HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 11 JULY 2025
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA
Today is the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that as we mark this anniversary in Srebrenica – the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War. He stresses that this day is not only a moment of reflection, it is also a call to vigilance and action.
The Secretary-General points out that at a time when hate speech, denial and division are gaining ground, we must stand firm for truth and justice, adding that we must detect early warning signs and respond before violence takes hold, and that we must respect international law, we must defend human rights, and we must uphold the dignity of every individual, and also invest in reconciliation and peace.
And also to note that Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, represented the Secretary-General at the official ceremony that took place in Bosnia-Herzegovina today. In her remarks, she noted that the genocide in Srebrenica remains one of the darkest chapters in Europe’s recent history, a stark reminder of the consequences of hatred, division and the failure to protect civilians. She emphasized that the legacy of Srebrenica must be a world that never again turns away in the face of atrocity.
Also present from the UN side was Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that every day without a ceasefire brings more preventable deaths – children dying in pain, and hungry people shot while trying to reach the trickle of aid that is allowed in.
And today, once again, we’ve seen horrifying reports of casualties – dozens of them – among people in Rafah who were simply trying to get food and other basic supplies for their families.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis remains acute.
Yesterday – for the second straight day – our colleagues were able to pick up 75,000 litres of fuel and bring them to the Gaza strip. This is of course a positive development. However, these amounts are a small portion of what is actually required to sustain lifesaving operations every day in Gaza.
To be clear: fuel is still running out in Gaza. More fuel is needed than what is actually brought in. If the current limits aren’t lifted immediately, so we can bring in greater volumes, more services will go dark
We also urgently need unimpeded, safe access inside Gaza. Yesterday, our teams could provide hospitals with some of the fuel that came in – but only in the south. That’s because Israeli authorities denied our attempt to bring fuel to the north.
Such denials are life-threatening.
We know that hospitals in the north are on the verge of shutting down. But it’s not just hospitals: Fuel is also running out for ambulances, it is running out for water treatment facilities and it is running out for many other essential services, all of which are at risk of collapsing.
Overall, out of the 15 humanitarian movements attempted yesterday where coordination was required with the Israeli authorities, five were denied outright, four were initially approved but then faced impediments on the ground, and only six were fully facilitated. Critical missions – such as the evacuation of vulnerable people from high-risk areas, the retrieval of vehicles and spare tires, and the assessment of medical equipment – could not be accomplished.
The facilitation of movements also needs to be timely. OCHA reports that on Wednesday, Israeli authorities denied a request to reach part of Gaza city where 18 injured people were trapped under the rubble. By the time the mission was finally allowed through yesterday, no one was found alive.
And another important reminder from OCHA is that much-needed operations, such as the distribution of tents, cannot even be attempted as stocks are fully depleted, and Israeli authorities are blocking the entry of any shelter materials – for over 130 days now.
Meanwhile, active hostilities and insecurity continue to put civilians – including aid workers – at risk.
Just this Wednesday and again yesterday, a total of five strikes hit a few hundred metres from where aid workers go; this included UN staffer. Thankfully none of the workers were injured. And also yesterday, members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies were shot at and injured on their way to help a colleague who had been injured and unreachable since last Friday. In all cases, the movements had been coordinated with the Israeli authorities.
And still on Gaza, the Spokesman shared updated numbers from the ones that were released this morning from our colleagues in the Office of Human Rights. They tell us that 819 Palestinians were reportedly killed while trying to get food in Gaza. And the breakdown, according to our human rights colleagues is that 634 of them were killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution points, 185 died close to humanitarian aid convoys, including some run by us.
This data was collected between 27 May this year and as of 10 July.
The data is based on information gathered by our human rights colleagues through various reliable sources, including medical, human rights and humanitarian organisations. All of those numbers highlight the need for independent investigations into why people are being killed while just trying to access aid.
