Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Secretary-General/Travel
– Security Council
– International Court of Justice
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Sudan
– Niger
– Tropical Storm Melissa
– Tunisia
– International Day
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL
The Secretary-General is on his way to Hanoi, Vietnam, where he will participate in a high-level event marking the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in December of last year; this landmark treaty is the first comprehensive global framework to address cybercrime.
While in Vietnam, the Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings with senior Vietnamese officials.
Before he headed to Hanoi, the Secretary-General met with the group of Francophone Ambassadors accredited to Geneva. He gave them an overview of the UN80 process and discussed a variety of other global issues.
And for tomorrow, which is UN Day, the Secretary-General will participate via video link in a Security Council session to commemorate the United Nations’ 80th anniversary.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on Israel and Palestine this morning and he said that the ceasefire agreement represents hope for a better future, but the dynamics are extremely fragile.
He told Council members that a return to conflict must be avoided at all costs. The remaining deceased hostages must be released without any further delay. Humanitarian assistance must enter the Gaza Strip at scale to meet the enormous needs of the population wherever they are. All parties must abide by their commitments under the deal and agreements should be reached to implement the next phase.
Mr. Alakbarov said that, as tracked by the UN 2720 Mechanism for Gaza, humanitarian partners have scaled up aid delivery, with a 46 per cent increase in aid tracked by the UN entering the Strip in the first week of the ceasefire. But he added that much more still needs to be done, and he pointed to the need for more crossings and functional relief corridors, safe passage for aid workers and civilians, unrestricted entry of goods, sustained entry of fuel, and operational space for the UN and NGOs, including renewal of NGO registration.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-10-23