Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
8 July 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Briefing Tomorrow
Good afternoon. Chris, just a warning, there is no money quiz today, so you don't have to participate. Tomorrow, at 12:45 p.m., there will be joint press briefing here by Ambassador Aksoltan Ataeva, the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations, and Rabab Fatima, who, as you know, is the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative and head of the Office for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. They will be here to discuss the upcoming third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, that will take place in Turkmenistan from 5 to 8 August of this year.
**Secretary-General/BRICS
Meanwhile, our Secretary-General is wrapping up his visit to Rio de Janeiro, where he was attending, as you know, the BRICS Summit. He held a number of bilateral meetings today, notably with the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Li Qiang. They discussed cooperation between the United Nations and China, sustainable development, climate change and financing.
And yesterday afternoon, on the margins of the BRICS, the Secretary-General also met the Iranian Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi. The Secretary-General noted the importance of the consolidation of the ceasefire to lay the groundwork for the resumption of negotiations.
He also held a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan. They exchanged views on the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the next round of meetings on Cyprus. All of these readouts have been shared with you. The Secretary-General is leaving Rio a bit later today and will be back in New York at daybreak tomorrow.
**Bosnia and Herzegovina
This morning, the General Assembly, as you may have heard from Sharon [Birch], this morning held a ceremony in solidarity and reflection on the thirtieth anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, as mandated by the General Assembly. Courtenay Rattray, the Secretary-General's Chef de Cabinet, delivered remarks on the Secretary-General's behalf, saying that we must remember the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys who were killed at Srebrenica, and we pay tribute to the strength, to the dignity and the courage of the survivors and their families.
Thirty years ago, the Secretary-General said in his message, the United Nations and the world failed the people of Srebrenica. This collective failure, he added, was the result of policies, propaganda, and international indifference. Today, he said, we remember, and we must also confront reality. After Srebrenica, the world said — once again — "never again". Hate speech is on the rise again — fuelling discrimination, extremism, and violence. We see the glorification of war criminals. We see the same dangerous currents that once led to atrocity crimes. The Secretary-General said we cannot ignore these warning signs.
And also as a note, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, will be representing the Secretary-General at the official remembrance in Srebrenica that takes place this Friday.
**Haiti
Turning to Haiti, where our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that armed attacks in the Centre department last week displaced more than 16,000 human beings. Most have found refuge with host families, while 2 per cent of them have settled in seven informal displacement sites that were created in the wake of these incidents.
These developments reflect the continued deterioration of the security situation in Haiti, which is compounding humanitarian needs in a country where more than 1.3 million people are already internally displaced. Half of those are children. Overall, 6 million people in Haiti need humanitarian assistance, amid persistent insecurity and the gradual collapse of essential services.
Displaced women and girls face particular risks. They face severe risks to their safety, including exposure to sexual and gender-based violence, with cases reported in some displacement sites.
Despite major challenges, humanitarian partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable in Haiti. From January to March, more than 720,000 people received emergency food assistance, 25,000 people received emergency shelter kits, and 35,000 benefited from essential non-food items. Nearly 170,000 people gained access to safe drinking water, and 55,000 accessed emergency sanitation facilities.
However, as we said yesterday, the lack of funding is significantly impacting our ability and our partners' ability to meet the growing needs of the Haitian people. And, as I said, unfortunately, the Haitian humanitarian appeal remains the least funded of all of our humanitarian appeals, which are almost all underfunded. Out of the $908 million we need, we have less than $75 million in the bank. OCHA remains committed to working closely with humanitarian partners, national authorities and others to increase funding levels, coordinate the delivery of assistance, facilitate humanitarian access, and ensure that the needs of Haiti's most vulnerable people are addressed.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza, our humanitarian colleagues warn that the already catastrophic conditions on the ground are deteriorating even further. Our teams continue to receive reports of tents, schools, homes and medical facilities coming under attack, with scores of people killed or injured every single day.
OCHA warns that the fuel crisis has reached a critical point. What little fuel remains is already being used to power the most essential operations, but it's running out fast, and there are virtually no additional accessible stocks left. Hospitals are rationing. Ambulances are stalling. Water systems are on the brink. And the deaths this is likely to cause could soon rise sharply unless the Israeli authorities allow new fuel to get in, and none has come in in the last few months, as we have said. We need fuel urgently and we need it in large quantities to power the most essential parts, notably water desalination, hospitals and telecommunications.
