High-Level Political Forum, Iran & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

We were supposed to be joined by the head of the UN Development Programme, Alexandre de Croo, and the High Commissioner for Refugees, Bahram Saleh, to brief you on Afghanistan, but unfortunately they had to cancel due to a scheduling issue, but we're trying to reschedule it for a later date at some point. Tomorrow, however, I will have guests, and my guests will be Philippe Paulier, the Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, and Sahira Al Nahari, a young leader from— for the Sustainable Development Goals. They will be here to brief you on the issues surrounding mental health and football, as I think there are events scheduled later this week. Uh, meanwhile, this morning the Secretary-General spoke at the opening of the ministerial segment at the High-Level Political Forum. He told member states that we have made important progress on the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals. Goals. He pointed to lower child and maternal mortality, greater access to social protection, safe drinking water, sanitation, electricity, and the internet, faster declines in harmful practices like child marriage, and exponential growth in renewable energy. But Mr. Guterres warned that our journey has faced some major setbacks in recent years, and we're now entering the toughest stretch of our journey. He said that the world is now far from meeting the SDG 6, with about 2.2 billion people still lacking safely, safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion lacking safely managed sanitation. The Secretary-General added that artificial intelligence must reduce inequalities and mitigate the environmental impact and not multiply them. And lastly, the Secretary-General said we need urgent action to close the SDG financing gap. which now stands at over $4 trillion annually. In a statement we issued yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern at the serious escalation, renewed military confrontation in the Gulf region, including Iranian attacks on ships on the Strait of Hormuz, attacks by the United States on the Islamic Republic of Iran, and attacks by Iran on targets in neighboring countries. These attacks must all stop, he said. Mr. Guterres calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action, and take immediate steps to, in fact, de-escalate. The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences for the people of the region, for the international peace and security and for the global economy. He further reaffirms the need for the restoration of the full freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The Secretary-General urges Iran and the United States to urgently resume negotiations and to address outstanding issues through diplomacy. Speaking of diplomacy, I can confirm that on his first visit to Iran, The officer in charge of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean Arnault, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Mr. Arnault outlined the UN efforts on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and his understanding of the challenges ahead. He sought to views of Iran on the situation and the support that countries in the region can provide to the Lebanese aspirations to peace, to sovereignty, and to territorial integrity. I also want to add that you saw over the weekend the Secretary-General issued a statement expressing his deep sadness at the passing of the former Emir of Qatar, whom he called a visionary and transformative leader for his country. And the Secretary-General obviously extends his condolences to the family of the former Emir, the people and the Government of Qatar. Turning to Yemen, in light of heightened regional tensions, we're closely following recent developments related to Yemeni airspace and airports. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grunberg, has expressed deep concern over the risk of a wider regional escalation and its potential consequences for Yemen. Mr. Grunberg is actively engaging with all actors, and his office has been in contact with military representatives from all sides. We urge the parties to de-escalate and refrain from any action that would risk a new cycle of violence in Yemen. We call on the parties to engage in dialogue and negotiations under the United Nations auspices to find a way forward that preserves the relative calm Yemen has experienced since 2022 and advance efforts towards sustainable and peaceful resolution of this conflict. Separately, this afternoon, the Security Council will meet for a briefing on Yemen. They will hear from Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, European and the Americas, Khaled Kari, as well as Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Indrika Ratwathe. That will be this afternoon. We'll share remarks as they become available. Turning to the situation in southern Lebanon, our UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to report violations of Security Council Resolution 1701, including repeated violations of Lebanese airspace. Yesterday alone, peacekeepers detected 27 airspace violations with high-intensity aerial activities and observed along the coastal line near Al Mansouri In 2 instances, peacekeepers reported armed drones departing from al-Bayyad Hill and releasing grenades. UNIFIL recorded 12 projectile trajectories attributed to Israeli Defense Forces. Also yesterday, 2 Israeli tanks halted at the gate of a UN position in Bleida in Sector East and fired some 30 rounds of small arms fire before withdrawing. Peacekeepers continue to face restrictions on their freedom of movement as well. Which remains, of course, unacceptable and obviously hampers the mission's ability to fulfill its mandate given to it by the Security Council. On Friday, another Israeli tank physically blocked the path of a UN convoy in Sector East. UNIFIL personnel have in recent days discovered and mitigated multiple explosive hazards and ordnance threats in their area of operations. On Friday, an uncrewed aerial vehicle impacted the ground near Uh, Karfkella in Sector East, prompting the immediate deployment of a UNIFIL explosives or ordnance team, uh, to neutralize the resulting unexploded, uh, engine. Yesterday, UNIFIL personnel safely disposed of 4,600 kilograms of liquid explosives, which translate to about 4.6 metric tons, uh, that had previously been discovered and stored in jerry cans. Despite these challenges, UNIFIL facilitated 2 humanitarian missions in Sector West and Sector East in coordination with OCHA. That took place Friday after the briefing, I assume. Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, our Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Rameez Al-Akbarov, yesterday condemned the recent obstruction of humanitarian operations by the de facto authorities in Gaza. Dr. Alakbarov said that these actions have endangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering life-saving food assistance, and disrupting life-saving humanitarian operations. He noted that on Saturday, humanitarian workers were forced to halt food distribution after armed personnel with the de facto authorities forcibly entered food food distribution points in Jabalia, in North Gaza. Meanwhile, the Food and Agricultural Organization tells us it was last permitted to bring animal feed into Gaza on June 4th. Since early February, the prices of animal feed in the local markets have doubled or even tripled. That depends on the type of feed that people are looking for. That has, of course, undermined recent successes achieved by FAO in decreasing livestock mortality and increasing the numbers of goat and sheep that are in Gaza. To protect livestock and strengthen local food availability, humanitarians are calling for renewed access for animal feed imports and for the full and unrestricted entry of essential agricultural supplies by the private sector and aid community. Turning to the West Bank, OCHA reports that today a 20-year-old Palestinian trying to cross the Israeli barrier in the Bir Nabala area into East Jerusalem, apparently in search of job opportunities, was shot and killed. Since October 2023, the humanitarian community in the occupied Palestinian territories documented the killing of 20 Palestinians and the injury of more than 290 others who were reportedly attempting to cross the barrier. as of June 6th. Palestinians must always be protected, and in law enforcement contexts, the use of lethal force must always be a last resort. Turning to climate and our friend Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, released a statement earlier today on El Niño, noting that the climate phenomenon is back and is expected to bring extreme heat, droughts, and floods across Latin America, Eastern and Southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The Emergency Relief Coordinator warned that this comes as many countries are already facing conflict, displacement, high fuel, fertilizer, and food prices, and at the same time, the humanitarian system is facing deep financial crisis. He said the humanitarian community is acting now to reduce the impact, and we're ready to disburse up to $100 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support anticip— anticipatory action, building on more than $20 million already allocated in 6 countries. Mr. Fletcher called for early, for flexible funding to match the scale of the risk, and for the world to prioritize conflict resolution and support those forced to flee, for braver— and for braver climate action. The statement was shared with you. On Venezuela, our OCHA colleagues tell us that we, along with our humanitarian partners, continued to deliver aid and scale up response in the areas most impacted by the earthquakes in that country. Efforts remain focused on addressing urgent humanitarian needs such as shelter, food, water, and various protection services. The UN Population Fund has strengthened gender-based violence prevention in camps, reaching more than 900 people through various awareness-raising activities. In addition, UNFPA and UNHCR are providing psychosocial support, while UNICEF is providing psychosocial support to children and adolescents. The International Organization for Migration, for its part, has enhanced its work on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse. We, along with our partners, are also supporting the transition towards early recovery and restoring essential services to the people in Venezuela impacted by the earthquakes. We are also monitoring the impact of heavy rainfall associated with a new tropical wave which has caused flooding in parts of the states of Apure and Portuguesa and Amazonas, creating additional humanitarian needs on top of what already exists. And in Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that intense drone, missile, and glide bomb attacks over the weekend killed and injured civilians and damaged schools, energy, and port infrastructure. The regions of Donetsk, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia were hardest hit. Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, and Odessa were also impacted. In Odessa, attacks damaged hospitals and port infrastructure. WFP warns that continued strikes on Black Sea ports could disrupt Ukraine's grains export and increase global food insecurity. Humanitarian organizations responded rapidly in the Sumy, Kyiv, Odessa regions, providing emergency shelter materials, hot meals, psychosocial support and emergency repair to various facilities. Despite continued insecurity, we, along with our partners, continue to deliver life-saving assistance to frontline communities. On July 10th, an interagency convoy reached the town of Antonivka on the outskirts of Kherson with food, hygiene supplies, emergency shelter for residents affected by the fighting. So far this year, we and our partners have organized 27 humanitarian convoys reaching more than 21,000 people in frontline areas. I just want to flag a report by UNICEF highlighting that child food nutrition insecurity is one of the primary drivers putting 3.7 million children under the age of 5 in Afghanistan at increased risk of undernutrition. The report comes as Afghanistan enters a peak wasting season with recent severe acute malnutrition and 77% of moderate acute malnutrition. More information online. And as part of the events taking place alongside the High-Level Political Forum, the 2nd Global Higher Education Symposium will be held today, 1 PM, at UN Headquarters. The event will launch the Consensus Statement on Unique Position of Higher Education in Pursuit of Solutions, developed to inform the global discussion on the role of higher education Shape a Just and Sustainable Future. It's being organized by the UN Academic Impact, which is part of the Department of Global Communications, in partnership with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the International Association of Universities, UNESCO, and others. Adla, and then Gabriel.

