Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
7 July 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Secretary-General/BRICS
Good afternoon. Where is the Secretary-General? [Response from the crowd: "Rio!"] Rio, exactly, the Secretary-General is in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, where he is attending the seventeenth Summit of the BRICS countries. This morning, addressing an outreach session on "Environment, COP30 and global health", Mr. [António] Guterres warned that our environment is being attacked on all fronts.
The Secretary-General pointed out that across the world, lives and livelihoods are being ripped apart and sustainable development gains left in tatters as disasters accelerate. He said that the most vulnerable and the poorer pay the highest price and stressed that we need to tackle the point where climate and health meet.
The Secretary-General emphasized we need Governments to build on the progress of last year's biodiversity COP (Conference of Parties), particularly reaching an ambitious agreement on finance, adding that we need to make COP30 a success, and as you know COP30 will be held in Brazil this year.
Yesterday, addressing an outreach session on "Strengthening multilateralism, economic-financial affairs and artificial intelligence", the Secretary-General said that artificial intelligence is reshaping economies and societies, and that the fundamental test is how wisely we guide this transformation.
The Secretary-General also emphasized that AI cannot be a club of the few, but must benefit all, and in particular, developing countries, which must have a real voice in the governance of artificial intelligence. Both remarks were shared with you.
The Secretary-General is also expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings with some leaders who are attending BRICS. We will share the readouts with you as we receive them.
**Deputy Secretary-General
Meanwhile, our Deputy Secretary-General, over the weekend, was representing the Secretary-General at the official commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Independence of Cabo Verde.
Today, she is in The Gambia, where she met with President Adama Barrow and other senior Government officials to strengthen the relationship between the United Nations and the Gambia. She also discussed with him national efforts to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Deputy Secretary-General is currently meeting with youth and women stakeholders, and she is expected to highlight the importance of investing in youth skills and women's economic empowerment as a strategic lever for advancing the SDGs.
Tomorrow, she will travel to Cameroon to also represent the Secretary-General, and this time she will be representing him at the International Conference on the Sustainable Blue Economy in the Gulf of Guinea.
**Texas
As you saw this morning, we issued a statement saying that the Secretary-General was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life, notably of a large number of children, caused by the recent floods that we have seen in Texas.
The Secretary-General added that what should have been a time of celebration is now a tragic moment.
The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his solidarity with all those impacted, the people of Texas and the Government of the United States.
**Ukraine/Russia
Over the weekend, we also issued a statement in which the Secretary-General strongly condemned the latest series of large-scale drone and missile attacks by the Russian Federation, reportedly the largest in three years of war. These strikes disrupted the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, once again underlining the ongoing risks to nuclear facilities.
The Secretary-General is alarmed by this dangerous escalation and the growing number of civilian casualties. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately.
The Secretary-General reiterated his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine as a first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
**Ukraine
Further on Ukraine, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that drones and strikes have killed and injured dozens of civilians in both urban and front-line areas in recent days.
Authorities report that 30 civilians were killed and another 175 injured following strikes across Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, as well as front-line locations. At least seven children are among the casualties. Homes and schools were also damaged.
Humanitarian organizations provided immediate assistance, including hot meals, and emergency shelter material. They also distributed hygiene items and shelter kits and offered mental health and psychosocial support.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that more Palestinians were reportedly killed over the weekend while attempting to get to food. Partners tell us that several hospitals are overwhelmed, as they saw a surge in patients injured while seeking aid.
We again clearly condemn the killing of all civilians.
A recent assessment by the World Food Programme (WFP) shows nearly one out of every three people has not eaten for days in Gaza, placing more people at risk of starvation. The World Food Programme's Deputy Executive Director [and Chief Operating Officer], Carl Skau, visited Gaza City last week to speak with families and assess the humanitarian situation. He described the situation as the worst he's ever seen, with people dying just trying to get food. We hope to have Mr. Skau here to speak to you later this week or soon after.
OCHA reiterates that, in the face of massive and ever-increasing humanitarian needs, the Israeli authorities must open all available crossings, fully facilitate humanitarian access inside Gaza, and protect civilians, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, for the fourth straight month now, the Israeli authorities have not allowed any fuel to enter Gaza. Virtually all of our remaining fuel has been allocated to life-saving efforts. Service providers such as hospitals have been rationing supplies, but this cannot sustain life-saving operations for much longer.
The absence of accessible fuel means no ambulances, no electricity for hospitals, and no clean water for anyone. Fuel is a lifeline in Gaza, and Israeli authorities must allow this commodity to enter without any further delay.
Today, we and our partners working in telecommunications warned that Gaza could suffer from an Internet blackout imminently, due to the shortage of fuel.
Meanwhile, yesterday, Israeli authorities issued another displacement order for parts of Khan Younis — for the second time in two days. Our colleagues estimate that more than 50,000 people are in the areas slated for displacement.
We remind you that since the end of the ceasefire in March, more than 700,000 human beings have been displaced in Gaza. Many have been displaced more than once, and they have no safe place to go. Overcrowding is particularly acute in Al Mawasi and other coastal areas.
Yesterday, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a social media post that amid food scarcity and soaring malnutrition, women continue to bear the immense burden of finding food to feed their families. Most women report depression or suffer from nightmares and anxiety.
Yesterday, Israeli authorities denied three out of eight coordination attempts, hindering our teams' ability to carry out critical operations. We call for immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid can reach people across Gaza, including in the north.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, and the appalling humanitarian situation in the besieged city of El Fasher, our humanitarian colleagues are warning that those who remain in El Fasher face extreme shortages of food and clean water, while markets have been repeatedly disrupted. Most water infrastructure in the area has either been destroyed or rendered non-functional due to lack of maintenance or fuel to run generators.
A recent assessment by our humanitarian partners together with local authorities found that 38 per cent of children under the age of 5 in El Fasher are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 11 per cent with severe acute malnutrition. The breakdown of water and sanitation services, combined with low vaccination coverage, has sharply increased the risk of disease outbreaks.
And as you will recall, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, has held a series of calls last week for an urgent humanitarian pause for the city of El Fasher.
As you well know, North Darfur has been the epicentre of clashes since the onset of Sudan's conflict now more than two years ago. Just in April and May of this year, nearly half a million people were displaced from El Fasher town and Zamzam camp, where famine conditions have been confirmed since last August.
About three quarters of the camp's population fled to locations across Tawila, where we and our partners have scaled up the much-needed humanitarian assistance.
And just to note that since April 2023, an estimated 780,000 human beings have been displaced from El Fasher town and the nearby Zamzam displacement camp, that's what the International Organization for Migration has said.
Elsewhere in Darfur, cholera is on the rise. Last week, our humanitarian partners reported more than 300 suspected cases, including more than two dozen deaths, in South Darfur state alone. So far this year, more than 32,000 suspected cases have been reported across Sudan by local authorities. Conflict and collapsing infrastructure continue to drive the spread of the disease and impede response efforts. More resources are urgently needed to curb the outbreak.
Humanitarian needs continue to far outpace available resources. The 2025 humanitarian response plan, seeking $4.2 billion to help some 21 million of the most vulnerable people across Sudan is just over 21 per cent funded, with $896 million in the bank to date.
We once again call on all parties to protect civilians and enable safe and sustained humanitarian access. We also urge donors to step up in their efforts. Those who have pledged to turn those pledges into cash and those who have not pledged to just give us cash directly. Without additional and timely funding, the lives of millions of people in Sudan will continue to hang in a very precarious balance.
**South Sudan
Just South in South Sudan, our colleagues at the World Food Programme (WFP) say that they have begun airdropping emergency food assistance to thousands of people in the Upper Nile State, where surging conflict since March has pushed some communities to the brink of famine.
These distributions mark WFP's first access in over four months to deliver much-needed food and nutrition assistance to more than 40,000 people facing catastrophic hunger in the most remote parts of Nasir and Ulang counties in the state. These areas are only accessible by air.
More than 1 million people across Upper Nile are estimated to be facing acute hunger, including over 30,000 people who are already experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger, which is the highest level of food insecurity on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale (IPC5).
This figure has tripled since armed conflict flared in March, triggering mass displacement, including across the border into Ethiopia where WFP is already providing food aid to around 50,000 people who have fled from Upper Nile State due to the conditions there.
Nationwide, 7.7 million people in South Sudan, which is about 57 per cent of the population, are facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger. An unprecedented 2.3 million children are at risk of malnutrition — 2.3 million children.
Unfortunately, a global funding slowdown is worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in the country. WFP urgently needs $274 million to continue its aid operations through December.
It warns that if we cannot get food to people, hunger will deepen, and famine is a real and present threat.
**Syria
Turning to Syria, our humanitarian colleagues there tells us that, following devastating wildfires in the governorate of Lattakia, we and our humanitarian partners are ready to support the response led by the Syrian interim authorities.
UN teams are on the ground conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify immediate humanitarian needs.
The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Adam Abdelmoula, yesterday commended the extraordinary courage and dedication of firefighters and first responders. He also said that we are committed to support local authorities to provide timely and principled assistance to all impacted communities.
In the past week, to give you some scope of the problem, wildfires have scorched wide swathes of forested and agricultural land across 60 communities in northern rural Lattakia, damaging civilian infrastructure and disrupting essential services. Hundreds of families have been forced to flee their homes.
Though efforts to contain the fires continue, progress is being hindered by high winds, droughts, rugged terrain and the presence of unexploded ordnance.
**Haiti
Turning to Haiti, and closer to these shores, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that essential services in the town of Belladère, on the border with the Dominican Republic, are coming under growing strain as more people seek shelter there, including displaced families and deported migrants.
Nearly half of the more than 121,000 Haitians deported by the Dominican Republic into Haiti since the beginning of the year have crossed through Belladère, placing severe pressure on already overstretched reception facilities on the Haitian side of the border.
During a joint mission on 28 June, led by OCHA and UN agencies and our partners, our teams witnessed the growing challenges that families and unaccompanied children are facing as they arrive at the border.
Families displaced by violence in the nearby commune of Mirebalais have also sought refuge in Belladère.
We and our humanitarian partners are providing hot meals, cash assistance, protection services, and medical supplies, but the scale of needs continues to outpace available resources.
Immediate priorities include expanding capacity at reception sites, ensuring the protection of unaccompanied and separated children, and strengthening the support for vulnerable deported migrants and displaced families.
Severe underfunding continues to hamper the response. The 2025 Haiti Humanitarian Response Plan is the least funded of all humanitarian plans globally, and as you know they are all pretty underfunded, if not extremely. More than halfway through the year, we have received less than $75 million — there are apartments for sale in New York for more than $75 million — that's just 8 per cent of the $908 million we need.
The lack of money severely limits our partners' efforts to scale up life-saving assistance in high-risk areas like Belladère.
**Myanmar
Turning to Myanmar, which as you will recall, was hit by two powerful earthquakes 100 days ago, our humanitarian partners have delivered aid to 1 million people since then, reaching 57 per cent of the target population so far. While the earthquake response is transitioning from emergency to early recovery, significant humanitarian needs remain unmet, and sustained assistance is critical.
Relief efforts for the earthquakes are hampered by funding shortfalls and access constraints. Only half of the $275 million required for the response has been received to date. For the shelter response, the consequences have been especially devastating; less than 5 per cent of the shelter needs have been met due to a lack of money.
Access limitations further hinder the ability of aid workers to reach those in need. Our humanitarian partners must be granted safe and sustained access to affected communities whenever and wherever they are.
With communities still struggling to recover from the earthquakes, monsoon rains have started, and the risk of renewed flooding threatens to push already vulnerable communities deeper into crisis. Last year alone, an estimated 1 million people were impacted by floods in Myanmar, many of them in the same regions that are reeling from the earthquakes now. Without urgent investment in preparedness and action to mitigate the risks, the window to prevent further suffering could soon close.
At the same time, the unilateral ceasefires announced during the earthquake expired on 30 June without renewal, resulting in a further escalation of violence. Attacks in multiple states and regions have resulted in reports of death, injury and displacement. We continue to call for all parties to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law to protect civilians and infrastructure.
**Kiswahili Language Day
Two quizzes today. If I say Hakuna Matata, what language day is it today? Kiswahili. Yes!