Today, the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order for parts of Khan Younis — specifically ordering the displacement of those staying in tents. An initial review of a map published with the order suggests it also includes areas that have not been subjected to displacement orders since before the last ceasefire, which, as you will recall, ended in March.
Even the smaller areas where people are being forced to concentrate, now down to about 15 per cent of the Strip and shrinking, are fragmented. They lack even the most basic infrastructure and services, and remain extremely unsafe. We cannot forget that between our daily reports to you, families are trying to survive this nightmare, they are trying to protect their children to the extent possible, and search for whatever minimal food exists. The issuance of a displacement order does not relieve any party from the imperative to spare civilians, including those who are unable or unwilling to move.
Yesterday, our colleagues at the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the protection of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, warning that the hospital is overwhelmed with trauma injuries — double its capacity — and has effectively turned into one large trauma ward.
In a video message he sent from the hospital, our friend Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO's representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the facility is running critically low on trauma supplies, essential medicines, equipment and fuel. He also noted that staff are exhausted.
OCHA reports that humanitarian movements inside Gaza remain heavily restricted. Yesterday, out of 12 attempts to coordinate such movements with the Israeli security authorities, only 4 were fully facilitated and just 1 of those involved the delivery of supplies. Another four attempts were denied outright, blocking efforts to evacuate patients, recover broken trucks or remove debris. The remaining four were initially approved, but then faced impediments on the ground, ultimately undermining the teams' ability to carry out their missions as planned.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, where our humanitarian colleagues on the ground said that yesterday's attacks in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia caused multiple civilian casualties and extensive damages to civilian infrastructure. According to what local authorities are telling us, nearly 60 people were injured in the morning attacks which sparked fires in residential areas.
Today, a UN-led convoy delivered 10 metric tons of aid, including hygiene kits and shelter materials, to communities in the region of Mykolaiv, in the south of the country. We and our partners continue to support the humanitarian response across Ukraine, and from January to May this year, nearly 460 humanitarian partners reached 3.5 million people out of the 6 million people we hope to reach this year.
Our colleagues at UNHCR tell us that they continue to undertake durable house repairs of homes that have been damaged by the war, which is a key enabler for families and communities to begin the path towards recovery. UNHCR reached a major milestone with more than 40,000 homes damaged by the war repaired, enabling families to return or remain in their communities. Beyond durable repairs, since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, UNHCR has also supported some 470,000 people with emergency shelter materials kits, including tarpaulin and wood and nails to put in the wood.
And as a reminder, the $2.6 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Ukraine is currently 32 per cent funded with only $848 million in that bank account.
**South Sudan
Turning to South Sudan, as the country approaches 14 years of independence, our peacekeeping colleagues reaffirmed our support to South Sudan and to the people of South Sudan. They added that this year's Independence Day, which is 9 July, presents a renewed opportunity for South Sudan's leaders to prioritize the rights, the dignity, and the safety of all citizens by returning to consensus-based decision-making.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) added that now, more than ever, collective action is needed to reduce tensions, to resolve political differences and to make tangible progress in implementing peace. UNMISS urges everyone in the country to unite in the spirit of compromise and redouble efforts towards stability and security.
And on the humanitarian front, the country is facing a rapidly expanding cholera outbreak, impacting thousands of people across the country. The Ministry of Health is telling our humanitarian colleagues on the ground, nearly 80,000 cases and more than 1,400 deaths have been reported since the end of September last year. The crisis has evolved into a complex emergency, driven by flooding, displacement and limited access to the most basic services. The Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho, took part in a meeting yesterday with the Government to coordinate the response to what is now the worst cholera outbreak in South Sudan's history.
We and our partners are working with the Government to pre-position life-saving supplies, maintain essential health and nutrition services, expand disease surveillance and early warning systems, and improve access to safe water and hygiene. We are also working to scale up cholera vaccinations, facilitate humanitarian access, and mobilize resources.
