UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/en/briefing/sg/2026-03-16 Belgium, Islamophobia, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing — 16 March 2026 Language: en Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record. --- UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [0:00]: All right, good afternoon to all of you. Uh, you just heard from Mr. O'Neill on Haiti. Tomorrow, you will hear another briefing on Afghanistan, and this time from Susan Ferguson, who is UN Women's Special Representative in Afghanistan, and she'll be joining us virtually to speak about the situation in that country. Uh, travel announcement to share, to share with you. Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will head to Belgium to participate in an informal discussion with members of the European Council. In addition to discussions with the EU Council, the Secretary-General will have separate bilateral meetings with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, as well as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Uh, among the issues expected to be discussed at these various meetings is the state of the world, state of international affairs, the relationship between the United Nations and the European Union, and the broader issue of multilateralism. While in Brussels, the Secretary-General will also have meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium, Maxime Prévot, as and he will have a separate meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides. Uh, this morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the high-level event marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, and he warned that we are facing a rise, a tide of anti-Muslim bigotry and hate. When discriminatory narratives are echoed by those in positions of authority, he said, prejudice becomes normalized, and when stereotypes are left unchallenged, they harden into policy. Governments have a clear responsibility, the Secretary-General said, laws and policies must safeguard equality, not entrench prejudice. Online space should bring people together, not drive them apart. He told the meeting that we must work together to eradicate the rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry and build a world rooted in respect, inclusion, justice and peace. Uh, as you know, uh, the Secretary-General returned from Lebanon, uh, yesterday where he was on a two-day solidarity visit. In a press conference in Beirut on Saturday, he sent a clear message to the warring party, calling them to stop, uh, fighting. There is no military solution, he said, only diplomacy and the full implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions, adding that the diplomatic avenues remain available, including through his Special Coordinator, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and through key member states. Also on Saturday, the Secretary-General visited a reception center for displaced people who had fled the bombing, uh, where he met with some families displaced from the south of Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. He heard their testimonies about how some of them left their homes with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. The Secretary-General reassured them that the United Nations is doing everything possible to help the displaced people, including launching humanitarian appeal on Friday together with the government of Lebanon to help support the people of Lebanon. Also on Saturday, he visited Lance Corporal Albert Abreu Fabusia, our injured UNIFIL peacekeeper. Uh, as you'll recall, he was seriously injured in and wounded in an attack on March 6th and he is receiving medical care at a hospital in Beirut. And turning to the situation on the ground in the UNIFIL area of operations, I can tell you that we remain deeply concerned by the continued escalation of hostilities we are seeing. Peacekeepers continue to report extensive rockets and projectiles fired from Lebanon towards Israel and from Israel towards Lebanon. Extensive airstrikes continue to be reported in Lebanese territory, causing further casualties, displacement and destruction. UNIFIL peacekeepers report concentration of Israeli troops in at least six locations near the Blue Line in Lebanese territory. Peacekeepers also report clashes around Khiam and Al-Adeisseh, excuse me, both in Sector East, and they've observed IDF ground incursions up to five kilometers north of the Blue Line. Uh, peacekeepers remain on the ground, impartially monitoring and reporting developments, liaising between the parties and where possible facilitating humanitarian support and the protection of civilians. UNIFIL has supported transportation of numerous civilians, including children, the elderly and persons with disabilities to safety from several Lebanese villages. We continue to urge all sides to cease hostilities and recommit to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which remains essential for the safety and security of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. Yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers were fired upon in three separate occasions while conducting patrols around their bases in Yatar, Deir Kifa and Kalwiya, excuse me. No peacekeepers were injured and UNIFIL issued a statement, uh, reminding all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers at all times. And on the humanitarian front, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that we and our partners together with authorities continue to scale up humanitarian assistance and provide food, shelter and medical assistance across the country to families forced to flee their homes. To date, the World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF and other humanitarian partners have distributed more than 800,000 hot meals as well as mattresses, sleeping mats, blankets and other shelter items. Hygiene kits have also been provided across