HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 31 JULY 2025
MYANMAR
The UN remains concerned by ongoing violence in Myanmar, including aerial bombardment hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected. Any pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence and unimpeded access of relief workers and supplies to meet the enormous humanitarian needs exacerbated since the 28 March earthquakes.
The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the military’s plan to hold elections amid ongoing conflict and human rights violations and without conditions, including safety and security, that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights.
Security Council Resolution 2669 (2022) calls for immediately releasing all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi; upholding democratic institutions and processes; and pursuing in constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.
The United Nations is committed to staying and delivering in Myanmar and to working with all stakeholders, including ASEAN and other regional actors, to attain sustainable peace.
HELSINKI FINAL ACT
Today, the Secretary-General addressed via a video message the High-level Conference commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. He noted that we are witnessing a dangerous drift away from commitments that have safeguarded peace for generations. Yet, he said, in this moment of peril, the values enshrined in the UN Charter and echoed in the Helsinki Final Act – sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence – remain our moral and strategic compass.
The Secretary-General called on all to recommit to the spirit of Helsinki by strengthening regional partnerships to renew multilateralism, by principled leadership to uphold international law, and by forging unity of purpose to build a future of mutual respect, resilience, and shared prosperity.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that hostilities continue, including multiple airstrikes on residential buildings that have reportedly killed entire families. A high number of additional fatalities and injuries has been reported among those trying to secure food and other essential supplies for their families. That’s over the past few days.
Meanwhile, amid deepening starvation, the UN and our partners continue to seize every opportunity to collect supplies from the Israeli-controlled crossings and replenish those platforms with new supplies from outside. This is something our teams are doing every single day through multiple missions.
Our colleagues say that, despite Israeli announcements regarding the designation of convoy routes as secure, trucks continue to face long delays that expose drivers, aid workers, and crowds to danger. The long waits are because a single route has been made available for our teams exiting Kerem Shalom inside Gaza, and Israeli ground forces have set up an ad hoc checkpoint on that route.
In recent days, our teams have managed to collect wheat flour, ready-to-eat rations, high-energy biscuits, nutrition items, hygiene kits and other critical supplies from the Israeli-controlled crossings. But OCHA warns that, under the current conditions, much of the food is taken by people on the way, rather than reaching community-based distribution points where those at highest risk of death due to malnutrition can be prioritized, alongside older persons, women, those with illnesses or disabilities and other groups.
OCHA urges the Israeli authorities to allow the consistent and simultaneous entry of large volumes of diverse humanitarian and commercial supplies through all crossing points and multiple routes. To ensure that no one is left behind, aid must be distributed at the community level.
You’ll recall that one of the challenges we face is having to coordinate humanitarian movements across most of the Gaza Strip with the Israeli authorities. Yesterday, OCHA published cumulative figures covering the week between last Wednesday and this Tuesday. Out of 92 attempts to coordinate aid movements, nearly 16 per cent were outright denied. An additional 26 per cent were initially accepted but faced impediments, including blocks or delays on the ground; and in many cases this resulted in missions being aborted or partially accomplished.
Another 47 per cent were fully facilitated, and the remaining 11 per cent had to be withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational or security reasons.
OCHA stresses again that unimpeded humanitarian access within Gaza is essential. Without it, time and resources are wasted, lives are lost, and the response cannot match the scale of the needs.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization reported it supported the medical evacuation of 47 patients and 129 companions from Gaza, despite the ongoing challenges to humanitarian operations and access constraints.
SYRIA
On Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that a first UN interagency mission went to Sweida Governorate today.
The team went to Sweida City, as well as the districts of Shahba and Salkhad, where they met with local community representatives and partners and visited displacement sites and reception centers. The team also conducted assessments in the three districts of the Governorate.
A fifth humanitarian aid convoy organized by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent arrived there today as well. The convoy, which included UN assistance, delivered medical supplies, flour, fuel, canned goods, hygiene kits and shelter materials, among other assistance. This was the largest convoy so far with 40 trucks.
Yesterday, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent also delivered four tankers carrying more than 120,000 liters of fuel to Sweida Governorate.
UNIFIL
This morning, UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon observed illumination fire originating from south of the Blue Line and impacting a forested area one kilometre from the mission’s headquarters in Naqoura. It caused bushfire, which was extinguished by UNIFIL peacekeepers.
UNIFIL continues to report Israel Defense Forces military activities, including air violations and small arms fire, in the area of operations.
Also, yesterday, a UNIFIL patrol with the Lebanese Army found two unexploded ordnances in Sector West. On Tuesday, another UNIFIL patrol found an unguarded weapons cache with nine rockets in Sector West. As per usual practice, all of these were referred to the Lebanese Army.
Meanwhile, the UN flag was raised once again at a UNIFIL observation post along the Blue Line in Labbuneh, which was damaged during the last round of hostilities. The post became operational after restoration efforts by UNIFIL peacekeepers, in coordination with both the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Over a 15-day period, specialized engineering units of UNIFIL worked to restore the post, including by clearing 1,358 square metres of surrounding land of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). This post being operational again means enhanced UNIFIL capacity to monitor potential violations of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that overnight attacks that continued this morning in the capital Kyiv, killed several civilians and injured many, including children. The drone and missile strikes also damaged dozens of apartment buildings as well as health and education facilities.
Nationwide, between today and yesterday, over a dozen civilians were killed and more than 160 injured in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia, according to authorities. Aid workers, complementing the efforts of first responders and local services, have mobilized emergency support in Kyiv and other impacted areas, providing shelter materials, psychological support, and other essential services.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack and said that no community should have to treat missile strikes and casualties as routine. He added that last night's attack is a stark reminder that this is the reality millions face daily across the country.
HAITI
Turning to Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that a rapidly escalating crisis in the Artibonite region, where gangs are expanding their presence and activities, is triggering new waves of displacement.
On 22 July, violence linked to gangs flared in the town of Liancourt, in the Artibonite department. A vehicle and several homes were set ablaze. This incident followed a week of violent clashes in this area.
As of 19 July, the International Organization for Migration reported that nearly 15,000 people have been displaced across four communes in the Artibonite department. All are staying with host families, many of whom were already struggling to meet basic needs.
Response efforts are underway, led by our local humanitarian partners. Over the past week, our partners distributed hundreds of hot meals, and more than 500 displaced households and host communities received hygiene kits..
Humanitarian workers have also set up child-friendly spaces to provide mental health and psychosocial support.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Last week, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2788, which reaffirms the importance of the pacific settlement of disputes. It serves as an important reminder of the value of diplomacy, based on the practice of negotiation, mediation, judicial settlement and other forms of pacific resolution provided for in the UN Charter. The Security Council encouraged the Secretary-General to ensure that the United Nations leads and supports mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts, and to use his good offices to resolve conflicts peacefully. The resolution notes with appreciation the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs’ Mediation Support Unit and encouraged it to continue to provide technical expertise and operational support to Member States and regional and subregional organizations and arrangements.
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow, at 11:30 a.m., Ted Chaiban, the Deputy Executive Director for UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). He will join us here in the room to brief on his recent travel to the Middle East.
Then, at 12:45 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of August.
