Sudan, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

and civilian infrastructure. The Secretary-General is particularly alarmed by reports of deployment by the Rapid Support Forces of substantial military reinforcements around El-Obeid, which may indicate an imminent ground offensive into the city. Such an offensive would potentially be placing yet another major population centre in Sudan at grave risk of large-scale violence. The Secretary-General calls for restraint from all parties and urges them to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians. Far too many times in this conflict, clear warnings have failed to trigger concerted action by the international community. The Secretary-General urges all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed. We must not allow the horrors of al-Fasher to be repeated in al-Obaid. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. He urges the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces to engage with international efforts, including those of his personal envoy for Sudan, Pekka Havisto, to facilitate de-escalation and to reach a negotiated settlement to end this devastating conflict. Humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance in El-Obeid and across the Khartoum region despite the deteriorating security situation. A humanitarian worker was among the civilians killed by drone strikes in residential neighborhoods in El-Obeid in the last week. The Secretary-General stresses that humanitarian workers and supplies must be able to move safely wherever they need to go. Humanitarian operations must be protected and they must be facilitated. El-Obeid is a crucial hub for humanitarian response efforts across the broader Kordofan State. Civilians who wish to leave must be allowed to leave safely. Those choosing to remain must be respected. They must be protected. And they must have access to the humanitarian relief that they need. The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their clear obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the respect and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access. As I mentioned, despite all these volatile situation, our humanitarian partners, including NGOs and local responders, remain on the ground to provide rapid assistance.

And also, we have a statement on the worrying situation around— in and around El-Obeid from the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and that is being shared with you.

Turning to the situation in Lebanon, particularly southern Lebanon within UNIFIL's area of operations, where our peacekeepers continue to monitor developments closely. UNIFIL peacekeepers report that so far today, 143 trajectories of projectiles were observed, Of these, 119 were attributed to the Israeli Defense Forces, with the remainder to Hezbollah.

Yesterday, 364 projectile launchers were observed, of which 330 were attributed to the IDF and 34 to Hezbollah. UNIFIL also reported 38 violations of Lebanese airspace yesterday, but none today, within its area of operations. Um, UNIFIL peacekeepers are continuing to observe extensive IDF ground activity throughout the mission's area of operations. And yesterday, as an example, a UNIFIL convoy faced obstruction by two IDF tanks north of Tiri, that is in Sector West. During the encounter, one of the tanks aimed its weapon at a UNIFIL vehicle while IDF personnel signaled the convoy to halt, forcing the patrol to stop and reverse. Subsequently, the convoy was allowed to take an alternate route to its intended destination. We reiterate once again that UNIFIL peacekeepers must have unrestricted freedom of movement throughout their area of operations as they are doing their work on behalf of the Security Council. Meanwhile, yesterday, the Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, together with the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Abagnara held meetings in Beirut with President Aoun and the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabi Berri. General Abagnara stressed that UNIFIL remains committed to supporting, in close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces, the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which continues to be the framework, as you well know, to restoring stability and security in South Lebanon. Thank you. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL facilitated through its liaison branch and in coordination with OCHA 9 humanitarian missions in Sector West that took place yesterday. And for his part, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced an additional $12 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to help hundreds of thousands of people uprooted in Lebanon by the conflict.

Thank you.

