about the process until we have an announcement to make. And that will take some time.
Question: But can you confirm that the vacancy posting has been closed and now interviews begin?
Deputy Spokesman: I can confirm that that the process is ongoing. I do not believe that the interviews have started. Stefano?
Question: Thank you. Thank you, Farhan. Like you say, Secretary-General Guterres just stated in Brussels that the EU is a strategic central partner of the UN. He called the UN a pillar of multilateralism in addressing global challenges like peace and human rights. Given this, what is Guterres’s view on the fact that the EU is excluded from the Russia-Ukrainian peace talks? Does the Secretary-General believe the UN should be… Europe should be involved at this stage of the negotiation or at least later?
Deputy Spokesman: I think the crucial point there is that for peace talks to be successful, it is good to broaden the framework of them. But at this stage, his views on the peace efforts are what we said in our note to correspondents yesterday. And there's certain things he finds encouraging, and he is welcoming those. Denis?
Question: Follow-up on Russia-Ukraine talks. Has UN Secretary-General contacted Russia, US or Ukraine to offer UN's good services in mediating the talks?
Deputy Spokesman: There are no recent calls to mention. But what I can say is that the Secretary-General has made clear to his various interlocutors the willingness of the UN to make available its good offices if they — the parties — accept. As you know, in the case of Russia and Ukraine, he has done so in the past, including through the Black Sea Green Initiative from several years ago. And he's willing to do so again, as conditions allow. Okay. Dulcie?
Question: Yeah. I wanted to go to the status of the UNFPA. Is it true that the whole office here in New York is being moved to… I think it's Nairobi?
Deputy Spokesman: No. That's not what the Secretary-General intended. I believe that some operations are being moved, and UNFPA will have more details on that as it progresses. But UNFPA remains as it is right now — just down the street from us.
Question: And UN-Women?
Deputy Spokesman: UN-Women, also, I think they're exploring ways to locate their offices, but they remain as they are, and you can be in touch with them for anything further.
And, if that's it for questions, then I will move to our guest. So I would like to welcome Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria.