After devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, thousands of families have been left without homes, food and access to basic services.
Speaking from one of the hardest-hit areas, the World Food Programme (WFP) describes the growing humanitarian response as search and rescue operations transition to emergency relief.
WFP has already reached 1,200 people with emergency food assistance and plans to support up to 500,000 people over the next three months, while scaling up logistics and humanitarian operations alongside the Government of Venezuela and UN partners.
As immediate rescue efforts give way to longer-term recovery, sustained humanitarian support will be critical to helping affected communities rebuild.
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Inflation pressures were already brewing when Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas stepped in as IMF Chief Economist in January 2022, but rising geopolitical tensions soon added fuel to the fire, and inflation remained a challenge throughout his tenure. In this podcast, outgoing Chief Gourinchas reflects on four + years marked by trade tensions, geopolitical shocks, and rapid technological change. And how the value of forecasting lies less in precise point estimates and more in articulating the underlying forces and policy implications.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Briefings Tomorrow
– UN Relief and Works Agency
– occupied Palestinian territory
– World Congress Against the Death Penalty
– Deputy Secretary-General/Travels
– Venezuela
– South Sudan
– Central African Republic
– Climate/Transport
– Ebola
– AI and Children
– Special Political Missions 1945–2025: an Overview
– International Days
– Financial Contribution
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BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow, at 11:00 a.m., there will be a briefing here by the UN Secretary-General to introduce the preliminary report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. He will be joined by Panel co-chairs Yoshua Bengio of Canada and Maria Ressa of the Philippines to present the findings ahead of the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance, to be held in Geneva on 6–7 July.
We also expect a briefing here tomorrow by Ambassador Zénon Mukongo Ngay, Permanent Representative of the of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations and Security Council President for the month of July.
We expected a briefing by the controller Chandramouli "Chandru" Ramanathan on the budget.
UN RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY
The Secretary-General told Member States at a meeting this morning for voluntary contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, that today’s event is happening while the safety and welfare of millions of Palestine refugees hang in the balance. In Gaza, he noted, Israeli attacks have killed more than a thousand Palestinians since, and despite, the ceasefire announced last October.
Mr. Guterres warned that, despite all the services it provides to Palestinians throughout the Middle East, the Agency’s situation is increasingly precarious. It faces sweeping restrictions throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. And a cash shortfall that imperils its work across the region.
The Secretary-General said he is deeply concerned about UNRWA’s liquidity crisis, which jeopardizes its ability to implement its mandate.
Earlier this year, UNRWA was compelled to reduce its service delivery hours by 20 per cent. That meant reducing salaries for most local personnel and keeping 15 per cent of international posts vacant.
He added that he is appalled by continuing efforts to marginalize and undermine UNRWA – through disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA says humanitarian teams in the Gaza Strip are assessing the needs of those affected by yesterday’s airstrike on Al Muwasi area of Khan Younis.
Initial information suggests that – in addition to the killing of a mother and her baby girl – more than 150 families have had their tents destroyed. The tents of 250 other families were also damaged.
Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-30
Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee expressed alarm at “the recent escalatory rhetoric and potential for further spillover “of the Ukraine war, and said, “everything must be done to prevent this from happening.”
Briefing the Security Council, Pobee said increased attacks by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in recent weeks have caused “greater civilian casualties and damage,” and added that “only today, at least 15 people were reportedly killed across Ukraine due to Russian aerial strikes.”
She said, “drone strikes on industrial, military and energy sites have also reportedly continued to result in civilian casualties inside the Russian Federation.”
Pobee, who is Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) said, “a drone strike reportedly hit a bus carrying a Belarusian youth soccer team in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. According to Russian and Belarusian authorities, one pregnant woman was killed and nine people, six of them children, were injured.”
She stressed the United Nations “does not have additional information about the incident.”
Pobee urged the Russian Federation, Ukraine and “all concerned member States to avoid any steps that could cause this war, either intentionally or unintentionally, to spread further.”
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (video statements)
Philip Tejera, assistant director of the FBI’s International Operations Division, provides a look at the steps being taken to protect, secure, and ensure the safety of everyone involved in the World Cup. With offices across the globe, the FBI is able to coordinate with our international partners to stay on top of security measures for each game and fan festival in the United States.
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On 1 July 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travels to Baku, Azerbaijan.
Follow the LIVE press statements by President von der Leyen and President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, from 16.40 CET here on YouTube.
Disclaimer: Comments considered in breach of our social media moderation policy may be removed. You can take a look at it here: https://europa.eu/!q4KMP8
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Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Deputy President Mashatile delivers a keynote address at the launch of BrainSAT South Africa’s satellite services and the unveiling of the Thuraya satellite phone.
More than 500 aftershocks have followed the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, where search and rescue teams continue working in a high-risk environment.
According to official figures shared during a UN briefing, 1,450 people have lost their lives, more than 3,000 have been injured, and over 12,000 people have been displaced. Despite being beyond the critical 72-hour window, rescuers are still finding survivors beneath the rubble.
International teams from 27 countries, alongside more than 2,000 rescue personnel and 160 search dogs, are supporting the ongoing humanitarian response.
This video features excerpts from a UN operational briefing and highlights the resilience of affected communities and the global solidarity supporting relief efforts.
