LEBANON
The Secretary-General is indeed alarmed by the escalating situation along the Blue Line. He’s very concerned about the large number of civilian casualties being reported by the Lebanese authorities, as well as the thousands of displaced persons, amidst the most intense exchange of fire across the Blue Line since October of last year.
He expresses grave concern for the safety of civilians both in southern Lebanon and in Northern Israel, as well as the UN staff in those areas.
The Secretary-General notes the ongoing efforts by the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon to reduce tensions and reiterates the urgent need for de-escalation and that all efforts be devoted to a diplomatic solution. Our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert, is currently in Israel where she is meeting with Israeli officials as we speak to discuss the latest situation.
Meanwhile the Head of Mission and Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, has been in contact with both Lebanese and Israeli parties, emphasizing the urgent need for de-escalation. Efforts are ongoing to reduce tensions and halt the shelling.
Their message from both the Special Coordinator and the Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force is the same, which is there is no military solution that will make either side safer. With the wellbeing of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and the stability of the region at stake, space must be given for diplomatic efforts to succeed.
All involved parties in this conflict must honour their responsibilities to protect civilians and ensure the safety and security of all UN personnel and assets.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities and to restore stability. We do expect a more official statement to be issued at some point.

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN 
On the humanitarian front, our Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza, met with Lebanese Government officials, including the Prime Minister, Najib Miqati, and the Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin. Our humanitarian agencies and others also participated in those discussion.
At these talks, the Lebanese Government announced the activation of an emergency operations centre and also that schools ought to be designated as shelters. The Ministry of Education in Lebanon had announced the closure of all public and private schools for tomorrow. Many people are being displaced from areas impacted by the airstrikes, with heavy traffic reported toward Beirut and Mount Lebanon regions.  
Also, on the Israeli side, during the weekend and following an uptick of hostilities, Israel’s Military Home Command announced that schools in northern Israel, which run from Sunday to Friday, have been closed until at least today until 6 p.m. local time.
Humanitarian organizations urgently need $50 million to preposition basic needs – such as food and shelter supplies – for an immediate response for the next two to four weeks in southern Lebanon, Lebanon in general.
Our colleagues at OCHA tell us that, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, more than 274 people have been killed and at least 700 injured, including women and children, following the continued airstrikes in southern Lebanon. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 
Moving to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which brings together the heads of the UN humanitarian systems and large international NGOs, today sent out a joint message renewing their demand for an end to the appalling human suffering and humanitarian catastrophe ongoing in Gaza.  
They mourn the loss of innocent life everywhere, including those killed on 7 October and during the 11 months of the conflict in Gaza since then. And they urgently call for a sustained, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. This is the only way to end the suffering of civilians and save lives. All hostages and all those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally.  
The UN humanitarian heads said that they cannot do their jobs in the face of overwhelming need and ongoing violence.  
They warned that more than two million Palestinians are without protection, food, water, sanitation, shelter, health care, education, electricity and fuel – the basic necessities to survive. The risk of famine persists, with all 2.1 million residents still in urgent need of food and livelihood assistance as humanitarian access remains restricted.  
They also reasserted that civilians must be protected, and their essential needs must be met. There must be accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.  
 
GAZA 
From the ground in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that ongoing bombardment and hostilities continue to put civilians lives in danger.
Between Saturday and today, three schools were hit by airstrikes, reportedly killing dozens of people. Women and children were among the fatalities. Many Palestinians were also injured, including children who required amputations. 
The UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, said in a social media post over the weekend that schools have turned into rubble or overcrowded places of refuge for displaced families living in fear. 
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to establish temporary learning spaces for children.  
As of 15 September, education partners had established more than 2,000 learning spaces across the Gaza Strip, which aim to reach over 33,000 children – which is 5 per cent of school-age children in Gaza. 
On the health front, our humanitarian partners warn that the health situation continues to worsen, with only 17 out of 36 hospitals remaining functioning – but all partially functioning.  The situation is also dire for primary health-care facilities. Just 57 out of 132 primary health-care facilities are functional, amid crippling shortages of fuel, medicine and essential supplies. 
Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that access constraints continue to severely undermine the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance and services across Gaza. So far in September, 45 per cent of coordinated humanitarian movements in Gaza were denied or impeded access by Israeli authorities.
Movement is particularly restricted between the south and the north, as it requires crossing through Israeli checkpoints. There, 87 per cent of the movements have been denied or impeded, only 5 per cent have been facilitated, and the rest were cancelled.  
Once again, we want to underscore that humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated and we must have unimpeded access for our humanitarian goods.
 
