Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
8 September 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
**Briefings tomorrow
All right, so a couple of programming notes for tomorrow. Tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m., there will be a briefing here on the launch of the Secretary-General's report entitled The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future. That is of the report mandated by the Pact for the Future.
The Secretary-General will be here to launch the report, he will deliver remarks, he will not take questions, he will be joined by Izumi Nakamitsu, the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, as well as Haoliang Xu, Acting Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
They will be delighted to take your questions. Before you ask, we expect the Secretary-General to hold his annual GA press conference next week, likely Tuesday noon, but we will confirm that.
Going back to tomorrow at noon, the incoming President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, will speak to you at the GA Stakeout after her swearing in. I will be back here at the podium after she's done and after you've had all time to meander... at 12 tomorrow, and then after she's done and you've meandered back here, we will have the press briefing.
**UN General Assembly
I've been getting a lot of questions over the weekend and because of the high volume of misinformation regarding whether a vote had taken place in the General Assembly to move the high-level session of the General Assembly out of New York, I want to be clear that there was no such vote in the General Assembly and that I am not aware of any preparations being made to move the General Assembly's high-level session out of New York.
**Senior Personnel Appointment
A senior personnel announcement: I am delighted to announce that the Secretary-General is appointing Mr. Miroslav Jenča of Slovakia as Special Representative for Colombia and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.
He will succeed Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu of Mexico, who is now in Haiti leading our mission in Haiti and to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service to the UN in Colombia.
Mr. Jenča brings more than 35 years of experience in diplomacy, mediation, leadership and oversight of UN peace operations, as well as close knowledge of the Colombian peace process and its regional and international implications.
As you know, he is the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas in the United Nations Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, and we congratulate our friend Miroslav on this new appointment and wish him well.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, and I have a statement for you: The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attacks by the Russian Federation on 7 September, which killed and injured several people, including children. The attacks struck a Government building in central Kyiv and damaged residential and other civilian infrastructure in the capital and other regions of Ukraine.
The targeting of Government institutions represents a further escalation of the conflict. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable and must end immediately.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.
**Ukraine/Humanitarian
Just a bit more details from our OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) colleagues in Ukraine. They said in the capital, Kyiv, one of the victims were an aid worker from a national NGO (non-governmental organization), a partner of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, and as well as her two-month-old son.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that casualties were also reported in the cities of Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih and Kherson. Strikes also targeted energy infrastructure, disrupting power and water supplies, ahead of the winter season.
Repair crews are working to restore services, though temporary outages remain.
Meanwhile, support to front-line communities continues. On 5 September, we, along with our partners, delivered aid, including medical kits and hygiene supplies to some 1,000 people in several villages in the Donetsk region. This was the tenth convoy to that region this year.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza: Hostilities continued to kill and injure people over the weekend. In just the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 67 deaths and 320 injuries. This brings the total toll of people killed since end of the ceasefire in mid-March to almost 12,000; that's what the local health ministry is telling us. We continue to condemn all killings of civilians.
Amid the ongoing offensive in Gaza City, the Israeli military has issued more orders over the past day of people to leave specific buildings or areas within Gaza City, warning of imminent attacks.
Meanwhile, over the past two days, at least one partner organization has been hit in Gaza City, killing several people, including at least one aid worker and one child.
Our colleagues remind us that over 80 per cent of Gaza is either under displacement orders or within militarized areas designated by Israel.
With the Israeli military instructing people to move from parts of Gaza City southward, OCHA warns that people are in dire need for food, they are in dire need of water, and they are of course in dire need of shelter items.
While humanitarians were able to support the entry of a limited number of tents in the past weeks, much more is needed to support more hundreds of thousands of people in all parts of the Gaza Strip — north and south alike — as many are repeatedly displaced.
You will have seen that over the weekend, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, demanded urgent action to halt the spread of famine and suffering in Gaza. He warned that there is a narrow window, until the end of September, to prevent famine from expanding to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis and that this window is closing fast.
