Briefings, Secretary-General/Remarks, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing Press Conferences Date: 28 October 2026 Language: English Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/zh/briefing/sg/2026-10-28?lang=en Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- UN · Spokesperson [42:37]: Greetings, media workers. Speaker 2 [42:41]: Greetings, Mr. Spokesperson. UN · Spokesperson [42:48]: I'm both exhausted and over-caffeinated, which is a very bad combination. It's a very dangerous combination. Ephraim, welcome back. Were you in Lebanon? Speaker 4 [42:59]: Yeah. UN · Spokesperson [43:00]: Yeah, because I. All right, good afternoon. I know you were complaining about the number of briefings today, but you ain’t done yet. 1:00 PM after you’re done with me, we will have our good friend Volker Turk, High Commissioner for Human Rights. 1:45, interesting briefing by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. You'll you'll wanna stick around for that. Um, tomorrow at 2 PM there will be a briefing by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Kelly Curry, and Nick Kumjian, the head of the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the event honoring our values at home, which deals with fighting against racism and sexism at the United Nations. He said the United Nations cannot credibly defend equality around the world unless we uphold it within our own walls. Our values, he said, can't live only in the words we address to others. Mr. Guterres said that a Secretariat survey in 2020 found that one in three staff members reported experiencing racial discrimination, which he said was totally unacceptable. The survey made it clear that condemning racism was not enough and that we had to become actively anti-racist, he said. Regarding gender, the Secretary General asserted that the United Nations has achieved parity across all senior leadership in all headquarters and professional staff. We did not do that by lowering standards, but by increasing opportunities, he said. Going forward, the Secretary General said that gender gains and Expertise must be protected, and anti-racism must remain a priority in decisions on recruitment, promotion, assignments, and retention. Those decisions must be transparent, consistent, and bias-free. By the way, this is the man who's responsible for your country quizzes. Yeah. All right. You will have the You will have a briefing by the fact-finding commission, so I don't want to go too much into that, but they do speak a lot about the increasing drone strikes and displacement. For ourselves, we have also seen this – and the report, I would add, comes during continued deadly attacks in Blue Nile State and elsewhere across the country. We will also see disturbing reports of drone strikes in South Darfur state on Monday, which hit a market and residential neighborhood in Yala, which is the state capital. The attack killed dozens of people and injured more than 150 others. Civilians were also reportedly killed and injured in two separate drone strikes attacks near the airport in El Janaina in West Darfur state, as well as in another strike in South Kordofan yesterday. We condemn this and all killings of civilians and reiterate once again that civilians must be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. Vital infrastructure has also come under attack. Today in Al-Jazirah state, drone strikes reportedly damaged an electricity station and fuel stations. We reiterate our call for an immediate end to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and for all parties to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law. OCHA says that despite severe funding shortfalls and insecurity, humanitarian organizations continue to deliver life-saving assistance across the country. During the first nine months of this year, humanitarian organizations reached more than 17 million people across Sudan with at least one form of assistance. However, OCHA warns that significant gaps remain in the humanitarian response. Just 3 million people, or 18% of the overall people reached, received assistance across multiple sectors, underscoring the impact of underfunding and other challenges in ensuring that people receive the full range of support that they need. From Yemen, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that more than 281,000 people have been displaced since the start of the fighting in August. More than half of those people are sheltering in Taiz Governorate alone. Humanitarian access has become increasingly difficult over the past three weeks. Damage to a key road linking Taiz to southern governorates has forced aid supplies into narrow mountain roads, which is slowing deliveries. Shelter remains a pressing need. Three quarters of those are living in sites where shelter, clean water, and sanitation are in short supply, with more than 35,000 families still lacking shelter assistance and more than 230,000 people needing emergency water and sanitation support. Women and girls also face a growing risk of exploitation. The UN Population Fund warns that sexual violence, trafficking, forced marriage, particularly in overcrowded sites in Yemen that do not have adequate privacy, lighting, or separate sanitation facilities. Our partners are responding wherever access permits, deploying mobile protection teams to displacement sites, screening displaced children for malnutrition across eight governorates, and providing emergency water in latrines in areas receiving displaced families. We once again call I call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to allow safe, sustained, unimpeded humanitarian access wherever it is needed and whenever it is needed. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, our humanitarian colleagues at OCHA tell us that farmers in the West Bank continue to harvest olives when possible amid deadly Israeli settler attacks, harassment, and access restrictions. Recent attacks have involved physical assault and theft of harvesting equipment and crops. Humanitarian partners say that this week, farmers were unable to, Palestinian farmers were unable to harvest near Israeli settlements or behind the barrier in parts of Jenin, Nablus, and Qalqilya governorates. This after Israeli authorities suspended previously announced access arrangements for Palestinians. Our partners are supporting olive pickers by distributing tools, ladders, tarpaulins, and other equipment, by arranging volunteer harvesting equipment, cash for work activities, collective harvesting, and by helping transport olives to the presses. We urge Israeli authorities to secure the sustained and safe access Palestinian farmers to their agricultural land so they can maintain their livelihoods. I also want to say that the Secretary-General was deeply sad and shocked at learning of the train accident that we saw in Spain that killed over 60 people, and he extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and government of Spain. Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that renewed violence in Ituri province in the northeast of the country is driving more displacement and worsening humanitarian needs in communities already affected by the Ebola outbreak. Since last Sunday, and according to our humanitarian partners on the ground, at least 19 civilians have been killed in armed clashes in and around villages of Muganga in Jugu territory. More than 25,000 men, women, and children have fled to neighboring Mahagi territory, where many are sheltering in displacement sites. They, of course, require urgent food, health care, hygiene, and all sorts of other services. The movement of people and access constraints continue to complicate the Ebola response, as well as community engagements and the delivery of life-saving health services. So far, national health authorities have reported more than 10,100 confirmed cases of Ebola, with over 4,900 deaths from Ebola. Despite these challenges, we and our partners continue to support the response against the disease, while providing life-saving assistance and protection to communities affected by violence and displacement. We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to respect international humanitarian law, and ensure safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need. Turning to Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues say that heavy rain since Saturday has have caused severe flooding across the Grand Sud region, damaging homes, damaging infrastructure, and disturbing livelihoods. Four people have reportedly been killed, with Nippes the hardest hit department, where more than 1,900 families have been affected and 1,700 homes flooded. We and our humanitarian partners are supporting the efforts led by the government in Haiti. Local authorities have activated emergency response centers, opened up temporary shelters, while our partners are helping to assess needs and prepare assistance. In Grande-Anse, partners are preparing to provide food, cash assistance, hygiene, and other essential supplies to more than 5,500 households, while three mobile health clinics are also planned in affected communities. The floods are hitting communities already struggling with food insecurity and displacement, shortages of supplies, and funding constraints, all of this hampering our humanitarian response. As I told you before, the $880 million Humanitarian Needs response plan for Haiti remains less than half funded. Additional resources are urgently needed to respond to the growing needs. As you know, the UN Biodiversity Conference is ongoing in Yerevan, otherwise known as COP 17. It is also the 12th meeting of the parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the sixth meeting of the parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. That ends on Friday in Yerevan, and we have some updates for you. In its first week, 14 initial decisions were adopted, including four COP 17 decisions on invasive alien species, gender, education and knowledge, management, eight substantive decisions on advancing the Cartagena Protocol, including on monitoring and reporting, compliance, strengthening national processes for effective implementation, and two advancing the Nagoya Protocol, monitoring and reporting compliance. From the 27th to the 28th of October, COP17 convened approximately 1500 people at the high level segment, including more than 100 ministers and deputy ministers, finance and environment, all to address the barriers to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Protocol on Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted in 2022. By the end of the high-level segment, $1.8 billion had been pledged as governments now tackle tough negotiations on biodiversity finance and economic incentives driving nature loss in week two. Among other decisions still expected this week, Global Review will consider evidence provided by the State of Biodiversity Action Report ahead of COP that was launched by the Secretary-General just before the COP got underway, which found widespread national commitments but substantial gaps in ambition and delivery. Related to climate, our Climate Technology Progress Report was released today warning that climate change is already affecting the ocean's ability to absorb and store carbon. The report stressed that the world must strengthen its understanding of the ocean's carbon system if it is to