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.
**Guests tomorrow
Tomorrow at 12:45 p.m., and she will be on time, unlike me, our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, will be here, and she will be accompanied by Ambassador Héctor Gómez Hernández, the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, and Ambassador Chola Milambo, the Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations.
And they will be here to preview for you the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development that will be taking place in Sevilla in Spain.
**Iran and Israel
Just starting off with obviously the latest developments in the Middle East. As you saw earlier today on social media, the Secretary-General welcomes [United States] President [Donald] Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. The Secretary-General urges the two countries to respect that ceasefire fully. The fighting must stop, he said, as the people of both Israel and Iran have already suffered too much.
The Secretary-General hopes that this ceasefire can be replicated in the other conflicts in the region.
**Iran and Qatar
Also, yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General also expressed his deep alarm at the further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in relation to the attack by Iran on the State of Qatar.
In a tweet, he strongly condemned the attack on Qatar, a country that he said has been active for peace in the region and further afield.
The Secretary-General urges all Member States to uphold their obligations under international law and the UN Charter.
**UN Charter
And speaking of the UN Charter, yesterday evening, he delivered remarks at a ceremony that took place here at UN Headquarters to welcome home the original UN Charter, 80 years after it was written. Eighty years is a blink of an eye in history, he said and yet, until the United Nations, humanity never had a single place where every Government and all peoples could unite to fix the world and build something better together.
**Security Council
This morning, Hannah Tetteh, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya and Head of our political mission, briefed the Security Council via video conference. She said that the UN Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, has helped to support the preservation of the fragile truce that was reached on 14 May, develop mechanisms to facilitate a de-escalation of tensions in order to prevent further clashes, and ensure the protection of civilians.
She warned that there are reports of continued build-up and fears among many Libyans that armed clashes will resume. The UN Mission urges all political and security actors to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions that would only serve to deepen the lack of trust and undermine all the de-escalation efforts made to sustain the fragile truce.
Ms. Tetteh also noted that the calls from many Libyans for UNSMIL to act swiftly to facilitate a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process that could lead to credible elections and unified institutions. She said that UNSMIL will intensify its engagement in the coming weeks, building on the momentum generated by the Berlin meeting earlier this month.
**Security Council — Non-Proliferation
On a different topic, but in the Security Council at 3 p.m., this afternoon, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, will brief the Security Council on the Secretary-General’s report as requested by resolution 2231, and as you know, that resolution refers to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action otherwise known as the JCPOA.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza, where amid ongoing hostilities, Palestinians continue to be killed and continue to be injured. This includes reports of people coming under fire near non-UN militarized distribution sites or on routes designated by the Israeli authorities for the United Nations to collect trucks carrying aid.
The mission that we told you about yesterday that attempted to access fuel stored in Rafah has been successfully accomplished. That fuel is being allocated to run critical services in the south, thereby buying us some more time. However, unless more fuel is actually delivered inside Gaza, these lifelines will very quickly shut down.
Fuel, to state the obvious, is essential to produce, treat and distribute water to more than 2 million Palestinians living inside Gaza. UNICEF warns that if the current more than 100-day blockade on fuel coming into Gaza does not end, children may begin to die of thirst.
Israeli authorities must allow the delivery of fuel, in sufficient quantities, into and throughout the Gaza Strip, including to the north. If these life-saving operations shut down, people will not be able to survive.
Meanwhile, caregivers are warning that children are experiencing mounting psychological stress. This is driven by the deteriorating conditions, including lack of food. Last week, in several displacement sites in Gaza city, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, we and our partners provided more than 1,000 children with sessions to help them manage their fears and other difficult emotions.
Today, the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over the “mental health emergency” in Gaza. Across the Strip, WHO has trained hundreds of front-line humanitarian workers in psychological first aid to support people and promote a sense of safety among the population.
Today, the Israeli army issued another displacement order in three neighbourhoods in Jabalya, in the north. At least 30,000 people are assessed to be in those areas. Our humanitarian colleagues remind us that most of Gaza remains under some sort of displacement orders.
With no shelter supplies allowed into Gaza, and many of the existing shelters requiring urgent repair works, our partners in Khan Younis are working creatively to recycle wooden pallets received as part of food shipments to rehabilitate and maintain temporary sites. Our humanitarian colleagues remind us that, just like fuel, shelter materials have been banned for over 16 weeks — this at the same time that hundreds of thousands of people have been newly displaced.
