Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Tomorrow’s Guest
– Burundi
– Nigeria / UN House Abuja Bombing
– Asia Floods
– Security Council / Middle East
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Secretary-General / Peace Operations Report
– Colombia Earthquake
– Syria
TOMORROW’S GUEST
Tomorrow, Ms. María José Torres, the UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia, will join as a guest virtually and will give an update on the UN’s response following the recent earthquakes.
The Secretary-General is also expected, subject to confirmation later today, to be at the Security Council stakeout tomorrow at 9:45 a.m. to provide an update on the efforts regarding the devastating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
BURUNDI
UN colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs note that the UN and its partners are continuing to support the Government-led efforts in Burundi to prepare for the potential spread of Ebola in that country.
While Burundi has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases, the country remains at higher risk due to its proximity to the affected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and continued cross-border population movements.
Preparedness efforts include strengthened surveillance at points of entry through temperature screening and deployment of thermal scanners, including at the airport in Bujumbura.
The UN is also training healthcare providers, including nurses and community health workers as well as journalists.
Nearly 30,000 Ebola prevention posters have been distributed in three languages: Kirundi, Swahili and French.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and its partners are supporting the national authorities in Burundi in updating their Ebola response guidelines and strengthening lab procedures for the safe collection and transportation of any samples.
At the end of June, Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, released $2 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to bolster the preparedness efforts in Burundi.
NIGERIA / UN HOUSE ABUJA BOMBING
Today marks the 15 years of the terror attack on the UN House in Abuja, Nigeria.
26 August 2011 is a day the UN has not forgotten.
15 years ago, 13 of UN colleagues were killed in the terror attack. In addition, ten other people who were also in the building perished. Many others were injured.
To mark the grim anniversary, a remembrance ceremony was held today at the new UN House in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said that the fallen colleagues are remembered not only for how they died, but also for how they lived with courage and compassion.
The UN joins him in paying tribute to those who were injured, those who witnessed the bombing, and those who lost friends, colleagues, and family, noting that for many the shock and the trauma of that day remain.
15 years on, a number of suspects remain before the courts in Nigeria, but no convictions have been handed out to date.
The UN has not forgotten and will continue to push for those responsible to be held to account.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-08-26