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.
All right, good afternoon.
**Guest Today and Tomorrow
As soon as you are done with me, we will have our guest, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in South Sudan. She will be briefing you virtually from Juba, in South Sudan, on the situation in that country.
Tomorrow, we will have another guest from the World Food Programme, and that will be Shaun Hughes, the Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Crisis. He will join us from Nairobi to brief you on the situation in Sudan.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
I will start off today with Gaza, and I can tell you that our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that hostilities across the Strip continue to exact a devastating toll on civilians, causing further death, further displacement and further destruction of critical infrastructure.
Thousands of families are on the move yet again, fleeing bombardment, shelling and repeated displacement orders issued by the Israeli military. But as we have warned repeatedly, there is no safe place in Gaza.
And as we repeatedly said, civilians must be protected, whether they stay, whether they leave. Those fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely, and they must be allowed to voluntarily return when the situation allows.
OCHA reports that humanitarian operations remain severely constrained.
That is due to the expansion of military operations, as well as the ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, which has lasted now for five weeks. There have also been deadly attacks on aid workers and humanitarian facilities.
Meanwhile, just since yesterday, the Israeli authorities have denied 8 of our 14 attempts by aid workers to coordinate access to people needing urgent assistance. Overall, since the intensification of the hostilities on 18 March, the authorities denied 68 per cent of our 170 attempts to coordinate access to reach people across the Gaza Strip and assist them with humanitarian assistance.
They also continue to reject all attempts to pick up supplies that were brought into Gaza and dropped at the crossings prior to the decision to shut those crossings on 2 March. OCHA underscores that these denials prevent us from carrying out critical and life-saving missions.
Despite the increasingly challenging conditions, our partners report today that they have resumed services in northern Gaza, focusing on urgent case management, psychological first aid, and psychosocial support for traumatized communities.
UNRWA’s (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) protection monitoring teams have identified severe protection risks in shelters hosting displaced people in northern Gaza, including extreme overcrowding, and acute shortages of food, water and hygiene supplies.
Physical hazards such as rubble, debris and broken glass were observed in 75 per cent of the shelters that were surveyed — posing further risks to displaced families, especially for children and older people.
**UN Relief and Works Agency
Just a note from our colleague, Philippe Lazzarini, who as you know, is the head of UNRWA. He said that yesterday, Israeli officials from the Jerusalem Municipality, accompanied by [Israeli] Security Forces, forcibly entered six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem. They gave closure orders for the schools, effective in 30 days.
Mr. Lazzarini said that some 800 boys and girls are directly impacted by these closure orders and are likely to miss finishing their school year.
He noted that UNRWA schools are protected by the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. These illegal closure orders come in the wake of Knesset legislation seeking to curtail UNRWA operations.
Mr. Lazzarini said that UNRWA is committed to stay and deliver education and other basic services for Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, and that is in accordance with the General Assembly resolution founding UNRWA.
**Sudan
Moving to Sudan and updating you on the continuing dire humanitarian situation there, our colleagues on the ground are warn that insecurity continues to push thousands of people across the Darfur region out of their homes, as humanitarian conditions rapidly deteriorate even further.
In the past week alone, more than 4,000 human beings have become newly displaced in North Darfur State, and that’s due to the escalating violence in El Fasher, which includes the Zamzam displacement camp just south of the city and other areas. As you well know, and we have said repeatedly, famine conditions have been confirmed in Zamzam.
Families fleeing — including many women and children — need urgent shelter, they need food, they need water, and they need medical supplies. But severe funding gaps and logistical challenges are hampering the ability of aid organizations to respond. One partner at Zamzam camp told our colleagues that rising costs and fuel shortages have forced the suspension of water trucking for newly displaced people there.
Our humanitarian colleagues say that since April 2023, more than 400,000 men, women and children have been displaced within or from El Fasher locality, when these latest rounds of hostilities began. Across the country, hostilities continue to put civilians at risk. In Khartoum State, intensified fighting disrupted a period of calm in the western neighbourhoods of Omdurman.
There are also reports of newly displaced civilians who urgently need protection and humanitarian assistance. And in northern Sudan, drone attacks earlier this week forced the suspension of operations at the Merowe Dam, triggering widespread power outages across several states. The strikes reportedly caused civilian casualties and damaged critical infrastructure, underscoring the growing impact this conflict on essential services.
We call — yet again — for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access across Sudan. We also urge donors to scale up funding to keep life-saving services running and to help agencies reach people in need in areas hit by violence and acute hunger.
