World Cup, Iran, Yemen & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right, good afternoon. Uh, let's start with the most important first, and that is a huge congratulations to the men's Spanish team on its World Cup victory yesterday. They now join the Spanish women's team in being the reigning football world champions. First time one country has held both men and women's team championship at the same time. I think by every account it was a very impressive run by La Roja during the championship, during the games, and well played to all the other teams as well who during 5 weeks provided the world with a lot of emotion, passion, joyfulness, and a little bit of heartbreak for some of us. But congratulations to La Roja. That's it. No, sorry. I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish. I know, please, exactly. In a short while, we will be joined by Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti and head of the UN Integrated Office for Haiti. He will join us as soon as he's done with the Security Council meetings on Haiti. Then tomorrow, our friend Maximo Torero, FAO's Chief Economist, will join us virtually to brief on the launch of the State of Food Security and Nutrition 2026 report. It is co-authored by the FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WHO, and the World Food Programme. He will also be A number of those experts from those agencies will also be joining. Meanwhile, our Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from China, where he will arrive late tonight following his attendance at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference in Shanghai. He traveled to Yunnan Province this morning. In Kunming, the Secretary-General interacted with beneficiaries and local counterparts of UN programs from agencies such as UNDP, FAO, and UNIFAD, and UN Women, supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in China. He heard firsthand accounts from beneficiaries of projects on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, promoting nature-based solutions, and the sustainable use of medicinal plant and community-based conservation efforts linked to local livelihoods. As I said, Secretary-General will be back in the office tomorrow. Also today, Courtney Rattray, the Secretary-General's Chef de Cabinet, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at the General Assembly in observance of Nelson Mandela Day, which was observed on Saturday. In his remarks, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the life and legacy of Madiba. He highlighted that Mandela Day reflects the defining challenge of our time, poverty, inequality, and celebrated Madiba's ability to see the world both for what it was and what it could be, having recognized that progress is never automatic, it is a result of action. To honor that legacy, the Secretary-General encouraged all of us to carry forward Mandela's vision of a just, inclusive, equal, and peaceful world. We have been getting over the weekend questions about the fighting in the Middle East, and I can tell you that we are indeed concerned by the resurgence of hostilities and renewed escalation across much of the region. Immediate de-escalation is essential. And as a reminder, as in any conflict, the protections of civilian and civilian objects is critical. Vital infrastructure on which civilians rely for survival, including hospitals and water supplies, must be spared. All parties must respect their obligation under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. Also, on a related note, that we are— we've seen the reports and are very much concerned by the renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, against freedom of navigation, which leads to the risk of an even wider regional escalation. We call for immediate de-escalation. We urge all parties to address their differences through dialogue and diplomacy and reiterate that Security Council Resolution 2722 and subsequent resolutions related to Houthi attacks against merchants and commercial vessels must be fully respected. Hans Grunenberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, is in Muscat, Oman today. for discussions. He concluded a visit to Riyadh yesterday where he met with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Halimi, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, and representatives of the Permanent 5 members of the Security Council. Their discussions focused on the need for the de-escalation, for the parties to agree on a way forward to preserve the gains of the 2022 UN-brokered truce. The special envoy also stressed the importance of insulating Yemen from the wider regional escalation and for safeguarding the space for an inclusive Yemeni-led political process and to end the conflict comprehensively. Moving to Lebanon, we welcome the launch of the pilot zone operations in the village of Froun, Sfeefa, and Zoutar. Garbiya, in accordance with the trilateral framework. We encourage Lebanon and Israel to pursue efforts towards the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon continued to observe violations of Lebanese airspace, including extensive unmanned aerial system activity across the area of operations and reconnaissance quadcopters over or near UN positions in both Sector West and Sector East. UNIFIL also observed incidents involving drones releasing ammunition in proximity to civilian areas and UN positions. UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to discover unauthorized weapons caches and unexploded ordnance in the mission's area of operation. UNIFIL continues also to see and observe IDF kinetic activity in both sectors, including tank fire and small arms fire. UNIFIL also continued to observe broader IDF ground activity throughout the mission's area of operations. Meanwhile, our peacekeepers themselves continue to face restriction and impediments to freedom of movement across the area of operations. On Saturday, an IDF checkpoint near Nukoura, which is the headquarters of the UNIFIL presence in southern Lebanon, blocked a UNIFIL convoy for approximately 3.5 hours.

