FlyDubai, Ethiopia & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Yes, exactly. Exactly. Julia, anybody coming down the line? One person. All right. You all right? Take your seat. Buckle up. All right. Tray table up. Yes. All right. Let's go. All right. Good afternoon. 00 p.m., we will have Ambassador Aglaia Baltou, the permanent representative of Greece. who will be here to speak to you about the programme of work for the month of October for the Security Council, given that she will be presiding it for the month of October. And also, as a reminder, she will only take questions in person, not from the Zoom link. In a statement we issued last night, you saw that the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern at the serious incident involving a Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai flight. He is relieved that a tragedy was averted. The Secretary-General strongly condemns any act that places civilian lives and the safety of civilian aviation at risk. The Secretary-General is grateful to all the authorities concerned for ensuring the safety of all passengers and for conducting their investigation. We will continue to monitor the developments in this incident. Turning to Ethiopia, our humanitarian partners warn that escalating drone activity and airstrikes across the north of the country are putting civilians, critical infrastructure, and humanitarian operations at growing risk. As reported yesterday, in Amhara, limited improvements in security conditions have allowed our humanitarian partners to assess whether operations can gradually resume in parts of Wag Hamra and North Welo zones. In the AFAR region, our partners are mobilizing emergency assistance in the areas of highest priority where access is allowed. However, in Tigray, humanitarian operations are nearing a standstill because of the continued insecurity and also continued severe access restrictions for ourselves and our humanitarian partners. Humanitarians must be protected in Ethiopia as they need to be protected everywhere. They must be allowed safe and unimpeded access to reach people in need wherever those people may be. Turning to Sudan, we welcome the decision taken by the authorities to keep the Adre crossing open. And as you know, that crossing goes from Chad into Sudan. And we will be able to use that crossing at least until the end of the year. Adre, as you know, is a vital lifeline for many people in Darfur. In the first months of this year, more than 1,300 trucks carrying over 50,000 metric tons of aid have moved through the crossing into Sudan. As you'll recall, keeping the Adre Crossing open and ensuring safe access on the ground was one of the priorities laid out by our Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher. He listed those during the General Assembly as essential to enabling access to 11 million -- excuse me, as essential. Turning to Yemen, we've seen reports about the intensified fighting in the Taiz region in southwestern part of the country. I can tell you that we remain deeply concerned about the ongoing military escalation with grave consequences for civilians in Yemen and across the region. Our Special Envoy, Hans Grunberg, continues to be in close contact with the government of Yemen, as well as with the Houthis, to urge them to take steps to avert further escalation. We again urge all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and refrain from directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Turning to the situation in southern Lebanon, our UNIFIL colleagues tell us that Monday saw the highest daily number of Israeli airstrikes recorded by peacekeepers, while six IDF naval vessels crossed into Lebanese territories over Nakoura in the course of two days. UNIFIL Generals were also blocked or stopped on several occasions at roadblocks in Sector East, preventing our peacekeepers from completing their missions. Nearby demolition activity also caused minor damage inside a UNIFIL position at Maas el Jebel. On the humanitarian front, between Monday and Wednesday, UNIFIL facilitated five humanitarian missions across both of their sectors, working closely, obviously, with our humanitarian colleagues at OCHA to ensure that the assistance reaches everyone that needs to receive it. And turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, and more specifically in Gaza, our friends at the UN Development Programme said yesterday that, with their partners, they had removed more than 226,000 tons of solid waste from the Firas Market, which is in central -- in Gaza City. This was supported by the OPT Humanitarian Fund, which our colleagues at OCHA manage on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator, and also by Member States. 2023, this site had been used as a dumping ground after access to Gaza's two landfills closer to the Strip's perimeter was lost. But the accumulation of solid waste in the heart of Gaza City causes serious public health risks, as you can all easily imagine. Our partners warn that recent gains in sanitation remain fragile as we still do not have reliable access to heavy machinery and equipment or to and oil and spare parts to keep those machines that we actually have going. Sustained funding is also obviously critical. Meanwhile, in the third week of September, our mine action partners conducted some 37 assessments of explosive hazards in sites where rubble needed to be removed safely. They're marking identified ordnance, but still lack permission and equipment to remove that unexploded ordnance. During that week, our partners also educated more 15,000 people across Gaza on the risks linked to unexploded ordnance. And in the second-half of September, our colleagues at UNRWA opened two carpentry workshops in addition to one that was already operating. Together, these workshops can produce about 350 school desks and chairs every week for students. Update from Afghanistan. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that continued tensions and sporadic violence in the country's border with Pakistan continues to endanger civilians. Our colleagues at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed that at least 10 civilians were killed, most of them children, and nine others injured in airstrikes carried out earlier today in the provinces of Kunar and Helmand. So far in 2026, the mission has documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border armed violence. The UN mission calls for de-escalation, dialogue, and respect for international law to avoid further civilian harm. Obviously, civilians must be protected there, as they need to be protected everywhere. We and our humanitarian partners Sorry. Separately, in the province of Nangarhar, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that an abandoned mortar round reportedly exploded on Tuesday while being handled by four children, killing three of them and injuring the other. Explosive ordnance in Afghanistan continues to pose a serious risk to civilians, particularly children, as you can imagine. The Department of Safety and Security of the U.N. has recorded 64 explosive remnants of war and unexploded ordnance incidents in the eastern region so far this year, resulting in 64 civilian casualties. Afghanistan remains one of the countries with the highest casualty rates from unexploded ordinances globally. We and our partners continue to support the risk education, clearance and assistance to communities impacted by explosive hazards, but severe underfunding is affecting our work on mine action. Overall, this year, $1.7 billion humanitarian needs and response plan for Afghanistan is only 30% funded, which means that we only have $537 million received. Funding gaps are already forcing our partners to suspend aid in some areas as families face food insecurity, climate shocks, limited access to basic services. A quick update from our peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. The head of the mission there, Valentin Rugwabiza, began a series of field visits yesterday to assess the impact of the mission's reconfiguration and identify priorities for consolidating peace and security gains. Her first stop was in Pua, in the northwest of the country. During her visit, she stressed that the mission's reconfiguration is not disengagement, but an adaptation to changing conditions, MINUSCA has redirected resources towards facing greater threats while adjusting its presence in more stable areas of the country. The mission remains focused on protecting civilians, supporting security and political stability, and strengthening national capacities to ensure that peace gains are sustained over the long term. And in nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo, our senior Ebola coordinator on the ground, Julian Harness, expressed his deep concern following following the burning yesterday of an Ebola transit center in the Kingonze displacement site in Ituri. The facility was operated by the NGO International Medical Corps and supported more than 50 staff members. Mr. Harnes stressed that the loss of a transit or treatment center is a serious setback for our efforts to fight Ebola. Capacity is lost, investments are wiped out, teams have to start all over again, and most importantly, people lose access that they urgently need in this context. The incident comes amid growing insecurity in the Kingtons, a site which hosts about 19,000 displaced people and where reports of armed violence, threats and intimidation have forced families to flee and has hindered humanitarian access. Once again, it is important to reiterate that health facilities, humanitarian workers and medical personnel must be protected and that humanitarian organization must be allowed to do their work safely and to deliver lifesaving assistance and support in the Ebola response. A couple of -- sorry. In Nepal, our preliminary assessment released today by the International Labor Organization shows that the catastrophic floods that hit the country have severely disrupted employment and livelihoods. The assessment estimates that around 21,000 people employed live within four kilometers of the flood footprint. The report identifies tourism, agricultural, transport, and micro and small enterprises facing significant pressures as a result of the damage. Disruption to the Nepal-China trade corridor could also impact enterprises and workers far beyond the impacted area. The assessment calls for immediate income and enterprise support alongside employment intensive reconstruction, job matching, skills development, occupational safety and health measures, stronger social protection, and support for resilient enterprises. Two new resident coordinators to announce, our colleagues The UN Development Coordination Office tell us that following host government approval, the Secretary General has appointed Pablo Ruiz, he, excuse me, of Spain as the new resident coordinator in Cuba and Brian Williams of the United States as a new resident coordinator in Kyrgyzstan. Both took up their posts today following an extensive leadership experience across development, peacebuilding and humanitarian action and many other many other fields. They will serve as the Secretary-General's representatives for development on the ground, leading the UN country teams. No money, but a couple of quizzes, one more formal than the other. We celebrate this day every year, but every year it becomes much more relevant to me. What day is that? No. Exactly. The International Day of Older Persons. In his message for the day, the Secretary-General says that living longer is one of the greatest achievements of our time. But for too many, growing old means insecurity, risks of being left behind, and discrimination that undermines rights and well-being. The Secretary-General calls for policies to ensure that longer lives are good lives, lived with choice, security, and dignity. And Sam, you were right, today is also a day that we celebrate throughout the day, it is International Coffee Day. But I do have a quiz for you. What color mug or cup is said to make coffee taste more intense? Yes, Abdelhamid, it is white. According to researchers published in the journal Flavor, there is such a journal, they rate the same coffee as being more intense when it is served in a white mug. Abdelhamid, you should play Powerball today. So if you have a question, I will take it from you. Yeah, I'm sure you do.

And you know, I ask about Gaza. First, there is a journalist was killed. His name is Mohammed Abdel Karim. And he, Mohammed Abdel Aziz Al-Najjar, was gunned down yesterday. Another journalist is killed. So that passes without mentioning.

I did not see that particular report, but I think we've been very vocal in expressing our concern about the the lives lost of journalists who tried to tell the story, but I had not seen this particular report.

And also today there is the funeral procession of 105 corps dug from under the rubble in Gaza also. And my question also, yesterday there was eight Palestinians were killed. And in your briefing, you said, luckily, there was no casualties. So you were reporting about attacking you and facilities and other. But you mentioned there was no -- but there was eight.

We get the reports that we get. We're very much aware of the continued -- the continued risks faced by Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including being hit in in airstrikes or being caught in uh in Crossfire and we flag that repeatedly and I think I refer you to all the many reports from the Secretary General and his.

Representatives and finally another Palestinian were gunned down by the settlers his name is mashor Muhammad Yasin in the village of Yosef in the West Bank Also another attack by the settlers.

Again, I mean, I would refer you to, I mean, the words from both the Secretary-General 's report and what Ramiz Al-Kariv said to the Security Council very publicly just a few days ago on the continued and unacceptable violence seen by Israeli settlers. Yes, Lenka.

Thank you, Stefan. Two questions, please. First one, what is the UN response to President Putin view, which he just expressed a few minutes ago, that the Western countries have a disproportionately large influence in the organization and that the UN structure should be better reflective of today's world?

I mean, I haven't seen those remarks. There are a couple of different things to unpack. in terms of the reflection that the UN needs to reflect the world of 2026 and not 1945, as is currently in the makeup of the permanent members of the Security Council. The Secretary General, I think, has been very vocal about that. And you've heard him many, many times talk about that and talk about the need to reform the distribution and representation in the Secretary. This is something that the Secretary General has taken very seriously and I think is very reflected in his work. Yes, please.

One more, please. Two days ago, President Trump brought together AI leaders and they got to a conclusion that all sign up to AI safety and self-regulation. What does the UN What does the UN think of the self-regulation by AI companies? And one more, would you adopt the word superintelligence instead of AI, as President Trump has coined it?

Look, we use the words that we use. When it comes to artificial intelligence, I think if you go back and look what the Secretary-General said, I think it's pretty easy to conclude that we don't think that self-regulation by the industry is sufficient to, A, keep the risks at bay and also to ensure that the positive side of artificial intelligence benefits everyone. Thank you. Yes, Namo.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on the has ordered the Iranian delegation to leave the U.S. immediately. I just wonder, if uh what the secretary general thinks of this and also if is there like a time limit uh set by the UN how long they can stay after?

Well there's no time limit set by the UN visas are given to visiting delegations for a certain amount of time we've seen that reporting uh we've seen what the US has said we see what the Iranians have said, we've always believed that diplomats having business in front of the UN should be allowed to do so. Islam, and then Mook.

Thank you, Stephan. I have a couple questions. First, Google Earth just recently updated its satellite imagery, and it shows that in Gaza, almost completely destroyed by Israeli forces. Does the Secretary General share the concerns that many people have around the world? More than Israel's security objective, the main objective is to destroy, to make the Gaza inevitable for Palestinian population.

I can't put ourselves in the minds of others. I think we did not need Google Earth to update its imagery to understand the vastness of the destruction of Gaza. I mean, we've had our colleagues here and virtually speak to and describe to you with their own eyes, not through the eyes of satellite, what they have seen. We've also talked about the need for reconstruction and also, which I think is a sign of the level of destruction, talked about the huge and almost unimaginable volume of rubble that needs to be cleared.

And related with that, Stephanie, if I may ask, Israeli Prime Minister visited UAE, United Arab Emirates, after the General Assembly. And Harris reported that he asked Emirati officials to deny about the warning before October 7th. Does this concern that Israel's main objective is to undermine the two-state solution rather than...

