Seafarers, West Bank & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Thank you. All right, good afternoon. In a short while, I will be joined virtually by our guest, Paula Narváez, the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for UNFPA. She'll be briefing us from Chile, but just returned from a visit to Venezuela, where she was on the ground to assess the needs of women and girls in the aftermath of the devastating quakes that hit Venezuela. The Secretary-General is in Amman, in Jordan, and from there tomorrow morning, he will head to Damascus for the scheduled visit that we have been telling you about. Meanwhile, our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, arrived in Mexico City yesterday evening. She's participating there in the 2nd convening on artificial intelligence and human development, which brings together leaders from the region to assess how one of humanity's most transformative technologies is reshaping human progress. The convening follows the first gathering held in Cairo last month. Outcomes of this region-to-region series will help inform discussions ahead of the 81st session of the General Assembly, including on the implementation of the Pact for the Future. While in Mexico City, she will meet— also meet with the Foreign Secretary of Mexico, Roberto Velásquez Álvarez. Their discussions will focus on Mexico's partnership with the United Nations, including its initiative in the UN, its engagement with the UN-AD Initiative, as well as other, other regional developments. We expect our Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General to be back tomorrow. Turning to the situation in the Middle East, I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the resumption of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels transiting in the Red Sea and the renewed threats to maritime navigation. The attacks on commercial vessels claimed by the Houthis risk further heightening regional tensions and widening of the current cycle of escalation, with the potential draw— with the potential to draw Yemen deeper into the regional conflict. Further hostilities in Yemen will undermine prospects for peace and cause serious economic, humanitarian, and environmental consequences across and beyond the region. must be fully restored. Meanwhile, Hans Grunberg, our personal— the Secretary-General's, rather, personal envoy for Yemen, said that over the past weeks he's engaged intensively with Yemeni, regional, and international actors. His priority remains to preserve the gains of the 2022 truce, to prevent a return to a wider conflict, and create the conditions for an inclusive political process. Mr. Grunberg said it is still possible to change course and move towards negotiations that address Yemen's political, economic, and security challenges and put the interests of people at its center. A negotiated political settlement in Yemen would also contribute to greater stability in the region. Meanwhile, I want to flag a statement released by our friend Jorge Moreira da Silva, the Executive Director of UNOPS. He said the UN Task Force for the Strait of Hormuz that he has been coordinating has developed, in consultation with relevant parties, a practical confidence-building mechanism to facilitate safe, orderly and predictable maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, with a specific focus on fertilizers and related raw materials to prevent a massive food crisis. In the last 4 months, the task force team has consulted extensively with member states and has received overwhelming support, particularly from the most vulnerable countries. This mechanism is ready to become operational, subject to the will of all parties in the conflict and in the region. Mr. Moura da Silva said it is time to give a chance to an operational mechanism to build confidence and to build trust. He continues to engage with all relevant parties through the task force while reiterating the Secretary-General's own call for restraint.

Thank you.