SYRIA
Turning to Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that on 20 September, a four-year-old child and an off-duty health worker were killed following artillery shelling in eastern Idleb. Two women and six children – all under the age of 12 – were also injured. 
The UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, David Carden, called for the cessation of attacks on civilians. 
Ongoing hostilities in Syria are deepening humanitarian needs at a time when our appeal for response efforts across the country remains highly underfunded. The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has received just 26 per cent of the $4.1 billion that we need – that means that just over $1 billion in the bank. The lack of funding, the fact that there is only 26 per cent funded, means that we’ve had to suspend health and water services and other critical assistance in some areas. 

SUDAN
Turning to the situation in Sudan, which is another horrific humanitarian crisis that is ongoing as we speak, we’re particularly concerned about the situation in El-Fasher, which as you know is the capital city of North Darfur state. You will have seen that we issued a statement on Saturday, in which the Secretary-General is gravely alarmed by reports of a full-scale assault on the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).   
He called on Lt. General Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' to act responsibly and immediately order a halt to the RSF attack. Any further escalation will also threaten to spread the conflict along intercommunal lines throughout Darfur. 
The Secretary-General underscores that a ceasefire is not only necessary, but an urgent imperative, both in El Fasher and across all other conflict zones in Sudan.   
The Secretary-General recalls that his Special Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, continues his efforts to advance peace. He stands ready to support genuine efforts to halt this violence and move toward such peace.  
Over the weekend, our humanitarian colleagues told us that they saw multiple reports indicating intense fighting in and around densely populated civilian areas in El Fasher, with widespread destruction of homes and continuing civilian casualties and displacement. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the escalation of hostilities in the city continues to fuel displacement, with an estimated 1,500 human beings fleeing El Fasher town between Thursday and Saturday alone. That’s according to our colleagues from the International Organization for Migration.  
The humanitarian organizations stand ready to rapidly scale up assistance in El Fasher and other areas in need across Sudan. But to reach people in El Fasher and across Sudan, our humanitarian organizations require safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access. This seems to be a refrain in many parts of the world. Despite myriad challenges – including insecurity, impediments and flooding that has made some roads impassable – we and our partners are rushing to reach civilians staring down famine wherever we can actually reach them.  
The World Food Programme says that urgent assistance is being provided to displaced people just outside El Fasher, in Zamzam camp – where, as you know, famine conditions were confirmed last month. About 180,000 people are receiving flour, lentils, oil and salt with the help of local suppliers, retailers and humanitarian partners, but a lot more assistance is needed for the people in Zamzam camp and Sudan.

UKRAINE
Moving to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, over the weekend, hostilities in front-line regions caused more than 100 civilian casualties, including more than a dozen fatalities. Local authorities also reported damage to homes, hospitals, and schools. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that several attacks targeted densely populated urban areas in the east, the centre and the south of the country - killing and injuring people, including children. Authorities and aid workers reported damage to a hospital and a kindergarten in Kharkiv, as well as multiple schools in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhiaregions.
Following these attacks, national and international non-governmental organizations as well as of course UN agencies mobilized and supported the humanitarian response. 
Complementing the efforts by Ukraine’s first responders, they provided initial medical and psychological aid and meals to those affected. They conducted emergency repairs in hospitals and schools. They also distributed blankets and registered affected families for cash assistance.  
OCHA also says that evacuations are continuing amid intensified hostilities in the Sumy Region, in the northeast, as people flee danger from several communities along the front lines.  
In the town of Hlukhiv, since the mandatory evacuation order that was issued on 9 September, nearly one third of the population – or 10,000 people – has been moved to safety. That’s according to local authorities. 

SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE  
Meanwhile back here, just talk about what’s going on in this building. The Summit of the Future continues today in the General Assembly Hall with statements by world leaders.   
Yesterday morning, following the adoption by the General Assembly of the Pact for the Future, the Secretary-General told Member States they were here to bring multilateralism back from the brink. 
He said that the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations open pathways to new possibilities and opportunities. 
On peace and security, they promise a breakthrough on reforms to make the Security Council more reflective of today’s world. They also lay the foundations for a more agile Peacebuilding Commission, and for a fundamental review of peace operations to make them fit for the conditions they face.  
The Secretary-General added that the Pact for the Future is also about turbocharging the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. 
People everywhere are hoping for a future of peace, dignity, and prosperity, Mr. Guterres said.  
The Summit of the Future sets a course for international cooperation that can meet their expectations.  
He congratulated all Member States for playing their part as we take these first important steps together. And he also challenged everyone to get to work. 
 
AFGHANISTAN
At 1:30 p.m., the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a High-Level Side Event on the Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan. This will take place in Conference Room 3.  
That will be webcast. The Secretary-General is expected to highlight the deep crisis of gender-based discrimination and oppression faced by the women and girls of Afghanistan. He is expected to stress that without educated women, without women in employment, including in leadership roles, and without recognizing the rights and freedoms of half of its population, Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the global stage. 
Rosemary Di Carlo, the head of the Political and Peacebuilding Department, will also deliver remarks.  
And at around 2:30 p.m., Ms. Di Carlo, as well as the former Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallström and actress Meryl Streep, alongside Habiba Sarabi, the Former Afghanistan’s Minister for Women's Affairs; Fawziya Koofi, the former Deputy Speaker of the Afghan parliament, and Asila Wardak, the former Director General of Human Rights and Women’s International Affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will all be speaking with you at the stakeout on the third floor of the General Assembly building near the SDG studio, and I think next to the Thai boat.

BRIEFINGS
More briefings, at 3:30 p.m. we expect a background briefing by two brilliant unnamed UN officials on the Secretary-General’s remarks that he will deliver tomorrow. We are in the process of sharing hid remarks with you under embargo.
For those of you who are looking for something to do this evening, at 6:00 p.m., there will be a briefing here by the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, and the World Bank Group President, Ajay Banga. They will brief on support of the World Bank’s Fund for Low-Income Countries. 
Of course, we will have several forthcoming briefings here on the margins of the General Assembly – those are all in the Media Alert. 
And I’m sorry to tell you that you will have to find something else to do around 12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. tomorrow Wednesday and Thursday because we will not be briefing. I think you have other things to do. We will be posting the highlights daily. And we may come back on Friday depending on the news.

SDG MEDIA ZONE
Just want to flag that SDG Media Zone opened today in the visitors’ plaza.  
In a video message, the Secretary-General said that the interviews and discussions held in the SDG media zone will help to inform people everywhere about issues that matter to everyone. 
Today there were already two major talents speaking on the innovative ways the creative community and the arts are driving social impact.  
They were actor and filmmaker and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, Edward Norton, and the globally renowned pianist and UN Messenger of Peace, Lang Lang, in conversation with Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming. 

WEEK BY THE NUMBERS
Something you ask me every year, I just want to give you some numbers.
So far, we have inscribed to speak at the General Assembly: 76 Heads of State; 4 Vice Presidents; 2 Crown Princes; 42 Heads of Government; 9 Deputy Prime Ministers; 54 Ministers; 1 Vice Minister, and 6 others - chairs of delegation.
Of course, these numbers are subject to change.
Of these 194 speakers, we expect to hear from 19 women only – sadly, I will add. The list of speakers will be printed in the UN Journal daily throughout the week where any changes will be reflected.
And just to give you an idea of the number of people we’ve had in the complex, yesterday we had about 11,642 people, including some of yourselves, swiped into the building. And today, it’s shaping up to be about the same.  My colleagues will send out these numbers so you don’t have to write that fast.
 
DAY OF SIGN LANGUAGES 
Today is the International Day of Sign Languages.  Globally, there are more than 300 different sign languages, but there is also an international sign language, which is used by deaf people in international meetings and informally when travelling and socializing.