HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 25 JUNE 2025
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow will be a busy day.
There be no Noon briefing, but at 11:30 a.m., Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will be at the Security Council stakeout to speak about the situation in the Middle East and Gaza and he will take some questions.
Then, at noon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, will be in the briefing room to brief about his recent travels to the Middle East.
Then at 12:45 p.m., the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, will brief reporters on the launch of the Secretary-General’s debt recommendations, ahead of the Sevilla Conference. She will be joined virtually by Rebeca Grynspan, the Head of UN Trade and Development as well as the Secretary-General’s Expert Group on Debt.
UN CHARTER
The Secretary-General spoke at the special General Assembly session this morning and he said that the UN Charter is a declaration of hope — and the foundation of international cooperation for a better world. And from day one, he added, the United Nations has been a force of construction in a world often marked by destruction.
Mr. Guterres said that upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter is a never-ending mission. But he warned that today, we see assaults on the purposes and the principles of the UN Charter like never before.
On and on, he said, we see an all too familiar pattern: Follow when the Charter suits, ignore when it does not. But the Secretary-General said the Charter of the United Nations is not optional, and it is not an à la carte menu. We cannot and must not normalize violations of its most basic principles.
He urged all Member States to live up to the spirit and letter of the Charter, to the responsibilities it demands and to the future it summons us all to build.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that civilians continue to be killed and they continue to be injured daily – whether in Israeli air strikes, shelling, or while trying to just find food for their families. These tragic events must not be accepted as normal, ever.
This afternoon, our partners working on health reported a mass casualty incident following a strike in Deir al Balah – with Al Aqsa Hospital said to have received more than 20 people killed and some 70 injured. Additional wounded patients were transferred to Nasser Medical Complex and two other medical facilities.
Our partners working on health also tell us an increase in preventable diseases is being seen. In just the past two weeks alone, over 19,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been recorded, alongside over 200 cases each of acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhoea.
These outbreaks are directly linked to the lack of clean water and the lack of sanitation in Gaza, underscoring the urgent need for fuel, the urgent need for medical supplies, the urgent need for water, the urgent need for sanitation and the urgent need for hygiene items. All of this to prevent any further spread of the collapse of the public health system, which is already in dire, dire situation.
In a social media post, the World Health Organization noted that yesterday, it delivered its first medical shipment into Gaza since 2 March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on the Strip. Nine trucks carrying essential medical supplies, some 2,000 units of blood, and 1,500 units of plasma were transported from Kerem Shalom.
These supplies will be distributed to priority hospitals in the coming days. The blood and plasma were delivered to Nasser Medical Complex’s cold storage facility for onward distribution to other hospitals facing critical shortages amid the growing influx of patients we have been speaking about.
However, WHO reminds us that all these medical supplies are only a drop in the ocean of what is actually needed.
OCHA stresses that to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting, it’s essential to get more humanitarian and essential commercial goods into Gaza, and to facilitate their safe distribution across the Gaza Strip. This means increasing the volume of supplies allowed in through multiple crossings and multiple routes.
OCHA colleagues tell us that yesterday, six out of 17 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza were outright rejected by the Israeli authorities. These planned UN missions included trucking water and repairing roads. Nine other attempts, which included the removal of solid waste and collection of cargo from the crossings, were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, while two additional attempts were impeded. The continuing restrictions on humanitarian access are severely undermining life-saving operations.
Turning to the West Bank, I can tell you that we are gravely concerned about escalating violence there and we condemn the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Yesterday, OCHA documented an attack where three Palestinians were killed and others injured. That happened when hundreds of settlers – including armed people accompanied by Israeli forces – raided the village of Kafr Malik in the Ramallah governorate and set fire to homes with people inside.
In another attack yesterday, about 20 settlers set fire to farmland in another village – Asira al Qibliya – in Nablus governorate.
