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.

Good afternoon, everyone.

**United Nations General Assembly

First of all, I just want to give you an update on the Secretary-General's bilateral meetings. So far, the Secretary-General has completed 143 bilateral meetings and we have shared the readouts of those with you.

There are still approximately five further bilateral meetings on the schedule. So, nearly 150 for this session of the General Assembly.

**Security Council

Ramiz Alkbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council this morning on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334.

He told Council members that the Secretary-General is appalled by the escalation of Israeli military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, which continues to bring death at [an] unprecedented rate and destruction to Palestinians. He condemns the killing of civilians in Gaza, including women and children, and says that the situation in Gaza is morally, politically and legally intolerable.

The Secretary-General said that Israeli settlement expansion continues to accelerate, alongside the proliferation of outposts and steps in the Israeli Knesset promoting the annexation of the West Bank. Israeli settlements have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions. They are systematically shrinking the territory of the Palestinian State and further entrenching Israel's unlawful occupation.

Mr. Alakbarov said that the Secretary-General once more calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; and unfettered humanitarian access across Gaza. He welcomes the continued efforts of the mediators to reach a deal and urges all sides to end these devastating hostilities immediately.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that Israeli operations, including shelling and air strikes, have continued across the Strip. High-rise buildings were reportedly hit in Ar Rimal, Beach camp, Tal al Hawa and other areas around Gaza City.

Meanwhile, our teams are working to bring in aid to support bakeries and community kitchens. Across Gaza yesterday, 658,000 meals were prepared and delivered by 18 partners through 137 kitchens.

But humanitarians' access to northern Gaza is especially complicated. In the north, daily meals were reduced from 170,000 in mid-September to about 50,000 yesterday as our partners relocated and scaled up their operations in central and south Gaza.

Our partners tell us that this week, about 50 communal ovens in Gaza City are operational, helping some 2,700 families bake their dough for free.

OCHA reminds us that the UN and our partners have not been allowed to bring any food aid from Zikim crossing into northern Gaza for more than two weeks.

Amid the ongoing hostilities and destruction, while many people remain in Gaza City and the north, many others continue to flee southward. Yesterday, our partners recorded nearly 6,900 displacements from north to south through four monitoring points. Overall, between mid-August and yesterday, almost 453,000 displacements were recorded across the Gaza Strip, with the majority originating from Gaza City.

People are having to seek shelter in areas that are overcrowded and lacking in basic services. Only 18 per cent of the Gaza Strip is not currently subject to displacement orders or located within militarized zones.

Across Gaza, our teams continue to face denials and impediments in delivering assistance. Yesterday, more than 40 per cent of the humanitarian missions that require coordination with the Israeli military were denied. While our teams were able to collect some fuel from Kerem Shalom and distribute medical supplies in Deir al Balah, water trucking continues to be denied.

Our partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene assess that almost 80 per cent of the population in the Gaza, the Middle area and Khan Younis governorates collect water from trucks.

The UN calls upon Israeli authorities to fully facilitate humanitarian operations, including sustained and unimpeded movement into and across the Gaza Strip. It also reminds Israel, Hamas and any armed group that aid workers and their vehicles must not be attacked or denied critical access on the ground.

**Yemen

You will have seen that we issued a statement over the weekend in which the Secretary-General condemned the continuing military escalation between Israel and the Houthis.

On 24 September, the Houthis struck Eilat with a drone, reportedly resulting in 20 people injured, and, on 25 September, Israel conducted airstrikes on Sana'a which reportedly killed at least nine people, including children, and injured over a hundred and fifty others.

Mr. [António] Guterres reminds all parties of their obligations to ensure that civilians are respected and protected at all times, in accordance with international law.

The Secretary-General remains deeply troubled about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint.

**United States

The Secretary-General was shocked by the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, in which people were killed and injured. He strongly condemns the attack and offers condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and the people of Grand Blanc Township.

