COP 17, Security Council, UNIFIL & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Okay. Good afternoon, everyone. I'd like to welcome our guests from RIAS in Germany. Welcome to the Noon Briefing. And in a short while, I will be joined by our colleagues from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs to brief on the World Social Report for 2026. Bjorg Sandkjer, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, and Rashmi Banga, Chief of the Development Research Branch will be here to speak about the report, which will be launched during the briefing under the title, New Economics of Social Inclusion, Making Transformations Work for All. The Secretary-General arrived in Yerevan, Armenia early this morning to attend the Biodiversity Conference of Parties, known as COP17. He met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed Armenia-UN cooperation, biodiversity and COP17, progress in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and efforts to strengthen peace and security in the South Caucasus. After an official working luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister, the Secretary-General launched the State of Biodiversity Report, which maps out the progress since the launch of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework four years ago. The Secretary-General told the media that while the report shows that nearly 90% of the parties to the convention have established national biodiversity targets and over half have set out their own national roadmaps for delivery, with many more nearing completion, there's a gap between ambition and action. For example, even if current commitments are met, only 26% of terrestrial ecosystems and 12% of marine ecosystems would be protected by 2030. That falls very short of the 30 by 30 target that was agreed in Montreal. Nature won't thrive on good intentions, Mr. Guterres said. Guided by the evidence in this report, we can halt and reverse biodiversity loss and secure the natural foundations upon which all human life and prosperity depend, he said. Afterwards, the Secretary-General joined the Prime Minister of Armenia at the official opening for COP17, followed by an official dinner hosted by the government. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, concluded her engagements in Bangkok, Thailand, today at the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. At the Joint Bank-Fund Development Committee, the Deputy Secretary-General highlighted the need for deep reform to align the international financial system with sustainable development, building on recent steps by the World Bank to mobilize private capital. She identified the debt architecture as an area requiring bold action to address today's debt crisis, which is holding back development progress. The Deputy Secretary General has departed Bangkok and is en route to Baghdad, Iraq, where she will represent the Secretary General at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Ramiz Alakbarov, the Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. told the Security Council that one year since the ceasefire was declared in Gaza, some progress has been made, but the situation remains extremely fragile. He said that Israeli military operations continue, causing some 1,500 Palestinian fatalities since the ceasefire came into effect, according to the Ministry of Health. During his visit to Gaza on Sunday, Mr. Alakbarov witnessed that for Palestinians living along the yellow line, the ceasefire exists in name only. Families throughout Gaza continue to live in squalid conditions in worn out tents, overcrowded displacement sites, and severely damaged buildings, with water and sanitation systems devastated, he said. He warned that continued paralysis risks hardening the status quo into a permanent reality. In Gaza, he said, desperation is palpable. One year after the ceasefire, too many people have seen little or no improvement in their lives. This frustration cannot build indefinitely. The risk of return to war has never been higher. This must be avoided at all costs. In the West Bank, the acting special coordinator said that the settler violence continues at extremely high levels with daily attacks on Palestinians, their homes, and other property, often in the presence of Israeli forces. Communities are forcibly driven into ever more fragmented areas, he warned, eroding the territorial basis of a future sovereign Palestinian state. Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the number of settler attacks in the West Bank affecting the olive harvest season, which officially began today, has already exceeded last year's numbers. So far this year, nearly 200 settler attacks linked to the olive harvest have caused casualties or property damage. That is already more than the 185 incidents recorded during the entire 2025 season. This year's attacks have killed one Palestinian, injured more than 120 others, and damaged over 2,500 trees or saplings. About 80% of these incidents took place in the past two weeks, with many communities starting to pick olives early to reduce the risks. Our humanitarian partners who provided pickers with equipment and other agricultural supplies. They're also monitoring restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on access to groves close to settlements and behind the 712 kilometer long barrier. And they're also providing legal support. In Gaza, humanitarian partners say the destruction of olive groves restricted access to farmland, particularly beyond the yellow line, and restrictions on the entry of agricultural supplies, engine oil, and spare parts are