Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

It was so good. Um, yeah, beautiful white dress.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

I heard you appreciate Yes. He was seen hanging around Madison Square Garden.

Oh, yes, yes.

Alright, good afternoon. I hope you've all recovered from a pretty intense football weekend. And it's not over yet. And before we get to more football, at 1:15 PM there will be a briefing here by our friend Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. He will be joined by Faisal Shakhar, the UN Police Advisor, and they will be here to brief you ahead of the 5th UN Chiefs of Police Summit, otherwise known as UN COPS 2026. Then tomorrow at 12:45, there'll be a briefing on the Sustainable Development Goals Report of 2026. It'll be launched by our Deputy Secretary-General, Mina Mohammed, and she will be joined by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Lee Jun-hwa, and the Acting Director of the Statistics Division in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Shantanu Mukherjee. Meanwhile, our Secretary-General is in Geneva today. As you know, this morning he took part in the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance. In his remarks at the dialogue's opening session, the Secretary-General said that he that used well and shared widely, artificial intelligence could compress decades of development into years. He added that the choice before us is not between faith in AI or fear of it. It is between governing by design and drifting by default. He shared 4 priorities for the road ahead. First, safety, he said. He called for an AI child safety pledge so that when a child is harmed, the answer must never be the algorithm did it. Second, the Secretary-General said we need red lines in protecting human rights. Third, he called for capacity, adding that we cannot allow the digital divide to harden the AI divide. The Secretary-General will also— added that he will submit to the General Assembly his recommendations for the Global Fund for AI. And finally, the Secretary-General reiterated his appeal for transparency through his AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, which calls on every AI company to ensure publicly— to measure and publicly disclose the full footprint of its systems and to commit to power every data center with renewable energy by 2030. He also brought up the issue of lethal autonomous weapons systems or killer robots. He reiterated his call to have them banned by international law, adding that some decisions must remain forever human. None more, none more than taking a human life. The Secretary-General expressed the hope that this dialogue will become the place where global participation leads to global action. His full remarks are online. And later in the afternoon at the Palais des Nations, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at a meeting of the International Law Commission. He said that finding legal solutions to today's crisis is a fundamental duty for us all, shaping the future by international law, by anticipating tomorrow's challenges, falls with particular weight on this Commission. All his remarks were shared with you, and throughout the day he held a number of bilateral meetings with leaders taking part in the Global Dialogue, and you'll see some of the readouts we did issue. He'll be back in New York tomorrow. And this morning, Courtney Rattray, the chef de cabinet, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at an event marking the 21st anniversary of the adoption of the commitment of the Responsibility to Protect, in which member states undertook a promise to take collective action, timely and decisive action, in line with the UN Charter if a state fails to uphold its responsibility to protect its own people. In those remarks, the Secretary-General told member states that the Responsibility to Protect commitment is now more vital than ever, with the world facing more than 120 conflicts in 2025. He also warned that we need to be proactive and vigilant and to act before warning signs become mass graves. Those remarks were shared with you. And speaking of a critical situation, turning to Sudan and the situation around El Ubaid, Earlier today, Tom Fletcher, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, had a telephone call with the head of the Sudan Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, otherwise known as Hemeti. During the call, they discussed the escalating hostilities in Sudan, including in El-Obeid. Mr. Fletcher stressed the need to maintain safe access for humanitarians to reach those in need and for safe movement of civilians. He also expressed concern over the impact of drone attacks and the— on civilians and the infrastructure in which they rely on. They also discussed challenges that are impacting our own ability and the ability of our partners from various non-governmental organizations to carry out life-saving relief efforts, including existing bureaucratic impediments. In recent days, Mr. Fletcher has been engaging with a range of key interlocutors to stress the need for safe and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as the protection of civilians. Meanwhile, on the ground, our Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, wrapped up a mission yesterday to El-Obeid, uh, where she engaged with partners on the aid response and witnessed the impacts of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, our colleagues at UNICEF tell us that since May, at least 18 children have been killed and 17 injured in El-Obeid alone. Across the country, the agency says at least 330 children were killed or injured during the first 6 months of this year. And just to flag that in relation to the situation in El-Obeid, earlier today the Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted by consensus a resolution requesting the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on— for Sudan to conduct an an urgent inquiry into alleged violations and abuses of international humanitarian rights law and violations of international humanitarian law committed in and around that city. They also called on— they were also called on to provide updates to both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in the coming months. Across the Kordofan region, the humanitarian community is fully mobilized. To address the spiraling humanitarian situation. In, uh, West Kordofan, where more than 800 cholera cases have been recorded, our humanitarian office tells us they've allocated more than $1 million through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, a fund to support water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as health interventions in response to this outbreak. And in South Kordofan, humanitarian partners confirmed the arrival last Thursday of a humanitarian convoy to Kadugli and Dilling. The convoy included 14 World Food Programme trucks carrying