The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**World Cup
Good afternoon.
Let’s start with the most important news first, and that is a huge congratulations to the men’s Spanish team on its World Cup victory yesterday. They now join the Spanish Women's team in being the reigning football world champions. It’s the first time one country has held both men’s and women’s teams championships at the same time.
By every account, it was a very impressive run by La Roja during the championship, during the games.
And well played to all of the other teams, as well, who, during the five weeks, provided the world with a lot of emotion… passion, joyfulness and a little bit of heartbreak for some of us. But congratulations to La Roja.
**Guests Today and Tomorrow
In a short while, we will be joined by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
He will join us as soon as he is done with the Security Council meeting on Haiti.
Then, tomorrow, our friend Máximo Torero, FAO’s (Food and Agriculture Organization) Chief Economist, will join us virtually to brief on the launch of the State of Food Security and Nutrition 2026 report. It is co-authored by the FAO, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), WHO (World Health Organization) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
A number of experts from those agencies will also be joining.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
Meanwhile, our Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from China. He will arrive late tonight. Following his attendance at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference in Shanghai, he travelled to the Yunnan Province.
This morning, in Kunming, the Secretary-General interacted with beneficiaries and local counterparts of UN programmes from agencies such as UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), FAO, IFAD and UN-Women, supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in China. He heard first-hand accounts from beneficiaries of projects on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, promoting nature-based solutions, the sustainable use of medicinal plants and community-based conservation efforts linked to local livelihoods.
As I said, the Secretary-General will be back in the office tomorrow.
**Nelson Mandela International Day
Also today, Courtenay Rattray, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly in observance of Nelson Mandela International Day, which was observed on Saturday.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the life and legacy of Madiba. He highlighted that Mandela Day reflects a defining challenge of our time, poverty and inequality, and celebrated Madiba’s ability to see the world both for what it was and what it could be, having recognized that progress is never automatic; it is the result of action.
To honour that legacy, the Secretary-General encouraged all of us to carry forward Mandela’s vision of a just, inclusive, equal and peaceful world.
**Iran
We have been getting over the weekend questions about the fighting in the Middle East, and I can tell you that we are indeed concerned by a resurgence of hostilities and renewed escalation across much of the region.
Immediate de-escalation is essential. And as a reminder, as in any conflict, the protection of civilians and civilian objects is critical. Vital infrastructure on which civilians rely for survival, including hospitals and water supplies, must be spared. All parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.
**Yemen
Also on a related note, we have seen the reports and are very much concerned by the renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, against freedom of navigation, and the risk of an even wider regional escalation.
We call for immediate de-escalation. We urge all parties to address their differences through dialogue and diplomacy.
We reiterate that Security Council resolution 2722 (2024) and subsequent resolutions related to Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels must be fully respected.
Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, is in Muscat, Oman, today for discussions.
He concluded a visit to Riyadh yesterday, where he met with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi; the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber; and representatives of the permanent five members of the Security Council.
The discussions focused on the need for de-escalation and for the parties to agree on a way forward to preserve the gains of the 2022 UN-brokered truce. The Special Envoy also stressed the importance of insulating Yemen from the wider regional escalation and for safeguarding the space for an inclusive, Yemeni-led political process to end the conflict comprehensively.
**Lebanon
Moving to Lebanon, we welcome the launch of pilot zone operations in the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya in accordance with the Trilateral Framework. We encourage Lebanon and Israel to pursue efforts towards the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continued to observe violations of Lebanese airspace, including extensive unmanned aerial system activity across the area of operations and reconnaissance quadcopters over or near UN positions in both Sector West and Sector East.
UNIFIL also observed incidents involving drones releasing munitions in proximity to civilian areas and UN positions.
UNIFIL peacekeepers continued to discover unauthorized weapons caches and unexploded ordnance in the mission’s area of operations.
UNIFIL continues also to see and observe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) kinetic activity in both sectors, including tank fire and small-arms fire. UNIFIL also continued to observe broader IDF ground activity throughout the mission’s area of operations.
Meanwhile, our peacekeepers themselves continued to face restrictions and impediments to freedom of movement across the area of operations. On Saturday, an IDF checkpoint near Naqoura, which is the headquarters of the UNIFIL presence in southern Lebanon, blocked a UNIFIL convoy for approximately three and a half hours.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells us that over the weekend, Israeli authorities issued a displacement order to families in the Zaytoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, in proximity of the so-called “Yellow Line” that was established by Israel. More than 30 families were displaced, as their tents were destroyed. We and our partners have assessed these families’ needs and are preparing to distribute tarpaulins, jerry cans, hygiene kits, blankets and mattresses.
Yesterday, an OCHA team met with a local partner organization implementing a multi-purpose cash assistance project in Gaza city. This project is funded by the OPT Humanitarian Fund and helps vulnerable families, particularly female-headed households, to cover essential needs such as food and clothing. So far, more than 240 families in Jabalya and Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, have received this assistance.
Turning to the West Bank, I can tell you that we are warning against escalating Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians as they continue to cause casualties, property damage and displacement.
On Saturday, our humanitarian colleagues at OCHA in the West Bank documented an attack in which two Palestinians were killed and others injured. During this attack, settlers, including armed people accompanied by Israeli forces, raided the village of Deir Jarir in the Ramallah governorate and reportedly attempted to seize sheep, triggering confrontations with the Palestinian residents.
In a separate attack on the same day, settlers set fire to a Palestinian home and agricultural land in the village of Tell, in the Nablus governorate, displacing a family of five, and we condemn all these attacks by settlers on Palestinian communities.
OCHA stresses once again that Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory must be protected. The killings and violence must stop, and perpetrators must be held to account.
**Haiti
Back here, this morning, Carlos Ruiz Massieu briefed the Security Council on the situation in Haiti.
Monica Juma, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), also briefed the Council and said Haiti’s armed gangs are no longer simply seeking to capture territory; they are seeking to capture the systems of governance and the economic lifelines on which communities and institutions depend.
To help put Haiti on the path to peace, she told Council members that we must respond to the urgent needs on the ground, while building institutions capable of sustaining long-term stability, as well as the rule of law.
For her part, Vanessa Frazier, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, said her recent visit to Haiti, which she briefed you on in great detail recently, left her with a strong sense of urgency, but also a sense that there is a real opportunity to make progress if the international community joins forces in support of the Haitian authorities.
All of the remarks we received were shared with you.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues warn that ongoing violence continues to imperil civilians and continues to drive displacement of civilians and it continues to deepen needs, including in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.
As the violence continues, humanitarian needs are also on the rise. In North Kordofan, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the humanitarian situation in El Obeid is rapidly deteriorating as displacement towards the city grows, with nearly 400,000 human beings across the districts of Sheikan, Bara and Gharb Bara already facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity.
In Central Darfur State, a recent assessment by our partners identified food as the top priority for some 236,000 displaced men, women and children across five locations in the locality of Gharb Jebel Marra. And in South Darfur, nearly 4,000 families displaced by recent intercommunal violence urgently need emergency shelter as well as essential household items.
We once again call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in this conflict and in every other conflict. We also reiterate the need for rapid and flexible funding so that our partners can respond to the growing needs across Sudan. To date, this year’s humanitarian appeal for Sudan is less than 39 per cent funded, with only $1.1 billion received of the nearly $2.9 billion required. We thank warmly those who have given us cash, and we ask others to do so.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, two items for you. Our peacekeeping colleagues in the DRC tell us that on Friday, they intervened in support of Congolese armed forces in Komanda, which is, as you all know, in the Ituri province. This was to prevent an escalation of violence following the assassination of a local armed group leader. As we reported last week, UN peacekeepers have established a Mobile Operating Base in Marabo to deter further attacks against healthcare facilities and civilians. This underscores the Mission's continued commitment to protect civilians in areas affected by Ebola.
On that note, our OCHA colleagues tell us they are concerned about the spread of Ebola in displacement sites in the eastern part of the DRC.
Confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in at least 16 displacement sites across the province of Ituri. These sites host more than 270,000 displaced people. Those sites are overcrowded, and they have limited access to basic services, which obviously increases the risk of disease transmission.
We and our partners continue to support displaced communities through prevention and awareness activities, including the installation of handwashing stations and community outreach on Ebola prevention measures.
However, needs continue to outpace the resources that we have.
Last week, you will recall that we and our humanitarian partners launched a revised 2026 appeal, raising funding requirements from $1.4 billion to $2.3 billion. This is all in response to the growing humanitarian needs, which we tell you about every day, including those linked to the Ebola outbreak. The plan aims to provide life-saving assistance to 10.7 million human beings through the end of the year.
We continue to call for increased international support to sustain the Ebola response and for life-saving assistance to displaced communities already facing years of conflict, years of displacement and years of deteriorating living conditions.
**Burundi
Meanwhile in Burundi, our OCHA colleagues tell us that we and our humanitarian partners continue to support Government-led efforts to strengthen Ebola preparedness.
Surveillance and early detection have been reinforced at priority points of entry and in border communities. More than 75,000 travelers have undergone health screening at UN-supported entry points since 24 June.
Infection prevention and control measures have also been strengthened. This includes the provision of protective equipment, such as masks for frontline personnel, at priority border points.
We and our humanitarian partners are working with the Government to train frontline workers, community health workers, health professionals and border health officials. We are also supporting screening and infection control equipment; the improvement of water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure; and the establishment of temporary isolation sites.
