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.
**Secretary-General — G7
All right, good afternoon, everyone.
The Secretary-General is about to arrive in Kananaskis, in Canada, where he will attend an outreach session of the G7 leaders’ summit.
As we mentioned yesterday, he has been invited to take part in a discussion on energy security, with a focus on diversification, technology and investment to ensure access and affordability in a changing world. This session will include G7 and other leaders invited to the outreach segment of the summit.
Later today, the Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders attending the summit, including with Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada and G7 President.
Yesterday, in Calgary, the Secretary-General attended a dinner organized by the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, for the outreach leaders.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York tomorrow.
**Gaza
You’ve been asking repeatedly about the many instances in which people in Gaza have been killed near food distribution sites, and I can tell you that the Secretary-General condemns the loss of lives and injuries of civilians in Gaza who are once again being shot at while seeking food. It is unacceptable.
The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into all such reports and for accountability to be established.
The basic needs of the Palestinian population in Gaza are enormous and remain unmet. Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian relief for all civilians who need it. The unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance at scale must be restored immediately. The UN and all humanitarian actors must be allowed to work in safety and security under conditions of full respect for humanitarian principles. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate permanent ceasefire.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Meanwhile, our colleagues with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that today, partners working on health reported that more than 60 people were killed and over 280 injured, some critically, while waiting for aid in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said its troops shot at a crowd and that the incident is under review.
The casualties were brought to Nasser Medical Complex, where emergency and intensive care units are already overwhelmed, and medical teams are operating with extremely limited supplies. Seventy of the injured were referred to field hospitals, primarily to the International Medical Corps’ Field Hospital.
According to the Ministry of Health, as of yesterday, 338 people had been killed and more than 2,800 injured while trying to access food near distribution sites, referring to non-UN militarized hubs.
Jonathan Whittall, the Head of OCHA’s Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, who is currently in Gaza, said today’s mass casualty incident was part of a chilling pattern where, repeatedly, survivors recount being attacked as they try to reach the aid they need to survive. OCHA reiterates that civilians must never be targeted, let alone those seeking food amid ongoing starvation.
Against this backdrop, our humanitarian partners continue to report that fuel stocks in Gaza have reached critically low levels. Without immediate resupply, essential services — including the provision of clean water — will grind to a halt very soon. As we mentioned yesterday, in southern Gaza, diesel supplies needed to operate critical equipment are nearly exhausted.
The World Health Organization says that no fuel has entered Gaza for more than 100 days and that attempts to retrieve fuel stocks from evacuation zones have been denied.
Highlighting the impact on the health system in Gaza, the agency stressed that 17 hospitals, seven field hospitals and 43 primary health centres — which are currently running on minimum amounts of daily fuel — will soon have none left.
The UN and our humanitarian partners call once again for immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access — to our aid supplies, to families in the Gaza Strip and to our fuel stocks.
Our partners working on telecommunications report that the fibre optic cable on the Al Rasheed Road between Khan Younis and Gaza governorate has been cut off due to hostilities. As a consequence, there are no Internet and landline services in the central and southern areas of the Strip. This fibre optic was just fixed yesterday.
Meanwhile, Israeli displacement orders are compounding an already unbearable situation — particularly for children. Child protection partners report that several child protection centres have been forced to close due to these orders, increasing overcrowding in the few that remain operational.
OCHA tells us that in the West Bank, Israeli forces have intensified strict movement restrictions between Palestinian cities and villages through its network of more than 800 physical checkpoints, gates, roadblocks and other barriers. This lockdown has effectively splintered the West Bank, isolating communities from essential services and sources of livelihood.
Meanwhile, Israeli operations in the northern areas are intensifying, causing further displacement and destruction.
Today for the second consecutive day, Israeli forces continued a large-scale raid in Askar camp in Nablus. This has involved house-to-house searches and arrests.
The Israeli authorities informed the Palestinian District Coordination Office that at least 15 residential buildings were to be evacuated, ahead of a planned 48-hour operation by Israeli forces. This has displaced about 75 people.
**Syria
This morning, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, briefed Security Council members on the situation in Syria. Referring to the escalation between Israel and Iran, Ms. Rochdi warned of the risks of such escalation in the region on the progress toward peace and recovery in Syria.
She added that the Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, continued his meetings with Syrian officials in Damascus. Discussions focused on the importance of a genuinely inclusive and credible political transition in the country.
For her part, Joyce Msuya, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that we and our partners continue to do what we can to provide critical assistance to the people in need.
She underscored that we need more funding to keep this work going, saying that nearly halfway through the year, our humanitarian appeal has received only $260 million — just 14 per cent of the requirements for this period.
