UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/en/briefing/sg/2026-06-17 Secretary-General Travel, Deputy Secretary-General Travel, Peacekeeping & other topics - Daily Press Briefing — 17 June 2026 Language: en Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record. --- Speaker 1 [5:06]: I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's okay. I'm sorry. It's okay. How do you like Dortmund? I'm fond of it, but I feel like I'm just getting used to this place. Yeah. What else are you interested in? I don't know, lots of things. Oh, there's a lot of, you know, kind of old style. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [19:06]: What else are you interested in? It's the other side of noon. All right. In a short while, I will be joined by our good friends, Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of the World Food Programme's Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, and Ryan Paulsen, the Director of Food and Agricultural Organization's Office of Emergency and Resilience. They'll both be connected from Rome. To brief you on the FAO/WFP Hunger Hotspot Report. Then tomorrow at 11 AM, there will be a briefing here, an on-the-record briefing here by Vanessa Fraser, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, and she will be briefing you on the Secretary-General's annual report on that topic. Speaking of the Secretary-General, he is in the Dominican Republic for a few more hours. He's about to head— leave Santo Domingo and head back here to New York. Earlier this morning, he met with the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader. The President, the Secretary-General discussed the international and regional developments, including the situation in Haiti. The Secretary-General also met with our UN colleagues in Santo Domingo. And yesterday, as you saw, he concluded his visit to Haiti in the afternoon with a press conference Telling journalists that for the first time in many years Haiti had a chance to turn a corner, but only if the international community assumes its responsibilities. He appealed to the world to step up to fund the humanitarian response and progressive recovery and support for the Haitian institutions as well as the gang suppression force. The transition is moving, he added. Everyone in the international community and Haiti's leaders alike must do their part to turn this momentum into concrete results. We shared a whole bunch of transcript with you yesterday. Our Deputy Secretary-General is currently en route to London to participate in the London School of Economics and Political Sciences Global School of Sustainability Forum. At the forum, she will engage with global leaders, policymakers, researchers, and representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss pathways to advancing sustainable development in a rapidly changing global context. She's also expected to underscore the importance of accelerating climate action, strengthening international cooperation, and advancing solutions that deliver tangible results for people and planet. The forum will bring together other international leaders and stakeholders to explore challenges and opportunities for building a more sustainable future. While there, she will also convene a meeting on maternal health and child survival together with Goals House, bringing together partners and stakeholders to advance renewed action and investment to improve health outcomes for women, children, and communities. The Deputy Secretary-General should be back in New York on the 21st of June, on Sunday. Also in the UK is the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, where he's participating in events marking the first edition of the Oxford UN Peace and Security Fellowship. This joint initiative between Oxford and the Department of Peace Operations brought together 10 UN practitioners to the university to undertake policy-relevant research on peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and political missions. On Thursday, he will deliver a lecture on the difficult journey of peace, challenges and opportunities for peace operations in a fragmented world. And on Friday, he will also speak at the Oxford— Speaker 3 [32:10]: Good morning. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [32:10]: Union to speak with students. Turning to various situations on the ground, and I'll start with Lebanon. Despite a reduction in the intensity of hostilities in the area of operations, our UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon continue to observe extensive IDF military activity. This includes high-density armored movements, large-scale engineering and demolition works, and sustained sustain logistical traffic across the area. Today, 26 violations of Lebanese airspace by the IDF were recorded between midnight and 4 PM local time, along with one air attack. In addition, peacekeepers reported a violation of Lebanon's maritime space by two IDF vessels conducting patrol roughly 600 meters off the shores of Nakoura in southern Lebanon, which is also the home base For our peacekeepers, kinetic activity has been gradually increasing since Monday, with 312 trajectories recorded between midnight and 4 PM today, local time. 291 attributed to the IDF and 21 attributed to Hezbollah. By comparison, 174 and 189 were reported for 24-hour periods on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Yesterday, UNIFIL personnel recorded 185 firing incidents originating from IDF positions south of the Blue Line and within the area of operations. 4 projectiles were also detected traveling from north to south, reportedly launched by Hezbollah. Outside of UNIFIL's area of operations, we're also aware of reports of Israeli artillery shelling and airstrikes targeting multiple locations, including Napatié, Saida, and Jezine, as well as reported— repeated drone overflights over Beirut and its southern suburbs. At least one strike on a vehicle in Shoukine reportedly resulted in 4 fatalities and several injuries. Separately, yesterday, following coordination through the UNIFIL OCHA Humanitarian— Civil-Military Coordination Cell and in deconfliction, using the UNIFIL liaison branch, two humanitarian organizations carried out 8 missions to Tyre and its surrounding areas in sector west of UNIFIL. Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground tell us that more people are reportedly returning to the south of the country. Many are going back with the hope of staying in their communities, even as they face ongoing insecurity, widespread destruction, and limited access to basic services. In Nabatiyeh governorate, more than 4,000 families reportedly returned between June 12th and yesterday. And in the municipality of Srifa in the south governorate, two collective shelters opened this week to support people who've returned south. However, many families remain unable to go back to their homes because of ongoing fighting and the ever-present danger of unexploded ordnance. Speaker 5 [35:13]: Okay. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [35:13]: OCHA warns that humanitarian needs remain high. According to UNICEF, more than 770,000 children are experiencing heightened distress after repeated exposures to violence, loss, and displacement. We continue to call for the protection of civilians and for return to be safe, to be voluntary, and to be informed. All of this with sustained humanitarian access and assistance for all those who need it. And in the occupied Palestinian territory, the International Organization for Migration says it has been providing shelter repairs since May with its partners, with its partners also replacing some of the wood shelters with aluminum to improve durability, safety, and living conditions. They also supported the manufacture and installation of 150 large emergency family shelters and provided shelter assistance to hundreds of families, combining cash and in-kind support. Um, we and our humanitarian partners are repurposing used wood pallets for furniture and other household uses. However, IOM warns that progress continues to be constrained by lengthy Israeli approval processes, including custom clearance. Delays have led to winter items only receiving approval during the summer. Last month, several shipments, including kitchen sets and solar lanterns, already cleared by Israeli authorities were nevertheless denied entry. Meanwhile, as families experience electricity blackouts, overcrowding, and lack of safe cooking fuel, they often prepare meals over open fire inside or near their tents. So far in June, we and our partners have responded to multiple fire incidents caused by cooking. To mitigate further risks, our teams are providing safe guidance to people who are at risk. And turning to the West Bank, settler-related incidents continue. In the town of Haloul, Israeli settlers reportedly attacked Palestinian farmers using sticks and stones. A newly established settlement near the town of Dora prevented Palestinians from accessing thousands of acres of agricultural land, affecting the safety and livelihoods of more than a dozen families, restricting movements and access for thousands of Palestinians. OCHA once again calls for the protection of civilians, which includes enforcing law against anyone who carries out such attacks. And going to the DRC, our colleagues in the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that escalating violence and threats against aid workers continue to hamstring life-saving operations in the country's eastern provinces. In South Kivu, access remains heavily restricted in several areas as fighting is continuing to force civilians to flee for safety. Nearly 20,000 people were forced from their homes on June 15th following clashes in Wenga and Shabunda territories. These displaced families need food, they need shelter, healthcare, and other basic services and protection. Meanwhile, in Fizi territory, humanitarian access also remains under pressure as repeated interference by armed groups continues to threaten the delivery of life-saving assistance and humanitarian workers. Um, in Ituri Province, 5 Ebola response workers were briefly detained by armed groups yesterday. As we mentioned, Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for more than 90% of all confirmed cases. According to health authorities, as of June 15th, 29 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total number of cases to 837 across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. Despite these immense challenges, we, along with our humanitarian partners, continue to support national authorities in containing the outbreak, uh, to deliver, uh, assistance. However, humanitarian personnel cannot operate safely without security. guarantees. Once again, all parties must do whatever they can to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and allow humanitarians to do their life-saving work. Speaking of humanitarians, today marked the start of the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment. The 3-day annual event brings together Member States, UN system, humanitarian partners and development partners, as well as private sectors to to discuss challenges and opportunities strengthening the humanitarian coordination and the coordination effectiveness of the UN's humanitarian system. Speaking at the opening, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator and Head of OCHA, warned that in a changing world with humanitarian mission often contested, aid organizations not only face a gap between growing needs and shrinking funding, as we tell you almost every day here, but also between needs and our ability to deliver. He stressed that respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of aid workers are indispensable to humanitarian action. The future of humanitarian action will not be decided by humanitarians alone, Mr. Fletcher said. He called on member states, parties to the conflict, donors, development partners, and private sector to all play their part. And back here in the Security Council, they met in an open debate on women, peace, and Security entitled "Peace is Decided with Women: Emerging from Conflict by Enhancing Their Participation." UN Women's Executive Director Sima Bahou said that gender equality and women's empowerment are essential to building sustained peace at a time when we're facing the highest number of conflicts since the UN was founded. From Afghanistan to Haiti to Myanmar, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, and Ukraine, women bear a disproportionate share of the consequences of the conflict. They neither choose nor lead while often remaining excluded from efforts to solve them. She noted that women's participation in UN-led processes reached between 16 and 23% the past 5 years, still too low but roughly double the global average. And our colleagues from the Human Rights Office issued a report today —warning that attacks against human rights defenders have reached record levels in the past year. Preliminary data indicates that some 950 human rights defenders, journalists, as well as trade unionists were killed or forcibly disappeared worldwide last year. That's more than double a decade ago. These and other alarming trends are highlighted in Human Rights Count 2026,— the UN Human Rights Office's latest global dataset documenting attacks on human rights defenders, civilian deaths in conflicts, patterns of discrimination worldwide, and the state of institutions tasked with protecting human rights. Very interesting report, very good data. And 8 years into the implementation of the Uniform Gender Parity Strategy in Peacekeeping, steady progress has been made, with the share of deployed uniformed women doubling from less than 5% in 2018 to over 10% last year. That information was shared yesterday by our colleagues in the Department of Peace Operations, in partnership with Canada, Uruguay, Germany, and Zambia, at a high-level event titled "From Commitment to Impact: Advancing Women's— UNIFOR Women's Participation and Leadership in UN Peacekeeping." At the same time, our UN Peace Operations Department said the challenges remain and gains are fragile, particularly in the context— of liquidity constraints and reduction in overall peacekeeping personnel. The event also marked the rollout of the Network for Uniformed Women Peacekeepers across all missions. To date, the network has up to 9— 1,800 members from 90 countries. Today is the International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. In a message for the day, the Secretary-General notes that rangelands are vast open spaces found in every climate on every continent, and they cover half the Earth's land surface, sustaining over 2 billion human beings. Yet, he said, up to 50% of the world's rangelands are now degraded or at risk. The Secretary-General notes, "We are today issuing an urgent call to recognize and respect the world's rangelands to protect our future," he stressed. We must protect the land. Today's International Desertification Day, it is also Hump Day, but it is also the last day of one of our colleagues, well, your colleagues, that is leaving us. RTE's permanent representative to the United Nations, Yvonne Murray, is heading home to Ireland. We wish you all the best to you and your family on your trek home. The room will be slightly quieter without you. And, you know, people often ask me what is the biggest mistake I've ever made from the podium, and I've made quite a bit, High on that list is what I said on April 19th, 2023, when I said you were an Anglo-Saxon. So I once again apologize for that remark, but it will rank— it will tie us together for a long time. So Yvonne, good luck, and we wish you all the best. All right. Edie, letter. UNCA · Journalist · Edie [44:32]: First, The UN Correspondents Association also would like to say farewell to one of our stalwart colleagues who's been a great addition to the UN press corps and to wish her well in what I know will be a very successful future wherever she lands. Secondly, and more seriously, you were talking— that was serious. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [45:14]: Yes, that was no joke. Yes, exactly. UNCA · Journalist · Edie [45:20]: You were talking about rebuilding tents and other structures in Gaza. Is Israel still blocking the import of more durable shelter materials? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [45:38]: We're not able— we're not currently able to bring in the kind of material we need to build more— let me put it this way, to build even more permanent temporary shelter. UNCA · Journalist · Edie [45:51]: Secondly, there are reports— of threats to the arrangements at the holy sites in Jerusalem by Israeli right-wing leaders. Does the Secretary-General have— Thank you. Any comment on this? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [46:23]: We've seen the repeated incendiary remarks from various Israeli government-affiliated voices. For our part, it is clear the status quo in terms of the holy places in Jerusalem needs to stay in place. Gabriel. Journalist · Gabriel [46:43]: Thank you, Steph. On Lebanon, the last the last few days, it's been my understanding the interpretation from the UN has been that kinetic activity has been going down. However, that was my understanding from the last— UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [46:58]: That's not what I said. Today? I mean, I said today that we saw a rise today, but previously it had been going down. Journalist · Gabriel [47:06]: Okay, that's what I wanted to clarify. So clearly today— UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [47:09]: There was an uptick. Journalist · Gabriel [47:10]: It was an uptick. Okay, that's what I want to clarify. Thank you. And then, the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, clearly, from Tehran's perspective, Israel has to stop its violations of Lebanese airspace. Clearly, from the podium we're hearing from you, that is not happening. The opposite is happening. How worried is the Secretary General that what is taking place in Lebanon could derail the Iran-US deal? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [47:42]: We've always wanted to see Lebanon's sovereignty respected. We've always wanted to see the Lebanese government be able to assert its authority throughout its territory and calm return along the Blue Line, both north of it and south of it. It is also incumbent on all the parties involved in this conflict to ensure that nothing is done to derail what appears to be a deal to end this conflict, to start serious negotiations, and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to free navigation. I will add that we've read the press reports, like you, of certain of your— a number of your other organizations have printed what they say is the deal. We still haven't seen the official agreement as it stands. Linda, then Yvonne, then I'll go. Journalist · Linda [48:38]: Thank you, Steph. Thank you, Steph. À propos of Gaza, I was just wondering if— what the latest was in terms of Hamas's role in the provision of humanitarian aid. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [48:53]: I mean, is there any sense that looting's going on or that Hamas is interrupting —looting or in any way— We have not reported any— I mean, no incident of serious looting or disruption of the aid distribution has been reported to me, at least, and to our colleagues here in New York. The bottleneck in terms of bringing the volume that we want still continues to stand. Yvonne. RTE · Journalist · Yvonne Murray [49:21]: Thanks, Steph. I do have a question, but Before I get to my question, I just want to say thank you so much for taking my questions over the past few years and occasionally answering them. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [49:31]: I try not to. Come on, don't break my record. RTE · Journalist · Yvonne Murray [49:35]: Thank you to your team as well, some of the loveliest people you could possibly come across in the UN system. Very grateful to all of them. And to my colleagues, thank you to the UN Press Corps. It's been a wonderful place to work and I will miss it very, very much. Come and see us on the Isle of saints and scholars and sinners, as you said. I'll always be there, and hopefully I'll come back at some point for the UN General Assembly. So, my question, Steph, though, you mentioned that figure from the Human Rights Office today about all of the human rights defenders who've been killed this year. Can you give us the data, 'cause I haven't seen it yet, like where have most of them been killed, in which parts of the world? Yes. Top 3 countries? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [50:19]: Just to make sure that you leave on the right note, no, because I haven't seen— I just got the note of this report a short while ago. I haven't had a chance to read it. You actually have to do some work yourself. Okay. It'll be good for your plane ride home. Abdelhamid. Journalist · Abdul Hamid Sayyam [50:36]: Thank you, Stéphane. In about 25 minutes, the game between Portugal— and Congo will start. How could the SG miss that game of his country? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [50:50]: Please don't ask me to drag the Secretary-General into football. It is— he'll be on a plane, I'm sure. Journalist · Abdul Hamid Sayyam [50:57]: So he will miss it? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [50:58]: He will be kept up to date, and we'll see if the Lumumba statue works. Journalist · Abdul Hamid Sayyam [51:05]: Okay. Now I'll go to serious issues. Israeli cabinet has approved building 500, I think, 76 new units in the occupied West Bank, that making it is almost, you know, impossible to continue with talking about the two-state solution. And yet, I mean, the group, the G7 also condemned the settlement and settlers' activity, but Israel is not paying attention to the whole world. What could— what else could be done? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [51:45]: Look, I mean, we— I can only speak for ourselves. It is something we continue to speak out against. We— Secretary General and his position and his predecessor's position has always been clear that settlements are against international law. They're an impediment to the peace process. It's an issue we continue to raise, but it's also important that member states and others continue to raise it directly with the Israeli authorities. Journalist · Abdul Hamid Sayyam [52:13]: Incident that on Sunday in the town of Deir al-Buwan, the settlers attacked the village, burned 7 cars, couple of houses, And they poured gasoline on a human, on a man, and they tried to set him on fire. However, the village people attacked the settlers and saved him. And I didn't see that some incident— UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [52:40]: We— there are repeated horrific incidents of settler violence. We're able to report on the ones that we know about, but obviously we've It's clear that there are many others that we're just not informed about. Sylviane, then Stefano, then Islam. Sylviane [52:58]: Thank you, Stéphane. Given the recent discussion about the Syrian role— UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [53:04]: Closer to your— yeah. Sylviane [53:06]: About the Syrian role addressing the situation in Lebanon, how concerned is the Secretary-General about it? Does he believe that there is a risk in— of reverting to status quo ante? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [53:19]: Look, we've seen— I, to my knowledge, I've only seen one comment. I don't know if it's a serious discussion. I think what Lebanon needs is for the Lebanese government, the Lebanese people to be master of their own country, right? And I think that's the most important thing. Sylviane [53:37]: But that's the idea of the solution proposed by President Trump. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [53:43]: I've answered your question to the best of my ability, maybe not to Yvonne's standards, but I've answered. Stefano. Journalist · Stefano Vaccara [53:52]: Thank you, Stefan. The Secretary-General has welcomed the US-Iran Memorandum. However, the agreement includes a commitment not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs. Does he worry that this could be seen as reducing international pressure regarding human rights human rights violation and the repression of dissent inside Iran? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [54:15]: We have welcomed a deal which would— and we're already starting to see it— a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and move us back to diplomacy. The fact is that the Secretary General has repeatedly spoken out against human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has done so publicly and he has raised it privately and he will continue to do so. Journalist · Stefano Vaccara [54:39]: And does he believe the agreement leaves the international community in a stronger position on nuclear non-proliferation and weapons of mass destruction than before the conflict began? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [54:51]: First of all, I think we all have to read what was actually agreed to. There are— the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries have obligations towards the IAEA, and we continue to call on everyone to uphold and observe those and to continue to work towards nuclear non-proliferation. Islam. Journalist · Islam [55:19]: Thank you, Stefan. Couple question, quick question. First of all, is there any change of UN involvement on U.S. and Iran MOU signing or after any position? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [55:35]: Yeah, let's all get the actual MOU and then we can start talking about it based on fact. Journalist · Islam [55:42]: And second question about the Special Envoy to the Middle East. With this agreement, would there be any shift on his mission? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [55:51]: I mean, listen, I think his work will continue. I mean, we're still in a very challenging situation. Yes, sir. Speaker 47 [56:01]: Excuse me. Thank you, Steph. Journalist · Islam [56:02]: I was wondering whether the Secretary General has any specific views on who bears responsibility for financing Iran's reconstruction following the extensive damage caused by the war. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [56:14]: Again, let's look at the— let's wait for the actual agreement to come through. Abu Sufyan, and then we'll go to our guests who've been very patient. Journalist · Abu Sufyan [56:26]: Thank you, Steph. On Bangladesh and India border again, the international forces on— international focuses on US-Iran negotiation, Lebanon, South Sudan, and Haiti, but hundreds of children and women's life in danger between Bangladesh and India border. Children are crying due to hunger, women are sleeping under the— UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [56:49]: Abu Sufyan, what is your question? Journalist · Abu Sufyan [56:56]: My question is how the Secretary-General looking at this matter, then I have a follow-up. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [57:00]: Look, I think it is incumbent on the two countries to work out this issue through dialogue in full respect for people's human rights and human dignity. Journalist · Abu Sufyan [57:13]: Yes, my second question is, as you know that new President-elect of PGA was in role of High Representative on Rohingya. During interim government of Bangladesh. Just after few months, he will continue to work for his new role, I mean, President of UN General Assembly. On the other hand, Secretary-General previously served as High Commissioner for Refugees. So can we now be hopeful about Rohingya repatriation? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [57:40]: Look, I think the role of the President of General Assembly is to preside over the General Assembly, so the interaction between The Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly will be focused on General Assembly matters, and the work on the Rohingya file will continue. Okay, let's go to our guests who are both speaking to us from Rome. Which one of you two gentlemen will go first? OK, do I need to— can we put them up on the screen, please? One second, we'll— WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [58:34]: Hi, Stefano. I'm not getting any audio from the room. Can you hear me? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [58:37]: Yes, we can hear you. Can you hear us? FAO · Director, Office of Emergency and Resilience · Ryan Paulsen [58:40]: Same for me, Jean-Martin. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [58:41]: All right, hold on 2 seconds. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [58:43]: Looks like they're on mute in the room. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [58:45]: Okay, 1 second. Can you hear us now? WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [58:49]: I'd be glad to start the briefing if you can confirm you hear me in New York. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [58:54]: We hear you very well. So Jean-Martin, go ahead. Go ahead. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [59:06]: Let me try again. Stéphane, we don't have any audio from the room. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [59:09]: All right, hold on a second. They're trying to— bear with me. They're trying to fix it. Shaza, can you text Stéphane? Speaker 66 [59:17]: Yeah. FAO · Director, Office of Emergency and Resilience · Ryan Paulsen [59:18]: We hear you now. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [59:18]: Okay. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [59:19]: Great. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [59:19]: Okay, Jean-Martin, please. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [59:20]: I can hear you and you can hear me. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [59:21]: Go ahead. Go ahead. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [59:22]: Thank you. Speaker 74 [59:23]: Fantastic. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [59:24]: Thanks, Stéphane. Thanks for bearing with us and good afternoon to everyone. So today, FAO and WFP are presenting the June 2026 edition of the Hunger Hotspots Report. This is about looking at food insecurity trends between June and November 2026. It's a joint analysis. It's a joint analysis of early warning risks to food security. It's not really about looking at food security worldwide. It's really looking at the most severe situations and the trends over the next 6 months. So what we want to do here is warn early so that action can be taken as early as possible to head off hunger. before livelihoods collapse and before lives are lost. This is what the report is about. So it's brought to you by FAO and WFP under the aegis of the Global Network Against Food Crises. Now, in this edition, we identify 13 countries and territories as hunger hotspots from June to November 2026. And these hotspots are grouped by different tiers of concern. And that depends on the severity of the situation and the risk of further deterioration. In the highest level of concern, there is Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Nigeria, and Somalia. These are contexts where populations are facing or at risk of facing high levels of acute food insecurity, including starvation and death. The other tier is a very high level of concern. That's Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti. The remaining hotspots include Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, and Myanmar. These are countries that require close monitoring and urgent action as the situation could deteriorate during the outlook period. So the main drivers of food insecurity according to this report, they remain conflict and insecurity, economic shocks, climate and natural hazards. They don't operate in isolation. They actually compound each other and layer on top of each other. Now, what I need to emphasize is that in many hotspots, including the countries I mentioned, Overlapping conflict, climate, and microeconomic shocks, including the spillovers from the Middle East conflict that you just discussed during this briefing, the potential effects of the El Niño, which we— you did not discuss, but which we'll get into more detail about— they all amplify food insecurity. This is a risk we highlight in this report. Conflict and violence remains the primary driver, and that's the case for 12 of the 13 hotspots identified in this report. And every hotspot of highest concern is a place affected by conflict and violence. And conflict destroys livelihoods, it forces people to leave, it disrupts markets, damages infrastructure, and restricts humanitarian access. So that's really the number one cause. And it also increases risk for civilians and humanitarian workers. Economic shocks are compounding food insecurity. And climate extremes and climate variability are also further intensifying the situation. I'd like to emphasize now the big changes that we have since the previous report, in the previous edition of the Hunger Hotspots Report. So as the highest level of concern, Nigeria has been added to this group. This is because there are projections that a group of population in Borno State may face catastrophic levels of food insecurity during the outlook period. Somalia has been added to the group of highest concern because of populations in the Bokhara District facing a risk of famine according to the IPC in a plausible worst-case scenario. Afghanistan and the DRC remain hotspots of very high concern. Haiti's also been added to this category. Now, Haiti is not classified at the highest level of concern. The situation does remain very fragile in the country and it requires sustained monitoring. Lebanon and Madagascar have been added to the list of hotspots. Lebanon because of the escalation of hostilities and Madagascar because of adverse weather. Now, I'd like to focus on the most alarming finding, which is the risk of famine. The report highlights 4 hotspots with a risk of famine at some point in '26 or in the outlook period. And that's Sudan, South Sudan, Gaza Strip, and Somalia. And these are the situations that require the most attention. In Sudan, the most acute food crisis continues. The risk of famine persists in several areas. And there's conflict that is expected to intensify and expand geographically, including in Kordofan and Northern Darfur. In South Sudan, acute insecurity, food insecurity is expected to remain at catastrophic levels in several counties of Jonglei and Upper Nile states. Conflict displacement and severe access constraints are continuing to drive extreme needs with the risk of famine persisting or newly identified in several countries, counties. In the Gaza Strip, the food security situation has improved since October 2025 in the ceasefire, but it remains extremely fragile. The entire Strip faced a risk of famine mid-April 2026. Now, there's no projection currently covering the full outlook period at the time of writing. In Somalia, there's continued insecurity, rising tensions, and poor seasonal rainfall performance and pressure on agriculture and pastoral livelihoods. That's creating very serious risks and a risk of famine under a plausible worst-case scenario. And in addition, Nigeria and Yemen are identified as places that are at risk. So, The central message is clear that these crises are foreseeable, they're predictable, and the worst outcomes can be prevented. The window to act is narrowing. And I'd like to turn it over to Rain, the Director of FAO for Emergencies and Resilience, to continue on the highest concern hotspots and about the ramifications of the Middle East crisis and the expected El Niño. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:04:56]: Thank you, Jean-Martin. Rain, please go ahead. FAO · Director, Office of Emergency and Resilience · Ryan Paulsen [1:05:00]: Thank you very much, Stefan. Thank you, Jean-Martin. So, colleagues, Jean-Martin, as he has just outlined, has highlighted the highest concern hotspots representing some of the most severe acute food insecurity situations in the world, at risk of deterioration, as was said, during this period projected from June to November. To be clear, these are both crises in terms of food consumption and also crises in terms of livelihoods and livelihoods collapse. And that's why also protecting livelihoods is central to preventing to prevent hunger from worsening. As you see, as you will see in the Hunger Hotspots report that's been released today, the ability of WFP, of FAO, and of our partners to act at scale is being severely constrained at the moment. Let me talk about that from a few different angles. Humanitarian funding for food security sectors has fallen sharply, and there's an important data point here. When it comes to funding for food security activities, those funding levels in 2025 dropped to a level that was last seen in the period 2016 and 2017. At the same time, during that same period from 2016 to— 2016, '17 through 2025, the percentage and share of the population analyzed as being in acute food insecurity High acute food insecurity has doubled during that same period. So, significant funding reduction, a doubling of acute food insecurity at high levels during that same period. In 2026— excuse me— humanitarian partners aim to assist some 135 million people globally, prioritizing immediate life-saving assistance of 87 million people most at risk. This is the hyper-prioritization you've— that you've heard about. And yet, as of June 2026, only about one-third of the hyper-prioritized requirements for food security funding and activities globally has been met. This is forcing extremely difficult choices. Assistance is being reduced. Impossible choices already within already hyper-prioritized plans have to be made. And at the same time, We are having to make cuts to assessments, cuts to our monitoring and analytical capabilities, all of which are weakening the evidence base