HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 2 MAY 2025
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
Tomorrow is World Press Freedom Day. It is a constant reminder that free and independent journalism is an essential public good.
In his message, the Secretary-General says that when journalists are unable to work, we all lose. Tragically, this is becoming more difficult every year.
“We are seeing a sharp rise in the number of journalists killed in conflict areas — particularly in Gaza,” he said.
And this year’s theme is "the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom" – The Secretary-General added that artificial intelligence can support freedom of expression — or stifle it.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is World Tuna Day. Tuna is rich in Omega-3, and it also contains minerals, proteins, and vitamin B12, among other advantages. Unfortunately, though, its popularity has led to overfishing in so many parts of the world.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/PEACEKEEPING
This morning, the Secretary-General took part in a dialogue with peacekeeping troop-contributing countries.
This was a closed meeting, so we won’t be sharing the Secretary-General’s full remarks. But I can tell you that, as you can imagine, he thanked the troop-contributing countries.
Peacekeeping is multilateralism in action, he said, a direct, collective and tangible commitment to peace.
He added that peacekeeping is also a partnership that depends on global political support as well as on the ideas, insights and continued commitment of Member States in the face of a range of increasingly complex risks and challenges, financing for peacekeeping is one of those challenges.
The Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, in two weeks, the Secretary-General said, will be an opportunity to build on this important work.
SYRIA
The Secretary-General has been monitoring with alarm the reports of violence in the Druze-majority suburbs of Damascus and in the south of Syria, including reports of civilian casualties and assassination of local administration figures. He condemns all violence against civilians, including acts which could risk inflaming sectarian tensions.
In this context, he also condemns Israel’s violation of Syria’s sovereignty, including the latest airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus. It is essential that these attacks stop and that Israel respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and independence.
The Secretary-General unequivocally calls on all concerned to cease all hostilities, exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation.
He is encouraged by intra-Syrian efforts to de-escalate the violence and maintain security and stability.
He takes note of the statement by interim President al-Sharaa, prioritizing “dialogue and cooperation within the framework of national unity,” and appeals to the interim authorities to transparently and openly investigate all violations.
The Secretary-General further underscores that it is imperative to support a credible, orderly and inclusive political transition in Syria, in line with the key principles of resolution 2254 (2015).
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that today marks two months since Israeli authorities imposed a total blockade on all supplies into Gaza. The UN stresses that the longer this blockade continues, the more irreversible harm being done to countless lives.
Fuel is also running out, and even existing stocks are often inaccessible. This is because many fuel stations are in areas where Israeli authorities systematically deny our access. Just to give you a couple examples of the humanitarian impact of the lack of fuel: Earlier this week, the municipality of Beit Lahia in North Gaza said it could no longer pump water from wells or run sewage and sanitation systems. The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that only eight of its 12 firefighting, rescue and ambulance vehicles remain operational.
Meanwhile, OCHA reports that hostilities continue to imperil civilians. Over the past two days, our colleagues on the ground reported air strikes, tank fire and heavy shelling in residential areas across all the Gaza Strip’s five governorates. Scores have been killed or injured, including women and children staying in tents for displaced people.
In recent days, three farmers were reportedly found dead in eastern Khan Younis following reports of an air strike in that area. On Tuesday, farmland in North Gaza was reportedly set on fire. And on Wednesday, a fisher was reportedly killed off the coast of Gaza City. Beyond the loss of life, these incidents further deepen people’s dependence on food aid – which, as we’ve said, is either depleted or fast running out.
U.N.I.F.I.L.
In southern Lebanon, UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander, Lieutenant General Haroldo Lazaro, today met with mayors and local leaders from Tyre and Al-Qalaa in Sector West. He reaffirmed the mission’s commitment to supporting local communities, to help enhance local capacities for post-conflict recovery, and UNIFIL’s ongoing coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces, municipalities and UN partners.
