The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
All right, good afternoon, I know I’m just standing between you and the Ambassador of France, he will have a few notes to share with you.
**Briefings — Today
At 12:30 p.m. here, we will have Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative of France, President of the Security Council for the month of September. He will be here to brief you on the Programme of Work. As a reminder for those of you online, the briefing will be in-person only.
And I also want to express my thanks to La Neice Collins for being such a great colleague for the past year. I know you thanked her on behalf of the journalists, but I want to thank her for her friendship, her professionalism, and just being all around a good person. And we want to welcome Melissa Summers, who I know will be up to the task and show some continuity, and I understand she will also be keeping the shrine, which is very important in the office.
**Guest — Tomorrow
Tomorrow, there will be a virtual briefing here, as my guest Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), will brief you on the launch of the UNEP report, “Limiting Overshoot: Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards retur,,” which finds that as global temperatures rise, the world must strive to return to below 1.5°C as soon as possible and simultaneously reduce the vulnerability of societies, communities and economies to climate impact.
**Secretary-General’s Travels/Kyrgyzstan
The Secretary-General today remains in Bishkek, in Kyrgyzstan, and he will be heading back to New York very soon.
Today, he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus meeting, held in Kyrgyzstan under the theme “The United Nations as a Key Element of a Fair World Order: The Contribution of the SCO Plus States to the Formation of a Multipolar World”.
In his remarks, he said that the world is becoming increasingly multipolar, which he describes as a positive development that needs to be strengthened. Multipolarity, he added, is a condition for justice in global governance and international relations, and the best for supporting effective multilateralism and for a United Nations that serves all without double standards.
The Secretary-General underscored the United Nations longstanding collaboration with the Shanghai Cooperation Council. He identified areas where this partnership could be deepened and where global governance is at stake, including partnership in the area of global security.
On the conflicts we are seeing around the world, he appealed for maximum restraint and for agreements and international law to be respected. He called for a full and immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for the Gaza ceasefire to be respected.
On the margin of the meetings, he met with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. He stressed the urgent need to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, with full respect for international law, including international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Today, he also met a bit earlier with the Vice-President of Viet Nam.
**Deputy Secretary-General’s Travels
Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, participated in the fifty-fifth Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting on behalf of the Secretary-General.
In her address to the Forum, she highlighted the leadership of Pacific countries in advancing ocean stewardship and climate justice. She underscored that the Pacific is not only among the first regions to experience climate change and sea-level rise but is also demonstrating solutions that can help shape the global response.
On the sidelines of the Forum, she met with leaders from the region and stakeholders from across the Pacific who are on the front lines of these issues.
She will depart Palau for Italy tonight, where, as I mentioned to you, will convene the fourth dialogue on artificial intelligence and human development and meet with Government officials in Rome and the Holy See and meet with the heads of UN agencies.
**Nepal
From Nepal, just to give you an update on what is going on there: Our colleagues tell us that the response to last week's flash floods is entering a new phase, with authorities intensifying relief efforts and recovery operations. As of today, authorities have recovered more than 1,000 bodies, while 3,900 people remain unaccounted for. Nearly 12,000 have been rescued so far.
For thousands of impacted families, the priority is now receiving humanitarian assistance, recovering and identifying the remains of the loved ones, and tracing missing relatives and reunifying separated children, and helping people access psychosocial support. We are also getting a clearer picture of displacement. Nearly 3,500 people are now living in 27 displacement sites across the hardest-hit districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa, a lot of them in school, which obviously has a knock-on effect of disrupting education for children.
We and our humanitarian partners continue to support to the Government-led efforts. Yesterday, colleagues from the UN system travelled to the town of Bidur, in Nuwakot, to meet with district authorities and visit displacement sites. Our partners are working to establish a coordination hub there so assistance reaches the communities most in need in most efficient way possible.
