Venezuela, UN Charter Day & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Sorry, give me 2 seconds. All right, good afternoon. Sorry about that. Just to flag that on Monday we will have Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, who's the resident coordinator coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in Venezuela. He will join you via video link from Caracas to speak to you about the earthquakes that hit Venezuela. Let me just give you an update on that before I move to other things. The Secretary-General last night spoke to the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. In the call, he expressed his solidarity with the people and government of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes. The Secretary-General pledged the full cooperation of the UN system in support of the government's lead relief efforts. On the ground, we and our humanitarian partners are rapidly scaling up our response, conducting assessments and mobilizing assistance. The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, allocated yesterday $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, um, all of this to support urgent life-saving assistance, including healthcare, shelter, food, and water. Our colleagues at the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that the government is leading the response efforts focused on search and rescue, while emergency medical care and damage assessment, while international assistance is scaling up rapidly with urban search and rescue teams deploying from multiple countries. OCHA is supporting coordination efforts on the ground, facilitating information sharing, and working with partners to help ensure the effective deployment of international search and rescue teams. A total of 30 of these teams are deployed— deploying to Venezuela with more than 1,600 personnel, 100 dogs, coming from a wide variety of countries. The UN's disaster and assessment teams have also been mobilized, along with 4-member operational support team. Several OCHA staff are also being deployed to Venezuela. Our colleagues at the World Food Programme tell us that the first 72 hours are obviously critical for search and rescue efforts, but they're also critical for positioning food and other relief supplies that people will need in the coming days. WFP says it has enough to feed more than 10,000 families for 2 months in Venezuela. Teams are also looking for the fastest way to mobilize further food assistance and are establishing response priorities across the affected areas. WFP added that there are also over 1,400 metric tons in relief items from partners that are ready to be deployed at the WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Response Depot, which is in Panama. For its part, the UN Children's Fund said an estimated 3.9 million children live in areas affected by the earthquake, putting thousands of children and their families at even further risk. UNICEF is on the ground coordinating closely with national authorities, the broader UN system, and local partners and international partners to assess needs and support a rapid and effective response. To enable immediate action, UNICEF has allocated $1.5 million from its internal resources and a billion— and a million dollars from the Global Humanitarian Thematic Fund. Funding. Our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency, for their part, are scaling up core relief item distribution in coordination with the government and partners. Regional core relief item stocks such as tents and housing units, mosquito net— excuse me, mosquito nets, solar lamps in Panama will be quickly mobilized. UNHCR teams on the ground continue coordinating the protection response and the scaling up of emergency shelter relief and support services. We and our humanitarian partners remain fully mobilized, working closely with national authorities to ensure assistance reaches those most in need as quickly as possible. Um, and, uh, also wanted to flag that this morning the Secretary-General, uh, marked the 81st Charter today, which commemorates the signing of the UN Charter, which took place in 1945 in San Francisco, and the ceremony today in the General Assembly. He said the Charter was a promise to the world that humanity can choose cooperation over chaos, humanity can— law over lawlessness, dignity over domination, and hope over fear. Mr. Guterres said the UN has never been perfect, but it is irreplaceable. Today, he warned that promise is being tested to the breaking point with wars of territorial expansion grinding on, famine used as a weapon, and aid as a bargaining chip, civilians treated as targets, ceasefires proclaimed one day and shattered the next. He reminded member states that the Charter is not an à la carte menu, its principles are not optional, and they are not negotiable. The Secretary-General said we must strengthen diplomacy and solidarity across regions and accelerate action on sustainable development because peace, dignity, and opportunity go hand in hand, adding that we must build a UN that adapts to a changing world. A couple of senior personnel appointments to share with you today. The Secretary-General today is appointing Mohamed Yahya of Somalia as the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator. That is, of course, in the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He succeeds Joyce Msuya of Tanzania, to whom both the Secretary-General and Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, are grateful for her dedicated service to the humanitarian cause. Mr. Yahya brings to the position over two decades of experience in development, humanitarian action, and peacebuilding. Gained at headquarters, regional, and field levels. His current role is UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan— in Pakistan. The second appointment— Secretary-General is appointing today Katarina Boehm of Germany as Assistant Secretary-General to serve as Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, the UN Population Fund. She succeeds Diane Keita, who, as you know, has transitioned to become the Executive Director, PA. Dr. Bohm has served as Acting Regional Director for WHO in Southeast Asia since June 2025. She's