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 Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon. Welcome all.

**Guest tomorrow

We don't have a guest today; it is just me. But tomorrow, we will have Karla Quintana, who is the Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria. She will be here to discuss the situation in Syria, following her briefing to the General Assembly, which takes place this afternoon.

**UN/Organization of Islamic Cooperation

Also, I want to mention that, starting today until 24 July, the General Cooperation Meeting between the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and their specialized bodies is taking place at our own offices in Geneva. This is a gathering that takes place every two years.

Co-chaired by Dr. Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, the Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs for the OIC, and Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the meeting will see high-level representatives from nearly 50 UN and OIC agencies, funds and programmes.

In his opening comments, Mr. Khiari emphasized the great value that the UN places on the support it receives from the OIC.

During the meeting, representatives of the two organizations will hold discussions on a full range of issues of common concern relevant to OIC Member States, including political, economic and social issues.

**Security Council

Back here this morning, the Secretary-General addressed the Security Council debate on natural resource governance, and he said that, across our world, the control and exploitation of natural resources are dramatically altering the causes, dynamics and the outcomes of conflict.

Mr. [António] Guterres said that critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements are gaining in strategic importance. He noted the illegal mining and mineral smuggling in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the exploitation of [gold and gum arabic] that has been taking place in Sudan, which have flagged to you not too long ago.

The Secretary-General stressed four urgent priorities for the way ahead: ensuring justice for countries and communities that have resources; curbing illicit flows and strengthening transparency across mineral supply chains; the peaceful settlement of disputes over natural resources; and taking climate analysis into account.

The Council also heard remarks from the head, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

The SG's remarks have been shared with you.

**Nicaragua

I have been asked about the Secretary-General's reaction to the recent statements made by the Government of Nicaragua on elections, and I can tell you that the Secretary-General is closely following developments in Nicaragua and is concerned about the continuing erosion of civic and political space in that country. Also, to note that the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, earlier released a statement deploring Nicaragua's deepening restrictions on civil and political freedoms.

The Secretary-General recalls that authorities have a responsibility to uphold human rights and ensure that all citizens can participate freely and safely in public life, including by exercising their right to vote in elections that guarantee the free expression of the will of the electorate.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan. I can tell you that we remain deeply concerned that deadly drone strikes and other hostilities are continuing to harm civilians across the country, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan regions.

Our friends at UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) report that on Monday an attack on a market in Rahad in North Kordofan reportedly killed at least six people, including two children, and injured others.

We condemn the killing of all civilians in Sudan wherever they occur.

In addition to the human toll, these attacks are damaging and destroying homes, they are destroying schools, they are damaging or destroying health facilities, and water systems, and all of that increases insecurity, it increased displacement, and of course, it dramatically increases humanitarian needs among civilians.

Elsewhere in North Kordofan in Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that air strikes in the Bara locality reportedly caused casualties and property damage.

We cannot say this enough: All parties need to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, they must protect civilians, they must protect civilian infrastructure, and they must facilitate safe, unhindered and unimpeded humanitarian access for all those who need it.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

Staying in the continent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that insecurity continues to impact humanitarian operations in the eastern parts of North Kivu province. This includes our efforts to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, which is only getting worse.

According to local civil society organizations, at least 30 people were killed and dozens injured in a series of attacks in Beni territory between 13 and 19 July. The violence has displaced civilians and restricted humanitarian access in affected areas.

OCHA also tells us that at least six humanitarian organizations, including partners supporting the Ebola response, have suspended movements to several localities in Beni territory due to the deteriorating security situation.

Meanwhile, as of 20 July, national health authorities in the DRC had reported 2,473 confirmed Ebola cases across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

We, along with our humanitarian partners, continue to support the authorities in scaling up surveillance, laboratory testing, treatment and community engagement activities in all areas that have seen the Ebola virus.

You'll recall that on Monday, we shared how our peacekeepers in the DRC are helping to deter further attacks against healthcare facilities and civilians in Ituri province.

We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access. The safety of all health workers and humanitarian personnel remains essential to containing the outbreak and delivering assistance to all those people who need it.

