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.

**Guest

All right, good afternoon.

We are delighted to be joined in person this time by our friend, Máximo Torero, who is the Chief Economist at the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] who is here to present the latest report. So please, Máximo, you have the floor, and then we will take some questions.

[This part of the briefing was not transcribed.]

Máximo, thank you for that interesting and somewhat depressing report, and it's always great to have you, and we are delighted to have you in person for once, so thank you. And I will start the briefing in just a few minutes.

**Guest Tomorrow

All right, good afternoon, you just heard from our guest. Tomorrow, our guest will be Lia Poggio, the Chief of Mission in Venezuela for the International Organization for Migration (IOM). She will join us virtually to brief you on the situation there following the earthquakes.

**Gulf

Starting off in the Gulf, I think, where we just almost ended. The Secretary-General, I can tell you, is deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation in the Middle East region. He calls on all parties to take immediate steps for de-escalation and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would exact an intolerable toll on civilians and have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security and the global economy. And I think that you heard from Máximo about the impact of what's going on in the Persian Gulf on the global economy.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The exercise of navigational rights and freedoms must be respected by all parties in accordance with international law.

**Senior Personnel Appointment

A senior appointment to share with you today. The Secretary-General announced today the appointment of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain as Co-Chair of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Advocates group, and he will serve alongside the Prime Minister of Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The Secretary-General underscored the urgent need to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and he welcomed Prime Minister Sánchez's leadership in advancing sustainable development.

The SDG Advocates are a group of influential leaders who support the Secretary-General in raising global ambition and action to keep the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Secretary-General also expressed appreciation to former Co-Chair, who was the Prime Minister of Canada at the time, Justin Trudeau. Prime Minister Mottley will continue in her role as Co-Chair.

**Pakistan

Our colleague Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, has begun a visit to Pakistan to spotlight the growing humanitarian impacts of the climate crisis and what it means for countries like Pakistan, which are on its front lines of such a crisis.

Earlier today in Islamabad, he met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and they discussed diplomatic efforts under way in the Middle East, the delivery of humanitarian aid through convoys across the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the partnership on global disaster preparedness.

Mr. Fletcher will also hold talks with the Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and other senior government officials, as well as with our various humanitarian partners.

Mr. Fletcher will be in Pakistan for four days where he will meet with communities affected by floods and melting glaciers to hear directly about their needs, recovery efforts and local solutions. He is also expected to visit a community-based flood mitigation and preparedness initiative.

He will underscore the need for sustained international solidarity, including for the funding for preparedness and early action ahead of disasters and invest in locally led climate adaptation initiatives.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan: The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haaivsto, is travelling to Uganda tomorrow to engage with the Ugandan authorities, as well as key Sudanese stakeholders based in Uganda, and that will include civil society, women's groups and representatives of refugees.

Mr. Haavisto is visiting a number of critical countries in the region, which have a pivotal role to play in supporting efforts to end the conflict and to advance a political solution.

As regional engagement continues, a new report published today by the UN Human Rights Office underscores another driver of the conflict, and that is the so-called "war economy" that helps sustain the fighting. The report warns that the warring parties are increasingly profiting from the country's natural resources and from trade.

The report specifically examines the trade in gum arabic, a key ingredient used in products ranging from soft drinks to cosmetics to pharmaceuticals, as a case study of the adverse human rights impacts of Sudan's war economy.

Gum arabic remains an important source of income for millions of Sudanese. Yet, Volker Türk, our High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Sudan's vast natural wealth should be benefiting its people rather than fuelling conflict and suffering.

The report points to the role of neighbouring and transit States in the onward movement of Sudanese gum arabic. The High Commissioner urged Governments and companies involved in the trade of Sudanese commodities, including gum arabic, to take stronger steps to ensure that their business practices do not contribute to human rights abuses or just help sustain the conflict and the suffering.

**Central African Republic

Staying in the region, this time from the Central African Republic, Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, just allocated $1 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, or CERF, for an urgent response to the cholera outbreak that was declared last month in the Central African Republic.

So far, more than 400 suspected cases and 36 deaths have been recorded. UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) warns that children under 10 account for 44 per cent of all reported cases.

Cases have spread from the rural districts of Bimbo and Mbaïki to all districts of the capital Bangui, heightening the risk of rapid transmission in such a dense urban area. The rainy season, low population immunity, limited access to safe water and sanitation, as well as the movement of people along the Oubangui River are compounding the situation.

The funding from CERF will fast-track life-saving interventions on health, community engagement and water, sanitation and hygiene to reduce mortality and curb the spread of cholera.

For its part, UNICEF has already provided cholera kits to treat up to 300 patients, distributed 2,000 doses of oral rehydration salts and zinc for community-level treatment, and installed additional tents to expand the capacity of the national cholera treatment and referral centre from 40 to 70 beds.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) teams have received initial reports of an armed group entering a solid-waste management site in the vicinity of An Nuseirat in Deir al Balah governorate, this reportedly happened earlier this week. A security guard working at the site was reportedly detained and questioned for approximately 30 minutes before being released.

