Noon briefing of 23 June 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 23 JUNE 2026

SECRETARY-GENERAL/LONDON 

This morning, in London, the Secretary-General delivered a special address at London Climate Action Week. He said that our world is facing two crises: a climate crisis pushing us deeper toward higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points; and an energy crisis exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons.  

The Secretary-General said that these crises may seem separate, but they share the same destructive origin: Fossil fuels. He underscored that they demand the same answer - a fast, fair transition to clean energy, and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm. 

The good news, the Secretary-General said, is that unlike every past energy crisis, we now have a clear way out, a clean way out.  He said that renewables are the cheapest, fastest and most scalable source of new electricity in most of the world.      

There are no embargoes on sunlight and no blockades on the wind, he added.  

During his address, the Secretary-General launched a global Call to Action on Methane and also proposed an AI Environmental Transparency Initiative. 

Also today, the Secretary-General addressed the Local Climate Action Summit. He underscored that the climate fight will not be won in negotiating rooms, but through the actions we take in our communities. As we enter this era of implementation, he stressed that local leaders have an even greater responsibility to ensure the transition moves faster, becomes fairer, and delivers security, resilience and prosperity for all. 

Later on, the Secretary-General addressed the Global Energy Transition and Electrification Summit, where he said that the age of clean electrification is here.  

The question, he said, is whether we can build the grids and storage, mobilize the investment, and deliver the infrastructure at the speed and scale required. 

The Secretary-General will soon meet the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Yvette Cooper. 

SUDAN 

Turning to Sudan. Our Human Rights colleagues issued a report today verifying 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence in 16 of Sudan's 18 states from the beginning of the conflict through mid-April this year, affecting at least 838 women, men and children. The findings underscore the devastating human toll the conflict continues to exact on civilians across the country. 

These figures represent only the tip of the iceberg of the true scale of the abuse, the report says, as persistent underreporting has obscured the full extent of conflict-related sexual violence. The report also documents the deaths of at least 13 victims, many of whom died after being subjected to brutal gang rapes. 

Meanwhile, we and our partners continue to provide crucial assistance to people affected by conflict in El Obeid in North Kordofan state.          

The World Food Programme and its partners plan to provide food assistance to more than 72,000 displaced people this month and the next one, with some 12,600 people having been reached so far. 

UNICEF and its partners reached more than 95,000 children under the age of five between last Friday and Sunday as part of a nutrition campaign. Our health partners have also pre-positioned cholera supplies and essential medicines to strengthen outbreak preparedness. 

We remain alarmed that fighting continues to force people from their homes in El Obeid, leaving families caught between escalating violence and worsening humanitarian conditions. On June 22nd, drones reportedly struck two displacement sites in the city, and our partners tell us that at least three civilians were killed and others were injured. Several shelters were also reportedly damaged in both sites.        

Our humanitarian colleagues continue to report fuel shortages, as well as the limited availability of bread, safe drinking water and other essential food items in El Obeid. 

Once again, we call for urgent additional funding to scale up life-saving assistance across Sudan. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which requires $2.9 billion to reach more than 20 million people, is only 39 per cent funded. 

UNIFIL 

UNIFIL informs us that the latest ceasefire announced for Lebanon on 19 June appears to be largely holding.   

However, peacekeepers observed kinetic activity yesterday near Al Bayyadah (Sector West), where heavy machine-gun fire and two 40 mm grenades were fired by the IDF towards the east-northeast of UNP 1-26, followed by a Merkava tank firing three shots towards Al Mansuri (Sector West). 

Peacekeepers also continued to observe Israel Defence Force ground and air activities. In Sector West, northeast of Al Bayyadah, four aerial drone activities were documented near and over a UNIFIL position. In one instance, an armed drone flew over the position twice at altitudes ranging from 50 to 150 metres. In Sector East, drone activity was recorded south of Deir Mimess, where a drone flew at an altitude of about 80 metres, apparently to monitor UNIFIL peacekeepers during roadblock removal work.                                                              

Also yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers encountered freedom of movement restrictions. In Sector East, patrols encountered two roadblocks southeast of Deir Mimess. In Sector West, IDF personnel blocked a road used by a UNIFIL patrol near Bayt Yahun, forcing them to return to their point of origin. 