Yesterday, we along with our partners attempted to coordinate 14 humanitarian movements. Six of those were denied outright. These included the trucking of fuel and water, as well as the retrieval of bodies and broken trucks.
**UNIFIL
And today in Lebanon, Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy officially assumed his position as commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, otherwise known as UNIFIL.
Major General Abagnara previously served as UNIFIL’s Sector West Commander. Most recently he was the Commander of the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon, that coordinated multinational support to the Lebanese Armed Forces. We congratulate him on taking up his new position.
As you well know, he is taking over from Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro of Spain who led the mission during some extremely challenging times to say the least.
As the General takes up his new position as the head of UNIFIL, the Mission’s efforts remain focused on containing the escalation in the south of Lebanon and creating conditions for a durable political solution along the Blue Line.
**Ukraine
And I want to flag the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine where our humanitarian colleagues tell us that 27 civilians have been killed and more than 230 injured over the past 48 hours across Ukraine, and that’s what local authorities are telling us.
Children were among the victims, with one child killed and 10 others injured.
Attacks have intensified in the regions of Dnipro, of Sumy and Odesa, while the Donetsk, Kherson and Kharkiv regions also report multiple civilian casualties and damage to homes, to schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure.
According to local authorities, earlier today local time, the city centre of Dnipro was hit by multiple missiles, with one strike close to UN premises in the city. The regional governor reported that 29 schools and kindergartens have been damaged, along with eight healthcare facilities.
Yesterday, in the Odesa region, an attack on a school killed three staff members and injured others, including youths.
According to the International Organization for Migration is a report released for May, more than 21 per cent of children ages 3 to 5 are not attending preschool due to displacement and proximity to front lines. In front-line regions, non-attendance reaches 37 per cent.
From January to May of this year, humanitarian organizations provided education support to over 270,000 people across Ukraine, while 25,000 children accessed digital and temporary learning spaces.
**Sudan
Moving to the African continents and Sudan. We are gravely alarmed by reports of a deadly attack on a hospital in West Kordofan State over the weekend.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 40 civilians were killed in this attack on the Al Mujlad Hospital, including children and health workers, with dozens of people injured. WHO noted that there was also extensive damage to this hospital.
We have always condemned all attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel, particularly in conflict zones where reaching the injured can be difficult if not impossible.
The parties must respect the specific protection afforded to healthcare personnel under international humanitarian law. The rules of war demand that the wounded and sick, as well as medical personnel and hospitals be protected at all times.
The attack on the hospital comes at a time when about three quarters of health facilities in areas worst impacted by conflict, including the Kordofan region, are barely operational or closed. Meanwhile, health and humanitarian partners overstretched and underfunded as they try to stem the spread of diseases, including measles and cholera.
Though on cholera, we have some positive news to report despite these challenges. The number of new suspected cases has sharply declined in recent weeks. Between June 16th and 22nd, 207 new suspected cases were reported, compared to more than 8,400 between May 19th and 25th. That’s what the Sudanese Ministry of Health is telling us.
We and our partners working on health and water, sanitation and hygiene continue to scale up the response. More than 3 million oral cholera vaccine doses have been delivered to Khartoum and North Kordofan, with vaccination campaigns already under way. Another 3 million doses are expected to arrive shortly.
So far, partners have reached 2.3 million people through emergency water and sanitation activities, while hygiene promotion efforts have supported 1.3 million people.
However, aid organizations are now facing a depletion of prepositioned supplies due to the early onset of the outbreak, which was driven by attacks on infrastructure, as well as disruptions to power and water sources.
OCHA stresses that flexible funding is urgently needed to sustain and scale up the response, especially with cholera cases feared to rise again from July to August onwards with the rainy season returning and potential flooding taking place.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo, our peacekeeping colleagues there are facilitating a five-day dialogue, which brings together the leaders of six armed groups, including the CODECO and Zaire groups.
The dialogue, launched yesterday in Aru, in the Ituri province, also includes provincial authorities, community representatives, as well as officials from the Provincial Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Community Stabilization programme.
Our colleagues say this is part of the Government-led peace process and also aims to support the protection of civilians, helps to restore the State authority, and to help define disarmament and demobilization modalities. This week’s dialogue also seeks to identify concrete steps to enable the return of displaced people and the resumption of socioeconomic activities. In addition to facilitating discussions, the peacekeeping mission provided substantive and logistical support.
This is the second dialogue session in Aru. The first one was held in May and June two years ago and led to an Act of Engagement by participating groups.