And de-escalation. And a couple of other things on related matters I want to flag for you. Our senior Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, unequivocally condemned the latest reported attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area. These attacks are indefensible, he said. They endanger the lives of seafarers while threatening the security of international shipping, of the safety and security of marine environment, and the stability of the global supply chains. Meanwhile, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, also called for urgent action to remedy the plight of thousands of stranded seafarers who are facing a dire humanitarian and human rights crisis across the Strait of Hormuz. He has— he said his office has received information that some seafarers have been abandoned at sea by shipowners who have left them without support, without repatriation plans, or even without paying their wages. Turning to the West Bank, the occupied West Bank, Ramiz Alabkarov, who as you know is our Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said today the continued loss of civilian life across the occupied West Bank is deeply alarming. He said today's violent incidents southwest of Nablus, which resulted in the killings of 4 Palestinians and 2 Israelis, injuries to several others, and extensive damage to Palestinian property underscore the urgent need to protect civilians and prevent further escalation in the occupied West Bank. Mr. Lakhdarov said Israel must take immediate steps to prevent settler violence, to protect civilian communities, and ensure those responsible for attacks are held accountable. And he said Palestinian must unequivocally reject violence and incitement to take immediate steps to prevent attacks against Israelis. The full statement is online. And also want to flag some humanitarian updates from Gaza, where UNICEF— and especially regarding water shortages— our colleagues at UNICEF says they've installed 2 water wells connected to the water network and power supply at the Nitzarim displacement site in Gaza. The well will provide water to 6,500 displaced people. Half of those are children. That comes as part of wider relief efforts to establish 10 new wells for displaced families across Gaza. On the health front, we and our humanitarian partners collected more than 18 truckloads of medical supplies and temperature-sensitive medicine from the Krim Shalom, Karim Abu Salam crossing on Wednesday, and the World Health Organization, which facilitated the entry of insulin syringes, baby aspirin, and other essential supplies. However, a critical shortage remains, such as cardiovascular medicine, blood pressure monitors. Meanwhile, during the second and third week of this month, our partners continue to provide essential services for patients in Gaza. However, WHO and our partners report that just 60% of hospitals and field hospitals are operational, and some only partially. Further— and only partially. Further, since the beginning of the year and as of the end of June, WHO in Gaza has recorded 28 health attacks on healthcare, mostly in Khan Younis and Rafah, resulting in casualties affecting health, transport and health facilities. And finally, just want to correct something I said at the briefing, and I'm sure you've been paying attention. Our humanitarian partners providing emergency assistance to displaced families in Deir al-Balah, with support from the UN Humanitarian Fund, have plans to reach about 20,000 families across Gaza, and not people, as I said yesterday. Turning to South Sudan, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Guang Kong, undertook a visit to Juba to engage with senior government officials in South Sudan and other stakeholders on the Joint Political and Security Mechanism between Sudan and South Sudan, as well as other Abyei-related issues. The discussion focused on the importance of urgency of resuming the JPSM and the demilitarization of Abyei area, and the differing views of the 2 governments regarding the participation of Abyei residents in elections in South Sudan, which are scheduled for December of this year. The Special Envoy welcomed the commitment of both governments to restart the JPSM and encouraged its resumption as soon as possible. And in Sudan, I just want to flag some announcement from UN Women who tell us they're gravely concerned by the emerging pattern of violence against women and girls in El Obaid in Sudan. Where drone attacks during the day and sexual violence at night have left no safe window for women and girls to collect water. That mirrors the atrocities documented in al-Fashr last year. UN Women has heard from women and girls in al-Obaid that due to drone strikes targeting water sources and distribution points during daylight hours, they are forced to wait until after nightfall to collect water. These women and girls have been harassed, They've been raped, they've been subjected to other forms of sexual violence as they are just trying to get water. UN Women's data shows that the number of women and girls requiring gender-based violence services in Sudan has quadrupled since the conflict began, now reaching an estimated 12.7 million women and girls this year alone. And we often flag here the dangers of funding shortfalls for humanitarian work, and today's update from Burundi shows us why. Our colleagues at the World Food Programme warn that food assistance for more than 130,000 refugees in Burundi risks drawing down unless urgent funding is received. Families who crossed the border in search of safety and food and shelter could now possibly lose the very assistance they depend on to survive. WFP urgently needs $35 million to sustain food and nutrition support for refugees through August of next year. Without new resources, life-saving food distribution will end entirely in October— will end entirely from October of this year. Some violence renewed— since violence renewed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2025, more than 100,000 human beings have been forced to flee into neighboring Burundi, more than doubling the number of refugees WFP You'll hear a bit more, a lot more from Venezuela from our guests, but I just wanted to flag some things from OCHA that tell us that humanitarian needs remain immense for tens of thousands of families. Since the first hours of the emergency, we and our partners have worked with authorities to support people in need. Partners have reached more than 117,000 people with food, healthcare, safe water, sanitation, temporary shelter, education, nutrition, and psychosocial support. This includes people in temporary camps, particularly in La Guajira, the state hardest hit by the disaster. According to authorities, the international community mobilized 3,000 metric tons of aid, while more than 30 countries deployed rescue teams and other technical experts. Humanitarian organizations continue to support communities impacted by the quake, and people already in need of humanitarian assistance across the country. We're grateful for the local volunteers, as well as member states and private sector partners, whose generosity and support helped drive the response during the first month, as this today marks the first month since the earthquakes. With humanitarian needs remaining one month on, continued international support will remain critical. The humanitarian appeal launched following the quake has received just over 40% of the funds needed. Additional resources are needed. Quick update from Ukraine, where today, along with our humanitarian partners, we sent a humanitarian convoy carrying 6 metric tons of cargo consisting of medicines, dignity kits, clothing, and hygiene kits to a frontline community in Kherson. This year alone, the— we and our partners have delivered more than 10 humanitarian convoys to support 10,000 frontline residents in the eastern part, in Kherson region alone. Also last year, despite funding challenges, the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund was able to allocate more than $200 million worth of assistance to 660,000 people across the country. This included life-saving evacuation of people in frontline areas. 70% of the funding went to national responders. Meanwhile, over the last 24 hours, our humanitarian colleagues note that attacks and hostilities across Ukraine have killed several civilians and injured more than 100 others. The attacks also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. Our partners have provided support and shelter material along— to those who need it. A number of International— sorry, one more, two more notes. Just to flag, this morning in the General Assembly, they had an informal interactive dialogue on accelerating global energy transition, advancing renewables, and mobilizing investment. Addressing the dialogue, Selwyn Hart, the Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Climate Action, stressed that the renewable energy revolution is unstoppable and irreversible. The question before us, he emphasized, is no longer whether the transition will happen. The question is, will it happen fast enough, fairly enough, and whether every country will have an equal opportunity to benefit? Also addressing the meeting was Simon Steele, the executive director of the UNFCCC. He noted the realities of fossil fuel dependency play out in real time, and increasingly clear that faster energy transition are core business for. governments and coordinate national strategies— security strategies. Number of international days. First, World Drowning Prevention Day, very important. The theme this year is Unite to Turn the Tide. Drowning takes more than 300,000 lives a year, and almost a quarter of them are children under 5. This day reminds us that drowning prevention depends on all of us doing our part. Tomorrow is the International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent, which calls for renewed global action to eliminate racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. And this is a new one for me. Tomorrow is the International Day on Judicial Well-Being.