Before it—

Rough 3.5 hours. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that over the weekend, Israeli authorities issued displacement orders to families in the Zeitoun neighborhood east of Gaza City in proximity of the so-called yellow line that was established by Israel. More than 30 families were displaced as their tents were destroyed. We and our partners have assessed these families' needs and are preparing to distribute tarpaulins, jerry cans, hygiene kits, blankets, and mattresses. Yesterday, OCHA team met with local partner organizations implementing a multipurpose cash assistance project in Gaza City. This project is funded by the OPT Humanitarian Fund and helps vulnerable families, particularly female-headed households, to cover essential needs such as food and clothing. So far, more than 200 families in Jabalia and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza have received this assistance. Turning to the West Bank, I can tell you that we are warning against escalating Israeli settler attacks against, against Palestinians as they continue to cause casualties, property damage, and displacement. On Saturday, our humanitarian colleagues at OCHA in the West Bank documented an attack in which 2 Palestinians were killed and others injured. During this attack, settlers, including armed people accompanied by Israeli forces, raided the village of Deir Jarir in the Ramallah Governorate and reportedly attempted to seize sheep, triggering confrontations with Palestinian residents. In a separate attack on the same day, settlers set fire to a Palestinian home and agricultural land in the village of Tell in the Nablus Governorate, displacing a family of 5. And we condemn all these attacks by settlers on Palestinian communities. OCHA stresses once again that the Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory must be protected, the killings and violence must stop, and perpetrators must be held to account. And just back here this morning, as I mentioned, Carlos Ruiz-Massieu briefed the Security Council on the situation in the country. Monica Juma, the Executive Director of of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, also briefed the Council and said that Haiti's armed gangs are no longer simply seeking to capture territory. They are seeking to capture the systems of governance and the economic lifelines on which communities and institutions depend. To help put Haiti on the path to peace, she told Council members, we must respond to the urgent needs on the ground. While building institutions capable of sustaining long-term stability as well as the rule of law. For her part, Vanessa Fraser, the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, said her recent visit to Haiti, which she briefed you on in great detail recently, left her with a strong sense of urgency but also a sense that there's real opportunity to make progress if the international community joins forces in support of Haitian authorities. All of the remarks we've received were shared with you. And turning to Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues warned that the ongoing violence continues to imperil civilians, it continues to drive displacement of civilians, and it continues to deepen needs, including in the Kordofan and Darfur regions. As the violence continues, humanitarian needs are also on the rise. In North Kordofan, the World Food Programme warns that the humanitarian situations in El Obaid, is rapidly deteriorating as displacement towards the city grows, with nearly 400,000 human beings across the districts of Sheikhah Bara and Garbara already facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity. In Central Darfur State, recent assessment by our partners identified food as the top priority for some 236,000 displaced men, women and children. Across 5 locations. And in South Darfur, nearly 4,000 families displaced by recent intercommunal violence urgently need emergency shelter as well as essential household items. We once again call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in this conflict and every other conflict. We also reiterate the need for rapid and flexible funding so that our partners can respond to the growing needs across Sudan. Sudan. To date, this year's humanitarian appeal for Sudan is less than 39% funded, with only $1.1 billion received for the nearly $2.9 billion required. We thank warmly those who have given us cash, and we ask others to do so. Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2 items for you. Our peacekeeping colleagues in the DRC tell us that on Friday they intervened in support of Congolese armed forces in Komanda, which is, as you all know, in Ituri Province. This was to prevent an escalation of violence following the assassination of a local armed group leader. As we reported last week, UN peacekeepers have established a mobile operating base in Marabo to deter further attacks against healthcare facilities and civilians. This underscores the mission's continued commitment to protect civilians in areas affected by Ebola.