that's needed precisely to be able to prioritize assistance and to guide our decision-making. And this, this is a major risk. Without reliable data, vulnerable communities become invisible. The Hunger Hotspots report also highlights some other drivers of acute food insecurity at high levels during this reporting period. One of those is around the consequences of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on food security, and specifically the impact on the hotspots. And the other is the impacts of El Niño on those same hotspot areas. So let me say a few words around both of those, reflecting what you'll see in the report. The conflict in the Middle East is creating significant disruptions for agri-food markets on a global level, with increasing risks for countries already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Nearly one quarter of global oil supplies and roughly one third of global fertilizer trade pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Disruptions in this corridor therefore represent a major risk for global food energy and input markets. Higher fuel prices, rising fertilizer costs, increased transportation costs, increased insurance costs, and global supply chain disruptions— all of these things can quickly translate into higher food prices. They can also delay the provision of humanitarian assistance and/or make humanitarian operations even more expensive. And fourth, Households struggling to afford food. For those the most vulnerable, those most acutely food insecure in these hotspot contexts, even small increases in food and fuel prices can have severe consequences. For humanitarian organizations, higher costs mean the same level of funding reaches fewer people. The impact is particularly serious for hotspots that defend— depend heavily on food imports, on fuel imports, fertilizer imports, and humanitarian assistance. If we look at that from a geographical perspective in the Near East, countries and territories listed in the Hunger Hotspots report, such as Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and the Syrian Arab Republic, are particularly vulnerable because of impacts on domestic food production, economic shocks. And humanitarian funding cuts. In Central Asia, Afghanistan is exposed to trade disruptions, tighter food supplies, higher food prices. In South and East Asia, including Myanmar, rising fuel prices, supply disruptions can increase staple food prices and constrain agricultural production, particularly where conflict is already affecting communities. And if we turn to Africa, in Western and Eastern Africa, including Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, Burkina Faso, and Niger, higher fuel, fertilizer, and food import costs are increasing food price inflation and eroding household purchasing power. All of these higher input costs can also impact coming planting seasons, which has a knock-on effect, as you would understand, in terms of reducing future food food availability. In Haiti, higher fuel prices and transport costs risk further straining economic activity and household purchasing power. And these regional spillovers that I've just run through in a very summary fashion show why a crisis in one part of the world can rapidly deepen hunger in another. Let me say a few words quickly about El Niño and wider climate risks. El Niño conditions are now present and expected to strengthen towards the end of the year. This could significantly alter rainfall patterns and temperatures across several hotspots at a time which is critical for the agricultural seasons. In Eastern Africa, Somalia remains particularly exposed after consecutive poor rainy seasons that have severely affected agricultural and pastoral livelihoods. The current rainy season started poorly. Worsening drought conditions. And it's possible that El Niño may, even in some areas, increase risk of flooding in the last quarter of 2026. And this impact, both in terms of water scarcity and water excess in different geographies, is the dominant theme of the impacts of El Niño. Parts of South Sudan may face below-average rainfall and localized moisture deficits as well as heat stress during the main agricultural season, with then expected possible impacts both on crops and pasture. In West Africa, Mali and Nigeria may expect delayed rainfall, prolonged dry spells, particularly across parts of western Sahel. And at the same time, localized flooding could still occur in flood-prone areas of Nigeria during the peak rainy season, which would also disrupt agricultural activities. In Yemen, Sudan, and Afghanistan, the impact of recent dry conditions and consecutive poor seasons continues to affect agricultural production and rural livelihoods. Later in 2026, El Niño-related rainfall may also increase risk of localized flooding. And finally, in Southern Africa, In the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Madagascar, both countries remain exposed after erratic rainy seasons marked by drought, floods, and cyclones variously. Emerging El Niño conditions may further increase dryness risks during the second half of the year, potentially affecting agricultural production, food availability. So, colleagues, the conclusion is clear. Conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes, and funding cuts are converging in a way that puts millions of lives and livelihoods at risk. And Jean-Martin was saying previously, in this report, FAO and WFP are calling for urgent coordinated action. Let me say 4 things quickly about that. You'll see in the report the call for action articulated around these 4 key areas. First, that civilians must be protected, that humanitarian access must be guaranteed, that all parties to conflict must respect international humanitarian law. Hunger must never be used as a weapon of war. The right to food is a basic human right, and peace is a prerequisite for food security. Secondly, with all of the data that's provided and the analysis in— in front of you and as detailed in the report, it's imperative that acute food insecurity and malnutrition remain high on the global political agenda. These crises require political commitment, humanitarian diplomacy, coordinated action across humanitarian, development, and also peace efforts. Thirdly, we urge investment in early warning systems, in emergency preparedness, anticipatory action, and prevention, acting before a shock hits. Not only saves lives, it protects livelihoods and costs significantly less than responding after people have lost everything. And cost-effectiveness, of course, is top of all of our minds at this challenging time. Fourth, funding must be urgently scaled up for food assistance, for emergency agriculture, and for nutrition support. This means saving lives today and also protecting the means by which people will feed themselves into the future. I'll just add a final point, which comes through the report in different points and bears strong emphasis, and that is the point of protecting data and evidence systems. A growing data drought would weaken our collective ability to see crises coming, to prioritize limited resources to respond to those crises, and to be able to reach the most vulnerable communities. But as I wrap up, let me just say that the worst outcomes that you see described in this report are not inevitable. They are foreseeable, and therefore they are preventable. But the window to act is narrowing, which is why the issuance of this report and action in response to it is so important. Thank you, and Steph, back to you. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:16:37]: Thank you very much. We'll take some questions. Edith? UNCA · Journalist · Edie [1:16:42]: Thank you both very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing. You said that the agent— you'd received one-third of the funding. Is that funding for both WFP and FAO, and could we get the numbers? And what impact is the US announcement of $800 million to WFP going to have on hunger in these hotspots? And secondly, if there is no significant increase in funding, what is the world going to be looking at in these hotspots? Famine? More deaths? Can you elaborate? Thank you. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:18:00]: Jean-Martin, do you want to go first? WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [1:18:03]: Sure. Thank you, Stéphane. Thanks, C.D., for the question. So, what I'd like to say is that overall the World Food Programme is still largely underfunded. I mean, we welcome the news of additional resources allocated to WFP, but we need to know that our appeal for this year is over $10 billion. The forecast that we have is quite low, and we're very far from being able to support the people in the countries that are mentioned in this report. We still have very large funding deficits in many geographies, including the hotspots mentioned in this report. And what that means is that people on the frontline, they're having to make decisions about who gets fed and who does not get fed. We are in a situation where we've had to target in a way that's extremely sharp and leave aside people who are in high levels of vulnerability. As explained earlier, you've got 4 countries with a risk of famine currently, 4 countries and territories with a risk of famine. And if funding does not come through at 100%, and if the access constraints continue on the ground, and if the risks that we mentioned materialize in the form of the continuation of the impacts of the Middle East crisis and the El Niño, what you could see is a famine in a plausible worst-case scenario. This is exactly what we're weighing at this point, it's a situation of famine in those 4 countries. Maybe over to Rayne. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:19:29]: Go ahead, Rayne. FAO · Director, Office of Emergency and Resilience · Ryan Paulsen [1:19:31]: Thanks, Steph. So let me just add that summary number of 1/3 funding against the hyper-prioritized requirements is, of course, a summary funding figure, and the specific details do look different by organization. If I speak for FAO, just to give you concrete numbers, Edie, Our emergency request and requirements for 2026 are for $1.5 billion. As of yesterday, we were funded at $205 million against that. We do have some promises in the pipeline, and we are thankful for the support being provided. But you can see in percentage terms that that funding level is really low in light of the analysis provided in the Hunger Hotspots report and what's required in terms of action. And I think— Jean Martin answered well the very concrete consequences of what would happen should funding at higher levels not materialize. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:20:31]: Thank you. Bisan. Journalist · Bisan Abukwekwa [1:20:33]: Thank you very much. Bisan Abukwekwa, Al Jazeera Arabic. I just wanted to ask, do you have specific numbers that you can share that have to do with the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz? Like, from your remarks, you mentioned what the possibility would be if it continues and how many ships pass through and so on and so forth and how many areas across the world it affects, but you have specific numbers of actual impact right now? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:21:10]: Go ahead. FAO · Director, Office of Emergency and Resilience · Ryan Paulsen [1:21:13]: So on this, I would just say you see in the Hunger Hotspots report Summary information that's provided. There are so many interlinked factors that it's difficult to quantify in every specific location what the consequences would be. What I would say in summary terms, and what you'll see in the report, is we're describing projections for the period June to November. We are highlighting a number of geographical areas where we are concerned about the evolution, where we expect a deterioration. And we expect that deterioration specifically because of the interplay between a variety of factors. We've mentioned conflict, we've mentioned El Niño, and yes, the ripple effects of the crisis in the Middle East feed into that as well. But obviously, the number of geographies included and the number of situations and variables we're talking about make it difficult to give a very concrete number in response to the question that you've asked. Journalist · Efraim [1:22:14]: Efraim. Thank you so much. Two questions, please. The first one on Lebanon. Can you give us a little bit more granularity on what is happening there? Is there not enough food, or we heard warning from the beginning of the war that there was only 3 months' worth of food left in Lebanon, or 6 months, I don't remember. Do you still have that assessment? What exactly is happening on the ground? Is it just a portion of the population that's not eating, the displaced, placed, or is the whole country at risk? Do you also think that there is an intentional destruction on part of Israel as well of the food systems in Lebanon? We've seen them throw white phosphorus on agricultural land. We're seeing also farmers not being able to work their crops. If you can just explain to us exactly what's happening. And the second question on Gaza and Sudan together, Let's say you get all the funding you're asking for. How confident are you that actually Israel will allow the food in, seeing that speaking with other UN representatives there, there's a whole thing called dual list, and it's an elastic list, and what's being allowed to enter changes every day. So how will the funding help with that? In Sudan, the same thing. It's also a problem of access. Thank you so much. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:23:37]: Thank you. Jean-Martin, you want to take that one? WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [1:23:41]: Sure. So indeed, Lebanon has been one of the countries that has been the most affected by the situation in the Middle East overall and by the increase in conflict and escalation in conflict. And what we've seen in Lebanon is an increase in food prices at a time where there's been large displacement in the country. There was an IPC that was done, thankfully, just a few weeks ago, which did outline what's going on, which is an increase in vulnerability to food insecurity. It's important to note that when displacement occurs, the folks that are most affected are those who have been forced to flee their homes. And this is happening at a time of great pressure on— great pressure on local markets, and with attention on also the exchange rates and the macroeconomy. Now, in terms of the displacement, of course we're seeing a different situation at present. What I would say is that when we have access, we are able to deliver, we are able to reach the most vulnerable population within Lebanon, and therefore assistance and funding to the agencies, FAO or WFP, would help alleviate the situation. That's what we've seen in the past. We're able to coordinate with our partners on the ground to to get through. But there has been an uptick in vulnerability, definitely, in Lebanon in the past few weeks. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:25:05]: Thank you. Abdel Hamid, then the gentleman over there. Gaza and Sudan as well. Journalist · Abdul Hamid Sayyam [1:25:11]: My question on Gaza, so we can combine them, if— okay. Yeah, my question is on Gaza, so you can answer both, Fran's and my question. Abdul Hamid Sayyam from the Arabic Daily, Al Quds Al Arabi. Could you tell us how about your presence in Gaza? How many WFP staff? How was your relation with other UN agencies, especially UNRWA? And what is the average truckload enters Gaza on like daily or weekly basis? What are the obstacles you are facing with the cross points? And why is the Rafah crossing is not open since the other side of the crossing is Egypt, not Israel? Thank you. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:26:11]: Go ahead. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [1:26:13]: So if I may. So the— in June so far, WFP has been providing assistance in Gaza and we've been able to provide general food assistance to 195,000 people in Gaza at 75% rations. So we're operational and we're also producing more than 200,000 hot meals daily. We were able to support 28 bakeries with wheat flour and fuel, and we've also provided support to an additional 5 bakeries with, with fuel to allow them to produce the bread that's needed by the population. We've been able to also reach almost 70,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women and girls, so the children under 5 with malnutrition treatment. So there's been, again, some ability to access the population in Gaza. What we've seen in the, in the past in Gaza has been the fact that when access is available, when WFP and its partners are able to reach Gaza and all parts of Gaza, food security indicators improve dramatically. And when that's not possible, the food security indicators don't do so well and in fact are going to reverse quite quickly. So that's, that's what I'm able to say right now about why Rafah is closed. I mean, I don't have an answer to that right now, but if you'd like more detail on WFP's footprint in Gaza, including more information about our staff numbers, I'd have to get back to you. I don't have that on hand right now. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:27:38]: Yes, sir. And then Stefano. IPS · Journalist · Max Mauwasser [1:27:41]: Hi, I'm Max Mauwasser from IPS News. I just had a question about— there's a lot more conflict going on, humanitarian needs are rising, and I was wondering what steps can governments, aid organizations, and private sector logistic partners take to reduce supply chain disruptions and risks, which are leading to higher costs and longer delivery times? FAO · Director, Office of Emergency and Resilience · Ryan Paulsen [1:28:02]: One of you? It's a huge question. Let me maybe respond with a data point from Sudan and related to FAO's activities in 2022. 2025. So I think there are many parts of the answer. One of the parts of the answer is doing everything we can to boost local food production where possible in the midst of crisis context. And if I take the example of Sudan, this last year, 2025, the key staple crop, the key cereal that's consumed is millet. FAO supported hundreds of thousands of households with millet production, spent $17 million. It resulted in the production of some $515 million worth of food in Sudan. That type of intervention, it's not the answer to everything. A number of actions have to be taken also on the supply chain side. For international inputs being delivered, but greater emphasis on local production is part of the answer. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:29:14]: Thank you. Stefano. Speaker 99 [1:29:18]: Oh, and— Journalist · Stefano Vaccara [1:29:18]: Thank you, Stefano Vaccara, Italpress. You mentioned and welcomed the recent US contribution of $800 million to WFP. However, looking at the broader picture, does this funding fully compensate for the loss of programs capacity and resources that resulted from the dismantling of much of the US aid humanitarian infrastructure and the cuts to US foreign assistance over recent months? And I have also— do you know whether your report found its way and was discussed at the recent G7 summit in France? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:30:01]: Go ahead, Jean-Martin. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [1:30:04]: Thanks, Stéphane. So, Stefano, we hope that these reports are used by decision makers and they do make their way to the right circles. We know that the report is widely read. Thanks to you, by the way. Thank you to the press for relaying these messages so that they are heard. I can't tell you specifically about the G7 because the report came out today and the G7 had already started. I don't have the details. Now, the question you ask about the $800 million contribution from the US to the World Food Program. I have to say it's absolutely welcome. It's something that's going to help us save a lot of lives in many geographies where food security has been a mounting problem. I think that's really the focus that I'd like to put on that contribution. It's welcome and it's going to help us do what we need to do. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:30:52]: Thank you very much. Noreen. IPS · Journalist · Noreen Hussein [1:30:55]: Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you very much. Noreen Hussein with IPS News. I'd actually like to focus on a different aspect of the report, specifically the section on the other situations that require further monitoring from your part, from your respective organizations. So this does mention other countries that also have acute food insecurity situations like Ethiopia, Iran, and Burkina Faso. But specific— the— of note to me is the specific mention of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. I would like to ask, therefore, what was the purpose of highlighting the Rohingya refugees in this report? As the only specific community or specific group, as opposed to other countries in this report. Thank you. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:31:49]: Thank you. One of you. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [1:31:52]: Right. The reason— oh, maybe Rain, go ahead. Oh, all right. Sure. The reason why that community is in the report is because rations were reduced in April. So there's insufficient resources to support a very vulnerable population. So that's why you see them flagged. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:32:09]: Great. Last question, a short one from Bisan, and then we'll close. Journalist · Bisan Abukwekwa [1:32:13]: Just a quick one, since the part about Sudan was not answered. So given that Ephraim had asked, since they're banning the humanitarian access, so what difference does the funding make, putting that in perspective on Sudan specifically? UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:32:34]: Go ahead, Jomarta. WFP · Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service · Jean-Martin Bauer [1:32:36]: So on that one, the WFP office in Sudan is operational, and just last month we reached more than 3 million people in the country with this essential food assistance. So we can't say that access is banned. It's difficult. There are places in Sudan that are very difficult to access, but we are there in the country. We are delivering. So it's— I'd like to correct any misperception around that. Access is a challenge, but it's not a situation where we have no access at all. We are, quite the contrary, doing everything we can to reach people in need everywhere in Sudan. UN · Spokesperson · Stéphane [1:33:09]: Great. Jean-Martin Reynes, thank you very much. We appreciate you coming out here, and we'll see both of you very Thank you.