What does that mean?

Exactly. It is essential to ensuring a fair and effective justice system, yet 76% of judges say they lack enough time to care for their physical and mental health. This day not only aims to support judges, but it pushes forward anti-corruption, access to justice, and sustainable peace. You learn something every day, even in this— even in this room. Even in this room. How about Spokesperson Well-Being Day?

That's what I thought.

Every day is my well-being day. I will answer questions should you have any. Emily, please.

Thanks, Steph. I know you were already asked a question linked to that yesterday, but about the Volga Turk and the decision this afternoon at the General Assembly. Now Russia has introduced an alternative text proposing to extend the mandate only until the end of this year, the argument seeming to be that the next Secretary-General should be the one deciding on the next High Commissioner. What is the Secretary-General's position on that?

Well, listen, member states will live up to their responsibilities. They will vote on resolutions for or against. We're not going to comment on the various proposals that are put forward. What I can tell you is that the Secretary-General is doing things in a very transparent manner, in following the rules and his authority as laid out in the relevant General Assembly resolution. Consultations were had with member states prior to this, with regional groups. Now the General Assembly will, will make the decision and adopt the resolution that they'll adopt.

Thank you so much. On the new mechanism that was developed by UNOPS, to facilitate the safe passage of especially fertilizers. Do we know any more details about this mechanism, what it looks like, what it's— and also when he says subject to the will of the relevant parties, what needs to happen now to get such mechanism in motion?

I mean, this is a reminder that Georges and the task force put together this mechanism now a few months ago.

Right?

It is ready to deploy, but obviously we need the we need the agreement of of the parties. It would include verification mechanisms, trust building mechanisms. This is what UNOPS does. They're ready to deploy fairly quickly, and I think the point of reminding the parties of the existence of this. Is the fact that we are in this position right now where there is just a stranglehold on commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. We saw it in the beginning of this conflict. We saw the impact it had on price of fertilizers and food going out. So it's just a very, I think, vocal and clear reminder that this option exists.

Islam.

