Nepal, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Okay, mic is on. Hi everyone, happy Tuesday. everyone staying dry just wanted to give you uh some updates of what's happening in the GA this week as we finish up the 80th session uh so as many of you know this morning uh and actually happening now there is um a general debate on the item 63 on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine so it opened with a PGA statement and now member states are taking turns speaking there. So that will be this morning's plenary session. There is no plenary or informal meetings this afternoon. Tomorrow morning in the Trusteeship Council, there's the High-Level Forum on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. The theme for this year's meeting is Women's Leadership to Promote a Culture of Peace. And the High-Level Forum will provide an opportunity to review the implementation of the Programme of Action and discuss the role of women's leadership at all levels to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence. The forum also aims to share good practices and explore prevailing challenges for the promotion of women's leadership for a culture of peace, including international commitments such as the advancement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals 16. In the afternoon tomorrow in GA Hall, there will be the debate on the item of the report of the United Nations Youth Office. And so that is the SG's report. And there will also be action on the draft resolution on access to assistive technology. And that's looking at ensuring that everyone has access to technology and that states are doing what they can to implement that and make it accessible and available to everyone. On Thursday, the third of September, the PGA, the outgoing PGA, Anna Lena Berbach, will hold her last press briefing of the 80th session. That will be at 11:15 AM here in the press briefing room. So get your questions ready for her. And then in the afternoon in the Trusteeship Council at 3:00 p.m., there will be a briefing on the UN 80 reform initiative. So for those of you who have been following that closely throughout the session, the Secretary General will brief member states and we will also hear from the co-chairs for work stream two, and that is the ad hoc working group on mandate implementation review, who will provide an update on the progress in that regard. Then on Friday, September 4th, there is a plenary meeting at 10:00 AM in the General Assembly Hall. And this will look at all the agenda items that remain open for consideration during the 80th session and the closing of the remaining agenda items. 45 that morning, there will be the unveiling of the UNAD Charter, which was signed by all member states in a commemoration of Charter Day this year. The event will take place at level two entry to the GA Hall outside of the GA Hall doors and is open for photography, although there will not be any statements or remarks given. And the UNAD Charter serves as a symbolic recommitment to the UN Charter and its enduring principles even amid increasingly complex global challenges. As you all know, we have the holiday weekend, so there are no meetings on September 7th. That is the Labor Day weekend here in the US. And then on Tuesday, September 8th at 10:00 AM, there is a plenary meeting in the GA Hall. There will be a statement by the Secretary General, a statement by the President of the General Assembly, a moment of silence, and then we will have the oath of office by the president-elect of the 81st session of the General Assembly and a closing of the 80th session. And then that afternoon of September 8th at 3:00 PM, it will be the official opening of the 81st session of the General Assembly. So that is a look ahead at the remainder of the 80th session, a year gone by just like that. Are there any questions? Okay, Eric, quickly search Abdel Hamid has also grabbed his mic. Eric, yes.

First, on behalf of the UN Correspondents Association, I want to thank you for the work you've done over the past year. Do you know when the next revision of the speaker's list for the journal debate will be released?

We are waiting to get that in our hot little hands. Hopefully we'll have something for you this week, but I'll keep following up with colleagues in DGACM so that when we get the next revision, we can share that with you.

Thank you so much, Renis. We really appreciate your cooperation and being so close to the journalists, responding to their questions, and allowing us to interview the PGA also. First, my question, do you have any update on the visa situation for the Palestinian delegation? that being now considered to be denied by the United States. And the second, this is the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, and it was headed by Ms. Baerbock, which is the former foreign minister of Germany. So the two big events, I mean, the GA 80th and Germany. So what could be concluded of that? combination of the PGA from Germany and the 80th session, which should be a remarkable session. So what can you tell us about the legacy of this session? Thank you.

