Sudan, Lebanon, Palestine & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right, good afternoon. Welcome to all of you. You missed— we had about— how many seats in this room, we think? Uh, 7? No, 7— where we have 70, we had about 50 Norwegian fans who did the rowing in this room just before you showed up.

I joined them, but I had the French flag. Yeah, yeah, you'll get the visuals.

Yeah.

All right.

Speaking of announcements, good morning. The Secretary-General remains in London, where earlier today he delivered a special address at the London Climate Action Week.

He said that our world is facing two crises: a climate crisis pushing us deeper towards higher temperature and closer to catastrophic tipping points, and an energy crisis exposing the folly of a world hooked on carboidr—

hydrocarbons, excuse me. The Secretary-General said these crises may seem separate, but they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels.

But he said he underscored that they demand the same answer: a fast, fair transition to clean energy, a surge in adaptation, resilience, and climate justice for those already facing climate harm. The good news, he said, is that unlike every past energy crisis, we now have a clear way out and a clean way out. He said renewables are the cheapest, fastest, and most scalable source of new electricity all over the world.

There are, uh, no embargoes, he said, on sunlight and no blockades on the wind. During his address, the Secretary-General launched a global call to action on methane and also proposed an AI environmental Transparency Initiative. Also today, he addressed the Local Climate Action Summit, where he underscored that the climate fight will not be won in negotiating rooms, but through the actions we take in our communities. As we enter this year of implementation, he stressed local leaders have an even greater responsibility to ensure the transition moves faster, becomes fairer, and delivers security, resilience, and prosperity for all. Later on, he addressed, um, the Global Energy Transition and Electrification Summit, where he said that the age of clean electrification is here. The question, he said, is whether we can build the grids and storage and mobilize the investment and deliver on the infrastructure at the speed and scale that is required. Um, the Secretary-General is now meeting the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, that is Yvette Cooper, and all of the Secretary-General's remarks have been shared with you. He has some more meetings tomorrow and then will be heading back to New York later in the day. Regarding the situation in Sudan, I want to start there. Our human rights colleagues issued a report today verifying 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence in 16 out of Sudan's 18 states.

