Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Security Council
Ukraine
UNIFIL
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ebola
Sudan/Personal Envoy
Sudan
Haiti
Pakistan
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Secretary-General briefed the Security Council this morning on the importance of upholding the UN Charter. He said that the United Nations Charter is a survival guide for humanity, but today, the purposes and principles of the Charter are under profound strain. We now face the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres warned.
The Secretary-General said that he was deeply concerned by a recent announcement by the Russian Federation to launch consistent and systemic strikes against Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as against decision making centres and command posts, following reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on a college building and dormitory in the Ukrainian city of Starobilsk, presently occupied by the Russian Federation. He noted that on Friday, we condemned the attack on the school, as we condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur.
Now more than ever, he said, it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians, and that risks making the search for peace even more distant, prolonging the suffering of people.
The Secretary-General added that this takes place as Israel has announced an escalation of its operations in Lebanon, we witness constant violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and the result of negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the conflict in the Gulf remain unpredictable.
He told the Council that there is a need for reform and nowhere is this need more urgent than in the Security Council. A Security Council that does not reflect the geopolitical realities of today’s world cannot fully deliver on its responsibilities, he said.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that over the weekend, the capital Kyiv and its neighbouring regions suffered from one of the largest combined air attacks on the country since the start of the full-scale war in 2022. There were scores of civilian casualties and civilian infrastructure sustained widespread damage.
According to authorities, an attack in Kyiv on Sunday killed at least 2 people and injured nearly 90 others, including several children, and destroyed or damaged residential buildings, a market, a trading centre, a subway station and other public spaces, including museums and other cultural sites.
The Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, visited one of the impacted sites in Kyiv and called for an end to civilian harm.
A drone struck a residential building next to UN offices, damaging the windows and facade of the business centre, including the World Health Organization office. Thankfully, no civilians, including aid workers, were injured in this incident.
Between January and April, at least 62 incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies and facilities were recorded across the country, according to our partners monitoring access constraints and operational risks.
Apart from Kyiv, attacks across the country and front-line hostilities between May 22nd and the early hours of May 25th killed nearly 20 and injured over 200 more civilians, with the regions of Kherson, Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk reportedly repeatedly impacted.
Humanitarians provided immediate emergency support after the attacks. In Kyiv City and the regions of Kyiv and Cherkasy, several national NGOs, with support from UN agencies, provided psychological support, legal assistance, protection counselling and emergency supplies to people affected by the attacks. Aid organizations also registered people for humanitarian cash assistance.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-05-26