The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
All right, it feels like a Friday, doesn’t it? Thank you for coming.
**Guests
In a short while, we will be joined by our guests virtually from Haiti, and that is Maria Moita, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery at the International Organization for Migration (IOM); and Youri Saadallah, the Global Emergency Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who is the lead of the field trip of emergency directors who are visiting Haiti. And they will be briefing you from Haiti, so we are asking both of you to have a few minutes and patience to get through the briefing, and then we will get to you.
On Monday, we will have La Neice Collins brief you, and we will also have two guests on Monday in person: Alexander De Croo, the administrator of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme); joining him virtually will be Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who will brief you on their very recent joint trip to Afghanistan.
**Transforming Education Summit
Meanwhile our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, arrived in Paris this morning for the Transforming Education Summit +4 (TES+4). That summit was convened by the Secretary-General and the Director-General of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
In her opening remarks, she stressed that education remains one of the most powerful drivers of sustainable development, peace, and opportunity. She called for financing in education to be treated as an investment in people, an investment in economies and an investment in sustainable development. The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that education becomes the great enabler of every learner, every economy, and every hope we have for 2030 and beyond.
The Summit brings together leaders and partners to take stock of progress since the 2022 Transforming Education Summit and accelerate action on SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) 4. While in Paris, the Deputy Secretary-General met with the President of South Africa and Co-Chair of the High-Level Committee on SDG4, and that is Cyril Ramaphosa. They discussed the strong cooperation between South Africa and the United Nations. She also met with a number of senior UNESCO officials, civil society representatives, youth partners, and others who are attending the summit.
She will be back in New York on Saturday.
Also today, UNESCO launched a report warning that international aid to education could fall up to 30 per cent between 2023 and 2027. According to them, 113 countries spend more on debt servicing than education. The report brings concrete recommendations to help countries break the debt trap and invest in education.
**UN-Women
Another report I want to flag, this one by UN-Women, which warns that deep cuts in humanitarian funding are forcing women’s organizations to scale back or even shut down, with at least 1 million women and girls losing access to critical support since January 2025.
The report notes that some 120 million women and girls worldwide require humanitarian assistance and protection. Yet, almost half of the 855 women’s organizations surveyed across 52 crises — and conflict-affected countries, that includes Afghanistan, the DR Congo and Haiti — are at risk of shutting down temporarily or even permanently within a year due to a lack of funding. Sixty-five per cent of these women-led organizations say their staff are working without pay to keep services running; more than three-quarters say they have cut staff.
The report also warns that the consequences extend beyond humanitarian response, threatening to reverse progress on women’s rights, reduce women’s participation in community leadership and decision-making.
UN-Women is calling for sustainable investment in women’s organizations, which it describes as indispensable first responders and a foundation for protection, recovery and peace.
**Security Council
Meanwhile, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Security Council this morning on resolution 2231, concerning non-proliferation and Iran. She said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has indicated that it had not conducted any in-field verification activities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement.
Adding that while significant differences remain between the relevant parties on the way forward regarding resolution 2231 and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as JCPOA, parties have all underscored the importance of a diplomatic solution and indicated readiness to engage with each other for this purpose.
She added that the Secretary-General calls on all parties to engage constructively and in good faith to achieve a peaceful, comprehensive and durable solution to the Iran issue, consistent with the objectives of the resolution and the broader goals of strengthening international peace and security. And we, of course, stand by to support those efforts.
**Lebanon
Turning to Lebanon, our humanitarian colleagues say that military activities in parts of South and Nabatieh governorates in that country reportedly continue to pose risks to civilians, undermining confidence among displaced families considering a return. Women and girls bear a disproportionate impact on this crisis.
They face heightened risks of gender-based violence, disrupted access to essential health services, including maternal healthcare, and reduced access to safe and dignified support.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that there are 390,000 women of reproductive age among displaced and returnee populations in Lebanon. This includes approximately 16,000 women who are pregnant, and about 1,800 who are expected to give birth each month. Many are returning to communities where health infrastructure remains damaged or just non-functional.
Our humanitarian partners tell us that three hospitals in these governorates and 36 primary healthcare centres remain closed, while at least 17 hospitals have sustained damage. Access to maternal and newborn health services are limited in parts of southern Lebanon, particularly in conflict-related areas.
Since March, UNFPA has reached more than 150,000 displaced and conflict-affected people with sexual and reproductive health services, alongside gender-based violence services, through health facilities, mobile teams and safe places for women and girls.
Humanitarian partners warn that funding shortfalls, not surprisingly, and access constraints are limiting the response. UNFPA’s revised appeal asking for $25 million is only 16 per cent funded, and the broader humanitarian appeal is also underfunded.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, our OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) colleagues say that humanitarian operations in Gaza continue to be constrained by insecurity, Israeli access restrictions and funding shortfalls. We reiterate that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected.
Against this backdrop, humanitarian partners responded to emergency needs last week, assisting more than 970 families affected by 11 incidents across the Gaza Strip. These incidents include airstrikes, new displacement linked to military activities, as well as movement restrictions around the so-called “Yellow Line”, and fires in shelters and flooding from sewage. The response included tents, blankets, mattresses, hygiene dignity kits, jerrycans and food assistance.
We and our partners are also continuing to support people facing protracted displacement, which impacts nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million inhabitants.
Meanwhile, communicable diseases remain widespread. Last week, partners working on health provided more than 243,000 medical consultations at over 200 service points in Gaza. Acute respiratory illnesses and skin diseases remain the most frequently reported conditions, while waterborne diseases continue to rise, particularly in the area around Khan Younis. More than 18,000 new cases of chickenpox, ectoparasite infestation and impetigo, which is a bacterial skin infection, were also recorded last week.
Health partners warn that the delivery of medical services continues to be constrained by shortages, the high costs of fuel, generator oil, spare parts and supplies.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, our humanitarian partners tell us that, amid Israeli military operations, settlement expansion and settler violence, more Palestinians are being displaced, protection risks are increasing, access to housing, livelihoods and essential services is becoming more restricted. Since the beginning of the month, 67 people were displaced by demolitions and two dozen structures were demolished, including two funded by donors to support people in need. Israeli authorities frequently demolish these structures for lacking building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to receive.
In terms of funding, just over a quarter of the $4.1 billion required for humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has been received this year.
**South Sudan
A quick update from South Sudan and in Warrap state, where our peacekeeping colleagues from the peacekeeping mission there, UNMISS, tell us that the security situation in Tonj North County remains concerning. Yesterday, an armed attack took place on the county’s prison, the police station and the county commissioner’s residence. Initial reports indicate that around 25 people were killed, 20 injured and some 208 heads of cattle raided.
UNMISS continues to engage intensively with state and county authorities to help reduce tensions. Colleagues on the ground are also meeting directly with local police and corrections’ officials to assess the damage to prison infrastructure and to verify the figures given to us of casualties. While a fragile calm has now taken hold, the situation remains tense.
This escalation comes on top of a separate wave of violence in Alabek, also in the Warrap county, […] where intracommunal clashes between 2 and [7] July cumulatively resulted in 20 fatalities and 39 injuries. The UN Peacekeeping Mission strongly cautions against retaliatory violence and urges all involved to resolve grievances through dialogue.
**Venezuela
And a quick update from Venezuela: The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, is wrapping up his four-day visit. Throughout the week, he has met with communities affected by last month’s earthquakes, frontline responders, humanitarian workers and national authorities. He has also witnessed first-hand the response being delivered by ourselves and our humanitarian partners.
In addition to his engagements with humanitarian responders and NGOs (non-governmental organizations), he yesterday met leaders from the private sector and representatives of the diplomatic community to discuss the transition from emergency response to recovery and reconstruction. He urged sustained international engagement in support of the updated Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela, launched earlier this week. The addendum seeks almost $298 million to support 1.3 million people in need.
On the response front, we, along with our partners, are continuing to scale up assistance in impacted areas. These efforts are coordinated by OCHA in support of national authorities’ own efforts. Humanitarian operations are under way in three temporary camps in La Guaira, with plans to expand support to an additional site as it evolves.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting camp coordination and management, and UNHCR is providing support, protection services and legal assistance.
For its part, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and its partners are supporting emergency and primary healthcare, while the UNFPA is delivering services for women and girls, including sexual and reproductive healthcare and psychosocial support.
UNICEF is supporting children and families through child protection, nutrition, and water and sanitation activities. Since the start of the response, the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided assistance to some 46,000 people impacted by the earthquakes.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that Member States are also continuing to provide generous support, including ongoing deployment of a field hospital and direct shipments of aid including medical supplies, shelter and food.
**Srebrenica
A number of international days to share with you.
Tomorrow, as we’ve been telling you for the past few days, marks the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. In his message, the Secretary-General honours the thousands of victims who lost their lives to the atrocities in Bosnia and urges us to renew our resolve to make “never again” a reality for all.
The Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Arnhild Spence, together with members of the UN team, will participate in the official commemoration at the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre.
With support from the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, our team works with national institutions, civil society survivor organizations to help address the legacy of this conflict by supporting survivors, promoting healing from intergenerational trauma and strengthening reconciliation, as well as social cohesion. They’re also supporting efforts to counter hate speech, genocide denial, the glorification of atrocity crimes, as well as history revisionism.
**World Population Day
Tomorrow is also World Population Day. The theme this year is “Realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people, today and for the future”. In a message, the Secretary-General calls on all to match the determination of today’s youth through investment in education, reproductive health, decent work opportunities, and participation in decision-making.
**World Horse Day
If I tell you giddy up, what does it mean? It means tomorrow is World Horse Day… Come on, Gabriel! Few animals have contributed more to human progress as profoundly as the horse. This Day highlights the importance of protecting one of humanity’s oldest partnerships.
**International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms
Sunday is also International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, which have become a serious global concern in recent decades, due to their significant impacts on the environment, health, agriculture and socioeconomic well-being.
**International Day of Hope
And we end the International Days on Sunday, which is the International Day of Hope. Can’t come any faster. This day promotes hope as a guiding principle towards unity in a world facing increasing division. It draws upon the values of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which call for peace, dignity, tolerance and shared progress.
**Shaza Moghraby
Lastly, as I close, I want to note that one of our colleagues is moving on to much greener pastures today. Shaza Moghraby, who, you know, has been the point person for the World Food Programme for us and for journalists for the past nine years in New York, is moving on. And I can speak, I think, on behalf of us and all of you in saying a big “thank you” to Shaza for her passion, dedication, and professionalism in her job.
On that note, I will take questions. Please.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you. So, we saw President [Donald] Trump says Iran has asked to continue the negotiations, and the [United States] has agreed. But he also says the ceasefire is over. So, what’s the Secretary-General’s reaction?
Spokesman: Well, I think as I said yesterday, I think the most important thing is for diplomacy to continue. I mean, we have seen over the last 24 hours a sort of lull in the kinetic activity. We see reports that the discussions are ongoing, and we hope that they are. Thank you.