The funding will help people access healthcare and protection from gender-based violence, among other critical services. It will also help address the growing food insecurity that we are seeing in some of the displaced populations in Lebanon. OCHA tells us that nearly 50,000 people have now returned to their homes in Nabatiyeh and South Governorates. However, more than 106,000 people remain in collective sites across the country, with many others seeking shelter elsewhere. Our partners warn that continued insecurity, widespread destruction, limited access to basic services are continuing to prevent many people from returning home. Moving to the situation in the occupied Palestinian Territory, and I'll start with the West Bank. Today, our humanitarian colleagues there tell us that attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank continue to cause Palestinian casualties, displacement, and property damage. Yesterday, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator and our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the OPT, Ramiz Al-Akkaroff, said in a statement that arson attacks on two mosques near Ramallah are unacceptable and must be condemned. Since Sunday, four mosques have been affected by arson attacks, all of them in Ramallah Governorate. Dr. Al-Akkaroff, Barof warned of a worrying escalation of violence that must be stopped urgently. He stressed that such acts threaten the fabric of communities and risk further inflaming tensions, and he called for accountability for the perpetrators. In Tulkarem, Israeli forces yesterday allowed displaced Palestinians to access their homes in two refugee camps to retrieve some personal belongings. Local partners assessed some 65 families were— allowed in only for a limited amount of time, more than a year after their initial displacement. And you'll recall that according to UNRWA, over 33,000 Palestinians from these camps, as well as from Jenin camp, have been displaced and not allowed to return since January 2025. Turning to Gaza, our health partners report that as of Sunday, more than 30 emergency medical teams were deployed across the Gaza Strip. Partners working on sexual and reproductive health are also maintaining services through hundreds of medical points. This includes 10 mobile units to help reach areas with limited access. Health partners also say they're expanding mental health and psychosocial support services for children and adolescents. At the same time, they warn that health— certain health supplies are running low, particularly items that are difficult to bring in. These include high-level disinfectants needed for surgeries, insulin, dialysis supplies for the treatment of non-communicable diseases, as well as artificial limbs and various rehabilitation equipment. Also this afternoon, the Security Council will discuss Israel and Palestine, and we expect Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, to brief. Turning to the Ebola response and Tom Fletcher again, the Emergency Relief Coordinator. Has designated Julian Harnais as the Senior Ebola Coordinator. That designation was done in consultations with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros. Julian, who you will recall was previously the UN's representative in Yemen, will be based in Bunia in the eastern part of the DRC and will work with our— with the Interagency Standing Committee, which brings together both UN and NGO humanitarian partners. Working closely with WHO, national authorities, and partners, his new role will be to reinforce coordination across the response, address operational challenges, and help ensure support reaches those who need it as quickly as possible. Staying in the DRC, our humanitarian partners continue to support the response to the Ebola outbreak despite immense operational challenges, as we tell you almost every day. This week, we and our partners delivered over 16 metric tons of medical supplies, while our partners also provided new health screening facilities in the international airport in Kinshasa to strengthen the surveillance. We've also expanded community engagement and Ebola prevention activities, including toll-free hotline for pregnant women and awareness sessions for displaced women in the town of Bunia. Humanitarians continue to provide logistical support and food assistance to affected households during periods of illness and isolation. And also our colleagues in the peacekeeping mission in the DRC learnt with sadness that one of their subcontracted workers, locally recruited in Bunia, died as a— died of Ebola. We join the mission in offering our condolences to his friends and families. In neighboring Uganda, Tom Fletcher allocated $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the government's Ebola response. These newly released funds will be part of a $60 million CERF allocation to boost the response announced at the end of May. They will support our work across 29 districts in Uganda, including in areas hosting refugees, to deliver health and and logistical assistance. In the country, our UN team led by the Resident Coordinator Leonard Zulu, and of course guided by the technical expertise of WHO, are continuing to support the Ugandan government's efforts on various national— multiple fronts on Ebola. The International Organization for Migration, the UN Development Programme are strengthening screening, surveillance, and mobility management at key points of entry. UNICEF is supporting community engagement, risk communication, and the continuity of essential services. The World Food Programme has delivered more than 6,000 meals to patients, contacts in isolation, and frontline health workers while ensuring the delivery of critical supplies. And for its part, UNHCR— Uh, supporting preparedness and response efforts in areas that host refugees, and our teams remain committed to supporting Uganda's efforts to contain the outbreak, protect vulnerable communities, and prevent further transmission. Our Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed arrived in London last night. She participated today in the inaugural Global School for Sustainability Forum at the London School of Economics, where she joined discussions on critical challenges to sustainable development, alongside President Tharman Shagmarathan of Singapore, Theresa Ribera, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, and Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the former Minister of Finance of Indonesia. Key discussion points focused on the development emergency and the investments needed at scale. Innovation to local solutions were highlighted as key to strengthening delivery systems needed to achieve the SDGs. While in London, Ms. Mohammed will also participate in a dialogue on maternal and child health, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders including philanthropists, business and political leaders, civil society, and academics. The discussion will focus on renewing commitment and action to SDG 3, maternal and child health, one of the world's most urgent and preventable challenges where progress is at risk. The Deputy Secretary-General will be back here on Sunday. Also here, and earlier this morning, Hana Tete, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya, briefed the Council by video conference, and she said, while the political process in Libya has regained momentum, progress remains fragile. She said momentum had been tested by a growing wave of misinformation, of disinformation, hate speech and incitement targeting refugees, migrants, humanitarian actors, and UN agencies and personnel in Libya, including Libyan nationals. False and misleading claims have already provoked violence against UN premises, underscoring the real dangers posed by disinformation. Ms. Tété told the Council that the country's challenges cannot be addressed through fabrication and scapegoating. They require responsible leadership, unified function, and effective institutions to restore public trust, adding that if Libyan political actors and institutions are unable to create political and security conditions for holding elections and completing the remaining legal institutional steps within a reasonable timeframe, continued reliance on this process alone will not be sufficient for the Libyan people to have a government of their choice with democratic legitimacy. I want to flag something from Kosovo. 130 young leaders from communities across Kosovo in the Western Balkans gathered for two days for the 8th UN Youth Assembly, supported by UNMIK, our mission in Kosovo, as part of a broader UN effort to advance the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda. Held under the theme "Youth in the Field," the assembly brought together participants to discuss issues affecting young people, including rural-urban disparities, participation in governance, economic opportunities, inclusion, mental health, and the role of youth leaders in their communities. A couple of climate-related notes. The World Meteorological Organization, in a report released today, shows that extreme weather and climate-related events impacted at least 13 million people and led to over 3,000 reported facilities in Africa in 2025, with knock-on effects across all sectors of the economy and society. The report points out that African continent is warming faster than the global average.

