Noon briefing of 16 March 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 16 MARCH 2026

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT/SECRETARY-GENERAL

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will head to Belgium, to participate in an informal discussion with the members of the European Council. In addition to the discussion with the EU Council, the Secretary-General will have separate bilateral meetings with the President of the European Council, António Costa, as well as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

Among the issues expected to be discussed at these various meetings are the state of the world, the state of international affairs, the relationship between the United Nations and the European Union, and the broader issue of multilateralism. 

While in Brussels, the Secretary-General will also have meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium, Maxime Prévot, and he will have a separate meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides.

ISLAMOPHOBIA

This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the high-level event marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, and he warned that we are facing a rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry and hate. When discriminatory narratives are echoed by those in positions of authority, he said, prejudice becomes normalized.  And when stereotypes are left unchallenged, they harden into policy.

Governments have a clear responsibility, the Secretary-General said. Laws and policies must safeguard equality, not entrench prejudice. Online spaces should bring people together, not drive them apart.

He told the meeting that we must work together to eradicate the rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry, and build a world rooted in respect, inclusion, justice and peace.

SECRETARY-GENERAL/LEBANON

The Secretary-General returned from Lebanon yesterday, where he was on a two-day solidarity visit. In a press conference in Beirut on Saturday, he sent a clear message to the warring parties, calling on them to stop the fighting. “There is no military solution,” he said, “only diplomacy and the full implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions,” adding that the diplomatic avenues remain available, including through his Special Coordinator [for Lebanon], Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and through key Member States.

Also on Saturday, the Secretary-General visited a reception centre for displaced people who fled the bombing, where he met with some of the families displaced from the south of the country, and the southern suburbs of Beirut. 

He heard their testimonies about how some of them left their homes with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

The Secretary-General reassured them that the United Nations is doing everything possible to help the displaced people, including launching the humanitarian appeal on Friday, together with the Government of Lebanon, to provide support the people of Lebanon.

Also on Saturday, he visited Lance Corporal Albert Abrefa Busia, our injured UNIFIL peacekeeper. As you will recall, he was seriously injured and wounded in an attack on 6 March, and he is receiving medical care in a hospital in Beirut. 

UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON

Turning to the situation on the ground in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) area of operations. The UN remains deeply concerned by the continued escalation of hostilities. Peacekeepers continue to report extensive rockets and projectiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel and from Israel toward Lebanon. Extensive airstrikes continue to be reported in Lebanese territory, causing further casualties, displacement and destruction.

UNIFIL peacekeepers report concentrations of Israeli troops in at least six locations near the Blue Line in Lebanese territory. Peacekeepers also report clashes around Khiam and Al Adeisse, both in Sector East, and they have observed IDF ground incursions up to five kilometers north of the Blue Line.

Peacekeepers remain on the ground, impartially monitoring and reporting developments, liaising between the parties and, where possible, facilitating humanitarian support and the protection of civilians.          

UNIFIL has supported transportation of numerous civilians, including children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, to safety from several Lebanese villages.

We continue to urge all sides to cease hostilities and recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which remains essential for the safety and security of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.

Yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers were fired upon, on three separate occasions while conducting patrols around their bases in Yatar, Dayr Kifa and Qallawiyah. No peacekeepers were injured. UNIFIL issued a statement reminding all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers at all times.

On the humanitarian front, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that we and our partners, together with authorities, continue to scale up humanitarian assistance and provide food, shelter, and medical assistance across the country to families forced to flee their homes. 

To date, the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other humanitarian partners have distributed more than 800,000 hot meals, as well as mattresses, sleeping mats, blankets and other shelter items. Hygiene kits have also been provided across hundreds of collective shelters. We are also delivering clean water, which is benefiting some 700,000 people. 

Since the start of the response, UNHCR has delivered over 182,000 essential items, such as blankets, mattresses, solar lamps, sleeping mats, and jerry cans, across more than 375 sites nationwide, reaching more than two thirds of those displaced in collective shelters.

The continued escalation of hostilities in Lebanon is of course, as you can imagine, significantly affecting civilians, essential services and infrastructure.

In just two weeks, 28 attacks against healthcare centers have been reported by the World Health Organization, resulting in 30 deaths and some 35 injuries.

MIDDLE EAST/HUMANITARIAN

On the broader region, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that the UN and its partners remain ready to support national authorities across the region to provide humanitarian assistance, as required. The continued escalation, of course, continues to impact civilians.