WFP (World Food Programme) has dispatched about 80 metric tons of food, reached more than 9,000 people and has supplies available for another 5,000 families. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is procuring 10,000 cartons of therapeutic food. Eight health teams have reached more than 1,200 people in displacement sites.
More than 1,800 people, including hundreds of children, have received psychological first aid, and a 24-hour mental health helpline is up and running. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also supporting disease surveillance efforts in the two hardest-hit areas.
The Government of Nepal and the Head of the UN Office, our Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Lila Pieters Yahia, have agreed to launch a four-month Humanitarian Flash Appeal; that would be on Friday. The appeal will support the Government-led response and focus on mobilizing resources to save lives, deliver urgent humanitarian assistance and address the most critical needs to communities impacted by the floods.
From colleagues at the UN Development Programme (UNDP), they have just done a preliminary assessment that estimates that at least 2.2 million tons of debris have been left behind by the floods and mudflows along the most impacted river system in Nepal. Of the estimated debris, approximately 556,200 tons are building debris, based on satellite assessments covering more than 2,300 damaged buildings.
UNDP says the floods have also caused significant damage to energy infrastructure. Eleven hydropower stations and one solar plant, which amounts to about 431.1 megawatts of generation capacity, have stopped operating, while 15 hydropower projects under construction, which would have added another 470 megawatts, were also damaged.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the main challenge right now is access. More than 40 bridges have been destroyed, and sections of the main highway remain blocked. The most remote communities continue to rely on army helicopter flights for supplies.
We are also very concerned about growing public health risks. Overcrowded shelters, contaminated water and damaged health facilities are putting people, especially women and children, at greater risk of disease in the middle of what is the monsoon season.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, our colleagues tell us that despite active conflict and funding shortfalls, humanitarian organizations are continuing to deliver life-saving assistance across the country.
However, insecurity continues to drive displacement. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) tells us that some 730 people fled several villages in South Kordofan; that took place on Sunday.
Cholera is also spreading. According to the World Health Organization, over 2,600 cases had been reported by early August across multiple states, with the Kordofan region being at the epicentre of this most recent outbreak.
Despite all of this, we and our partners are stepping up efforts to tackle cholera. Health workers continue to provide treatment, conduct vaccination campaigns and distribute the needed medical supplies.
Humanitarians are also scaling up efforts to provide clean water. In Kordofan, a water system rehabilitated with UNICEF support in Abu Jubayhah is now providing safe water to 25,000 people every day, and that includes 5,000 people who have been displaced.
Looking at the year so far, we and our humanitarian partners reached 12.3 million people across Sudan with at least one form of assistance between January and July. However, just 2.2 million people, or 18 per cent of those reached, received assistance across multiple sectors, which shows the impact of underfunding on our efforts to reach people where they need with what they need.
We once again call on parties to protect civilians, including health and humanitarian workers, and to facilitate safe, rapid, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian goods.
We also appeal for more money. This year's humanitarian appeal for Sudan remains 41 per cent funded only, with about $1.2 billion received against the nearly $2.9 billion that is needed.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Staying on the continent, turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, stressed today that we cannot respond incrementally to the Ebola epidemic, which is now growing exponentially.
Speaking to Member States, he called for a sustained, large-scale operation that gets ahead of the virus.
He noted that time is not on our side, but that we have the experience, we have the tools and we have people risking their own lives to stop this epidemic. What is needed now is political will, access, and resources.
Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground tell us that violence in the eastern part of the country continues to drive displacement and complicate efforts to respond to the Ebola outbreak.
Despite these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners continue to support the response which is led by the Government of the [Democratic Republic of the Congo]. The International Organization for Migration has conducted nearly 23 million health screenings in the country and neighbouring countries, helping to monitor people’s movements, detect potential cases and reduce the transmission risk across borders.
Meanwhile in Ituri, our peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) quickly deployed two rapid reaction teams to respond to clashes between Congolese Armed Forces, supported by the Ugandan army, and suspected members of the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) militia group that’s happening in Bamande in Ituri.