Their remarks were shared with you.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that a wave of overnight missile and drone attacks struck cities across Ukraine, killing at least 17 civilians and injuring around 160, according to local authorities.
The Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned the attack, noting the devastating toll the war takes on civilians.
Residential buildings, schools and health facilities across the country sustained significant damage, with the biggest impacts reported in the regions of Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk, according to local authorities.
In Kyiv, authorities report that the strikes destroyed or damaged multiple apartment blocks and a school, claiming at least 14 lives and injuring more than 100 others. In Odesa, attacks reportedly killed one person and injured 17; a kindergarten and a centre for disabled children were among the damaged sites. Health facilities, including Odesa’s Infectious Diseases Hospital, also reported damage but no casualties among patients or staff.
Our humanitarian partners, alongside first responders and local services, are providing emergency first aid, psychological support, shelter materials and child protection assistance in the hardest-hit areas, including Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
**Mozambique
Turning to Mozambique, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are concerned about a sharp increase in non-State armed group attacks on civilians in Cabo Delgado province. The ongoing situation is aggravating the humanitarian crisis and restricting humanitarian access to vulnerable populations.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that more than 134,000 people have been impacted by the violence in the month of May alone, including 10 people who have been killed and at least 45 people who have been abducted — many of them children. Insecurity is also disrupting essential services: between April and May, mobile health teams suspended operations and schools closed in the districts of Ancuabe, Montepuez and Nangade.
Despite growing needs, this year’s $352 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Mozambique is currently 17 per cent funded with $61 million received. Our humanitarian colleagues note that recent funding cuts have forced the suspension of critical water, sanitation and hygiene projects, leaving approximately 260,000 people in Cabo Delgado without access to essential services. This is just one example, as our collective ability to respond to people’s needs is compromised across all sectors.
Additional funding is urgently needed to sustain life-saving assistance, particularly in conflict-affected areas of Cabo Delgado.
**Colombia
Turning to Colombia, our colleagues from the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that the past week has been one of the most violent the country has faced this year, with civilians exposed to escalating risks. On June 10th, more than two dozen armed attacks were reported across Cauca and Valle del Cauca, marking the most violent day of the year in these departments. In 13 municipalities that were impacted — including Cali — eight people were killed and more than 80 injured, including children, due to explosive devices, car and motorcycle bombs, sniper fire and drones. Authorities implemented a range of measures to protect civilians, including hospital alerts, school evacuations and temporary suspensions of classes and public transportation.
Our humanitarian colleagues note that so far in 2025, more than 471,000 people have been impacted by violence in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca alone — accounting for more than a third of the national total. OCHA continues working to maintain humanitarian access in places with security concerns.
Our humanitarian colleagues in Colombia also continue to engage with partners to monitor the situation, assess response capacity, and prioritize support to the most affected communities. Nine out of 42 municipalities in Cauca have been identified as areas where there is a high risk of violence. OCHA’s efforts to coordinate the humanitarian response remain focused on scaling up preparedness in key sectors, including shelter, child protection, health and food security, in collaboration with local authorities and ethnic community leaders.
However, additional funding is urgently needed to support this critical work. This year’s highly prioritized humanitarian response plan for Colombia is less than 16 per cent funded, with just $54 million received to date of the $342 million required.
**Afghanistan
Turning to Afghanistan. A report released today by UN-Women shows that Afghan women are falling significantly behind global standards for human development. The Afghanistan Gender Index points out that Afghanistan has the second-widest gender gap in the world, with a 76 per cent disparity between women’s and men’s outcomes in health, education, financial inclusion and decision-making. According to UN-Women’s report, nearly 8 out of 10 young Afghan women are excluded from education, jobs and training. The secondary school completion rate for girls will soon collapse to zero, following bans on secondary and tertiary education — including in medical education — for girls and women.
Afghanistan still has one of the largest workforce gender gaps in the world, with only 24 per cent of women participating in the labour force, compared to 89 per cent of men. The financial divide is equally stark, with men nearly three times more likely than women to own a bank account or use mobile money services, according to the new Index.
The full report is available online.
**SDG Fund
The UN Joint SDG Fund, which aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, released its 2024 Annual Report.
It shows that last year the Fund helped mobilize $1.6 billion in additional resources through various financing mechanisms, under Resident Coordinator leadership. These resources supported 129 new programmes in over 90 countries, reaching more than 10 million people in 2024 alone, by expanding access to health, education, digital services and social protection.
To date, the Fund has mobilized a cumulative $6.6 billion across all its financing instruments and partnerships.
The full report is online.
**Resident Coordinator — Botswana
And our colleagues from the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) tell us that on 14 June, Wenyan Yang of China took up her new assignment as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Botswana, with the host Government’s approval.
Ms. Yang brings more than 30 years of experience in economic and social development.
