HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 16 JUNE 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL/G7 TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will travel to Canada, where he will attend an outreach session of the G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis, in the province of Alberta.
On Tuesday, he will take part in a session organized for G7 and invited leaders, entitled Energy security: diversification, technology and investment to ensure access and affordability in a changing world.
The Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit, including with the Prime Minister of Canada and G7 President, Mark Carney.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Wednesday.
MINES
In a statement today, the Secretary-General says that he is gravely concerned by recent announcements and steps taken by several Member States to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
These announcements are particularly troubling, as it risks weakening civilian protection and undermining two decades of a normative framework that has saved countless lives. Mr. Guterres urges all States to adhere to humanitarian disarmament treaties and immediately halt any steps towards their withdrawal. He also appeals to the 32 States that have yet to join the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention to do so without delay and to fully commit to its objectives.
To this end, the Secretary-General intends to launch a global campaign to uphold the norms of humanitarian disarmament, accelerate mine action as an enabler of human rights and sustainable development, and drive forward the vision of a mine-free world.
HYPER-PRIORITIZED HUMANITARIAN APPEAL
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that today, the UN and humanitarian partners launched a hyper-prioritized global appeal aiming to help 114 million people facing life-threatening needs across the world. The appeal seeks $29 billion in funding.
OCHA points out that in the wake of the deepest funding cuts ever to hit the international humanitarian sector, the appeal further prioritizes and highlights the most urgent elements of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 (GHO) launched last December, but does not replace it.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said that the funding cuts have left the sector with brutal choices and that too many people will not get the support they need. He stressed that we, along with our partners, will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given.
The Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 covers more than 70 countries and territories with humanitarian needs, including refugee-hosting countries. It currently calls for $44 billion. Nearly halfway through the year, just $5.6 billion – less than 13 per cent – has been received.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that over the past few days, attacks on civilians in Gaza have continued, including the reported killing and injury of people seeking food or other aid.
Partners working on child protection said that several children were also temporarily separated from their families, due to mass movements around the militarized distribution points. As they were reunited with their families, partners are working to help reduce risks for children near distribution points.
Over the weekend, the telecommunication cables were repaired, allowing internet services to resume. That was made possible as the Israeli authorities facilitated the access of teams sent by telecommunication companies to fix damaged cables, after multiple access denials over weeks. Partners said that today, there was another outage in central and southern Gaza, after which they also coordinated urgent repairs and succeeded in restoring connectivity.
Meanwhile, in a social media post, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said that pregnant mothers are living on a fraction of the food they need to survive. A growing number of mothers suffer from malnutrition – and one in three expectant mothers experiences a high-risk pregnancy at a time when half of the essential maternal health medicines are no longer in stock.
The UN and its partners are working to provide support with whatever supplies remain available. Last week, a daily average of about 200,000 meals were delivered through 44 community kitchens. Meanwhile, partners tell us that prices continue to skyrocket. Last week in Gaza City, a 25-kilogram bag of flour was sold for 1,600 shekels, the equivalent of $450.
OCHA underscores that life-saving aid must reach people in need in line with humanitarian principles, and humanitarians must be allowed to do their work. More essential supplies must be allowed to enter.
Meanwhile, fuel stocks have reached critically low levels. More fuel is urgently needed for essential services such as providing adequate supplies of water. In the south of Gaza, supplies of diesel – which are needed to operate equipment and machinery – have almost run out.
Today, Israeli authorities once again denied an attempt to coordinate the collection of some fuel supplies from Rafah. Partners are rationing the stocks they have as they continue attempting to coordinate access.
OCHA warned that humanitarian, communication, and banking activities may halt very soon unless the supply of fuel resumes immediately, or the UN is enabled by the Israeli authorities to retrieve available stocks from areas inside Gaza that require coordination with Israeli authorities.
Israeli authorities continue to deny many humanitarian movements within the Strip. Today, seven out of 17 attempts to coordinate such movements were denied, including for operations as critical as trucking water and removing solid waste.
Meanwhile, the UN and its partners continue sending more supplies to Kerem Shalom, where the Israeli authorities are channeling our shipments. Yesterday, we sent over 50 truckloads to the crossing, and that’s just those that Israeli authorities approved, out of a longer list of supplies that we had submitted. Heavy restrictions still apply on what and how much we may bring in.
