Iran, Gaza, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Okay. I will start off with some programming notes. You're going to be very busy, I must say. At 1:00 PM today, there will be a briefing by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel. The members are Srinivasan Muraleedhar from India, Florence Mumba from Zambia, and Chris Sidoti from Australia, who will participate virtually. And at 2:00 PM, there will be a briefing by Francesca Albanese, the UN rapporteur on the situation of the human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, who will brief virtually. And then at 2:30 PM, there will be a Security Council stakeout by the members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States on the selection of the next UN Secretary-General. And after that, at 2:45 PM, there will be a Security Council stakeout by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Georgios Yiarapetritis, on behalf of the signatories of the Security Council's shared commitments on women, peace and security, and other interested Member States. And lastly, at 6:30 PM, there will be a General Assembly stakeout by Lana Nuseibeh, the candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General. She will speak to journalists at the General Assembly's stakeout following her interactive dialogue. And tomorrow, starting off at 11:00 AM, there will be a briefing here by the group of human rights experts on Nicaragua. And then at 11:45 AM, in response to questions from yesterday, Luc Lundberg, the new Executive Director of the World Food Program, will speak to you at the Security Council Stakeout. And we will have Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, joining us as our guest tomorrow during the noon briefing. And lastly, at 1:45 PM, there will be a briefing by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan. And the Secretary-General has arrived back in New York, and at 3:00 PM today, he will speak to the Security Council to mark 26 years since the adoption of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. He will say that the Women, Peace and Security agenda has made progress over the past quarter century, but too often it has resulted in a lot of talk and not enough action. Simas Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, will also brief the Council. And this morning, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, briefed Member States of the Security Council on Iran and non-proliferation. He said that while the Agency’s engagement with Iran continues at the technical level, normal inspections activities have not resumed and the IAEA has not been able to verify previously declared nuclear material, including 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium. Mr. Grossi urged Iran to provide the information and access required under its safeguards agreement and said that gradual, technical steps could allow inspectors to return while helping create conditions for a wider agreement. He stressed that only diplomacy underpinned by IAEA verification can prevent nuclear proliferation in the long term. And turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, OCHA tells us that transport operations had to be suspended due to the Israeli closure of the Kerem Shalom/Karin Abu Salim crossings for election day. Yesterday, UN teams brought into Gaza food supplies, blankets, winter clothes, school items, and fuel, among other goods. Over the past week, our partners have distributed school bags to more than 8,000 children, alongside other education supplies. The week before, they provided stationery to about 22,000 boys and girls and furnished about 300 classrooms that support approximately 60,000 children. Meanwhile, people are bracing for a fourth winter season while living in deteriorating tents and market shift shelters with little protection from cold, wind, rain and at risk of flooding. The UN Development Programme said this week that teams are using recycled crushed concrete to raise and level shelter sites ahead of winter. An assessment by our humanitarian partners working on the shelter found that about 950,000 people were living in displacement sites at medium to high risk of flooding. Heavy rains could lead to further displacement in those areas, and the stocks of supplies available to support them are insufficient. More funding and an easing of restrictions are urgently needed. The $4 billion flash appeal for the OPT covering both Gaza and the West Bank is only 41% funded up to now. And Jorge Moreira da Silva, the Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Service, known as UNOPS, said that the UNOPS team in Gaza has reported three incidents over three consecutive days affecting their convoys and premises in the past week alone. He said that these were close proximity explosions, drivers detained at checkpoints, and multiple small arms rounds striking one of the UNOPS guesthouses. Mr. Moreira da Silva said the safety of UNOPS staff has been compromised too many times. All parties must uphold their obligations to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel. And from Sudan, where our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs say they are alarmed by continued drone strikes impacting critical civilian infrastructure and disrupting essential services for millions. A drone strike today reportedly hit a major electricity transformer station serving Khartoum state, following multiple strikes yesterday. On power states in Jazira, Senna, and Gedaref, local authorities report extensive damage and warn that the attacks threaten the stability of the national electricity grids. OCHA reiterates that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including electricity and water facilities, must be protected under international humanitarian law. Despite the hostilities, we and our partners continue delivering assistance. Yesterday, Sudan’s Health Ministry, supported by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and our partners, launched a nationwide Polio vaccination campaign aim to protect 11 million children, however, funding is falling short, the World Food Program warns that shortages will leave 900,000 woman, man, woman, and children. without food assistance, is starting next month. OCHA calls for urgent additional funding to sustain lifesaving assistance as conflict, displacement, and drought-like conditions linked to El Niño compound the suffering of millions of people across Sudan. And moving to South Sudan, where our peacekeeping colleagues are concerned by rising violence in Tongi North and Tongi East counties in Warrap State, including reports of an armed attack on Okop Payam early today. This follows deadly clashes on 26th of October, which reportedly killed 72 people and injured. 