Well, first on the question of visas, as you know, this was also a question that came up last year. And so the PGA's position remains the same, that there is a host country agreement that governs the work of the UN and the relationship with the host country. And people who are coming here to attend UN meetings and to to do the work and participate in the work of the United Nations, their entry should be facilitated. And that is outlined in the host country agreement. And so the hope is that that will be honored and that people who are coming here to do the work of this organization will be allowed entry to do so. In terms of looking at legacies, that is really not my strong suit. And so it is not for me to assess the legacy and whether you know our PGA came here and she has said repeatedly throughout the year that she was here to represent the views of 193 member states she was not here as a German she was not here as the former foreign minister of Germany she was here to represent the most representative body of this organization which is the General Assembly which represents all 193 member states and she did that every day that she came into this building to represent those views. She did it in the way that she conducted the selection and appointment process for the Secretary General, ensuring that the views of 193 Member States were reflected in that work and were represented in that work. And she knew that she was undertaking this job in very difficult times. And so her first and foremost goal was to uphold the Charter on which this organization is built and in which all of our work, you know, will not function if we do not abide by the charter and standing up for that and defending that. And so really it will be up to all of you to assess. how you felt this year went with all of the big challenges that we were facing, including reform, the selection of the next Secretary General who will lead this organization, as well as all of the complex challenges and conflicts and things that we faced that were difficult when the year started and became even more so as the year went on. So I look forward to seeing your roundup and your views on that. Adel Hamid. Yes, Frank.

Well, first of all, thank you for being so available and being informative this year. We really appreciate that. I just wanted to catch up on the Secretary General's race. How many candidates do we have now? And are you expecting anybody to enter within the next week or so?

We currently have eight candidates and you can find all the information about them on the official website on the selection and appointment of the next Secretary General. again if I had any facility any ability to uh guess whether there would be uh other candidates then I could certainly go and place a bet maybe on calshe or poly market so your guess is as good as mine of whether there will be more candidates coming forward.

There's no deadline though correct they can just keep coming right?

Correct uh they can keep coming the one deadline that is fast for us is that on January 1st a new secretary general should take the oath of office and take up their duties and take up the post. So between now and that date, anything could happen. So let's hope not. Well, as this is my final briefing as spokesperson of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, I would like to thank all of you. for the professionalism and patience that you've shown me throughout the year and your amazing work that you do every day to bring the work of this organization to a global audience. I know that it's oftentimes sort of opaque and it is not clear what all of these, you know, resolutions and debates and talk actually mean for the 8 billion people that we are meant to serve. And so I am forever grateful to you for the work that you do every day to bring that to people around the world. Yes, Edie.

Thank you, LaNiece. On behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association, and I'm sure everyone in this room and watching, thank you for being so open to all of our questions, answering them in person and in writing, and we will miss you. And I'm sure we'd all like to know, are you going back to the Department of Global Communications?

Yes, you will not have time to miss me because I am only going up to the 10th floor, so I am still in the same elevator bank. You will see me. As you all may know, the spokesperson for the PGA always comes from the Department of Global Communication. So we simply go back to our previous lives. I will be with a new section. I'll be working with colleagues in the Creative Community Outreach Initiative, which oversees our messengers of peace and relationship with the creative communities. So something new and interesting. For me, it's a change because I had previously worked on outreach to colleges and universities. And so, yes, it will be something new and different, but you will not have time to miss me. I will be haunting these halls. You will see me on Wednesday morning as if nothing has changed. And not to worry. You will be in good hands. You will be actually working with an excellent colleague with the incoming spokesperson for the 81st session. Melissa Summers is a UN staff member of the Department of Global Communications who is bringing a wealth of experience to this role, having worked over nearly 20 years. I don't want to date her, make her older than she is. For nearly 20 years, she has worked in the UN systems across UNICEF, UNEP, UNEP, as well as the UN Secretariat here in New York and Nairobi. And so you are will be working with an exceptional colleague who is incredibly experienced and a wonderful person and is a joy to work with as a colleague. So without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce the spokesperson for the 81st session, Melissa Summers, and I will pass the floor and the baton to her.