severely limiting cultivation and harvesting. as well as the operation of the few remaining olive presses. Since late September, we and our partners have provided harvesting tools to 60 olive farmers in Gaza and supported six operational olive presses, including with fuel. Also in Gaza, our safety and security partners say that several humanitarian facilities were hit yesterday by Israeli small arms and artillery fire. In one case, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire near a UN convoy. No injuries were reported. Aid workers and humanitarian facilities must be protected, as must all civilians and civilian infrastructure. In southern Lebanon, peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon continued to report sustained Israeli Defense Forces activities, including 95 artillery and mortar trajectories of projectiles on Wednesday. Amid daily air violations, fighter aircraft have carried out several airstrikes across UNIFIL's area of operations. On Tuesday, peacekeepers observed an explosion near Ainabel in Sector West, which killed an individual engaged in agricultural work. UNIFIL recorded several incidents affecting the safety of peacekeepers, including on Wednesday, when a drone of unknown origin flew over a UN position near Hadatha in Sector West, to which peacekeepers responded with electronic jamming and small arms fire, but the drone was not affected. Any acts that endanger the safety and security of the peacekeepers must end immediately. Peacekeepers continued to face challenges to their freedom of movement. On Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces soldiers at a checkpoint near Iskanderuna in Sector West held a UNIFIL patrol for approximately 30 minutes. They did not allow the planned movement to proceed, and the peacekeepers returned to base. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL facilitated humanitarian access in coordination with OCHA, including seven humanitarian missions on Wednesday and four on Monday. On Monday, three humanitarian organizations en route to Rameish were stopped at an Israel Defense Forces checkpoint near Mansouri in Sector West for about two hours before they were allowed to proceed. Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is concluding his three-day visit to Lebanon today with a visit to the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon in Naqoura, where he met with UNIFIL leadership and peacekeepers serving in a particularly challenging operational environment. And this as the peacekeeping mission prepares for its drawdown at the end of the year. From Lebanon, Mr. Le Cois will visit other countries in the region where he will meet with the authorities as well as with United Nations peacekeepers. Turning to Yemen, our OCHA colleagues warn that fighting continues to drive people from their homes and put pressure on humanitarian operations. Our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration have reported more than 230,000 people displaced by fighting since the start of August. As of today, humanitarian partners have reached more than 152,000 people with emergency assistance. Resources are, however, stretched, and access constraints complicate the humanitarian response. Partners providing emergency food packages within Taiz city report that they've run out of supplies, and stocks in Aden and Al Turba cannot reach the city because of the fighting. Health services are also under strain. The International Committee of the Red Cross reports a surge in people seeking treatment for conflict-related injuries. Some health facilities have received more than 700 trauma patients in a single week. Medicine, oxygen, and fuel are also running low in Thia city. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and allow safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access. That includes safe passage for supplies, patients, ambulances, and medical teams. Turning to Afghanistan, where our colleagues at the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program warned that food insecurity and child malnutrition are worsening, despite a strong agricultural season. According to the latest integrated food security phase classification analysis, approximately 19.2 million people, that is 38% of the population, will face high levels of acute food insecurity during the November to April lean season, which lasts through the winter, up from 17.4 million a year earlier. UNICEF and Action Against Hunger also say that more than 4 million children will need treatment next year, the highest number in five years, with more than a million expected to suffer from the most severe form of malnutrition. Improved harvests have not restored families' access to nutritious food, with persistent unemployment leaving many unable to afford a nutritious diet, even when it is available. More than 1.2 million Afghans have also been forced to return home from Iran and Pakistan this year, adding pressure on already overstretched communities. FAO and WFP are calling for urgent funding to scale up food assistance, emergency agricultural support, and malnutrition prevention and treatment before winter restricts access and farmers miss critical planting windows. Separately, our colleagues at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan have issued their latest update on the human rights situation in the country from July to September. In total, UNAMA documented at least 443 arbitrary arrests and detentions and 97 incidents of ill-treatment of Afghan women and men by de facto propagation of virtue and prevention of vice personnel. Several media outlets were also suspended