We reiterate once again our call on Israel to protect civilians in the West Bank and humanitarian personnel. International law must be respected and those responsible for these attacks must be held to acoount.
UNIFIL
Moving North to UNIFIL, where U.N. peacekeepers continue to observe Israel Defense Forces presence and military activities, including three air strikes yesterday, in the peacekeepers’ area of operations.
UNIFIL peacekeepers also continue to discover unauthorized weapons and ammunition caches in their area of operations, including on 23 June, when UNIFIL detected an unguarded weapons cache containing boxes of ammunition and explosives in Sector East. Since the cessation of hostilities came into effect in November of last year, our peacekeepers have detected 272 unauthorized weapons caches and have referred all of them to the Lebanese Army.
UNIFIL yesterday also hosted a meeting of the Cessation of Hostilities Mechanism at the UN premises at Ras Naqoura, in the South. That was chaired by the United States, and in the presence of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Israel Defense Forces, and representatives of France.
In the past weeks, UNIFIL deminers have also completed clearance of unexploded ordnance at two UN positions along the Blue Line in Sector West. In total, 6,260 square metres of land were cleared at these two positions. UNIFIL is also working with the Lebanese Mine Action Centre (LMAC) to start humanitarian demining in its area of operations.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, deadly hostilities continued yesterday in front-line areas. The regions of Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy were among the hardest hit, with several civilians killed and injured. This is according to what authorities are telling us. Attacks also damaged homes and civilian infrastructure. More than 400 people were displaced in a single day – mostly in Donetsk and Sumy area.
Our colleagues tell us that the humanitarian situation in the towns of Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region continues to deteriorate. Local authorities report that constant shelling has left parts of both towns without electricity and access to basic services. Authorities and aid organizations are providing limited water and food assistance, but access is increasingly restricted.
Authorities also continue to call on the remaining population – which is more than 10,000 people combined – to evacuate for their own safety. Still in the Donetsk region, humanitarian access to the towns of Chasiv Yar and Toretsk remains extremely limited amid intensified attacks. According to authorities, yesterday alone, nearly 340 people, including children, were evacuated from the Donetsk region. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food insecurity remains a concern in front-line and border regions. A recent assessment by the World Food Programme and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization found that the war has devastated livelihoods and quadrupled poverty levels, leaving the most vulnerable – particularly displaced people – at greatest risk. From January to May, nearly 130 organizations provided food and livelihood assistance to 1.8 million people across the country.
Nearly 400,000 people in the Donetsk and Kherson regions received food support, agricultural inputs, and cash-based aid.
SECURITY COUNCIL
At 3pm in the Security Council, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations is scheduled to brief on the Central African Republic.
SRI LANKA
Also, Volker Türk [High Commissioner for Human Rights] wrapped up a 3-day visit to Sri Lanka. While there, he met with President Dissanayake and Prime Minister Amarasuriya, the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and other officials, as well as with civil society representatives and survivors of human rights abuses and of course the UN team.
Mr. Türk visited the recently re-opened mass grave at Chemmani. He said it was a compelling reminder that the past still haunts the lives of so many in Sri Lanka and presents a daunting challenge for the new Government. The High Commissioner said it was important to build on this momentum and to translate it into tangible results, stressing that acknowledgement and truth-telling are important steps towards healing and closure, as are justice, reparation and non-recurrence.
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE
Today is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In a message, the Secretary-General called on all to recommit to ending drug abuse and trafficking, unite to dismantle criminal networks, and break the cycle of suffering and destruction once and for all.
A report released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime warns that a new era of global instability has intensified challenges in addressing the world drug problem, empowering organized crime and pushing drug use to historically high levels. According to the report, production, seizures, and use of cocaine hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world’s fastest-growing illicit drug market. More information online.
INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE
Today is also the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The observance serves as a call to action for all stakeholders including UN Member States, civil society, and individuals everywhere to unite in support of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been victims of torture and those who are still being tortured today.
