Secretary-General's press conference in Doha, Qatar

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, 

 

Thank you for joining us today. 

 

I thank the State of Qatar — and all Qataris — for so generously hosting us, and bringing the world together for the Second World Summit for Social Development. 

 

I want to start by addressing the horrifying crisis in Sudan, which is spiralling out of control. 

 

For over 18 months, El Fasher and the surrounding areas in North Darfur have been an epicentre of suffering, hunger, violence and displacement. 

 

And since the Rapid Support Forces entered El Fasher last weekend, the situation is growing worse by the day. 

 

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped by this siege. 

 

People are dying of malnutrition, disease and violence. 

 

And we are hearing continued reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. 

 

Indiscriminate attacks and targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. 

 

Horrifying instances of gender-based and ethnic violence. 

 

And now, credible reports of widespread executions since the Rapid Support Forces entered the city. 

I once again call for an immediate end to this unimaginable violence.  

 

I call for the safe, rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to all civilians in need. 

 

I call for an end to the flow of weapons and fighters into Sudan — which is making a desperate situation even worse. 

 

Finally — we need an immediate cessation of hostilities. 

 

I call on both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to work with my Personal Envoy for the Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, towards a negotiated settlement.

 

Come to the negotiating table. 

 

Bring an end to this nightmare of violence — now. 

 

It's time for peace. 

 

I’m also deeply concerned about the continued violations of the ceasefire in Gaza.  They must stop and all parties must abide by the decisions of the first phase of the peace agreement. 

 

And let’s not forget the need to establish a credible political path towards ending the occupation, realizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and leading to a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.

 

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, 

 

Qatar has long been a committed friend and partner of the United Nations. 

 

A generous supporter of humanitarian relief around the world. 

 

An advocate of education — including for girls in Afghanistan, where Qatar is providing financial aid and technical support to keep girls learning while also hosting the multilateral Doha Process to support the international community’s engagement with Afghanistan.

 

And a peacemaker in the Middle East and globally — including as a permanent mediator in the Gaza conflict and in brokering a peace agreement between the government of the DRC and the M23 armed group.

 

It’s absolutely essential that this agreement holds, and paves the way for a longterm political solution. 

 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this means a lasting solution that respects the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while addressing the root causes of the instability and violence that have plagued the region for too long. 

 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

 

As host of the Second World Summit for Social Development, Qatar is once again playing a decisive global role. 

 

This Summit represents a renewed commitment to place people, dignity, and social justice at the heart of sustainable development.

 

The Doha Declaration emerging from the Summit is a clear and bold commitment by the global community to speed up our progress. 

 

As I said this morning, the Doha Declaration represents a people’s plan. 

 

Today, I am calling for action in four key areas to bring this people’s plan to life. 

 

One: Accelerating our fight against poverty and inequality, through targeted investments in the systems people need — food, education, health, water and sanitation, housing and social protection.  

 

Two: Bringing a laser focus to job-creation and employment — including massive investments in training, skills development, economic diversification, closing the digital divide, and ensuring that women have equal access to jobs and opportunities. 

 

Three: Supercharging global efforts to finance development — not just domestically, but by unlocking more finance to support developing countries and expand opportunities for people. 

 

By tripling the lending power of multilateral development banks to make them bigger and bolder. 

 

By leveraging more private finance. 

 

By easing debt burdens with new instruments to reduce borrowing costs and risks, and speed-up support for countries facing debt distress.

 

And by reforming the global financial architecture so it better represents today’s world and the needs of developing countries. 

 

And four: A people’s plan must include all people, leaving no one behind — including women, minorities, migrants and refugees, older persons, Indigenous Peoples, persons living with disabilities and young people.  

 

Development is about building stronger societies that serve the many, not the few. 

 

I call on leaders to continue delivering on the promise of the Doha Political Declaration they adopted here, and the justice, peace and prosperity that every person, everywhere, deserves. 

 

Once again, I thank Qatar for rallying us together in this important cause. 

 

Thank you.

 

Question: [Al Jazeera] Both yourself and the Amir of Qatar have highlighted the horrors, the ongoing carnage in Sudan and the urgent need to stop it immediately. But what are the next steps, the practical steps being discussed to try to bring that about? Is there a role for peacekeepers at this stage? Is that something that’s being discussed at the moment?