Prior to this role, she served as Chief of Branch in the Division for Inclusive Social Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), where she focused on the social dimension of the sustainable development agenda, addressing poverty, inequality, employment and social inclusion issues to advance the well-being of all people.
Her full bio is available on the DCO website.
**International Day
And today is the International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The theme this year is “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities.”
In his message, the Secretary-General says that repairing the damage we have done to our land offers huge benefits, including a great return on investment. It can reduce poverty, create jobs, safeguard water supplies and protect food production.
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesperson: That is it for me. Yes, Edie and then Dezhi.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Can you tell us what Sigrid Kaag is doing to try and unblock some of this aid getting from into Kerem Shalom and then from Kerem Shalom to the people who are in need?
Deputy Spokesperson: Yes. She is in touch with the officials on the ground, including the officials with the Israeli organization, COGAT, trying to get as much aid as possible and expedite the deliveries. We’re pushing to see whether we can get more aid in through more crossing points. There was one sign that a new crossing point, a different crossing point in Zikim East had been used a few days ago and we want more crossing points to be used. But so far, the vast majority of our aid has been going just through Kerem Shalom.
Question: And in terms of fuel, can we get an update on what’s left and how dire the situation is? I assume it is.
Deputy Spokesperson: What I can tell you right now is that most facilities have only limited amounts of fuel. So, hospitals, to the extent that they’re running at all, are running on a small amount of fuel each day, trying to preserve what they’ve got. Similarly, this is affecting things like cold chain storage for vaccines. It’s affecting Internet service and communications. So, we need to get access to fuel supplies, which there are fuel supplies that we have in Gaza. It’s just it’s been hard to get access to them. And as you know, a few days ago, we reported that one of them, one of those sites was looted. Dezhi and then Ibtisam.
Question: Secretary-General is travelling to Canada in a meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada today. Will he have any other bilateral with world leaders? And will the conflict between Israel and Iran be one of the topics?
Deputy Spokesperson: I imagine the conflict between Israel and Iran will indeed be one of the topics. But we’ll try to provide readouts of those meetings as we get them. I can’t confirm other meetings. I’m aware that there are a couple of other meetings with other world leaders that he will have, and we’ll, try to confirm and share the readouts as the date progresses.
Question: What leverage does the Secretary-General still have to urge parties in this conflict to de-escalate?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, I mean, obviously, the point is that we are the guarantors of a lot of international law. The Secretary-General urges all UN member states to act in accordance with their obligations under the UN charter and other international law. He urges both Israel and Iran to comply with their obligations under international law to respect and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Question: Did anyone listen?
Deputy Spokesperson: All conflicts have a certain point when people are willing to listen and willing to end. We’ll have to see what happens. Right now, of course, we’re really concerned about the military escalation, which is exacerbating the high tensions and suffering in the region. But what the Secretary-General is continuing to request to both sides, as well as to other interlocutors, is for maximum restraint and for an immediate de-escalation leading to a ceasefire.
Question: Now, one last question for this round. We know that many countries, they have already issued warnings to their citizens to leave Iran or Israel. What about the UN staffers? Do you have any statistics of the UN staffers there? What is their situation now?
Deputy Spokesperson: I believe that some international staff, as well as some dependents of staff members, have been allowed to temporarily relocate. That process is still under way, so I don’t have any numbers to share with you at this stage. Yes, Ibtisam, and then Pam.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. You mentioned that about 60 people were killed and over 280 were injured while waiting for aid. And then also you talked about 338 people were killed near these hubs also while waiting for aid. I’m just wondering regarding the numbers whether these 60 people are included in these 338?
Deputy Spokesperson: I believe that this number is the most recent number. So, it’s included as part of the larger number.
Question: Okay, and since the numbers, as you see, are very high, including 2,800 injured, mostly while waiting for aid, do you believe that this killing is actually deliberate?
Deputy Spokesperson: What I believe, as we said, the Secretary-General wants there to be full accountability and for all of these acts of violence against civilians to be investigated. So, we’ll need to get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened. I’m not going to speculate on the reasoning behind this.
Question: But who should investigate? Because Israelis have been claiming to investigate here and there are some incidents that you including UN personnel that were killed, why can’t we see a UN investigation or initiative by the Secretary-General to try to investigate some of these issues?
Deputy Spokesperson: As you’re aware, for any UN investigation, we need to have a mandate given to us by a Member State body, such as the Security Council or the General Assembly.
Question: I don’t know if you were asked about it in the last few days, but Egyptian and also reported that Libyan authorities stopped activists seeking to break the Israeli siege or blockade on Gaza and some of them were arrested, their passports were confiscated. Do you have any — and these people were just marching and protesting — any comments on that?