Listen, we have no comment on the Prime Minister's reported trip. As for support for the two-state solution, it continues unabated, and I would refer to what the Secretary-General said in the conference that was co-sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Canada, the UK, and France on that very topic.

So as the 81st UNGA high-level week comes to an end, can you just highlight a couple of major milestones and accomplishments of this year's UNGA? Thank you.

Well, first of all, I would rely on all of you journalists who've covered the GA extensively to come up with your own analysis for your home audience. I think it was a moment of intense diplomacy. We saw a lot of bilateral meetings between different delegations. We saw some very important discussions on artificial intelligence, on climate, on the situation in the Middle East. We think that member states appear to have used their time wisely while being here in New York.

And what do you think is the greatest challenge of this year's UNJ? How is it different from previous meetings?

Doing a compare and contrast of the 26 general assemblies I've attended, maybe something that requires a bit more time than we have at the, at the briefing, uh, attempted humor aside, um, I think it shows the continued challenges that we have to ensure that this organization is fit for purpose, that member states continue to uphold the commitments they've made by signing on to the charter and by signing on to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Let's go here. Yep.

Thank you so much. Was the United Nations or Secretary General Guterres informed by the United States that it had ordered the Iranian delegation to leave on Monday night.

And does Secretary Guterres have any concerns regarding what happened?

No, I mean, I think your colleague just asked a similar question. We were not informed. I read the press reports both from the U.S. side and the Iranian side today. So, yes, Hinton.

I just wanted to ask about the humanitarian response in Ethiopia.

Is there anything else you can share on sort of how Tom Fletcher's team is-

No, we're trying to get more information. Our colleagues and our partners who remain on the ground are negotiating on a case-by-case basis access. I would say the situation remains at both extremely worrying and murky. But we do know that a lot of humanitarian needs and we're doing whatever we can to access those people in need. Thank you. Pam and then Mona.

You mentioned Hormuz stuff, but there's a resolution by France and the United States. It's sort of a draft resolution sitting without movement. And the talks clearly stalled. Iran's delegation, as you mentioned, and everyone's mentioning, was kicked out. What would the -- what is -- what's the view of the Secretariat and the SG about how dangerous the situation remains in Hormuz and with potentially increase in conflict with Iran?

I think the situation remains extremely, extremely worrying. We are at a moment of a bit of radio silence. We know there were indirect contacts between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. We hope that this round of discussion continues through the good offices of Qatar. And obviously, other countries are involved, whether it be Pakistan and and others. And so it is very important that these channels of communications remain open. Muna.

Thank you so much. Another question on the West Bank and Gaza. On the West Bank, is the SG aware of the U.S. Senate blocking a resolution that sought a report on Americans being killed there. Do you have any information on that? And secondly, on Gaza, specifically on the healthcare crisis, did WHO shared any specific information on how the lack of early -- the lack of -- I mean, the collapse of the healthcare system is having an impact on early detection on breast cancer patients and what immediate steps are being taken to restore screening and treatment.

I mean, on WHO, on the last bit, I think it was yesterday that we, or the day before, we talked about what WHO had transmitted to us about their challenges in the Gaza health system on non-communicable diseases, right, on treatment and on detection. More equipment needs to go in. We continue to push the Israeli authorities on that front. On your first question, we've seen the press reports. We're not going to start commenting on legislation that may or may not be pending in the legislative body in one of our member states. Okay, no questions except for Islam.

Stefan, just would like to clarify, you said yesterday 65% of Gaza is not accessible when you were speaking about the rainy season approaching. Only 35%, which is like more crowded now. As a UN, did you take any step or are you doing anything to get access I believe they stay beyond the yellow line.

Currently, as far as I'm aware, we do not have access between the so-called yellow line and the border with a small B between Gaza and Israel. But I will check. I know our humanitarian colleagues are continue trying to do that.

Sorry.

Why not?

I started the Q&A, so I will end it. There are two Arab lists in Israel running for the Knesset on 28th elections, 28th October elections. The Israeli government decided they both do not qualify and asked them to withdraw from the competition. They took it to the Supreme Court now. But if this is not apartheid, what is apartheid?

Abdelhamid, my understanding is that this issue still has to go through the process, so we're not going to comment on it. As a matter of principles, we always want elections, wherever they're held, to be free and fair. But this particular case, my understanding, is still going through a judicial process. All right. Thank you. I will leave you in the hands of the Greek ambassador when she arrives.