**Chad
And in Chad, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that $8 million has been allocated from the OCHA Regional Pooled Fund to support the humanitarian response in that country.
Six million dollars will go towards assisting vulnerable host communities, Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees in the eastern part of Chad. The remaining $2 million will support more than 220,000 people displaced in Chad’s western Lac province, where there are ongoing attacks by non-State armed groups, as well as secondary displacement of people who are just in search of alternative livelihoods given the inadequacy of humanitarian aid that has been delivered.
This new funding — largely directed through national humanitarian partners — comes on the heels of a $14.5 million disbursement from the Central Emergency Response Fund this year that was also primarily focusing on eastern Chad.
As a reminder, since conflict began in Sudan, Chad has received nearly 860,000 Sudanese refugees and 274,000 Chadians returnees — more than 700,000 of all those people are children.
Chadian authorities, in collaboration with humanitarian organizations, continue to provide life-saving assistance and protection to refugees both inside and outside camps, as well as to Chadian returnees and host communities. Ongoing efforts include relocating refugees to safer areas, providing food assistance, vaccinating children, setting up child-friendly spaces and delivering gender-based violence services.
These operations are far from adequate. Funding shortfalls continue to hamper the response, leaving many refugees and vulnerable communities in precarious conditions. The looming flood season also threatens to make matters worse.
Despite these recent funding allocations, Chad’s Humanitarian Response Plan remains critically underfunded. The vast majority are humanitarian appeals, only 11 per cent of the $1.4 billion required has been received. Of this, $835 million is urgently needed to assist 2.8 million people facing the most severe needs across the country.
**Refugees
Speaking of refugees, our friends at UNHCR today released a report estimating that 2.5 million refugees worldwide will need to be resettled next year. UNHCR notes that while the figure remains high, annual resettlement needs have decreased for next year — down from 2.9 million in 2025, even as the global number of refugees continues to grow. This is mainly due to the changed situation in Syria, which has allowed for voluntary returns. UNHCR said that for 2026, the largest refugee populations that will need to be resettled are Afghans, followed by Syrians, South Sudanese, Sudanese, Rohingya and Congolese. Last year, despite the challenges, more than 116,000 refugees were given the opportunity to find safety and rebuild their lives through UNHCR-supported resettlement.
**Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals
Our colleagues at the UN Environment Programme in Kenya note that countries have agreed on an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution. The Panel, established in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on Friday, is expected to conduct global assessments, identify knowledge gaps, and communicate complex science in policy-friendly formats, among other functions.
UN Environment Programme points out that this new panel completes a global scientific trifecta, alongside the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
**Internet Governance Forum
The Secretary-General delivered a message to the Internet Governance Forum in Norway today, telling participants that as digital risks accelerate, so must we.
He said that means, among other things, bridging the digital divide by expanding affordable, meaningful Internet access; closing the skills gap; countering online hate speech; promoting information integrity, tolerance and respect; addressing the concentration of digital power and decision-making in the hands of a few; and fostering greater diversity, transparency and trust in digital spaces.
He said: Let us keep building a digital future that protects, empowers and includes everyone — everywhere.
**Women in Diplomacy
And today is the international day of? [journalist answers] Exactly, Edie Lederer, it is the International Day of Women in Diplomacy.
In a post to mark the Day, our top female diplomat and that would be Amina Mohammed, our Deputy Secretary-General, said that today she celebrates the women shaping a fairer, more peaceful world, at the table and beyond.
And the Secretary-General joins her in that.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Edie.
Question: Thank you very thank you very much, Steph. The Secretary-General in his statement that you read just now referred to ceasefires and his hopes for ceasefires in other countries in the Mideast. I assume he was referring first and foremost to Gaza.
Spokesman: That would be a correct interpretation.
Question: Today, 44 Palestinians were reportedly killed, at least, trying to get food, and the number of Palestinians killed rose to 56,000 according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Does the Secretary-General believe that it is time for some kind of a new global international initiative in light of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran to try and end the Gaza conflict?
Spokesman: Look. I think the tragic numbers that you referred to speak for themselves as to the horrors of what is going on in Gaza. People being killed just for trying to get food, because of a militarized humanitarian distribution system that meets none of the prerequisites for a functioning fair, independent and impartial humanitarian system. We cannot forget also the hostages that remain held captive in Gaza. We have seen those Member States involved in negotiations, notably Qatar, the US, and Egypt being able to achieve, and to get the parties to a ceasefire. It is high time that leaders on both sides find the political courage to put a stop to this carnage.