previously served as Assistant Secretary-General for External and Governance and Chef de Cabinet at WHO. We welcome and congratulate both. This morning, the Secretary-General— excuse me, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, briefed Council members on the situation in Sudan, stressing that efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire must go hand in hand with advancing a sustainable political solution, noting that the parties and their allies are seeking a clear roadmap for Sudan's political future. She also welcomed plans to announce by the Sudanese authorities to launch a national dialogue process. Also briefing was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Hanan Suleiman, who said that tragically, since the conflict began, more than 5,000 children have been killed or maimed, but the real figure is likely to be much higher. She urged Council members to continue pressing all parties to facilitate a rapid, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access across conflict lines, emphasizing that humanitarian assistance must reach children wherever they are. And Pekka Havisto, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, from whom you heard yesterday, will be briefing Council members in close consultations. Both Rosemary DiCarlo and Hana Suleiman also focused on the situation in Obaid, and I can I can further tell you that the World Food Programme continues to provide vital food and cash assistance to over 100,000 of the most vulnerable people in Obaid. The agency is now moving quickly to bring in more life-saving food assistance in the area. The goal is, is to be ready to support more than 250,000 human beings who may be forced to escape the city if the situation deteriorates further. El Ubaid is a critical humanitarian hub for the wider Kordofan region and a lifeline for civilians already enduring siege-like conditions and shrinking access to the most basic services. WFP urgently requires $646 million to maintain life-saving food assistance operations in Sudan for the next 6 months. Um, and moving to the situation in southern Lebanon, our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that today, from midnight until 4 PM local time, peacekeepers did not detect any trajectory of projectiles attributable to any side. Yesterday, however, UNIFIL detected the highest number of trajectories of projectiles since Sunday, originating from the IDF positions south of the Blue Line and within our mission's area of operations. They observed 32 trajectories, with 24 of them originating from the general area of Yeroon and impacting near Brashit in Sector West, while the remaining 8 originated from south of the Blue Line and impacted the general area of Ayatollahun in Sector West as well. Peacekeepers did not detect any trajectories from Lebanese non-state actors yesterday. Also yesterday, an airstrike was observed northwest of Beit Yaoun in Sector West, while drones were spotted flying southwest of Tiri in Sector West and near Atshit al-Qusar in Sector East. Additionally, UNIFIL personnel reported a total of 32 firing incidents yesterday originating from IDF positions south of the Blue Line and within the area of operations. UNIFIL observed multiple incidents near al-Bayyada in Sector West, including bursts of heavy machine gun fire and small arms fire, including 6 40mm grenades. UNIFIL also reported approximately 100 rounds of small arms fire from IDF positions crossed the Blue Line southeast of Kafr Chuba in Sector East. Once again, we urge all to adhere fully to the ceasefire and refrain from any escalation, particularly during this ongoing delicate period of ongoing negotiations. UNIFIL also observed IDF patrol boats crossing into Lebanese territorial waters yesterday southwest of Al-Nakoura, Tora before returning to Israeli waters. And peacekeepers are also continuing to face impediments while moving around the mission's area of operations, including roadblocks. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL, through its liaison branch and in coordination with OCHA, facilitated 8 humanitarian missions by 4 organizations in Sector West and 1 in Sector East yesterday. OCHA says that a total of 290 movements were facilitated by the humanitarian notification system. Reaching people across southern Lebanon since March 2nd. OCHA says a lot of people are returning now to their homes and their places of origin. Number of people who sought safely— safety in collective shelters obviously continues to decline when sites are closing as families depart. We reiterate that returns must be safe, they must be voluntary, and they must be dignified. And there is a need for sustained support to meet the ongoing humanitarian needs. Alongside safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. A couple of updates from Gaza, where we and our partners are continuing to carry out pest control in all populated areas of Gaza Strip, but skin diseases and other related health conditions remain widespread. As most of the water network remains destroyed, the UN Development Programme last week brought into Gaza 5 additional water trucks and UNICEF brought in water treatment chemicals. Together, this will boost our ability to provide water to communities by truck. As you recall, water trucking remains a backup option, but it is expensive to sustain. Repairing the heavily damaged infrastructure is essential. Meanwhile, last week, partners provided psychosocial care, legal aid, and case management to nearly 50,000 people across Gaza. At the same time, targeted assistance and cash support helped nearly 20,000 people and hundreds of vulnerable households to meet their basic needs. Today, also, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN satellite service released an assessment showing that farmers in Gaza have been able to rehabilitate about 24 hectares of greenhouse infrastructure since the declaration of— the ceasefire. FAO says these developments coincide with signs of recovery of the livestock sector. We and our partners are supporting agricultural recovery through cash, livestock support, and technical guidance. Since October, FAO has distributed nearly 600 tons of animal feed every month. And still, our partners warn that 80% of greenhouse infrastructure remains damaged or out of production.