This—

these numbers come from the beginning of the conflict through mid-April of this year. Affecting at least 838 women, men, and children. The findings underscore the devastating human toll the conflict continues to exact on civilians across Sudan. These figures represent only the tip of the iceberg of the true scale of the abuse, as persistent underreporting has obscured the full extent of conflict-related sexual violence. The report also documents the deaths of at least 13 victims, many of whom died after being subject of gang rapes. Meanwhile, we and our partners are continuing to provide crucial assistance to people affected by conflict in El-Obeid, in northern Kordofan State. The World Food Programme and its partners plan to provide food assistance to more than 72,000 displaced people this month, and the next one, with some 12,600 people having reached so far. UNICEF and its partners also reached more than 95,000 children under the age of 5 between last Friday and Sunday as part of a nutrition campaign. Our health partners have also prepositioned cholera supplies and essential medicine to prepare for an eventual outbreak. We remain alarmed that the fighting continues to force people from their homes in al-Obaid, leaving families caught between escalating violence and worsening humanitarian conditions. Conditions. On June 22nd, drones reportedly struck two displacement sites in the city, and our partners tell us at least three civilians were killed and others were injured. Several shelters were also reportedly damaged in both sites. Our humanitarian colleagues continue to report fuel shortages as well as the limited availability of bread, of safe drinking water, and of essential food items in al-Obaid. Once again, we call for the urgent additional funding to help us scale up life saving assistance across Sudan. The 2026 Humanitarian Preparedness and Response Plan calls for $2.9 billion United States dollars to reach more than 20 million people, is only 39% funded. And turning to Lebanon, our UNIFIL colleagues tell us that the latest ceasefire announced for Lebanon on June 19th appears to be largely holding. However, peacekeepers did observe kinetic activity yesterday, Near al-Bayyada in sector west, where heavy machine gun fire and two 40mm grenades were fired by the IDF towards the east, east-northeast of UN position 1-26. That was followed by a Merkava tank firing three shots towards al-Munsuri. Peacekeepers also continued to observe Israeli Defense Force ground and air activities in sector west, northeast of al-Bayyada, four aerial drone activities were documented near and over a UNIFIL position. In one instance, an armed drone flew over the position twice at altitudes ranging from 50 to 150 meters. In Sector East, drone activity was recorded south of Deir Mimas, where a drone flew at an altitude of about 80 meters, apparently to monitor UNIFIL peacekeepers during the removal of roadblock they were conducting. Also yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers encountered freedom of movement restrictions in Sector East. Patrols encountered two roadblocks southeast of Deir Mimas. In Sector West, IDF personnel blocked a road used by UNIFIL patrol in Beit Yahoun, forcing them to return to their point of origin. We urge all parties to adhere fully to the ceasefire and refrain from any escalation, particularly during this delicate period of ongoing negotiations. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL facilitated 12 humanitarian missions by 3 different UN agencies in Sector West in coordination with OCHA. And on the broader point, we've been asked about contacts senior UN officials have had on the Lebanon crisis. I can tell you that Tom Fletcher, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is in close touch with the mediators and the Lebanese authorities. He will also soon speak to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, or at least later this week. On the ground, our colleagues tell us that the humanitarian situation remains fragile and uncertain for families seeking to return to their homes, even after the latest ceasefire. Some 19,000 people left collective shelters overnight, reducing the total from 109,000 yesterday to just more than 90,000. Today. A new UN Development Programme assessment conducted with the Lebanese Council for Scientific Research highlights the scale of damage in southern Lebanon. More than 11,000 residential buildings were found to be completely destroyed and another 2,200 partially damaged. For many families, it just means that there is simply no home to return to. Continued uncertainty, widespread destruction, and the threat posed by unexploded ordnances continue to prevent safe and sustainable return. We and our partners continue to call for the protection of civilians and for conditions to allow displaced families to return home voluntarily, safely, and of course, with dignity. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, our OCHA colleagues tell us that shelling, gunfire, bombing, and airstrikes continue to harm civilians across the Gaza Strip. As a tragic example, our colleagues at UNICEF today said a 17-year-old girl named Ragheed was killed on her way to sit for her high school exams. She was one of UNICEF's Youth Champions. We reiterate that we condemn the killing of any civilians, including children, and they must always be protected. Meanwhile, partners leading on the management of displacement sites yesterday released the findings of an assessment covering nearly 1,600 displacement sites hosting about 1.7 million people.— that's about 80% of Gaza's population. The findings confirm that displaced people remain in extremely poor conditions, with limited access to essential services, limited access also to humanitarian supplies, inadequate lighting and energy, weakened health services, disrupted water supply, and exposure in general to insecurity. To give you a few examples, at least 59,000 individual shelters accommodate more than 8 people, while about 30— 38,500 people are estimated to be sleeping in the open. An estimated 600,000 people in the assessed sites lack sufficient access to drinking water, and half of the sites lack visible drainage, and nearly half reported fire hazards near shelters. Rodent infestation, as we've been telling you, are reported in 80% of the sites. Open sewage and accumulated weight are present in nearly half of them, in more than half. Almost 250 sites holding 250,000 people, there were reported incidents with unexploded ordnance. And also want to flag an initiative on the Strait of Hormuz from our colleagues at the International Maritime Organization, who tell us they will be beginning implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers who remain stranded in the region. The large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, and all other coastal states in the region, as well as the United States and the maritime industry. The IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, said IMO secured the necessary safety guarantees and thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations. The operation marks a significant step towards alleviating the the humanitarian impact of the crisis on thousands of seafarers who've endured