We reiterate that humanitarian personnel, premises and assets must be respected and protected at all times, and that humanitarian operations must be able to continue safely and without any sort of interference.

Today, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for the OPT, Suzanna Tkalec, led a joint humanitarian mission to a former UN school in Bureij, Deir al Balah. The school currently hosts 18 displaced families and is located about 50 yards only from the so-called Yellow Line.

The families reported living there for more than a year and a half, with access constraints hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance to them.

OCHA reminds us that 1.4 million people are estimated to require longer-term shelter support, and that includes 850,000 people in need of emergency shelter.

The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and the team met with women and men from the community to discuss their most pressing needs. Their living conditions continue to be severely undermined by insecurity, the absence of alternatives, gaps in access to drinking water, food, healthcare, sanitation and education.

Our humanitarian partners are committed to mobilizing assistance to address the community's most urgent needs.

Meanwhile, across Gaza, humanitarians continue to provide shelter assistance to displaced families.

In the past month alone, more than 378,000 items, including tarpaulins, cleaning kits and jerrycans, were dispatched by 30 partner organizations.

However, without additional funding, depleted stockpiles cannot be replenished, putting vulnerable families at even greater risk, particularly as humanitarians prepare for winter. Only a small fraction of required winter stock is currently estimated to be available.

Turning to the West Bank, access to education continues to worsen. For over a year, six UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) schools in Jenin and Nur Shams camps have been inaccessible, and six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem have been closed. Ten schools in Area C have been abandoned following the full displacement of communities due to recurrent settler attacks and related access restrictions.

On the response front, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided food vouchers and cash assistance to about 286,000 vulnerable people in June, as repeated displacement, recurrent settler attacks, damage to homes and infrastructure and access restrictions continue to drive humanitarian needs.

**Venezuela

Turning to this hemisphere, in Venezuela, three weeks after the devastating earthquakes that struck the country, we and our humanitarian partners are continuing to support communities and the Government in its response.

We and our partners are providing assistance through four temporary camps in the city of La Guaira and in communities across several states. Since the onset of the response, the World Food Programme (WFP) has reached more than 67,000 people with food assistance.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), from which we will hear from tomorrow, has supported camp management and coordination services for more than 6,000 people in temporary sites, while UNICEF and its partners continue providing safe water, sanitation, vaccination, nutrition and child protection services for families impacted by the disaster.

As you're aware, we have recently launched an addendum to the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela, seeking an additional $298 million to support 1.3 million people impacted by the earthquakes.

We continue to appeal for sustained international support to address people's most urgent needs and to support recovery efforts in the communities most impacted by the disaster.

**Security Council

This morning, Miroslav Jenča, the Head of our Political Mission in Colombia, briefed the Security Council in person.

He first acknowledged the significance of the democratic exercise just concluded in the country, adding that the high voter turnout is a sign of the strong desire of Colombians to make their voices heard within a democracy that has become more inclusive and participatory in the framework of the peace process.

Mr. Jenča said the UN Verification Mission stands ready to engage with the new authorities and to continue under its mandate to accompany national efforts to build peace and strengthen security.

He also reiterated the call by the Secretary-General, in his report, for Colombians, and particularly their political leaders, to act with responsibility during the transition period to reduce tensions in any way possible.

As a new political chapter begins in the country, and as the Peace Agreement reaches the 10-year mark, the Special Representative called on all to accelerate and consolidate progress to achieve lasting peace and security for the Colombian people.

His full remarks were shared with you.

**Cuba

And from Cuba, our humanitarian colleagues are monitoring the impact of yesterday's nationwide power grid collapse, the third in just one week and the fifth since the beginning of the year.

We and our humanitarian partners continue to provide support.

As of the end of June, nearly 500,000 people in Cuba have received clean water and over 900,000 people have received food assistance from us and our partners.

Repeated nationwide outages continue to disrupt access to electricity, clean water, telecommunications, health services and economic activity, further deepening humanitarian needs across Cuba.

Hospitals in Havana limited their services, while city water pumping stations just stopped. The cities of Havana and Santiago de Cuba face severe water supply disruptions mainly due to lack of fuel for pumping, which, of course, raises the risks of water-borne disease outbreaks.

Currently, the UN's Plan of Action, which calls for $94 million to deliver life-saving aid to 2 million people, is only 40 per cent funded.

**WHO/UNICEF Report

A couple of interesting reports from WHO (World Health Organization) I want to flag. The first is actually from WHO and UNICEF, and it is their annual joint report on immunization coverage.

The report reveals an estimated 13.5 million children who did not receive a single vaccine in their first year during 2025; those children are called "zero-dose". This represents nearly 750,000 fewer children than the previous year.

Meanwhile, data from 195 countries show that 100 countries have maintained at least 90 per cent coverage of the three-dose diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine since 2019, 30 countries improved their rates over the past six years and 65 are stagnating or falling behind, including 13 fragile countries or vulnerable countries where more than half of all zero-dose children live.

In these countries, immunization programmes are often strained by political upheaval, insecurity, or chronic underfunding. And not surprisingly, in middle- and high-income countries, even where vaccines are fully accessible, coverage is slipping amid shifting political commitment, structural challenges or rising hesitancy to give vaccines to children.

