HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 5 MAY 2025
INDIA/PAKISTAN
The Secretary-General spoke to reporters just an hour ago to say that, with tensions between India and Pakistan at their highest in years, he once again strongly condemns the attack in Pahalgam on 22 April and extends his condolences to the families of the victims. He said that those responsible must be brought to justice through transparent, credible, and lawful means.
The Secretary-General said that it is also essential – especially at this critical hour -- to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control. Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink.
He once more offered his good offices to both governments in the service of peace.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/ TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will be travelling to Copenhagen, in Denmark, tonight, where he will chair the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, also known as the CEB, which brings together the heads of the UN system organizations.
The Secretary-General is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen. He will also take part in a dinner, hosted by Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Denmark, in honour of the gathered leaders of the Chief Executives Board for Coordination.
The Secretary-General will also engage with UN staff based in Copenhagen, as well as with Danish media and he will have a number of meetings with UN senior officials, ahead of the CEB session.
During their biannual session, the Chief Executives Board Members will reflect on current world affairs as they affect and are related to the UN system. They will also engage in deliberations on 'Adapting to New Realities: Leveraging the UN80 Initiative' and 'Upholding Respect for International Law'.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Friday evening.
SUDAN
The Secretary-General is concerned with the recent reports of drone attacks on military and civilian infrastructure in the vicinity of Port Sudan airport, reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces.
These attacks appear to be the latest in a series of retaliatory military operations, conducted by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, targeting airports in each other’s areas of control.
The attack on Port Sudan is a worrying development threatening the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations in an area so far spared from experiencing the devastating conflict seen in many other parts of the country.
The Secretary-General renews his call for urgent dialogue between the warring parties towards an immediate cessation of hostilities and an inclusive political process to prevent further escalation, protect civilians, and put Sudan back on a path towards peace and stability.
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
On the humanitarian front, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues to monitor the evolving situation following the recent drone strikes in Port Sudan, which as you know has become the UN's humanitarian hub for coordinating aid operations across the country.
These attacks have not had a direct impact on humanitarian operations or activities in Port Sudan. None of our offices, premises or warehouses have been impacted, and we continue to carry out our regular operations.
OCHA will continue to assess the situation, including the impact on our ability to bring supplies and staff in and out of Sudan. UN Humanitarian Air Service flights to and from Port Sudan have been temporarily put on hold.
These latest strikes follow a series of recent drone attacks on airports and other civilian infrastructure, including power stations. The attacks on power stations have caused major disruptions to electricity supplies, as well as access to safe drinking water for civilians, including displaced people and returnees.
We call on all parties to this conflict to ensure that civilians and civilian infrastructure are not targeted. Once again, we underscore that wars have rules and international humanitarian law must be respected.
SOUTH SUDAN
In South Sudan, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator there, Marie-Helene Verney, yesterday deplored in a statement the deadly airstrike on a hospital in Jonglei State on Saturday in the town of Old Fangak.
This attack led to the suspension of critical medical care for more than 100,000 people and the destruction of medical supplies at the hospital. The town's population fled, and aid teams have withdrawn staff. Hospital patients have been relocated, and the UN is airlifting essential medical supplies to replenish stocks.
Similar attacks have occurred in Ulang and Nasir, in Upper Nile State, affecting the only healthcare facilities in those areas.
Today, local sources report another aerial bombardment in the city of New Fangak, with casualties, with the full extent of the humanitarian impact still being assessed.
Ms. Verney called for an end to the fighting, which has now displaced more than 130,000 people from Nasir, Ulang and now Fangak counties in the past two months, leaving many more deprived of livelihoods and essential services because of the hostilities.
We also call for safe access for humanitarian teams and supplies to reach people in need. Eight additional incidents affecting health facilities – including bombings and lootings – have been tracked between January and April of this year.
And as a reminder regarding the overall needs, the South Sudan 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response plan, which was published late last year, calls for $1.7 billion to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to 5.4 million people, more than half whom are children. The appeal is just 16 per cent funded, with just $270 million received.
GAZA
The Humanitarian Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said over the weekend that the Secretary-General and the Emergency Relief Coordinator have made clear that we will not participate in any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality. In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the heads of all UN entities and non-governmental organizations under the Humanitarian Country Team have unanimously affirmed this position.