Since the confirmation of famine in Gaza governorate, the Ministry of Health reports that more than 100 people, a quarter of them children, have died from starvation and malnutrition across the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, in most areas, the Israeli authorities continue to require any movement of humanitarian personnel to be coordinated with them in advance. Yesterday, 11 out of 24 missions requiring coordination were facilitated, that included the collection of fuel from Kerem Shalom crossing and the transfer of fuel supplies to the north. While three missions were denied, another four missions had to be cancelled by the organizers. Although the remaining six missions were impeded, humanitarians were nevertheless able to distribute water in the north and collect food cargo from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Zikim crossings.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has received more than 570 wheelchairs to distribute for hospitals and partners across the Gaza Strip. These include 260 wheelchairs specifically designed for children.
**Jerusalem
Earlier today, you saw that we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General strongly condemned the terror attack on a bus in Jerusalem, in which at least six people were killed and many others injured. He conveys his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a full and speedy recovery to those who were wounded.
**Haiti
Turning to Haiti, Tom Fletcher again, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has arrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Mr. Fletcher will meet communities, front-line responders, partners as well as Haitian authorities. In a social media post, he warned that needs are soaring at a time when funding is at historic lows, stressing that we must try to protect lives and restore hope.
You may recall that Haiti's humanitarian appeal has received less than 12 per cent of the needed $908 million to respond to the great needs and just to plainly save lives.
This is in a country where almost six million people, half the country's population, are in vital need of aid this year.
A similar number of people are facing high levels of food insecurity, while more than 8,400 Haitians are already enduring famine-like conditions.
Over 1.3 million people are internally displaced in Haiti — the highest number ever recorded in Haiti and that is due to violence and insecurity. Many of those who fled their homes are now living in extremely dire conditions.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the African continent, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Jean-Pierre Lacroix, our head of Peace Operations, just concluded a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Between 3 September and yesterday, he visited Kinshasa, but also went to the country's east, to Bunia, Fataki, and Beni.
In Kinshasa, Mr. Lacroix met with President Félix Tshisekedi, with the Prime Minister, members of the Government and opposition leaders, conveying the continued commitment to supporting peace and stability in the DRC.
Mr. Lacroix emphasized that hundreds of thousands of Congolese people, including displaced persons, rely on the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) for daily protection, particularly in the areas of Fataki and Beni, in North Kivu, where joint operations with the Congolese armed forces continue against armed groups.
He highlighted the importance of international diplomatic efforts, including the Washington and Doha processes, and called for intensified engagement to achieve tangible results such as a ceasefire and reduced violence.
Mr. Lacroix reiterated our readiness to support the implementation of Security Council resolution 2773.
He also cautioned about the severe financial challenges confronting UN peacekeeping, urging Member States to contribute the necessary resources to enable the peacekeeping mission in the DRC and elsewhere to fulfil their mandates.
**Yemen
Turning to Yemen, our colleague Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, met today in Saudi Arabia with a number of ambassadors accredited to Yemen, including representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council, and other diplomatic missions.
In his meetings, he noted with concern that, following a new wave of arrests that took place last week, now more than 40 UN personnel are now being arbitrarily detained by Ansar Allah, as well as expressing concern about the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property by Ansar Allah.
We strongly condemn these actions and renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all personnel arbitrarily detained, including the 23 other UN colleagues held for years, some since 2021, together with personnel from national and international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions.
Mr. Grundberg also expressed concern about the ongoing hostilities between the Houthi de facto authorities Ansar Allah and Israel. He emphasized the need for international and regional unity to prevent further escalation and help advance peace efforts in Yemen.
And I was asked by some of you about a reaction to the missiles launched by the Houthis against Israel, and I can tell you that we note with grave concern the continued Houthi attacks targeting Israel, including a drone attack that reportedly struck Ramon Airport on 7 September.
We call for a halt their attacks. Any additional military escalation could exacerbate regional tensions that may further destabilize Yemen and the region.
We emphasize that international law, including international humanitarian law as applicable, must be respected by all parties at all times.
**Sudan
Moving to Sudan and following the landslide that struck Tarseen village in South Darfur State, on 31 August, our relief efforts are ongoing in the area.
Today, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that we and our humanitarian partners have so far assisted at least 1,000 people impacted by this tragic event.
Between last Thursday and today, an inter-agency assessment and response mission comprising a dozen local and international NGOs and UN agencies delivered food and other critical items, as well as healthcare and protection services. And at some point this week, our humanitarian colleagues and their partners will discuss the mission's findings, the needs in the area, and how to scale up the response.
