HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 26 AUGUST 2025
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the General Assembly's decision to establish two new mechanisms within the United Nations to promote international cooperation on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI).
The establishment of the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance marks a significant step forward in global efforts to harness the benefits of artificial intelligence while addressing its risks. This pathbreaking milestone underlines Member States’ commitment to build on the Global Digital Compact adopted as part of the Pact for the Future in September 2024.
The Global Dialogue on AI Governance will provide an inclusive platform within the United Nations for states and stakeholders to discuss the critical issues concerning AI facing humanity today.
The Scientific Panel on AI will serve as a crucial bridge between cutting-edge AI research and policymaking. By providing rigorous, independent scientific assessments, it will help the international community to anticipate emerging challenges and make informed decisions about how we govern this transformative technology.
The Secretary-General will shortly be launching an open call for nominations for the Scientific Panel, which will present its annual reports at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance to take place in July 2026 in Geneva and 2027 in New York.
The Secretary-General calls on all stakeholders to support this historic initiative and contribute to building a future where artificial intelligence serves the common good of all humanity.
SUDAN
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke by phone with Kamil El-Tayeb Idris, the Transitional Prime Minister of the Republic of the Sudan, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sudan, as well as the protection of civilians and humanitarian access.
The Secretary-General and Mr. Idris discussed, in particular, the dire humanitarian situation in El Fasher, caused by the continued encirclement and bombardments.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cites a report today from the Ministry of Health that another three people have died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of such reported deaths to 303, including 117 children.
At the same time, the Israeli military has issued a new displacement order covering approximately one square kilometre in Gaza City’s Ad Daraj and Ash Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods.
People continue to flee in fear for their lives, seeking safety wherever possible. Between 14 August – when the offensive on Gaza City was announced – and yesterday, partners tracking population movements in Gaza recorded more than 36,200 displacements, including over 11,600 from the north to the south of the Strip.
The majority of displaced people came from neighbourhoods in Gaza City, with more than two thirds moving to Deir al Balah and nearly a third heading to Khan Younis.
Turning to the health situation, yesterday, hospitals in Gaza warned of severe shortages of blood units, with daily needs exceeding 350 units. With many patients critically injured by hostilities, more blood is needed to save lives, yet community donations have plummeted due to famine and malnutrition. The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent appeal to replenish blood stocks in hospitals.
Meanwhile, obstructions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the flow of aid into and within the Gaza Strip continue to constrain delivery of life-saving assistance by the UN and its partners. Yesterday, six out of 12 planned missions that required coordination with the Israeli authorities were facilitated; most of them were to move supplies into and within southern Gaza and collect fuel from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing.
Another three missions to collect cargo from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Zikim were impeded and therefore only partially accomplished, while two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers. One mission to carry out road repairs in Khan Younis was denied by the Israeli authorities.
OCHA stresses that with famine now confirmed in Gaza governorate, the humanitarian consequences of ongoing hostilities, displacement, and aid obstruction are even more devastating. We urgently call for an immediate ceasefire and full, unhindered humanitarian access across the entire Strip to bring an end to the suffering of civilians and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza.
UKRAINE
On Ukraine, OCHA says that more civilians have been killed and injured following hostilities and attacks across the country these past days. Damage has also been reported to schools and energy infrastructure.
The Donetsk region was the most impacted, and the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia were also affected.
Aid organizations are mobilized and have distributed repair materials, hot meals and drinks, and are providing psychological support.
Meanwhile, humanitarians continue to support people fleeing hostilities in the regions of Donetsk and Dnipro. Between 22 and 25 August, more than 2,000 people, including many children, were evacuated from the Donetsk region. With growing pressure on the transit site in the town of Pavlohrad, authorities and aid organizations opened new facilities in the village of Voloske, Dnipro region, and the town of Lozova, Kharkiv region.
Evacuees receive medical and psychosocial support, hot meals, water and hygiene supplies, and can register for cash assistance before moving on to safer areas. Humanitarians are also supporting arrivals in other parts of the country.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This afternoon, at 4:00 p.m., the Security Council will convene for a briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security. Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, is expected to brief Council members.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVEL
On Monday, the Deputy Secretary-General addressed the inaugural African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit in Abuja, Nigeria, calling for a new era of strategic regional defence collaboration. She stressed that sustainable development and peace and security are mutually reinforcing, underscoring that development remains the most effective deterrent to insecurity. She urged coordinated action to confront terrorism, climate change, cyber threats, and disinformation.
Highlighting climate change as a threat multiplier, Ms. Mohammed called for stronger investment in resilience and sustainable development. She further advocated collaboration through pooled resources, artificial intelligence, and innovation, while underscoring the vital role of women and youth in peacebuilding.
The Deputy Secretary-General urged defence leaders to rethink global spending priorities, emphasizing the need to invest in people, tackle root causes, and create societies where stability is built on justice, opportunity and trust.
WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE
The World Health Organization and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed today in a joint report that 1 in 4 people around the world, or 2.1 billion people globally, still lack access to safely managed drinking water, putting them at risk of disease and deeper social exclusion.
Billions of others also still lack safely managed sanitation and basic hygiene services at home.
People living in the least developed countries are the most impacted communities. These inequalities, however, are especially stark for girls, who often bear the burden of water collection and face additional barriers during menstruation.
The report calls for accelerated action if we are to keep our promise to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
THAILAND
We join our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency to commend the adoption by the Thai Government of a resolution that will grant long-staying refugees from Myanmar the right to work in Thailand.
This resolution recognizes the protracted situation of some 81,000 forcibly displaced people hosted in temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar border. The new policy will enable refugees to work legally in the country and to contribute meaningfully to the Thai economy.
Many of these refugees have been living in the camps for decades and are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid. Around 47 per cent of them were born in the temporary shelters.
UNHCR said that building on Thailand’s 50-year legacy and leadership in hosting refugees, this new policy, if fully implemented, will set a new regional benchmark for a sustainable, rights-based refugee solution that could serve as a model for other countries facing similar challenges.
