Daily Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General. Guest: Ms. Lila Pieters Yahia, Resident Coordinator for Nepal on the situation in Nepal, following the recent floods.

I'm not qualified for that discussion. I can tell you that much. Maybe Benno is, but I'm not. Yeah. Yeah, Benno is much more qualified for that, too. No, no, I see. You've missed the best part of the hair discussion. Good afternoon to you all. In a short while, we will be joined by Leela Peters Yaha, who is, you know, the Resident Coordinator for Nepal. She'll be here to brief you on the situation in Nepal following the devastating floods there and all the work of the United Nations and her team have been doing. Tomorrow at 11 o'clock, we'll have a briefing by Matthew Hollingsworth, Assistant Executive Director for Program Operations at the World Food Program. He'll brief you virtually from Juba on his mission to South Sudan. And around noon, we'll have as our guest, Alexander de Croo, the Administrator of the UN Development Program, who is briefing you virtually from Kyiv in Ukraine, where he is currently on a mission. trip announcement for you on Thursday. The Secretary-General will travel to New Delhi in India to attend the 18th Summit of the BRICS. The Secretary-General has been invited to speak at the open session on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, shaping the future for inclusive global growth. That will take place on September 13. In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to note that today's economic, demographic and geopolitical realities not those of 1945, and that countries represented at the summit speak for that changing reality. He's also expected to underscore that multipolarity can help bring balance to global systems and institutions, but this requires reforming multilateral institutions, including the Bretton Woods system, the Security Council, among others, to reflect today's realities. He is expected to have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and he's also expected to have bilateral meetings with some other of the officials who will be attending the Summit, but we'll share those details as we get them. Earlier this morning, he rang the Peace Bell at our yearly tradition at the start of each General Assembly session. In remarks delivered there, the Secretary-General said that each year, the toll of the Peace Bell reminds us of the most important consequential job we have building peace in our world today Mr. Guterres said action for peace is faltering and violence and division are tearing apart communities but where governments are failing to deliver peace he said people are showing up in other ways around the world volunteers advocates civil society leaders peacekeepers and peacemakers are doing the heavy lifting of peace as world leaders prepare to gather at the United Nations during the coming weeks the Secretary Secretary-General urges them to follow the lead of these champions of peace, adding that this is the last time he will ring the peace bell, but he will always stand with the champions of peace around the world. Those remarks were shared with you. And this afternoon, he will also speak at the General Assembly at the official commemoration following the passing of the late Emir of Qatar. Turning to Nigeria, I just want to flag that our Deputy Secretary-General is on a visit there. Today in Imo State, she joined the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Ulorah Ime Tinubu, to launch a nationwide program on women's economic empowerment. empowerment. It will support vulnerable women across the country to build sustainable livelihoods and strengthen resilience. She also met with the governor and other senior government officials and visited a UNDP project in Imo Digital City, which supports efforts to expand digital skills, innovation, and job opportunities. Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, I can tell you the Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of further escalations in and around the Strait of Hormuz over the past days, including attacks against commercial vessels and threats of additional action against maritime and energy infrastructure. Navigational rights and freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz must be fully restored and respected in accordance with international law. We recall the Secretary-General's appeal to all concern to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from actions and rhetoric that could further inflame an already volatile situation. Any further escalation risks grave consequences for civilians, regional stability, international peace and security, and the global economy, as we've been telling you. The Secretary-General urges the parties to make full use of diplomatic channels and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations. The United Nations Secretariat, as we've said, is ready to support all credible efforts aimed at de-escalation and a comprehensive and durable settlement. Turning to Lebanon, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground tell us that hostilities continue to affect communities across the southern part of the country. The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by the continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon, particularly in Nabatieh and surrounding areas. As you will have seen, we issued statements yesterday in which he condemned the mounting civilian casualties, including women and children killed, as well as injuries of others in intensifying attacks in recent days. He's particularly alarmed at reports of Israeli strikes affecting hospitals, as well as restrictions on humanitarian movements. In Mansouri, which is a coastal village in South Governorate, partially in the IDF-declared military area, a series of demolitions and bombardments continued this morning. The continued destruction of home and public infrastructure risks further disrupting people's returns to their communities and setting back early recovery in areas already devastated by displacement and widespread damage. We're also concerned about humanitarian access, particularly south of the Litani River. As we told you late last month, access to frontline locations remains highly restricted, often requiring passage through physical barriers controlled by the IDF. Despite these constraints, our partners have continued to reach people in need, with some 663 humanitarian movements facilitated through the humanitarian notification system since the start the escalation on March 2. We call again on parties to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. Civilian and civilian objects must be protected at all times, and attacks directed against them are unacceptable. As we reiterate the Secretary-General's appeal for an immediate cessation of hostilities He calls on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory and urges all parties to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity and fulfill their obligations under Security Council Resolution 1701. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, our humanitarian partners tell us that Israeli airstrikes and other attacks continue to hit populated areas, putting civilians at risk and causing damage to property. Yesterday in Gaza, an airstrike hit a building in Al-Baraj, an area near Deir al-Balah. near two UN schools that have been serving as temporary shelters for people who have been displaced, as well as a bakery supported by the UN. No injuries have been reported, but people in the area have alerted us about roughly 100 households who have lost their shelters and belongings. We and our humanitarian partners are assessing these needs and mobilizing rapid assistance, but teams warn that stocks of critical supplies are insufficient, both because of funding shortfalls and continued heavy restrictions on our partners' ability to replenish those stockpiles. We reiterate that civilians and civilian objects, including shelters and humanitarian facilities, must always be respected. Yesterday, UN Women published a report saying that women-headed households have doubled since October 2020. That leads to about 86,000 households, almost every fourth family. This includes widows and women whose husbands are missing, detained, severely injured, or forcibly disappeared, or whose fate just remains unknown. Households headed by women face greater hardship than male-headed households, including higher rates of inadequate shelter, housing damage, and displacement. For instance, 68% of women-headed households lack adequate shelter, compared to 50% 55% for men, for households headed by men. Turning to Sudan, where we are there to continue to see horrific humanitarian situation. Many people continue to face enormous challenges as insecurity and disease outbreaks continue to take a heavy toll. Our colleagues at the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that despite the difficult conditions on the ground, we and our partners continue to provide critical assistance, including efforts to contain cholera and other -- in Darfur and other impacted areas. A 10-day cholera vaccination campaign to protect at least 95,000 people was launched yesterday in Tawila in North Darfur, with the World Health Organization providing support to local authorities. According to WHO, the current cholera outbreak, which, as you may recall, was declared in June, has resulted in nearly 2,900 1,100 reported cases and 247 associated deaths in six states in Sudan. Elsewhere in North Darfur, the IOM tells us that about 1,300 people were forced to flee their homes amid increased insecurity last week in Um Bahr locality near the border with Chad. And in Blue Nile State, IOM reports that increased insecurity forced more than 3,300 people to leave their homes from several villages in Gaysan locality close to the border with Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that intercommunal tensions are rising in parts of the South and Central Darfur states, where several deadly incidents have been reported in recent days. Once again, here as well, we call on parties to respect their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate the rapid, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian goods. In the Central African Republic, our humanitarian colleagues are raising concerns over deteriorating child protection and maternal health conditions in the southeast of the country. Between February and September, girls under the age of 18 accounted for nearly 60 percent of the deliveries recorded at healthcare facilities in Zemio, the largest town in the area. Humanitarians warn that the true figure is likely higher as many births are happening at home. Most health facilities in have reportedly been looted and vandalized by armed groups. Women and girls in the area face heightened risks of sexual violence and exploitation. Access to health care remains a major challenge across the country, with more than 40 percent of the health facilities only partially accessible due to insecurity and other constraints, especially in Ombembe Prefecture. Following serious security incidents in late June, OCHA and several partners temporarily suspended operations in Zemio and the the upcoming days, a NOCHA-led mission will seek to restore full humanitarian access to the area. From Myanmar, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that intensified hostilities in Rakhine State over the past week, marked by airstrikes and artillery shelling, have forced people to flee their homes and caused civilian casualties. And we condemn all and every attacks on civilians. Since the 3rd, hostilities have displaced more than 1,100 people across the townships of Gwa and Panguin, Rathetawng and Taungwe, with many people taking shelter in temporary locations. Yesterday, artillery shells reportedly landed in residential areas of downtown Sitwe, including on a school compound some 250 meters from one of our offices in a residential area that is also near a displacement camp. The incident prompted the temporary suspension of classes and closure of businesses in the city. Despite severe challenges, we, along with our humanitarian partners, continue to provide assistance in Rakhine and other conflict-impacted areas of Myanmar in line with the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. We remind all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international law, including humanitarian law, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. And sorry, just a quick note on, I should have read earlier, on Rwanda and Ebola. We, with our humanitarian partners, continue to support the government-led efforts to prepare for a potential Ebola outbreak in Rwanda, which has not happened. We've trained nearly 200 community health officers on infection and prevention and control, early detection, risk communication. Last week, we also assessed border crossings and health facilities to review screening detection capacities as well as staff preparedness. We're also supporting infection prevention hygiene measures at the Rugero Ebola Training Center in the Western Province. And we've also trained Red Cross volunteers and ambulance drivers on transport procedures. Rwanda, as I said, has no confirmed Ebola cases, but remains at high risk given its proximity to the highest impacted areas in the DRC. Today is the International Day of the day to protect education from attack, which comes as armed conflict continues to escalate around the world and attacks on education rise with it. In his message, the Secretary General says education is a fundamental human right, but exercising that right is becoming increasingly dangerous. He stresses that all states have an obligation to ensure the right to education for every child and the safety of schools and places of learning. All parties to the conflict must stop and prevent attacks on schools and meet their obligations under international law and hold their perpetrators to attack. We have a very good quiz today. I actually learned something. This landlocked nation is the only country, the only member states whose present-day flag is dual-sided. meaning it has different things on each side. One side has the country's coat of arms, and the other side has the treasury seal.