We urge all parties to adhere fully to the ceasefire and refrain from any escalation, particularly during this delicate period of ongoing negotiations.  

On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL – through its Liaison Branch and in coordination with OCHA – facilitated 12 humanitarian missions by three agencies in Sector West yesterday.  

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN 

Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is in close touch with the mediators and Lebanese authorities. Mr. Fletcher will speak to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun later this week. 

On the ground, our colleagues tell us that the humanitarian situation remains fragile and uncertain for families seeking to return to their homes, even after the latest ceasefire. Some 19,000 people left collective shelters overnight, reducing the total from 109,000 yesterday to more than 90,000 today. 

A new UN Development Program assessment, conducted with the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research, highlights the scale of the damage in southern Lebanon.                         

More than 11,000 residential buildings were found to be completely destroyed and another 2,200 partially damaged. For many families, this means there is simply no home to return to. 

Continued uncertainty, widespread destruction and the threat posed by unexploded ordnance continue to prevent safe and sustainable returns.   

We and our partners continue to call for the protection of civilians and for conditions that allow displaced families to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA tells us that shelling, gunfire, bombing and airstrikes continue to harm civilians across the Gaza Strip. 

Today, in a social media post, UNICEF said that a 17-year-old girl was killed on her way to sit for her high school exam. She was one of UNICEF’s Youth Champions.  

We reiterate that civilians, including children, must always be protected. 

Meanwhile, partners leading on the management of displacement sites yesterday released the findings of an assessment covering nearly 1,600 displacement sites hosting about 1.7 million people. That’s about 80 per cent of Gaza’s population. 

The findings confirm that displaced people remain in extremely poor conditions, with limited access to essential humanitarian supplies, inadequate lighting and energy, weakened health services, disrupted water supply and exposure to insecurity.  

To give you a few examples: at least 59,000 individual shelters accommodate more than eight people, while about 38,500 people are estimated to be sleeping in the open. An estimated 600,000 people in the assessed sites lack sufficient access to drinking water. And half of the sites lack visible drainage and nearly half reported fire hazards near shelters.  

Rodent infestations are reported in 80 per cent of the sites, and open sewage and accumulated waste are present in more than half of them. 

In almost 250 sites – hosting nearly 250,000 people – there were reported incidents with explosive ordnance. 

STRAIT OF HORMUZ 

The International Maritime Organization will begin implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers who remain stranded in the region. 

The large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal States in the region, the United States and the maritime industry. 

IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez said that IMO secured the necessary safety guarantees and thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations. 

The operation marks a significant step towards alleviating the humanitarian impact of the crisis on thousands of civilian seafarers who have endured months of uncertainty, restricted movement and mounting welfare concerns.                                                        

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 

Valentine Rugwabiza, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Central African Republic, told the Security Council this morning that the country has reached another decisive milestone towards the full completion of the 2025/2026 electoral cycle.  

She noted the successful holding in April of the second round of legislative, regional and municipal elections, and she added that, in a country where elections have too often been associated with tensions and cycles of violence, this is a clear indication of institutional stability. 

While the security situation has generally improved across the country over the years, it remains fragile in several border areas, the Special Representative said. 

She said that the UN Mission in the country, MINUSCA, continues to work closely with the Government to protect civilians and further consolidate the extension of State authority.             

However, the sustainability of security gains requires significant investment in the CAR security sector and institutions, she added. 

MONUSCO 

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, continues to support Ebola response efforts in the Ituri province in the east. Since MONUSCO's deployment of a Mobile Operating Base in the Mongbwalu area, there have been no further attacks or security incidents against Ebola response efforts. The Mission continues to actively engage local leaders to help address misinformation and improve trust with local communities, creating a safer environment for the Ebola response. 

Meanwhile, the Mission recently handed over $447,000 in road rehabilitation, agricultural and socio-economic projects directly supporting several hundred beneficiaries and benefitting over 20,000 residents, including former combatants.  