**South Sudan
Moving to South Sudan, which you will hear more in a short while, Nicholas Haysom, the Head of the Peacekeeping Mission in that country (UNMISS), is continuing his intensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the rival parties. This week, he met with Vice President Taban Deng Gai and emphasized, once again, the need for parties to reinvigorate their commitment to the 2018 peace deal and its structures, as well as use dialogue rather than engage in conflict to reduce the current tensions.
Meanwhile, on the ground, our peacekeepers tell us that security conditions in Upper Nile State are fragile due to the ongoing clashes, particularly in Ulang county.
The peacekeeping mission — and as part of its mandate to provide protection to civilians, which is even more important now as tensions continue to rise — has had to intensify its presence around and within the camps for displaced communities, patrolling by day and by night, to provide additional security for the people. On the humanitarian front… You will hear from WFP.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that persistent violence in the eastern provinces continues to drive people from their homes and fuel disease outbreaks.
In the North Kivu Province, new clashes yesterday between armed groups in the Muhanda area, near the town of Masisi, displaced more than 45,000 people. That is what local humanitarian partners are telling us.
This surge in violence follows a three-day period of relative calm. OCHA is closely monitoring the situation and assessing the impacts on humanitarian operations in the area.
In a separate incident in Walikale territory, local sources tell us that on 5 April, armed men raided two critical health facilities. In Kibua Hospital and Kitshanga Health Center they looted stock of medicines and other medical supplies.
This attack, as you can imagine, further cripples access to healthcare for more than 120,000 human beings in the area of Kibua.
Meanwhile, OCHA also warns that cholera continues to spread in the east of the country, with outbreaks now declared in four provinces, and those are North Kivu, South Kivu, Tanganyika and Maniema provinces.
We are also concerned about the situation in South Kivu’s Fizi territory, with at least eight confirmed cholera cases reported in the Mulongwe refugee camp near the city of Uvira. The camp, which is hosting nearly 15,000 refugees from Burundi, faces acute risks due to poor hygiene, limited access to clean water and inadequate sanitation. Response efforts are hindered by strained healthcare capacity and logistical challenges.
In South Kivu’s Kalehe territory, particularly in the Minova area, cholera cases surged to 77 between 31 March and 6 April, just a few days ago. That is nearly five times the epidemic threshold that should trigger emergency response.
Humanitarian organizations are working alongside local authorities to contain the spread, but the situation remains critical and the supplies are limited.
**Myanmar
Turning to Myanmar, we and our partners are continuing to scale up response efforts and work to reach people impacted almost two weeks after the devastating earthquakes. Yesterday, a UN mission visited Sagaing region to assess the situation and deliver much-needed aid. A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team also managed to reach the affected locations to conduct assessments.
Over the past two days, 13 trucks of humanitarian supplies were delivered to affected areas in Sagaing, and those include tents, household kits, hygiene and dignity kits and child learning materials. Three of those trucks today travelled to remote villages in Sagaing Province, where distributions is expected to take place tomorrow. We and our partners are also in the process of establishing a logistics hub in that town and setting up temporary warehouses.
**Dominican Republic
Moving to this hemisphere, I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the incident in Santo Domingo that took place early yesterday in which close to 100 people died, including a retired staff member from the United Nations, and many others were injured following the collapse of the roof of a nightclub.
The Secretary-General expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people and the Government of the Dominican Republic.
The United Nations is supporting the authorities’ response and is ready to provide further assistance.
**Haiti
From Haiti, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continue to sound the alarm about rising violence and worsening humanitarian conditions, especially in two departments: Centre and Ouest, where the capital Port-au-Prince is located.
According to the IOM (International Organization for Migration), armed attacks in the past few weeks in the Centre department’s communes of Saut d’Eau and Mirebalais have now displaced more than 30,000 people.
The vast majority of them have remained in the department. Our humanitarian colleagues, along with partners, are providing assistance, including food, hygiene kits, safe water and psychosocial support.
We also have an update on the cholera situation in Haiti.
In the first three months of the year — as of 29 March — close to 1,300 suspected cases have been reported, including nine confirmed cases and 19 deaths.
This is what the World Health Organization (WHO) is telling us. The overall case fatality rate stands at 1.65 per cent, above the emergency threshold of 1 per cent.
Significant increases in suspected cases have been reported in Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince and in the town of Arcahaie, which included displacement sites where living conditions, as you can imagine, are very precarious.
The cholera response task force, working under the leadership of the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), and supported by humanitarian and international organizations, continues active monitoring and intervention.