Meanwhile, across the country, the recurrent floods are deepening humanitarian needs, as thousands of families seek urgent support and shelter.
Over the weekend, flooding in Wad Shaer village, in the south-eastern state of Gedaref, displaced about 2,500 people and destroyed some 500 houses; that's what the IOM (International Organization for Migration) is telling us.
IOM reports that hundreds of others were displaced by flooding last week in parts of Red Sea State that is located in the east of the country, and in South Darfur, in the west.
These successive humanitarian crises occur amidst ongoing fighting in Sudan. And I can tell you that we are deeply alarmed by the findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, released on Friday.
The report documents large-scale atrocities committed by both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces.
It points to deliberate attacks on civilians and widespread destruction of critical infrastructure, including hospitals, markets, water systems and displacement camps. The findings also underscore the urgent need for accountability and protection of civilians amid the ongoing conflict.
Once again, we call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, unimpeded humanitarian access and steps to ensure the protection of civilians and increased international support to meet soaring needs across Sudan.
**Pakistan
Sudan is not the only country hit by floods. On Pakistan, where our humanitarian colleagues are working hand-in-hand with the Government, yesterday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, allocated $5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the response to the floods that continue to hit and devastate many parts of the country
This complements a $600,000 allocation from OCHA's Asia and the Pacific Regional Fund, as well as the $250,000 allocated from the Pakistan Country-Based Pooled Fund for local NGOs.
The funds will support cash transfers, health, water and sanitation, shelter and food, among other urgent needs.
OCHA says that many villages remain submerged, with some reports of water depths up to 10 metres, delaying obviously humanitarian access and our ability to assess the situation.
Priority needs include sanitation and hygiene, health, shelter, food and water.
Our partners working in health have expressed concerns over a rise in waterborne diseases in many parts.
We are working to supporting the Government-led response and OCHA has deployed staff to the affected area in Punjab to support the coordination efforts.
While these new funds will enable lifesaving aid, existing resources are nearly exhausted and urgent additional funding is critically needed.
**Human Rights
Almost done. I want to flag a couple of salient points from Volker Türk's presentation of his global update at the opening of the sixtieth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
He said human rights are the solid foundations of flourishing societies. They are a beacon of hope in the search for a better world that rejects violent conflict, brutality, and injustice.
And yet, disturbing trends that undercut our rights are gaining ground across the world.
Pro-war propaganda is everywhere, and the glorification of violence is coupled with a troubling erosion of international law.
Around the world, Mr. Türk said the long-established rules of war are being shredded with virtually no accountability.
He called for a cross-regional movement to defend the international system and told Member States he hopes to work with them on a new initiative to strengthen the human rights ecosystem and join the dots between abuses and violations, and crisis prevention.
I urge you to read his full remarks.
**International Literacy Day
Speaking of reading, today is International Literacy Day. You can practice your reading, reading Volker's speech.
It is celebrated this year under the theme of "Promoting literacy in the digital era". In her message for the Day, Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that reading and writing alone are no longer sufficient. In this day and age, "countries must also integrate media and information literacy into their school curricula, and UNESCO is supporting them in doing so," she added.
**Micronesia — New Resident Coordinator
Lastly, we have a new Resident Coordinator.
In Micronesia, Mamadou Kane of Mauritania has assumed his role as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Micronesia, following host Government approval. He will also oversee programme matters in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Palau. He brings over 20 years of experience in development, diplomacy, and international environmental governance, most recently serving as Executive Secretary of the Abidjan Convention. And we congratulate him on that and say welcome.
Edie?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. Two questions. First on the number of UN personnel being held by the Houthis, it looks like there were still 19 from the latest arrests. And does that mean that the international staffer has still not been released, as you hoped?
Spokesman: That is very much correct, unfortunately.
Question: Secondly, the Israeli military has toppled four towers in Gaza City in the last four days. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on that destruction of buildings?
Spokesman: As I said, we've highlighted the continuing fighting, the continuing destruction in Gaza City, and it is going, I guess, in the direction that is opposite to the one we want to go see — which is a ceasefire, which is humanitarian aid going in, which is hostages being released and a return to what we had at minimum during the ceasefire. Pam?
Question: Thank you, Steph. On your early clarification of who's coming and who's not on the Palestinian delegation...