Thank you, Stefan. Just to follow up the same question, since you brought up that mechanism and also has been touched, has been talked with the sides in that regard, is there any time frame, especially when the tension is increasing over there and also in the Red Sea and other Is also involved in this conflict?

The timeframe that we have is from our side that this can be deployed in a matter of weeks, right, if not shorter, very quickly. The point is we can't impose anything, so it's a matter of when the parties, the belligerents in this conflict, say, yes, this is a good idea, we want to go forward with this.

And if I may ask another question, Stefan, yesterday the 6 candidates for the next Secretary-General participated in debate. I understand, we understand that the Secretary-General doesn't wish to involve in this process, but listening to those candidates and especially considering the unprecedented times, What is the Secretary-General's hopes? Can you reiterate again for the future of this organization as well as for the international peace?

The Secretary-General hopes that the member states will select the best possible candidate, and I think the Secretary-General has also spoken at in the past and as has the Deputy Secretary-General about the need to finally have a woman helming this organization, but in the end it is in the hands of member states. Okay, any questions online?

Yes, I have a question.

Yes, go ahead, Abu Soufiane.

I think you noticed that on India, There is a protest going on, I think, nearly one month. It's lasting nearly one month. And Indian police already injured hundreds of students. And they are demanding resignation of education minister and, you know, changes in education system. So what's UN, you know, position on this particular issue?

What do you want to say to the protesters? I mean, we're obviously very much aware of the protests that we've seen, that we've seen in New Delhi. It is important that people wishing to protest peacefully be allowed to do so without the fear of harassment, the fear of arrest, or the fear of injury. there as it is everywhere to ensure that those rights are protected. Thank you all. We're going to go to our guests. If we can put our guests on the screen, that would be great. Paula, can you hear us?

I can hear you very well, Stefan.

Thank you so much. Thank you. And thank you for your patience. As I mentioned, we're joined by Paula Navarrez of UNFPA, and I think you've just been to Venezuela, so we'll wait for you— we'll listen to you and then we'll take some questions.

Good afternoon and thank you again. Today marks one month since the devastating earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, which claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people and have displaced over 23,000. But statistics alone cannot capture the human toll and true scale of this tragedy. I have just returned from Venezuela after spending the past week in La Guaira, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquakes. There, I met families who have lost everything, listened to their stories, and saw firsthand their determination to rebuild their lives. While there, I witnessed something that recurs in every emergency: women organizing safe spaces for their life, for their families, and caring for others, and frontline responders working tirelessly despite also being personally impacted. One UNFPA staff member I met was leading the gender-based violence response Despite having lost her own home in the earthquake, she said she wanted to do all she could to help. But amid this resilience, the scale of the disaster means that the needs remain very high. The earthquakes exposed and heightened pre-existing inequalities when it comes to access to healthcare and safety. We know that women Women do not stop giving birth during emergency, yet vulnerable women and adolescent girls are more likely to be cut off from the life-saving services they need. The health system is under immense strain. 41 health facilities have structural damage, with 3 completely inoperable. Many facilities also face shortages of medicines, equipment, and staff. Disruptions to electricity, water supply, and supply chains, together with the urgent need to provide trauma care to thousands of injured people, are stretching already limited resources. This includes the life-saving resources needed to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare, particularly emergency obstetric care. In Caracas, 30 miles away from La Guaira, UNFPA has provided long-term support to the Caricuao Maternal and Child Hospital. There, I met Camila, a 19-year-old awaiting a cesarean section. Her experience was a powerful reminder that pregnancy and childbirth continue even as communities confront disaster and displacement. I also visited temporary shelters, where thousands of people are living in precarious conditions. One teenage girl I met, Pamela, was participating in an information session on gender-based violence. She listened attentively as our team spoke about something simple yet profoundly transformative: learning to recognize violence and knowing that it's never her fault. UNFPA has been responding to this crisis since day one, to scale up life-saving reproductive health services and strengthen gender-based violence prevention and response. These services are central to any humanitarian response. We have been supporting hospitals and communities in Venezuela for years with training, equipment, and medicine for prenatal care, safe births including emergency obstetric care, clinical management of rape, gender-based violence prevention and response, and family planning supplies and information. These are sectors that are often overlooked in emergency response and chronically underfunded. This has to change. UNFPA and our implementing partners have already reached thousands of people. We are leading the gender-based violence response distributing reproductive health kits, and providing 16 health facilities with medical equipment and supplies. We are working closely with OCHA, IOM, UNHCR, and UNICEF to make temporary shelters safer for women and girls and providing psychosocial support, case management, legal counseling, and information sessions. But there is much more to be done, and And this work is far from over. UNFPA requires $10 million to expand its response and reach 121,000 people in need of reproductive health and protection services. Today, we have only received 40% of what we need. One month in, and we are embarking on the planning of the recovery phase of the response. But we all know that rebuilding and true recovery will take years. We must continue to support the most vulnerable communities as they rebuild their lives and restore and strengthen health and protection services. Venezuelan communities have demonstrated enormous strength and resilience. Their courage must now be matched with sustained international solidarity and support. Thanks for listening.