during the period, and journalists continue to face arbitrary arrest. The full report is available online. Turning to Ethiopia, our humanitarian partners report that many hospitals across the Tigray region are operational again after being impacted by recent fighting and shortages of medical supplies. This includes either hospital in the regional capital, Mekelle. Additional consignments of medicines and medical equipment are en route to support the ongoing restoration of health services. We and our humanitarian partners continue to bring more assistance to the Tigray region and to deliver aid across most areas of Afar and Amhara regions. The deliveries include food, nutrition, health, and other essential supplies. Meanwhile, security conditions are still volatile in several parts of the Amhara region, as well as in the northern areas of Afar and Tigray regions, posing risks to civilians and civilian infrastructure and complicating the delivery of assistance. Humanitarian partners are assessing the impact on civilians and their humanitarian needs. We again call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and the facilitation of safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance. Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues warn that escalating violence in the eastern part of the country continues to drive displacement and hinder humanitarian access. Recent hostilities in North and South Kivu have displaced more than 26,000 people, further increasing humanitarian needs. In Iduri Province, insecurity continues to put civilians and humanitarian operations at risk. According to local civil society, four civilians were killed near Pimbo in Jugu Territory on Tuesday, leading to the suspension of traffic along National Road 27, a key humanitarian and commercial corridor, and forcing the cancellation of a planned humanitarian mission. The deteriorating security situation is also affecting the Ebola response. This comes as national health authorities report nearly 9,100 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 4,400 deaths. Despite these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners continue to support national authorities in containing the outbreak and assisting affected communities. We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law, and ensure safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need. Turning to the Central African Republic, our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that our mission in the country, MINUSCA, continues to support the government in addressing insecurity in Vakaga Prefecture along its northern borders with Chad and Sudan. Earlier this week, MINUSCA troops joined the Central African Armed Forces in a patrol in Barao, and further north, near the border with Chad. The objective was to engage with communities in remote areas, prevent threats against them, and build trust between residents and security forces. Our peacekeepers also spoke with local communities about the importance of cooperation and sharing reliable information that can support security operations and help respond to emerging threats. The mission also organized discussions with youth leaders in Omda Fok, a town on the border with Sudan that experienced fighting and displacement earlier this year, to support local intercommunal peacebuilding initiatives. Turning to Panama, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that we continue to support the government-led response to the earthquake that struck the country on Friday. According to local authorities, more than 13,600 people have been affected by the earthquake, particularly in Los Santos, Veraguas, Cocle, and Herrera. Authorities have now reported one fatality and nearly 3,700 people remain in temporary shelters. Nearly 900 homes have been destroyed and more than 3,000 damaged, and hundreds of schools and dozens of health facilities have also been affected. Ongoing rain, flooding, and landslides are hampering access to several communities and disrupting water and electricity services. During a visit yesterday led by the Resident Coordinator, Ana Patricia Grasa, UN agencies have assessed priority needs in Herrera and Los Santos, areas near the epicenter. The UN Refugee Agency is delivering blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, and kitchen sets. UNICEF is distributing hygiene kits to displaced children and supporting safe spaces and psychosocial support activities. Our colleagues at the Office of the President of the General Assembly say that tomorrow, the President of the General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman, will convene a special event ahead of COP31 in the ECOSOC Chamber. Restoring Trust Through Climate Action will focus on the role of science, technology, and local knowledge in developing timely, actionable warning systems, particularly in developing and vulnerable countries. Speakers will include the President of the General Assembly and the permanent representatives of Turkey, Australia, Brazil, and Ethiopia, among others. A moderated afternoon panel will feature representatives of the Loss and Damage Fund, the World Meteorological Organization, and a senior speaker from Nepal. 00 AM, and you can also watch it online on Web TV. And today is the International Day of Rural Women, marked this year under the theme, "Rural Women Farmers Caring for Mother Nature." On this day, we honor the work rural women do every day, protecting biodiversity, managing water, and restoring degraded land. And with that, I turn the floor over to you for any questions before we get to our guests. Yes, Stefano.