In a statement, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Angel Moratinos, said that houses of worship are sacred sanctuaries where people find peace. He reiterates that such acts of hatred and violence are utterly rejected and are unjustifiable under any circumstances. He stressed the urgent need to protect all religious sites and communities, regardless of faith or denomination.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns us that the humanitarian situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, grows more dire by the day as the siege on the city tightens.

Satellite images show that berms surrounding the city have now extended more than 68 kilometres, narrowing the remaining gap to as little as three to four kilometres, further constraining options for movement into or out of the area.

The images also show large groups of people attempting to flee on foot from within the berm-enclosed area. Local sources report that civilians trying to leave the city have faced violence, harassment and looting along insecure routes.

OCHA once again calls for the protection of civilians in El Fasher as required by international humanitarian law, and safe passage for those who wish to leave.

Meanwhile, an association of Sudanese doctors reports that more than 20 people in El Fasher - including children and pregnant women - have died of malnutrition this month alone. These tragic deaths highlight the urgent need for humanitarian access to reach the besieged population with life-saving assistance.

The humanitarian situation in the Kordofan region also remains dire. Ongoing conflict has restricted access to food, essential supplies, banking services and humanitarian aid, while damaging critical infrastructure.

More than one million people have been displaced in the region since the conflict started two-and-a-half years ago, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The limited assistance that aid organizations are able to provide - given active hostilities, access constraints and underfunding - cannot keep pace with the immense pressure on host communities, who are themselves running out of resources.

Elsewhere in Sudan, seasonal flooding continues to increase humanitarian needs. In Al-Jazirah State, local sources report that floodwaters have already destroyed farms in Janub Al-Jazirah locality, affecting 15,000 people. Residents urgently require shelter, food and essential medicines.

OCHA stresses that stepped-up international support is urgently needed to sustain and scale up life-saving operations across Sudan.

**South Sudan

Turning to South Sudan: Following the appointment of a high court judge and a first-grade judge to Bentiu, Unity state, by the Judiciary of South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is supporting the deployment of a mobile court there. These judges have been appointed after a 12-year absence of permanent judges in the state.

The Bentiu mobile court, which begins today, is expected to handle a combination of criminal and civil matters. So far, more than 100 criminal cases have already been reported prior to the arrival of the court, including 21 sexual and gender-based violence-related claims.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Our peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that last night, they sheltered approximately 3,500 civilians at the Gina Temporary Operating Base in Ituri. This followed clashes between armed members of an armed group, the CRP, and the Congolese Armed Forces.

Earlier that same day, peacekeepers evacuated three injured civilians by helicopter to Bunia, including a 13-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

The violence began on 27 September, when the CRP armed group attacked a Congolese armed forces post in Matate, northeast of Bunia, before clashing with CODECO, another armed group, in Toba. These events triggered new displacements towards Gina.

In a separate incident on 27 September, UN peacekeepers responded to clashes between Congolese armed forces and CRP near Katoto, also northeast of Bunia. They fired warning shots to deter armed elements and escorted displaced civilians to safety. No civilian casualties were reported, and the situation stabilized following the withdrawal of the armed group.

**Ukraine

From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that over the weekend, several parts of the country came under massive attacks, resulting in multiple civilian casualties and widespread destruction. Several children were among the casualties. This is what local authorities are telling us.

The capital, Kyiv, along with Zaporizhzhia City and the Kyiv region, were among the most severely impacted. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a strike yesterday on a cardiology facility in Kyiv killed a health worker and a patient. In front-line areas, the regions of Donetsk and Kherson continue to be heavily affected, and strikes on energy infrastructure in the regions of Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia and Vinnytsia disrupted the electricity supply as temperatures are dropping.

Following the attacks, more than a dozen national and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), with the support of UN agencies, delivered emergency assistance. They provided first medical and psychological aid, hot meals and shelter materials to cover the damage, among other support.

**Haiti

From Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that cholera cases continue to climb in the country.

Health authorities have reported a significant increase in suspected cholera cases across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, with Pétion-Ville emerging as a main hotspot.

