HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 23 JUNE 2025
UN CHARTER
Today, at 5:50 p.m., the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a ceremony to welcome home the original UN Charter, 80 years after it was adopted.
He will make remarks and point out that the Charter is more than parchment and ink; it is a promise of peace, a promise of dignity and cooperation among nations.
He will say that today, as our world faces age-old challenges, and newer threats like the climate crisis and runaway technology, we have the tools and the norms of international law to guide us, starting with that Charter.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/SYRIA
In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the terrorist attacks that took place on Sunday at the St. Elias Church in Damascus. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured.
The Secretary-General reiterated that all perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable. He took note that the Syrian interim authorities have condemned this attack and, after a preliminary investigation, attributed it to Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, ISIL. The Secretary-General called for a full investigation.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the Syrian people in their pursuit of peace, of dignity, and justice.
Geir Pederson, the Special Envoy in Syria, also issued a statement on the same attack.
IRAN
In yesterday’s meeting of the Security Council, the Secretary-General said that the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling. He warned that we now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.
The Secretary-General told the Council that the Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international peace and security and Iran must fully respect it. And all Member States must act in accordance with their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law, including international humanitarian law.
In a statement over the weekend, the Secretary-General said that at this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos, and reminded Council members that there is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy, and the only hope is peace, he said.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack by unidentified armed elements on a convoy of UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. The attack took place on 20 June. The attack resulted in the death of a peacekeeper from Zambia. He was 33 years old, and his name was Corporal Stephen Muloké Sachachoma. He was a member of the Zambian military continent deployed with the UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic.
A second peacekeeper from Zambia was also injured and is undergoing medical treatment.
The Secretary-General recalled that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He called on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought swiftly to justice.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that conditions are deteriorating rapidly.
Yesterday, OCHA’s head of office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jonathan Whittall, who is currently in Gaza, briefed journalists and warned of a pattern where people are being killed trying to reach food.
Mr. Whittall said that we are seeing carnage, weaponized hunger, forced displacement and a death sentence for people just trying to survive. And he reiterated that the UN and its partners have a humanitarian plan by which we could reach every family in Gaza, as we have in the past, but we are prevented from doing so.
Over the weekend, telecommunications were restored across Gaza, after damaged fibre optic cables were repaired. For the first time in days, our teams have had more than 24 hours of relatively stable connectivity, something the UN has repeatedly said is essential to coordinate emergency relief and save lives.
But colleagues on the ground warn that without urgent fuel deliveries, telecommunications will go down again very soon.
Fuel is also needed to keep emergency rooms running, power ambulances and operate water desalination and pumping stations.
Right now, our teams on the ground are rationing what little fuel remains and working to retrieve stocks stored inside Gaza, in areas that are hard to reach. Earlier today, one of our teams managed to access fuel stored in Rafah, and we hope to have good news about that mission by tomorrow.
If successful, it would buy critical services a bit more time, but not much. OCHA stresses that the Israeli authorities need to facilitate movements of fuel in sufficient quantities into and throughout Gaza, including to and within the north, where fuel movements have often been denied.
Most of Gaza is in areas where the UN teams are required to coordinate every movement with the Israeli authorities. On Saturday and Sunday, the UN and its partners attempted to coordinate 16 humanitarian movements, but half of them were denied outright, hindering the trucking of water and fuel, the provision of nutrition services, and the retrieval of bodies. Some efforts to remove solid waste and the movement of staff within Gaza, without delivering supplies, were facilitated.
Meanwhile, most of Gaza also remains under displacement orders. Just today, Israeli authorities issued another such directive, this time for two neighbourhoods in Khan Younis city, including two hospitals, Al Amal and Nasser. While Israeli authorities have clarified the hospitals are not required to evacuate, OCHA says the designation is nonetheless hindering access to those critical facilities for both patients and medical staff.
LEBANON
The peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have continued to observe Israel Defense Forces’ activities, including air strikes, in the area of operations. They have also observed Israeli Iron Dome interceptions targeting Iranian missiles and drones crossing the area of operations towards Israel.