Hi, everyone. Nice to meet you all. And thank you. Those are really kind remarks. These are big footsteps to fill. It's a real privilege to get to work with you all this year. I hope to be as responsive, as agile, and as communicative as Lynise has been. She is also a wonderful colleague, as you all know. As by way of brief introduction, again, I've been here nearly 20 years, mostly in meetings coverage. So what that means for all of you is that I have a pretty deep knowledge of the General Assembly itself, as well as the Security Council. This is the first time I'll be press facing about the General Assembly, but I have a lot of information, procedurally, that I can answer. and I hope to be in touch as much as you need, as little as you need. Don't hesitate to reach out at any time. I've had the opportunity to work with some of you in the past, but I hope to meet each and every one of you individually, if possible. I want to express my real gratitude to the President-elect, Mr. Khalilur Rahman from Bangladesh, his Chef de Cabinet, Mr. Djibril Diallo, who many of you know or know of, And to the head of my department, the Under Secretary for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, for placing all of their trust in me. I'm sure many of you will be keen on interviewing the new president-elect in the coming week or two. Some of you have already reached out, and forgive me any time lapse. You know, we are herding cats and getting the office together, so I will revert as soon as possible. please contact me if you want an interview virtually or here in this briefing room, that would be fine. We'll be sending along our contact information, my direct contact information through the usual channels following this briefing. Valeria has already has my contacts, so you can ask her for that immediately. And then let's just turn to some early business. I think Lynise laid most of it out, but starting on the eighth, Ms. Baerbock will deliver her final address as president. 00 AM in the General Assembly Hall and the Secretary General does plan to join. That'll be followed by the oath of office. And we are currently planning to hold a press stakeout, the incoming president's first engagement with the press immediately following that meeting. So that should be between 11 and one, depending on when that meeting ends. He's gonna lay out his vision for the 81st session in a little bit more detail and he'll take two or three questions. That afternoon, as Lynise mentioned, the official first meeting of the 81st session will open. He will preside over that meeting and deliver remarks. So that's just so you can mark your calendars, but we'll send reminders in due course, as well as hopefully a calendar of all of the incoming presidents. engagements during the high level week. Looking ahead following the high level week during which this, I understand this noon briefing is suspended, we're going to hope to brief with press two or three times a week, depending on what's going on, but you'll see me regularly. You're also going to hear from senior level staff from the president's team, substantive folks, depending on what's happening and what kind of information is needed to be shared. They are also very open and ready to speak to you. So reach out to me, I'll be your conduit if you need a substantive person for comments, for background, for any information. Let's see, please consider me at your disposal completely. I'm here to help and you know, this is gonna be a very interesting transitional year, we feel. I think His Excellency's really looking forward to shepherding the work that was done over the past session and kind of moving it into a more regular procedural space, let's say. So with that, I will take questions. I don't have much to report just yet, but please feel free.

Thank you, Melissa, and welcome on behalf of all of us. We look forward to working with you. The one thing I'd like to know is when the updated schedule of speakers for the GA is coming out.

As Denise said, I think we're still in contact with DGACM about this. You know, this can take a little bit of time, but our office, which is now taking shape, is in close touch, and as soon as we have it, we will share it.

Thank you so much. I'm sorry I was late. Welcome, Melissa. Thank you. It's gonna be a pleasure to work with you. I also want to thank Lanissa so much for, I don't wanna repeat Edie, but for all she has done in this past year. Thank you, thank you. You were like always open to our questions and to talk to us. So thank you so much and we see you very soon. Thank you so much.

Thanks for the welcome. right, that's it for me. Lenise, anything else?

I think we're about through.

Not yet.

Not yet?

Soon.

All right, thank you so much, folks.