Thank you, Faraham. Najme Amini, 23 years old, has been sentenced to death in Iran for blasphemy over a social media post. She has reportedly made a direct appeal to the United Nations for help. Has the Secretary-General been informed of this case? And beyond expressing concern or condemning the death sentence, What concrete steps is he prepared to take to intervene with the Iranian authorities and help prevent this young woman from being executed?

Well, we certainly call on Iran not to carry out executions, as we do across the board. We, as you know, stand opposed to the death penalty. We have made our concerns about the use of the death penalty, in particular in Iran, known to the authorities. And this is something the Secretary General has raised, including in his discussions with Iranian leaders, including when they visited the General Assembly a month ago.

Yes. Just a quick follow up. Fortunately, the sentence, you know, can be still appealed. My specific question is this. If the Iranian authority are actually going forward with this? Is the Secretary General ready to take exceptional step, exceptional communication? And this is not just for this case, of course, just for this woman, but because for all the people that have been executed in Iran at the moment.

We have dealt with this with our Iranian interlocutors at all levels of the UN, including from the Secretary General and also from the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, and we'll continue to do so. Yes, Abdulhamid.

Thank you, Farhan. I have a few questions, and I'll start with some questions raised in the Security Council today. The Palestinian delegate asked this question. How could the people under occupation are requested to protect the security of their occupier? Did it happen in history? This is a question addressed to you and through you to the Secretary-General. How could the people under occupation are being punished because the security of their occupier is being compromised?

As you know, the UN opposes any steps taken against the occupied Palestinian population that leads to their civilian casualties, and we have continually done so. We also, of course, oppose civilian casualties on the Israeli side. Ultimately, what the United Nations wants to see, as you're well aware, is the realization of a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine will live side by side in peace and security. And that is the vision we try to uphold.

As a follow-up, since the ceasefire, 1,400 Palestinians were killed. No Israelis were killed. If the other way around, as he also, if the 1,400 were Israelis, would the world go by as things as normal as is usual.

Well, you're free to make whatever analysis you can of that situation. Obviously, we don't engage in hypothetical situations. But we have been giving the facts of the real situation on the ground, including through what Mr. Alakbarov said today. And we've made clear, as he put it, that this is essentially a ceasefire only in name. And the conditions we see on the ground, which we've been reporting extensively, are ones of continued conflict in which Palestinians have continued to die.

My next question is about Colombia had recognized that first the Golan Heights is part of Israel, and they are deciding to move their embassy to Jerusalem. Isn't that clear, flagrant case of violation of international law?

It's not for us to comment on bilateral relations between countries. The UN's policy regarding the status of Jerusalem remains unchanged.

One more question.

No, let's go to Linda.

Thank you, Farhan. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, I was just wondering what the latest is, if there's anything concrete in terms of the task force.

Well, you saw that Jorge Moreira da Silva, the head of the UN Office for Project Services, again appealed to the parties, specifically including the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, to make progress on our proposals. for mechanisms that would allow for the freedom of navigation around the Strait of Hormuz. But ultimately, we're still waiting for the parties themselves to agree to that.

Right, but are there any active negotiations or discussions with back channels between the UN, the task force and the Those involved.

Mr. Morer de Silva has been communicating extensively with different parties. But the situation is as he described it yesterday. Abdulhamid.

My next question is about settlers' violence. Yesterday morning, they attacked the village of Mukmas, and they burned the mosque, which is an old mosque called Sultan Ibrahim Mosque. They burned cars around it, and they also cut off the olive trees. Are you aware of this incident, and what do you say to that?

We stand against all settler-related violence. I just reported at the start of this briefing about the violence created by settlers, particularly as the olive harvest has gotten underway, and our efforts to make sure that in the West Bank and in Gaza as well, that Palestinians can actually go ahead with olive harvest, even in the face of the violence that they've encountered. And with that, let me turn to our guests.

Hello.

Head over this way. I think the two people sitting in the front. And Great. We're very pleased today to be joined, as you can see to my left, by Bjorg Sandkjer, the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination. And then to her left, Rashmi Banga, the Chief of the Development Research Branch. And they're both from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. They're here to speak about the World Social Report for 2026. But first, before they begin, I believe my colleague, Ms. Banga, will play a video from our Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, about the World Social Report. So we'll see that first.