SYRIA
Turning to Syria, the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator there, Adam Abdelmoula, announced yesterday that a $625,000 allocation from the Syria Humanitarian Fund to support emergency response efforts following the devastating wildfires that are taking place in the country’s coastal areas. The new funds will enable humanitarian partners, primarily the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, to deliver urgent assistance to thousands of people impacted by the fires. We and our partners continue to closely coordinate with and support local and national authorities’ response. Assessments continue in 60 communities. Initial reports indicate that the blazes have displaced hundreds of individuals, destroyed agricultural land and critical infrastructure, and obviously severely and negatively impacted the livelihoods of many communities.
Mr. Abdelmoula called for urgent additional support. Our humanitarian colleagues stressed that timely and flexible funding is critical to saving lives and trying to rebuild and protect communities.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE UN AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The final consultations meeting on the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Russian Federation took place today, in Geneva. That Memorandum of Understanding, as you will recall, was signed on 22 July 2022 with an implementation period of three years as part of the efforts of the Secretary-General on global food security in the context of the Istanbul agreements.
The UN committed under the Memorandum of Understanding to efforts to facilitate the transparent unimpeded access of food and fertilizers, including the raw materials to produce fertilizers, including ammonia, originating from the Russian Federation to the world markets. This includes impediments that may arise in the sectors of finance, of insurance and logistics.
To accomplish this, the Secretary-General established a Team, led by Rebeca Grynspan, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD. He tasked her to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including private sector actors, with a view to realizing the established exemptions related to the agricultural sector.
Over three years, we and the Russian Federation maintained constructive consultations to find solutions to address global food security. This work shows that, even in the most challenging of circumstances, the United Nations can convene around a shared commitment to global food security and the Secretary-General will continue to make his good offices available towards that objective.
HAITI
The UN political mission there– BINUH - and our human rights office there warn that escalating gang violence outside of the capital Port-au-Prince has claimed the lives of over 1,000 people since October of last year and forced hundreds of thousands to flee to safety.
This, they say, is happening as gangs continue to extend their influence along key routes in the north and in the centre of the country, and towards the Dominican Republic.
Haitian authorities have deployed specialised police units, supported by the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. This has slowed the advances of the gangs to some extent, but ultimately, the report says that given their lack of resources, they have been unable to reassert control over the affected areas.
Against this backdrop, our colleagues say that human rights abuses by self-defence groups have increased. Summary executions involving Haitian security forces have also been committed against individuals accused of supporting gangs.
The report calls on the Haitian authorities to ensure police have the necessary resources to tackle gang violence, in full respect of international human rights law.
The report also calls on the international community to maintain BINUH’s full operational capacity so the office can continue to advise and support the Haitian government. Strengthening the Multinational Security Support mission and the full implementation of the arms embargo will be equally essential to restore security and the rule of law in Haiti.
ATTACKS IN THE RED SEA
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting in the Red Sea, especially the attacks that took place from 6 to 8 July 2025.
The sinking of both the Motor Vessel Magic Seas and the Motor Vessel Eternity C, with the deaths of at least four crew members and injuries to others, is a dangerous re-escalation in this critical waterway. With at least 15 crew members reported missing, the Secretary-General calls on the Houthis not to take any actions that impede the ongoing search and rescue operations for the crew members that are still missing from those two vessels. Beyond being an unacceptable attack on the safety and security of seafarers, these acts also violated the freedom of navigation, caused a hazard to maritime transport and represent a serious risk of a significant environmental, economic and humanitarian damage to an already vulnerable coastal environment.
The Secretary-General emphasizes that international law must be respected by all parties at all times. He also underscores that Security Council resolution 2768 (2025) related to these Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels must be fully respected.