San Marino.

Nope. Landlocked. Landlocked.

Bolivia is landlocked.

There are a lot of countries that are landlocked, but it's not Bolivia. No, it is not. That nation is Paraguay. We thank our friends in Asuncion for their full payment to the regular budget. Paraguay paid 731,737 American dollars. And we say thank you for every single one of those dollars. Edie.

Thank you, Steph. At least I was on the right continent. In listening to the and reading about the escalating attacks in the Strait of Hormuz made me wonder whatever happened to the Secretary General's proposal to try and get cargo ships with critically needed grains through the strait.

It's still very much on the table. Jorge M. de Silva, the head of UNOPS, is continuing his consultations. Again, as we've said, the plan is clear. It could be -- it is useful. The question is whether the parties -- all the parties involved in this conflict are willing to let it go forward. But his consultations are actively continuing. Linda, otherwise we'll go to our guest in Nepal, who's been very, very patient.

Excuse me. Stefan, yesterday, I mean, today, the Israeli ambassador said that a new task force had been created to fight anti-Semitism, including member states, and the goal was to fight it in universities, synagogues, and countries, and at the UN. I was just wondering what the Secretary-General's view is in terms of the level of anti-Semitism here at the United Nations.

I think the Secretary-General has been extremely vocal and in calling out anti-Semitism. I mean, he has been -- this is something that he's been doing before even becoming Secretary-General. He's spoken to you about his critical role in reversing the edicts that Portugal had put in place during the Inquisition that expelled Jews from Portugal. He was -- when he was in government, he was critical in reversing the edict. and putting forward the laws that would allow descendants of those Jews to reclaim Portuguese citizenship. And I think here at the UN, he's been very clear on calling out antisemitism. I mean, for his activities, he was rewarded by the World Jewish Congress in 2020 by giving the Theodor Herzl Award. And I think he is willing to work with any member states or group of member states in helping him in this task. Yes, Pam, your microphone.

You may have mentioned this, but does the Secretary General have a role in the 9/11 activities, either at the Security Council here or downtown?