We and our partners are continuing to provide assistance — including surveillance, laboratory support, case management, risk communication, vaccination, water and sanitation services, and infection prevention and control.
However, OCHA says that the response efforts remain severely limited due to insecurity, lack of access and underfunding.
**Security Council
Just to note for the record that yesterday afternoon the Security Council held a briefing on UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo). Briefing Council members was Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative and Head of the Mission there. She stressed that trust-building remains fundamental to fostering a stable and prosperous future for all communities in Kosovo, noting that despite the continued challenges which reflect a lack of confidence in institutions and concerns over intercommunal relations, the UN Mission stands steadfast in its commitment to bridging those divides. She said that during a recent visit to northern Kosovo, she once again has expressed her concerns regarding the closures of Serbia-run institutions and the consequences they are having on economic and social rights, especially for people in vulnerable situations.
**Office for Project Services
And I want to flag that our friend Jorge Moreira da Silva, the Executive Director for UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), will begin on Sunday a five-day visit to the African continent; that will include Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. Mr. Moreira da Silva is scheduled to meet with national authorities in these countries and development partners.
He will discuss practical solutions that UNOPS offer to partners to maximize the impact of their humanitarian, development and peace operations — all in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The visit also aims to get a better understanding of the needs on the ground, and how UNOPS can scale operations there.
**Financial Contributions
Four Member States have paid up. We have four little quizzes.
This landlocked country has a bicephalic system for Heads of State. […] Two Heads, it has two Head of State. They each serve for six months period. A landlock country. […] They are called Captains Regent. San Marino. […]
This next country in Africa, the name of the capital of this country is related to the name of a country in Asia that recently paid its dues. Tanzania. […]
This next country is not France because it has won 5 FIFA World Cups, more than any other country. [response from the crowd: “Brazil!”] Yes, Brazil. Very good.
Finally, this next country is the world’s second largest land-locked country. […] Mongolia.
Alright, so we are now 89, and we thank our friends in San Marino, Tanzania, Brazil and Mongolia for their full payments to the Regular Budget.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Yes, ma'am?
Question: Thank you, Steph. I think this might be a better question for our guests, but I'm going to try you first.
Spokesman: Okay.
Question: The AP reported that the World Food Programme has reversed… I'm sorry. The US has reversed cuts to the World Food Programme for six countries, including Jordan, Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, but has maintained those cuts for Afghanistan and Yemen. The status of funding for six other countries remains unknown. I'm wondering if you can share any details.
Spokesman: You know, I would encourage you to reach out directly to WFP, but I can tell you that we share WFP's concern about the impact of these cuts on some of the world's most vulnerable people, many of whom live on the threshold of survival. Pam?
Question: Thanks, Steph. You mentioned the crisis in Haiti, but this week, there was a very ugly attack that had thousands wounded, deaths, rapes. And the report that the UN produced said that the personnel originally envisioned of 2,500 is only 40 per cent. Is that?
Spokesman: The… Sorry, say again, that for the personnel of…?
Question: It was the annual report that said that the Kenyan police programme is operating with only 40 per cent of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned. So, it’s 40 per cent of fulfilment, so to speak. What can be done and what is being done to strengthen that mission?
Spokesman: Well, I mean, we continue to encourage Member States to support the Multinational Support Force with financing, with equipment. I think those countries, notably Kenya, but many others who have sent police officers are doing whatever they can to implement their mandate, but they don't have all the tools and the financial resources they need. And we are urging and pushing for more support.
Question: Thank you.
Spokesman: Dezhi?
Question: Hi, Steph. I want to show you two video clips. And then since we talk in length about anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, hatred, and then I want to show you these two clips. The first one from Vice President of this country. [video played]
Spokesman: I have seen that clip.
Question: The second one from the President of this country. [video played]
Spokesman: Yeah, I don’t need to. I have seen that video. You don’t need to play.
Question: All right. Stop the video. Okay. So if the Secretary-General have a chance to talk to those two people, what message does he wanted to tell them about all those rhetoric?
Spokesman: I think the Secretary-General will speak for himself. I think the kind of language that the Secretary-General uses is always respectful, is always correct, and he will continue to do so.
Question: Should political figures talking like this?
Spokesman: I think we have seen in many instances, political figures use inflammatory rhetoric.
Question: And one last question. I'm sorry. Many people believe that Trump Administration is bullying other countries by putting tariffs, bullying penguins, bullying the United Nations by exiting agencies, stop fundings. Is globalization coming to an end now?