Play all songs of CID. Il faut bien siffler. All right, good afternoon. I know I'm just standing between you and the ambassador of France, so I'll just have a few notes to share with you. Tomorrow, sorry, 12:30 here, we'll have Jerome Bonafont, permanent representative of France. President of Security Council for the month of September. He'll be here to brief you on the program of work. As a reminder, for those of you online, the briefing will be in person only. And I also want to express my thanks to Lenise Collins for being such a great colleague for the past year. I know you thanked her on behalf of the journalists, but I want to thank her for her friendship, her professionalism, and just being an all around good person. And we want to welcome Melissa Summers. who I know will be up to the task and show some continuity. And I understand she's also keeping the shrine, which is very important in the office. Tomorrow, there will be a virtual briefing here as my guest Inger Anderson, the executive director of UNEP will be here. She'll brief you on the launch of the UNEP report, Limiting Overshoot, Navigate Navigating exceedance of 1.5 degrees centigrade and pathways towards return. Which finds that global temperatures rise, the world must strive to return to below 1.5 degrees as soon as possible and simultaneously reduce the vulnerability of societies communities. and economies to climate impact. The Secretary General today remains in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, so he will be heading back to New York very soon. Today he attended the Shanghai Cooperation plus meeting held in Kyrgyzstan under the theme the United Nations is a key element of a fair world order, the contributions of the SCO plus states and to the formation of a multipolar world. In his remarks, he said the world is becoming increasingly multipolar, which he describes as a positive development that needs to be strengthened. Multipolarity, he added, is a condition for justice in global governance and international relations. and the best for supporting effective multilateralism and for United Nations that serves all without double standards. The Secretary-General underscored the United Nations' long-standing collaboration with the Shanghai Cooperation Council. He identified areas where this partnership could be deepened and where global governance is at stake, including partnership in the area of global security. On the conflicts we're seeing around the world, he appealed for maximum restraint and for agreement for international law to be respected. He called for a full and immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for the Gaza ceasefire to be respected. On the margin of the meetings, he met with a short while ago with the president of Iran, Masoud Pizeshkan. He expressed he stressed the urgent need to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations with full respect for international law, including international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Today, he also met a bit earlier with the Vice President of Vietnam. Our Deputy Secretary-General, Mina Mohamed, participated in the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting on behalf of the Secretary-General. In her address to the forum, she highlighted the leadership of Pacific countries in advancing ocean stewardship and climate justice. She underscored that the Pacific is not only among the first regions to experience climate change and sea level rise, but it also demonstrating solutions that can help shape the global response on the sidelines of the forum. She met with leaders from the region and stakeholders from across the Pacific who are on the front lines of these issues. She will depart allow for Italy tonight, where, as I mentioned to you, she will convene the fourth dialogue on artificial intelligence and human development, and meet with government officials in Rome and at the Holy See, and meet with the heads of UN agencies. From Nepal, just to give you an update on what is going on there. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the response to last week's flash flood is entering a new phase with authorities intensifying relief efforts and recovery operations. As of today, authorities have recovered more than 1,000 bodies, while 3,900 people remain unaccounted for. Nearly 12,000 have been rescued so far. For thousands of impacted families, the priority is now receiving humanitarian and assistance, recovering and identifying the remains of the loved ones and tracing missing relatives and reunifying separated children and helping people access psychosocial support. We're also getting clear picture of displacement. Nearly 3,500 people are now living in some 27 displacement sites across the hardest hit districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa, a lot of them in school, which obviously has a knock on effect of disrupting education. for children. We and our humanitarian partners continue to support the government-led efforts. Yesterday, our colleagues from the UN system traveled to the town of Bidour in Niawaka to meet with district authorities and visit displacement sites. Our partners are working to establish coordination hub there so assistance reaches the communities most in need in the most efficient way possible. WFP has dispatched about 80 metric tons of food, reached more than 9,000 people and has supplies available for another 5,000 families UNICEF is procuring 10,000 cartons of therapeutic food eight health teams have reached more than 1,200 people in displacement sites more than 1,800 people