Noon briefing of 22 June 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 22 JUNE 2026

AIDS 

The Deputy Secretary-General spoke on the Secretary-General’s behalf this morning at the Opening Plenary of the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, and she pointed to the progress over the past years in dealing with the disease, noting that AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and by 54 per cent since 2010. HIV prevention and treatment services have reduced new infections by 40 per cent in the same period, she added.  

But the Deputy Secretary-General warned that AIDS is not over.  At the end of 2024, 9.2 million people in need still lacked access to HIV treatment, and 1.3 million acquired HIV.  And most tragically, 630,000 lives were lost in AIDS-related deaths.  

The Secretary-General’s remarks underscore five priorities to face the AIDS challenge: to close the widening gaps in access to prevention, treatment and care services; to continue ensuring the leadership of communities in the HIV response; respect for human rights; adequate financing; and a revival of the multilateral spirit that has driven the HIV response from the very start.  We have shared those remarks with you. 

PEACEBUILDING WEEK 

Today, we start the first-ever Peacebuilding Week, marking an important milestone, which is 20 years since the inaugural session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the establishment of the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund. More than 50 events in New York and over 20 around the world are being organized. Here at Headquarters today, a joint session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Economic and Social Council is taking place through 1p.m. on advancing social cohesion through job creation in peacebuilding contexts.  

Also on Thursday, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the Peacebuilding Commission’s Annual Session in the General Assembly Hall. 

And just a reminder, at 1:30 p.m., here in the briefing room, we will be joined by Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support, alongside Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, and the Permanent Representatives of Egypt, Ihab Moustafa Awad Moustafa, and Slovenia Samuel Žbogar. They will provide an overview of the Peacebuilding Week and the importance of investing in prevention and peacebuilding at a time of growing global challenges.   

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL 

The Secretary-General has arrived in London, where he will attend a series of events taking place during the London Climate Action Week. He will deliver a special address on climate and energy tomorrow morning, outlining how renewable energy offers the clearest route to energy security, affordability and resilience, and underscoring the destructive role played by fossil fuels in the climate crisis and energy crisis we face. 

UKRAINE 

And from Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has received reports from Ukrainian authorities that nearly 40 civilians were killed over the weekend, including one child, and nearly 250 others were injured, including a dozen children. The attacks also damaged homes and critical energy, port and transportation infrastructure. 

Front-line regions were particularly affected, including the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson and Donetsk. Attacks on industrial facilities in the region of Poltava also killed and injured more than a dozen civilians, including children, according to the authorities. And in the region of Odesa, attacks struck an agricultural enterprise and several civilian vessels, killing a number of people, including an Egyptian national, and injuring at least two others, that’s what authorities are telling us. 

Attacks on energy infrastructure left parts of seven regions without electricity, with the regions of Donetsk and Kherson heavily affected. Nearly 1,400 people were evacuated over the weekend in Donetsk. 

Humanitarian organizations, with the support of the UN, provided psychological support, emergency shelter materials and other aid. 

During the first quarter of 2026, humanitarian organizations reached some than 2.2 million people with at least one form of assistance, including, food, water, health care and shelter support. The largest share of this support was delivered in front-line areas and to people impacted by the strikes. 

For this assistance to continue, we will need continued and predictable funding. This year, we and our humanitarian partners are calling for $2.3 billion appeal.

This afternoon, at 3 p.m., there will be a briefing in the Security Council on Ukraine, requested by Ukraine. Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, is expected to brief on the continuing intensification of hostilities and their impact on civilians and civilian infrastructure. He will be briefing alongside Edem Wosornu, Director of the Crisis Response Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

SUDAN 

Turning to Sudan where reports of escalating violence in and around El Obeid, the state capital of North Kordofan State, is putting civilians at increased risk and disrupting essential services. 

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that between Thursday and yesterday, drone attacks reportedly targeted multiple locations, including a power substation and a fuel station. According to the local medical group Sudan Doctors Network, the attacks forced the closure of several medical facilities in the city, including a dialysis center. They also reportedly caused the shutdown of water stations, further disrupting access to essential services. 

