HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 29 MAY 2025
UN PEACEKEEPERS DAY
Today is International Day of UN Peacekeepers. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General said we honour the service of peacekeepers who step into danger with courage to help those who need protection, to preserve peace, and to restore hope in some of the world’s most challenging contexts.
At 2:45 pm, the Secretary-General will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 United Nations peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1948.
And at 3:00 p.m., the Secretary-General will present awards to the Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year, Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone.
Both of them serve with our peacekeeping mission in Abyei.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. She is attending the First High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation. She is doing that on behalf of the Secretary-General.
In the morning, the Deputy Secretary-General travelled to observe first-hand the impact of climate change on Tajikistan’s glaciers. She commended international efforts to protect glaciers ahead of COP30, noting their critical role in safeguarding water sources, ecosystems, and communities. In this context, she said that the “Early Warnings for All” initiative is key to strengthening climate resilience and helping vulnerable populations prepare for climate-related shocks.
Also today, she met with the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, as well as with Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country. She acknowledged Tajikistan’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and the it’s leadership in advancing the global climate, water, and glacier preservation agenda — rooted in cooperation and multilateralism.
Tomorrow, the Deputy Secretary-General will participate in the Opening Session of the International Conference on Glacier Preservation.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The UN Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued a statement warning that the new militarized distribution system does not meet the needs of people in Gaza. It puts them at risk, and runs contrary to humanitarian principles.
The Humanitarian Country Team, which brings together UN agencies and NGOs, stressed that the Israeli authorities have undermined the capacity of our own teams on the ground to deliver genuine humanitarian assistance that would reach the most vulnerable groups. Despite these challenges, our team continues to deliver aid where possible. Once again, they reiterated that fundamental humanitarian principles are non-negotiable.
On the ground, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that air strikes and other attacks continue across the Gaza Strip.
There are reports that scores of people were killed, and hundreds injured over the past 24 hours, including children and other civilians.
Earlier today, as attacks intensified, Israeli authorities ordered the medical team in Al Awda Hospital in North Gaza to evacuate. Efforts are ongoing to move the patients and medical staff. Al-Awda Hospital is the only remaining partially functioning hospital in North Gaza. The facility is currently overwhelmed with injuries and critically low on supplies.
Despite intense insecurity, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners reached the hospital twice in the past week to assess the situation and transfer 57 critical patients to Al Shifa Hospital. WHO says that during the first mission, the team was exposed to nearby air strikes, shelling, and gunfire.
Yesterday in Khan Younis, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the Red Cross field hospital in Al Mawasi was hit, causing injuries and spreading fear among patients.
On the entry of supplies into Gaza, OCHA says that the UN continues to send, through Kerem Shalom, many supplies. Yesterday, these included flour, ingredients for community kitchens, and medical items. However, as mentioned yesterday, the UN efforts to collect cargo from the crossing was denied by Israeli authorities.
The quantity of supplies allowed into Gaza is just a trickle of the aid required to meet the immense needs of 2.1 million people, at a time when populations across the Strip at risk of famine.
In the past 10 days since Kerem Shalom reopened, of the nearly 900 trucks approved to enter, almost 600 of them have been offloaded on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, but have not yet been distributed into Gaza itself. They have not reached our warehouses due to the security constrains.
The World Food Programme (WFP) also says that hungry people broke into WFP's Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, in Central Gaza, yesterday. They were clearly in search of food supplies that have been pre-positioned there for distribution. Initial reports indicate that two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident. WFP is still confirming the details of what happened.
And on the West Bank, OCHA says that demolitions and the threat of demolition of Palestinian property in the context of Israeli forces’ operation in northern areas continue unabated.
Today, demolition operations continued in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm city, where Israeli forces have been active since 5 May. As of yesterday, nearly 50 residential units marked for demolition at the start of the month have already been destroyed. Residents were briefly allowed to enter the camp to collect personal items.
OCHA warns that these operations are sweeping in scale – marked by mass forced displacement and the extensive destruction of Palestinian property and humanitarian infrastructure – and further fueling needs of affected communities.
WEST BANK
In response to questions concerning the recent announcement by Israel of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, the spokesperson said that the Secretary-General has repeatedly called on Israel to cease all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Such settlements are illegal and they are an obstacle to peace and economic and social development.
YEMEN
On Yemen, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that reported multiple attacks recently on the ports of Hudaydah in Yemen have indeed reduced their capacities.
