HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
MONDAY, 14 JULY 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REMARKS AT PRESS CONFERENCE ON LAUNCH OF 2025 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORT
Dear members of the media.
Today, we launch the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.
Under-Secretary-General Li will go through the details.
But allow me to kick things off.
We are now ten years into our collective journey toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The report is a snapshot of where we stand today.
Since 2015, millions more people have gained access to electricity, clean cooking, and the internet.
Social protection now reaches over half the world’s population — a significant increase from just a decade ago.
Access to education has continued to increase and more girls are staying in school.
Child marriage is declining.
Renewable energy capacity is growing, with developing countries leading the way.
And women’s representation is rising — across governments, businesses and societies.
These gains show that investments in development and inclusion yield results.
But let’s be clear: we are not where we need to be.
Only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress.
Nearly half are moving too slowly.
And 18 percent are going in reverse.
We are in a global development emergency.
An emergency measured in the over 800 million people still living in extreme poverty.
In intensifying climate impacts.
And in relentless debt service, draining the resources that countries need to invest in their people.
We must also recognize the deep linkages between under-development and conflicts.
That’s why we must keep working for peace in the Middle East.
We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access as a first step to achieve the two-State solution.
We need the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to hold.
We need a just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions.
We need an end to the horror and bloodshed in Sudan.
From the DRC to Somalia, from the Sahel to Myanmar, we know that sustainable peace requires sustainable development.
In the face of these challenges, the report we are launching today points the way to progress.
Transformational pathways — in food, energy, digital access, education, jobs, and climate — are our roadmap.
Progress in one area can multiply progress across all of them.
But we must move faster, and we must move together.
That means advancing affordable, quality healthcare for all.
Investing in women and girls as a central driver of progress.
Focusing on quality education and creating decent jobs and economic opportunities that leave no one behind.
Closing the digital divide and ensuring that technologies like artificial intelligence are used responsibly and inclusively.
And it means recognizing a fundamental fact.
Progress is impossible without unlocking financing at scale.
The recent Sevilla Commitment reflected a commitment to get the engine of development revving again.
Through reform of the international financial architecture, real action on debt relief, and tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks so countries can better access capital at scale and at a reasonable cost.
We have more opportunities to drive these priorities forward — from the High-Level Political Forum, to the Second Food Systems Stocktake Summit, to the World Social Summit, and more.
We must maximize these moments for real commitments — and real delivery.
Today’s report shows that the Sustainable Development Goals are still within reach.
But only if we act — with urgency, unity, and unwavering resolve.
It’s a pleasure to be with you again and I will give the floor to my dear colleague Li.
CONCLUSION OF THE OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP ON SECURITY OF AND IN THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES 2021-2025
The Secretary-General welcomes the consensus adoption of the final report of the Open-ended working group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) 2021-2025, marking the conclusion of four years of steady efforts to safeguard the peace and security of the ICT domain.
The Secretary-General expresses his sincere appreciation to Ambassador Burhan Gafoor (Singapore), Chair of the Open-ended working group, for his tireless efforts and leadership.
He congratulates the Open-ended working group on its many concrete achievements, which demonstrate that even in the most challenging international security environment, collective action is still possible.
He welcomes, in particular, the agreement to establish a new ‘Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs.’
The Secretary-General now calls upon all States to work together through the Global Mechanism to tackle digital risks and ensure these technologies are leveraged for good.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that over the weekend, strikes and shelling intensified across Gaza, resulting in mass casualties, including among children.
Yesterday in an Nuseirat, seven children were reportedly killed while waiting for water at a distribution site. This tragic incident follows a previous one last Thursday, when several children and women were killed while waiting for nutrition supplies.
As UNICEF has said, this is an outrage and must end. Civilians must be protected and treated with dignity. No one, including children, should risk their life to get food, water or any other aid.
In a statement last week, UNICEF also called on the Israeli authorities to urgently review the rules of engagement and ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, health teams continue to suffer some of the worst impacts of hostilities. Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported that another doctor, a specialist in surgery and endoscopy, was killed over the previous 24 hours.
The health system has been decimated, and despite being on the brink of collapse, hospitals continue to respond to mass casualty incidents as much as they can.
Meanwhile, the risk of famine remains.
UNICEF says that last month, more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 1,000 children with severe acute malnutrition. This is an increase for the fourth month in a row.
The small quantities of aid and critical supplies that have entered so far are nowhere near enough to meet the immense needs of 2.1 million people. The Israeli authorities must allow the urgent entry of aid at scale through all possible routes and corridors.
Amid ongoing hostilities and destruction, Israeli authorities have continued to issue displacement orders. Last Friday, the Israeli authorities put out a displacement order for the Rimal area of Gaza city, where about 70,000 people were staying at a dozen displacement sites. More than 86 per cent of Gaza is either under displacement orders or located within the Israeli-militarized zone.
Turning to the West Bank, OCHA warns that high levels of violence continue. On Friday, two Palestinian men in their early 20s were killed near Ramallah during a settler attack.