— and most of the land in the Gaza Strip remains inaccessible to Palestinians, which obviously limits livelihoods and their ability to farm. One more note on Lebanon, sorry, which I said earlier. You'd asked me about the post of Special Coordinator, with Janine Hennis-Plasschaert leaving. I can tell you that Jean-Arnaud will be traveling to Lebanon in the coming days to serve as Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Special Coordinator, that is as of July 1st, and we once again express our thanks and gratitude to Janine Hennis-Plasschaert for her work in that post. She's coming to New York to take care of all our security and safety, which is a big job. Quick note from Haiti, where OCHA colleagues tell us that humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with new displacement recorded across several departments More than 2,600 people have been displaced in our Tiberias department following clashes between armed groups last week. That's what the International Organization for Migration is telling us. More than three-quarters of displaced sought refuge in the commune of Marchand-des-Salines. Continuing violence in our Tiberias is raising serious protection concerns. Meanwhile, in the West department, renewed clashes in Cité Soleil since June 13th have displaced more than 5,000 people. This adds to thousands of persons who've been recently displaced multiple times while fleeing the fighting in Cité Soleil. Our humanitarian colleagues note that ongoing violence has severely disrupted health services, particularly for women and girls. It has forced Doctors Without Borders to suspend their activities at a maternity facility in Cité Soleil on June 19th. Which obviously deprives thousands of women to access to maternal and reproductive health in one of the most densely populated areas of the Haitian capital. These displacement and violence dynamics are recurring in a context of increasing forced returns to Haiti. According to IOM, more than 117,000 people were returned to Haiti between January and June of this year. 24% of all forcibly returned migrants in 2026 are women. 8% are children. OCHA continues to work with our humanitarian partners to assess needs and provide, um, assistance. The $880 million humanitarian appeal for 2026 is currently only 27% funded. Uh, bear with me. I have a few more notes to share with you. Our Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, will travel to Cairo, um, this afternoon for the first in a new series of high-level dialogues on artificial intelligence and human development. In Cairo, she will also meet with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdel Latif, and His Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque. Following her engagement in Cairo, she will travel to Germany, Hamburg, to participate in the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, which brings together leaders from government, international organizations, business, academia, civil society to advance implementation of the SDGs. During her visit, she will participate in multiple high-level events and hold a series of bilateral meetings with senior government officials, representatives of international organizations, and various partners. Monday, she will go back— she will go to London, where she'll convene a high-level roundtable to discuss the SDGs in an area In an era of flux. That will be on Tuesday, the 30th. The meeting will bring together a small and diverse group of senior leaders for an open and substantive exchange on sustainable development. She will then go to Geneva on July 1st as part of the broader UN80 consultation process, meeting with senior UN officials across the system, member states, and other key stakeholders. Her discussions will focus on reinforcing partnerships, gathering perspectives that will help shape the organization's shared priorities for the year ahead. Also traveling is Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Head of Peace Operations, who just finished his visit to Pristina and Belgrade, where he met with senior Kosovo and Serb— Kosovo-Serb representatives, members of the diplomatic community, international organizations, and civil society. He discussed key priorities in promoting— excuse me— discussed key priorities including the importance of continued engagement and cooperation in promoting lasting peace, stability, and security in the Western Balkans, as well as support for the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and ongoing efforts by UNMICK to promote trust-building. In Sarajevo, he met with key national and institutional stakeholders, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, the head— the armed forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and also engage with the Agency for Gender Equality, the UN, and the country team and international partners. Uh, today we start the 4th Counterterrorism Week, which gets underway. It runs through July 2nd and brings together member states, UN entities, and partners. On Monday, the Secretary-General will convene a high-level conference of heads of counterterrorism agencies of member states. One of flagship events of the week. The event will provide an opportunity to take stock and progress in implementing the UN's Global Counterterrorism Strategy, strengthening international cooperation, and examine emerging, evolving terrorist threats while promoting inclusive, coordinated response. Throughout the week, nearly 40 side events are scheduled. Some of them already started today, and they're organized by member states, our own departments, and civil society. And just 4 international days to share with you. Today, International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Also International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Tomorrow is Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprise Day. Amélie, I know you're fascinated by that one. Um, and tomorrow we also mark the International Day of Deafblindness, which commemorates the birth of renowned author and disability rights activist Helen Keller. And that's it. It's a lot for a Friday, so I will leave it with you. Gabriel.

