Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, on the situation in the Middle East.

Khiari said, “the tension and hostilities that have happened at the Middle East over the past weeks have shifted the tension from the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” but, “away from the spotlight, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is steadily worsening.”

He said, “the population in Gaza faces ongoing and deadly Israeli strikes and dire humanitarian conditions, while in the West Bank, violence, including rampant settler violence, displacement and accelerating settlement activity are threatening entire communities and further eroding the prospects for a political process that will resolve the conflict on the basis of a viable two-state solution.”

Khiari said, “civilians continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing violence” and noted that since the ceasefire began, “approximately 800 Palestinians, including more than 200 children and seven humanitarian personnel have been killed as a result of Israeli strikes, shelling and gunfire,” while “humanitarian needs on the ground remain overwhelming.”

In the West Bank, the Assistant Secretary-General said, “the frequency and severity of settler attacks continue to increase” as “entire Palestinian communities, now routinely facing lethal violence, vandalism and harassment, often in the presence of Israeli soldiers or with their participation.”

In Lebanon, he said, “six peacekeepers, four Indonesians and two friends serving with the entry force in Lebanon have been killed since the 2nd of March, with several more injured.”

Khiari said, “resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains central to achieving durable peace in the region, as it continues to fuel instability across the Middle East,” adding that the meetings of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the Two-State Solution and the AD Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) on 20 April “underscored the ongoing commitment of the international community to preserving what has been built over the past decades, identifying and reversing the deeply destructive current trends on the ground, and finding ways to translate political will into concrete policy steps on the ground, backed by financial commitments.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbLzb__GcS4

Source: United Nations (video statements)

On 30 April 2026, in observance of the month of the UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council is honoured to present a special conversation with filmmaker Giulio Bertelli, director of the award-winning film AGON.

AGON is a powerful film set against the fictional Olympic Games of Ludoj 2024, following three women athletes competing in rifle shooting, fencing, and judo. Winner of two awards at Venice International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, the film draws on the historical archetype of Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, and Nadezhda Durova, to explore the political, physical, and technological pressures at the highest levels of sport—where human endurance meets machine precision, and where the ancient Greek concept of agōn—struggle, competition, conflict—finds its most vivid expression.

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace reminds us that sport is a universal language that transcends borders, fosters solidarity, and serves as a catalyst for human dignity, gender equality, and sustainable peace. Through AGON, the UN Movie Society shows how the film champions the values of the United Nations Charter—peace, gender equality, and cultural appreciation—demonstrating the unique power of cinema to promote these global ideals. Founded at the United Nations Headquarters by Brenda Vongova, the UN Movie Society is committed to championing the goals and values of the United Nations through the universal language of motion pictures.

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Forty years ago, an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of the Soviet Union, now the territories of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, exposing nearly 8.4 million people there to the radiation. Commemorating the tragic milestone, United Nations General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock calls for measures to prevent future accidents.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uFUoqq1f2Ao

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
– Strait of Hormuz
– Middle East
– Security Council
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Lebanon
– Syria
– Somalia
– Somalia/World Food Programme
– Sudan
– Afghanistan/Women and Girls
– Afghanistan
– Senior Personnel Appointment/UNAMA
– Jamaica
– Climate
– South Africa
– Trip Announcement
– South Sudan
– Hepatitis
– International Day
– Financial Contributions

STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The UN Trade and Development, or UNCTAD for short, has come up with an online dashboard to track shipping, food and energy prices, as well as financial markets, related to the Strait of Hormuz restrictions.
For instance, today, the dashboard says that ship transits related to the Strait of Hormuz have decreased by 95.3 percent since 28 February, while commodity food prices have risen by 6 percent and the crude oil price for Europe has risen by 53 percent since then. https://unctad.org/strait-of-hormuz-dashboard.

MIDDLE EAST

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Middle East Crisis and its Consequences, Jean Arnault, is consulting with senior UN officials following his visits to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Egypt. He also participated in the annual Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Türkiye. The Personal Envoy will continue to engage relevant Member States at Headquarters and in capitals as he works to support efforts aimed at helping the warring parties reach a comprehensive settlement.
During his visits to regional capitals, the Personal Envoy received first-hand briefings and personally witnessed the impact of the five-week armed escalation on civilians and civilian infrastructure across the region, following the United States–Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February 2026 and the subsequent Iranian attacks in the region.
The Personal Envoy remains available to support all efforts to assist the warring parties in moving towards a comprehensive settlement, including the initiative currently being pursued by the Government of Pakistan in cooperation with the Governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye.

SECURITY COUNCIL

Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, briefed the Security Council on the Middle East this morning and said that, away from the spotlight, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is steadily worsening.
He said that the population in Gaza faces ongoing and deadly Israeli strikes and dire humanitarian conditions, while in the West Bank, violence including rampant settler violence, displacement, and accelerating settlement activity are threatening entire communities and further eroding the prospects for a political process that will resolve the conflict on the basis of a viable two-State solution.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-04-28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB90gepfGV0