HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM,
FRIDAY, 27 JUNE 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S PRESS ENCOUNTER
Tomorrow, I head to Sevilla for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development which we are co-hosting with Spain.
Before I leave, I wanted to say a few words about the situation in Gaza.
The conflict between Israel and Iran has dominated headlines.
But we cannot allow the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to be pushed into the shadows.
The ceasefire achieved between Iran and Israel offers hope.
And hope is more needed than ever.
So it is time to find the political courage for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Following the terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October -- which I have unequivocally condemned -- Israeli military operations have created a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions – more dire today than at any point in this long and brutal crisis.
Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land.
And even these shrinking spaces are under threat.
Bombs are falling -- on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.
People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families.
The search for food must never be a death sentence.
Let me be clear: Israel, as the occupying Power, is required by international law, to agree to and to facilitate humanitarian relief.
Meanwhile, humanitarian operations continue to be strangled.
For over three months, shelter materials and fuel for critical services have been blocked.
Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine, or the last ventilator.
Aid workers themselves are starving.
This cannot be normalized.
A handful of medical supplies finally crossed into Gaza earlier this week -- the first from the UN in months.
But this only underscores the vast scale of the crisis. A trickle of aid is not enough.
What’s needed now is a surge — the trickle must become an ocean.
We need concrete actions so aid can reach all people -- swiftly, at scale, wherever they are.
Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe.
It is killing people.
It is time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
And full, safe and sustained humanitarian access.
The problem of the distribution of humanitarian aid must be solved.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dangerous schemes.
We have the solution – a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.
We have the supplies.
We have the experience.
Our plan is guided by what people need.
It is built on the trust of communities, donors and Member States.
And it worked during the last ceasefire.
It must be allowed to work again.
To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands.
To those with influence, I say: use it.
To all Member States, I say: uphold the UN Charter you recommitted to just yesterday for the 80th anniversary.
Let us bring in the life-saving supplies.
Let us reach people where they are.
And let us recognize that the solution to this problem is ultimately political.
The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-State solution.
Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.
Thank you.
** Questions and Answers
Spokesperson: Edie.
Question: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary-General. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation today accused the United Nations of misinformation and a campaign of misinformation about killings near their food distribution sites. I wonder if you could answer this allegation.
Secretary-General: We didn't invent the images everybody has seen.
Spokesperson: Amelie?
Question: Mr. Secretary-General, Amélie Bottollier from AFP news agency. My question is on Sudan. General [Abdel Fattah al] Burhan this morning released a statement saying he had a phone call with you, and you suggested a one-week ceasefire in El Fasher that he accepted it. So can you confirm that? And can you tell us if you also talked with the RSF and what their answer is? Thank you.
Secretary-General: We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher. And you remember that some time ago, a big convoy of UNICEF and WFP was bombarded. And the people are starving and in an extremely difficult situation. So we need to have an amount of time of truce for aid to be distributed, and we need to have it agreed with some days in advance to prepare a massive delivery in the El Fasher area. I am hopeful that I have a positive answer from General Burhan, and I hopeful that both sides will understand how vital it is to avoid the catastrophe that we are witnessing in El Fasher.
Spokesperson: Gabriel?
Question: Mr. Secretary-General, good morning. Gabriel Elizondo from Al Jazeera, English. There was a report in Haaretz Israeli newspaper this morning, sir, that I want your reaction to. There were Israeli soldiers that admitted that they were ordered to shoot unarmed Palestinians while they waited for aid. What is your reaction to that report, sir? And second question - is it now time for Member States to sanction Israel to get it to comply with international law?
Secretary-General: Well, we don't need the reports of that nature to acknowledge that there have been massive violations of international law. And indeed, when there is a violation of international law, there must be accountability.
Spokesperson: Joe?
Question: Thank you. Joseph Klein, Canada Free Press. Palestinian President [Mahmoud] Abbas has said fairly recently that the path to a full permanent ceasefire in Gaza and ending the conflict includes not only release of the hostages and withdrawal of Israeli troops, but also the complete disarmament of Hamas and Hamas' giving up of its power and authority. I wonder if your comments on the suggestion that is part of a full peace arrangement that Hamas be required to disarm and give up its authority.
Secretary-General: Well, we recognize the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate authority in the Palestinian territory. And of course, we will support any peace initiative led by the Palestinian Authority.
Spokesperson: Thank you very much.
Secretary-General: Thank you.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
On Sunday, 29 June, the Secretary-General will arrive in Sevilla, to take part in the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), which is being co-hosted by Spain and will take place from 30 June to 3 July.
On Monday, the Secretary-General, accompanied by the Deputy Secretary-General, will deliver remarks during the conference’s opening session. He will recall that for decades, the mission of sustainable development has united countries large and small, developed and developing. But he will warn that today, development and its great enabler — international cooperation — are facing massive headwinds. Noting that the link between peace and development is clear, the Secretary-General will stress that financing is the engine of development, and right now, this engine is sputtering.
Also on Monday, the Secretary-General will address the Launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action, as well as the Opening of the International Business Forum.
