The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Programming Note
All right, good afternoon. As a programming note, you are welcome to be here tomorrow but no one else will be, because the building will be closed, there will be no briefing as we mark the 250th anniversary of our host country, the United States, and we congratulate them.
But we will, of course, be available for you remotely if you have any questions.
On Monday, we will have as our guests, we will have a joint briefing with the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Alexander De Croo, and the High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih; they will be joining us both live from Kabul, as they are wrapping up a joint mission to Afghanistan.
Then, at 1:15 p.m., there will be a briefing here in person by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, and the UN Police Adviser, Faisal Shahkar, will be here to brief you ahead of the fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit, otherwise known as UNCOPS 2026.
Please feel free to join, we are happy to have you here. […] Oh, there was a stakeout, that’s okay. That’s all right. All right, seatbelts fastened? Ready to go?
**Secretary-General’s Travel
Speaking of going, as the Secretary-General said yesterday, he is heading to Geneva. He will get there on Sunday, 5 July, to take part in the inaugural session of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance.
You will recall that the Global Digital Compact, adopted at the Summit of the Future in 2024, included among its commitments the creation of a Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, to serve as an inclusive space, within the United Nations, for Governments, for civil society and other stakeholders to discuss artificial intelligence.
Last year, the Dialogue was established by the General Assembly to build common approaches to the governance of artificial intelligence. In the same resolution, the Assembly also created the International Scientific Panel on AI, the first global scientific panel on artificial intelligence.
In his remarks during the Dialogue’s opening session on Monday, the Secretary-General is expected to reiterate that, as AI is already transforming our world, for the first time, the Global Dialogue on AI Governance is giving every country a seat at the table, something he has been advocating for since early on in his mandate.
Also on Monday, Yoshua Bengio and Maria Ressa, the Co-chairs of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, from whom you heard yesterday, will present their preliminary report to Member States.
And throughout the day, the Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders taking part in the Global Dialogue.
In the afternoon, at the Palais des Nations, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks during a meeting of the International Law Commission.
And he will head back this way on Tuesday morning.
**Digital Week
Also, I just want to flag that while the Global Dialogue on AI governance takes place on Monday and Tuesday, it kicks off what our colleagues have dubbed Geneva Digital Week.
Also happening next week, from 6 to 10 July, is the World Summit on the Information Society, organized by the International Telecommunication Union.
Finally, Geneva is also the host city of the AI for Good Global Summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with various UN partners, and co-convened by our friends, the Government of Switzerland.
More information online for all of this.
**Ukraine
Turing to Ukraine, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the overnight missile and drone attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the capital city, Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities. There have been reports of at least 20 people killed and dozens injured, as well as civilian infrastructure struck. Any attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately. The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal for urgent de-escalation, leading to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Following the attacks to the capital Kyiv, which were one of the largest since the escalation of the war, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, noted that the loss and fear caused by this attack by the Russian armed forces and every other attack intensifies people’s psychological trauma.
Mr. Schmale stressed that civilians in Kyiv and across the country should not be bracing for yet another attack, and they are protected under international law.
Our humanitarian colleagues note that these latest attacks are part of a deadly pattern of strikes in densely populated areas across Ukraine. Between December of last year and May of this year, civilian casualties rose by 40 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier; that’s what the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has said.
Aid partners, including local NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and UN agencies, are providing psychological first aid, and registering impacted families for humanitarian cash assistance.
**Uganda
Moving to Uganda, the Secretary-General is closely following recent developments in Uganda and notes with concern reports regarding the detention of political and civic actors in the country, including cases in which the whereabouts of some individuals have not been clearly established.
He recalls that freedom of expression, including the independence of the media, as well as the rights to liberty and security of person, are enshrined in Uganda’s Constitution, as well as its international human rights obligations.
He encourages all stakeholders to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law.
**Syria
And turning to Syria: I can tell you that the Secretary-General expresses his deep concern about the explosion today near the Palace of Justice in Damascus. He extends his condolences to the families of those killed and expresses his sympathy to all those injured, wishing them a full and speedy recovery.
The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against civilians are unacceptable, stressing that those responsible must be identified and brought to justice and takes note that the Syrian authorities have committed to investigating the attack.
**Lebanon and Israel
A quick update from southern Lebanon, where over the past few days, our UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) colleagues have observed extensive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground activities throughout the mission’s area of operations.
Yesterday, the peacekeepers also detected 37 air violations in their area of operations. On Tuesday, they detected two trajectories of projectiles from south to north — that was in Sector East — as well as one air strike in Deir Siriane.
Peacekeepers continue to face obstructions to their freedom of movement, including routes blocked by barriers, debris, and other obstacles, which have impacted their ability to conduct their Security Council-mandated work.
Despite these challenges, UNIFIL continues to facilitate humanitarian access. Yesterday, in coordination with OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), the mission facilitated 13 humanitarian missions in Sector West, following 14 missions on Tuesday across Sectors West and East.