Meanwhile, ongoing displacement orders continue to increase people’s shelter needs and drive further overcrowding at displacement sites. For over 100 days, the Israeli authorities have banned the entry of any shelter materials. OCHA warns that these materials require frequent replenishment, as they wear out quickly or may be left behind when people are forced into renewed displacement.
TWO-STATE SOLUTION
In response to questions received, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the UN is aware that the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, originally scheduled for this week, has been postponed. The UN remains engaged with the co-chairs - France and Saudi Arabia - regarding the new dates of the Conference.
The Secretary-General remains committed to a negotiated two-State solution, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, international law, and prior agreements, so that Israel and Palestine can finally live side by side, in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.
The Secretary-General also continues to call for an immediate permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for the rapid, safe, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance.
SUDAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is alarmed by the situation in parts of the Darfur and Kordofan regions in Sudan, where civilians continue to flee ongoing conflict and widespread insecurity.
Meanwhile, funding shortfalls and access challenges are putting major pressure on response efforts. Some 12,300 people were newly displaced in North Darfur, South Kordofan and West Kordofan between June 10th and 14th – that’s according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This includes an estimated 1,000 people who fled Abu Shouk displacement camp and Al Fasher town in North Darfur due to insecurity and worsening economic conditions.
The displaced people reportedly relocated to other parts of Al Fasher, as well as to Tawila locality, where the UN and partners on the ground have scaled up support for new arrivals in recent months. In South Kordofan, nearly 11,000 people were displaced from 10 villages in Al Qouz locality between June 12th and 14th. This is in addition to the more than 9,000 people previously displaced in the same area on May 29th. Most have moved to locations in Sheikan locality in North Kordofan, while others have sought refuge within South and West Kordofan.
The UN underscores that civilians must be protected, whether they seek to leave the area or choose to remain. Once again, OCHA calls for unfettered humanitarian access so that people in need can secure the essentials for their survival.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita, concluded on Sunday a visit to Goma that began on June 12. This visit allowed her to listen carefully to the concerns and perspectives of the various stakeholders, ahead of her briefing to the Security Council on 27 June.
Special Representative Keita reiterated the willingness of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) to support all steps towards peace and stability in the region.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that authorities reported that attacks across the country this morning and over the weekend killed and injured several civilians, with Donetsk and Kherson region most impacted. In Zaporizhzhia, authorities said that a warehouse belonging to an international NGO and its national partner was also hit, destroying food, water, emergency kits, generators and other aid. No casualties were reported.
National organizations, supported by the UN and humanitarian partners are mobilized and providing aid, including emergency shelter materials and psychosocial support. Since January 2025, in Zaporizhzhia region, some 145 humanitarian organizations provided assistance to 285,000 people. A major focus was on the support of water and waste-water systems, which remain impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka water reservoir in June 2023. Oher priorities include food aid, health care, agricultural support and cash assistance.
During a visit to the region last week, Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale and UN representatives discussed further humanitarian support and early recovery efforts, including psychosocial services for children and education amid ongoing hostilities.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Today in Geneva, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk opened the 59th session of the Human Rights Council with a warning of deepening conflict, rising authoritarianism and growing human suffering. Mr. Türk said that powerful countries were casting aside the agreements that underpin our lives, with a devastating human cost. He called on leaders to respond with the strongest possible defence of international law and human rights.
Mr. Türk said that funding cuts to UN Human Rights and the broader human rights ecosystem offer comfort to dictators and authoritarians. He called on governments and societies to stand up for human rights in word and deed.
HUNGER HOTSPOTS REPORT
The latest Hunger Hotspots report released by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Agency of the Unites Nations (FAO) is projecting a serious increase in acute food insecurity in 13 countries and territories in the next five months. Communities in five of these areas are already facing famine, at risk of famine or confronted with catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.
The report shows that Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali are hotspots of highest concern. In addition, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria are now hotspots of very high concern and require urgent attention to save lives and livelihoods. Other hotspots include Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria.
According to the report, conflicts, economic shocks, and natural hazards are the primary drivers of food insecurity in these hotspots.
The report highlights that there is urgent need for humanitarian action and a coordinated international effort to de-escalate conflict, stem displacement, and mount an urgent full-scale aid response.
INTERNATIONAL DAY
Today is the International Day of Family Remittances. Remittances are more than just financial transactions. They are a lifeline for millions of families. Over the past decade, it is estimated that migrants have sent home $5 trillion in remittances to low- and middle-income countries.