including hundreds of children have received psychosocial first aid and a 24-hour mental health helpline is now up and running the World Health Organization is also supporting disease surveillance efforts in the two hardest areas. The government of Nepal and the head of the UN office, our resident coordinator in Nepal, Leela Peters Yaya, have agreed to launch a four-month humanitarian flash appeal that will be on Friday. The appeal will support the government-led response and focus on mobilizing resources to save lives, deliver urgent humanitarian assistance, and address the most critical needs to communities impacted by the floods. From our colleagues at the UN Development Program, they've just done a preliminary assessment that estimates that at least 2.2 million tons of debris have been left behind by the floods and mud flows along the most impacted river system in Nepal. Of the estimated debris, approximately 556,000 tons are building debris based on satellite assessment covering more than 2,300 damaged buildings. UNDP says the floods have also caused significant damage to energy infrastructure. 11 hydropower stations and one solar plant, which amounts to about 431 megawatts of generation capacity, have stopped operating, while 15 hydropower projects under construction, which would have added another 470 megawatts, were also damaged. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us the main challenge right now is access. More than 40 bridges have been destroyed and sections of the main highway remain blocked. The most remote communities continue to rely on army helicopters for supplies. We're also very concerned about the growing public health risk, overcrowded shelters, contaminated water, and damaged health facilities are putting people, especially women and children, at greater risk of disease in the middle of what is the monsoon season. Okay. Whatever. Turning to Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that despite active conflicts and funding shortfalls, humanitarian organizations are continuing to deliver lifesaving assistance across the country. However, insecurity continues to drive displacement. The International Organization for Migration tells us that 730 people fled several villages in South Kordofan that took place on Sunday. Cholera is also spreading, according to WHO, over 2,600 cases have been reported by early August across multiple states, with the Kordofan regions being at the epicenter of this most recent outbreak. Despite all of this, we and our partners are stepping up efforts to tackle cholera. Health workers continue to provide conduct vaccination campaign and distribute the needed medical supplies. Humanitarians also scaling up efforts to provide clean water. In Kordofan, a water system rehabilitated with the support of UNICEF in Abu Jubayya is now providing safe water to 25,000 people every day, and that includes 5,000 people who have been displaced. Looking at the year so far, we and our humanitarian partners reached 12.3 million people across Sudan with at least one form of assistance between January and July. However, just 2.2 million people, or 18% of those reached, received assistance across multiple sectors, which shows the impact of underfunding on our efforts to reach people where they need with what they need. We once again call on the parties to protect civilians, including health and humanitarian workers, and to facilitate safe, rapid and unhindered delivery of humanitarian goods. We also appeal for more money. This year's humanitarian appeal for Sudan remains 41% funded only, with about $1.2 billion received against the nearly $2.9 billion that is needed. staying on the continent. Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tom Fletcher, Emergency Relief Coordinator, stressed today that we cannot respond incrementally to the Ebola epidemic, which is now growing exponentially. Speaking to Member States, he called for a sustained large-scale operation that gets ahead of the virus. He noted that time is not on our side, but we have the experience, we have the tools, and we have the people risking their own lives to stop this epidemic. What is needed now is political will, access and resources. Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground tell us that violence in the eastern part of the country continues to drive displacement and complicate efforts to respond to the Ebola outbreak. Despite these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners continue to support the response, which is led by the government of the DRC. The International Organization for Migration has conducted nearly 23 million health screenings in the country and neighboring countries to help monitor people's movements, detect potential cases, and reduce the transmission risks across borders. Meanwhile, in Ituri, our peacekeeping mission quickly deployed two rapid reaction teams to respond to clashes between the Congolese armed forces forces supported by the Ugandan army and suspected members of the ADF militia group. This happened in Bamandey in Ituri. Given the continuing risk to the population, MONUSCO deployed mobile operating bases and placed a medical team on standby in Bamandey, which is a key crossroads town. The mission is also expanding community based initiative that helped more than 60,000 people safely access farmland in schools in Jugu territory, supporting protection efforts and helping create conditions for displaced families and return home. Last note from Africa, the Secretary General takes note of the constitutional referendum that took place in