Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Our world is grappling with multiple persistent crises.
Climate shocks, geopolitical tension, poverty, and growing economic uncertainty are all imposing burdens and impacting people’s everyday lives. With only four years until the 2030 deadline of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the need for action is more urgent than ever.

At the 2026 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, taking place from 7 to 15 July, the international community will come together to take stock of global progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and forge solutions. The three-day ministerial segment of the HLPF (13-15 July), convened as part of the ECOSOC high-level segment, will be followed by the segment’s concluding day on 16 July.

Learn more about the 2026 HLPF: https://hlpf.un.org/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YivJRf-8blg

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:

– Secretary-General Travel
– World Investment Report 2026
– Venezuela
– Lebanon
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Sudan
– Central African Republic
– State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific
– Kiswahili Language Day
– Briefings

WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT 2026

The World Investment Report 2026, today released by the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), shows that global foreign direct investment rose 6 per cent to $1.6 trillion in 2025, ending two years of decline, but the recovery remains narrow, fragile and uneven. The report notes that inflows to developed economies rose 11 per cent, while developing economies recorded only 2 per cent growth, reaching $901 billion.

According to UNCTAD, the world’s top 20 host economies attracted more than 80 per cent of global foreign direct investment in 2025, underscoring a trend that runs throughout the report: investment is becoming more concentrated across countries, sectors and projects.

VENEZUELA

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, is arriving today in Venezuela on a four-day visit to meet with survivors and front-line responders after the devastating earthquakes nearly two weeks ago. Mr. Fletcher will also meet senior government officials and those supporting the search and rescue effort.

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. New York time, Mr. Fletcher will speak, from Caracas, at a virtual ministerial-level Member States’ briefing about the humanitarian response so far and what comes next.

And I was asked yesterday about assessments going on in Venezuela. Our colleagues in OCHA are referring to rapid assessments of people’s immediate humanitarian needs, a process which includes humanitarian partners, field visits and surveys with affected people. These are not the overall damage and recovery assessments, which normally include development partners and international Financial Institutions.

OCHA also wants to clarify the current status of humanitarian funding in Venezuela which, as you know, had a response plan in place prior to the earthquakes. Before the earthquakes, the $632 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela this year had received around $115 million. Since then, total reported funding for that plan has increased to $300 million, and we expect to hear more about the appeal in tomorrow morning’s Member States’ briefing.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-07

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aQ8I1qfMzc

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press Conference by Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and UN Police Adviser, Faisal Shahkar, ahead of the fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2026).

Ahead of the fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2026), Peacekeeping Chief Jean‑Pierre Lacroix said budget cuts “have had real impact across the board where it really matters the most” for UN Police.

Lacroix told reporters in New York that “an integral part of UN Police work is their partnership with national police services to help build the skills, institutions and confidence needed for host countries to get to take increasing responsibility for their own security. “

He said the goal of the Summit “is to ensure that our organization is aligned and prepared to support the nearly 4,500 UN police from 77 countries who serve across our peace operations, while also helping shape how United Nations policing continues to evolve to meet today’s increasingly complex security environment.”

Lacroix said the Summit was also “an opportunity to enhance our collaboration with national police services, recognizing that today’s security challenges increasingly transcend borders and require collective responses.”

He noted that peacekeeping missions had to reduce their capacities “as a result of lack of full payment of assessed contributions,” including “reduced patrols in high-risk areas, longer response times to developing crises, and less opportunities to train and support local police so that they can assume full responsibility when the missions eventually wind down.”

For his part UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar said, “at a time of resource constraints, UNCOPS is an opportunity to show why an investment in United Nations Police is an investment in peace. A modern, people centered, rights based, specialized and fit for purpose UN police brings tangible returns for communities, national institutions and international peace and security.”

UNCOPS 2026 will bring together ministers, chiefs of police and senior representatives of regional and professional policing organizations to United Nations Headquarters from 7 to 8 July 2026 to engage on strengthening international peace, security, and development for all through the unifying power and enabling role of national and United Nations policing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1YjWf7vY2M

Source: United Nations (video statements)

@unitednations
▶ https://youtu.be/s0618xFbT_M

Fighting for and believing in change is in Jorge Moreira da Silva’s blood. Now executive director of UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the former Portuguese minister is helping to improve lives. From restoring roads and repairing power plants to running health centres and constructing renewable energy mini-grids, UNOPS implements projects in more than 130 countries – often in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

“It’s about providing social basic human needs. We have found a way to provide livelihoods to 15 million people in Afghanistan…rehabilitating roads, streets, water canals, paying men and women to do the job.”

In this episode, Jorge Moreira da Silva reflects on the practical and political challenges of delivering projects in complex environments – from funding gaps to lack of political will. He also shares how releasing an Iberian lynx and earning his pilot’s license have to do with keeping hope alive through dark times.

Since this interview was recorded, the UN Secretary-General has appointed Jorge Moreira da Silva to lead the UN task force for the Strait of Hormuz. The Initiative aims to facilitate the delivery and movement of much needed fertilisers and related raw materials to Asia and the African continent. The urgent delivery of these fertilisers is crucial to avert more hunger and food insecurity. He has been engaged in extensive consultations with all parties involved to drive this initiative.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HMwS9hRPF24