HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 30 JUNE 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL/CONFERENCE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
The Secretary-General is in Sevilla, Spain, where he is attending the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. This morning, at the opening of the Conference, he said that financing is the engine of development, and right now, this engine is sputtering.
“As we meet,” the Secretary-General pointed out, “the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future, is in danger. He stressed that the conference is not about charity, it’s about restoring justice and lives of dignity.”
The Secretary-General also added that the conference is not about money, it’s about investing in the future we want to build, together.
In the afternoon, at the launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action, the Secretary-General highlighted that the Platform offers an ambitious, action-oriented response to the global financing challenge.
Soon after, at the opening of the International Business Forum, the Secretary-General underscored that by uniting public and private sector leaders, regulators and development banks, we can ensure that the conference is not an end, but rather a beginning.
The Secretary-General also addressed that media in a joint press encounter with the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez. He stressed that with the adoption of the Sevilla Commitment document, countries are proving their dedication to getting the engine of development revving again.
Today, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Government of Spain, and yesterday, he met His Majesty Don Felipe VI, King of Spain, He is also having a number of bilateral meetings with other delegation leaders who will be at the conference. We will share readouts of some of those meetings shortly.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/FFD4
Ms. Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General, joined the Secretary-General for the opening ceremony of the conference and his meeting with the President of the Government of Spain.
Later, she delivered remarks at side events focused on closing the SDG financing gap, including on the role of public-private cooperation, the centrality of gender equality in sustainable finance, and the leadership of African women in advancing the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
She also held bilateral meetings with senior government officials and Heads of Government attending the conference.
GENDER EQUALITY
At the Fourth International Financing for Development conference in Spain, the adoption of the Compromiso de Sevilla reaffirmed the global commitment to inclusive sustainable development. However, UN Women is warning that chronic underfunding and unfair financial systems are hindering gender equality progress.
Developing countries are falling short by an estimated $420 billion a year in the funding needed to achieve gender equality under the Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Women is urging world leaders to match political commitments with the sustained, transparent, and accountable financing needed to deliver on promises to half the world’s population.
GAZA
The Secretary-General is alarmed by the new evacuation orders in northern Gaza, which have once again displaced tens of thousands of people. He condemns the continued loss of civilian life resulting from Israeli airstrikes and any other attacks.
All parties must comply fully with international law at all times. Civilians must be respected and protected. There must be full, safe and sustained humanitarian access in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.
The Secretary-General welcomes the continued efforts by the mediators and reiterates his appeal to the parties to urgently reach a permanent ceasefire.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that given the heavy constraints on bringing in supplies and carrying out humanitarian operations across Gaza, people are going hungry. The World Food Programme reports that one in five people faces catastrophic hunger, and more than 90,000 women and children urgently require treatment for malnutrition.
WFP says that about 130,000 metric tonnes of food are positioned in the region and ready to serve people in Gaza, if improved access is granted.
The UN reiterates that Israel must facilitate the access and entry of essential supplies into Gaza, through the available crossing points and corridors, to address people’s desperate needs.
Meanwhile, the UN and its partners call on the Israeli authorities, with utmost urgency, to allow the entry of fuel into Gaza. This is critically needed for life-saving operations – including hospitals, water and sanitation equipment, telecommunications, moving cargo from crossings, and operating community kitchens. If the ban on fuel continues, more of these critical services will shut down soon and – in some areas – imminently. OCHA warns that the implications are life-threatening.
Yesterday, the Israeli military issued another displacement order in areas of Jabalya and Gaza City, instructing people to go to Al Mawasi. This follows another displacement order in central Gaza over the weekend.
About 150,000 people were in the areas slated for displacement from yesterday’s order alone, including families staying in dozens of displacement sites.
People are being pushed into overcrowded areas where thousands of others are already staying. These spaces lack shelter, water and sewage systems, and medical facilities.
You might recall that, beyond fuel, the entry into Gaza of critical shelter materials – tents, plastic sheeting, timber and other household items – has also been denied for 17 weeks.
OCHA reminds us that most of Gaza remains under displacement orders. Israel, as the occupying power, must ensure the protection of civilians wherever they are and wherever they go.
Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that Israeli authorities continue to deny many humanitarian movements.
Yesterday, they rejected five out of 15 attempts by the UN to coordinate such movements, including efforts to remove solid waste and debris and to recover broken trucks. Two other missions could not be accomplished, either because of impediments or because organizers had to cancel them. The remaining eight missions – which included the movement of staff – were facilitated and accomplished.
Our partners report a rising risk of gender-based violence across all governorates in the past two months – with women especially affected by incidents where they are denied services and resources, as they seek to provide for their families.
In April and May, some 45 partners were providing psychosocial support, safe shelter and dignity kits to women. However, other critical services, such as legal assistance, remain very limited or unavailable.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council this morning discussed Resolution 2334 concerning Palestine, and Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told Council members that the level of suffering and brutality in Gaza is unbearable, and the continued collective punishment of the Palestinian people is unjustifiable.
Mr. Khiari said that we remain deeply alarmed by the relentless Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as the escalating violence there.
He noted that military operations by Israeli security forces in the northern West Bank have resulted in high levels of fatalities, including women and children, significant population displacement, and destruction of homes and infrastructure, particularly in refugee camps.
UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON (UNIFIL)
Moving to southern Lebanon. UNIFIL peacekeepers there report that the military activities by Israel Defense Forces military continue, including air strikes and artillery shelling.