No, he does not. Traditionally, Secretary Generals have not gone to the commemorations, and he will be traveling, as I've just said.

Right and does he have any plan to meet with the mayor of New York City during UNGA?

I do not believe there's a bilateral so they don't usually I mean they've met before there's usually not one usually there's no bilateral schedule with the with the mayor. We will then go to our guest if you can put her on the screen where Leila we're delighted to welcome you back and thank you for taking the time we know you've been at the forefront of the UN's work in Nepal. So we will give you the floor and then we'll take some questions.

Thank you, Stefan, and thank you for inviting me again. So I'm speaking to you from Kathmandu two weeks after the disaster that struck Nepal on 26th of August. Where things stand as of this evening, we have 1,367 people confirmed dead. Around 5,132 people are still missing, including about 587 foreign national. 102 bodies have been handed over. 13,646 people have been rescued. On Saturday, I visited the worst affected areas. What I saw, whole settlements are gone, the riverbed has moved. People are still searching for family members they know they may never find. And they are doing it along the military, police, international experts, and volunteer. People told me five things. The witness, the loved one, the community members being taken away by the 20 meters high wave. They lost their livelihood. They lost their loved one, they lost their home, and they lost, in many cases, the breadwinner of their family. But they also told me that aid has reached them. They are receiving food, non-food items. My colleagues from WFP, from UNICEF, from WHO have reached those communities, along with NGO partners and the government, so aid is reaching. However, still some people have not been able to be reached because access remains extremely difficult. Last Friday, with the government of Nepal and the United Nations, we launched a flash appeal for $49.6 million to reach more than 84,000 people by the end of December. It covers logistics, food, clean water, healthcare, mental healthcare, protection, shelter, and cash. And it is designed to put money directly into people's hands, whatever markets are working. It is a life-saving appeal. It does not cover reconstruction, which will follow the government post-disaster need assessment. Where are we so far in terms of funding? Out of the $49.6 million, we have received the pledge of $22 million. I would like to discuss the point that has been making headline news everywhere now, which is the issue of climate justice and loss and damages. As Stefan said, the devastation that Nepal has experienced is an extraordinary, stark illustration of the losses and damages that climate-vulnerable countries are increasingly facing. Nepal has contributed very little to global greenhouse gas emission. Yet it is experiencing profound human and economical consequences from a changing climate. The government of Nepal has approached the fund for responding to loss and damages for support, and that request will be considered through the fund established governance and decision-making process. It will not be appropriate for us, the UN team here in Nepal, to prejudge that process or the amount of financing that may ultimately be approved. More broadly, Nepal calls for climate justice speaks to a principle that lies as the heart of the international climate framework. Countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change need adequate and accessible support to respond to losses and damages they did little to cause. question of the legal responsibility or liability of individual states are distinct from the fund financing process. It will be also very inappropriate for me, the Resident Coordinator, to make determination on those questions. Our immediate priority is to support Nepal and its people in responding to the enormous human consequences of this disaster and the urgent need for humanitarian needs. My plea tonight to the international community, we need to demonstrate solidarity towards the people of Nepal at a time where they need it the most. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I'll now turn the floor over for questions. First question goes to Edie.

Thank you very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing another briefing with us. My name is Edith Lederer from the Associated Press. A couple of questions. You didn't mention the efforts that we've been hearing about to try and reach some of the workers who might still be alive in the tunnels. Do you have any update on that? And what is the type of aid that's still needed most And do you have any estimate of how many people still haven't been reached? I know there were some mountain areas that were almost impossible to reach. After all this time, has anybody been able to get to some of those places? Thank you very much.