**Central African Republic

Turning to the Central African Republic, where our UN Mission in that country (MINUSCA) is updating us on the situation in Am-Dafock, in Vakaga Prefecture, nearly three weeks after the attacks we saw on that town in 30 June.

The UN Mission reported that the security situation remains calm, although still fragile. The UN Mission has reinforced the presence of peacekeepers and continues its efforts on three priorities: the protection of civilians, of course, support to the extension of State authority, and the facilitation of humanitarian assistance to close to 18,000 human beings. These 18,000 have sought refuge near the UN base in that town.

As part of its support to the Central African authorities, the UN Mission has continued to facilitate the deployment of additional personnel from the Central African Armed Forces, together with the transport of equipment to strengthen their operational presence in the area.

The peacekeepers also facilitated another humanitarian rotation, delivering over 1,200 kilograms of supplies to displaced populations. Since the attack on 30 June, the UN Mission has facilitated the delivery of more than four metric tons of humanitarian assistance to the area, helping humanitarian partners reach people in need under challenging security conditions.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we continue to receive reports of dire conditions for people living in overcrowded shelters across the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing military operations, insecurity and repeated displacement.

On Monday, an OCHA team visited two displacement sites in Gaza City, where domestic fires had damaged two family tents and destroyed some of their essential items, including blankets and mattresses and other things.

Such incidents are becoming increasingly common as families continue to resort to burning waste, cardboard and trash or anything else to prepare meals. Gas cylinders and cooking stoves have not been permitted to enter Gaza since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023, and cooking gas is only available in very limited quantities, and at very high prices.

During the second week of July, according to Chamber of Commerce in Gaza, fewer than two dozen truckloads of cooking gas were collected by the private sector for distribution inside Gaza. That is only 2.5 per cent of all truckloads they registered.

Cooking gas must be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip regularly, together with supplies from the private sector to complement humanitarian aid, so as to try to meet the needs of people there.

Our human rights colleagues also reported yesterday that Israeli attacks have intensified in recent days, hitting civilian infrastructure and crowded areas. They recorded that from 13 to 20 July, Israeli forces killed at least 57 people, including women and children.

Meanwhile, our humanitarian partners continued to provide critical shelter and household assistance to families in need.

In the first 10 days of this month, some 2,300 households received bedding items, tarpaulins and tents. Some 13,000 families received kitchen sets.

However, stocks are severely depleted, leaving fewer than 1,000 tents available currently, and enough essential household supplies to support only about 7,000 households.

**Ukraine

From Ukraine, our OCHA colleagues tell us that we and our humanitarian partners are launching the Winter Response Plan to support the most vulnerable people during the next cold season. Winter does seem very far away, given the current temperatures, but preparations need to start now.

The 2026-2027 Winter Response Plan calls for $358 million to support 2.1 million people from October of this year to March of next year through heating assistance, shelter repairs, healthcare, protection, food and humanitarian cash assistance. And that will complement the efforts by the Government of Ukraine itself.

To complement donor support, the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund has already allocated $50 million to support the Plan.

Meanwhile, attacks continue in Ukraine. In the region of Donetsk, over the past two days, attacks damaged the premises of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society in the city of Druzhkivka and a hospital in Kramatorsk, which is supported by our friends at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

**Financial Contribution

Pay attention, we have money. First in a while.

This country is the first tropical country in the world to reverse deforestation. Thanks to extensive conservation, over 25 per cent of the country's total land is protected across [28] national parks. Do you want another hint? This country, in 1949, abolished their military and redirected their military budget to healthcare. Yes, Costa Rica.

We say thank you to our friends in San José for their payment to the Regular Budget. They became the 121^st Member State to pay in full.

Costa Rica handed over to the United Nations $2,004,323, and I can tell you, we appreciate every single one of those dollars.

Abdelhamid?

**Questions and Answers

Question: The Islamic monuments and heritage points in Jerusalem are under threat according to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). UNESCO, in its meeting, called for the protection of all Islamic heritage in Jerusalem. Does the SG support this?