MONUSCO is also actively implementing its protection of civilians mandate in the province. On 20 June, the Mission deployed a Company Operating Base in Mambasa to re-establish a sustained presence in the area, following the recent uptick in attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces armed group. In this complex environment, MONUSCO remains steadfast in implementing all of its priority mandate tasks alongside supporting Ebola response efforts. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

Further on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, OCHA tells us that we and our partners are supporting surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, infection prevention and case management to deal with the Ebola outbreak. 

In Ituri province, UNICEF delivered 30 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Bunia last week, bringing its total deliveries since the start of the outbreak to 180 tonnes. 

 The International Organization for Migration has deployed technical experts to Aru and Mahagi territories and trained frontline personnel in the towns of Bunia and Rwampara, as well as at key entry points in the capital Kinshasa, including N’djili International Airport. 

Meanwhile, OCHA says it is concerned by renewed fighting in the province of South Kivu. Although no new Ebola cases have been reported there since May 26th, escalating clashes in the territories of Fizi and Mwenga have triggered new displacement.    

Local sources say that families are fleeing to the area of Minembwe Centre and surrounding areas, although limited access makes it difficult to assess the full scale of displacement. 

We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe, sustained humanitarian access, which is critical to containing the Ebola outbreak and for delivering life-saving assistance. 

PEACEKEEPING 

This morning, the Security Council adopted a resolution on accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers. The resolution was authored by Denmark and Pakistan and co-sponsored by over 150 Member States. It calls for strengthened efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes against United Nations personnel serving in peacekeeping operations and reaffirms that accountability is essential to preventing future attacks. 

Since 1948, 1,095 United Nations peacekeepers have been killed as a result of malicious acts, including 359 since 2013. Several thousand more have been injured while serving in some of the world's most challenging environments. 

Notable progress has been made in recent years.   

Since 2020, 103 individuals have been convicted for offences related to the killing of 35 peacekeepers and two United Nations experts in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon and Mali. But much more needs to be done.  

We welcome the Council's strong message that there can be no impunity for attacks against United Nations peacekeepers. 

CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND 

Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, just announced this morning a US$10 million funding package from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support women and girls in some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, adding that women and girls must be at the heart of the humanitarian response. The allocation will be channeled through UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund in close partnership with local women-led organizations. It will span eight underfunded emergencies (Ethiopia, Syria, Burkina Faso, Haiti, DRC, Myanmar, Mozambique and Mali) and will help women and girls access protection, health care and other vital services. 

UKRAINE

Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, in a briefing to the Security Council on Ukraine yesterday afternoon said that international humanitarian law is clear: Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including cultural sites, are strictly prohibited. They must stop now, wherever they occur. 

He warned that if the current dangerous cycle of escalation continues, we will undoubtedly witness further devastation in Ukraine, as well as increasingly in the Russian Federation.

OCHA Director Edem Wosornu, briefing the Security Council on behalf of Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, noted that the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission records that more civilians were killed and injured by short-range drones in May than in any month since February 2022. 

INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS’ DAY 

Today is International Widows’ Day. For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a partner is magnified by a long-term fight for their basic rights and dignity. This day raises awareness of the challenges faced by 258 million widows worldwide. Many experience poverty, discrimination, violence, and loss of inheritance rights, especially in developing and conflict-affected regions. This day calls for governments and societies to protect widows’ rights, provide social and economic support, and addressing stigmas, encouraging their empowerment.  

UN PUBLIC SERVICE DAY 

Today is UN Public Service Day. It celebrates the value of public service and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector. In his message, the Secretary General notes that as climate change, conflict and artificial intelligence reshape the world, our future depends on institutions that are innovative and ready to adapt, which means ensuring that digital technologies are deployed ethically and effectively. 

He underscores that by working with transparency, integrity and fairness, public servants can help to strengthen good governance and build trust between people and institutions. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

Argentina paid its dues to the Regular Budget in full. Argentina’s payment brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 116.