Thank you.

And on that note, our OCHA colleagues tell us that they're concerned about the spread of Ebola in displacement sites in the eastern part of the DRC. Confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in at least 16 of these sites across Ituri. These sites host more than 270,000 people. They are— those sites are overcrowded and they have limited access to basic services. And which obviously increases the risk of disease transmission. We and our partners continue to support displaced communities through prevention awareness activities, including the installation of handwashing stations and community outreach on Ebola prevention measures. However, needs continue to outpace the resources that we have. Last week, you'll recall that we and our humanitarian partners launched a revised 2020 appeal for the DRC, raising funding requirements from $1.4 billion to $2.3 billion. This is all in response to the growing humanitarian needs, which we tell you about almost every day, including those linked to Ebola outbreak. The plan aims to provide life-saving assistance to 10.7 million human beings through the end of the year. We continue to call for increased international support. support to sustain the Ebola response and for life-saving assistance to displaced communities already facing years of conflict, years of displacement, and years of deteriorating living conditions. Meanwhile, in Burundi, our OCHA colleagues tell us that we and our humanitarian partners continue to support government-led efforts to strengthen Ebola preparedness. Surveillance and early detection have been reinforced at priority points of entry border communities. More than 75,000 travelers have undergone health screening at UN-supported entry points since June 24th. Infection prevention and control measures have also been strengthened. This includes the provision of protective equipment such as masks for frontline personnel at priority border points. We and our humanitarian partners are working with the government to train frontline workers, community health workers, and health professionals, and border health officials. We're also supporting screening and infection control equipment, the improvement of water sanitation hygiene infrastructure, and the establishment of temporary isolation sites. At the end of June, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, allocated $2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to strengthen Ebola operational readiness in Burundi. To help reach 215,000 people. Since the outbreak began, CERF has allocated a total of $24 million from the Rapid Response and Early Action in countries at high risk of the spread of Ebola across the region. This is part of Tom Fletcher's broader commitment to allocate up to $60 million from CERF to accelerate the response in the DRC and support preparedness in other countries who are at risk. And from Ukraine, our colleagues on the ground report attacks over the weekend have claimed dozens of civilian lives and injured many more across the country. As a result of the attacks, 2 humanitarian warehouses sustained damages: the World Food Programme, the DPRO, and WHO in Kyiv. Our humanitarian coordinator and resident coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, underlined the devastating toll of these attacks. attacks on civilians, including urban centers near the front lines. Despite all these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners are providing emergency response after attacks and delivered 11 metric tons of aid to frontline communities in Kherson. The supplies included water, hygiene dignity kits, first aid kits, and medicine. A new Resident Coordinator. The UN Development Coordination Office tells us that following the government approval, the Secretary-General has appointed Njoya Tikoum of Cameroon as the new Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso. He takes up his post on July— he took up his post July 18th, will also serve as Humanitarian Coordinator. He brings nearly 2 decades of leadership experience across the UN system with expertise in sustainable development, governance, peacebuilding, and many other areas. And he was lastly Director of the UN Development Programme Subregional Office for Western Central Africa and Resident Representative for UNDP in Senegal. We congratulate him. Note from our UNESCO colleagues who tell us that the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has begun its 48th session in Busan, South Korea. It's always an interesting meeting. The committee will examine nominations for the inscription of 30 new World Heritage Sites. Nominations include the beaches of the D-Day landings in Normandy and the Mount Amed castles in Lebanon, among others. The committee will also assess the state of conservation at 147 sites already on the list, and as you know, many unfortunately get damaged during conflict. UNESCO World Heritage status recognizes and protects natural, cultural, and mixed sites for present and future generations. To date, the World Heritage Committee has inscribed over 1,100— sorry, 1,200 sites in 167 70 countries on their list. 2 important days today. One on this earth, and it is World Chess Day. The day commemorates the game's role as a platform to foster dialogue and solidarity across barriers of language, age, gender, physical ability, or social status. And another one further from this earth. So what international day is it today?

