Noon briefing of 13 March 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 13 MARCH 2026

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS

The Secretary-General arrived in Beirut earlier today. He arrived from Ankara and landed in Lebanon at a critical and timely moment for country and the wider region. Upon his arrival, he said this is a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon who did not choose this war. They were dragged into it. 

The Secretary-General appealed to both parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire and stop the enormous suffering of civilians in the region. The Secretary-General just finished a round of meetings with President Joseph Aoun, with the Speaker of Parliament, and Nabih Berri, and with the Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.       

In all his meetings, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN’ strong support for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and for the Lebanese State’s exercise of a monopoly on the use of force in its own country. Discussions with Lebanese officials focused on the full implementation of Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701, including the establishment of lasting security and stability across the Blue Line and beyond.

In his meetings, the Secretary-General was accompanied by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, his Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations; Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon; Imran Riza, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon; and Major General Diodato Abagnara, the Force Commander of our peacekeeping forces in the country. 

In remarks to the media that have been shared with you, the Secretary-General said that he hopes that his next visit to Lebanon will be a visit of a Lebanon in peace. 

The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister of Lebanon just launched a Flash Humanitarian Appeal of $308.3 million to provide life-saving support to one million people impacted. And that will cover for the next 3 months. 

He also emphasized that the success of this effort will depend on swift and flexible funding, as well as ensuring that humanitarian workers can safely reach those who are most in need. He also called for the respect of the international humanitarian law, and that includes the protection of civilians.  

The Secretary-General is scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow for media in Lebanon, and he is expected him back in New York on Sunday.

LEBANON  

The UN, along with its humanitarian partners, and together with authorities, are scaling-up urgent assistance to displaced people in Lebanon. As of March 12th, we distributed some 632,000 hot meals and 18,000 ready-to-eat meals. 

We’ve also provided more than 382,000 litres of bottled water and over 1,700 cubic metres of clean water through water trucking. More than 211,000 litres of fuel have been supplied to sustain water services to reach 700,000 people.

Government figures indicate that many people continue to be displaced. More than 822,000 people, including nearly 300,000 children, have registered with the Government as being displaced. And around 128,000 people are sheltering in nearly 600 collective sites across the country. We, of course, imagine that the actual number of displaced is much higher. 

The UN once again reiterates the need for safe and sustained humanitarian access so that we, and our humanitarian partners, and the Government and humanitarian system can reach people who needs help.

UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) today said that the situation in southern Lebanon continues to deteriorate, with rockets and missiles fired at Israel and airstrikes in Lebanese territory, resulting in increasing casualties, including civilians, displacement and destruction. 

UN Peacekeepers continue to observe artillery shelling in Sector East as well as ground incursions by the Israel Defense Forces up to seven kilometers inside Lebanese territory.

The UN continues to urge all sides to cease hostilities and recommit themselves to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. That resolution remains essential for the safety and security of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. 

Peacekeepers remain on the ground in this difficult environment, assisting civilians to move to safer areas and continuing to monitor and report on the situation.

The volatile security situation continues to restrict movements of the peacekeepers.

UNIFIL will continue to facilitate humanitarian access and supporting missions by ourselves and international organizations, including the Lebanese Red Cross to support delivery of essential humanitarian aid to people living in UNIFIL’s area of operation.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that today and yesterday, nearly all humanitarian movements to the Kerem Shalom/ Kerem Abu Salem crossing were denied. Only one was allowed through. As a result, we have been able to collect fuel, but nothing else.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that they have offloaded at the crossing, but not allowed to collect, include nearly 50 intensive care unit beds and 170 pallets of medicines, which includes paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen.

As per the weekly schedule, there will be no offloading of incoming supplies at that crossing today and tomorrow.

You will recall that Kerem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom crossing remains the only operational crossing into Gaza, as both Rafah and Zikim continue to be shut since the start of the regional escalation. Through daily engagement with authorities, we continue to call for the opening of additional crossings and for more types of critical humanitarian supplies to be allowed into Gaza.

The assistance that is currently being distributed in Gaza includes dignity kits to roughly 15,000 women and girls, and what we need is predictable flow of humanitarian aid in sufficient volumes to meet all the needs. 

In the West Bank, meanwhile, movement restrictions tightened again yesterday in northern areas for Palestinian civilians following the killing of two Palestinians by Israeli forces, who stated that the two had tried to carry out a ramming and shooting attack against Israeli soldiers in Nablus governorate. 

Tightened checkpoint closures across the West Bank have undermined Palestinians’ access to services and workplaces as well as emergency operations by humanitarians.

Meanwhile, UN partners operating a toll-free hotline across the Occupied Palestinian Territory report a nearly 25 per cent rise in calls related to physical gender-based violence. This is alongside a rise in calls indicating suicidal thoughts. This is based on a comparison between the first two months of this year and the same period last year.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ/HUMANITARIAN 

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher today issued an urgent call for the unhindered and safe passage of humanitarian cargo through the Strait of Hormuz. 

He warned that any disruption would drive up the price of food, medicine and other life-saving supplies, hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest, in the Middle East and far beyond.

As Mr. Fletcher told the Security Council on Wednesday, we are already seeing the impact of this: in Gaza, the price of flour has risen by 270 per cent. Globally, shipping costs are up 16 per cent compared to this time last year, and disruptions to maritime routes could delay humanitarian shipments to crisis hotspots around the world by six months.

A recent report by our friends at the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows data that covers commercial traffic disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr. Fletcher stresses that without reliable humanitarian supply routes, millions of people risk losing access to life-saving assistance. Food, medicine and other critical supplies, destined for operations in places including East Africa and other places in sub-Saharan Africa, could become harder to move and more expensive to deliver, at a time when famine threatens placeslike Somalia. Mr. Fletcher has raised this issue directly with key parties and is urging them to allow humanitarian cargo to move freely through the Strait so life-saving aid can continue to reach people whose lives depend on it.

ATTACKS ON SYNAGOGUES

We've seen the assaults on synagogues in recent days in Canada, in Belgium, in the United States and most recently in the Netherlands. The Secretary-General strongly condemns these antisemitic attacks in no uncertain terms. 

Houses of worship must be safe havens for all, and attacks on them strike at the core of our shared humanity. He calls on authorities everywhere to ensure the protection of religious sites, bring perpetrators to justice and work diligently to counter antisemitism and all forms of hatred.

INTERNATIONAL DAY TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA

Sunday is the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. In his message, the Secretary-General said the world’s 2 billion Muslims hail from all corners of the globe, reflecting the vast diversity of humanity itself. Yet they often face institutional discrimination, socio-economic [exclusion], biased immigration policies and unwarranted surveillance and profiling.

He called on the international community to eradicate the scourge of Islamophobia from every country and community

BRIEFINGS/MONDAY

At 12:45 p.m. on Monday William O’Neill, the UN designated expert on Human Rights in Haiti, will brief journalists on his recent trip to Haiti.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

Brazil and Thailand have paid their full dues to the Regular Budget. The payments bring the number of fully paid-up Member States to 84.