 

Secretary-General: I think the present moment is to gather all the international community and all those that have leverage in relation to Sudan to stop the fighting. One thing that is essential to stop the fighting is to make sure that no more weapons come into Sudan and that is another essential objective. And at the same time, we need to create mechanisms of accountability because the crimes that are being committed are so horrendous that they cannot benefit from any kind of impunity. At the same time, I see the efforts of the Quad, our Representative, the African Union, IGAD. I think we need to bring everything together and, with the commitment of the whole of the international community, explain to the two – the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces – that this war is an absolutely intolerable thing and that the unity and territorial integrity of Sudan must be preserved at all costs.

 

Question: [Al Araby TV] Mr. Secretary-General, is the UN now actually in coordination with the Israeli side and with the US as well concerning Trump’s plan for Gaza? The second question, are you working or coordinating with the United States on this plan and also on the force that Trump is going to form in order to stabilize Gaza after the war ended?  

 

Secretary-General: Well, first of all, we are very actively engaged in making sure that humanitarian aid increases dramatically and reaches the whole of the Gaza population. And in that I have to say that the US has been helpful in making Israel at least progressively remove some of the obstacles and difficulties that are still in place in relation to make humanitarian aid as massive as it should be. On the other hand, we have been very actively supporting the principle that the ceasefire must hold, that all parties must abide by the ceasefire, that there must be a link between Gaza and the West Bank in the way the next stage is put in place. And that this needs to lead to a two-state solution and to the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.

 

And our positions have been very clear - so they are not depending on cooperating with this or that country. It has to do with the defense of the basic principles that need to be respected by all parties. On the other hand, the draft [resolution] that is being prepared by the United States is being discussed with the members of the Security Council. The Secretariat is not involved in that discussion. It is a discussion within the members of the Security Council. What we believe is that whatever entity that is created in Gaza should have the legitimacy of a mandate from the Security Council.

 

Question: Does that include the international force as well that Trump is saying will stabilize Gaza in the future?

 

Secretary-General: It is one of the things that has been discussed… that it would be important to have the training and the formation of a Palestinian police force. That would be very important. On the other hand, this transition needs to lead to a situation in which the two sides [Gaza and the West Bank] are united and that the Palestinian Authority exerts its full authority. But this is on the way, as I said, to the two-state solution. At the present moment, what is being discussed in the discussions among members of the Security Council is in relation to a force to, I would say, consolidate the ceasefire.

 

Question: [Al Araby TV] Mr. Secretary-General, when the world seems to have grown numb to the pain of Gaza and Sudan, how will the UN prove that its voice still matters? And the most important question is about education because when schools in Gaza have turned into shelters, and classrooms into rubble, what does the UN see as the future of education for these future generations? Because now it’s a disaster. Education is the key for everything. I need your opinion about this.

 

Secretary-General: It’s absolutely essential to re-establish the education system that existed in Gaza. It was run, as you know, largely by UNRWA. Most of the schools were destroyed but it’s necessary to re-establish an effective educational system in Gaza. There is, as you know, an intention to have soon a conference in Cairo on the rehabilitation and recovery of Gaza, and education must be a central pillar of that conference and of any project of reconstruction in Gaza.  

 

Question: [Doha News] Building on the topic of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, what can you tell us right now about the scale of the damage, now that there is a ceasefire and teams are on the ground and are more able to measure the extent of the damage. And can you tell us more about the United Nations and Qatar's discussions with regard to the reconstruction efforts given that Qatar is a crucial mediator in Gaza.

 

Secretary-General:  The level of destruction is massive. We have our teams, namely UNDP and others, working on the evaluation on the whole volume of destruction… but it is massive. On the other hand, we believe that we need a actively engaged reconstruction plan by the international community. Egypt has assumed leadership in the convening of a conference for that purpose. I’m sure Qatar will play a decisive role in that regard. Qatar has always been very coherently supportive of the rights of the Palestinian people without any agenda but the interest of peace and the interests of the Palestinian people.

 

Question: [AFP] We see reports that there is a US draft proposal for a truce in Sudan. You’ve mentioned the efforts of the Quad and of your Envoy to Sudan. Is this US proposal something which the UN is in contact on? Can you give us any details on what efforts there may be today for a truce in Sudan?

 

Secretary-General: I think we are all pushing in the same direction. It is clear that we need a ceasefire in Sudan. We need to stop this carnage that is absolutely intolerable. In that context, we have been working together - the Quad, UN, AU, IGAD… we all have the same objectives. And we will do everything we can to make it materialize.

 

Thank you very much. Shukran.