SECRETARY-GENERAL/GENERAL ASSEMBLY
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the closing of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and he said we had witnessed a year of continued poverty, inequality and injustice; a year of division, violence, and conflict; and a year that was the hottest on record — again. But, he added, this session also closes at a time of growing hope and inspiration that we can achieve if we work as one. He thanked outgoing General Assembly President Dennis Francis for his work over the past session.
This afternoon at 3 p.m., the Secretary-General will address the opening of the 79th session of the General Assembly, under its new President, Philemon Yang of Cameroon. The Secretary-General is expected to discuss the ways in which the United Nations can be the place to find multilateral solutions, grounded in dialogue, diplomacy and the UN Charter.
Also earlier this morning, the Secretary-General laid a wreath at the memorial for our second Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld. He said that ideals that drove Dag Hammarskjöld are ours to pursue - peace, justice, and shared humanity, adding that the Summit of the Future later this month is an opportunity to embrace the spirit of Dag Hammarskjöld’s work and reform our multilateral institutions so they are fit to pursue peace in our changing world.
GAZA
A number of you have asked me for a reaction for what happened in Gaza at Al Mawasi camp.
I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the continued loss of life in Gaza. He strongly condemns today’s Israeli air strikes in an Israeli-designated zone for displaced persons in Khan Younis.
The use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas is unconscionable. Palestinians had moved to this area in Khan Younis in search for shelter and search of safety, after being repeatedly instructed to do so by the Israeli authorities.
As the Secretary-General has repeatedly said, there is no safe place in Gaza. He repeats yet again his call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages and other nationalities still being held in Gaza.
Earlier today, Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in his own statement strongly condemned the attack. He said that international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, must be upheld at all times. He also emphasized that civilians must never be used as human shields.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Further to the attack on Al Mawasi, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs led an assessment team to the area today to identify the most urgent needs of the population and to mobilize to meet those needs. UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization and other partners took part in the mission, which distributed shelter materials and non-food items, repaired water infrastructure, and provided protection support.
OCHA warns that aid workers in Gaza continue to face daily threats to their safety and ongoing obstructions to their efforts to reach Palestinians in need of life-saving assistance. Yesterday’s incident involving a UN convoy stopped by Israeli forces is the latest example of the unacceptable dangers and impediments that humanitarian personnel in Gaza are experiencing.
The convoy was carrying 12 staff members on their way to support the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza. Its movement was fully coordinated with Israeli forces, and all details provided ahead of time.
When the team was stopped at Al Rashid Checkpoint, they were informed that Israeli forces wanted to hold two UN staff members in the convoy for questioning. The situation escalated very quickly, with soldiers pointing their weapons directly towards our personnel in the convoy.
The UN vehicles were encircled by Israeli forces, and shots were fired. The convoy was then approached by IDF tanks and a bulldozer, which proceeded to ram the UN vehicles from the back and front, compacting the convoy with UN staff inside.
One bulldozer dropped debris on the first vehicle, while Israeli soldiers threatened staff, making it impossible for them to safely exit their vehicles.
The convoy remained at gunpoint, as senior UN officials engaged with Israeli authorities in an effort to de-escalate the situation. The two staff were interrogated and then released back to us.
After seven-and-a-half hours at the checkpoint, the convoy returned to base after being unable to complete its humanitarian mission but all personnel came back.
This incident – and the conduct of Israeli forces on the ground – put the lives of our staff in danger. It is critical that Israeli forces take measures to protect humanitarian staff and assets and to facilitate their work. This is what international humanitarian law requires.
Despite this incident, our partners were able to start the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza today. This is the third phase of the campaign and is expected to continue through Thursday. UNRWA says thousands of children in northern Gaza have been vaccinated so far. We hope to have more details later or tomorrow.
The World Health Organization says vaccines, cold chain equipment, and finger markers – which are used to track who’s actually been vaccinated – were delivered successfully to Gaza yesterday. Dr. Tedros said that work is ongoing to deliver more fuel to ensure that vehicles used by vaccination teams remain functional, and to resupply hospitals so that they can maintain essential services.
LEBANON
Turning to Lebanon, our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, is continuing her engagement with Lebanese and Israeli officials, as well as regional and international actors, to push for an immediate return to a cessation of hostilities along the Blue Line. She continued to warn of the risks of miscalculation as the exchange of fire between Israel and Hizbullah persisted for an eleventh month.