Space.

Close. International Moon Day, Amélie. It is International Moon Day, which marks the anniversary of the first moon landing as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. As moon exploration efforts continue to take shape, this global celebration will serve as a reminder of past successes as well as an annual testimony to future endeavors in outer space that should benefit all of man. Of humankind.

Excuse me.

Speaking of humankind, Gabriel.

Hi.

Good morning, Steph. I have a question about— the Houthis have announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. And my question for you is, does the Secretary-General call on the Houthis to reverse this decision?

Yes. I mean, I think you may have been lulled into, into a certain sense when I was reading off the various notes. But I did, I did speak to that, expressed our concern about the new announcement and called for the fulfillment, full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions. which call on the Houthis to stop kinetic activity in that area. And there needs to be full freedom of navigation. And we're also concerned about their threats towards Saudi Arabia.

And this is now potentially a second chokepoint in the general region, given what we have in the Strait of Hormuz. How is this going to affect potentially UN transport of humanitarian goods?

Look, I mean, it's, it's obviously another choke point. We have seen the Red, the Red Sea already being choked off in the past. We don't want to see a return to that. I mean, it will, of course, impact the flow of UN goods that are shipped, notably humanitarian goods and elements for peacekeeping. But much more worryingly, it will again have a negative impact on global commerce, on the trade in energy and just commerce as a whole. And we're already seeing the impact of the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz and that— what impact that is having on the global economy.

Okay.

Abdelhamid, I see you, so I assume you have a question.

Yes, in fact, I have 2. Thank you. First, on Saturday, Israeli attacked A Palestinian funeral, killing 9, including 2 children, and wounding 20. Such an attack on a funeral. How could it pass without pinpointing at this heinous crime of killing civilians in a funeral?

Look, we have and will continue to condemn all killings of civilians. I did not personally get a report on that incident. I think we reported on other things that we have, that we have seen in both in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank. Your second question.

My second question. Prime Minister Netanyahu said that I control now 70% of Gaza and I will continue encroaching on the territory of Gaza to what as he said it, to choke Hamas. Do you have any comment on this?

Look, I mean, I think we have, we have referred to the so-called yellow line that Israel has established. Again, today we talked about the displacement of even more Palestinian families. Palestinians need to control Gaza as part of a unified unified Palestinian area, which includes both obviously the West Bank and Gaza.

Okay. Thank you.

I see you've all been exhausted by our sporting weekend, so I will see you tomorrow. Excuse me, we'll see you— well, I think you have a little bit of a break before Carlos Ruiz-Messier comes, but we'll give you a heads up. Thank you.

All right, so let's get started.

All right, we're good. Very good.

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us in the room and online. We have with us Carlos Ruiz Massieu, who, as you know, is the head of our political office in Haiti, BINU. He just finished briefing the Security Council and consultations, and he is with us. He will make a few opening remarks, and then we will take some questions. Carlos, you have the floor.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Stephanie. Well, thanks to everyone. I probably will say that there has been a very important session on Haiti in the Security Council today, a clear expression of unanimous support on what we're trying to do collectively in supporting Haiti to improve its multifaceted crisis, a recognition that we have— that there is a window of opportunity, but that we need to seize precisely that opportunity, and that, as I mentioned, because of the nature of the crisis, we need clearly a comprehensive approach. Securities and security improvements are evidently essential, But to everything else, but still that we need to support the country in the way that we are trying to support it through humanitarian support, through a security mandated force, security force supported by the UN through our mission also, and with a political work and accompaniments that we do through the political mission. Some positives that were mentioned and were briefed to member states and their reaction in terms of the start of operations of GSF that, that, you know, started last month, and other important steps on the political side, on the electoral side, by approving the budget, by moving forward with a revised electoral decree, and now expecting a revised calendar of elections with a clear understanding, I would say, that while security is so important to elections to happen, at the same time, the political process and security improvements need to move at the same— simultaneously. So So we can have further stability in the country on the security front, on the humanitarian side, but also on the political side. So I will, um, so I will leave it there just to open if there are specific areas that you want me to go more thoroughly or to any questions. Evidently I'm here. Sorry for, for the time, for the lateness. It was a long session though. Thank you.