While in Sevilla, the Secretary-General will have a bilateral meeting with His Majesty Don Felipe VI, King of Spain, and will hold a meeting with the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón. He will also have a number of bilateral meetings with other delegation leaders who will be at the conference.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL / TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Deputy Secretary-General will depart for Paris, France, this evening to deliver the keynote address at the Commencement Ceremony of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po, one of Europe's most prestigious institutions of higher learning. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, 28 June, celebrating the achievements of a new generation of global leaders.
Following her engagement in Paris, the Deputy Secretary-General will proceed to Seville, Spain, where she will join the Secretary-General at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that as strikes continued across Gaza, four more aid workers were reportedly killed over the past 24 hours – three in southern Gaza and one in the north. OCHA stresses that under international humanitarian law, civilians, aid workers and medical staff and facilities must be protected.
Aid entering Gaza is a mere trickle of what is needed to address the immense humanitarian needs of more than two million people.
Partners working to provide water, sanitation and hygiene support stress that water production has dropped to some of the lowest levels since October 2023. Currently, only 40 per cent of drinking water facilities are functional, and fuel shortages are pushing water systems to the brink of collapse. Partners report that by mid-June, 93 per cent of households in Gaza faced water insecurity, which also exacerbates public health risks.
On Friday, a UN mission to retrieve fuel in southern Gaza was denied. Unless additional fuel enters Gaza in the coming days, more lives will be at risk, as health and other life-saving facilities could face a total shutdown. In addition, at water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, equipment that requires continuous operation could sustain irreversible damage if those systems are forced offline due to fuel shortages.
Meanwhile, education partners report that they can reach less than a quarter of Gaza’s school-aged children with essential support, as hostilities are taking an immense psychological toll. The vast majority of children and young people lack access to education, amid ongoing displacement orders and extensive destruction of school buildings – threatening the future of an entire generation. Since the collapse of the ceasefire in March, at least 46 incidents involving attacks on schools have been recorded, resulting in civilian deaths and extensive damage.
Partners working on shelter warn that more than 1.3 million people are in urgent need of shelter assistance. The entry of essential items – including tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, timber, tools, and household items – is critical, but we and our partners have been barred from bringing in shelter materials for more than 16 weeks.
In the meantime, food insecurity continues to deepen. According to the World Food Programme’s Market Monitor, food consumption in Gaza reached a critical low in June, with dietary diversity dropping to its lowest level since October 2023. According to WFP, over 95 per cent of households are experiencing severe financial hardship, with widespread cash shortages making it nearly impossible to purchase food.
The UN reiterates that to address hunger and curb starvation, the unrestricted flow of essential supplies into Gaza must be enabled over a sustained period of time. Moreover, we must be allowed to deliver aid safely and efficiently, through multiple crossing points and via all available corridors.
LIBYA
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) today reaffirmed its intention to meet, engage in discussions and listen to the views of the Libyan people which includes listening to the concerns of peaceful protesters.
UNSMIL said that on Tuesday, it met with a group of protestors at its premises to listen to their demands and concerns and was able to have a mutually respectful discussion.
However, UNSMIL is dismayed by statements purportedly from some Libyan political figures that appear to encourage not just demonstrations but going further to actively encourage unlawful actions against UN personnel and property.
UNSMIL reminds all parties of their obligation to maintain the peaceful character of any demonstration, and refrain from actions, and to commit to resolving differences through constructive dialogue.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held an open briefing on Sudan. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Pobee, told the Council members that security conditions in Sudan remain dire, marked by shifting frontlines, increased and often indiscriminate aerial assaults by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, and continuous attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals.
She added that we will continue to urge the parties to make progress on measures that strengthen the protection of civilians, without preconditions. After the briefing, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtame Lamamra will brief at the closed consultations on Sudan.
In the afternoon, the Security Council will reconvene at 3 p.m. for a briefing and consultations on MONUSCO. Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita will brief.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has wrapped up his four-day visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Yesterday, in North Kivu province in the country's east, he visited Nyiragongo and Buhumba, where many displaced families returned earlier this year and urgently need support to rebuild their lives.
Mr. Fletcher met with families and visited an integrated health and gender-based violence project, supported by NGO partners. Sexual violence against women and girls in the eastern DRC has reached unprecedented levels.
Meeting with de facto M23 authorities in Goma, he stressed the urgent need to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance.
Mr. Fletcher reiterated that people in eastern DRC continue to require life-saving assistance as they face continued conflict, displacement, severe food insecurity and soaring levels of sexual violence.
While our humanitarian partners remain on the frontlines to deliver essential services, funding cuts are severely hindering the humanitarian response in the DRC.
VIET NAM
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomes the unanimous decision by Viet Nam’s Parliament on Wednesday to end the death penalty for offences including espionage, embezzlement and illegal transportation of narcotic substances. These legislative changes, which are due to come into effect on 1 July, will reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty can be applied from 18 to 10.
OHCHR urges the authorities in Viet Nam to build on this historic vote by taking further steps toward abolishing the death sentence completely, for all crimes, and in the meantime, they encourage the authorities to implement a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for the remaining offences punishable by death.
**Briefings today
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, briefed reporters on his recent visit to the Middle East.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, briefed on the launch of the Secretary-General’s debt recommendations ahead of next week’s 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain. She was joined by UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan and the Secretary-General's Expert Group on Debt.