Any questions on the floor? Amélie, please.

Thank you. On behalf of the UN Correspondents Association, thank you very much for doing this briefing. I'm Amélie Bottelier from AFP News Agency. You mentioned gender violence, gender-based violence. I mean, we know that in any kind of crisis, whether it's natural disaster or otherwise, that there can be an increase. Is there any specific measure taken to try to limit that to a minimum? And have you already seen some increase of these kind of violences? Thank you.

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, there are always cases of violence, gender-based violence, in this kind of context, as in the rest of the contexts, unfortunately. We do not have definitive figures on the numbers of GBV cases at this moment, but we are working closely with partners to gather this data. Reported cases only show the tip of the iceberg, as always, when it comes to the full scale of the problem, as most survivors do not report due to fear of retaliation, stigma, insufficient support services, and other barriers. That's why to build awareness on this matter is so critical. One thing is clear: gender-based violence increases in every crisis. This is why protection, including from sexual abuse and exploitation, must be a key part of any humanitarian response.

Thank you.

Thanks, Daniela. Thank you so much. This is Efraim Kousaifi from Arab News Daily. A question about your offices and your locations there. Have they been impacted at all by the earthquake? If so, do you have any mobile clinic? And if so, is it easy for you— has it been easy to reach everyone you wanted to reach? Can you give us an estimate how many still are without reach. We've been watching people calling for help for a full month now, and some people are saying in Venezuela that they haven't seen any aid on the way. So I was wondering what you have to tell us about that.

Thank you.

Thank you so much. As I mentioned, so according to the latest figures from the authorities, more than 23,000 people are currently staying in temporary shelters. We have been able to provide services in 4 of these shelters so far, establishing in situ attention. But we are also having mobile attention in other shelters. But we and I personally met visit Maria Vargas Sport Complex, Cesar Nieves Stadium, Playa Grande, and Marabajo. All of them. In La Guaira. We also know that nearly 18,000 people have lost their homes. So given the scale of the destruction and extensive reconstruction required, many displaced people are expected to remain in temporary accommodation for an extended period. So that's why improving life conditions and safety for the people staying in shelters is a key priority, and UNFPA is working closely with other UN agencies in order to provide that safety as well. We have services that we are delivering in those shelters, but also in other shelters, I have to say, in a coordinated manner, also with the Ministry of Health authorities in the country.

Yeah.

One more follow-up, please. Have there been any help coming forward from the countries around, any gynecologists, doctors who have volunteered come forward to assist in this situation? And if so, what is the significance of this matter? How much help are they really bringing?

I mean, I have to say and recognize that there's plenty of international cooperation operating in the field, and I have to mention medical doctors, gynecologists that are providing services. We are working very closely, we were working very closely with Dominican Republic doctors, UNFPA, with them together in a clinic in one of these shelters providing sexual and reproductive health for women and girls. And also UK is providing and other countries as well. So yes, I mean, the international cooperation is in the field, but We need to continue to provide this support because this part of the emergency will last longer.

Thank you.

Any further questions? If not, I just want to say thank you very much for our noon briefing guest today, Paula Narváez, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for UNFPA. Thank you so much for joining us today.