Guinea-Bissau on August 30th, that would have been Sunday. He encourages all political stakeholders to continue to commit to a peaceful and inclusive and time-bound transition to constitutional order. He encourages an open political and civic space and the protection of fundamental freedoms in the lead-up to the general elections that are scheduled on December 6th. He welcomes the ECOWAS-led mediation process supported by the African Union and calls on all stakeholders to engage in good faith to advance dialogues and to reduce tension. Secretary-General reiterates his commitment to work with regional actors, including through his Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel to build the conditions for consensual pathway that leads to the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau. turning to Gaza and our special coordinator at interim, Dr. Ramez Alabkarov today started a three day visit to the Gaza Strip. In Gaza City, he visited a field hospital operated by the International Medical Corps, which regularly treats casualties from airstrikes and other military attacks. Earlier in Khan Yunis, he visited a makeshift displacement site, which will be at high risk of flooding once the rainy season gets underway. Dr. Alabkarov who is also our humanitarian coordinator, spoke to displaced families living there as well as our humanitarian partners leading on displacement site management, providing water and hygiene services to the site. In Daral Bala, he visited a desalination plant that could become difficult to access once the rains start again due to water accumulation in the area. He said that preparing for the rains is an urgent priority and he called on donors to increase their support and also called on Israeli authorities to ease restrictions hampering humanitarian operations, stressing that while aid agencies are ready to deliver, many more tents are needed along with equipment, spare parts, engine oil, all of which are critical to protect people from flooding, hypothermia and disease during the winter months. Meanwhile, our UNICEF colleagues reported that they and their partners are working to get the Sheikh Ajlin sewage treatment facility up and running again. Before it was damaged in hostilities, it served about 700,000 people in southern Gaza. Right now, every day, more than 150,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater is discharged into the environment, increasing the risk of disease contamination. Meanwhile, yesterday, a temporary halt to desalination in Israel reduced the amount of water available to about one million people in Gaza who rely on the Israeli grid for water. Our partners are using alternative sources to offset the gap until the problem is resolved. And in the West Bank, the World Food Program tells us that funding shortfalls are forcing them to cut food assistance by half. This happens as food needs in the West Bank have more than doubled since 2023 for Palestinian civilians. WFP said that today an estimated 900,000 people are food insecure in the West Bank. date the agency has reached 400,000 of the most vulnerable people with assistance this will be scaled back to 200,000 starting September and moving north to Lebanon our humanitarian colleagues tell us that access remains severely restricted in parts of the South especially south of the Lani River since the end of July humanitarian organizations have faced major obstacles in reaching communities in and around the IDF declared military area area where some 46,000 Lebanese live. As you will recall, that access to frontline villages is particularly difficult with physical barriers restricting movement, making it harder to assess needs, to deliver aid and repair critical infrastructure in order to restore essential services. Despite these constraints, we are continuing to reach communities wherever they can. Since the escalation began on March 2nd, nearly 600 humanitarian movements have been facilitated by the humanitarian notification system. And here as well, we continue to call for safe, timely, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need wherever they are. Humanitarians must also be able to move safely and carry out their work in accordance with humanitarian principles. One more note before I get to the budget. A report released today by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan shows that victims of Afghanistan's decades-long armed conflict continue to to suffer profound physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences without having access to justice, access to adequate assistance, or just acknowledgement of their harm. According to the report, almost all people interviewed, 95% of them, reported emotional, psychological harm, including depression, anxiety, flashbacks, and other trauma-related symptoms. Over half of the people interviewed have experienced physical harm as a result of armed conflict. lastly Chris we have a quiz this country operates one of the longest and heaviest trains in the world the freight train stretches up to three kilometers long and carries minerals for over 700 kilometers over very harsh terrain adventurous travelers and locals can ride on top of the cars for free on a journey that can take up to 18 hours in extreme conditions though we are not encouraging train surfing What country are we talking about? Sorry. Mauritania. Mauritania. We thank our friends in Nouakchott for their payment in full to the regular budget. We now have 132 fully paid up member states and the Mauritanian train carried $95,369. dollars in a three kilometer long train. Edie.