**Lebanon — Humanitarian
Meanwhile, in other areas across Lebanon we are continuing to provide support. The focus is now on supporting the returnees and vulnerable families with food, water, health, shelter and cash assistance.
If you will recall, last month on 5 June, we — alongside the Government of Lebanon — launched a revised and extended Flash Appeal, covering the period from March through August of this year. The Appeal seeks a total of nearly $640 million to provide life-saving assistance to 1.4 million vulnerable people. As of today, the Appeal is less than 38 per cent funded, which translated to just over $242 million in the bank.
Additional resources are urgently needed to sustain critical assistance to support safe, voluntary and dignified returns. Many returnees are arriving to find their homes damaged and critical services disrupted. People are also contending with limited opportunities to resume their livelihoods.
We underscore over and over again that all returnees must have access to humanitarian services, which means that we must have unimpeded access for our humanitarian colleagues. We also need civilians to be protected, as well as humanitarian personnel and health workers.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, our colleagues at UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) today reported that it continues implementing cleaning campaigns, community awareness activities and targeted pesticide application in the Gaza Strip, alongside solid waste disposal and other efforts to improve environmental conditions. In total, UNRWA says that since 7 June, measures to control the spread of disease-carrying animals and pests have been implemented in over 370 displacement sites across Gaza, which are jointly hosting more than 680,000 people.
We and our partners also continue to support people in Gaza with food. Last month, partners provided general food assistance to over 750,000 people through three dozen distribution sites as part of the monthly distribution cycle. As of earlier this week, about 120,000 two-kilogram bread bundles were produced every day by about 30 bakeries which are being subsidized.
Additionally, as of last Wednesday, partners were preparing more than 700,000 meals every day through about 100 community kitchens. These meals are delivered across over 1,100 locations, including hospitals.
Our partners working to support food security warn of shortages in refrigeration, without which people have less access to fresh food. Approvals are urgently needed to bring in relevant equipment, especially as temperatures rise.
Meanwhile, our partners working on shelter say that last week, they provided some 4,000 households with tents, tarpaulins, bedding kits and clothes, including through vouchers. They also repaired and upgraded about 850 makeshift shelters and completed the repair of over 450 damaged homes.
Still, they warn that stocks are nearly depleted because of supply chain disruptions and funding gaps.
On malnutrition, screening and treatment are ongoing. In the first half of June, partners screened over 31,000 children, identifying acute malnutrition in nearly 1,500 of them, including more than 200 severe cases. All have been enrolled in treatment. They also screened nearly 24,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and are providing treatment to those affected.
However, the humanitarian response in Gaza is still falling short of what is needed and more must be done to enable and fund our operations.
**Sudan
Moving back to the African continent and Sudan: Our colleagues at UNHCR — the UN Refugee Agency — deeply deplore an incident that took place yesterday [1 July 2026], where a UNHCR-contracted truck was reportedly hit by a drone near Tendelti in White Nile State. Thankfully, the driver was unharmed.
However, 50 metric tons of UNHCR humanitarian relief items that were being transported to Abu Jubeyha in South Kordofan were destroyed; part of that stock includes 1,000 non-food item kits, including 3,000 blankets, 2,000 jerry cans, 1,000 kitchen sets, 3,000 sleeping mats, 2,000 plastic sheets and 1,000 solar lamps — all of that was meant for some of the most vulnerable people that have been impacted by the conflict and now is just destroyed. As a result, thousands of people who depend on this assistance will now go without the urgent relief they need.
We remain concerned obviously about the broader escalation of violence across the country and the mounting humanitarian needs. In White Nile State, humanitarian partners reported on 1 July multiple drone strikes in Kosti city. At least three civilians were injured in that attack.
Despite these severe challenges, we continue to provide assistance whenever we can. In South Kordofan State, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a few days ago that a convoy carrying 8.5 metric tons of medical supplies, including cholera kits, joined an inter-agency convoy bound for Dilling and Kadugli. These supplies are expected to help address growing health needs in the state and strengthen our outbreak preparedness and response efforts to cholera and other diseases.
We yet again call for the protection of civilians and the protection of civilian infrastructure. We also urge donors to scale up funding to meet the needs.
**Security Council
Back here in the Security Council, Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Security Council this morning on the situation in the Gulf, saying that the past weekend witnessed a troubling resurgence of military confrontations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
We welcome the resumption of dialogue between the United States and Iran and encourage both sides to sustain engagement to advance the implementation of the 17 June Memorandum of Understanding.
Ms. Spehar said that the Secretary-General welcomes the joint decision to de-escalate and exercise restraint. This offers a measure of hope that dialogue and diplomacy can regain momentum. At the same time, the events of the weekend serve as a stark reminder of the fragility of the current situation, and the acute risks of further escalation, adding that the Secretary-General unequivocally condemns all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Such actions are unacceptable. Residential areas, ports, energy facilities, commercial vessels and maritime personnel must be protected.