Spokesman: I don't know. That's just... [cross-talk]
Question: That it's not... There would be more...
Spokesman: No. Just to be clear, there were reports over the Internet over the last three or four days... Let me just, because this needs to be clear to everyone. There were reports on fake news sites over the Internet, saying that a vote had taken place in the General Assembly, saying that the session would be moved outside of New York. That is wrong. There was no vote in the General Assembly... to the point where delegations, journalists from serious organizations like yours were calling us to confirm that there'd been a vote. So I just want to be clear there was no vote. I'm not aware of any plan afoot to move the GA session.
Question: All right. So on... sorry. On that note, thank you for the clarification. The new provisional list is out, and it still has Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, coming on the 25th. Does that indicate that there has been no clarification on his visa to you? [cross talk]
Spokesman: As far as I know, there's been no change in the visa situation for the Palestinian delegation despite, I know, our outreach and the outreach of others.
Question: In other words, as far as the UN is concerned, he is coming.
Spokesman: He is listed on the speaker's list.
Question: Okay.
Spokesman: Okay? But it is not for me to confirm the travels of any heads of delegations.
Question: Understood. And on that front, for any reason, that his visa is granted for the 25th, meaning he would speak at the General Assembly high-level debate, but not at the two-State solution, which has happened in the past, what would your reaction and the Secretariat's reaction be?
Spokesman: Well, I'm not going to speculate what our reactions will be. I can tell you that right now, as far as we know, there's no change in the position of the host country, which means there's no change to the fact they've said they would not give him and his delegation a visa. I think we were very clear on expressing our concern about that decision, which we feel goes against the host country treaty. So I'm not going to speculate on what may or may not happen. What we would like is for any diplomats, delegations, journalists, people who have business in front of the UN to be granted access to the territory of The United States so they can enter the UN premises, as outlined in the host country treaty.
Question: Thank you.
Spokesman: Abdelhamid and then Ms. Saloomey.
Question: Thank you. Thank you, Steph. I have few questions. First, I want to correct the number Edie presented in her question. I'm quoting Benjamin Netanyahu. He said, "We have destroyed 50 terrorist towers in the last two days, and this is just the beginning. I tell the people of Gaza, listen to me carefully. We warned you. Leave." Do you have any comment on that?
Spokesman: My comment is the same that we've been giving since the beginning of these threats of a complete takeover of Gaza City — is that we stand against any forced displacement of people, that people, civilians need to be protected whether they stay or whether they leave. Your next question?
Question: A number of Palestinian were killed today in the West Bank. Even in Jenin, one was killed and a number of Palestinians were injured, and a number of houses were destroyed. Do you condemn that forcefully, the way you condemned it...?
Spokesman: I haven't seen those reports, but I think we've been very clear in our condemning attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
Question: I have one more question if you are patient.
Spokesman: I will. I'm always... Sometimes I'm not patient.
Question: Do you have any comment on the reaction of the people in Venice after they saw that film, The Voice of Hind Rajab? Sorry. They were standing 23 minutes in applause.
Spokesman: I think we have been... [cross-talk]
Question: You know Hind Rajab, of course.
Spokesman: Yes. No. I know the case. I think we've spoken out about it. We continue to highlight the horrific situation in Gaza. Ms. Saloomey, in and out.
Question: To be fair, I was going to ask Abdelhamid's question about the 50 terror towers. However, I'm just wondering to follow up on that. The language that's used in the comments by the Prime Minister, he described these as terrorism nests and called on the people of Gaza to leave now. "You've been warned." What does this...?
Spokesman: I think violent action causes great harm. Violent rhetoric also has a potential to cause great harm. And I would also refer you to Mr. Türk's comments on the situation in Gaza in his remarks. Alex?
Question: Thanks, Steph. If you have any comments on the situation in Nepal?
Spokesman: Yes. We are obviously following the situation with a lot of concern. It's critical that the authorities, the Government, protect and respect the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. I think security forces, as our High Commissioner for Human Rights said, must comply with the basic principles on the use of force. We're obviously very saddened by the loss of life. You know, Nepal enjoys, I think, a very vibrant democracy and active civic space, and I think it's important that the Government and those who are demonstrating meet and try to move on and discuss the issues in a peaceful manner.
Question: May I follow up?
Spokesman: You may.
