SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT  
We’re delighted to announce that the Secretary-General is appointing Ms. Najat Rochdi of Morocco as his Deputy Special Envoy for Syria. 
She succeeds Khawla Matar of Bahrain to whom the Secretary-General expresses his gratitude for her efforts and dedication in the search for peace in Syria. 
Ms. Rochdi brings over 20 years of experience in political affairs and international coordination in conflict and post-conflict areas, including through her latest assignment as Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, with the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon.
 
EDUCATION PRE-SUMMIT 
This morning, the Secretary-General addressed – via a pre-recorded video message - the Transforming Education Pre-Summit, being held in Paris. 
He said that any solution to the world’s problems starts with education, the greatest tool we have to fulfil and grow human potential. However, he said that there is currently a crisis of equity, quality and relevance of education systems in many countries. He underscored that the Transforming Education Summit that will take place in September just ahead of the opening of the General Assembly must be a turning point – gathering Heads of State to lay out in crystal clear terms their promise and their plans to fundamentally transform education for the future and urged leaders to make full use of the pre-Summit to generate momentum and commitment so that there is a breakthrough for learners and societies. 

SECURITY COUNCIL   
The Head of our Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita, briefed the Security Council this morning. She told Council members that ongoing M23 and other armed group activities in the country’s East threaten to reverse hard-won progress in security and stability in the DRC and the region.   
Ms. Keita called on the Security Council to lend its full support to the region’s efforts to defuse the current diplomatic and security tensions. She also urged the DRC and Rwanda to seize the opportunity of the forthcoming Summit, to be hosted by President [João] Lourenço of Angola, to resolve their differences through dialogue.   
Ms. Keita as a reminder, will speak to you at the Security stakeout after the Security Council is done with her.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 
Turning to the Central African Republic, where our peacekeepers there have launched a military operation against armed groups in Ouanda-Djallé, which is 175 km South of Birao. The Mission said that people in this area had been deeply impacted by the recent arrival of armed groups in their community. Many of them were forcibly displaced and were living in very precarious conditions. 
Peacekeepers have managed to secure the city and operations are continuing today to allow displaced people to return to their homes. The Mission says they are conducting robust day and night patrols, as well as aerial surveillance missions. 
Our colleagues reiterate their call on armed groups to immediately lay down their arms, to join the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes and to refrain from any action that could harm the civilian population. 

MALI 
Another peacekeeping update this time from Mali, where I want to give you a short update on what out peacekeeping colleagues are doing to improve security in the centre of that country.  
The Head of the UN peacekeeping mission, El-Ghassim Wane, has just concluded a two-day visit to the Mopti region, where local communities have been greatly impacted by recent attacks by armed groups.  
Mr. Wane and his team met with Governors, local authorities, and community members in the villages of Bandiagara, Ogossagou and Diallassagou, where – as you are aware - many people have been killed or displaced recently. Discussions focused on how Malian authorities and the Mission can collaborate to improve security and support social cohesion. The head of the peacekeeping mission also met with the Mopti Governor to discuss the possibility of cooperation to reduce tensions related to farmer migration by creating a “corridor” for safe passage. 
He held talks with the Malian Armed Forces to improve cross-border, regional and international cooperation. He reiterated the Mission’s strong support for reconciliation efforts and stressed the need for continued dialogue between local communities. 
 
AFGHANISTAN 
In Afghanistan, we along with our partners continue to provide humanitarian assistance following last week’s earthquake. 
In the Gyan district of Paktika province, we provided nearly 900 families with food, tents, shelter, cash, water, and hygiene supplies.  
In the Barmal district, also in Paktika province, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency jointly made emergency shelter and other items available to 300 families. 
In the neighbouring Khost province, we and our partners provided cash and food to more than 200 families in the Spera district. All mobile health clinics, run by UN humanitarian partners, are operational in communities impacted by the earthquake. Our assessments found that the disaster impacted nearly 2,000 families in Paktika and Khost provinces.
 
UKRAINE 
You will recall that yesterday afternoon, Rosemary DiCarlo, the head of the political affairs department, briefed the Security Council on the situation in that country, in an open Security Council meeting.
She said that the horrific conflict, in an open source of instability in Europe, shows no signs of abating.  
Ms. DiCarlo recalled the attack on a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, in which 18 civilians were reportedly killed and 59 injured. The final toll may be much higher, she added. Meanwhile, she said, in scenes reminiscent of World War II, large-scale artillery duels are devastating industrial areas, with thousands of civilians forced to hide in basements or to flee for their lives.  
Meanwhile, we are particularly concerned about the situation in Government and non-Government-controlled areas of the Luhanska oblast, where our humanitarian colleagues are unable to deliver aid or support any possible evacuations of civilians due to the ongoing fighting activities.
Local authorities told us that nearly a dozen civilians were killed two days ago while lining up for water in Lysychansk. Access to water and healthcare in these areas remains worryingly limited. 
Despite enormous challenges, we have reached almost nine million men, women and children with critical assistance since the start of the war. However, humanitarian needs outpace our resources.
We again urge the parties to the conflict to protect civilians in Ukraine and to enable unimpeded and safe access for humanitarian workers to support people everywhere.

LIBERIA 
The UN team led by Resident Coordinator, Niels Scott, is reinforcing the national COVID-19 response by supporting partnerships, a COVID-19 steering committee and multiple mass vaccination campaigns. As of 24 June, the country had received more than 4 million vaccine doses, with nearly 3.4 million doses coming through the COVAX initiative. More than 2.7 million people received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and over 2.2 million people have been fully vaccinated, which is 73 per cent of the total target population aged 12 or older. With support from UNICEF and WHO, Liberia ensured that high-priority groups, including 8,600 refugees, received vaccines.  
Our team also worked with health authorities to provide persons with disabilities with technology services including hearing aids, wheelchairs, spectacles, prostheses and devices to provide cognitive support. Our team also worked with the government to roll out distance learning programmes and supported national nutrition initiatives that reached nearly 37,000 children. 
 
FOOD 
Speaking of food, a couple of reports I want to flag for you from the Food and Agriculture Organization.  
The first one is on the state of the world’s fisheries, which finds that significant growth in aquaculture has driven global fisheries and aquaculture production to a record high. As the sector expands, FAO says that more transformative changes are needed to achieve a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable fisheries and aquaculture sector.  
The second report is the agency’s Agricultural Outlook for the next decade. The joint report underscores that the global agrifood sector faces fundamental challenges over the coming decade, particularly the need to feed an ever-increasing population in a sustainable manner, the impacts of the climate crisis and the economic consequences and disruptions to food supply linked to the war in Ukraine. 

WORLD CITIES’ REPORT 
And lastly, UN Habitat today released a report which says that rapid urbanization was only temporarily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the global urban population back on track to grow by another 2.2 billion souls by 2050. 
The large-scale flight from major cities in the early stages of the pandemic to the perceived safety of the countryside or smaller towns was a short-term response that will not alter the course of urbanization globally. 
Despite greater incidence of the virus in urban areas and the economic difficulties created by the pandemic, cities are once again serving as beacons of opportunity to people in search of employment, education and training or taking refuge from conflict.