food, 3 WHO trucks carrying some 8.5 metric tons of medical supplies, including cholera kits, and 4 Plan International trucks carrying humanitarian supplies. These are the first UN humanitarian supplies to reach these locations since early June. And in Darfur, we're seeing continued clashes that are disrupting humanitarian operations and driving displacement. In Kulbus locality in West Darfur, the situation remains volatile, with sporadic clashes reported in the northern part of that locality. This is forcing humanitarian partners to either suspend activities or postpone planned missions. And in North Darfur, the International Organization for Migration estimates that insecurity displaced over 3,500 people from a village in Umbaru locality on July 3rd. We once again call for the protection of civilians, the protection of civilian infrastructure, and for all parties to facilitate rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to all those who need it. Turning to Ukraine, I can tell you the Secretary-General strongly condemns The latest overnight missile and drone attacks by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, which reportedly resulted in many civilian casualties and injuries, causing widespread destruction of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Any attacks against civilians, any attacks against civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must cease. Immediately. The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal for urgent de-escalation leading to a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire. For his part, Matthias Schmale, our humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, also condemned these deadly attacks, noting that they tear apart homes, take innocent lives, and must not be accepted. And our OCHA colleagues tell us that search and rescue operations for people who might still be trapped in rubble are underway. Local NGOs, UN agents, and UN agencies are continuing to provide first aid, medical and psychological support, uh, and other types of support following the attacks in Kyiv. Uh, turning to Venezuela, we and our partners are continuing to scale up assistance to impacted people by the earthquakes in coordination with the government. Our colleagues from the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that some search and rescue teams remain deployed in the affected areas, while other specialized support teams from medical to engineering continue to arrive. A comprehensive assessment of needs is in near completion and will inform an updated response plan and resource request. According to the government, and as of yesterday, the death toll stood at, uh, more than 3,000 people, while more than 16,000 have been injured., and around 17,000 have lost their homes. The government continues to lead the response, focusing on supporting displaced people and addressing urgent humanitarian needs. At least 79 transitional camps in major stadiums and sports centers are now operational, and they're hosting people, and aid is being provided by, uh, by our UN agencies. They're already delivering services in 3 camps in conducting assessments to increase— to provide services to additional sites. Health partners continue to provide primary healthcare, mental health, and psychosocial support, as well as sexual and reproductive health when needed. Our humanitarian colleagues note that access to safe water and sanitation services continue to improve in transitional camps. Distribution of hygiene kits and the expansion of sanitation infrastructure in temporary accommodations and sites also continue. To date, the Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela has received $274 million. Well over $32 million was contributed by private sector for humanitarian support. This comes alongside donations in kind of goods and services. Turning to Lebanon, our colleagues tell us that the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the UN The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean Arnault, has begun his work in Beirut. Last week, he met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker of the Parliament Nabi Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss recent developments and cooperation between the UN and Lebanon in advancing the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. On the ground, our UNIFIL— in the UNIFIL area of operations, our peacekeepers are continuing to observe violations of Lebanese airspace, with 21 violations detected yesterday. On Saturday, UNIFIL observed 2 airstrikes on a road near Deir Sirian in Sector East. Peacekeepers continue to face high risks as well as obstruction of operations. On Saturday, a projectile hit a sanitation facility causing structural damage to a UN position in Sector East. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Yesterday, UNIFIL personnel encountered physical roadblocks at 3 locations, and also, uh, and on Saturday, UNIFIL patrols were delayed twice by Israeli Defense Forces on the coastal road north of Nakhoura, which, as you know, is the headquarters of UNIFIL. Following a short delay, they were able to continue. Moreover, during the past days, UNIFIL peacekeepers continued to observe extensive IDF ground activities throughout the mission's area of operations, including armored movements, as well as engineering and logistical activities. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL and OCHA facilitated 5 humanitarian missions on Saturday in Sector West, following 10 missions also in both Sector West and East on Friday. And turning to the occupied Palestinian Territory, over the weekend we continue to collect food and fuel from the Karem Shalom Abu Salem. Crossing, but what we and the private sector can bring into Gaza to meet people's immense needs is limited, as we've been saying, because all other crossings remain closed for our cargo and restrictions on types of supplies continue to be in place. The data from the UN 2720 mechanism shows a decline in the overall volume of supplies that we and our partners have been able to bring in last month, less than 40,000 pallets, down from about 46,600 in May. Last week, only 42% of the supplies from Egypt and 65% of the supplies from Ashdod Port already approved in principle could be offloaded at Kerem Shalom. Meanwhile, concerns continue for the safety and well-being of people across the West Bank, especially children. Yesterday, Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old child in Qalandia camp near Jerusalem. Two other children were shot in the lower limbs. This is yet just another reminder that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank must be protected as required by law and that perpetrators of violations must be held accountable. Also yesterday in Ramallah Governorate, our human rights colleagues tell us that a 4-month-old baby died after Israeli forces refused to open a gate blocking the main