Earlier in the week, the Special Coordinator, along with ambassadors of UN Security Council Member States and the European Union, met in Beirut with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss the situation in southern Lebanon and the need to restore calm and stability, as envisaged by Security Council resolution 1701.
Meanwhile, on the humanitarian front colleagues are telling us that the humanitarian impact of the ongoing hostilities along the Blue Line is massive. These hostilities are primarily impacting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line as well as critical infrastructure.
Over the weekend, three Lebanese Civil Defense volunteers were killed in an Israeli airstrike. This is a tragic reminder of the immense risks faced by front-line responders.
We are again urging all parties to fully uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians as well as civilian infrastructure.
Hostilities have driven civilians on both sides of the Blue Line away from their homes and their livelihoods and their schools for month.
LIBYA
Turning to Libya, on the third day of her visit to Libya, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, held productive meetings with the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission, representatives of the High State Council, political party associations, and civil society organizations, including women, and youth groups.
In all her discussions, Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo emphasized the urgency of an inclusive political process leading to parliamentary and presidential elections. She underscored that elections remain the only way to break the political stalemate and the only way to restore the legitimacy of Libya’s political institutions. In this regard, she reiterated the unwavering commitment of the United Nations to support Libya and the Libyan people in achieving these objectives.
Meanwhile, today marks one year since devastating floods killed and displaced thousands of people in the north-east of the country.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that about 884,000 people across five provinces were living in areas that were directly impacted Storm Daniel. The storm brought torrential rains and flash floods that killed more than 4,000 people and displaced some 43,000 others.
With the emergency response phase almost completed, efforts are now focused on providing recovery and reconstruction support and some longer-term support.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Just moving to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the ongoing Mpox outbreak has now spread to 23 of the country's 26 provinces, impacting people already facing a dire humanitarian situation.
As of yesterday, health officials in the country have reported more than 20,000 suspected cases, with 5,050 confirmed cases and more than 690 deaths.
The Government is leading the response and has launched a $193 million national Mpox response plan. The priorities include disease surveillance, vaccination, improved lab capacity as well as health preparedness. We and our partners are prepared to assist with vaccine distribution and ensure the most vulnerable are reached to help stop the virus' spread.
Twenty-three confirmed cases have been reported in at least six displacement camps around Goma in North Kivu province. Those camps are hosting over 130,000 vulnerable people. Humanitarian organizations are concerned about overcrowded displacement camps in the east of the country, as inadequate access to water and sanitation increases the risk of contamination.
We urge the international community to come together and provide the necessary funding to mount an urgent and robust response to this crisis.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO -PEACEKEEPING
Staying in the DRC, our peacekeeping colleagues report that earlier this week, the UN peacekeeping mission and the UN Mine action service conducted the first of a series of trainings for 60 members of the Congolese armed forces in explosive threat assessment. That took place in South Kivu, in Bukavu.
The training is part of the mission’s efforts to support Congolese soldiers with essential skills to effectively detect and manage improvised explosive devices (IED), limiting illegal armed groups' logistical capacity and freedom of movement.
Additionally, the peacekeeping mission today launched an 11-day training program in Beni, North Kivu, for national police officers that focuses on investigation techniques related to terrorism, violent extremism, and prison radicalization.
VIET NAM
As you may have seen, Viet Nam was hit over the weekend by Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm in the South China Sea in three decades. The storm’s impact was most severe in Viet Nam’s northern provinces, damaging thousands of houses and flooding hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops, including rice crops.
The Government is leading the response and has evacuated 50,000 people from flood areas and zones prone to landslides and relocated them to safer areas.
Following the request for international support, we are coordinating with the Government on relief efforts. Priority needs include food, water and sanitation and cash for to repair shelters Field assessments are ongoing. We will update you with more.
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., the Under Secretary-General for Policy and head of the UN’s Summit of the Future, Guy Ryder, will be here to brief you on the programme and objectives of the Summit.
As you know, the Summit of the Future will take place at UN headquarters on 22nd and 23rd.
Then, at 1 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Co-Chairs of the Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals – and that’s Ambassador Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Director-General Ditte Juul Jørgensen of the European Commission – they’ll be here to brief you on the panel's report which they will have presented to the Secretary-General a bit earlier.