Deputy Spokesperson: Yes. We defend the rights of people to engage in peaceful protest. We want to make sure that any peaceful protest is allowed to occur without any harm done to the people participating. Pam and then Ephrem.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. You mentioned, I think it was yesterday, that children, the Ukrainian children that had been taken to Russia illegally should not be used as bargaining chips. And today, the Russian Ambassador, [Vassily] Nebenzia, mentioned a number, but it was almost 400, much less than what the UN and the ICC say, which is in the league of 20,000 children. Do you have any comment about the return of all these children? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesperson: We believe that all families, need to be reunited under the normal, international norms. You’ll have seen, the reports that have been done by our special representative on Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, about this issue and certainly we hope that it will be resolved peacefully through negotiations between the sides.
Question: And I’m sorry. Are you calling for Russia to return all these children that the UN seems to have on their list?
Deputy Spokesperson: We have wanted all this to be resolved for several years now. But certainly, if anyone has been taken from their countries, they need to be able to return back.
Correspondent: Thank you.
Deputy Spokesperson: Yes, Ephrem and then Volodymyr.
Question: Hi, Farhan. Thank you. Does the Secretary-General believe that the escalation between Iran and Israel constitute a threat to international peace and security? And if so, is he planning to use Article 99 of the Charter and call for a Security Council meeting to discuss this matter?
Deputy Spokesperson: I believe the Security Council is already deliberating on its meetings on this. But certainly, what he wants, again, is for all of the Member States to act under their obligations under the UN Charter. Secretary-General reaffirms that diplomacy remains the best way to address concerns regarding regional security issues and Iran’s nuclear programme, and he wants to make sure that everyone will work, together to push for an immediate de-escalation.
Question: Just a quick follow-up. Speaking of obligations under the Charter, does he have an obligation under Article 99 of the Charter to call for a meeting himself of the Security Council to discuss this or not?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, you can read Article 99 for yourself. It’s not about the obligation so much as it is about rights of the Secretary-General, and it’s a tool at his disposal should he need it. Yes.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Today, Russia has committed yet another act of terror against the civilian population of Ukraine. It’s, as you mentioned, it struck my hometown of Kyiv with missiles armed with cluster munitions, aiming to kill as many civilians as possible. However, the Russian Ambassador again claimed today that Russia doesn’t target civilians. What would you say in response to this claim which contradicts the facts on the ground?
Deputy Spokesperson: What I can say on that is that the Secretary-General condemns the latest series of attacks by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian cities and towns, which we understand have impacted residential areas. Yes, please.
Question: Hi, Farhan. So, Israel’s Defence Minister, Katz, just came out today and issued a very public threat to Iran’s supreme leader. He stated, “be very careful you don’t end up like Saddam Hussein.” I was just curious whether the Secretary-General had any comments on this very escalatory rhetoric and if there were any discussions facilitated by the UN to de-escalate these public threats? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, certainly, we are against any threats against the leaders of any of the UN Member States, and we want to make sure that there are no actions taken towards escalation, including rhetorical. Yes, please.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Israel has stated in the beginning that they initiated attack to reduce the Iran’s nuclear capability, but past couple days revealing more that they are talking about the possible regime change. What’s your position on that? And also, if I might just add, there’s also reports or possibility that US may involve in the conflict. So, what’s your comment on this?
Deputy Spokesperson: We want the conflict to end, not to be increased. So, we certainly hope that all Member States are aware of the need to limit the scope of the conflict and bring it to an end. Yes. Dezhi.
Question: Just 10 minutes ago, President Trump tweeted he also said we know exactly where the so-called supreme leader is hiding. He’s an easy target, but it’s safe there. We’re not going to target him out, kill, at least for now. Any response?
Deputy Spokesperson: My response is the same as what I said earlier that we want everyone to avoid any actions or rhetoric that can escalate the situation.
Question: Another thing. Yesterday, the Israeli Ambassador said that many PRs here in this building are quite thankful what Israel is dealing with the terror regime, referring to Iran. Has the Secretary-General reached out for Israeli Mission to say thank you to be grateful of that?
Deputy Spokesperson: I assume that’s a rhetorical question, so I don’t have to answer it. Yes.
Question: If I may just follow-up, Farhan. United Nations, can you confirm, other than United Nations, calling de-escalation, the Secretary-General or United Nations has any contact behind the doors to de-escalate, what’s going on in the Middle East between Iran and Israel. Do you have any effort that you can share with us?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, the Secretary-General has been reaching out. As you know, he’s at the G7 summit today where he will be meeting with several leaders. He spoke recently with the Foreign Minister of Iran [Abbas Araghchi], and he will continue to be in touch. With all sides, we are pushing the message for de-escalation, and we will continue to do that.
Have a good afternoon, everyone.