entrance to his village, delaying his access to medical care while an ambulance was waiting on the other side. And just going back to the eastern part of the African continent, a quick update from our peacekeeping mission in Abyei, UNISFAR. Our colleagues there tell us that the Acting Head of the Mission and Force Commander Major General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha has just concluded visits to South Sudan and Sudan, where he met with government officials and partners to address political and security issues and discuss cooperation on implementing UNISFRA's mandate. Major General Shrestha underscored that the UN's commitment to continue engaging with both governments to help sustain dialogue on shared security challenges, including the resumption of the Joint Political and Security Mechanisms. Both governments expressed support for UNISFRA's mandate and reaffirmed their commitment dialogue, including through the mechanism. One of the key issues discussed was the demilitarization of Abyei and UNISWA's efforts to maintain an area free of weapons, including by intensifying efforts to encourage the withdrawal of all unauthorized armed forces and armed elements from the Abyei area. That's in accordance with the mission's mandate granted to it by the Security Council. While in South Sudan, Major General Shrestha also met with Representative with the representative of WHO to discuss the Ebola situation in the region and the organization's preparedness to support the peacekeeping mission communities in Abié should deployment become necessary. And just staying on the topic of Ebola, but this time in the DRC, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that escalating violence in South Kivu province is —driving new displacements, severely restricting humanitarian access. Since July 4th, heavy clashes, including reported drone attacks in Fizi, Muenga, and Uvira territories, have reportedly killed at least 5 civilians and injured dozens more. We condemn these attacks. The fighting has disrupted supply routes, leading to critical shortages of medical supplies needed to treat the injured. At least 6,000 people have fled to Kipupu and Malanda in Muenga territory, and our colleagues are currently verifying further displacement. The renewed fighting is also having a negative impact on our operations, delaying planned humanitarian assessment in areas that are already hosting more than 200,000 displaced human beings. Meanwhile, health authorities report that more than 1,500 confirmed Ebola cases across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, with Ituri remaining the epicenter of the outbreak in the DRC. Poor water, sanitation, hygiene conditions in displacement sites are particularly of concern, with Ebola cases in at least 4 sites in Ituri. Response activities are ongoing, but humanitarian partners warn that shortfalls are limiting their work access across displacement sites in the province, where more than 270,000 73,000 displaced people face acute needs. This year's humanitarian appeal for the DRC is just 54% funded, with $752 million received out of $1.4 billion that we actually need. Um, OCHA once again calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, to protect civilians, civilian infrastructure, and ensure that all parties allow for safe, unhindered, and rapid humanitarian operations. And from— one more note from Africa, this one from the Central African Republic, just to let you know that we are aware of photos and videos that have been circulating on social media falsely claiming that a UN armored personnel carrier was being misused by armed groups. We can confirm that an APC depicted in the images belongs to the UN peacekeeping mission in the ARMINUSCA and is located at Amdafok in Vakaga Prefecture in that country. On June 30th, following clashes in that area between the Central African Armed Forces and armed elements, one MINUSCA APC was rendered inoperable after coming under hostile fire. The vehicle subsequently remained immobilized in the vicinity of the incident. MINUSCA personnel who were aboard the APC APC was safely evacuated and repositioned at the forward operating base. The APC was not seized or appropriated by any armed group. However, recovery efforts could not be undertaken immediately due to the prevailing security situation, with armed groups maintaining control of a number of strategic areas in that place. In the aftermath of the incident, MINUSCA focused on efforts to protect civilians and stabilizing the area, including facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and supporting the evacuation of injured peacekeepers, Central African security people, and civilians. On July 5th, the authorities from the country was— the state authority was re-established in Amdafok following the withdrawal of armed elements. The Zambian peacekeeping condition is currently making the necessary operational planning to secure and get back the APC. A quick note from Asia, and this one from Myanmar, where we are receiving alarming reports of hostilities in Pokhoku and Magway region. Since July 2nd, these operations triggered the displacement of over 20,000 men, women, and children. That's what preliminary figures we're getting, and on top of— the roughly, roughly 80,000 who had already fled the area since May. We're particularly concerned for the safety and protection of civilians fleeing their homes amidst reports of scale-up of military operations in the area. We and our partners are working to assess and respond to people's needs despite challenges to humanitarian access in these conflict-affected areas. We call on all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access in line with humanitarian law. Myanmar remains one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with more than 16 million people— 16 million people— in need of assistance, including almost 3.8 million people who are displaced from their homes. Humanitarians are working to save lives, but needs continue to outpace resources. Of the $890 million required for this year, $387 million has been received to date. $387 million. Also, a person— a senior personnel appointment for you. I want to read into record that Thursday evening, the Secretary-General announced the appointment of Edward Ted Chaban of Lebanon as Deputy Executive Director for Program at UNICEF, effective January 1st, 2027. He succeeds Omar Amdy Abdi of Canada, who will retire at the end of the year, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service. He has been, as you know, UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations since 2023. We congratulate him. And today is World Rural Development Day. Around 80% of the world's poorest people live in rural areas, many on the front lines of climate change and lacking basic services. This day highlights the need to invest in rural development and ensure that no one is left behind. Still awake?