Spokesman: Monuments need to be protected, and it's UNESCO's mandate to express that opinion, yes. Edie?

Question: Thank you, Steph. You were talking about tents getting into Gaza. Is the number still being limited, and has the UN been able to get in any more substantial shelter materials?

Spokesman: No, we have not. We're still making do with what we have. We don't have enough tents. We're trying to get more tents in, but as we've been saying for quite some time, we need hardened shelter material to be allowed in.

Question: And are talks still going on to try and…?

Spokesman: Every day, almost.

Question: And the number of countries that have paid their dues, we're up to 121. How does that compare to last year?

Spokesman: We'll give you a comparative chart. [He later said that 117 Member States had paid in full by the end of July 2025.] Namo and Gabriel.

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Local officials in Iraqi Kurdistan say that more than 100 acres of forest have caught fire in the mountainous area with Iran after Iran bombed the area. Does the Secretary-General have a response to these cross-border attacks on Iraqi territory? And is there anything the United Nations can do to assess the environmental damage there? Thank you.

Spokesman: I think in terms of the damage, I think we'd have to contact our colleagues in the UN country office in Iraq. I think, as we said yesterday, the Secretary-General wants the fighting to stop. The territorial integrity of every country in the region needs to be respected. We had, I think, the eleventh night of kinetic activity between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. There needs to be a return to diplomacy, and that is the message we're delivering publicly, and the Secretary-General's delivering in private conversations, as well. Gabriel?

Question: Thank you, Steph. Does the Secretary-General think that the current conflict in the Gulf is making the world less safe or more safe?

Spokesman: Less safe? Yeah, I mean, clearly. Sorry, I didn't mean to be pithy. But, of course, it is making us all less safe. It is making us less safe, in a sense, because there's a risk of even greater conflict, right? And it is making the world less safe in terms of the impact it has on energy prices, trade, and everything else.

Question: The United States revealed yesterday that the war has cost, so far, $37.5 billion, and the United States, the Secretary of War, as the department is now called, is asking for another $70 billion, with a B, from the US Government. I know you don't speak for the US Government, of course, but what is the Secretary-General's reaction to a Government spending tens of billions of dollars on a war that clearly is making the world less safe?

Spokesman: Look, as you can anticipate, I'm not going to get into commenting on the legislative hearings we're seeing in this country. I would refer you to what the Secretary-General said in the past, especially following the publishing of the annual numbers on military spending, done by the Swedish Institute, and the numbers being spent on military spending, compared to what is being invested in development, compared to what is being spent on humanitarian, is tragic, and some of that money should be reoriented. The global military spending should be invested in more positive things for the long term.

Question: Sorry, if I can just get one more follow-up, Steph, and then I'm done. I ask this question because the United States, as you well know, speaks publicly, including their Permanent Representative to this organization, about how, in the United States' view, the UN is overspending, that it needs budget cuts, and in the same sense, it's the same Member State that is spending tens of billions of dollars on a war that you have said is making the world less safe. That's more of a comment than a question, so I'm trying to figure out how to phrase this as a question on the fly, but I guess I'll say, does the Secretary-General have any big picture thoughts, given what I just stated?

Spokesman: Look, I mean, we are very concerned about the state of our own budget, right? Both the regular budget, the peacekeeping budget, let alone the humanitarian budget. Every day, I tell you about how underfunded our humanitarian appeals are, and we ask Member States to pay their dues when it's assessed contributions, and to be more generous when it comes to the voluntary funding. Okay, Linda, apropos.

Question: Apropos of the budget…

Spokesman: The microphone a little closer, please.

Question: Okay, apropos of the budget, how is the new decision by the General Assembly affecting the liquidity crisis at the UN?

Spokesman: Well, it'll give us more breathing room, not only for this year, but especially for next year. Just more breathing room, in the sense that we're not in the same Kafkaesque death spiral on the budget where every year, the money that we don't spend, because we don't collect it, that we still have to return to Member States, creating this kind of budgetary death loop. Okay, speaking on that bright note, I shall leave you, and we shall see each other later.