Uh thank you Steph. Um is the secretary general planning to meet with either China Xi Jinping, India's Modi, or Russia's Vladimir Putin before he leaves to return.

No other meetings are scheduled before he leaves, though we have yet to officially announce that the Secretary-General will participate in the BRICS meeting in New Delhi in about 10 days' time. Efrat.

Thank you, Steph. I read the readout from the meeting between Secretary General and the Iranian President, I heard your comment about their meeting today. What I haven't heard is any mention of the executions or the torture of detained protesters in Iran. Last week, we published a story about a 32-year-old psychologist who has been tortured for seven months in prison, Ahmad Saeed Allah. Did the Secretary General raise those concerns, and is that something that is part of the agenda and a top priority? And if so, why is it not part of the readout?

I have nothing to add to the readout, but I can tell you that in other meetings with senior Iranian leaders in New York and other places, the Secretary General has raised those issues directly. We have from this podium, on behalf of the Secretary General, condemned in no uncertain terms the use of the death penalty in Iran as we stand against the death penalty in every country. Abdelhamid and then Georgia.

Thank you, Stephan. Today in Gaza, there was a military operation in which three children and one woman were killed. So this kind of -- these kind of victims are not mentioned in the briefing. It would maybe send the wrong message to Israel that they could kill and no one mentioned it.

I think Abdelhamid, if you go back and look at the history of what we say in these briefings, we routinely mention the killings of civilians when we receive information and we condemn it.

So no information about what happened.

If I haven't had received information, we haven't shared it with you. Please.

Thank you, Stefan. Given the ongoing meetings between the two leaders in Cyprus, what are the prospects for a five plus one meeting in September? And how should we interpret Mariangela Olguin's visit to Cyprus later this week? Thank you.

Well, I mean, you should interpret it in the fact that she, on behalf of the Secretary General, continue to be engaged on the Cyprus issue. We're continuing to work with both the Greek Cypriot leadership and the Turkish Cypriot leadership on the way forward. Ms. Hogan, as you mentioned, will be going to Cyprus on the week of 7th of October. She'll be here this week. I know she'll be meeting the Secretary General. I think, as we've always said, any 5+1 meeting must be adequately adequately prepared in the future. And that involves serious discussions. Okay. Yes, madam.

Hi, my name is Ray from Southern Finance. Thank you so much. So with United Nations General Assembly coming up later this month, what does the Secretary General see as a top priority for this year's General Assembly?

I think you will, first of all, you'll hear from the Secretary General at some point next, the week after next, where he will unveil himself, his priorities. I think his, he will, in his remarks that he will deliver at the opening, will be a big focus on power and how it is used and how it can be used in a more productive way through the multilateral system. Okay, I will leave you with the French ambassador.

Good morning to you all. I just want to begin by testing the interpretation channels, if I may. Is everything working? The conference will be in French. Is the interpretation working? Is the interpretation working? Does it seem to be working?

Yes.

Very well. We'll kick things off in that case. Good afternoon to you all. I'm Anne-Claire Jouquema. I am the spokesperson for the permanent mission of France to the United Nations. We are delighted to see you here this morning, this afternoon, for the press conference which is kicking off France's Security Council presidency. It will be a hectic September. We'll be called upon to have regular discussions, I'm sure. We're going to kick off this press conference by a statement from Ambassador Jerome Bonafont. He is the permanent representative of France to the United Nations. He will talk about the flagship moments of this presidency that will come in September and he'll outline the priorities of our presidency. We will continue with a Q&A session. I will ask you to give your name