Gabriel, please.

Thanks, Steph. A couple of questions. I know the Secretary-General doesn't control what happens outside of the gates of this building, Nevertheless, on Thursday afternoon, a protester outside of the UN set themselves on fire. I think the word is self-immolation. Does the Secretary-General have any comment about that incident?

Yeah, I mean, what happened on Thursday afternoon is absolutely tragic on a human level, on any level. Two of our security officers who were hosted, uh, who were just outside, uh, saw what happened. They rushed across the street with fire extinguishers. They try to extinguish the flames. They were the first ones on the scene. Then we know the New York City Fire Department, police, uh, also showed up. We're obviously saddened, uh, by the tragic incident, and we offer our condolences, uh, to his family.

Does he have any comment about the issue that the protester was out in front of the UN for? Or the issue he was protesting or raising? The issue of—

He was from Tibet. Yeah, I mean, listen, the— it's hard to imagine what would propel a human being to do that. To themselves. On the broader issue, I think for us it is, and the Secretary-General said this many times, that in any country it is important that minorities are respected and that they are also made to feel as part of the whole.

If I could get one more, Steph, on a separate, totally separate topic. Hamas announced today that they plan to dissolve their Government Emergency Committee, which is essentially the committee, um, in Ga— that runs Gaza on a day-to-day basis, or has been. It's a pretty significant, uh, political shift by Hamas. Uh, does the Secretary-General have any comment about that? And what does he see, or what would be his preferred path of who would fill that gap of the governing of Gaza.

We've seen this development. I hope to have something for you shortly. Abdel Hamid.

Thank you, Stephane. Dr. Hosam Abu Safiyyeh is now almost on the verge of death. He's been arrested since December 2024. And his doctor saw him recently and he said he was beaten and broke some of his limbs and he now needs a cane to walk. So do you have any—

I mean, we've seen these, these horrific, uh, reports and I think from— for a long time now we've called for him obviously to get proper treatment. To be treated, uh, to be treated well, and like, like many administrative detainees, to just be released.

And going to Gaza again, first there were civilians killed in Gaza. A tent was attacked by a drone and killing the two people, and I think number of children also. And in Lebanon also, four civilians were killed in Upper Nabatiyeh. So I see that when there are civilians killed in Ukraine, you highlight that in a separate statement.