CONFLICT/GLOBAL AGRIFOOD

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report today noting that the conflict that erupted in the Persian Gulf has generated a major shock to global energy, fertilizer, and agrifood systems. The report shows that in early March, Middle East granular urea prices, and urea is a key component of fertilizes, rose by nearly 20 per cent compared to late February levels, while other fertilizer prices, such as diammonium phosphate, also rose. Because nitrogen fertilizer production relies heavily on natural gas as a feedstock, the rise in energy prices has further amplified production costs. It is estimated that global fertilizer prices could average 15–20 per cent higher during the first half of this year if this crisis persists. At the same time, FAO said that higher energy prices are increasing costs throughout agricultural supply chains.

FAO also noted that the conflict may also generate broader economic effects beyond commodity markets, as Gulf economies host millions of migrant workers from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa who send home billions of dollars in remittances every year. If the conflict continues, FAO pointed out that remittance flows could decline significantly, reducing household incomes in many developing economies and compounding the impact of rising food and energy prices.          

The full report is online, and it is interesting.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The Secretary-General condemns the recent killing of members of a Palestinian family by Israeli security forces, including children, in the occupied West Bank.  He calls on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law and recalls that security forces must exercise maximum restraint and use intentional lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.

These killings occur amid a deeply troubling deterioration of the security situation across the occupied West Bank that is devastating the Palestinian population. The almost daily attacks by Israeli settlers have become more severe, and they have become more cruel. They have been resulting in deaths, in injuries, significant property damage and, in some cases, the displacement of entire communities. This violence is unacceptable and must stop.

The Secretary-General urges, once again, the Israeli Government to implement concrete measures to reverse this current trajectory. Israeli authorities bear the responsibility to protect the Palestinian population, ensure that credible investigations are carried out, and those responsible held to account.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, over the weekend, a strong dust storm swept through the Strip, damaging and destroying dozens of shelters. UN partners estimate that more than 600 families have had their shelters or belongings damaged. The UN and its partners are currently providing emergency shelter, food and hygiene support to those who are most impact.

As repeatedly said, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Thousands of people are living without any type of shelter, sleeping outside, according to our partners who manage these displacement sites. Many of the existing shelters have been worn out over time, following multiple storms this season. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN partners leading on food security warned that more than half of families in Gaza burn waste to cook food. And we know the extreme negative impact that has, especially in close settings. 

The UN reiterates that cooking gas must be allowed to enter the Strip regularly, together with supplies from the private sector to complement the humanitarian aid and help improve people’s diets and their lives.

On healthcare, despite our efforts to reopen facilities, only two out of every five health service points are currently operating, most of them only partially. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) collected nearly 50 intensive care unit beds that it had offloaded at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. The collection was delayed due to the Israeli authorities’ suspension of humanitarian movements at the crossing last week. The beds will now be provided to hospitals to boost their ICU capacities.

SUDAN  
From Sudan, where the situation is truly horrific, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is sounding the alarm on relentless drone strikes across the Kordofan and Darfur regions, which are driving continued civilian casualties and further constraints on humanitarian access.

Two people were reportedly killed yesterday in a drone strike in the town of Al Rahad, south‑east of El Obeid, which is the capital of the North Kordofan State. A hospital was also destroyed. Two days earlier, additional casualties were reported when drone strikes hit Al Fula, the capital of West Kordofan.

Drone strikes across several parts of Darfur between Thursday and Saturday reportedly caused casualties and significant property damage. On Saturday, strikes in Wadi Sira area on the road to Al Tina, west of El Fasher, reportedly caused multiple casualties.

In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, drone strikes on Thursday and Friday reportedly caused casualties and extensive damage in several neighbourhoods.

Four days ago, on 12 March, a strike on a market at Akidong in West Darfur, near the crucial Adre border crossing, triggered a large explosion. Our colleagues at Médecins Sans Frontières reported that 23 injured civilians, include four women and seven children, were admitted to a hospital they are supporting in Adré, on the Chad side of the border.

Explosive remnants of war continue to pose grave risks to civilians. In one incident, three children were reportedly injured on Thursday when a hand grenade detonated in a yard of a home in Nyala.

Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, we and our partners continue to provide life‑saving assistance to families impacted by the crisis. In River Nile State, our partners recently installed eight 2,000‑litre water tanks in displacement sites and schools in Shendi. This is helping to ease water shortages, improve hygiene conditions and reduce the risk of waterborne diseases for displaced families and host communities. 