Thank you, Edith, for your question. I did also myself visit some of those tunnels on last Saturday. And what I can tell you, the search is still ongoing. Today, we had a briefing at the Ministry of Finance. So the government is still strongly committed to do search and rescue in those tunnels. When I was in those tunnels, I could tell you there were a lot of people going there and searching, and they were getting a lot of support. There was also international experts who had been deployed from certain member state helping them. So this is still ongoing and I think the government will still try as much as they can. In terms of the aid, like I said, we need still logistic because access still remain difficult. However, there are progress. More roads are being opened. When I was there on Saturday, the government was building a belly bridge. So this is also what I have witnessed and this will allow actually to have access to some of those communities which have not sufficiently been reached. What is happening is the government has been dropping aid to military, to military helicopter. But as of Sunday, my colleagues from WFP have been also able using helicopter, but also cargo drones to deliver aid. So this is what has been happening. In terms of the exact number, I don't want to, you know, tell you a number of how many still people are not being reached because this is still fluctuating. But what I can tell you that more and more aid is reaching those people. And so, what we urgently need is, you know, to rehabilitate water system. We still need support on health. We have about 1,600 women who are pregnant and expected to deliver anytime soon. And so, they will need, you know, mobile clinic. We need to make sure midwives are reaching there. But also, what we need is mental health care. You know, when I was there, People were just so, so, you know, they were so depressed. It was, you know, what happened is just incredible. And I think we're going to have to invest massively on mental health care. But also what we will have to invest in the future is, you know, it's also an early warning system. We met children, so, you know, playgrounds are being established, spaces for children where they can play, so that's also what we have witnessed. So I'll stop there.

Okay, thanks. Pam Falk.

Thank you, and thank you for the briefing. We wish you well. A follow-up to Edie's question about the discovery of people, survivors. We've seen these dramatic stories of nine days in and hearing voices. Can you give us a little more granularity about are there certain countries that have helped or companies because it seems like they were like a needle in a haystack people were found and it was fairly miraculous. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Pams, for the question. So you have about 14 hydropower. Those are private. They're owned by private companies. And so basically, this is where the search and rescue has been ongoing, intensified since the past 10 days, because this is where you have a lot of people who were either in the tunnel, inside of the tunnel working, because as you may recall, the event happened at 8.40 a.m. in the morning. And so what they have been doing with the support of the army and some member states. I can cite, if you wish, India, China, and Korea have been deploying additional experts. A lot of the experts also were already there, and they're working hand in hand with the army to try to rescue those people. But it's extremely, extremely difficult. We saw those tunnels, you know, the openness, you know, you have to be, you've got to really squeeze to go And it's obviously very deep. And so the images that you saw, people being rescued, gives you a bit of an idea how complex and difficult it is. And so, but they are continuing. You know, they're still, you know, people don't give up on hope. And I think the fact that three people were rescued last week, you know, I think this still gives hope. But we have to be realistic as well.

Thank you.

Thanks. Yes, Efraim.

Thank you, Farhan. Thank you so much for this briefing. Two questions. How is the rest of the country reacting to what's happening in that area? Are there any-- what kind of mobilization efforts are taking place locally to help whatever can be helped? And on the 587 foreign nationals you mentioned who are still missing, do we know which countries they hail from? And are there any efforts-- if so, are there any efforts by their own governments to help with the rescue missions? Thank you.

Thank you very much for your question. You know, the whole country is mobilized. When we were there on Saturday, we saw so many young people, so many volunteers. There are so many local NGOs, faith organization, the whole country is mobilized. So you've got the whole government, the whole society, the private sector. I think the country is also extremely affected by what has happened. As we know, Nepal doesn't emit gas emission. And so, therefore, the level of the disaster has really affected the entire country. And so, everybody is helping. So, at least, this is what I could witness. And there are a lot of local NGOs there. In terms of the number of missing foreigners, I think a lot of member states have really mobilized themselves. We have seen a lot of experts who are here, who are helping with the police and the local authority to do identification of remains. So this is ongoing. And the government has put in place a lab, has expanded it, and many member states have sent experts. I don't want to give you the names of those member states because I don't have all the list, and I do not want to provide you inaccurate information. And in terms of the nationality, today they confirmed that it was about 35 nationalities.

Thank you.

Are.

There any further questions? Anyone online with any questions? If not, I'd like once more to thank our guest. Laila Peters-Yahya, the Resident Coordinator for Nepal, thank you and thanks for the work you've been doing and good luck in the days ahead.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thanks. Have a great afternoon, everyone.