Very good. Thank you so much. Do we have some questions in the room? Yes, go ahead, Chinois.

Thank you, Mr. Massieu. Haiti has been kind of a failed state for decades. The UN has committed tremendously to this country, but we don't see much progress for these past decades. What is your estimation of the future of this country? What's the problem?

Well, evidently, as you mentioned, we have a long history in working with Haiti, with the Haitians, in trying to improve the situations. And throughout the history, we have made— we have had important successes, relative successes. We have had mistakes, we have shortcomings, we have successes that then have not been long-lived, have not been long-lived, and we've been short-lived. But I believe we have learned all collectively from those experiences, the positives, the not so positives, the things that we can do better. And in this case, I do believe with some optimism that we can help clearly to improve the situation. On the security side, as I mentioned, but also to help the countries— the country moving on other areas. At the end, it's clear that it's a Haitian-led process, and they are the ones responsible for the successes or not. But at the end, we are there to help and support. And the right— I would, as I mentioned, the decisions that were made to have this, I would say, innovative approach with a more offensive force because of the situation that we are facing, particularly in Port-au-Prince and in the departments next to it, and other challenges required a different approach. And we are moving forward with this approach. Still, it's early in the sense of the deployment strength that is still not where it will be. It's still early in terms of coming back to democratic rule, democratic governance, because of the transitional nature of the government. But I do believe that we have a chance to contribute to the improvements, and the discussions that are taking place these days is about how to make those gains more sustainable. so we don't go back after getting some positive results. And that's why we are working with the Haitians on DDR programs, on ways to help and push, evidently, for the release of the minors, release of the children that, you know, compose a very high percentage of gang— of the gangs, but to also have a— investments and promote investment in certain areas so we can also reduce the potential of the recruitment in general, but the recruitment in the children or of the youth in particular. So I would say that the prospects— we have to be optimistic in improvements, but evidently realistic in terms of that this is an endeavor that we are taking together with the Haitians, the international community, and it is very challenging, but we need to do our best to make it a success story in the short term, hopefully, or in the medium term. Thank you for—

oh, go ahead, go ahead.

Okay.

We know lots of weapons are going into the hands of the Haitian gangs from the United States. Forgive me for my ignorance. Do you have a mechanism to check this the flow of weapons?

Yes, we— as you know, there's a panel of experts that verify the observance of many aspects of— that are part of the sanctions committee, and there's an arms embargo. They have— they visit the country regularly in order to get all the information that they get on different aspects, but including on this. All the measures needed in order to reduce the flow of weapons to Haiti because we know that's an issue. Internally, we also need to— and the Haitians are very committed to oversee whether there are also internal trafficking of particularly ammunitions from the forces to whatever groups are out there. So we need to strengthen all the measures to to do that and to stop— to reduce and hopefully to stop the flow of weapons and ammunitions.

Thank you. Dulcie, go ahead. Then I will go online.

Okay. Thanks very much. Can you tell me, because there's a lot of negative press about the Haitian government, who's actually in charge of the government? And this The system you described just now about tracing arms flows, who's going to be leading that and how will it work? And what is your best method for stopping children from being swept up in gangs? Thanks.