months of uncertainty, months of unrestricted movements, and mounting welfare concerns. Back here, Valentine Rugwabiza, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Central African Republic and head of the peacekeeping mission, told the Security Council via video that the country has reached another decisive milestone towards the full completion of the 2025-2026 electoral cycle, noting the successful holding in April of the second round of legislative, regional, municipal elections, adding that in a country where elections have too often been associated with tensions and cycles of violence, this is a clear indication of institutional stability. While the security council— security situation remained— has generally improved across the CAR over the years, it remains fragile in several border areas. She said that the UN mission in the country, MINUSCA, continues to work closely with the government to protect civilians and further consolidate the extension of state authority. However, the sustainability of security gains requires significant investments in the CAR security sector and institutions. Her remarks were shared with you. And in the other peacekeeping region— mission in the region, MONUSCO, They continue to support Ebola response efforts in the Ituri Province in the east. Since MONUSCO's deployment of a mobile operating base in the Mungwalu area, there have been no further attacks or security incidents against the Ebola response efforts. The mission continues to actively engage local leaders to help address misinformation and improve trust with local communities, creating a safer environment for the Ebola response. Meanwhile, the mission recently handed over $447,000 road rehabilitation, agricultural, and socio-economic projects directly to support several hundred beneficiaries and benefiting almost 20,000 residents, including former combatants. MONUSCO is also actively implementing protection of civilian mandate in the province. On the 20th of June, it deployed a company operating base in Mombasa to re-establish a sustained sustained presence in the area following recent uptick in attacks by the Allied Defense Forces. This complex environment, MINUSCO remains steadfast in implementing all of its priority mandate tasks alongside supporting the Ebola response. And more on that from our humanitarian colleagues at OCHA who tell us that we and our partners are supporting surveillance, contact tracing, lab testing, infection prevention, and case management to deal with the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC. In Ituri Province, UNICEF delivered 30 metric tons of medical supplies to Bunia last week, bringing total deliveries since the start of the outbreak to 180 tons. The International Organization for Migration has deployed technical experts to Aru and Mahagi territories and trained frontline personnel in Bunia and Rompara, as well as key entry points into the capital Kinshasa, including the international airport there. Meanwhile, OCHA says it's concerned by renewed fighting in the provinces of South Kivu, although no new Ebola cases have been reported there since May 26th, escalating clashes in territories of Fizi and Wenga that have triggered new displacement. We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians, to ensure safe, sustained, and humanitarian access, which is critical to containing the Ebola outbreak for the delivering of life-saving assistance. And yesterday afternoon, Khaled Kari, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Political and Peacebuilding Department, briefed the Security Council on Ukraine. He said that international humanitarian law is clear: attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including cultural sites, is strictly prohibited. They must stop now wherever they occur. He warned that if the current dangerous cycle of escalation continues, "We will undoubtedly witness further devastation in Ukraine as well as increasingly in the Russian Federation." For her part, Edem Osornu briefed on behalf of Tom Fletcher, noting that the UN human rights monitoring mission records show that more civilians were killed and injured by short-range drones in May than any month since February of 2022. And this morning, the Security Council adopted a resolution on accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers. The resolution was authored by Denmark and Pakistan and co-sponsored by 150 member states, which is great. It calls for strengthened efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes against UN personnel serving in peacekeeping operations and reaffirms the accountability is essential to preventing future attacks. Since 1948, 1,095 UN peacekeepers have been killed as a result of— including 359 since 2013. Several thousands more have been injured while serving in some of the world's most challenging environments. Notable progress has been made in recent years. Since 2020, 103 individuals have been convicted for offenses related to killings of 35 peacekeepers and 2 UN experts in the Central African Republic, the DRC, Lebanon, and Mali. But much more needs to be done. Done. We welcome the Council's strong message that there can be no impunity for attacks against UN peacekeepers. Tom Fletcher, Head of our Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced this morning that $110 million was being released from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support women and girls in some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, adding that women and girls must be at the heart of any humanitarian response. The allocation will be channeled through the UN Women and the UN Population Fund in close partnership with local women-led organizations. It will span 8 underfunded emergencies— Ethiopia, Syria, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Myanmar, Mozambique, and Mali— and will help women and girls to access protection, healthcare, and other vital services. Today is International Widows' Day. For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a partner is magnified by long-term to fight for their basic rights and dignity. This day raises awareness for the challenges faced by 258 million widows worldwide. Many experiences— many experience poverty, discrimination, violence, and loss of inheritance rights, especially in developing and conflict-affected regions. This day calls for governments and societies to protect their rights, provide social and economic support, and address stigmas encouraging their empowerment. And today is also a very important day. It's, it's UN Public Service Day, what I do every day. It celebrates the value of public service and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector. And this note aptly was written by our intern Thelma. In his message, the Secretary-General notes that as climate change, conflict, and artificial intelligence reshape the world, our future depends on institutions that are innovative and ready to adapt. Which means ensuring that digital technologies are deployed ethically and effectively. He underscored by working with transparency, integrity, and fairness, public servants can help strengthen good governance and build trust between people and institutions. We have money today. We have a quiz.