Spokesman: Look. I think I will leave that deep question to analysts. I think the Secretary-General was very clear yesterday when Edie asked him about trade and about tariffs. And that is in a trade war, nobody wins and everybody loses. Yes, ma'am?
Question: Thank you, dear Stéphane. Does Secretary-General have any comments regarding the Iranian and American meetings and discussions coming up on Saturday in Oman? Thank you.
Spokesman: Yeah. We very much hope that there will be a positive outcome to the talks that are going to happen in Oman. It is very important that the United States and Iran engage in diplomacy to resolve all of the outstanding issues. Edie, and then Yvonne, then Sinan.
Question: Thank you, Steph. The WFP has not been very forthcoming with information, and perhaps you will be more successful than some of us have been in trying to pry an official list of who's getting aid and who is not? And I think, we would all appreciate your efforts on that.
Spokesman: My mission — not that I have a chance to refuse that mission, but I hear what you're saying.
Question: Right. Okay.
Spokesman: You have another question or just an assignment?
Question: Another question on a completely different tough topic. On Darfur. You talked about Zamzam. Is El Fasher still under the same siege that it has been for months?
Spokesman: That's my understanding. Yeah. Yvonne, Sinan, then we'll go to Dawn on the screen.
Question: Thanks, Steph. About the UNRWA schools that you just told us about, do you know whether there were children attending class at the time that the Israeli security forces raided those schools?
Spokesman: It's a very valid question. I don't have that level of detail, but I can find out quickly.
Question: And then, so according to the readout there from Philippe Lazzarini, they're planning to stay for now?
Spokesman: Yeah.
Question: Despite these closure orders?
Spokesman: Yeah.
Question: But do you anticipate or are you concerned that at some point after those 30 days, those schools will be bulldozed by the Israeli security forces?
Spokesman: I don't know what will physically happen to the buildings, but I can tell you, we're very concerned about what will happen to the students and whether or not they will continue to have access to education.
Question: So are you moving the students out, or…? [cross-talk]
Spokesman: Right now, the school will continue. UNRWA, I know, is in touch with Israeli authorities, and we'll see what happens. Sinan?
Question: Thank you, sir. I have a question on Syria again. The Security Council is meeting tomorrow to discuss Syria on the request of Algeria and Somalia. Does Secretary-General have any message to the Council; also, if he has any message for the parties in Syria?
Spokesman: Well, I mean, I think the message to the parties was the one most recently expressed by Geir Pedersen for the unity of Syria, for the regional Powers to support Syria, for an easing of the sanctions regime, and for the Syrian leaders to ensure that the institutions that they are building, and even the interim institutions they are building, are fully representative of the diversity of ethnicity and religion that we see in the country. And I will let you know who's briefing tomorrow.
Question: Quick follow-up. Is Mr. Geir Pedersen attending?
Spokesman: I don't, that's what I need to find out. [He later said that Mr. Pedersen would be traveling and could not attend the meeting.] I'm going to go to Dawn on the screen, then I'll come back to you, Stefano.
Question: Hey, Steph. Just two quick ones on the Secretary-General. Is it still accurate to say that he hasn't spoken with Donald Trump, President Trump, and that there's nothing currently in the works for a meeting between the two of them?
Spokesman: It’s the case that he has not spoken to the President since his re-election. Once something happens, I will let you know. Stefano?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. The deputy of the Russian mission, Ambassador [Dmitry] Polyanskiy, he said on the social that the European Union and the UK are putting obstacles here at the UN…
Spokesman: On what, sir?
Question: On Ukraine. Means that Russia, you know, Russia is trying to reach an agreement, but this is impossible because European Union and the UK are basically boycotting and trying to do anything possible. Now the question is, what is the role of the Secretary-General at the UN, in general, to this discussion going on between United States, Russia and Ukraine to try to find a way to find a solution? I mean, does the UN has any role apart of the fact that he's hosting, you know, in the building, the diplomats?
Spokesman: So as we've told you, we have remained in touch with all the relevant parties around the discussions that we've seen recently for potential movement, especially towards the Black Sea — feeding information that we've accumulated over time, especially from Rebeca Grynspan’s team. We continue to be extremely active in Ukraine, as we update you a few times a week, in our humanitarian work. And our position remains ready to support any initiative towards a durable ceasefire that would contribute to a just, lasting, sustainable peace in Ukraine, which upholds its sovereignty, its independence, territorial integrity, in accordance with the Charter and all relevant United Nations resolutions from the General Assembly or the Security Council.
Okay. On that note, I would like to put our guest — for the technicians, Tom, if you could put our guest up on the screen.