Question: Do you have any personnel on the ground?
Spokesman: We have a country team on the ground. We're not... I'm not aware of any UN staff being directly impacted by the demonstration.
Question: Thank you.
Spokesman: All right. Any questions online? And I'll come back.
Question: Yes, Steph.
Spokesman: Go ahead.
Question: Yes, Steph. This is Iftikhar Ali.
Spokesman: Yes.
Question: Hello?
Spokesman: Yes. Go ahead, Iftikhar.
Question: Thank you for the update on the floods in Pakistan. But my question is, you have spoken about the release of Secretary-General's report related to the Pact for the Future. But what about his report on the work of the organization?
Spokesman: That will be published in due time. I think be... before I say something, I speak to something I don't know anything about, let me check the facts and get back to you.
Question: Thank you very much.
Spokesman: Okay. Dezhi?
Question: Yes. Couple of questions. First, does the Secretary-General having anything to say about Israel's strike in Lebanon, especially in eastern side of Lebanon?
Spokesman: You know, we have... I didn't get any reports from UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) today, but we're obviously very...
Question: It's in the Bekaa Valley.
Spokesman: So there's... we're very concerned about any violation of Lebanese sovereignty and anything that could make a regional situation that much more complex.
Question: Last Friday, the Lebanese cabinet just welcomed the plan to disarm militants, including Hizbullah in Lebanon. What is the reaction of...?
Spokesman: We've seen the reports. So, obviously, the actual plan, as far as we know, has not been made public. What I can tell you is that our colleagues at UNIFIL will continue to cooperate and work closely and support the Lebanese Armed Forces to extend their authority, to extend their presence in Southern Lebanon, to fulfil their obligations under 1701, and we urge all the parties to do the same.
Question: Couple of days ago couple of weeks ago, I think I asked this question. I said there might be a possibility that the United States changed its Department of Defence to Department of War. Now it's a real reality. Any comments? Because Mr. Türk just talking about the propaganda and trend of the pro-war, you know, rhetoric.
Spokesman: Mr. Türk is the High Commissioner for Human Rights, whom the Secretary-General supports fully, but I have nothing to add to what he's already said. Amelie, and I'll come back for a second round.
Question: Steph, you said Tom Fletcher is in Haiti. We haven't seen him for a while. Could he brief us at the end of his trip?
Spokesman: We'd love to have him here. And I know Mr. Fletcher would love to come in front of a camera and speak to you. We were trying to do something while he's there, but we may have technical difficulties. But I have no doubt that Mr. Fletcher will make himself available to you as a group. So I have a question online. I can't really see who it is, but go ahead. Yes. Go ahead.
Question: Is it my turn?
Spokesman: Yes, please. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Question: Okay. This is Merve Edogan from Anadolu Agency. Thank you for taking my question. So on Friday, Israel introduced an amendment to change the reference to observer States in a draft resolution regarding the International Day on the Victims of Genocide, which was rejected by majority of countries. My question is, how does the SG view such attempts to amend the language in resolutions on genocide prevention, especially during such sensitive time, especially when it's introduced by a country that is committing genocide? Thank you.
Spokesman: Look. Without commenting on what you're implying in the question, I can tell you that the Secretary-General and his High Commissioner for Human Rights and his special representative on the prevention of genocide are all very concerned about various situations around the world. And I think every Member State of this organization has a duty and responsibility to do whatever it can to prevent genocide. Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you. Can you confirm there is there is about 400, 500 UN staff in Geneva who signed a letter withdrawing their support of the Secretary-General and in protest to the UN 80?
Spokesman: No. I mean, I'm not questioning. I just haven't seen any such...
Question: I'm trying to forward it to you.
Spokesman: All right.
Question: Yeah. One more...
Spokesman: Yes, please. Go ahead.
Question: The Trump Administration is adding more sanctions on the ICC (International Criminal Court) to make it even more difficult for anyone to do work in that independent organization. Do you have any comment?
Spokesman: We think we've spoken extensively about the issues of unilateral sanctions against the ICC. Well, obviously, the ICC — the International Criminal Court — is very much a separate institution to the Secretariat. For the Secretary-General, the ICC is a very important component of international law, of the various mechanisms for accountability. It should be supported. Its work should be supported and not hindered. Okay. Thank you all.
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