Elsewhere in North Kordofan, local sources reported that yesterday, two key bridges located south of the city of Um Ruwaba, were targeted by drones, along the main road Um Ruwaba to Abu Jubeiha connecting North Kordofan and South Kordofan.  

Despite this, our humanitarian partners reported that movement along the corridor remained possible as of yesterday. 

Multiple drone attacks were also reported yesterday in the city of Ar Rahad, located to the southeast of El Obeid, along a key highway. 

Meanwhile, nearby in West Kordofan, the cholera outbreak continues to worsen due to limited humanitarian access and insecurity, ongoing displacement, and inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation. 

We and our partners have supported the provision of cholera treatments, supplies and awareness raising campaigns in addition to establishing cholera treatment centers in the state.                   

Drone strikes have also been reported in other parts of Sudan in recent days, including North Darfur and White Nile states, causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. 

We reiterate our calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access. 

UNIFIL 

Yesterday marked the first day since the resumption of hostilities in Lebanon on 2 March that peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon did not detect any trajectories or observe any interceptions. UNIFIL says this lack of activities has continued as of this morning. We welcome this reduction in hostilities and hope this trend continues.  

This follows an intense escalation on Friday and Saturday after the latest reported ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah. On Friday, UNIFIL attributed 24 airstrikes and 950 trajectories to the Israel Defence Force, and 53 trajectories to Lebanese non-state armed groups, presumed to be Hizbullah, and five projectile interceptions. On Saturday, UNIFIL attributed multiple airstrikes and 451 firing incidents attributed to the IDF, and 20 trajectories to Hizbullah, and eight projectile interceptions.    

Over the past three days, UNIFIL peacekeepers continued to observe extensive IDF ground activities throughout the mission’s area of operations, including armored maneuvers, as well as engineering and logistical activities. Peacekeepers also continue to observe violations of Lebanese airspace by IDF aircraft, although at reduced levels. 

Yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers encountered multiple restrictions to their freedom of movement across the area of operations. In Sector East, an IDF roadblock denied passage to a UNIFIL convoy despite prior deconfliction, and two UNIFIL patrols were turned back by the IDF in Sector West. Peacekeepers also encountered a roadblock by the Lebanese Armed Forces in Sector East, prompting them to divert to an alternate route.                                

On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL, through its Liaison Branch and in coordination with OCHA, facilitated eight humanitarian missions in Sector West on 20 June. 

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN 

On the humanitarian front, our OCHA colleagues tell us that families displaced by months of hostilities are starting to return to southern areas, despite widespread destruction, damaged infrastructure and limited access to basic services. 

Uncertainty remains high for many. Some families are moving closer to their areas of origin and waiting for conditions to improve before making a final decision on what they should do next. 

While violence has decreased significantly in recent days, the human toll of the conflict continues to be felt across the country.   

We continue to call for the protection of civilians, sustained humanitarian access and conditions that allow displaced families to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA says that civilians continue to be exposed to airstrikes, naval fire, shelling and shooting in residential areas. Our safety and security partners report that such incidents occurred over the weekend across all governorates, primarily west of the “Yellow Line.” We have seen with great concern reports that civilians are among those killed. 

On access, our partners say Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem remains the only crossing currently available for aid to enter Gaza. They also report that the Israeli checkpoint set up in early June in southern Gaza is no longer causing major delays for convoys reaching the crossing. 

Over the weekend and into this morning, the UN has collected multiple shipments from Kerem Shalom, including food, blankets, education supplies, recreation items for children, hygiene kits and fuel.   

We continue to call for additional crossing points and  for restrictions to be lifted on items for which it is difficult to get approval. 

Fuel, however, remains limited. There is no Value Added Tax exemption in Israel, so partners largely rely on a single Egyptian provider, who is not always able to meet the quantities required. In addition, Israeli authorities allow fuel imports, whether from Egypt or Israel, only during the limited opening hours of Kerem Shalom. 