Thanks, Steph. The call between the Venezuelan acting president and the Secretary-General, was that initiated by whom?

By the Secretary-General.

Okay. And did the interim president or acting president of Venezuela make any specific requests of the UN that you can share, or—

No, I mean, I think it was for the— I can't speak for her. For the SG, it was a clear message not only of solidarity, but which is an emotional message, but also of clear operational solidarity with the UN system going to work as one in support of the efforts that are led by the government, as they always are in these kinds situations.

And if I could get a follow-up on, um, uh, the briefing we had with Mr. Dominguez this morning from the International Maritime Organization. I won't— it was a very long briefing and there are a lot of questions, and I don't want to go over that again because we heard from him himself. However, from the Secretary General's standpoint, what does he sort of make of where we are at right now, given all the uncertainty— and the uncertainty that we even gleaned from the Secretary-General of the IMO, where does the Secretary-General see this is going, number one, and does he think that the general outlines of some sort of plan, whatever that is, to get the Strait open again is sustainable in its current state?

You kind of answered your own question. Where we are is at a time of great uncertainty, right? We're seeing different parties saying different things. We welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. I think it's important that everybody live up to what they've committed to in every agreement that is signed. We are keen to see a sustained reopening of the Strait of Hormuz based on the concept of freedom of navigation, which I think Secretary-General Dominguez explained pretty clearly. We are at a very delicate time. Right. And I think it is important that all parties involved keep their eyes on the greater good. Right. The greater good of regional stability, the greater good of global stability. As Mr. Dominguez said, the greater good of the seafarers, of the thousands and thousands of men and women who have been stuck on ships, who we all rely on to get the goods that we consume every day.

And it is— is it the SG's hope that the Strait of Hormuz will return to how it was before the conflict began, or does he feel that that is no longer a reasonable expectation?

Well, listen, I think we have to remain determined. The Strait of Hormuz prior to the opening of this conflict actually worked. Right. So we know it can and we should go back to that. All right. It's clearly Friday. You guys had already a lot of briefings today, so I will release you.