HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
This morning, the Secretary-General addressed the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which is taking place in Yokohama this year. The Secretary-General said that for more than three decades TICAD, as the Conference is known, has embodied the spirit of multilateralism grounded in mutual respect, shared responsibility and a deep belief in Africa’s potential.
This meeting, he added, comes at a time of interconnected crises and deep inequalities. Tackling these crises, he said, "requires a clear focus not only on development for Africa, but development with Africa."
On the sidelines, he met with the Prime Minister of Japan, Ishiba Shigeru. They exchanged views on a number of issues, including global and regional issues.
Mr. Guterres also met with Dr. Tanaka Akihiko, the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is the organizer of the Conference.
In all his meetings and exchanges, the Secretary-General emphasized that enhanced cooperation needs to focus on areas where strategic partnerships can drive inclusive growth in Africa, creating decent jobs and accelerating progress towards Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
His schedule for tomorrow in Yokohama includes more bilateral meetings with attendees of the Conference, and a press encounter in Yokohama.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is increasingly dire, with children and adults killed, injured and displaced every single day. Starvation and malnutrition continue to deepen.
And as an example, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has just shared the latest malnutrition data. They are the largest provider of nutrition screening and treatment in Gaza. They have, since March of this year, when the ceasefire collapsed, UNRWA has screened over 95,000 children aged 6 months to 5 years old for malnutrition across the Gaza Strip. The prevalence of acute malnutrition has risen 15.8 per cent in the first half of August. This means that according to UNRWA's data, malnutrition has tripled across the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire collapsed. And in Gaza City, acute malnourishment has reached 28.5 per cent, meaning more than one in four children in Gaza City is now considered malnourished.
According to UNRWA screenings, malnutrition in Gaza City is now almost six times the level it was since the ceasefire.
But despite the impediments and the systematic restrictions, the UN and its partners are sparing no effort to bring critical food and supplies into the Gaza Strip to avoid an even further deterioration of the situation.
Today, OCHA released an update on what we delivered in Gaza between August 3rd and 16th. A few highlights:
On food: Teams brought in about 12,000 metric tons of wheat flour and other supplies and supported more than 80 community kitchens providing over 400,000 meals every day.
That’s twice as much as in late July but less than half of what we were able to bring in April.
On nutrition: the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) brought in enough therapeutic food for 30,000 acutely malnourished children for one month; infant formula sufficient for 1,250 babies; and over 3,500 cartons of high-energy biscuits. Partners also continued screening thousands of children for malnutrition.
On health: More than 30 truckloads of medicines, blood units, trauma and surgical materials were collected; a haemodialysis centre was rehabilitated; 5,400 pregnant women, newborns and women and girls of reproductive age received support, and over 50 patients were evacuated abroad.
On water: Partners delivered 13,000 cubic metres of drinking water every day across more than 1,000 locations. They also repaired networks and provided hygiene kits to about 600 households.
More information online on OCHA’s website, but of course, while there is an increase in the material being able to be brought in by the UN, people need much more, and the UN team on the ground is more than ready to do much more, to the extent that our humanitarian work is facilitated.
A note on shelter: Today, partners warned that humanitarian aid must not be used to facilitate or legitimize mass displacement. This follows the recent Israeli announcement that the ban imposed in early March on shelter items would be lifted, allowing the entry of tents and other shelter items to resume.
UN partners estimate that meeting the existing shelter needs of about 1.4 million people requires about 3,500 truckloads of tents, tarpaulins and basic household items. And this is without factoring in any future displacement which would only drive shelter needs even higher.
In the pipeline outside Gaza, we currently have about 86,000 tents, over 1 million tarpaulins and sealing-off kits, and about 5 million non-food items waiting.  
But bringing in those supplies remains a challenge. For example, our partners note that the ongoing restrictions on international NGOs, as well as UNRWA, continue to block shelter deliveries.
Finally, UN shelter partners also stressed that the Zikim crossing, which leads directly to the north and to Gaza city, must remain open to ensure that aid reaches those areas, including during intensified military operations.
SUDAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is alarmed by reports of attacks on healthcare in the Darfur region, at a time when the country’s cholera outbreak is spreading in Sudan. Yesterday, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that the organization has suspended all of its activities at Zalingei Hospital in Central Darfur, following a grenade attack inside the facility. MSF says that they cannot resume their operations until clear security guarantees are in place for staff and for patients. Since the beginning of this month, MSF has led a cholera emergency response at the hospital, treating more than 160 patients in just over two weeks, in coordination with the State Ministry of Health. OCHA underscores that the conflict parties must respect the protection afforded to healthcare under international humanitarian law.
The rules of war are clear that the wounded and sick, medical personnel and hospitals must be protected at all times. Meanwhile, the UN, along with its humanitarian partners, continue to support the work by Sudan’s Ministry of Health to expand access to cholera vaccines. Authorities report that oral vaccination campaigns, which are set to conclude later this week, have reached more than 2 million people across Khartoum, Aj Jazirah State and Sennar State. In the first half of this year alone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has delivered 7.6 million doses to help contain the outbreak. The UN, along with its partners, are also providing food assistance whenever and wherever possible, despite insecurity and access constraints.
On 14 August, for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict, the World Food Programme (WFP) reached rural parts of Kutum locality in North Darfur State, providing food assistance to about 50,000 displaced human beings. This is critical support for communities that have long been cut off from receiving aid.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In an update about developments in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) said that yesterday, gunfire was reported near the UN Mission’s base in Bayoo and also close to the base of Uganda People’s Defence Forces’ (UPDF) in Bule, in Ituri Province.
MONUSCO activated security protocols and deployed patrols to secure the area and nearby sites, hosting internally-displaced people. Meanwhile, the UN Mission’s Force Commander led a delegation to Komanda, Ituri Province, to meet community representatives and honour victims of the massacre perpetrated by the ADF in July.
From 15 to 18 August, the MONUSCO deployed a Mobile Operating Base in Soleniama, in Irumu territory, which is also in Ituri, to support demobilization with the help of religious leaders. That was done at the request of local communities.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council members held a briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts. The Under-Secretary-General for the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, briefed and said that the threat posed by Da’esh remains volatile and complex, with the group and its affiliates continuing to adapt and demonstrate resilience despite sustained counter-terrorism efforts. He added that while multiple Da’esh leaders have perished in the past few years, the group has managed to retain its operational capacity.
Mr. Voronkov stressed that the persistence of the threat posed by Da’esh, despite significant national and international efforts, underscores the urgency of sustained global cooperation through counter-terrorism approaches that are compliant with international law, grounded in human rights and are gender-responsive.
Also briefing was Natalia Gherman, the Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. She noted that Da’esh’s use of artificial intelligence and social media for recruitment, fundraising and propaganda demands innovative responses. Ms. Gherman warned that as we stand at the crossroads of technological transformation and geopolitical uncertainty, the threat of terrorism is more diffuse and complex.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Panama has made its full payment to the Regular Budget, bringing the number of fully paid-up Member States to 121.