Ready?

In this country, the official national sport is called pato. Pato. It is an intense 400-year-old game played on horseback that combines elements of polo and basketball. It involves two teams of four riders on horseback competing to throw a leather ball with handles into a netted hoop. Exactly. So their religion might be football, but their national sport is pato. So we thank our friends in Buenos Aires, who paid $15,589,176.

All right.

Mona, you have a question?

Okay.

All right.

Gabriel, go ahead.

Steph, on the seafarers that are going to be evacuated, question is, If the Strait of Hormuz is open, why do they need to be evacuated? Number one. And number two is, are they just going to be evacuated off the ships that they're presumably stranded on, or are they— is the operation to repatriate them to their country?

I mean, part of it is ensuring— I mean, we've seen the statements about the state, the state of the strait, but it's also ensuring that with the ships that do leave do it safely. As for the details, I'll give you the contacts of my colleagues at IMO who will be better placed to answer.

Vaccaro.

Thank you, Stefan. Given the contradictory statements coming from the United States and Iran on nuclear inspections, who does the United Nations believe is accurately describing the current status of the talks? Has the Secretary-General been briefed with Rafael Grossi on whether Iran has in fact agreed to restore access for inspectors, or is this still under negotiations?

The Secretary-General has not had a conversation with Rafael Grossi as to what the status of the inspectors are. I would encourage you to ask our colleagues at the IAEA in Vienna.

I have another question on another subject. Yesterday, You say that the Secretary General— that Vanessa Fraser, the Ambassador Vanessa Fraser, has full support of the Secretary General. Um, I remember that when something similar happened with Francesca Albanese, and I understand that Francesca Albanese is not appointed by the Secretary General, but the subject was the same. Um, you say, I think we— tell me if it's correct— we don't agree, or the Secretary-General don't agree, with much of what she says about Francesca Albanese. So my question is, are the timing is changing? So what Francesca Albanese maybe was saying months ago— and now official report of United Nations are supporting, means that Israel had committed crime against children and so on. Is this why the Secretary General now has a— I mean, Ambassador Fraser has a full support, and so also Francesca Albanese maybe now has a different support from the Secretary General, or— it's just a situation of people that change.

Stefano, you sort of answered your own question in the preamble to the question. Francesca— Vanessa Fraser works for the Secretary-General. She's the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, so that's her title. The SG is her boss? He appoints her. So the questions— we were receiving questions during the briefing and offline about his position on it. It is clear that he— she has the full confidence and support of the Secretary-General. If you look at Ms. Albanese's title, I think there's the word independent in there. She does not work for the Secretary-General. It is not for any UN official to comment or assess what the independent rapporteurs say. We have always been a big defender of the institutions of the independent special rapporteurs who have a number of very important country mandates. So it's two different people who have two different places within the organization, and Ms. Fraser was presenting the Secretary General's report, right? So that's, uh, that's the difference.

I, I understand. Just a quick follow-up because maybe it wasn't clear. Um, I understand, again, obviously the Albanese doesn't work for the Secretary General, and yes, she's not been appointed by the Secretary General, but I'm now talking about the content of their report. Francesca Albanese months ago presented her report here, and basically when you were asked what the Secretary General think about the report, about what she say, you say we don't agree with much of what she says. Now if you read the report that she did months ago and now you read the report that Vanessa Fraser appointed by the Secretary General, they have a lot of things in common. Now maybe the tone is different, we, you know, this could be changed. So my question, again, my question is maybe at that time wasn't, you know, but now that the Secretary General support the report, full support of Vanessa Fraser's report, that did the Secretary General change idea about Francesca Baneser report?