The next eight weeks will be critical to containing the outbreak and saving lives as the peak of the rainy season is approaching — bringing widespread flooding, and making humanitarian access to areas of acute need even more difficult. While we and our partners continue to deliver oral cholera vaccines and other urgent, life-saving assistance across South Sudan, the ability to scale up the response is severely constrained by funding shortfalls. A story we hear many times during the briefing: The South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, which seeks $1.69 billion, is only 22 per cent funded with $368 million received.
**Somalia
From Somalia, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that funding cuts are taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable people in that country. The country faces an already difficult food security situation, with some 4.6 million human beings facing high acute food insecurity across the country and 1.8 million children under the age of five expected to be acutely malnourished this year. Our partners report that food assistance has dropped more than 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Across Somalia, more than 150 clinics have been impacted in the first half of this year, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to the most basic healthcare. Funding for water and sanitation programmes stands at just 6.5 per cent of what is required.
And just a few examples from the country: In the Middle Shabelle region, more than 28 nutrition sites could be closed by the end of this month. The closures will significantly affect nutrition services for vulnerable children, pregnant and nursing mothers in a region that has one of the highest malnutrition rates in Somalia.
In Banadir, more than 12,700 malnourished children, including more than 1,100 suffering from severe acute malnutrition and at risk of death, will soon lose life-saving treatment as 20 supplementary feeding sites face imminent closure.
In the South West State, mobile outreach health teams have dropped from 74 last year to just 25 currently. In Puntland State, 79 health facilities, including all 29 public health units have ceased functioning since the start of the year. Humanitarian agencies have had to reprioritize their activities based on this lack of funding.
The $1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia is just over 15 per cent funded, with only $222 million in the bank. The Food Security and Nutrition sectors are only 5 and 3 per cent funded, respectively. We, of course, are all extremely concerned that without urgent and sustained funding, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia will only deepen, leading to preventable suffering and loss of life. On that note, Edie then Dezhi.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants issued today for two top Taliban leaders, accusing them of persecuting women and girls in Afghanistan and alleging crimes against humanity?
Spokesman: Well, as you know and as I've said many times before, the ICC is independent from the Secretary-General. We respect their work. We respect their independence, and we call on all countries, in fact, to respect their work. As for Afghanistan, as you know, we have been very vocal both from the political standpoint and our human rights colleagues, on the repeated and constant violations of the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Question: And secondly, the Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked another ship in the Red Sea today after the sinking of a ship they attacked last week. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on that?
Spokesman: Yeah. I mean, we continue to be very worried and concerned about the escalation that we're seeing. We, of course, condemn the hitting by the Houthis of commercial vessels in the Red Sea and call on them to fully respect Security Council resolution 2768 (2025), which specifically mentions that. Dezhi and then Miriam.
Question: Couple of questions first on Gaza. You said that OCHA warns the fuel crisis has been very critical now. Just wondering what is the UN operation now in Gaza look like if you have a very critical fuel there?
Spokesman: Well, you know, we are stretching what we have, right? There are two main problems. One, new fuel is just not coming in, right? And second, some of the fuel that's left in the reserves and the depots are difficult to access, and we need to coordinate every movement with the Israeli authorities. As you know, that is not successful every time. I mean, one of the direct impacts, I think, as we've said not too long ago, is the big reduction in ambulances that are able to work that belong to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. It puts our work it makes our difficult work even more challenging, because we have to ration fuel ourselves in terms of fuel that's used for vehicles and generators and everything else that we need.
Question: So, up to this day, what kind of operations does the UN still do?
Spokesman: We talk about it every day. It's opportunistic. You know, we get, I mean, Doctor Peeperkorn was able to go to Al Nasser hospital, but the amount of work that demands just to go to that place, right, the amount of effort and administrative and bureaucratic effort it takes to just mount a mission, to move people around or to distribute food. So, there is, we are...
Question: You're still distributing food.
Spokesman: We're doing whatever we can trying to get medical supplies, trying to get food, but it's not even a drop in the bucket.
Question: Okay. Second... I'm sorry. Secondly, yesterday, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu said he nominated President [Donald J.] Trump for Nobel Prize. Just want to ask, what would the UN support that nomination or against it?
Spokesman: I've got enough stuff to get into. I'm not going to start commenting on who's getting nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Miriam?