safeguard one of the planet's most important climate allies. The report stressed the world Excuse me. It highlighted carbon, ocean carbon intelligence, a framework that connects ocean science, monitoring technologies, data infrastructure, and various analytical tools to improve understanding of ocean carbon dynamics, support evidence based climate action. According to the report, the ocean absorbs around 30% of human induced carbon dioxide emissions and approximately 90% of excess heat generated by climate change. But rising temperatures, acidification, deoxygenation, oxygenization, pollution, ecosystem degradation, or disrupting the ocean processes that enable this critical climate regulating function. The report is available online. Before I take your question, I have a little quiz. Thanks to our quiz master for countries, David Hunter. Which country proudly displays a knife on its flag? Journalist [56:14]: Oman, UN · Spokesperson [56:15]: yes. Saudi Arabia is a sword. Yes, very good, Jordan. It is Oman. Yeah, let me just thank our friends in Oman for their, in Muscat, for their regular payment in full to the regular budget. We now have 147. We still have about 60 days left to the end of the year. It is never too late to pay your bills. Oman sent us a check for $3,664,434. We cashed the check and we thank them. And Jordan, please, you go ahead. You won. Journalist [56:55]: I hope you like my question as well. If you remember, your former boss, Ban Ki-moon, once said before Security Council that resisting occupation is normal. He was talking about the Middle East issue. Do you think Palestinian people, not the government, as you spoke about the farmers, do they have the right to resist the occupation? And how, if you agree? UN · Spokesperson [57:31]: Look, people have an inherent right to defend themselves. We are not What we have been calling for, and the Secretary-General has been calling for, is a political horizon to be renewed for Palestinians and for Israelis, leading to a two-state solution. Journalist [57:49]: And my – as a free question, this is my second question. Was the SG visit to Egypt How do you evaluate the outcome of the visit? UN · Spokesperson [58:01]: Yes, it was – I mean, it was a successful visit. He had very good discussions, as we’ve been briefing you, with the Prime Minister – with the President of Egypt, the Foreign Minister. He also had a very useful discussion with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, who was joined by a number of his predecessors. A number of issues were discussed, notably the general situation in the region. including Gaza, the conflict in the Gulf, and Sudan. If you have one more, I will take it. Otherwise, I will move on. Okay. Edie, then Pam. Journalist [58:44]: Thank you, Steph. Does the Secretary General have any additional comment on the election result in Brazil with the opposition candidate now in the United States? And does he have any comment on the Israeli election? UN · Spokesperson [59:08]: No, I mean, I think both, whether it’s the Israeli elections or the elections in Brazil, I think we commend all the people who participated in this act of democracy, this vote. I think a lot of people voted in both elections. Pam. Journalist [59:28]: Two things. One is, Luke Limberg, the new ED of WFP, said that he was heading for Sudan. Is that something that the Secretariat would also join in, or it’s just his? UN · Spokesperson [59:40]: No, no. I mean, this is part – it’s his – it’s part of his activities. Journalist [59:46]: Often it’s combined. UN · Spokesperson [59:47]: No, I mean, this will be his first field visits. He will go there by himself as the newly minted Executive Director of World Food Programme. Journalist [59:57]: And number two is, was the UN consulted at all on the expulsion of the first secretary of the Cuban mission? UN · Spokesperson [1:00:05]: I’m not aware that we were consulted in any way. Journalist [1:00:08]: Thank you. UN · Spokesperson [1:00:09]: Okay. Islam. Journalist [1:00:12]: Thank you, Stefan. There have been reports that the US has warned Gulf countries for the short and intense military campaign against Iran after the midterm elections. They even sent Patriots to defend Israel for this. What is the Secretary General’s reaction, especially if you have any update with Special Envoy, Personal Envoy to the Middle East, John Arnold, if he has any development? UN · Spokesperson [1:00:47]: No, so no specific update on Mr. Arnold’s contacts. We’ve seen these press reports. We’ve not been privy to any information that’s not been reported. As outlined in the article, what we continue to push – and this was part of the Secretary’s discussions he’s had with the President of Egypt, with the Prime Minister of Pakistan – is to push or continue to push for diplomacy. We also saw that the envoys from Qatar were in the Islamic Republic of Iran. I think the world needs more diplomacy; we do not need more military action. Journalist [1:01:26]: And second question, Reuters has reported that the US military has spent more than $47 billion against the military campaign to Iran. Considering the UN humanitarian operations shortfalls, what's your reaction to... UN · Spokesperson [1:01:46]: Well, I mean, listen, I have no way to judge the Reuters report, but what I can tell you is that there was the Swedish study that comes out every year on military expenditures, and we saw how much that exploded, and we see how much more countries are spending on arming themselves, on weapons and weapons systems, instead of spending money on development and humanitarian issues. It's not to say that countries cannot spend on defense because every country has a responsibility to protect