Steph, I guess you've seen the news that You know, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants to dismantle the ICC. Does the SG have anything to say?

Look, while the ICC is a, um, is an organization that is separate from the Secretariat and the, and the UN, it remains for us a critical cog in the international justice system. It is supported by a vast number of member states, and it helps bring accountability for serious crimes.

Voilà.

Gabriel.

Thanks, Steph. A couple questions. The first one's a follow-up to Adlo's question. In the Wall Street Journal editorial by Marco Rubio, he said, or he wrote, that He framed it as sovereign states over globalism and called international law a, quote, self-appointed priesthood. Does the Secretary-General accept that characterization of the system the UN Charter is built on?

International law, the, the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were created by sovereign member states, and they have brought protection, they have brought relief to millions of people, and they are, as the Secretary-General has often said, under threat and under attack.

And what would the Secretary-General's message be to any countries that are going to be pressured by the United States to pull out of the ICC?

Countries will have to make their Their own member states will make their own decisions. I think our position on the International Criminal Court and its importance I answered in— I answered Adla.

One more, if I may, Steph, on a separate topic. The President of the United States has said today that he plans to reinstate a 20% fee on all ships in the Gulf— in the Strait of Hormuz, I'm sorry. We've seen this before. Who knows what's going to happen? My question to you is, does the Secretary-General accept the premise that any member state can impose a fee on cargo in and out of the strait?

Look, I think, as you rightly point out, we've seen a lot of rhetoric around the Strait of Hormuz throughout this crisis. The Secretary-General's position has been consistent. He wants to see freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. And we said that as late as yesterday. Georgia, and then Abdelhamid.

Thank you, Stéphane. Yesterday, The Independent published some details of the alleged Secretary-General's and his personal envoy plan for the solution of Cyprus question. So my question is whether this corresponds to the actual Secretary-General's plan, partly or wholly, and do you have any other information to share on that?

I understand your interest and curiosity in the, in the story published by The Independent. I mean, we've obviously seen it, we've read the, the story. The Secretary General and his personal envoy, Maria Angel Olgun, remain committed to supporting, uh, the leaders, uh, in Cyprus towards a resumption of the negotiations.

One more question.

You may.

Uh, Secretary General had a phone call yesterday with the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Was Cyprus part of the discussion?

Yes, it was. Abdelhamid.

Thank you, Steph. Going back to the statement by Ramiz al-Akbarov, he talks about these kind of militias, but he didn't specify who is arming them, whom they're working for, why they are designated to attack convoys and humanitarian points for distribution. So is that a repetition of Yasser Abu Shabab?

He talked about the de facto, the de facto authorities in Gaza. That's who he was referring to. He wasn't referring to various armed militias. He was referring— as you should read his statement— he was referring to the de facto authorities who are in control.

Which means Israel.

That's what I want to understand. No, I think it does not mean Israel. I would take it as meaning Hamas.

Sinan.

Thank you, Steph. I have a question regarding the immigrants' and asylum seekers' rights. According to credible reports, there have been violations in ICE custody and deaths in the US, mass Afghani deportations from Pakistan, over 50,000 deportations in South Africa, and Kurdish actors died in Japanese police custody, and his name is Murat Çiçek, and Egyptian migrants in Italian custody more and more. Does the Secretary-General believe independent UN-backed oversight of detention facilities needed, or will he call for one? And in addition, maybe you can tell me what's his reaction and what's his message to those governments?

I mean, we have seen over the past years horrific reports of migrants, asylum seekers are being held in horrific detention, dying in detention, having their dignity violated, their rights violated. And that has happened. It's happened in Libya. It's happened in the US. It's happened in various European places. Well, it's happened all over the world, right? For the Secretary-General, what is clear is that every migrant, every asylum seeker has a right to be treated with dignity, has a right to be treated with respect to international law. When it comes to asylum seekers, there are very clear policies. When it comes to the Refugee Convention, there is no broad UN mandate to to inspect these facilities. The primary responsibility for the respect and upholding of basic rights belongs to the states. They have to uphold those laws. They have to have the mechanisms in place. Now, obviously, in different places, there are sometimes UN involvement through various UN agencies, But all of these reports are truly shocking and very disturbing. Okay, Abu Sufyan. Abu Sufyan, I can't hear you. You're muted.

Okay, sorry. Thank you, sir, for doing this. According to DW report, more than 20 people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistani forces shooting people in peaceful protest. Does UN Secretary-General aware of it, and what is his comment on that?

I personally haven't seen those reports, but we will look into it for you. Okay. Thank you all for coming on this beautiful, hot Monday. Hasta mañana.