On 20 June, UNIFIL discovered three unauthorized ammunition and weapon caches in the area of operations, containing mortar shells and rockets. The Lebanese Armed Forces were informed of the caches, and they intervened in all locations.
UNIFIL continues to encounter obstructions of movement in the area of operations, hampering implementation of its mandate.  
Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, wrapped up his visit to the Middle East yesterday, having visited UNDOF, the UN Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan, and UNIFIL.
While in Lebanon, the Under-Secretary-General met with Mission Leadership in Naqoura and visited UN peacekeepers, including along the Blue Line and with the Maritime Task Force offshore. He also discussed the current situation on the ground and implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 with the Lebanese President, the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and the Foreign Minister.
In Syria, Mr. Lacroix met with the interim President and interim Ministers and discussed the Syrian interim authorities’ commitment to exercising their full security responsibilities throughout Syrian territory, in accordance with relevant agreements and international law.
Throughout his trip, the Under-Secretary-General stressed the importance of ensuring that both missions are fully supported and provided with the freedom of movement necessary to complete their mandated tasks.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, arrived today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a four-day visit to meet the country’s leaders, as well as aid workers and communities impacted by the conflict in the east. Today in Kinshasa, Mr. Fletcher held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, and other senior officials. They discussed urgent humanitarian challenges facing the country, including displacement, access to vital aid and the protection of civilians in conflict-affected areas.
Mr. Fletcher commended the resilience of Congolese people and reiterated our commitment to work hand-in-hand with authorities and local partners to support the humanitarian response and to promote stability there.
SUDAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) remains deeply concerned over the impact that severe funding cuts are having on the humanitarian response in that country. Just one example of the severity these cuts have on UN efforts to reach people in need, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says that significant shortfalls have forced the agency to withdraw from more than half of the 93 health facilities it had been supporting across Sudan.
While UNFPA and its partners continue to provide the much-needed services for reproductive health and protection, it has received just a quarter of the funding it needs for the year. UNFPA warns that this major gap in resources is putting critical services and safe spaces for women and girls at risk.
The UN underscores once again the urgent need for sustained funding, as well as unhindered access, to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, at a time when nearly 25 million people in the country are estimated to be acutely food insecure. And at a time when supply chain disruptions and loss of livelihoods continue to push millions into deeper hunger.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that the average cost of its local food basket has shot up by 14 per cent since April, and is now 113 per cent higher than in May 2024.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate mainly in Al Fasher in North State Darfur. Al Fasher has been besieged for over a year, leaving families facing hunger, displacement and unimaginable hardship.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that this past week more than 1,200 people fled Al Fasher town and the nearby Abu Shouk displacement camp between the 18th and the 21st of June alone. This follows the displacement of more than 400,000 people since the escalation of hostilities in April of this year.
Those who have been newly displaced have reportedly moved to other parts of the localityof Al Fasher, where active conflict and severe access constraints continue to hamper us and our partners from reaching those in need. Others have fled to other places in North Darfur, including Tawila, where we and our partners have been providing support for new arrivals in recent months.
The UN continues to call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their responsibilities and ensure the safety of aid workers and unhindered access to civilians in need.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that according to authorities, today in Kyiv, early morning strikes reportedly killed and injured civilians. Part of an apartment block was destroyed and other residential buildings and university premises were damaged. Since Friday, authorities have reported at least 21 civilians killed and 120 injured, including children.
Civilian casualties and damage to homes were also reported in the regions of Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. An ambulance station was damaged in the Odesa, and around 70,000 people were left without power in Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. Humanitarian organizations responded rapidly and delivered emergency shelter kits, hot meals and psychosocial support.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today expressed concerned by the sharp rise in gender-based violence amid worsening insecurity and large-scale displacement.
UN humanitarian partners report more than 3,800 incidents of gender-based violence were reported between January and May of this year, the vast majority of them perpetrated by armed men. A sharp 41 per cent increase has been observed between April and May of this year alone, with cases rising from nearly 2,700 to more than 3,800 incidents in just one month, the vast majority affecting women and girls. Internally-displaced people account for more than 60 per cent of survivors.
Rape remains the most commonly reported violation, representing nearly half of all cases, with half involving collective rape.