**Ebola
Just an update about Ebola and other diseases.
From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the response to the Ebola outbreak continues across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North and South Kivu.
Starting with the Ituri province, health authorities have confirmed at least two Ebola cases in the Kigonze displacement camp in the town of Bunia. This site hosts some 15,000 people who have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in the east. We and our humanitarian partners are responding to both the health emergency and the broader humanitarian situation in support to the authorities.
An Ebola treatment centre is currently being established at the displacement site, and a new programme providing free healthcare to displaced people was launched today.
Partners are also scaling up community outreach and disease prevention efforts, including the installation of handwashing stations.
However, lack of community trust continues to hinder public health interventions.
You will recall that a few days ago, we announced that Julien Harneis was named as the special Ebola Coordinator. He arrived in Kinshasa yesterday to officially assume his new role. He will be based in Bunia — and as we mentioned in his appointment, he will be working closely with national authorities, WHO (World Health Organization), and partners to support the scale-up of the response, reinforce coordination, address operational challenges and help ensure support reaches people who need it as quickly as possible.
**Uganda — WHO
Another health issue to flag from that part of the world, this time in Uganda. National authorities have notified the World Health Organization of one confirmed case of Marburg virus disease in Kyegegwa District, in the country’s west. For those who don’t know, Marburg is a highly lethal form of haemorrhage fever.
WHO is supporting the local response, including investigations, active case finding, contact tracing and community engagement.
Uganda has responded to four previous Marburg outbreaks, using similar measures to those applied in Ebola responses.
Meanwhile, there have been no new confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda since 21 June, which is good news.
**Nigeria
A quick note from the World Food Programme (WFP), which is warning today that the number of food-insecure people in three north-east states in Nigeria has increased to 6.2 million. WFP is currently able to support only 740,000 people, leaving 5.5 million, particularly children, without life-saving food and nutrition assistance. This is down from 1.3 million people reached at the height of the lean season last year.
This dire situation has been compounded by access constraints and severe funding shortfalls, making it all much more difficult.
WFP needs $89 million over the next six months to sustain food and nutrition assistance, ensuring that vulnerable families are not forced to make impossible choices as hunger deepens.
**International Day of Cooperatives
Lastly, it’s a long weekend. So, I want to flag that Saturday is the International Day of Cooperatives.
More than 12 per cent of humanity belongs to one of the world’s 3 million cooperatives, which provide jobs and work opportunities to 280 million people globally. There are some cooperatives right here in New York city.
Yes, Gabriel, you know the drill — I stop, you start. And then Ephrem.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph, on the attack on the UNHCR truck in Sudan: Do you know where the drones came from? Who attacked?
Spokesman: No, we have no idea. I mean, we’ve seen different parties in this conflict use drones. As you know as well as I do, drones are inexpensive to procure, pretty easy to operate. What we do know is that thousands and thousands of much-needed relief items were destroyed. Why? I mean, why would anyone want to prevent people from getting blankets and plastic sheeting and the basic necessities that they need to survive? That’s a question I can’t even begin to answer.
Question: Yes, and do you have any update for us on El Obeid, especially after the call by Tom Fletcher yesterday, another warning from a top UN official about the imminent attack on the city? Do you have any update for us, or at least any update on the diplomatic activity?
Spokesman: I hope to give you an update from Mr. [Pekka] Haavisto, who’s having some meetings. Hopefully, we’ll be able to share something with you either later today or over the weekend. Volodymyr?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. We keep seeing the same pattern. The military targets and oil facilities in Russia are burning. Russia attacks apartment buildings and shopping centres in Ukraine. Today, a large Red Cross warehouse in Kyiv was also destroyed. Again, why? Does the Secretary-General think that a country that does this should be part of UN peacekeeping missions?
Spokesman: I think we have made very clear the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the attacks by the Russian Federation today and others, as well. It is important that every Member State of this organization live up to the values that they signed upon when they signed the Charter. Thank you. Madam?
Question: Thank you, and my question is about Gaza. So, after 1,000 days of war in Gaza, what does the Secretary-General believe must happen now?
Spokesman: To end the conflict in Gaza? Well, I mean, first of all, we need to see greater humanitarian access. We need to see the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza. We need to see a unified Palestinian political presence that is the same in the occupied West Bank as it is in Gaza. And we need all of the parties to recommit to a two-State solution and the international community to support them. Aziz?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. I have a question about Jean Arnault, who has just moved to Lebanon to assume a new role. Is he still the Secretary- General’s Envoy for the Middle East?
Spokesman: Yes, he will conduct his contacts, either virtually or in person from the region.
Question: Do you have any updates regarding the talks that have just wrapped up in Qatar?
Spokesman: No, he was not there. I don’t have any particular UN-based updates for you on that. Okay, I wish you all a wonderful weekend. If you want to stay in this room, which is pretty cool for the next three days, we can keep it open.