Between 21 and 25 September alone, 40 suspected cases and three deaths were reported in Pétion-Ville, a major economic hub with a with a large number of schools. This surge is particularly concerning, with the new school year set to begin in just two days.

In total, 66 suspected cases were recorded in the capital and surrounding communes in recent days - an alarming rise compared to previous weeks. Young adults, who are highly mobile due to work and daily activities, account for most of the cases, fuelling concerns of spread across the communes of Pétion-Ville, Delmas, Tabarre and Carrefour.

So far this year, more than 3,100 suspected cholera cases have been reported nationwide.

Local health teams are conducting investigations, collecting samples, distributing water purification tablets, and launching awareness campaigns in neighbourhoods such as in Brisetoux and Bobin.

OCHA, together with authorities and our partners, is working to ensure there is rigorous case monitoring and that health workers are rapidly mobilized to reduce the risk of the further spread of cholera.

**Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Today is the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. In a world where one in eleven people goes hungry while tonnes of food are lost or wasted every day, it is time to end this troubling paradox.

Just to note that the second Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation is currently being held in Rome until 1 October. It convenes members from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), policymakers, farmers, private companies, researchers and others to share experiences and showcase actionable solutions for the sustainable transformation of the livestock sector.

**Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman: That's it for me. Dezhi?

Question: Hi, Farhan. Today is the last day of the general debate of this UNGA. So far, what do you think is the most successful and most important topics this UNGA so far have?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, that's really the sort of analysis I will leave to you.

Question: But for the Secretary-General…? [cross talk]

Deputy Spokesman: From the Secretary-General's perspective, the heartening thing is having so many Member States attend and be willing to take up a wide range of issues very seriously, including climate change, including the governance of artificial intelligence, including crises ranging from Gaza to Sudan to the discussions we expect them to have tomorrow on the situation of the Rohingya. But the main thing is a commitment by all of the gathered delegates to multilateralism and multilateral solutions, which is needed more than ever.

Question: Now, let me focus on one thing, Gaza. Obviously, I believe you've read the reports about this 21-points deal proposed by United States. In that deal, there is one point that mentioned United Nations and Red Crescent will deliver aid in Gaza after. Has the Secretary-General ever talked about this 21-points plan with President [Donald] Trump during their meeting, or what do you know about this plan?

Deputy Spokesman: We're aware of the outlines of this plan, but we're also continuing to be in touch with various parties about different peace efforts.

Question: But you know that UN is in part of the plan.

Deputy Spokesman: As you know, the UN has been in touch with all of the various mediation efforts by the various mediators, whether we're talking about this effort by the US or other efforts by Qatar and by Egypt. We welcome all of the mediation efforts, and the United Nations stands ready to support, including, as you would expect, with the provision of humanitarian assistance. Pam?

Question: Thank you. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been running without off-site power for five days, with diesel generators. They're very nervous about it. Have you heard any updates, if it's back online? IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has not put anything out.

Deputy Spokesman: The International Atomic Energy Agency is monitoring the matter. Obviously, they'll share information as it becomes available, but they are, of course, concerned to make sure that this plant can be functional, and so they are in touch with the Ukrainian authorities, and they're offering their own assistance as needed.

Question: Just as a follow-up, there have been accusations traded between, I mean, of both Ukraine - excuse me - and Russia about what the attacks, where the attacks have come from. Has the IAEA or UN done any independent investigation of that?

Deputy Spokesman: We don't have an investigative mandate. Obviously, we receive information from the various parties, but we don't have the capacity to determine where this happened. Obviously, we've called on all sides to stop attacks, in and around Zaporizhzhia.

Question: And can you find out for us if it's back online at some point?

Deputy Spokesman: Certainly. Whenever the IAEA has information about this, they'll share it, and, of course, we'll share that with you.

Question: Thank you.

Deputy Spokesman: Yes. Gabriel?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. What will be the SG's participation tomorrow in the General Assembly's high-level conference on the Rohingya? Will he be participating at all or at any level?

Deputy Spokesman: There will be remarks that will be delivered from the Secretary-General and on his behalf by the chef de cabinet, Courtenay Rattray.