Given the continuing risk to the population, MONUSCO deployed a mobile operating base and placed a medical team on standby in Bamande, which is a key crossroads town.
The Mission is also expanding community-based initiatives that have helped more than 60,000 people safely access farmland and schools in Djugu territory, supporting protection efforts and helping create conditions for displaced families to return home.
**Guinea-Bissau
Last note from Africa: The Secretary-General takes note of the constitutional referendum held in Guinea-Bissau on 30 August, and that would have been Sunday. He encourages all political stakeholders to continue to commit to a peaceful, inclusive and time-bound transition to constitutional order.
He encourages an open political and civic space and the protection of fundamental freedoms in the lead up to the general elections that are scheduled on 6 December.
He welcomes the ECOWAS (Economic Commission of West African States)-led mediation process, supported by the African Union, and calls on all stakeholders to engage in good faith to advance dialogues and to reduce tension. The Secretary-General reiterates his commitment to work with regional actors, including through his Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, to build the conditions for a consensual pathway that leads to the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to Gaza, our Special Coordinator [for the Middle East Peace Process] ad interim, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, today started a three-day visit to the Gaza Strip.
In Gaza City, he visited a field hospital — operated by International Medical Corps — which regularly treats casualties from air strikes and other military attacks.
Earlier, in Khan Younis, he visited a makeshift displacement site which will be at high risk of flooding once the rainy season gets under way. Dr. Alakbarov [who is also Humanitarian Coordinator] spoke to displaced families living there, as well as our humanitarian partners leading on displacement site management and providing water and hygiene services to the site.
In Deir al Balah, he visited a desalination plant that could become difficult to access once the rains start again due to water accumulation in the area.
He said that preparing for the rains is an urgent priority. He called on donors to increase their support and also called on the Israeli authorities to ease restrictions hampering humanitarian operations, stressing that while aid agencies are ready to deliver, many more tents are needed, along with equipment, spare parts and engine oil — all of which are critical to help protect people from flooding, hypothermia and disease during the winter months.
Meanwhile, our UNICEF colleagues reported that they and their partners are working to get the Sheikh Ajleen sewage treatment facility up and running again. Before it was damaged in hostilities, it served about 700,000 people in southern Gaza.
Right now, every day, more than 150,000 cubic metres of untreated wastewater is discharged into the environment, increasing the risks of disease and contamination.
Meanwhile, yesterday, a temporary halt to desalination in Israel reduced the amount of water available to about 1 million people in Gaza who rely on the Israeli grid for water. Our partners are using alternative sources to offset the gap until the problem is resolved.
And in the West Bank, the World Food Programme tells us that funding shortfalls are forcing them to cut food assistance by half — this happens as food needs in the West Bank have more than doubled since 2023 for Palestinian civilians.
WFP said that today, an estimated 900,000 people are food insecure in the West Bank. To date, the agency has reached 400,000 of the most vulnerable people with assistance. This will be scaled back to 200,000 starting September.
**Lebanon
And moving North to Lebanon, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that access remains severely restricted in parts of the south, especially south of the Litani River.
Since the end of July, humanitarian organizations have faced major obstacles in reaching communities in and around the IDF (Israel Defense Force)-declared military area, where some 46,000 people live.
And as you all recall, that access to frontline villages is particularly difficult, with physical barriers restricting movement, making it harder to assess needs, to deliver aid and repair critical infrastructure in order to restore essential services.
Despite these constraints, we are continuing to reach communities wherever they can. Since the escalation began on 2 March, nearly 600 humanitarian movements have been facilitated by the Humanitarian Notification System.
And here as well, we continue to call for safe, timely and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need, wherever they are. Humanitarians must also be able to move safely and carry out their work in accordance with humanitarian principles.