Abdul Hamid, I just talked about Palestinians being killed in the West Bank, right? So I have. I mean, and we update regularly on the information that we are given. I mean, are you accusing us of remaining silent?

I'm not accusing you. I'm saying that mentioning killing children or civilians here, it's also important, the numbers and the names and the— not necessarily the names, but—

But what is your question?

My question, it should— why there is no separate statement that highlights—

We highlight all of the information that we are given. I think we've been very strong on highlighting the the killings, the condemnable killings of civilians.

And on Gaza, is stage 1, in your opinion, had been implemented so we can go to the disarmament stage and rebuilding of Gaza? You know, the first stage or the first phase is allowing humanitarian aid to arrive into Gaza in full speed, like before the war, opening all the cross points, crossing points, and allowing those injured to depart from Gaza for medical treatment? Is that—

is that— We are not involved in the political negotiations on the leadership— on the political negotiations. Our focus, as instructed by the Security Council for us when it adopted the resolution on the Trump peace plan, is on humanitarian operations. That is our focus currently. And I think we've been very direct in saying that the humanitarian needs in Gaza have not been met and we've not been able to meet them. Yes, please go ahead.

Thank you, Stephane. I know FIFA is not a United Nations body, but does the Secretary-General have any views on the phone call that the US President Donald Trump made to FIFA's president to review a decision? Doesn't this raise the question of the autonomy of international organizations?

You know, I get in enough trouble about commenting on things that we are supposed to comment on that I will continue to be an avid viewer of the football that is being played and hopefully in full respect of the rules of sport. Okay, I see a question from Andrea Reuters. There.

Thanks for doing this. Appreciate it. Just real quickly, you said that the assessment is on the damages in Venezuela is closed. To being completed. When exactly do you expect that? And is this assessment being done together with other institutions, including the World Bank?

I will get back to you, Andrea, on when we expect it to finish. Obviously, the conditions on the ground still remain very challenging. And the assessment is very often done with a wide array of actors within the UN, including international financial institutions, but I'll try to get you a bit more details on all of that. Benno, and then we'll go to Abu Sufyan.

Thank you. I want to follow up on the FIFA question. I know you didn't want to go into detail there, but you know, the World Cup does what the UN wants to do. It brings the people together. Politicizing it is a problem for many people. Many people reacted to it and you didn't. I didn't hear a question mark at the end. What is the comment to it?

Okay, you have to, I, I, you, you have to make a little bit of an effort. Uh, you know what I'm saying? Listen, uh, sports should never be politicized. Unfortunately, I think it, there's always been a, a part of sport that is politicized, especially when teams play for their national flag. I think the matches in this World Cup have been riveting, and I very much hope they will continue to be riveting and victorious for one particular team. Who had asked? Yes, go ahead in the back, then we'll go to Abu Sufyan.

I've got an answer on Quick follow-up on self-immolation protest. The Tibetan man reportedly set himself on fire in protest against China's new ethnic unity law, which took effect on July 1st. So does the Secretary General have any position on the law itself?

Yeah, I mean, I think that was my answer to Gabriel, which is something that the Secretary General has said very often, that in every country country, minorities need to feel respected and they also need to be made feel part of the whole. Abu Sufyan.

Thank you, sorry for that, you can't see me right now. Can I ask the question?

As long as I can hear you, that'll be sufficient.

Thank you.

Secretary General now in Europe and he is now joining on AI dialogue in Geneva. But we can see lots of misinformation and disinformation using AI in South Asia. Do you have any message for this particular issue?

I would encourage you, Abu Sufyan, to read what the Secretary General has, has said about artificial intelligence. Today and in the previous months, and I think you will see that he has an extreme concern for that, for the issue that you raise.

Okay.

Oh, sorry. I need to answer your question, Gabriel. I can tell you that we've taken note of Hamas's announcement concerning the dissolution of the Government of Emergency Committee and the transfer of administrative responsibilities to the National Committee for the administration of Gaza. We welcome any step that contributes to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and advances the objectives reflected in relevant Security Council resolutions, including the full implementation of the ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid. As I was saying, we continue to support efforts towards unified Palestinian governance under the Palestinian Authority. Okay, on that note, I wish you all a good day, and I'm sure you'll all be productive this afternoon and this evening in front of your televisions.

Wait, you're France fan, right?

Uh, yeah.