Question: Thank you, Steph. A follow-up on ICC order today. With the ICC order to arrest the Taliban leaders, would that impact UN negotiations or Doha Process that UN is having right now?
Spokesman: I think we need to be able to do multiple things at one. First of all, we fully respect the ICC. Our work with the ICC is based on an agreement that we have. Within that agreement, we can continue to have contact with certain people that are indicted by the ICC for purely operational reasons. It is very important that all Member States respect the work of the ICC, especially those who are party to the Rome Statute. And we need to also continue in whatever way we can with the political process that will improve the lives of all Afghans and especially improve the life of Afghan women and girls.
Question: Another question on, sorry, another question on the SG's meeting with the Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran. Did they talk about suspension of IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] cooperation, that Iran suspended that?
Spokesman: I don't have anything more than what's in the readout, but I can tell you that the Secretary-General has consistently called on Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA.
Question: Okay. Another question on Afghanistan refugees deported from Iran. The situation is dire. A lot of violence is happening inside Iran and at the border during the deportation. No food, no water and no place for the refugees who have been recently deported to live inside Afghanistan.
Spokesman: Yeah. I think our colleagues at UNHCR have been very vocal in pointing out the very real human challenges, right? The fact that we've had some refugees deported back to a country that can barely absorb them, where they may not have the resources to survive and where the rights of many, including women and girls, continue to be violated. Michelle, and then Gabriel.
Question: Thanks, Steph. Question on Gaza. Can you, just going back to some of the accusations that have been made against the UN by Israel and others that Hamas has stolen and diverted aid: Are there any investigations going on? Is Israel talking or the UN and Israel talking about it? Can you just give us an update on that?
Spokesman: I'm not aware... I mean, listen. Let me put it this way. We have operational contact with Israel all the time because we need to and because we have to, right? There's no way to get around it. It's important that we have those contacts. I think we have been extremely transparent and open when our trucks have been hijacked by armed gunmen. And as I've said here, it is difficult to ask our truck drivers to ask someone who's pointing an AK-47 at them who they're representing, right? Whether it is criminal gangs, armed groups, we don't know, right? We've also seen and been very transparent about cases of what I've been referring to as self-distribution, where just hungry people see a flatbed truck with flour and take what they can and what they want because they need to, and they don't know when the next truck is coming through. We have done our utmost to ensure that all aid goes directly to people who need it. We were able to do that during the ceasefire and before, and we want to be able to continue to do that.
Question: So, I guess on that note, is there any in some database somewhere in the UN, is there at least a figure for, like, how many trucks have been looted, how many were self-distributed?
Spokesman: I mean, I would check with some of the agencies who I'm sure track that. Gabriel?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Do you have any more on Ian Martin's strategic review of UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]?
Spokesman: Yes. It's in the process of being distributed to Member States.
Question: Okay. And would you release that when it comes out?
Spokesman: It's not going to be an official document.
Question: Okay. Thank you. And in the Secretary-General's remarks on the Srebrenica genocide that were delivered on his behalf, he said [that], 30 years ago, the UN and the world failed the people of Srebrenica. This collective failure was not an accident of history. When it comes to the Secretary-General's legacy 30 years from now and looking at a conflict, one of the many conflicts he's had that have happened during his term, one being Gaza, how do you think that he, 30 years from now, might characterize the situation in Gaza?
Spokesman: Look. I think it's hard to predict how it will be characterized, because we don't know how it will end. We do know what is going on now. And I think people looking back and looking at this Secretary-General's own action will, I hope, see someone who has remained consistent and principled in his position on Gaza. Alex?
Question: Thanks, Steph. First of all, yesterday's meeting between the Secretary-General and Russia's [Sergey V.] Lavrov. Maybe have a readout?
Spokesman: They... I mean, the Secretary-General told me they had a quick conversation just on the sidelines.
Question: Any specific topics? All right, secondly, I'm wondering if you have any comments on the reported arrest of Armenian clergy and growing pressure on the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Spokesman: Yes. We have seen what some of the events in Armenia [are], and we do hope that the situation gets resolved within the framework of due process. Okay. Speaking of due process, I'm releasing myself from your hold.
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