Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Secretary-General/China

Let's get started. Happy Friday, everyone.

This morning, in Shanghai, the Secretary-General addressed the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. He said that artificial intelligence (AI) can be humanity's greatest opportunity in the twenty-first century, and it could also become one of its greatest risks.

The Secretary-General underscored that the technology that will shape the future of humanity must be shaped by all humanity, and it cannot be governed by a handful of countries or a handful of companies. He pointed out that few areas hold greater promise for our common future than the application of AI to sustainable development, but it won't happen if the historical injustices of the past are repeated in the technologies of the future.

Also in the morning, the Secretary-General toured an exhibition of China's MAZU meteorological AI early-warning system. In the afternoon, he attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference Meteorological Forum. In his remarks, he noted that the Forum shows one of the clearest ways AI can serve humanity: by helping save lives.

The Secretary-General said that early-warning systems are the most cost-effective protection against climate disaster. He noted that 128 countries now have multi-hazard early-warning systems, more than double since 2015, but one third remain unprotected.

The Secretary-General stressed that we urgently need to accelerate, and artificial intelligence can help.

Also today, the Secretary-General met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Secretary-General thanked President Xi for China's consistent support for multilateralism and the United Nations and its activities, including peacekeeping.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed his strong commitment to UN reform, fully in line with the UN Charter and international law, and full respect for the equilibrium among the three pillars of the United Nations activities: peace and security, sustainable development and human rights, and to enhance the cooperation with China in all of them. The full readout has been shared with you.

The Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

**Deputy Secretary-General/Sierra Leone

The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will be arriving shortly in Sierra Leone, at the invitation of the Government, to participate in the sixty-ninth ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Summit on the Future of Regional Integration.

The Deputy Secretary-General will address the Summit and participate in discussions on the economic, development and security priorities of the region. She will reaffirm the United Nations strong partnership with ECOWAS and its support for regional efforts to strengthen peace and security, economic cooperation and regional integration, while accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

While in Sierra Leone, the Deputy Secretary-General will hold bilateral meetings with leaders attending the Summit and other senior officials.

She will return to New York on Monday.

**Pakistan

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, is wrapping-up a visit to Pakistan today, which was focused on climate risk, disaster preparedness and resilience.

Today, he visited Hassanabad Nala, a flood-affected village near the Shisper Glacier in Gilgit-Baltistan, where he met residents and saw projects helping communities prepare for recurring climate-related hazards. He also visited the Hunza Solar Project, highlighting the opportunities to build resilience through clean energy.

Throughout his visit, Mr. Fletcher stressed that Pakistan is on the front line of the climate crisis, while also demonstrating practical approaches from which other climate-vulnerable countries can learn.

He called for stronger international support to help countries prepare for, and respond to, disasters.

**Lebanon

From Lebanon, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that people continue to return to their communities, but the pace has slowed in recent days due to ongoing hostilities. Though the intensity of these hostilities has decreased, the situation continues to affect civilians and hamper recovery efforts.

More than 741,000 people have returned to their areas of origin since the escalation of hostilities in early March. However, more than 412,000 people remain displaced across the country, including some 30,000 people still living in collective shelters.

OCHA warns that humanitarian needs remain high: many displaced and returning families continue to face financial pressures as they cope with damaged homes, rental costs, transport expenses, utility bills and lost livelihoods.

The UN and our humanitarian partners are working to support communities in need wherever possible. Since the escalation of hostilities, nearly 840,000 people have received emergency cash assistance at least once.

OCHA continues to call for the protection of civilians and for sustained humanitarian support to meet the needs of those still affected by the conflict. As of today, less than 45 per cent of funding needed for the Flash Appeal has been secured; that's less than $285 million of the $640 million required.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA reports that the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to support displaced families across the Gaza Strip.

Our humanitarian partners are currently delivering, by truck, more than 17,000 cubic metres of drinking water each day through 2,460 distribution points. This is, however, 15 to 20 per cent less than in June, and that is mainly due to funding shortages. This reduction comes as needs are highest during the summer, and the risk of water shortages is greatest.

Our humanitarian partners are also distributing more than 4,600 cubic metres of domestic water each day for washing, cleaning and other household needs. Partners are working on addressing gaps to prevent further reductions in access to safe water.

Partners report that about 80 per cent of all solid waste generated is being collected. The remaining 20 per cent continue to pose public health risks. In Gaza city, about 75 per cent of the waste accumulated at the Firas Market temporary dump site has been removed and transferred to a new site in the Netzarim Corridor area. The new site is being developed as a temporary disposal area.

Humanitarian partners working to mitigate pest infestation have reached 80 per cent of the 3,500 identified hotspots. The response includes community awareness raising, insect-control spraying and rodent-control measures. Partners have also recently brought pest-control materials into Gaza.

In the West Bank, OCHA reports that on 9 July, 12 Palestinians, four of them children, were displaced from the Jabal al Aqra'a Bedouin community, west of Jenin, following threats and intimidation by Israeli settlers believed to be from a nearby settlement.

The displaced Palestinians were part of a Bedouin community that had been present in the area for more than 70 years. Jabal al Aqra'a is the forty-seventh Palestinian community to be fully displaced by recurrent settler attacks and access restrictions since January 2023.

OCHA reiterates that Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory must be protected, as required by international law, and perpetrators of violations must be held accountable.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that escalating violence and insecurity continue to hamper life-saving humanitarian operations in the eastern part of the country. This includes efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak, which has become the third largest on record, just two months after it was declared.

In North Kivu Province, at least 10 people were reportedly killed and seven others injured during an attack in Beni territory on Wednesday, according to local authorities. This follows a series of deadly incidents in the area that have reportedly claimed at least 22 lives since Sunday. This surge in violence has displaced civilians and further complicates humanitarian access in an area already grappling with the outbreak.