The UN calls once again on all parties to comply with their clearly known obligations under international humanitarian law, which includes the protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and ensuring the rapid, safe, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to whoever needs it, and wherever it is needed. 

SOUTH SUDAN

This morning, Pramila Patten, our Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, has expressed grave concern over the stalled implementation of critical protection measures to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan.

Her office said our monitoring in early 2026 indicates heightened risks in hotspots such as Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile, where humanitarian and security conditions are continuing to deteriorate, as we have been telling you. Vulnerability to sexual violence in South Sudan is also compounded by climate-induced displacement, along with the regional spillover from the conflict in neighboring Sudan, which has forced thousands of women and girls into precarious environments and made access to basic services increasingly difficult.

Ms. Patten said that while legal, policy and political frameworks to end sexual violence exist, we are witnessing stagnation in their implementation, particularly for the Action Plan for the Armed Forces on Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in South Sudan. She urged the Government to expedite prior commitments.

She called for support to address the acute service delivery gap. Only 10 state hospitals currently host Family Protection Centres, this means specialized care for survivors is out of reach in the most remote and affected areas. Funding cuts are not just budget lines; they are lifelines, she said.

UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

The Security Council rolled over the mandate of UNAMA, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, for three months. This happened this morning. The UN reiterates its commitment to continue to support the people of Afghanistan in the face of multiple challenges, notably through the principled and pragmatic engagement of the UN Political Mission, in the manner articulated today by Council members.

The Secretary-General calls again on the de facto authorities to reverse restrictions on Afghan women and girls. He welcomes the call today by the Council for the de facto authorities to restore access of UN female personnel to UN premises.

AFGHANISTAN/WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

In Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) has begun to rapidly mobilize a large-scale emergency response for communities in Afghanistan that are impacted by the conflict with Pakistan. 

Despite the dangerous conditions in the area, WFP has resumed operations in most border areas.  It is delivering immediate life-saving food to more than 20,000 families displaced by the conflict. Initially, impacted families are receiving fortified biscuits to address urgent food needs. The most vulnerable will then receive two months’ worth of food or cash assistance. 

WFP will also provide specialized food products for children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women to support their essential nutrition. In addition, WFP said that assistance to displaced families is going to reach people across eight provinces. 

UKRAINE

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that following continued drone and missile attacks over the weekend and early this morning in the country, there were many civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, 

Several national and international NGOs, together with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and with support from UN agencies, provided first aid and psychosocial support, legal assistance, construction materials and cash assistance.

To note, last Friday, OCHA, along with UN agencies and NGOs, also sent two humanitarian convoys to front-line communities near Kupiansk in Kharkiv and in the Kherson. The supplies included electric generators, solar lamps, ready-to-eat food, dignity kits for women, blankets and diapers.

In 2026, we, along with our partners, have delivered 11 convoys to assist some 10,000 residents in front-line communities in Ukraine.

ETHIOPIA/NEW RESIDENT COORDINATOR

The UN Development Coordination Office informs us that, following host Government approval, Ozonnia Ojielo of Nigeria has assumed his role as the UN Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia, effective 14 March. He will also serve as Humanitarian Coordinator.  As you now, there Resident Coordinators serve as the SecretaryGeneral’s representatives for development at the country-level, leading the UN’s support for the Government’s efforts to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

Mr. Ojielo brings over 25 years of experience in sustainable development, governance, peacebuilding and conflict-prevention across four continents. His last post was as Resident Coordinator in Rwanda.

JÜRGEN HABERMAS

In a statement issued last evening, the Secretary-General said that he was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jürgen Habermas, a giant of philosophy and true public intellectual. He said that no philosopher influenced his own thinking throughout his life in politics as much as Habermas.  Mr. Guterres said he was particularly struck by Habermas’s ideas on the distinguishing feature of a modern democracy as the permanent interflow of communication between political decision-makers and civil societies.

GUEST TOMORROW

Tomorrow, the noon briefing guest will be Susan Ferguson, the UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan. She will brief virtually onthe situation in Afghanistan.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

Indonesia and Jamaica have paid their full dues to the Regular Budget. The payments bring the number of fully paid-up Member States to 86.

GUEST TOMORROW

Tomorrow, you will hear another briefing on Afghanistan, and this time from Susan Ferguson, who is the UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan. She will join us virtually to speak about the situation in that country.