The country team said that for nine weeks now, Israeli authorities have blocked all supplies from entering Gaza, no matter how vital to people’s survival. Bakeries have shut. Community kitchens have closed. Warehouses stand empty. Children have gone hungry.
The team said that the design of the plan presented to them by Israel will mean large parts of Gaza, including the less mobile and most vulnerable people, will continue to go without supplies. It contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy.
The team asserted that we are ready to again scale up the delivery of critical supplies and services, and we have significant stocks ready to enter as soon as the blockade is lifted.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that air strikes and other attacks continue across the Gaza Strip, with reports that scores of people were killed and hundreds injured over the weekend. This includes children and other civilians.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that robbery and looting have become a daily reality, especially in and around Gaza City. And that’s parallel with the depletion of supplies. Businesses are being targeted. There have also been attempts involving UN warehouses, and in most of those cases, our guards have managed to stop them, or the looters have found the warehouses already empty – after more than two months of total blockade.
Last week, we mentioned that water pumping and sanitation systems in Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza governorate, had gone down because fuel had run out. Those services are still not back, as fuel remains unavailable. And to make matters worse, on Friday, a major water line from Israel was damaged, cutting the water supply to northern Gaza – including Gaza City – by half. Only yesterday were teams able to fix it, as this repair work required coordination with the Israeli authorities.
Also yesterday, a UN team on the ground managed to retrieve some fuel from a station in Gaza City, after the Israeli authorities facilitated our colleagues' efforts to reach it. But they warn that much of the fuel reserves remains out of reach because the supply is in areas where Israeli authorities systematically deny our access. In Rafah, not a single attempt to retrieve fuel has been facilitated since 18 April.
OCHA reminds us that fuel is essential not only to power water wells and treat sewage, but also to keep intensive care units and ambulances running – just to name a few of the life-saving services it keeps going.
LEBANON
As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen ties with local communities, the Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro today in Marjayoun met with 13 mayors and local leaders from Sector East. This meeting follows a similar engagement held last week with local officials in Sector West. Lieutenant General Lázaro reaffirmed UNIFIL’s steadfast commitment to supporting local communities.
He highlighted the mission’s direct assistance by its peacekeepers as well as through its coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces and humanitarian agencies.
During the weekend, UNIFIL peacekeepers continued to discover unguarded weapons and ammunition caches, including rockets and rocket fuses in Sector East, which were reported to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
UNIFIL also conducted operational activities in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ deployment along the Blue Line and joint counter rocket launching operations.
UKRAINE
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, today condemned the large-scale attacks on Kharkiv and other densely populated cities across Ukraine over the weekend.
Between Friday and today, drone attacks and hostilities in the cities of Kharkiv, Kyiv and Cherkasy, as well as in several regions, including Sumy, Kherson, Dnipro and Donetsk, killed 12 people and injured more than 100 civilians, according to local authorities and partners. The attacks also damaged homes, schools, a hospital and other civilian infrastructure. Nearly 370 people, including 42 children, were evacuated to safer areas, according to authorities.
Humanitarian organizations provided first aid, psychosocial support, emergency shelter kits, repair materials, meals and drinks.
Meanwhile, yesterday, a fire triggered by a strike near the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region burned 85 hectares of land and damaged over a dozen buildings. No casualties were reported. Emergency services and deminers are mobilized and humanitarian partners are providing food and water.
Finally, regarding health, we and our partners have reached 600,000 people so far this year with first aid, medical transport, primary care and mental health support, including at transit centres for displaced people. Attacks on health care continue, with 39 incidents verified in March alone, causing 13 injuries and one death among health workers and patients.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT – CYPRUS
On Friday, the Secretary-General appointed María Angela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his Personal Envoy on Cyprus.
Following the conclusion of the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, held in Geneva on 17 and 18 March, the Secretary-General has asked Ms. Holguín to reengage with the parties in order to work on next steps on the Cyprus issue and advise him.
Ms. Holguín completed a previous assignment as Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus from January to July 2024.
Ms. Holguín brings extensive diplomatic experience at the highest levels, including as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (2010-2018).
CYPRUS
Today, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, met under the auspices of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Cyprus and Deputy Special Adviser, Colin Stewart.
The leaders welcomed the reappointment of María Angela Holguín Cuéllar as the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus and looked forward to receiving her in Cyprus in the coming weeks.
PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE DAY
And last, today is World Portuguese Day. Portuguese language is one of the most widespread languages in the world and the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.