a number of collective shelters. We're also delivering clean water, which is benefiting some 700,000 people. Since the start of the response, UNHCR's delivered 182,000 essential items such as blankets, mattresses, solar lamps, sleeping mats and jerry cans across more than 375 sites nationwide, reaching more than two-thirds of those displaced in collective shelters. The continued escalation of hostilities in Lebanon is of course, as you can imagine, uh, significantly affecting civilians, essential services and civilian infrastructure. In just two weeks, 28 attacks around against healthcare centers have been reported by the World Health Organization, resulting in 30 deaths and some 35 injuries. And around, uh, in the broader region, our OCHA colleagues tell us that we and our partners remain ready to support national authorities across the region to provide humanitarian assistance as required. The continued escalations, uh, is of course continuing to impact civilians. Uh, and just to note one aspect of that impact, uh, globally, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, uh, released a report today noting that the conflict erupting in the Persian Gulf has generated major shock to global energy, fertilizer and agri-food systems. The report shows that in early March, Middle East granular urea prices, and urea is a key component of, uh, excuse me, of fertilizer, uh, rose by nearly 20% compared to late February levels, while other federal fertilizer prices such as diammonium phosphate also rose. Because nitrogen fertilizer production relies heavily on natural gas as a feedstock, the rise in energy prices has further amplified production costs. It's estimated that global fertilizer prices could average 15 to 20% higher during the first half of this year if this crisis persists. At the same time, FAO says that higher energy prices are increasing costs throughout the agricultural supply chain. FAO also noted that the conflict may generate broader economic impacts beyond commodity markets, as Gulf economies host millions of migrant workers from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa who sent home billions of dollars in remittances every year. If the conflict continues, FAO pointed out that remittance flows could decline significantly, reducing household incomes in many developing economies and compounding the impact of rising food and energy prices. The full report is online and it is interesting. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory. Uh, as we've been doing, uh, when we see the killings of civilians, I can tell you that the Secretary-General condemns the recent killings of members of a Palestinian family by Israeli security forces, including children in the occupied West Bank. He calls on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law and recalls that security forces must exercise maximum restraint and use intentional lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. These killings occur amid a deeply troubling deterioration of the security situation across the occupied West Bank that is devastating the Palestinian population. The almost daily attacks by Israeli settlers have become more severe and they've become more cruel. They have been resulting in deaths, in injuries and significant property damage and in some cases the displacement of entire communities. This violence is unacceptable and must stop. The Secretary-General urges once again the Israeli government to implement concrete measures to reverse this current trajectory. Uh, Israeli authorities must bear the responsibility to protect the Palestinian population, ensure that credible investigations are carried out and those responsible held to account. Meanwhile, in Gaza over the weekend, a strong dust storm swept through the strip, damaging, destroying dozens of shelters. Our partners estimate that more than 600 families had their shelters or belongings damaged. We and our partners are currently providing emergency shelter, food and hygiene support to those who are most impacted. As we've repeatedly said, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, thousands of people living without any type of shelter, sleeping outside, according to our partners who manage these displacement sites. Many of the existing shelters have been worn out over time following multiple storms this season. The World Food Programme and our partners leading on food security warn that more than half of families in Gaza burn waste to cook food. And we know the, uh, extremely negative impact that has, especially in closed settings. We reiterate that cooking gas must be allowed to enter the strip regularly together with supplies from the private sector to complement the humanitarian aid and help improve people's diets and their lives. On healthcare, despite our efforts to reopen facilities, only two out of every five health facility service point is currently operating, most of these only partially. Yesterday, the World Health Organization collected nearly 15 intensive care unit beds that it had offloaded the Kerem Shalom Abu Salem crossing. The collection was delayed due to Israeli authorities' suspension of humanitarian movements at the crossing last week. The beds will now be provided to hospitals to boost their ICU capacity. And from Sudan, uh, where the situation is truly horrific, our humanitarian colleagues are sounding the alarms on relentless drone strikes across the Kordofan and Darfur regions, which are driving continued civilian casualties and further constraints on humanitarian access. Two people were reportedly killed yesterday in a drone strike in the town of Al Rahad, southeast of El Obeid, which is the capital of North Kordofan state. A hospital was also destroyed. Two days earlier, additional casualties were reported when drone strikes hit Al Fula, the capital of West Kordofan. Drone strikes across several parts of Darfur between Thursday and Saturday reportedly