itself and to defend its people. I think what has been shocking to us is the widening gap between those two buckets. Efraim, then Volodymyr, then I’ll go that way. Journalist [1:02:30]: Thank you, Steph. On Yemen, you said that the damage to a key road is forcing aid onto mountain routes into Taiz. Can you be more specific? Is it the road damaged or is it encircled by the Houthis? as the governor of TASS said. UN · Spokesperson [1:02:44]: I don't want to guess. Let me try to get you some more granularity on that. Volodymyr. Journalist [1:02:50]: Thank you, Stefan. In September, Russia recorded a new high in military personnel losses in its war against Ukraine, with 46,230 Russian troops killed or seriously wounded. In October, Russia is on track to reach another record with its military losses approaching 50,000, yet Putin still refuses to stop the war. What would you say to him in light of these figures? UN · Spokesperson [1:03:22]: I'm not going to comment on the specific issue you raise because we don't have access to these numbers. But it is clear that conflicts around the world, people are losing lives in great numbers, Right? And this is one of the reasons that the Secretary General keeps pushing for diplomacy, both publicly and privately. It saves lives and it saves us from, you know, from horrific disruptions that we see to our world due to the ongoing conflicts. Abdelhamid. Journalist [1:03:59]: Thank you, Stéphane. I'll start my first question about the debate about the sanctions in Cuba. There are some member states who deny there are sanctions, and there was debate in the General Assembly, heated debate, as you know. The geographical groups spoke, Singapore, Uganda, Uruguay, all spoke there about the severity of the sanctions. However, one state denied that. What does the UN saying about the sanctions? UN · Spokesperson [1:04:33]: Look, we have spoken out over and over again. a lot in the recent months about the humanitarian situation in Cuba and the impact that all these restrictions are having. And if we are going to be mandated by the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, as he does every year, will draft a report on the U.S. embargo against Cuba based on inputs from the UN system. Journalist [1:05:06]: My second question has two parts. It's about Palestine, first, about casualties in Gaza. Three people were killed in Mawasi Rafah and 10 wounded by drones, and one in Khan Younis. So these are the casualties of today, which is a filling the gap in the noon briefing about these human beings who are killed. UN · Spokesperson [1:05:30]: We've never, I mean, Abdelhamid, you're, I'm not going to question the intention of your questions, and I know you, so I will not question that. But the briefing is not there for journalists to inform me, it’s to ask questions. We regularly inform journalists of what is going on, either through the briefing or through – the Secretary General writes more reports than any human being could read in a year. Those reports are all filled with extremely important facts and information, and so they also reflect our position. Your other question. Journalist [1:06:06]: My second question, my last question about the city of Hebron is still under collective punishment, and many number of institutions were stormed in today. UN · Spokesperson [1:06:17]: Are you In where, sorry? Journalist [1:06:18]: In the city of Hebron. UN · Spokesperson [1:06:20]: No, I didn't get an update. I don't, I'm not questioning that, I just didn't get an update on that. Okay, Min Lu. Journalist [1:06:27]: So we’ve seen the confrontations at the General Assembly Hall yesterday, and it seems like there are also some physical back and forth get involved. And today a Cuban diplomat is expelled. What is the United Nations position? UN · Spokesperson [1:06:42]: I don’t have any firsthand information on the member of the Cuban delegation that was reportedly expelled by the United States. I heard what Ambassador Walt said at the briefing – at the in the General Assembly. You know, we also saw what happened yesterday during the speech given from the podium by Ambassador Waltz, and I can tell you that we expect every delegation to respect the decorum of the General Assembly hall and to respect the rules of procedures of the General Assembly. Our colleagues from safety and security were deployed in high Higher numbers than usual, and I think they did a great job in ensuring that the situation did not go out of control. Okay, I think there's a question online from Rafael, if I can see your name correctly. Journalist [1:07:41]: Yes, you can. Hi Stefan. I was wondering if you could share any information and comments on reports that are sent by us, sort of some troops to Haiti. following the disappearance of the four soldiers there. UN · Spokesperson [1:07:55]: Sorry, your sound is really bad and metallic, so I cannot understand. If you could use fewer words to ask the question, I'll try to understand it. Journalist [1:08:06]: Okay. My question is on the reports that El Salvador has sent over 1,000 troops to Haiti. Could you share any information on comments on that? UN · Spokesperson [1:08:19]: I do not have that information. That would be something to check with the gang suppression force. We can send you their contacts. But obviously, we support increased support both financially and in kind to the Gang Suppression Force. But on the exact details of that and confirmation, you'd have to talk to the Gang Suppression Force folks, and we'll send you their details. Journalist [1:08:45]: Thank you. UN · Spokesperson [1:08:46]: Thank you. You all have a break. I think we'll – five, six minutes until Volker comes. All right. I need a break.