Dezhi.
Question: We know there’s a ceasefire deal. Obviously, Secretary-General welcomed it. I’m just curious what is going to happen next. It seems today the Iranian President talking to Malaysian Prime Minister said Iran is ready to go back to negotiation table. How would this go with the JCPOA? And what is the vision for the Secretary-General on this?
Spokesman: Look. First of all, Dezhi, I can’t predict what will happen tomorrow, right? And I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to try to make a prediction. What we do want to see, as the Secretary-General said, is a return to diplomacy for both Iran and Israel to avoid any sort of not only military action, but rhetoric that could lead to resumption of the fighting. We want to see the parties go back to the negotiating table. We want to see a return to the regime where the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] was engaged in a dialogue with Iran. As for the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], I mean, I think we all know the decisions taken by the United States long ago on the JCPOA. The Secretary-General continues to be mandated by the Security Council to report back. I think his report is pretty clear on that front. And I’ll leave it at that.
Question: I mean, if President Trump said that most of the nuclear facilities has been taken out, completely totally destroyed, would that be easier to have a deal now?
Spokesman: Look. I think we will let the IAEA speak as to the state of nuclear facilities in Iran. What we want to see is a diplomatic solution that ensures the exclusive peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme as the Secretary-General said in the report.
Amélie, then Magdalena.
Question: On a completely different topic, there are media reports that five European countries, Finland, the Baltic States, and Poland are planning or have already submitted, a joint withdrawal of the treaty to ban antipersonnel mines. I was wondering if the UN received any kind of official notification from them.
Spokesman: You know, let me get back to you on that because I think that we did, but I don’t want to speak out of turn, so I will send you an update.
Yes, please.
Question: Okay. Do we know if the IAEA workers are going to be able to go back to the sites in Iran anytime soon?
Spokesman: I think that’s not a question I can answer from here, you should ask the IAEA.
Yes, please. Go ahead, and then, Alexi.
Question: I wanted to ask a similar question. But so, it sounds like the IAEA inspectors still has not they have not gained access to it.
Spokesman: I really don’t, the IAEA is the UN agency with the technical know-how, and they’re directly engaged on these issues. I cannot speak for them on this.
Question: Thanks so much, Steph. I have really a quick follow-up on this ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran. Has the US Mission to the United Nations formally notified the Secretary-General about the ceasefire?
Spokesman: Not as a few hours ago, but I will double check.
Correspondent: Thank you.
Spokesman: I mean, our colleagues have been in touch informally with the US Mission.
Question: Before the ceasefire or after?
Spokesman: I mean, last night and this morning. Yes, sir. And then Evelyn.
Question: Dave Hammelburg, Fox News. What do you say to the critics who say that the conflict in Iran is really being resolved, you know, through force and not, the United Nations. I mean, in the announcement of the ceasefire, it seems like force was more of an inertia, than the, you know, especially since the pullout of the Americans in the JCPOA in 2018. I’m just wondering if you can, sort of describe what the UN’s feeling is with the actions of the last week versus the call to diplomacy?
Spokesman: Look. I think we are not living in a bubble. Right? So, we’re well aware of what is going on in the world, what is going on in the region. The Secretary-General, I think, had been very vocal from the beginning of calling for an end to this conflict, for resumption to diplomacy, for a resumption of the dialogue between Iran and the IAEA to ensure the peaceful uses of Iran’s nuclear energy. A ceasefire was obtained. We welcomed it very clearly. Each conflict in the world needs to be solved through diplomacy. Sometimes that diplomacy goes through the United Nations. Sometimes it does not. The important thing for us, is that a conflict ends.
Evelyn, sorry. Yep.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. The US Supreme Court has now allowed the Trump Administration to deposit migrants anywhere in the world. The latest group or eight or twelve of them have been sent to South Sudan. Is there any reaction?
Spokesman: Look. I mean, we spoke to our colleagues at UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency] today, and we’ve been in touch with them and IOM [International Organization for Migration]. Look. They’ve taken note. We’ve all taken note of the decision of the Supreme Court. I think for us, what is clear is that any transfer of arrangements of people should ensure access to asylum, due process, and respect for the principles of non-refoulement, meaning that people in need of international protection must not be returned to a place where they face risk or harm. Whether they are migrants or refugees, people have rights and have a dignity that needs to be respected.
Okay. Any questions online? Okay. Thank you.