caused casualties and significant property damage. On Saturday, strikes in Wadi Sayira area on the road to Al Tina, west of El Fasher, reportedly caused multiple casualties. In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, drone strikes on Thursday and Friday reportedly caused casualties and extensive damage in several neighborhoods. Four days ago on March 12th, the strike on a market at, uh, Akidong in West Darfur near the crucial Adre border crossing triggered a large explosion. Our colleagues at Médecins Sans Frontières reported that 23 injured civilians, including four women and seven children, were admitted to a hospital they are supporting in Adre on the Chad side of the border. Explosive remnants of war continue to pose grave risk to civilians. In one incident, three children were reportedly injured on Thursday when a hand grenade detonated in the yard of a home in Nyala. Meanwhile, while all this is going on, we and our partners are continue to provide life-saving assistance to families impacted by the crisis. In River Nile state, our partners recently installed eight 2,000-liter water tanks in displacement sites and schools in Shendi. This is helping to ease water shortages, improve hygiene conditions and reduce the risk of waterborne diseases for displaced families and host communities. Our, we call once again on all parties to comply with their clearly known obligations under international humanitarian law, which includes the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and ensuring the rapid, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to whoever needs it and wherever it is needed. Just south of the border in South Sudan, this morning Pramila Patten, our Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, expressed grave concern over the stalled implementation of critical protection measures to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence in the country. Her office said, uh, our monitoring in early 2026 indicates heightened risks in hotspots such as Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile, where humanitarian and security conditions are continuing to deteriorate as we've been telling you. Vulnerability to sexual violence in South Sudan is also compounded by climate-induced displacement along with regional spillover from conflicts in neighboring Sudan, which has forced thousands of women and girls into precarious environments and made access to basic services increasingly difficult. Ms. Patten said that while legal policy and political frameworks to end sexual violence exist, we're witnessing a stagnation of their implementation, particularly for the action plan of the armed forces on addressing conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan. She urged the government to expedite prior commitments. She called for support to address the acute service delivery gap, only 10 state hospitals currently host family protection centers. This means specialized care for survivors is out of reach for the most remote and affected areas. Funding cuts are not just budget lines, they are lifelines, she said. Uh, here you saw that the Security Council rolled over the mandate of the UNAMA, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan for three months. This happened this morning. I can tell you that we, uh, reiterate our commitment to continue to support the people of Afghanistan in the face of multiple challenges, notably through the principled and pragmatic engagement of the UN political mission in the manner articulated today by Council members. The Secretary-General calls again on the de facto authorities to reverse the restrictions on Afghan women and girls. He welcomes the call today by the Council of de facto authorities to restore access to UN, uh, female personnel to UN premises. And on Afghanistan, uh, our World Food Programme colleagues have begun rapidly mobilizing a large-scale emergency response for communities in Afghanistan that are impacted by the ongoing conflict with Pakistan. Despite the dangerous conditions in the area, WFP has resumed operations in most border areas. It is delivering immediate life-saving food to more than 20,000 families displaced by the conflict. Initially impacted families are receiving fortified biscuits to address urgent nutrition needs. The most vulnerable will then receive two months' worth of food or cash assistance. WFP also provides specialized food products for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women to support their essential nutrition. In addition, WFP says that assistance to displaced families is going to reach people across eight provinces. Uh, quick note on Ukraine where our humanitarian colleagues in Kyiv tell us that following continued drone and missile attacks over the weekend and early this morning in the country, uh, there was, there were many civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Uh, several and national and international NGOs together with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society with support from UN agencies provided first aid, psychosocial support, legal assistance, construction material and cash assistance. To note last Friday, OCHA along with UN agencies and NGOs sent two humanitarian convoys to the frontline communities near Kupiansk in Kharkiv and in Kherson. The supplies include electric generators, solar lamps, ready-to-eat food, dignity kits for women, blankets and diapers. In 2026, we along with our partners have delivered 11 convoys to assist some 10,000 residents in frontline communities in Ukraine. New Resident Coordinator, uh, in, uh, Ethiopia, Ozonnia Ojielo of Nigeria has assumed his role as the Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia effective March 14th. He will also serve as humanitarian coordinator. As you know, this Resident Coordinator serves as the Secretary-General's representatives for development at the country level, leading our support for the