Thank you. Yeah, I'll start with the, with the last point and question. There is a twofold process. On the one hand, because the, the gangs— some of the gangs are listed in the, in the Secretary-General report on, on children in armed conflict as utilizing children, recruiting children— we need to establish now a a system by which there will be engagement with those gangs in order to request and to demand the release of the children. That's one element of it. The other, clearly, when operations will take place and there will be more, I would say, results of those operations, hopefully capturing gang leaders, gang members, there'll be also— let's say, recovering of children. And minors under 18, as you know, according to UN instruments, are victims first and foremost. So they need to be channeled through social services, passing through some mechanisms that we have through our agencies. UNICEF have particular transition centers for children to have short stays there so they can get psychosocial support, so they can be linked afterwards to job opportunities. And I'm saying this because in all these steps, we need to avoid or to reduce the risks of the children getting back to the gangs. And also, we need to implement, again, preventive measures, because while we are hoping and confident that we can recover minors that So minors will be released. We don't want the gangs at the same time to continue recruiting children and children be prone or subject to those activities. So we need to— part of the programs should be violence reduction, community violence reduction activities that include investment and possibilities of getting opportunities currently. Already for the children that we can consider, or this UN system can consider, children at risk. So they can— so it's, I would say, an overall general two-pronged approach in that sense, a preventive one, but also once established or implemented to those that will be recovered either in the operations by the GSF or that the other groups will be more willing to start releasing them. So those are the two things. I forgot your first or second comment, just if you can repeat it, if that's okay with you. I forgot my pen, I have to say.

Who's governing Haiti?

Ah, the transition. Well, we have a transition government that after February 7th state in accordance with certain provisions of the agreement that was the origin of the previous transitional arrangement of the electoral— sorry, the Transitional Council of Presidents. So the Prime Minister— The Council of Ministers led by the Prime Minister is in charge and And according— in accordance with an instrument that they signed among the different political forces, he will stay in power until elections happen and there will be a more, let's say, going back to democratic order. That's why elections are so important. So Haiti can have, after 10 years, a new electoral process. They can have legitimate elected authorities and they are making important steps towards there. Evidently, as I mentioned, there's a link between security conditions, particularly in the capital and in other departments, because those departments and the capital have around 54-55% of the overall electorate registered these days.

So security needs to improve in those areas so candidates can campaign

Let me now go online to Jacqueline Charles from the Miami Herald, and then I will go to Danica.

Hi, thank you. I have 2 questions. One question is on the election dynamics. Even in the best of times, pulling off an election in Haiti has always been a very complicated process that, you know, I remember the last one we had, the UN was on the ground. You are using donkeys. You have to get into faraway places. We're talking about a dynamic situation here that even, you know, if people register today, there's no guarantee that they will still be in those same registration conscriptions 6 months from now or whenever the elections are held. So I'm just wondering, in terms of, is there a contingency plan on how—

Yes.

We are going to ensure that people have the opportunity to vote if they if they want to vote. And my second question is, Ambassador Waltz today during the U.S. intervention, he broke away from the measured tone that typically characterizes these Security Council meetings on Haiti and gave a very personal account of what he had encountered during his visit. visit there. We haven't really had members of the Security Council visit for a long time. What, what impact do you think, or you hope, um, that this will have on, on, you know, the reality for, for the decision makers? You know, this was not statistics, this is not a report from the Secretary-General, but this is a member of the Council who actually went and heard the stories for himself.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jackie.

The Thank you.