UNIFIL continues to observe Israel Defense Forces activities in the area of operations. UN peacekeepers continue to conduct operations, including with the Lebanese Armed Forces, with checkpoints, patrols along the Blue Line, and counter-rocket launching operations. On 30 April, UNIFIL detected a weapons and ammunition cache containing rockets near Shihin in Sector West and reported it to the Lebanese army.
The Mission reports that its peacekeepers continue to encounter incidents of aggressive behaviour and obstructions of movement in the area of operations.
UKRAINE
From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs say that, over the past 48 hours, local authorities report that at least six civilians were killed and nearly 100 others, including children, were injured as shelling intensified in the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. Homes, schools and health infrastructure were damaged also or destroyed.
Today in Zaporizhzhia City, an overnight strike injured dozens of civilians and damaged multiple residential buildings, a university, health facilities and other civilian infrastructure, according to authorities and aid workers.
Yesterday, Odesa City was also struck, resulting in casualties among local residents and damage to more than a dozen apartment buildings and a school.
The UN’s humanitarian partners quickly mobilized to deliver emergency assistance in Zaporizhzhia and Odesa, including hot meals, psychological first aid and shelter material. With many homes left uninhabitable, efforts to secure temporary accommodation are continuing.
To support the growing number of displaced families, a new collective site was opened today in the Dnipro region, offering shelter for up to 200 people fleeing from nearby war-affected areas.
HAITI
On Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is continuing to provide assistance in areas where armed violence continues to hamper access to healthcare.
In the Centre Department earlier this week, we and our partners delivered emergency kits – enough to support up to 30,000 patients for three months. The kits, which include surgical instruments and other essential supplies, were dispatched to hospitals in Hinche, the department capital, to the commune of Boucan Carré, and the village of Cange. These facilities are coping with acute shortages due to the influx of displaced people.
They are also understaffed and overstretched, following the closure of a major referral hospital in the department: As we told you last week, the University Hospital of Mirebalais was forced to suspend operations following a wave of insecurity in the area.
Although the UN and its partners continue to support hospitals that are still functioning, access constraints reported along main transport routes are complicating efforts to deliver vital assistance.
Across Haiti, access to healthcare is shrinking. The situation is particularly acute in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area, where 42 per cent of health facilities remain closed, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
Severe funding shortfalls are also undermining the response. A third of the way into the year, the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti is less than 7 per cent funded, with just over $61 million received of the more than $908 million required.
OCHA continues to work with UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to meet the most urgent needs of people in Haiti, wherever and whenever possible.
MYANMAR
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called today on the military in Myanmar to stop all attacks on civilians and civilian objects.
He said the unremitting violence inflicted on civilians, despite a ceasefire declared after the March earthquakes, underscores the need for the parties to commit to - and implement - a genuine and permanent nationwide halt to hostilities and return to civilian rule.
Since the earthquake and as of 29 April, the military has reportedly launched at least 243 attacks, including 171 air strikes, with over 200 civilians reportedly killed.
People in Myanmar need food, water, and shelter. They also need peace and protection. The High Commissioner said it is time to put people first, to prioritise their human rights and humanitarian needs, and to achieve a peaceful resolution to this crisis.
SOMALIA
From Somalia, OCHA says that since April 15th, more than 45,000 human beings have been impacted by flash floods – and according to local authorities in Somalia, a number of people died, among them children.
On April 28th, the Shabelle River burst its banks in the Jowhar district of the Middle Shabelle region, forcing more than 6,000 to flee to makeshift camps on higher ground. In Galmudug State, flash floods in some parts of the town of Gaalkacyo [Gal-kayo] affected more than 9,500 already displaced people living in 14 makeshift shelters.
The flooding is happening at a time when humanitarian organizations, especially the national non-governmental organizations, have been crippled by funding cuts.
In recent months, many groups in Somalia have been forced to pause, scale back or even end their critical programmes.
This year, about one third of Somalia’s population – nearly 6 million people – needs humanitarian assistance. However, our $1.4 billion humanitarian appeal is just 10 per cent funded, with $148 million received up to this second.