government-led efforts to accelerate achievements of the SDGs. Mr. Ojielo brings over 25 years of experience in development, governance, peacebuilding and conflict prevention in four, uh, excuse me, four continents and his last post was as Resident Coordinator in Rwanda. Uh, two more quick items. You will have seen that late last night in a statement, the Secretary-General said he was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jürgen Habermas, a giant of philosophy and a true public intellectual. He said no philosopher influenced his own thinking throughout his life in politics as much as Habermas. Mr. Guterres said he was particularly struck by Habermas's ideas on distinguishing feature of a modern democracy as the permanent interflow of communication between political decision-makers and civil society. Chris, pay attention. We have a quiz. Uh, this country, uh, is the fourth most populous country with 283 million people and it has over 17,000 islands. Associated Press · Edith Lederer [19:34]: Indonesia. UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [19:36]: Very good. Uh, Edie beat you to it, I think. Uh, this country has the only national flag of a UN member state that has neither red, white or blue. Associated Press · Edith Lederer [19:52]: Yellow and green, it's South Africa. UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [19:55]: No. It has, it does not have any white, it does not have any red, it does not have any blue. Speaker 6 [20:02]: Saudi Arabia? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [20:03]: No. The writing is in white on Saudi Arabia. Speaker 8 [20:06]: Mauritania? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [20:07]: No. Speaker 10 [20:08]: Sri Lanka? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [20:09]: No. All right, it is also known as the land of wood and water. Speaker 12 [20:19]: Guyana? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [20:21]: And if I told you I shot the sheriff but I didn't shoot the deputy, what would you say? Speaker 14 [20:28]: Jamaica? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [20:29]: Yes, Jamaica. Whoa. Had to bring a little Bob Marley at the end there. All right, back to serious questions. Edie. Sorry, no, she won the first one. You get the second one, Sinan. It was a tie like with the Oscars yesterday. Associated Press · Edith Lederer [20:48]: Um, Steph, has the United Nations gotten any indication from Israel of when the Rafah crossing might be, uh, reopened and can you tell us what impact this is having, uh, especially on the thousands of injured, uh, Palestinians? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [21:12]: Well, we've seen the announcement, uh, that was posted by, uh, COGAT, uh, late last night that Rafah would reopen on, uh, Wednesday. We're in, we are in contact with the Israeli authorities, uh, on this. Uh, as we've said before, Rafah is critical, uh, for meaningful, uh, movement of people in and out of Gaza, uh, especially for those who want, I mean, those who want to come back and the many, many who need medical, uh, evacuations. And we also would like to see it reopen, uh, for humanitarian supplies, of course. Associated Press · Edith Lederer [21:52]: And a second quick question on Sudan. Um, does the UN have any indication of who is using these drones in Kordofan and Darfur? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [22:02]: We've seen both the government and the RSF, uh, use drones with a, uh, a rather disturbing ease. Sinan then Pam. Sinan [22:15]: Thank you, Stéphane. Uh, I have a question, uh, about the Halabja massacre. Uh, today marks 38 years since the Halabja massacre, the largest chemical weapons attack ever used against a civilian population, between 5 and 8,000 people got killed. Does the Secretary-General recognize it as a genocide? What is the UN doing, uh, to ensure it's never forgotten or if he has any message about today? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [22:43]: I mean, uh, our message is one of, of compassion and remembering, uh, remembering the victims, right? Uh, as you know on the issue of genocide, you know that it's not for the Secretary-General to label an event, uh, a genocide, but it has, uh, one thing that is clear is for the Secretary-General is determined to do, uh, whatever he can to ensure that chemical weapons are never used. And we need member states to, uh, live up to the commitments they've made, uh, notably within the, uh, the treaty of the OPCW to ensure that is never the case. Pam and then Abdelhamid. CBS · Pamela Falk [23:22]: Thank you, Steph. The, you mentioned the SG is going to be in Brussels and in Europe tomorrow, uh, in the next few days meeting with European leaders. Will the, how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz be on the agenda and what is the SG's view of how to reopen it since it affects so many people in the world but also humanitarian? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [23:46]: Yeah, I mean, it, uh, clearly, I mean, I think as our colleagues at FAO have said, our colleague at UNCTAD and we had Mr. Fletcher speak about it, I mean, the, uh, the impact of a restriction or closure of the state of, Strait of Hormuz cannot be, uh, underestimated and the impact it will have around the world and it is already, uh, having. On, uh, the SG's specific, uh, action. I think we've seen the speculation in the media about an eventual UN-led, uh, initiative, uh, around the Strait of Hormuz. I think, Pam, you, you were here during the run-up to the Black Sea Grain Initiative and I think for that, uh, to be successful, silence, uh, was the better half of valor, right? And so, and I can tell you that the Secretary-General remains very much, uh, engaged and in frequent contact with senior officials in the region and beyond. Uh, but we're not going to be feeding, uh, the speculation. The Secretary-General will continue to work discreetly, uh, on this because the, frankly, the stakes are too high. CBS · Pamela Falk [24:54]: And, uh, just on that, uh, the thing we're not talking about, is there a, sense of a timeline? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [25:05]: I think that would be under the rubric of discretion. Uh, Abdelhamid. Al-Quds Al-Arabi · Abdelhamid Siyam [25:09]: Thank you, Steph. I have, I have few questions also. On the war now taking place between Pakistan and Afghanistan, it's getting worse by the day and I don't see any UN involvement or attempt even to explore possibilities to contain this conflict. It could go out of hand also. UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [25:33]: No, we're very much aware and I think we've been speaking about it ever since it, uh, it started. The, the humanitarian impact of this conflict is already being felt on both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Uh, we already know the, the dramatic humanitarian situation, uh, in Afghanistan of people who had already been there, who, who need humanitarian assistance, of recently returned Afghans who just crossed the border back from, from Pakistan who are in dire straits. Uh, we know that there are also, uh, Afghans who are stuck at the border, uh, and we are doing whatever we can to ensure that this conflict ends. Al-Quds Al-Arabi · Abdelhamid Siyam [26:14]: My second question in the West Bank. The family of four, Ali and his wife Fuad and their children Muhammad and Othman were killed by the army. The three, uh, Palestinians killed in the village of, uh, Abu Falah were killed by the settlers. And you ask the killer to investigate the killer. So 80 settlers attacked the village of Abu Falah, they killed, uh, and here they kill, they were killed by the army. So don't you see that it's coordinated systematic system of to subjugate the Palestinians? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [26:51]: Listen, they, uh, whatever is, Israel remains, has a responsibility that they need to live up to and those member states who have an influence, uh, should ensure that also happens. Al-Quds Al-Arabi · Abdelhamid Siyam [27:03]: And my last question on Gaza. Today, eight Palestinians who are working like police, uh, in Gaza were killed and a family of a three also, mother and, and father and a child. And yet I didn't hear that. UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [27:19]: I mean, we, we have, uh, as I said at the beginning of my note, we have repeatedly and will continue to condemn the killings of all civilians and we want to see an end, uh, to this, you know, what I think the Secretary-General has referred this as not as a ceasefire but a lesser fire. I mean, this conflict has continued and the humanitarian situation has been deteriorating, especially since the start of the conflict involving Iran. Al-Quds Al-Arabi · Abdelhamid Siyam [27:48]: So killing eight policemen is, doesn't, we've stopped, we've called for an end to this conflict. Yes, uh, Namo. Namo [27:53]: Thank you, Stéphane. I have two questions. On Islamophobia, you said the Secretary-General warned that discriminatory narratives are sometimes echoed by those in power. Uh, can you specify which governments or leaders he's talking about and is there something that the UN can do about this? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [28:11]: Well, I mean, we're speaking out against it. We're not, uh, the Secretary-General doesn't have the authority to regulate the speech of political leaders, nor would he want, uh, that authority. But I think you can, there are very few countries, uh, in this world that are immune from hate speech. Uh, and you know, we've seen it in, in many countries in the developing world, uh, in, in the Western world where there are Muslim minorities where there has been a spike, uh, in hate speech, in Islamophobia and even sometimes an encouragement by political leaders. Namo [28:51]: And my last question on the call by the Trump administration for other countries to send forces to secure the Strait of Hormuz, does the Secretary-General have a statement on this? Does he support it? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [29:03]: Uh, I do not. I would refer you to what I said to, to Pam earlier. Uh, Edie. Associated Press · Edith Lederer [29:09]: Um, just as a quick follow-up on that, does the Secretary-General believe that this latest war in Iran has escalated Islamophobia? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [29:23]: Look, uh, I think one can only, uh, see what one reads on in paper quotes and social media and it is clear that it has, uh, that there seems to be, uh, a link. Uh, but you know, for hate speech is, uh, people who spew hate speech are have a very easy time to find, uh, excuses or scapegoats to continue spewing that intolerable hate speech. I thought that was a nice note to end on, but, uh, Pam, please go ahead. CBS · Pamela Falk [30:06]: Thank you, Steph. Uh, for the last two weeks, the crisis surrounding Iran has caught much of the world attention. So, uh, the war in Iran has caught much of the world attention. Yeah. And the crisis in other countries has been sidelined. So is the SG concerned that the crisis in Iran will have a negative impact on the UN's efforts to, UN's operations in other parts of the world? UN Secretariat · Spokesperson · Stéphane Dujarric [30:42]: I mean, it, listen, it, it's having one already because we're talking every day about the rise in food prices and fertilizer prices and oil prices. We as an organization are not immune to those shocks, right? It is also having an impact in the sense that all of you in the media and all of us have a limited ability to pay attention to multiple crises, right? But this is why every day we keep talking about Sudan, right? This is why we had Mr. O'Neill talk about Haiti. We will do our bit not to forget the other crises in this world. That's the last note.