UNIFIL peacekeepers also continue to discover unauthorized weapons and ammunition caches in the area of operations. On 27 June, they found two transport containers of rockets, two rocket launchers and mortar shells in Sector West. On 29 June, an empty cave covered with tarpaulin and sealed boxes of mortar shells nearby were found in Sector East. These discoveries were subsequently reported to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, obstructions of UNIFIL’s movement in the area of operations continue. These incidents impede effective mandate implementation and jeopardize the safety and security of our peacekeepers.
It remains crucial that the parties ensure unhindered freedom of movement for UNIFIL.
SYRIA
Later this afternoon, UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen will brief the Security Council in a closed session following the terrorist attack on 22 June that targeted the Mar Elias Orthodox Church, which the UN strongly condemned.
Mr. Pedersen is currently in Damascus. Yesterday, he met with Syria's Interim President Ahmad Al Sharaa and the Interim Foreign Minister Assad Al Shaibani. Discussions focused on the Church incident and the broader context of Syria's security challenges. Mr. Pedersen has also engaged other concerned parties, including the Patriarch.
The Special Envoy noted many security and terrorism challenges on the ground and the risks Syria faces also from unresolved conflicts, and widespread feelings of exclusion.
He acknowledged the efforts made by the interim authorities on security while underlining the importance of intensified efforts and also greater international support in this area.
He underscored our commitment to supporting an inclusive political transition that ensures the safety of all Syrians and meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that weekend attacks struck multiple parts of the country, including areas that have previously been less affected by the hostilities.
Between 26 June and today, more than 20 civilians were killed and nearly 150 injured, according to authorities, with several children among those injured.
The strikes also disrupted electricity and water supplies in the regions of Kherson and Lviv, compounding the hardships of residents. Urban centres – including the town of Samar in Dnipro region, the town of Smila in Cherkasy Region and the city of Odesa – came under attack, killing and injuring civilians and damaging infrastructure, such as apartment buildings, schools and a health facility.
Aid workers mobilized rapid responses in Cherkasy and Odesa regions, providing first aid, hot meals, shelter materials and child support services to complement the work of first responders and local actors.
In the Dnipro region, our partners working in health scaled up their response following intensified attacks in June that killed and injured numerous civilians and damaged hospitals.
Rapid medical response teams and mental health professionals have been deployed to respond to the rising health needs among affected civilians and those fleeing front-line areas.
SUDAN
The World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that millions of Sudanese people who took refuge in neighbouring countries face worsening hunger and malnutrition due to severe funding shortages. Children are especially at risk, with malnutrition rates breaching emergency levels.
Since conflict erupted in April 2023, over four million people have left Sudan with little more than the clothes on their backs in search of food, shelter and safety. Yet they are being met with more hunger, despair, and limited resources on the other side of the border.
WFP is doing the utmost by providing emergency food, cash, and nutrition support across seven countries hosting the refugees, but resources are running out. To zoom in closer into the dire situation, in Uganda, refugees survive on less than 500 calories a day, that is less than a quarter of daily nutritional needs.
And in Chad, which hosts almost a quarter of the four million refugees who fled Sudan, food rations will be reduced in the coming months unless new contributions are received soon.
WFP urgently needs over $200 million for regional refugee support and $575 million for operations inside Sudan. Immediate international funding and no less importantly a political action to end the crisis are urgently needed for the people of Sudan.
DRC/RWANDA
In a statement issued over the weekend in which the Secretary-General welcomed the signing of a peace agreement by the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, facilitated by the United States.
He said the Agreement is a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region. He urged the parties to honour in full the commitments they have undertaken in the Peace Agreement and pursuant to Security Council resolution 2773 (2025), including the cessation of hostilities and all other agreed measures. The full statement is online.
GLOBAL FRAMEWORK
The United Nations welcomes the successful conclusion on 27 June of the Preparatory Meeting of States on the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management. The recommendations adopted for the 2027 Meeting of States lay a strong foundation for an effective follow-up and review mechanism under the Framework. This meeting has demonstrated that, even in challenging times, States can come together to make concrete progress in advancing conventional arms control.
AFGHANISTAN REFUGEES
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is witnessing a sharp increase in the number of Afghans returning in adverse circumstances from Iran.
Over 640,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since the implementation of a return deadline by the Government on 20 March this year, with over 366,000 deported.
Families often arrive with scant belongings, exhausted, hungry, scared about what awaits them in a country many of them have never even set foot in. Women and girls are particularly worried, as they fear the restrictions on freedom of movement and basic rights such as education and employment. In total, so far this year, over 1.2 million Afghans have returned to their country, or been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan.
UNHCR warns that as the numbers of Afghans returning rise, the situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable. We continue to stress that the returns of refugees must be voluntary, safe and dignified.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is International Day of Parliamentarism. It offers the opportunity to review the progress that parliaments have made in achieving some key goals and including more women and young Members of Parliaments around the world.
Today is also International Asteroid Day. This Day aims to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard and actions that should be taken at the global level in case of a credible near-Earth object threat.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Bangladesh paid its full dues to the Regular Budget. Bangladesh’s payment brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 112.
UNGA80
The Media and Accreditation Liaison Unit (MALU) is reminding everyone that the deadline to apply for media accreditation to cover UNGA80 is 29 August 2025.
For more details, we encourage you to visit MALU’s web site (www.un.org/malu).
PROGRAMMING NOTE
Tomorrow, at 11:00 a.m., there will be a hybrid briefing by Guy Ryder, the Under-Secretary-General for Policy, who will brief on UN80.
At 12:45 p.m., immediately following the Noon Briefing, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of July, will brief on the Programme of Work for July. This will also be in a hybrid format.