38 amid a cycle of retaliatory violence. The mission has deployed a six-day patrol in the area, with peacekeepers based in Warrab town and conducting patrols towards impacted communities in coordination with local authorities. The UN mission is also engaging state and county authorities to help contain the violence and prevent further attacks. And turning to Ethiopia, we, along with our partners, continue to provide humanitarian assistance in the north of the country. Our colleagues at OCHA tell us that in the Amhara region, at least 428 metric tons of food commodities from the World Food Programme are being distributed in the zones of North Gondar and Wogragna. people impacted by conflict, food insecurity, and the effects of El Niño. In the Tigray region, 45 trucks carrying food supplies from our partner World Vision arrived in Shewa town yesterday. And in the Afar region, our partners are providing water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies and emergency cash assistance, while efforts continue to strengthen health services in all areas affected by hostilities. Despite these efforts, humanitarian needs are outpacing our relief efforts, and in response, we and our humanitarian partners are working to mobilize additional resources, including by reprioritizing existing funding, which remains limited. Once again, we call for urgent additional funding to keep scaling up our assistance and reach people in need across the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. Meanwhile, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Ozonia Ogello, continues to engage with the federal and regional authorities to ensure safe humanitarian access and the delivery of lifesaving assistance. And turning to Kenya. The Kenya Humanitarian Fund, managed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has allocated more than $2 million to strengthen Ebola preparedness and response efforts in the country. The funding will enable our humanitarian partners to support government-led efforts, including enhanced surveillance at border crossing points and training for rapid response teams and frontline responders. The new resources will all support Ebola preparedness along high-risk refugee and travel routes linked to the Kakuma refugee complex in northwestern Kenya. They will also fund emergency health and infection prevention kits, as well as public information campaigns on Ebola prevention and early detection. As of October 20th, nine confirmed Ebola cases, including two fatalities, have been reported. Currently, there is no evidence of community transmission. However, contact tracing efforts have identified 134 additional people who might have been exposed and have been placed under quarantine. And from Ukraine, we and our humanitarian partners continue to support people across the country despite ongoing attacks. In September alone, 150 humanitarian organizations assisted 326,000 newly displaced people, supporting evacuations, transit centers, and accommodation in areas where people have sought, looked for safety. But OCHA warns that continuing attacks are making this work increasingly difficult. The capital, Kyiv, and other parts of Ukraine were once again hit by deadly attacks that also damaged bridges, medical and educational facilities, and disrupted essential services. For its part, the UN Refugee Agency is calling on the international community to stay the course and keep supporting those who remain, as well as those who have found refuge. UNHCR, together with a strong network of Ukrainian NGOs, continues to provide emergency assistance and protection, including shelter support, mental health counseling, and cash assistance. And on climate, three reports published by the UN Climate Change show governments increasingly taking role of economy, role of society approach to climate policymaking. However, the reports again show that overall progress remains substantially insufficient. They highlight key barriers to further acceleration and implementation of national targets and pledges. And also today, The World Meteorological Organization released a report showing that the levels of carbon dioxide and other major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached unprecedented heights in 2025, locking in more long-term temperature increases for the planet. According to the report, the concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide also rose to a new record. All the reports are available online. And we want to acknowledge the chair of the UNAIDS Programme Coordination Board's Executive Director, Winnie Byanyama. No problem. And the Programme Coordinating Board's working group for their tireless work to advance the UNAIDS transition and protect the UN's HIV response. The board's decision adopted yesterday to establish a transition task team provides a vital step forward in transition, the, uh, transitioning the capacities from UN AIDS secretariats and the co-sponsors. The Board has provided guidance for developing an implementation plan that ensures the HIV/AIDS response is more firmly anchored at country level, supported by a lighter, more focused coordination function and headquarters level. This fulfils the intention of the Secretary-General's UN80 proposal to protect and preserve the gains of the HIV/AIDS response, especially at country level. face of significant disruption and funding cuts. The Secretary-General will continue to work with the Board, Member States, civil society, and all stakeholders to strengthen the HIV/AIDS response, save lives, and ensure dignity for all. And we have a senior appointment, senior personnel appointment announcement today. Today, the Secretary General is appointing Gleb Desyatnikov of the Russian Federation as Assistant Secretary General for Mine Action and Police in the Department of Peace Operations. Mr. Desyatnikov did not, sorry, Desyatnikov. Desyatnikov, OK, brings to the position more than 35 years of experience in international relations, political affairs, and security issues across government, multilateral diplomacy, and conflict-impacted regions. We welcome him, and you have much more information online. And today is the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. Audiovisual archives tell us about people's lives and cultures around the world, and reflect the cultural, social, and linguistic diversity of our communities. Keeping them accessible to the public and to future generations is what today is about. Okay, and we have a quiz for you today. I'll try to do this one. This landlocked country has two capital cities, but neither of them is the most populated city in the country. Do we have any guesses?