Today is World Kiswahili Language Day. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa and the world. How many people are estimated to speak Kiswahili throughout the world? 200 million.
**Financial Contribution
Now, a money quiz for you. This country has the oldest known dam in the world. It's called the Jawa Dam. No Googling.
It's carbon dating puts initial construction of this dam at approximately 3500 BC. [Response from the crowd: "Jordan."] Yes, Jordan.
We thank our friends in Amman, not only for their generosity, but for their engineering skills.
With Jordan's payment, we now have 114 fully paid-up Member States.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Edie. Oh, sorry, and then, Lenka, sorry, I didn't even see you. Okay, go ahead.
Question: Steph, the latest ceasefire proposal for Gaza has been very widely reported. And one of the key elements is the United Nations resuming the distribution of aid to Palestinians. Has the United Nations been informed that this is one of the proposals, and how prepared is it?
Spokesman: We're prepared. We finalized our plans, our preparations to scale up humanitarian activities and humanitarian distribution and to seize the opportunity that a ceasefire would bring. We obviously would more than welcome a ceasefire, as we've been calling from one since the last one ended, and we would welcome the ability to renew our humanitarian work.
Question: Has the United Nations been informed about this?
Spokesman: We are not at the talks in Doha, but we're keeping in touch. Lenka?
Question: Thank you very much, Steph. Can you please confirm that Secretary-General is attending ASEAN (Association of Southdast Asian Nations) and that he's going to have a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov?
Spokesman: ASEAN? In the fall?
Question: No, now. This week.
Spokesman: No. He's not going to ASEAN. No. He's in Rio with the BRICS. He traditionally goes to the ASEAN meetings, which are usually held in the fall.
Question: Thank you.
Spokesman: Okay. Dezhi and then Gabriel.
Question: Edie asked my first question. So, second, Russia just formally recognized Taliban government in Afghanistan. Any response from Secretary-General on this?
Spokesman: The issue of recognition is a bilateral issue between those who recognize each other. For ourselves, our work in Afghanistan remains unchanged as mandated by the Security Council.
Question: In the related news that US just revoked its terrorist designation of Hayat Tharir Al-Sham, HTS of Syria — any response from the Secretary-General?
Spokesman: I hadn't particularly seen that report yet, so I'll hold off on comment for now.
Question: The HTS one was mine as well, but we'll get to it tomorrow, maybe. On fuel in Gaza, we've been hearing for many days now — actually many weeks — on there's not enough fuel to power what's needed to help people. So how much fuel is left in Gaza right now?
Spokesman: It's a matter of stretching what we have. I mean, you know, a rubber band can be stretched and stretched. At some point, it will break. At some point, there will be no more fuel. Right now, we are very much down on our reserves. But not only... it's a twofold issue. One is no fuel is coming in. And the other, it remains a challenge for us sometimes, quite often, to pick up the fuel from the depots, because that demands coordination with the Israeli authorities, which is very often the challenge.
Question: And on Gaza, I mean, you talk about it every day at the podium. We read about it every day — about dozens of people being killed every single day. It has not stopped at all. What does the Secretary-General feel is the next step here, if I may, or where is this going to go?
Spokesman: I mean, the next step is a ceasefire. The next step is to see a stop to the fighting. The next step is to see the renewed humanitarian aid, done by the United Nations or others based on the principles that we all know. And the next step is also the release of all the hostages. Okay. Yes, Denis?
Question: So I have two questions about BRICS Summit. So first, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told that he had a conversation with Secretary-General. Could you outline main topics of this?
Spokesman: Let me check because I don't know if they had an official bilateral meeting. I'm not surprised that the two of them had a conversation on the sidelines. I haven't spoken to Secretary-General this morning. As soon as I get a bit of readout, I will share that with you.
Question: And second question, President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened to impose 10 per cent tariffs to the countries that support BRICS policy. So how does that correspond with multilateralism principle? Is it in violation?
Spokesman: Well, I think our basic position is clear; the Secretary-General said it himself directly to you. There are no winners in a trade war, right? Okay. Any questions online? Otherwise, I see no hands in the room, and I just see me leaving. See you tomorrow.
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