Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
26 August 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
**Artificial Intelligence
Alright, good afternoon. I'll start off with a statement reacting to what Sharon [Birch] just said, and this is on the decision by the General Assembly on a new artificial intelligence governance institution within the UN.
The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the General Assembly's decision to establish two new mechanisms within the United Nations to promote international cooperation on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI).
The establishment of the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance marks a significant step forward in global efforts to harness the benefits of artificial intelligence while addressing its risks. This path-breaking milestone underlines Member States' commitment to build on the Global Digital Compact, adopted as part of the Pact for the Future in September 2024.
The Global Dialogue on AI Governance will provide an inclusive platform within the United Nations for states and stakeholders to discuss the critical issues concerning artificial intelligence facing humanity today.
The Scientific Panel on AI will serve as a crucial bridge between cutting-edge AI research and policy-making. By providing rigorous, independent scientific assessments, it will help the international community to anticipate emerging challenges and make informed decisions about how we govern this transformative technology.
The Secretary-General will shortly be launching an open call for nominations for the Scientific Panel, which will present its annual reports at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance to take place in July 2026 in Geneva and in 2027 in New York. You can already mark your calendars.
The Secretary-General calls on all stakeholders to support this historic initiative and contribute to building a future where artificial intelligence serves the common good of all humanity.
**Sudan
This morning, the Secretary-General was on the phone, and he spoke with Kamil El-Tayeb Idris, the Transitional Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sudan, as well as the protection of civilians and humanitarian access. I think we've been updating you regularly on the tragic humanitarian situation in Sudan, notably in El-Fasher, which both the Secretary-General and Mr. Idris discussed. They focused on the dire humanitarian situation in El-Fasher, caused by the continued encirclement and bombardments.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cites a report today from the Ministry of Health that another three people have died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of such reported deaths to 303, including 117 children.
At the same time, the Israeli military has issued a new displacement order covering approximately one square kilometre in Gaza City's Ad Daraj and Ash Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods.
People continue to flee in fear for their lives, seeking safety wherever possible. Between 14 August, when the offensive on Gaza City was announced — and yesterday, partners tracking population movements recorded more than 36,200 displacements, including over 11,600 from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.
The majority of displaced people came from neighbourhoods in Gaza City, with more than two thirds moving to Deir al Balah and nearly a third heading to Khan Younis. And as you know, the majority of people in Gaza have been displaced more than once.
Turning to the health situation, yesterday, hospitals in Gaza warned of severe shortages of blood units, with daily needs exceeding 350 units. With many patients critically injured by hostilities, more blood is needed to save lives, yet community donations have plummeted due to famine and malnutrition. The Ministry of Health in Gaza has issued an urgent appeal to replenish blood stocks in hospitals.
Meanwhile, obstructions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the flow of aid into and within the Gaza Strip continue to constrain delivery of life-saving assistance by the UN and its partners. Yesterday, 6 out of 12 planned missions that required coordination with the Israeli authorities were facilitated; most of them were to move supplies into and within southern Gaza and collect fuel from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing.
Another three missions to collect cargo from that crossing as well as Zikim were impeded and therefore only partially accomplished, while two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers. One mission to carry out road repairs in Khan Younis was denied outright by the Israeli authorities.
Our humanitarian colleagues stress that with famine now confirmed in Gaza governorate, the humanitarian consequences of ongoing hostilities, displacement, and aid obstruction are even more devastating. We urgently call for an immediate ceasefire and full, unhindered humanitarian access across the Gaza Strip to bring an end to the suffering of civilians and an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
**Ukraine
On Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues have updated us on the situation there as well and they tell us that more civilians have been killed and injured following hostilities and attacks across the country these past days. Damage has also been reported to schools and energy infrastructure.
The Donetsk region was the most impacted, and the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia were also affected.
Aid organizations are mobilized and have distributed repair materials, hot meals and drinks, and are providing psychological support.
Meanwhile, humanitarians continue to support people fleeing hostilities in the regions of Donetsk and Dnipro. Between 22 and 25 August, more than 2,000 people, including many children, were evacuated from the Donetsk region. With growing pressure on the transit site in the town of Pavlohrad, authorities and aid organizations opened new facilities in the village of Voloske, Dnipro region, and the town of Lozova, Kharkiv region.
Evacuees receive medical and psychosocial support, hot meals, water and hygiene supplies, and can register for cash assistance before moving on to safer areas. Humanitarians are also supporting arrivals in other parts of the country.
**Security Council
And this afternoon, at 4 p.m., the Security Council will convene for a briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security. Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Political and Peacebuilding Department, will brief Council members.
**Deputy Secretary-General's Travel
Yesterday, our Deputy Secretary-General was in Nigeria where she addressed the inaugural African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit that took place in Abuja. She called for a new era of strategic regional defence collaboration. She stressed that sustainable development and peace and security are mutually reinforcing, underscoring that development remains the most effective deterrent to insecurity. She urged coordinated action to confront terrorism, climate change, cyber threats, and disinformation.
**Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Also I just want to flag two other items, one from the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) which revealed today in a joint report that one out of four people living on this planet — that's 2.1 billion human beings globally — still lack access to safely managed drinking water, putting them at risk of disease and deeper social exclusion.
Billions of others also still lack safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services at home.
People living in the least developed countries are the most affected communities. These inequalities, however, are especially stark for girls, who often bear the brunt of water collection and face additional barriers during menstruation.
The report calls for accelerated action if we are to keep our promise to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
**Thailand
And also, I can tell you that we join our colleagues at the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to commend the adoption by the Thai Government of a resolution that will grant long-staying refugees from Myanmar the right to work in Thailand.
This resolution recognizes the protracted situation of some 81,000 forcibly displaced people hosted in temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar border. The new policy will enable refugees to work legally in the country and to contribute meaningfully to the Thai economy.
Many of these refugees have been living in camps for decades and are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid. Around 47 per cent of them were born in temporary shelters.
UNHCR said that building on Thailand's 50-year legacy and leadership in hosting refugees, this new policy, if fully implemented, will set a new regional benchmark for a sustainable, rights-based refugee solution that could serve as a model for other countries facing similar challenges.
That's it. Abdelhamid and then Amelie.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. Are you aware that Israel today... [...] They invaded Ramallah, and they went to the heart of Ramallah, and at least 15 Palestinians were wounded. Do you have any...?
Spokesman: Yeah. I mean, we're just seeing these reports. I can tell you that we're concerned about these operations and the way they were conducted in the West Bank.
Question: My second question about the response of Israel to the peace proposal. The spokesman for Qatari foreign ministry, Majdi Al Ansari, said that we're still waiting for the response of Israel, although Hamas accepted the proposal 10 days ago. What is your take on that?
Spokesman: Well, as you know, we are not directly involved in the negotiations. The Secretary-General has been kept regularly informed of what is going on. But obviously, it needs... as we've said repeatedly, we need to see the leaders of Israel, the leaders of Hamas to find the political courage to agree on a plan for a ceasefire that will lead to everything we've been talking about, and we hope that will happen. Amelie?
Question: Thanks, Steph. On the AI panel, so the SG will launch the appeal for candidates to apply. Do you have any kind of timeline of when he will recommend the names until? [cross-talk]
Spokesman: I don't have an exact timeline. I know he's keen on moving quickly on this. The letters will go out, and I'm sure there'll be details to the timeframe. But as I said, the next meeting, I think, will take place within a year, so things will move quickly. And I think Secretary-General has in the past moved as swiftly as possible within this organization on AI matters. Edie Lederer?
Question: Thank you, Steph. There was a major protest today in Israel led by hostage families demanding a ceasefire. Is this the kind of action that the Secretary-General would support in hopes of getting a ceasefire more quickly?
Spokesman: Far from the Secretary-General to involve himself in domestic Israeli policies. I refer you to what I just said to Abdelhamid, which he hopes that there is a solution, that there is a ceasefire, that we see humanitarian aid flow, that we see hostage families reunited with their loved ones, that we see the return of a political path, that we see the people of Gaza being afforded the ability to hope again, right? And I can tell you that, on the hostage issues, the Secretary-General has very often met with hostage families, and he's been following this very closely. Dezhi?
Question: Yesterday, the Secretary-General urged for an independent investigation on the Nasser Hospital strike. Today, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) released their initial findings on that strike. They claimed that they neutralized six Hamas terrorists and one camera. Does the Secretary-General think this is a good start with the finding?
Spokesman: Look. I think there will be a good start when there's accountability for those who have lost their lives, your colleagues, the medical workers and all other civilians.
Question: Why there's always Hamas? Last time when the journalist from Al Jazeera got killed, the Israeli accused Hamas, and this time there's Hamas. So is this like a scapegoat in this conflict?
Spokesman: This is a question for a seasoned Middle East analyst. It's not for me to answer these questions and to comment on these things. I think our position has been very clear.
Question: Okay. Let me let me ask you for one last comment. Does the Secretary-General have any comment of the intention of President [Donald] Trump to change Department of Defence to Department of War?
Spokesman: No. We try to stay away from domestic politics inasmuch as we can in most countries. We don't always succeed, but we try. All right. Yes, Sinan.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. In recent days, the Supreme Court of Iran confirmed the death sentence of Kurdish activist Sharifa Mohammadi. So the Kurdistan National Congress Women's Commission basically published an article, and they are saying they respectfully call on the United Nations and UN-Women to urge Islamic Republic of Iran to impose an immediate moratorium on all executions and to release human rights defenders, Sharifa Mohammadi, and all other political prisoners. So the question is, does Secretary-General going to, like, make an urgent call or has any message for Iranian regime?
Spokesman: I think we have been very public, both from this podium and in reports by our human rights colleagues, on our deep concern of the continued use of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as we have in other countries that continue to use this as a punishment. We call on all countries to enact an immediate moratorium on the death penalty. Okay. No questions online? See, when I come early, fewer questions.
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