Bolivia.

That's it. Very good. Well done. So the two capital cities are La Paz, which is the administrative capital, and Sucre, which is the constitutional capital. And the most populated city in Bolivia is Santa Cruz. We thank our friends in La Paz for their full payment to the regular budget, and Bolivia's payment brings the number of fully paid member states to 146. I will now take your questions. Thanks so much.

Thank you. Just a question that I don't think you'll be able to answer, but will there be at any point, will there be a point in which the Secretary General wants to let us know who he thinks are the strongest candidates for his successor.

As we know, he doesn’t comment on this ongoing process. This is a decision for the Security Council.

All right.

Thank you.

That’s all for now.

Thank you. Thank you. Linda, yes, please.

Hi. Just to follow up on that question. Yes. Has he been meeting with or met with any of the candidates? I mean, obviously, he knows them, most of them. including the one who's speaking today. I was just wondering if he's had any private meetings?

No, I'm not aware of any meetings.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks. Abdelhamid.

Thank you so much. Are you following what's going on in the city of Al-Khalil, Hebron?

Yes.

I mean, the number of Palestinian displaced is larger than what has been reported in the media. So what do you say to that?

As we mentioned to you yesterday, Abdel Hamid, the Secretary General, is following the situation. He's deeply alarmed for this offensive, the situation, the intensifying violence in the West Bank. He condemns the violence. And he also firmly opposed the settler attacks in the region, as we have spoken before.

My second question, I mean, the Jordanian Air Force targeted terrorist bases in southern Syria near Deraa, but number of civilians, including children, were killed. Are you aware of this incident, and what do you say to that?

Yes, we are closely following the developments. We take note of the statements issued by both Jordanian and Syrian authorities regarding the operation and its circumstances. The Secretary General condemns any loss of civilian lives, and we underscore the obligation of all parties to take all precautions precautions to protect civilians in line with international law. We support efforts by the parties to establish the facts surrounding the incident, while consistently emphasizing the importance of respecting the sovereignty, independence, unit, and territorial integrity of all Member States consistent with the UN Charter. Do we have any further questions? Pan?

Just any comment, any comment from the SG on the DG Grossi’s report on Iran? Thank you.

As The one you just gave?

Yes.

Sorry. You know, the Secretary General has been very consistent in his call for Iran to cooperate with IAEA and honestly to all countries to work closely with IAEA on nuclear issues. But further than that, you should contact our colleagues at IAEA if you want any extra information.

Thank you so much.

Thanks so much. Do you have one? Okay.

Thank you. The Secretary of Health in the US, Mr. Kennedy, issued a statement insulting 500 million Arabs. He said, 500 million Arabs, they don't produce literature, nor science, nor even gaining any Nobel prizes, which is, he proved that he's ignorant first. What do you say to this kind of racist remarks?

I'm not going to comment on someone else's remarks, but as you know, we stand against any type of racism. Thanks. Thanks so much. Have a great afternoon. Stefan is going to be back tomorrow, so I'm sure you're happy.

Thank you.