Um, according to the report, Africa's glaciers have lost more than 90% of their area since the late 19th century.

Mount Kilimanjaro glacier area has declined from 11.4 square kilometers in 1900 to less than 1 square kilometer today.

That's pretty stark.

The report also shows ocean warming continues across the region with widespread marine heat waves, sea level rise, along the African coast from '99 to 2025 exceeds the global average of 3.6 millimeters per year in several regions, reaching 4.2 millimeters per year along the Atlantic and 5.2 a year along the Indian Ocean coast and 5.6 in the Red Sea. Full report is online. FAO/WFP also launched today the first-ever Joint Anticipatory Action Plan seeking 202 $1.2 million to protect the nearly 9 million people from potential impact of a strong El Niño across 22 high-risk countries. The strong El Niño conditions are predicted to increase the likelihoods of droughts, of floods and storms across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, threatening food security, livelihoods. The appeal is cost-efficient, with every dollar invested able to build up $7 in avoided losses. FAO and WFP call for urgent flexible funding with financing necessary in order to be at scale. I just want to flag that the UN Open Source Week will take place here next week. It is organized by our colleagues in the Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies and the Office for Information Communications Technology and will bring together developers, policymakers, diplomats, and international organizations. Two important international days today on very different topics.

Today is the International Day of Countering Hate Speech.

Hate speech targets groups including women, migrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ people, and persons with disabilities, and it can lead to violence and atrocity crimes. In his message, the Secretary-General warns that hate speech spreads faster than ever, amplified by unregulated platforms and intensified by artificial intelligence. The Secretary-General notes that states have a clear obligation under international law to combat incitement to hatred and to promote inclusion, respect for diversity, and solidarity. He underscored that we must work together to build a world based on human rights, dignity, and respect. And today is Sustainable Gastronomy Day. Now, see, now you're paying attention.

Sorry.

Gastronomy refers to local food and cuisine, and sustainable gastronomy means thinking about where our food comes from and how it is grown and how it is prepared. One-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. Eating locally and seasonally supports farmers, reduces emissions, and keeps culinary conditions alive. On this day, everyone is encouraged to make more sustainable food choices for healthier diets and a food-secure future.

And bon appétit.

Thank you.

All right, we'll go to lunch. Okay, Gabriel.

Um, on Sudan and El-Obeid, um, was there some new information that the UN has received that is prompting this alert, or is this all part of what we've seen in the RSF buildup in the past several days and weeks there?

I mean, I think the buildup in itself is worrying enough, right? And we've seen this scenario play out before, right?

We saw it in al-Fashir.

I think, you know, anyone who just from here saw the video and saw what happened, I mean, cannot be— cannot help but be tremendously upset by what we had seen, and we do not want to see the same scenario play out in El-Obeid.

And in El-Obeid, as you well know, it's the capital of North Kordofan State. It's one of the biggest cities in Sudan. If the RSF moves forward with this, a potential military action there, what would be the humanitarian ramifications for the UN and its partners that you can assess at this point?

Well, I mean, I think first and foremost, the ramification would be for the safety of the people who are in al-Hibayd, right? I mean, again, looking at the track record of what happened before, the situation has potential of being atrocious. So there's a physical safety risk for those who are living there. And of course, that then brings with it increased humanitarian needs of people fleeing, often with just the clothes on their back, trying to find refuge in places that are already overwhelmed. So there's a cascading effect and impact from— should such an attack occur.

Yes, you're from—

Also on Sudan. Hi, Steph. Also on Sudan, in addition to the statement, and we also read the also alarming statement from Volker Türk, the High Commissioner, what is the UN doing now? What is the Secretary-General doing? Has he called anyone? Does his appeal— would he like to make an appeal to someone in particular, any member state that has an influence?

Personal envoy, Mr. Javi Stow, has been in touch with various parties. He will continue to do so. We will continue to pass the message through various channels that— I mean, I think you know the conflict in Sudan better than I. There are a lot of external parties in there, not all of which, let's be honest, have been playing a very constructive role.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Stefan. I would like to go to another topic. Like, after not being voted into the Security Council, the German Foreign Minister has recently said in an interview that German Parliament might review certain UN commitments, and he added, I'm quoting, "It cannot be right that we are one of the largest contributors and yet are not taken into account in certain decisions, including personal appointments." And I was wondering if the Secretary-General has a comment on that.

What I can say is that Germany is an incredibly important partner to the United Nations, one that has continuously supported the UN financially and politically, is a big supporter of multilateralism, and we hope that this positive relationship will continue well into the future.

Okay. Gastronomy has gotten the best of you.

Bye.

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