The United Nations remains committed to continuing its efforts towards broader de-escalation in the region as well as continued engagement with Yemeni, regional and international actors to secure a sustainable and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
SUDAN
The UN Children’s Fund and humanitarian colleagues are sounding the alarm over the deepening nutrition crisis across Sudan. Alarming new data from UNICEF reveals a 46 per cent surge in the number of children being treated for severe acute malnutrition across the Darfur region during the first five months of this year, compared to the same period in 2024. In North Darfur, the number of severely malnourished children has doubled, with more than 40,000 admitted for treatment between January and May. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, warns that conflict is starving Sudan's children, stressing that vital aid must reach them before it’s too late and that we need access and we need funding now. UNICEF says the situation is equally alarming beyond Darfur.
The number of children treated for severe acute malnutrition rose by 70 per cent in North Kordofan, that is 174 per cent in Khartoum State, and 680 per cent in Aj Jazirah State. In Khartoum and Aj Jazirah, UNICEF says the increase in admission rates likely partially reflects an improvement in security and access, improving the ability of mothers to reach health centres for much needed support.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
And an update from the peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, (MINUSCA). Yesterday in Bangui, the leaders of two armed groups, the 3 R and the UPC, took part in a ceremony where they committed to laying down their arms and rejoining the 2019 Peace Agreement.
Valentine Rugwabiza, the head of our peacekeeping mission there welcomed this important step and underscored that beyond the signing of the Agreement, which will profoundly reinvigorate the peace process in the country, this is also a moment to celebrate the courage of the Central African people who have chosen dialogue over division, reconciliation over resentment, and peace over conflict.
The disarmament and demobilization process will begin in the days to come. It will take place in the Ouaka prefecture, where around 500 combatants have gathered to surrender their weapons and receive a demobilization card.
The peacekeeping mission will continue to provide support to the Government to carry out this process, as it has done for over 5,000 ex-combatants since 2016. It will also simultaneously deploy national disarmament and demobilization mobile teams on the ground to assist with the verification of weapons and ammunition collected, as well as to ensure security for both the teams and the overall operations throughout the process.
BANGLADESH
In Bangladesh, the UN Refugee Agency and its humanitarian partners are mobilizing to respond to the needs of up to 150,000 Rohingya refugees who have arrived in Cox’s Bazar over the last 18 months. The majority are them are women and children.
This movement of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh is the largest from Myanmar since 2017, when as you will recall, some 750,000 people fled violence in Rakhine State.
Bangladesh has generously hosted Rohingya refugees for generations. In Cox’s Bazar, these new arrivals join another nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees crammed into just 24 square kilometres, making the camps one of the world’s most densely populated places.
As you can imagine, more humanitarian support is urgently needed. With the acute global funding crisis, the critical needs of both newly-arrived refugees and those already present will be unmet, and essential services for the whole Rohingya refugee population are at risk of collapsing.
Without additional funding, health services will be severely disrupted by September and essential cooking fuel will run out. By December, food assistance will stop. Education for some 230,000 children – including 63,000 new arrivals – is at risk of being discontinued.
Refugees in the camps have already felt the impact of these reductions, and it has been driving some to embark on dangerous sea journeys to other countries in search of safety and a more dignified life for their families.
We continue to call on the international community to stand in solidarity with Bangladesh and other countries in the region hosting Rohingya refugees. Until there is peace and stability in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, conducive to safe and voluntary return, the international community must continue to support efforts to provide life-saving assistance to Rohingya forced to flee.
WORLD POPULATION DAY
Today is also World Population Day, and the theme this year is "Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world”. In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General points out that the theme reaffirms the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development: that every person has the right to make informed choices about their lives and their futures. He urges countries to invest in policies that ensure education, healthcare, decent work, and the full protection of their reproductive rights.
And just to note that at 3:00 p.m., Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of UNFPA, will deliver remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at the 2025 United Nations Population Award.
The Committee for the Award has selected two laureates in the “Individual” and “Institution” categories, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health issues and solutions.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
And tomorrow is the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, and the International Day of Hope.
BRIEFINGS
Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), briefed reporters on his recent visit to Gaza.
On Monday, at 12:45 p.m., the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General, along with the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, will brief reporters on the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.