At the end of June, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, allocated $2 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to strengthen Ebola operational readiness in Burundi, reaching more than 215,000 people.
Since the outbreak began, CERF has allocated a total of $24 million for the rapid response and early action in countries at high risk of the spread of Ebola across the region.
This forms part of Mr. Fletcher’s broader commitment to allocate up to $60 million from CERF to accelerate the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and support preparedness in other countries who are at risk.
**Ukraine
From Ukraine, our colleagues on the ground report that attacks over the weekend have claimed a dozen civilian lives and injured many more across the country.
As a result of the attacks, two humanitarian warehouses sustained damage: the World Food Programme (WFP) in Dnipro and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the region of Kyiv.
Our Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for Ukraine, Mathias Schmale, underlined the devastating toll of these attacks on civilians, including in urban centres far from the front line.
Despite these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners provided emergency response after attacks and delivered 11 metric tons of aid to front-line communities in Kherson. The supplies included water, hygiene and dignity kits, first-aid kits and medicines.
**Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator - Burkina Faso
New Resident Coordinator: The UN Development Coordination Office tells us that, following host Government approval, the Secretary-General has appointed Njoya Tikum of Cameroon as the new Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso. He took up his post on 18 July and will also serve as Humanitarian Coordinator.
He brings nearly two decades of leadership experience across the United Nations system, with expertise in sustainable development, governance, peacebuilding and many other areas. He was last Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sub-Regional Office for West and Central Africa and Resident Representative of UNDP in Senegal. And we congratulate him.
**World Heritage Committee
A note from our UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) colleagues, who they tell us that the World Heritage Committee has begun its forty-eighth session in Busan, South Korea. It’s always an interesting meeting. The Committee will examine nominations for the inscription of 30 new World Heritage Sites.
Nominations include the Beaches of the D-Day Landings in Normandy (France) and the Mount Amel Castles in Lebanon, among others. The committee will also assess the state of conservation of 147 sites already on the List. And as you know, many get damaged during conflict.
UNESCO World Heritage status recognizes and protects natural, cultural or mixed sites for present and future generations. To date, the World Heritage Committee has inscribed over 1,200 sites in 170 countries on their List.
**World Chess Day
Two important days today. One on this Earth, and it is World Chess Day. This day commemorates the game’s role as a platform to foster dialogue and solidarity across barriers of language, age, gender, physical ability or social status.
**International Moon Day
And another further from this earth, so what international day is it today? International Moon Day, which marks the anniversary of the first moon landing as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. As Moon exploration efforts continue to take shape, this global celebration will serve as a reminder of past success, as well as an annual testimony to future endeavours in outer space that should benefit all of humankind.
Speaking of humankind, Gabriel.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Hi, good morning, Steph. I have a question about the Houthis have announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, and my question for you is, does the Secretary-General call on the Houthis to reverse this decision?
Spokesman: Yes, I mean, I think you may have been lulled into a certain sense when I was reading off the various notes, but I did speak to that, expressed our concern about the new announcement and call for the fulfilment, full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, which call on the Houthis to stop kinetic activity in that area, and there needs to be full freedom of navigation, and we're also concerned about their threats towards Saudi Arabia.
Question: And this is now potentially a second choke point in the general region, given what we have in the Strait of Hormuz. How is this going to affect, potentially, UN transport of humanitarian goods?
Spokesman: I mean, it's obviously another choke point. We've seen the Red Sea already being choked off in the past. We don't want to see a return to that. I mean, it will, of course, impact the flow of UN goods that are shipped, notably humanitarian goods and elements for peacekeeping. But much more worryingly, it will again have a negative impact on global commerce, on the trade in energy, and just commerce as a whole. And we're already seeing the impact of the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and what impact that is having on the global economy. Okay. Abdelhamid, I see you, so I assume you have a question.
Question: Yes, in fact, I have two. Thank you. First, on Saturday, Israel attacked a Palestinian funeral, killing nine, including two children, and wounding 20. Such an attack on a funeral, how could it pass without pinpointing towards this heinous crime of killing civilians in a funeral?
Spokesman: Look, we have and we'll continue to condemn all killings of civilians. I did not personally get a report on that incident. I think we reported on other things that we have seen, both in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank. Your second question?
Question: My second question, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu said that “I control now 70 per cent of Gaza and I will continue encroaching on the territory of Gaza” — as he said it, to choke Hamas. Do you have any comment on this statement?
Spokesman: I mean, I think we have referred to the so-called yellow line that Israel has established. Again, today, we talked about the displacement of even more Palestinian families. Palestinians need to control Gaza as part of a unified Palestinian area, which includes both, obviously, the West Bank and Gaza. Okay, I see you’ve all been exhausted by our sporting weekend, so I will see you tomorrow.