Yes, please.

Question: Thank you, Farhan. I will have two questions. First question is the Israeli Army played Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's Friday speech into the besieged Gaza Strip with loudspeakers. I am just curious, what does SG think about it, especially from the… is there any, like, restriction, or is there any problem with the humanitarian law? So overall, what does SG think about that?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, Stéphane [Dujarric] was asked about this on Friday. We are unaware whether it was even heard amongst the population. There's conflicting reports of that, but we had no comment on Israel's actions about that. From our standpoint, what we're focusing on, again, is the need for a ceasefire, and that is what we're pushing the sides to do.

Question: And another question, different topic. The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus said Saturday, the armament of the Southern Cyprus raised his concerns. So he also brought up this when he met with Secretary-General. Overall, what the Secretary-General thinks about that?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, you saw the readouts we put of the Secretary-General's various meetings with the key officials dealing with Cyprus, and so I would just refer you back to what we shared over the last several days.

Yes. Naureen?

Question: Just to follow-up on Gabriel's question about the Secretary-General's involvement in tomorrow's conference, is there a reason that he'll not be delivering the remarks himself - especially given his position, you know, his position and his experience with this particular crisis, both as Secretary-General and as a former High Commissioner for Refugees?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, like I said, his remarks will be delivered there by the chef de cabinet. As you know, during General Assembly Week, he has a number of competing events that he has to deal with.

Alex?

Question: Thanks so much, Farhan. First of all, do you have any updates on the investigation on escalator issue?

Deputy Spokesman: No.

Question: All right. Secondly, on the elections in Moldova. Any comments?

Deputy Spokesman: Yes. What I can tell you is, we're following the parliamentary elections in Moldova and are aware of reports alleging irregularities and foreign interference. We urge all actors to respect the democratic process, remain calm, act responsibly and avoid any rhetoric or actions that could raise tensions while awaiting the final results to be announced by the Central Electoral Commission.

Yes. Stefano?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. Two questions. Yeah. One is about the flotilla of those civilians; they are approaching the Gaza waters. Does the Secretary-General think there is a dangerous situation? They should stop? They should go ahead? What does the Secretary-General think?

Deputy Spokesman: We hope that all parties involved will work to ensure that there's no harm done to any of the people onboard this, onboard this vessel.

Question: Yes. But because there's been now a debate, some of, you know, some countries say they should stop and give those help that they want to give it to Gaza and to Cyprus, to other countries. And others say, no. No. They should go ahead and try to reach Gaza. What is the advice of the Secretary-General?

Deputy Spokesman: We're aware that they're discussing the matter, and we hope that all of those who are involved in these discussions will put at the forefront the need to protect the safety of all those onboard the vessel.

Question: And then another issue. I mean, this was asked, I think, before to Stéphane, but I want to make sure that I'm clear on this. On his speech, President Trump said that the Secretariat of the UN, but I think he was referring to also to the Secretary-General, never called him. Never called him. Now in this, you know, I was referring to helping him to reach peace, I guess, in Middle East, but also in Ukraine and so on. In this room, for, I would say, the last eight months since Trump has been in office, me, also my colleagues, have been asking if the Secretary-General tried to reach President Trump. And your answer was always… well, I sum it up: The door of the Secretary-General is always open. Anybody can reach him. He's always ready to help, whatever.

Now my question is, in a situation like this when there is a president, let's say in the General Assembly in front of the world, that he, were kind of upset because the Secretary-General, the UN never tried to reach him. "No. They never called me." Well, shouldn't the Secretary-General instead of just keeping the door open and wait for somebody to call, actually try to call himself and try to see how he could have helped to President Trump, or was President Trump not saying the truth and actually Secretary-General was trying to reach him?

Deputy Spokesman: I don't intend - with any of the speakers at the General Assembly - to get into any dispute about the words that they used. What I will say is there's a huge amount of video of all the briefings of the last many months where you'd asked us about what we were doing, and we've talked about our efforts to secure communications. And I would refer you back to that.

Have a good afternoon, everyone.