Vanessa Fraser presented the— it's the Secretary-General's report. Sorry, it's his report, right? It's his name on top of the report. She represents him in that effort. We are not in the business of cherry-picking what we like or what we don't like from what all of the independent rapporteurs say. We defend the institution of the special rapporteurs fiercely because we think it's a very important part of the international human rights architecture. Efraim.

There's still room for other questions.

Thank you, Steph. On the sexual violence in Sudan, you read out the report. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the report, though? Its significance, the magnitude of what we're reading in the report, Any urgent message to the international community and people supporting the fight?

First of all, the—

it is clear that even with the large numbers that we spoke about, it is the tip of the iceberg. We know for a fact that these crimes, whether in peace, you know, in conflict areas or non-conflict areas, are always underreported, even more so in conflict areas. These are figures and statistics— that should horrify any right-thinking person. And the fact that we have in this conflict, like in so many, but especially in Sudan, far from the limelight, just crimes being perpetrated over and over again against women, against men, against children. There will need to be accountability for all of this.

Yes.

And, and also on, um, the, what you read also about WFP being on the ground, UNICEF being on the ground supporting the displaced right now. If you have anything else to tell us about what they're telling you, or can we request a briefing with one of them just to know what's happening on the ground?

So we will, we'll try to bring, uh, we have scheduled Mr. Javi Stow to come brief you, uh, I think Thursday if I'm not mistaken. Uh, we've grabbed him from about 12:30 to 1. So he will be here.

Islam and then Evelyn.

Thank you, Stephen. I would like to follow up the same topic that took place on Friday. The Israeli ambassador claimed that they presented the evidence that the allegations were not true. So as far as we know, Israel blocked any international organizations such as ICRC oversight in the prisons. So do you know any details what they presented and what they claim that you ignored in that report? And also, Israeli Supreme Court just sort of removed that ban visiting the Israeli prisoners, Palestinian prisoners. So, uh, do you have any cooperation with the ICRC, especially with latest visit, if they did? Thank you.

Okay. Uh, on the visits, I don't know if they took place. We saw the ruling by the Supreme Court. We believe it's a very important, uh, ruling. The ICRC should be able to visit, uh, prisons, uh, detention centers in Israel and anywhere else in the world, uh, that are in areas of conflict. Israel, like every other member state, should cooperate with the internationally mandated commissions of inquiry that have been created in various conflict zones. As for the details, I mean, I think these— your first part of your question is— these are things that Ms. Fraser, I think, addressed as to exactly what they presented. That's a question you need to ask the Israeli authorities.

If I may ask a second question, a few days ago Israeli National Security Minister Ben Gvir posted on his social media saying that, in quote, "All of Lebanon must burn," and also another quote, "For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers should cry." What is the Secretary-General's reaction to that? Does it constitute any war crime?

I think the Secretary-General rejects that kind of hateful and violent rhetoric, which really serves no purpose.

Evelyn.

Thank you, Steph. Is there a reason al-Banaids' name has come up again?

Ask Stefano, he raised it, not me. Because interviewing people who are neither pro-Arab or pro-Israel— I didn't mention it, so I mean, your colleague raised her. She cited us a paragraph.

We're not in a dialogue here. Okay, thank you. Any other questions?

Yes, Zina, please.

Given the fact that— going to Ephraim's question about sexual violence in Sudan,— and given the fact that the reports are true, do you think the international reaction has been adequate, in reference to what the UN found?

Absolutely not.

What do you suggest as UN?

I mean, we are there, we are in Sudan, we are on the ground, our colleagues, our humanitarian colleagues, very brave Sudanese local UN employees, partner NGOs, we're doing what we can. But what needs to be done is for the international community to come together politically to ensure that this conflict between the government and between the RSF comes to a halt. And Mr. Havisso, who will tell you that in person when you see him later this week, has been working very hard to try to build that coalition. And those countries that have an influence over the parties need to use it. Positively.

Okay.

Thank you all.

Wishing you a good rest of the day.