Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the situation in the Middle East (Syria).
In his address to the Council, humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher said, “since December 2024, more than 2 million internally displaced Syrians, 1.8 million refugees have gone home voluntarily. This is a historic wave of return – the highest in Syria in two decades – is a profound sign of hope.”
Fletcher said, “through 300 partners, we’ve reached over 2.5 million people monthly this year with humanitarian support, reopening key routes into Al-Hassakeh and flights to Deir ez Zour in August. However, four major obstacles threaten this progress: continued displacement, localized insecurity, regional escalation, and landmines.”
He said, “as winter approaches and the regional situation remains unstable, funding will be vital as a bulwark against losing those advances Syria has fought so hard to achieve. If we fail to invest today, the costs will be higher tomorrow – in renewed displacement, deteriorating services and lost opportunities to consolidate stability and transition towards reconstruction and development in Syria.”
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
While much of the big technological innovations of the past decade have emerged from the United States and China, innovation happens everywhere. The Swiss train system, for instance, has run entirely on renewable energy since the early 1960s. Why do so many prominent tech leaders now choose to live in Canada? Mehran Gul is the author of The New Geography of Innovation. In this podcast, he says the obsessive focus on Silicon Valley has obscured significant innovative models being developed in other countries.
Read the article in the IMF’s Finance & Development magazine: IMF.org/fandd
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Guests Today and Tomorrow
Hate Speech
Peacekeeping
Syria/Security Council
Lebanon
Yemen
Djibouti
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Abyei
South Africa
Reprisals
Water Resources
World Patient Safety Day
Nicholas Haysom Memorial
Financial Contribution
GUESTS TODAY AND TOMORROW
Sarah Hendricks, Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, and Shantanu Mukherjee, the Acting Director of the Statistics Division in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, will be briefing on the launch of the Gender Snapshot Report 2026.
Tomorrow, David Nanopoulos, Head of the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs, will brief on the annual Treaty Event. This year’s event, entitled "Promoting Multilateral Treaties, Safeguarding Humanity," will take place during the high-level week, from 22 to 25 September.
HATE SPEECH
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at an event at the Global Conference on Countering Hate Speech, saying that the toxic message of hate speech is spreading fast and striking deep. It is taking on new forms, finding new pathways, and weaponizing new technologies. And this is from digital platforms to algorithms to artificial intelligence.
The Secretary-General said we must raise our collective voice and reject hatred, and we must redouble our efforts to tackle hate speech online and offline. Reining in hate speech does not mean extinguishing freedom of expression, he said, but freedom of expression must never be an excuse for causing and compounding harm. The Secretary-General noted that the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech is grounded in international human rights, including the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
This afternoon at 4:30 p.m., the Secretary-General will speak at the launch of the UN System Data Commons, which creates a one-stop shop enabling easier public access to data and statistics from throughout the UN system. Twenty-six UN entities are joining forces to create a single gateway to their public data and statistics.
Almost 44 million data points are to be made available on the new platform today.
USG LACROIX TRAVEL
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has concluded his latest travel, which included visits to the Kyrgyz Republic and China. In the Kyrgyz Republic, he discussed peacekeeping issues with governmental authorities ahead of the country’s upcoming membership in the Security Council. The Kyrgyz Republic has long been a contributor to peacekeeping, dating back shortly after its independence, which was 35 years ago.
Then he traveled to Beijing, where he participated in the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, focused on international security and security governance. China is the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping and supports the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund and currently deploys more than 1,600 peacekeepers throughout UN missions. Mr. Lacroix is now safely back in New York.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-09-17
Guterres spoke at the Global Conference on Promoting Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech. The Conference was jointly organized by the Kingdom of Morocco, the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
The Secretary-General highlighted that the effort to counter hate speech must be truly inclusive, grounded in respect and equity; shaped by women, men, and youth; and welcoming of religious, traditional, and community leaders, Indigenous Peoples, and minority groups.
He also emphasized, “reining in hate speech does not mean extinguishing freedom of expression. But freedom of expression must never be an excuse for causing or compounding harm.”
Guterres spoke at the Global Conference on Promoting Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech. The Conference was jointly organized by the Kingdom of Morocco, the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
The Secretary-General highlighted that the effort to counter hate speech must be truly inclusive, grounded in respect and equity; shaped by women, men, and youth; and welcoming of religious, traditional, and community leaders, Indigenous Peoples, and minority groups.
#eunews #childsafety #childprotection
Ursula von der Leyen outlines a new EU proposal from the European Commission to set clear digital boundaries for children and put parents in control.
No social media under 13, supervised mini-accounts for ages 13 to 15 with 1-hour daily limit What you will learn in this update:
The proposal shows how the EU approach shifts responsibility to platforms while giving families practical tools for safer online participation across member states.
#socialmedia, #onlinechildsafety, #internetsafetyforkids, #onlinesafety, #socialmediasafety, #internetsafety, #childprotection, #socialmediaregulation, #socialmediaaddiction, #parenting, #UrsulavonderLeyen, #EuropeanCommission, #europeanunion, #parentalcontrol
Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission:
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UN Victims’ Rights Advocate Najla Palma calls for stronger action to support survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel, with protection, accountability, and long-term support at the center.
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Address Delivered by Minister of Tourism Patricia De Lille on Behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the official opening of The Club Med Beach & Safari Resort.