Yeah, on the first point, yeah, I mean, there's progress, as I was mentioning, on the electoral process, and I think it's important that we are moving forward. Now, clearly, there are processes that will take time, like the voter registry that started today or is starting today, and still— but still will take some months. The political parties need to receive the final electoral registration 60 days, as I recall from the from the decrees before election day. So we we are very tight. Evidently, we have to be ready to implement all the measures that we can in order to help elections to happen. So far, in terms of the international support. We are coordinating the international support. We are coordinating the work of the UN on that, and the UNDP is pretty much helping the CEP, the Electoral Council, in managing its budget. It's also— UNOPS is helping in the logistics of elections and on on all the operational aspects going forward. I'm sure, and we have discussed that very preliminarily, but if needs be, we will talk. We have a preliminary discussion with UNSO whether we can also put our assets to help in the transportation of electoral material, very sensitive electoral material. So we will, we will do whatever we can to support electoral process to happen. The— but the main, the main issue is still, it's about what are the minimum conditions under which elections could happen and what is the right time between then having those minimum conditions and the country that needs to move forward to back to democratic rule. And we want We want, evidently, to have the transitional government with all the support needed in order to do their part, but transitional governments are of transitional nature and limited duration, so we don't— we need to find that— how do you say it— the perfect spot in terms of timeline and conditions. I mean, we want, in the sense of we wish, Because at the end, it will be for the CFA and the government to agree on that ultimate date of elections, but there's other aspects that come before that. Now, I have to say that it's very positive when members of the Council visit the country that we're working on. I experienced it myself in other responsibilities that I have had before, to have Ambassador Waltz very recently visiting Haiti, seeing the reality, talking to people, talking to children that have been affected evidently by the gangs, seeing how the GSF has started its operation, and it's given really a different perspective on how things are moving. Besides, I mean, as much as we can transmit, and we believe we are good at transmitting the situation, at the end, nothing Nothing compares to a personal visit that can see and talk to people, to authorities on the ground, etc. We hope that the Security Council can travel soon. Evidently, there's always a wish for the Security Council to travel. We just have to see, being a 15-member council, that we have the right conditions under which we can have the setup for 15 VIPs traveling to the country to assess. But if we can, believe me, we will do it as soon as possible. But we have to then assess very, very thoroughly and vis-à-vis a potential agenda as well.

Very good. Danica Cotto from Associated Press, if you're able to turn your camera on, Danica, please go ahead. Otherwise, we will just listen to you.

Hi. Sorry, I got pulled into something else. I'm not able to turn camera on right now, but appreciate this opportunity. I was wondering, could you identify the 3 departments mentioned by Haiti's foreign minister where insecurity persists? And could you repeat the percentage of the electorate that lives there? And also wanted to check that voter registry literally began today. Thank you.

Okay. Okay. I was trying to write down very fast, but I couldn't probably. On the departments, I mean, the West Department where Port-au-Prince is, is one. The other is the Artibonite. The other is the Center Department. Those are the departments where insecurity is is high, is on the rise. We have other activities in other departments, not as much or not as difficult as these 3 are, but our concern, just making a point here, is that in going forward, we need also to evidently reduce the criminal activity or activity by gangs in these departments, but we also need to avoid that it spreads to others. Just as a separate, separate comment. Can you repeat the other points, Danica? Sorry.

Yes, no worries. I was wondering, could you repeat the percentage of the electorate that lives in these 3 departments and also double-checking that voter registry literally began today? Thank you.

Okay, the percentage is 54-55% in those departments that— about the current voter registry, no? Because also the importance of the voter registration It's that then because of the different movements of people, the internally displaced and other movements, then it will give us a new reality, let's say, where the borders are currently. Now, I do have to check. I've been in the meetings since we— this morning in terms of formal session and informal consultations are now directly here, so I haven't been able to check on the voter registration. I trust that it started. I hope that it started. But— and it was formally announced that the starting date was today. It was supposed to be the 16th, and then they just announced that it was starting Monday the 20th. So I just—

Okay.

I will just double-check, but I trust it did, and I, and I'll, and I'll, and I'll, we, I'll give you the information as soon as I get it.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Very good. So if there are no additional questions, I think, uh, we will wrap up. Thank you so much for being with us. Uh, just as a reminder, we had Carlos Ruiz Massieu, who is the head of BINU, uh, our political mission in Haiti. He just briefed the Security Council. And thank you so much to all of us for joining us in the room and online. Thank you so much and have a good day, everyone.

Thank you.