**Afghanistan
One more note before I get to the budget, a report released today by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) shows that victims of Afghanistan’s decades-long armed conflict continue to suffer profound physical, psychological, social and economic consequences, without having access to justice, access to adequate assistance or just acknowledgement of their harm.
According to the report, almost all people interviewed, 95 per cent of them, reported emotional or psychological harm, including depression, anxiety, flashbacks and other trauma-related symptoms. Over half of the people interviewed, 58 per cent, experienced physical harm as a result of armed conflict.
**Financial Contribution
Lastly, Chris, we have a quiz.
This country operates one of the longest and heaviest trains in the world. The freight train stretches up to three kilometres long and carries minerals for over 700 kilometres over a very harsh terrain. Adventurous travellers and locals can ride on top of the ore cars for free on a journey that can take up to 18 hours in extreme conditions. Though we are not encouraging train surfing.
What country are we talking about, sorry? [responses from the crowd] No. No. Mauritania!
We thank our friends in Nouakchott for their full payment to the Regular Budget. We now have 132 fully paid-up Member States. And the Mauritanian train carried $95,369 in a three-kilometre-long train.
Edie?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. Is the Secretary-General planning to meet with either China’s Xi Jinping, India's [Narendra] Modi or Russia's Vladimir Putin before he leaves to return…?
Spokesman: No other meetings are scheduled before he leaves, though we have yet to officially announce that the Secretary-General will participate in the BRICS meeting in New Delhi in about 10 days’ time. Efrat?
Question: Thank you, Steph. I read the readout from the meeting between Secretary-General and the Iranian President. I heard your comment about their meeting today. What I haven't heard is any mention of the executions or the torture of detained protesters in Iran. Last week, we published a story about a 32-year-old psychologist who has been tortured for seven months in prison, Ahmad Saeed Allah. Did the Secretary-General raise those concerns, and is that something that is part of the agenda and a top priority? And if so, why is it not part of the readout?
Spokesman: I have nothing to add to the readout, but I can tell you that in other meetings with senior Iranian leaders in New York and other places, the Secretary-General has raised those issues directly. We have, from this podium, on behalf of the Secretary-General, condemned in no uncertain terms the use of the death penalty in Iran, as we stand against the death penalty in every country. Abdelhamid and then Georgia.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Today in Gaza, there was a military operation in which three children and one woman were killed. So, these kinds of victims are not mentioned in the briefing. It would maybe send the wrong message to Israel that they could kill and no one mentioned it.
Spokesman: I think, Abdelhamid, if you go back and look at the history of what we say in these briefings, we routinely mention the killings of civilians when we receive information and we condemn it.
Question: So, no information about what happened?
Spokesman: If I haven't received information, we haven't shared it with you. Please.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Given the ongoing meetings between the two leaders in Cyprus, what are the prospects for a 5+1 meeting in September? And how should we interpret Maria Angela Holguín’s visit to Cyprus later this week? Thank you.
Spokesman: Well, I mean, you should interpret it in the fact that she, on behalf of the Secretary-General, continues to be engaged on the Cyprus issue. We’re continuing to work with both the Greek Cypriot leadership and the Turkish Cypriot leadership on the way forward. Ms. Holguín, as you mentioned, [is planning to go to Cyprus next week]. She'll be here this week. I know she'll be meeting the Secretary-General. I think, as we've always said, any 5+1 meeting must be adequately prepared in the future. And that involves serious discussions. Okay. Yes, madame?
Question: Hi, my name is Rei from Southern Finance. Thank you so much. So with United Nations General Assembly coming up later this month, what does the Secretary-General see as a top priority for this year's General Assembly?
Spokesman: I think you will, first of all, you'll hear from the Secretary-General at some point the week after next, where he will unveil himself, his priorities. I think he will, in his remarks that he will deliver at the opening, [there] will be a big focus on power and how it is used and how it can be used in a more productive way through the multilateral system. Okay, I will leave you with the French Ambassador.