These ports are vital for bringing commercial imports, including food and medicine, as well as humanitarian supplies into the country. And any potential reductions in port capacity and constraints on pipelines of food, fuel or medicine are extremely concerning, particularly at a time when 19.5 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance and rely on these lifelines for survival.
The Secretary-General has repeatedly appealed for de-escalation and respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and the infrastructure they rely on for their basic needs.
SUDAN
The cholera vaccinations began on Tuesday of this week in Jebel Awlia, the hardest-hit locality in Khartoum, in Sudan. This is happening with the UN support and with the help of the UN partners on the ground.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also delivered more than 22 metric tonnes of cholera and emergency health supplies to reinforce local response efforts.
Cholera cases are surging in Khartoum state, posing a grave threat to children. WHO has attributed the spike to damaged water infrastructure, the movement of people and a lack of safe water.
On top of that, UN partners are warning of mounting pressure on an already overstretched health system in Khartoum. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for its part, is implementing a multi-pronged cholera response in the Sudanese capital, focusing on high-risk communities and critical water infrastructure.
This includes providing water treatment chemicals and the delivery of a generator to sustain operations at the Al Manara water treatment plant, which serves more than 1 million people in the area. In neighbouring River Nile state, health authorities have reported over 90 cholera cases and three deaths in the past two weeks – many linked to people who are fleeing from Khartoum.
The UN and its partners are responding with supplies, vaccines, rapid response teams, and supporting the national cholera plan. But the UN needs safe access and urgent funding to save lives.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that needs there in Sudan continue to grow, driven by the continued displacement due to the ongoing conflict.
In North Darfur state, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that conflict has forced some 1,400 people to flee Abu Shouk camp and El Fasher town over the past week. Most have sought refuge within El Fasher, while others have moved to the localities of Tawila and Kutum in the state. In South Darfur state, local authorities report that 60,000 displaced human beings in the capital, Nyala, urgently need assistance.
Many are sheltering in public buildings, others have no other choice but to sleep in the open. OCHA is coordinating with partners to determine the most effective response.
The UN continues to call on all parties to facilitate the vital work of humanitarian workers on the ground, safe and sustained access, and we continue to urge donors to step up support for aid operations in Sudan.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) says that they supported the country’s armed forces yesterday in the province of Ituri, during a joint operation conducted in a locality believed to be a stronghold of the Zaire armed group.
The mission’s intervention came in response to armed clashes near a market in Fataki, which triggered panic and led civilians to flee. To help stabilize the area and ensure civilian protection, peacekeepers established a mobile operating base there yesterday.
Joint patrols with the Congolese Army were carried out around the market, in nearby displacement camps, and along the route to a local bridge, as the clashes had also disrupted traffic on major roads. No civilian casualties were reported and the armed group has since retreated.
Meanwhile, the MONUSCO and the national Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and stabilization programme launched community reinsertion projects for over a thousand former combatants from the Zaire armed group. That was done earlier this week. Over the next 6 months, these ex-combatants will be enrolled in income generating activities and training. They will conduct local dialogues and will also receive psycho-social support to help them get sustainable livelihoods. Members of their communities and youth at risk will also join the project to improve social cohesion and reduce, as well as prevent community violence.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/HUMANITARIAN
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that sexual violence is on the rise in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Across the DRC, UN humanitarian partners have reported over 67,000 cases of gender-based violence between January and April of this year alone. This represents a 38 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Only 58 per cent of the victims of the documented cases received appropriate medical care within the critical 72-hour timeframe.
More than 90 per cent of the reported cases nationwide are in the conflict-affected eastern provinces, where the response is further hindered by insecurity and aid cuts.
According to our partners working in health, several health facilities in South Kivu province are facing shortages of post-exposure prophylaxis kits, mainly due to security constraints.
In addition, several of our partners involved in gender-based violence response in South Kivu have closed their programmes since March due to aid cuts.
In South Kivu’s Uvira territory alone, local authorities have documented over 100 cases of sexual violence from February to April 2025, with further attacks being reported in May.
SECURITY COUNCIL/AFTERNOON
This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will meet in an open meeting to discuss Ukraine. The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, will brief the Security Council, as well as Lisa Doughten, the Director of the Financing and Partnership Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General extended his warm congratulations to the people of West Africa on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Secretary-General noted that, over the past five decades, ECOWAS has played a vital role in advancing economic cooperation, regional integration, and peace and stability in this rich and vibrant region.
***The guests at the Noon Briefing were the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and General Cheryl Pearce, the Acting Military Adviser of the United Nations. They spoke to reporters about the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