As a result, in the second week of June,  humanitarian partners inside Gaza were forced to prioritize fuel allocations to life-saving services and suspend them for less critical ones. 

You will recall that even when fuel is available, generators often lack lubricant oils needed to operate, and these are also difficult to get Israeli approval for.   

Turning to the West Bank, violence there also remains at concerning levels. Yesterday, Israeli forces shot and killed a boy and a man who were allegedly within a group burning tyres and throwing Molotov cocktails towards a settlement in Hebron Area. 

Our humanitarian colleagues recall that, in law enforcement contexts across the West Bank, lethal force may only be used as a last resort. Those perpetrating unlawful attacks must be held to account. 

SYRIA/SECURITY COUNCIL 

This morning, the Security Council held an open briefing on Syria. Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Envoy, said UN engagement with the Syrian Government on the political transition is advancing constructively, though significant work remains. He said relocating the Mission’s Geneva-based staff to Damascus would support those efforts. Mr. Cordone will return to Damascus next week to continue discussions with Syrian officials on areas of cooperation. 

OCHA’s Assistant Secretary-General ad interim, Indrika Ratwatte, said that meetings between the Government and UN partners in May helped advance the “No Camps, No Tents” vision, focused on protection, service provision and sustainable livelihoods for returning refugees. 

Mr. Ratwatte urged greater international support, noting that the $2.92 billion humanitarian appeal is only 20 per cent funded despite the year nearing its midpoint. Shirin 

PANAMA 

Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, is in Panama today to take part in the fifty-sixth regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on behalf of the Secretary-General.  

She will also participate in the commemoration of the Bicentennial of the 1826 Amphictyonic Congress of Panama, when delegates met in Panama City to advance dialogue and cooperation among newly independent states and to pursue peace, solidarity and collective action through shared principles. She will pay tribute to those who gathered two centuries ago by renewing our commitment to dialogue, cooperation and the peaceful resolution of differences.  

She will also engage with officials and political leaders from the region.  

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME/POPE LEO 

Today, Pope Leo XIV visited the Headquarters of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, calling access to food a fundamental human right. He called on the international community to renew its commitment and increase resources to combat hunger and malnutrition. 

His visit comes at a time of acute strain on the humanitarian system. Global hunger has climbed to unprecedented levels with an estimated 266 million people across 47 countries facing acute food insecurity in 2025. Yet funding for food assistance has fallen sharply. 

He stressed that food security is an essential component of global security, raising concerns about barriers to humanitarian action.  

Pope Leo also laid a wreath at WFP’s memorial wall, which honors the 171 WFP staff members who have lost their lives while serving vulnerable communities around the world. 

EBOLA/CHILDREN 

UNICEF warns that as global confirmed Ebola cases reach 1,000, nearly 3 million children and adolescents are at risk in eastern DRC, from the disease itself and the breakdown of essential services such as health, education and protection services. 

Children make up for 15 per cent of confirmed cases and over 25% of deaths, and are almost twice as likely to die as adults. Over 130 children have already lost one or both parents in Ituri, the origin of the outbreak. 

UNICEF is seeking $70.7 million for its six-month response, with $20 million still unfunded. It calls for immediate, safe, and sustained humanitarian access to affected communities so that life-saving assistance can reach children and families in need. 

HUMAN SECURITY 

The first Human Security Awards will be announced today at 4:30 p.m. in Conference Room 6 by the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Human Security, the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica, Japan and Senegal to the United Nations, together with the United Nations Human Security Unit.  

The 2026 Human Security Awards will recognize six outstanding United Nations initiatives that have successfully translated the Human Security approach into tangible improvements in people’s lives across the world. The six award-winning programmes demonstrate human security in practice and include projects in Ecuador, Ghana, Nepal, the Pacific Islands, Senegal and Syria.   

**Guest - today 

In a short while, we will be joined by my guest, Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). 

She will brief on the General Assembly High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, which is taking place here at UN Headquarters from 22 to 23 June 2026.