WHO and UNICEF call on Governments and relevant partners to strengthen immunization especially in conflict and fragile settings, counter false and misleading information to fully support vaccine uptake acceleration and increasing funding for immunization programmes.

**Dementia

And WHO today released updated guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. More than 57 million people live with dementia worldwide; 10 million people are diagnosed every year. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-70 per cent of cases.

While there is no cure for dementia, new data from our colleagues at WHO reveal that up to 45 per cent of the risks can be attributed to modifiable risk behaviours, such as social isolation and physical inactivity.

WHO recommends several healthy behaviours and lifestyle interventions to reduce dementia risk, including cognitive training and stimulation, as well as increased engagement in social activities, like attending this briefing.

**World Youth Skills Day

Today is World Youth Skills Day. The theme this year is: "Skills for a Shared Future". In his message for the day, the Secretary-General celebrates the contributions of young people across the globe and calls for our commitment to giving young people with the competencies our changing world requires, so they can actually build a better world for all of us and themselves.

This is when you start asking questions, or not. Pam and then Evelyn.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Is there any back-channel, front-channel, any kind of talks between anyone in the Secretariat and the parties involved in the Strait of Hormuz to lessen the…

Spokesman: Well, I mean, we continue to have contacts at various levels, you know, and we continue to all push in the same direction, which is an active return to diplomacy. I mean, I think what is going on in that region impacts everything, and I think Maximo was a perfect guest for today, because he outlined not only what is going on today, but the impact that things will have in six to eight months from now, all the things that we don't even know about that will be impacted. So, it is absolutely critical that there is a return to committed diplomacy. Evelyn, and then we'll go to CCTV and then I'll go…

Question: Thank you, Steph. Is there, on the vaccines and children being vaccinated, is there a carve-out for the United States, considering…

Spokesman: Well, I mean, I would encourage you to read the report. I think it talks about middle- and high-income countries where we're seeing increasing vaccine hesitancy for all sorts of reasons. And I think it bears repeating that, you know, we talk often here about our WHO and UNICEF colleagues who actually go out in the middle of war zones to reach children who need vaccines. And when you think of rich, of middle-income and high-income countries where people don't make that effort while in other parts of the world, people are putting their lives on the line to vaccinate children, I think it's something to think about.

Question: Where can one find the report?

Spokesman: It's online at who.int. Yes, ma'am, and then we'll go to you, Namo.

Question: And I have two questions about the World AI Conference. And as we know, the Secretary-General will attend this conference tomorrow. And what does he hope the conference will achieve?

Spokesman: I think for him, as we said in the trip announcement yesterday, it is another critical gathering of people who will work to ensure that artificial intelligence is used responsibly and is used for the benefit for all. And we'll share his remarks with you shortly.

Question: And my second question is about the China AI development. So, China has become a very important player in the AI development. How does the United Nations view China's contribution to the global AI development and international cooperation, especially in helping the developing countries benefit from this technology?

Spokesman: I think it is so important that artificial intelligence technology be shared and be developed in as many countries as possible, and that it be used responsibly, and it be used for good. Namo?

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. As FAO warns about the growing cost of a healthy diet. I wonder if the Secretary-General sees access to affordable, healthy diet a right that Governments have a duty to guarantee?

Spokesman: Look, Governments have a duty to ensure that their people live freely and that they live healthily. Okay, yes, Islam?

Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On the UN website, there's a quote from the Secretary-General saying that we may be the last generation able to set the terms on which humanity and machines coexist. The door is still open, but it will not stay open long. Can you elaborate what scares the UN Secretary-General?

Spokesman: Well, I think as the Secretary-General said in his speech in Geneva is: We can't say we don't know what the risks are of artificial intelligence, of all this technology. It is clear for all to see, and that's why it is incumbent on Member States, on the scientific [community], on civil society to work together to ensure that this awesome technology, and I mean awesome in the sense of the power of the technology, be used responsibly for the benefit of all, and that the levers of power are not just in the hands of a few individuals.

Question: And another topic, Türkiye today marks the tenth anniversary of the failed coup, July 15 coup attempt, the day which widely regarded as a turning point for the country's democracy. Does the Secretary-General have any message to the people of Türkiye on this anniversary?

Spokesman: I don't have anything specific to say except that the Secretary-General very much values the relationship we have with the Republic of Türkiye and its Government on a host of issues, including humanitarian. We saw the generosity of the Turkish people in hosting so many refugees from Syria, when so many other countries with much more resources, many of them, not all of them, were closing their doors. Cooperation on climate with the upcoming COP conference, obviously on discussions of peace and security, the cooperation we had with the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the initiative on fertilizers relating to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the critical role Türkiye had in that. And obviously, Türkiye as a key interlocutor on the Cyprus issue. Okay, yes, Linda, any questions online? Let me know, go ahead.

Correspondent: This is just a housekeeping issue.

Spokesman: Move your microphone a little closer.

Question: This is just a little housekeeping issue about whether, if the SG is going on vacation soon.

Spokesman: I sure hope so. Okay, see you guys later, bye.