In the first half of 2025, more than 700 attacks by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded, affecting over 200 communities across the West Bank, primarily in Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron governorates. These numbers only include incidents resulting in casualties, property damage or both.
In a joint statement issued during the weekend, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNRWA, WFP and WHO warned that the fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels.
The agencies said that without adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to the crisis in Gaza will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely, directly impacting all essential services in the Strip. This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid.
Without adequate fuel, the agencies warn, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts. Hospitals are already going dark, maternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move. Roads and transport will remain blocked, trapping those in need. Telecommunications will shut down, crippling lifesaving coordination and cutting families off from critical information, and from one another.
The UN agencies also underscored that for the first time in 130 days, a small amount of fuel entered Gaza this week. This is a welcome development, but it is a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running.
SYRIA
UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Ms. Najat Rochdi, expressed deep concern over reports of violence and abductions in Sweida, which have resulted in significant casualties.
The Deputy Special Envoy urged the Interim Authorities and local stakeholders to take immediate steps to protect civilians, restore calm, and prevent incitement.
Ms. Rochdi further underscores the urgent need for genuine inclusion, trust-building, and meaningful dialogue to advance a credible and inclusive political transition in Syria, based on the principles of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
UKRAINE
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today noted that a wave of deadly missile and drone attacks were reported across the country over the weekend – with at least 27 civilians killed and 128 injured, including children, according to authorities. The strikes hit urban centres in western Ukraine, including Chernivtsi, Lviv and Lutsk. Hostilities also intensified in the north and east – notably in the Sumy and Donetsk regions – and continued in the south, particularly in the Kherson region.
Authorities report that multiple houses and education facilities were damaged, and critical services were interrupted. In Chernivtsi, which had previously been less impacted by hostilities, two people were killed and 26 were injured. More than 100 apartments, a kindergarten, a social services building and several shops were also damaged.
Following the attacks, aid workers rapidly mobilized to provide emergency medical and psychological support to those affected and to distribute shelter materials to repair damage caused by the strikes.
Meanwhile, OCHA said that over the past three days, more than 400 people – including 60 children – have been evacuated from Ukraine-controlled areas of the Donetsk region. These efforts are being led by the authorities, with support from humanitarian partners.
OCHA’s latest reporting indicates that humanitarian access for aid organizations remained challenging in Ukraine’s front-line communities in May and June due to intense hostilities in the most-affected regions – Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia – with long-range strikes posing threats to aid workers. Increased attacks further from the front line are also increasing risks and driving humanitarian needs across the country.
UKRAINE/INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
In statement issued yesterday, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that the IAEA team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) reported hearing hundreds of rounds of small arms fire on Saturday night, the latest sign of military activity potentially threatening nuclear safety and security. Conducting a site walkdown this morning, IAEA team saw numerous small calibre casings lying scattered on the ground near reactor units 5 and 6. There was no sign of broken windows or other physical damage.
Mr. Grossi noted that Saturday evening’s shooting came after a series of purported attacks and other incidents involving drones near the ZNPP and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine in recent months, including a report of a strike a few days ago in the city of Enerhodar, where most ZNPP staff live. He reiterated his deep concern about the apparent increased use of drones near nuclear power plants since early this year, saying such weaponry posed a clear risk to nuclear safety and security.
SUDAN
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that escalating violence, displacement and heavy rains are deepening the needs of civilians who have already endured nearly 27 months of conflict in Sudan.
The UN is gravely alarmed by escalating hostilities in El Fasher, in North Darfur State. For the first time since the siege of El Fasher began over a year ago, large numbers of fighters from the Rapid Support Forces reportedly entered the city on Friday. Local sources are reporting civilian casualties due to fierce fighting in recent days, particularly in the southwest and east of El Fasher. The situation remains highly volatile and unpredictable, with a serious risk of renewed violence, as well as further displacement and disruption of humanitarian operations – which are already under severe strain.
Meanwhile, in North Kordofan State, growing insecurity forced 3,400 people to flee their homes over the weekend, according to the International Organization for Migration. Local reports indicate that at least 18 civilians were killed, and homes were burned in several villages.
OCHA reminds all parties that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law. Civilians must be protected at all times.
Meanwhile, heavy rains have been reported in West and Central Darfur states, which may affect the conditions of roads in some locations and compound humanitarian access challenges. With the rainy season continuing through October, the risk of floods, access constraints and disease outbreaks is growing – especially during this critical lean season, a time between harvests when food stocks traditionally run low.
Despite the crisis, there are signs of small-scale returns in West Darfur State, where displaced families from Chad have begun arriving back in Sirba, Jebel Moon and Kulbus localities to cultivate their farms. Local authorities report about 40 people returning daily to Kulbus, with 300 returnees over the past week.
The UN calls on all parties to enable safe and unimpeded access to all people in need across Sudan. It is also urgent that donors step up their support for vulnerable people in Sudan. Across the country, some 30 million people – more than half of the population – need vital aid and protection this year.
