HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 13 MAY 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL/UN PEACEKEEPING
Earlier today, the Secretary-General spoke at the Opening Ceremony of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting taking place in Berlin. He reasserted that in trouble spots around the world, our Blue Helmets can mean the difference between life and death, adding that they are a clear demonstration of the power of multilateral action to maintain, to achieve and to sustain peace.
Mr. Guterres spoke about the challenges that we are now facing, including having the highest number of conflicts since the foundation of this organization. On top of that, we face dramatic financial constraints across the board.
During his speech, and in honour of the 4,400 peacekeepers who have died in the line of duty since the start of UN Peacekeeping, Mr. Guterres asked the attendees of the meeting to join him in a moment of silence.
Also, in Berlin, the Secretary-General met separately with Germany’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs - Johann Wadephul - as well as the Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius. Among other topics, they discussed the importance of Germany’s role in peacekeeping. And I just to flag, as a sign of the importance of this meeting, we have more than 130 delegations in Berlin at this Peacekeeping conference.
On the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting, the Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with Ministers and officials of other countries, including Italy, Finland and China.
He is ending the day with a visit to an exhibit on UN Peacekeeping in action which has been held at the German Ministry of Defense in Berlin. The event features display on mine action, women in peacekeeping, renewable energy and the United Nations Police.
Tomorrow, he will meet with Friedrich Merz, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, and he will also have a couple of press engagements.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that no aid or commercial supplies have entered Gaza now for more than 70 days. The ongoing, full-scale blockade of the Strip is taking a disastrous toll on the population.
Meanwhile, hospitals continue to come under attack. Today, in Khan Younis, Israeli forces hit the surgical department of Nasser Medical Complex, and several casualties were reported. The complex is one of only eight public hospitals that are still partially operating across Gaza.
Following the attack, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Gaza, Suzanna Tkalec - together with an OCHA team – visited the hospital, where she spoke with staff and a team of international doctors that are there. She said she was appalled by yet another attack on this hospital, which is the fourth since the beginning of this conflict.
Ms. Tkalec stressed that these attacks are unacceptable and must stop, adding that healthcare facilities and those serving them must always be protected.
UN humanitarian partners on the ground report that only five hospitals across the Gaza Strip are still providing maternity care. Midwives lack medical supplies, they lack equipment, with our partners reporting that some 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are suffering from malnutrition and need urgent support.
OCHA reports that the Israeli authorities continue to deny and impede attempts by humanitarians to carry out critical missions in Gaza. Today, out of 11 requests by the United Nations for coordinated humanitarian movements, five were denied outright, including one planned mission to retrieve fuel from Rafah to supply hospitals, ambulances and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. The other six missions, which included the rotation of staff, were facilitated.
With both supplies and time running out, OCHA says that principled humanitarian assistance and other essential supplies must be allowed into Gaza to save lives – and humanitarians’ work to reach people across the Strip must be facilitated. Israel, as the occupying power, must abide by international humanitarian law and facilitate aid for people in need, wherever they are.
And at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, the Security Council will hold an open meeting on Gaza. Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will brief.
SUDAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that humanitarian needs continue to rise amid continued conflict and displacement across multiple regions of Sudan.
The International Organization for Migration
(IOM) says that more than 36,000 people were displaced from Al Khiwai and An Nuhud in West Kordofan due to heightened insecurity. Many had already been internally displaced and are now having to flee for a second time, seeking shelter in locations across West and North Kordofan.
In North Darfur, IOM also reports that more than 2,000 people were newly displaced from Abu Shouk camp and parts of El Fasher last week, also due to the ongoing insecurity situation. Most remained within El Fasher locality, while others fled to Tawila, where, as mentioned yesterday, the UN and its partners have been scaling up support for the newly arrived people.
These movements follow the displacement of nearly 400,000 people from Zamzam camp last month.
OCHA warns that the food insecurity situation in Sudan remains deeply concerning. Prices of key staple foods are alarmingly high. While sorghum prices declined slightly in April, millet prices rose – and both remain more than four times the price prior to the conflict, which started, this phase of the conflict started in March 2023. That’s what the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization is telling us. Sorghum and millet are staples for most of the population in central, eastern and western parts of Sudan. A reminder that more than half of the population in Sudan – that is 24.6 million human beings – are facing acute hunger, with approximately 638,000 individuals experiencing actual famine, according to the latest update by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which was released late last year and covers a period through this May.
OCHA stresses that without urgent assistance and unfettered access to reach people in need wherever they are, the situation could worsen during the upcoming lean season, which is from June to September.
The UN once again calls on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, to protect civilian infrastructure and to ensure the safe, the sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to reach those people who need help. The UN also urges the international community to step up its support for the Sudan humanitarian response to prevent further loss of life and avert a worsening catastrophe.
SOUTH SUDAN
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today said that air strikes and ground attacks continue in Jonglei and Upper Nile states. This includes reports of clashes yesterday in New Fangak, Jonglei, which have allegedly led to civilian deaths, as well as injuries.
In response to escalating violence, UNMISS has strengthened its protection efforts, within its capacities. This includes intensifying patrols and deploying peacekeepers to temporary bases in conflict hotspots. As an example, on Sunday, peacekeepers stationed temporarily in Maper, in Lakes state, were able to deploy swiftly when a cattle raid in the area led to multiple casualties. They prevented further conflict and provided emergency medical care to those wounded.
On the broader political and security front, the mission is engaging with national and local authorities to reduce tensions and reiterates that the Parties must cease hostilities, resume inclusive dialogue to address grievances, and make progress on the full implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.
LIBYA
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) says that they are alarmed by the unfolding security situation in the capital Tripoli, with intense fighting with heavy weaponry in densely populated civilian areas.
The Mission calls on all parties to immediately cease fighting and restore calm, and it reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians at all times. Attacks on civilians and attacks on civilian objects may amount to war crimes.
UNSMIL fully supports the efforts of elders and community leaders to de-escalate the current tensions.
UN WOMEN
In March, the UN Women conducted a global survey to understand how funding reductions are impacting local women-led groups in crisis settings. The survey reached over 400 organizations in 44 countries – and the results are alarming. The overwhelming majority, 90 per cent of them, said their operations were financially impacted, and nearly half of them expect to shut down within six months. Most have already reduced staff or suspended key services.
UN Women stresses that women and girls cannot afford to lose the lifelines that women’s organizations are providing. The UN agency is calling for more support and more resources.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Djibouti paid its dues in full to the Regular Budget brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 105.