As of this Wednesday [15 July], national health authorities in the DRC had reported 2,124 confirmed Ebola cases across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo. In Ituri province, the areas of Bunia and Rwampara remain the epicentre of the outbreak, with transmission continuing at a very high level and evidence that many cases are still going undetected in the community.

We and our partners, working alongside the authorities, continue to scale-up surveillance, laboratory testing, treatment and community engagement efforts to contain the disease. Priorities include speeding up case alerts, expanding isolation capacity and strengthening safe and dignified burials.

Yesterday, 10 ambulances provided by the Government arrived in Ituri Province to strengthen response operations, including patient transport and case management.

OCHA once again calls on all parties to protect civilians, facilitate safe and sustained humanitarian access, and ensure the safety of health workers and response teams. These conditions are essential for containing the outbreak and delivering life-saving assistance to those most in need.

**Venezuela

Turning to Venezuela, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that we and our humanitarian partners continue to scale-up support for communities devastated by last month's earthquakes.

OCHA continues to coordinate the complex response. More than 100 aid organizations have reported carrying out over 2,200 response activities, from the delivery of hot meals to the distribution of tents, across 14 states, both to help people affected by the earthquakes and to meet pre-existing needs.

OCHA and our partners leading on logistics for the response have coordinated the receipt and distribution of over 525 metric tons of humanitarian supplies, including food, health items, shelter support, and water and sanitation assistance.

Relief efforts remain concentrated in La Guaira, the state hardest hit by the earthquakes.

The authorities in Venezuela report that nearly 5,000 people have been killed and more than 16,700 injured.

We and our humanitarian partners are scaling-up assistance in La Guaira at five temporary camps, while also expanding support to additional locations and communities. Since the start of the response, the World Food Programme (WFP) has reached nearly 74,000 people with food assistance.

For its part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that nearly 7,000 people have received assistance through collective sites and temporary camps, where camp management services, healthcare, protection support, water and sanitation assistance, psychosocial support and other essential services continue to be provided.

Before the earthquakes, the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela aimed to assist 5.5 million people and required $632 million. Following the disaster, an additional nearly $300 million is needed to support 1.3 million people affected by the earthquakes over six months, bringing total requirements to $931 million to reach 6.2 million people. To date, less than 40 per cent of that amount has been received - leaving a gap of nearly $570 million.

**Middle East

And this just in: The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation between Iran and the United States of America. He is particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region. Such attacks are unacceptable.

He reiterates his firm conviction that there is no military solution to this conflict and calls for stepped up diplomatic efforts towards a peaceful and durable settlement. Such a settlement should include the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

**Nelson Mandela International Day

Tomorrow is Nelson Mandela International Day. In his message for the day, the Secretary-General honours the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela as a towering figure of peace, reconciliation, justice and human rights. In a world where inequality is becoming entrenched, he urges everyone to take the future into their own hands to carry forward Mandela's vision of a just, inclusive, equal and peaceful world. 

In observance of the day, volunteering activities around New York City have been co-organized by the UN Department for Global Communications, the New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs, the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the UN. The United Nations General Assembly will also mark Nelson Mandela International Day with an informal plenary meeting on Monday.

**Briefing Guest

Also on Monday, our guest will be Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.

He will join us here in this room after he has finished briefing the Security Council on the situation in Haiti. And that could come close to 1:00.

Okay, that is it from me. Are there any questions? Yes, Linda.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you. You mentioned the statement by the Secretary-General regarding the war between Iran and the US and also the Strait of Hormuz. I was just wondering if you can give us any latest developments in terms of a UN role, whether it be the UN Task Force for the Strait of Hormuz or Mr. [Jean] Arnault.

Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding Mr. Arnault, he actually briefed the Security Council yesterday. That was on the situation in Lebanon, because he's also the Acting Head of the Office of the Special Coordinator in Lebanon. So, he was here about that. Among his meetings this week, by the way, we did mention that he had also met with the Foreign Minister of Iran. There's other activities going in amongst our other officials, but there's nothing specific to announce just yet on any of that. And we will inform you of any related travel as matters proceed.

Question: And what about the task force?

Deputy Spokesman: The task force? There's no progress to report on that at this stage. Namo?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. Several drone attacks from Iran and groups affiliated with Iran targeted the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Several cities were targeted. Is this justified? Why doesn't the Secretary-General send an unequivocal message to the Iranian Government that it should not target the neighbouring countries for the attacks that the United States is involved in against Iran?

Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General has repeatedly said that Iran should not attack any of the neighbouring countries. As you know, he's condemned this in the past. We are concerned by any further escalation that risks expanding tensions in an already volatile region. And of course, we continue to call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from actions that could further inflame the situation and engage in urgent efforts to de-escalate. Yes, please?

Question: Yeah, yes. Yes, thank you. President [Donald] Trump announced that he will be attending the final of the World Cup. Is the Secretary-General, will he be here on time to attend? Is there any plan to attend the match? Or any plan to meet with President Trump?

Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General is in China right now. He'll be back at Headquarters next Tuesday, but until then, he has travel. Unfortunately, the Secretary-General, like many of us, will have to watch the World Cup on television. Yes, please?

Question: Thank you, I'm Mitsuko Kimura from Jiji Press, Japanese news agency. I wanted to ask about the revision of Japan's imperial house law, which was decided today. I know the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women previously urged Japan to change it to allow female emperors, but now it was changed to basically reinforce the male-only succession system. Does the Secretary-General have any comments on this from a gender equality perspective?

Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General simply encourages all countries to adopt inclusive policies that will empower women in all walks of life and in all forms of employment. Have a good weekend, everyone.