Noon briefing of 10 April 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 10 APRIL 2026

SUDAN 

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, is concluding today his visit to Nairobi, in Kenya, where he held productive engagements with Sudanese armed groups and civilian political actors, as well as with civil society representatives, members of the diplomatic community and Kenyan authorities. In his meetings, Mr. Haavisto stressed the urgent need to pursue practical measures to deescalate the conflict and ensure the protection of civilians. 

Mr. Haavisto reiterated that the conflict cannot be resolved through military means and highlighted the importance of achieving swift, tangible progress toward peace, given the devastating impact the ongoing violence is continuing to have on Sudan and its people.  

The Personal Envoy echoed statements by the Secretary-General and the Security Council reaffirming the need to safeguard the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Sudan, rejecting the establishment of any parallel authorities and underscoring the commitment of the United Nations to engaging with all relevant stakeholders to advance peace. 

 Mr. Haavisto will next travel to Berlin ahead of the ministerial-level meeting of the International Sudan Conference, which is scheduled next week, on 15 April. 

IRAN 

The Secretary-General welcomes the U.S.-Iran talks that are mediated by Pakistan, scheduled to start in Islamabad over the weekend. 

He calls on the parties to seize this diplomatic opportunity to engage in good faith toward a lasting and comprehensive agreement, with a view to deescalation and the prevention of a return to hostilities. His Personal Envoy, Jean Arnault, continues to be in the region to support diplomatic efforts. 

The Secretary-General reiterates that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN Charter. 

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN 

In Lebanon, the situation continues to deteriorate and essential services for people in need are under extreme strain. 

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that the strikes on Wednesday across the country killed more than 300 people and injured over 1,100 others. This brings the total number of people killed since 2 March to nearly 1,900, with more than 6,000 people injured. This is according to numbers given to us by the Lebanese Government. 

Our humanitarian colleagues continue to be seriously concerned over attacks on health and emergency services. Today, a strike on an ambulance killed two first responders in the province of Tyre. 

As you can imagine, the health system in the country is critically over-stretched. WHO warns that some hospitals may run out of trauma supplies within days due to the surge in casualties.  

Roughly three weeks' worth of supplies were depleted ‌in just one day, and that was on Wednesday. Disruptions to supply chains and rising demand are also threatening the availability of medicine for chronic diseases, such as insulin.  

WHO and its partners continue to support the Ministry of Public Health, reaching more than 57,000 patients with medication to treat acute diseases and providing over 37,000 subsidized primary healthcare consultations, and that is just since March 2nd. 

For its part, the UN Refugee Agency said today that access to impacted people is increasingly constrained. Over 680 shelters hosting about 140,000 displaced people are severely overcrowded, and nearly half of Lebanon’s public schools are now functioning as shelters.        

So far, UNHCR and its partners have assisted more than 151,000 people displaced in collective shelters and 31,000 in hard-to-reach areas. They are also supporting over 250,000 people who crossed into Syria, and out of those 250,000 people, there are 39,000 Lebanese who have sought refuge into Syria.  

Needs in Lebanon exceed the available capacity. 

As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, we call for an immediate de-escalation and halt to hostilities. All parties, as you well know, must protect civilians and fully respect international humanitarian law. Health workers, ambulances, and medical facilities, civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times. We need funding and other support so we can deliver aid safely and without impediments. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, where we just passed the six-month mark of the ceasefire, OCHA says that humanitarian organizations continue to do their best to deliver in the face of many hurdles.  

Our partners leading on food security tell us that, in the first week of April, they distributed two food parcels of high-energy biscuits and one bag of flour per family to almost a quarter of a million people. These distributions covered about 75 per cent of the minimum caloric needs of people. This is up from 50 per cent in the previous months. These deliveries were complemented by cash support, allowing families to buy additional food. 

Our education partners continue to help children learn through temporary sites. Last week, they installed five new learning centres in the Khan Younis and North Gaza governorates, while repairing another 17 classrooms.  

Overall, more than 580 temporary learning spaces are now operating across the Gaza strip, and that is helping nearly 360,000 children to get some form of education. Last month, most of those girls and boys received around 1.2 million nutritionally enhanced snacks. 

Turning to the West Bank, where our humanitarian colleagues say Israeli forces have extended a military order by two months, prolonging the displacement of Palestinians from three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates. UNRWA estimates that this impacts more than 33,000 people who have been displaced since January of last year.  

OCHA calls for the lifting of these and other restrictions, which cause and prolong displacement, and hamper Palestinians from accessing healthcare, education and other basic services.  

AFGHANISTAN 

In Afghanistan, hostilities and harsh weather are deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.  

Recent rains and subsequent flooding have resulted in casualties. Thousands of people’s homes have been severely damaged or destroyed, as well as critical infrastructure and large swathes of agricultural land across the country. 

Nearly 100 people have been reported killed so far, with over 180 others injured and some still missing. Nangahar province, which is in the eastern part of the country, has sustained the most impact. You will recall that the province was hit by a devastating earthquake last September, which killed and injured thousands of people and caused extensive damage. 

Meanwhile, OCHA says that on Sunday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region, resulting in reports of dozens of deaths and multiple injuries, in addition to damage to homes in Kabul and other places. 

We and our humanitarian partners have delivered assistance to more than 8,000 people so far, including food, cash, health services, emergency shelter and other critical support. We’re carrying out additional assessments to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable are met.  

UN WOMEN 

In a press release today, UN Women said that hundreds of women and girls have been killed across the Middle East since the 28 February attack on Iran. That includes 168 girls who were reportedly killed in a strike on their primary school in Minab, in Iran. 

Since then, UN Women has received reports of 204 women being killed in Iran and 102 women being killed in Lebanon even prior to the 8 April bombardment there. Women and girls have also been reportedly killed in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, the occupied Palestinian territory, and the UAE [United Arab Emirates]. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

Botswana is the 100th fully paid-up Member State this year.   

**Guests 

Edem Wosornu, the Director of OCHA's Crisis Response Division, briefed reporters on the humanitarian situation in Haiti. 

On Monday,  Denise Brown, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, will brief reporters on the situation there, as the conflict in Sudan is approaching the three-year mark.