Most attacks occurred in homes and on the street, underscoring the extreme risks faced by women and girls as they just go about their daily lives.
The Centre department in Haiti recorded the sharpest increase, with over 50 per cent since April, closely linked to recent waves of displacement.
UN humanitarian partners are working to provide referrals, as well as medical and psychosocial support services. However, protection services remain critically underfunded, and access to care is severely limited. The $908 million 2025 Humanitarian Appeal and Response Plan is just 8 per cent funded, with $75 million in the bank. Without additional resources, the most vulnerable — especially women and children — will continue to pay the highest price.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Briefing Council members, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Rosa Otunbayeva, noted that upon the guidance of the Council, and based on the November 2023 Independent Assessment, the UN has sought to create a framework for more coherent, coordinated and structured engagement with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. She said that, based on our extensive outreach, Afghans across the country feel that they, and the country, would be in a far worse place without the presence and assistance of the international community.
Also briefing Council members was Joyce Msuya, our Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, who warned that funding cuts continue to hinder the humanitarian response, and that 420 health facilities have been forced to shut due to lack of funding, depriving more than 3 million Afghans of lifesaving health services. For her part, the Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, said that the recent escalation in the Middle East, including in Iran, home to more than three million Afghan refugees, have intensified regional and global instability.
CLIMATE IN ASIA
A report released today by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average. This is fuelling more extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region’s economies, ecosystems and societies.
The WMO’s State of the Climate in Asia report says that in 2024, heatwaves gripped a record area of the ocean. The report also notes that reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat were punishing for glaciers. In the central Himalayas and Tian Shan, 23 out of 24 glaciers suffered mass loss, leading to an increase in hazards like glacial lake outburst floods and landslides and long-term risks for water security.
INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM
Today, the Internet Governance Forum starts in Lillestrøm, Norway, and it will bring together more than 7,000 participants from over 170 countries for discussions under the theme “Building Digital Governance Together.” Convened by the Secretary-General, the Internet Governance Forum is the world’s leading platform for open and inclusive dialogue on digital policy.
This session marks the twentieth anniversary of the Internet Governance Forum and discussions will contribute to the Global Digital Compact adopted by Member States last year.
Key topics include artificial intelligence, digital inclusion, online safety, data protection, and closing the digital divide—especially for the 2.6 billion people who are still offline.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General, following consultation with the UN University (UNU), is appointing Aya Suzuki of Japan as the Senior Vice-Rector of the United Nations University. She will succeed Sawako Shirahase of Japan, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication and her service.
Ms. Suzuki is a distinguished Japanese development economist whose main research interest is examining how developing countries can reduce poverty levels, with a particular focus on agricultural and industrial development.
RESIDENT COORDINATORS
Zia Choudhury of Bangladesh and Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa of Mongolia took up their new assignments as UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana and in Kazakhstan respectively.
Zia Choudhury brings over 25 years of experience in development and humanitarian action in roles across the UN and in non-governmental organizations. Prior to this appointment, he was as UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana.
Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa also brings 25 years of experience in sustainable development across Europe and Central Asia, marked by progressive leadership roles. Prior to this appointment, she served as Regional Adviser on Environment at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). She held a number of other posts.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is United Nations Public Service Day. This Day celebrates the value and virtue of public service to the community. And in his message, the Secretary-General says that public servants are the unsung architects of a better future.
Today is also International Widows’ Day. Widows have historically been left unseen and unsupported in our communities and societies. This Day is an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows.
OFFICE FOR DISARMAMENT AFFAIRS
Member States are gathering at the UN Headquarters this week, starting today until 27 June, for the Preparatory Meeting of States on the “Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management.”
Member States in 2023 adopted the Global Framework which serves as an international instrument containing political commitments to prevent diversion, illicit trafficking, and misuse of ammunition.
This week’s meeting offers an important opportunity to establish a robust and an effective follow-up and review mechanism to support the implementation of these political commitments.
BRIEFINGS
Tomorrow, Jorge Moreira da Silva, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Executive Director, will be the noon briefing guest. He will brief virtually on his trip to Myanmar.
