Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press conference by Zoe Brennan, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Spokesperson, and Jonathan Prentice, Head of the UN Network on Migration, on the launch of the World Migration Report. They were joined virtually by Pablo Rojas Coppari and Stuart Russell Campo from IOM’s research team to address any technical questions on the report.

Zoe Brennan said ensuring safe and regular pathways, supporting skills, mobility and strengthening regional cooperation “are concrete steps that respect national borders and priorities and help countries manage migration more effectively while delivering real benefits for economies and people alike.”

Brennan said, “when migration is well managed, it supports jobs, economic growth, stability and social cohesion,” and added that “migrants contribute as workers and entrepreneurs and consumers, and through the skills, innovation and connections they bring across borders.”

By the end of 2024, she said, “an estimated 83.4 million people were internally displaced within their own countries, the highest number ever recorded, driven by conflict, violence and disasters.”

This, Brennan said, “underscores that most displacement happens within countries rather than across borders.”

Responding to a reporter’s question, Stuart Campo from IOM’s research team said, “while we saw in the last year a reduction in attempted crossings on the central Mediterranean route, which is one of the major routes, we saw a doubling in the number of migrants who went missing or were found dead. So, this shows that these routes are becoming more dangerous and treacherous.”

According to the report, international migration remains relatively uncommon in global terms, with around 304 million international migrants worldwide in mid-2024, 3.7 percent of the global population.

Human displacement, the report finds, continues to rise, with over 120 million people displaced globally by the end of 2024, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons, reflecting the scale and persistence of protracted conflicts and compounding crises.

Environmental disruption is now a defining feature of contemporary mobility, as record‑breaking temperatures, droughts, wildfires, and storms increasingly interact with poverty, weak infrastructure and governance challenges to influence displacement, migration, and immobility, according to the report.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IammWgU1YUI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Back from a mission to the moon, astronauts from Artemis II arrived at United Nations Headquarters with a message for humanity about our shared purpose on Earth.

A month after completing their historic flyby of the Moon, the astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II mission landed at UN Headquarters in New York this week with a message that sounded like a reminder: humanity is capable of extraordinary things when it acts together.

Their visit on Thursday followed a long-standing tradition – cosmonauts and astronauts have been coming to the UN for decades to speak about peace, international cooperation, and our shared global future.

The four-person crew carried out the farthest human spaceflight in history, travelling beyond the far side of the Moon and safely returning to Earth after 10 intense, demanding, and inspiring days.

In that short time, as noted during the event, they “captured the imagination of billions” and rekindled a sense of shared human participation in the exploration of space.

Tradition and continuity
The General Assembly building has long welcomed pioneers of the space age, starting with Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova – the first man and woman in space.

Their October 1963 visit symbolised not only technological progress but also the idea that cosmos is a domain where humanity can be united.

Since then, representatives of many nations have repeatedly addressed the international community, emphasising that space exploration is impossible without cooperation and shared responsibility.

Artemis II continues that legacy. The mission represents not only a technological breakthrough but also a model of international partnership, involving multiple countries and institutions, including the European Space Agency, with scientific instruments and systems developed by specialists from around the world.

“I had the opportunity to talk to everyone on the way here – I mean to these three pretty normal but pretty overachieving Americans and a Canadian,” said US Ambassador Mike Waltz, who hosted the evening discussion in front of an invited audience of excited earthlings with the astronauts.

The crew stressed that their task was not only to test a spacecraft, but also to remind people on the ground that humanity can achieve great things when it works together.

Earth from deep space
For all the astronauts, the most powerful experience was seeing Earth from deep space.

From hundreds of thousands of miles away, the planet appeared small, fragile, almost weightless against the vast darkness – an image that underscored both Earth’s uniqueness and the rarity of life itself.

“I always felt urged to just be grateful for what we were seeing and to be grateful for what we were eventually going back to,” said pilot Victor Glover.

Astronaut Christina Koch described a sudden awareness of humanity’s scale within the boundless universe.

“You realize that actually there’s nothing absolute or guaranteed about this, and that actually there is such thing as a global scale…this scale is our world and what we do with it is our choice.”

Read More: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167427

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgOR8pndMf4

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
UNIFIL
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Lebanon/Security Council
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Iran/UAE
Personal Envoy for the Middle East Crisis and its Consequences
Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo/Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Mali
Ukraine
Portuguese Language Day
Financial contribution

UNIFIL

Turning to UNIFIL. Our peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon reported that yesterday saw the highest number of exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces and armed groups, including Hezbollah, and that was the highest number inside Lebanon since the cessation of hostilities of 17 April. The mission recorded 619 launches by the Israel Defense Forces impacting in Lebanon and 30 launches towards Israeli targets.

Peacekeepers reported several Israeli airstrikes by fighter aircraft in Sector East. Separately, near Adshit al Qusayr and Alman, Israel Defense Forces helicopters engaged ground targets using machine-gun fire. Peacekeepers also observed two weaponized drones, identified by them as belonging to Hezbollah, over Al Bayyadah in Sector West, with one subsequently impacting an Israel Defense Forces presence in the area.

We urge all sides to exercise maximum restraint and uphold the cessation of hostilities.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL on the ground continue to support the parties to fulfill their obligations under Security Council resolution 1701.

Despite operational risks and movement constraints, our peacekeepers are remaining in position in southern Lebanon. Over the past week, assistance has reached displaced families by ongoing hostilities, both within and beyond our area of operations. Yesterday, UNIFIL distributed over 360 dry food parcels to people displaced from Kafr Dounin Municipality within the mission’s area of responsibility and who are currently living in Beirut, and nearby areas. The donation specifically targeted families outside of collective shelters, who have been largely left out of the crisis response efforts.

A large convoy of about 30 trucks reached Rmeich in Sector West with UNIFIL’s support. That took place yesterday. They carried essential goods, including food supplies, livestock, vegetables and fruit. These items had been purchased by shop owners in Beirut and delivered to support local communities in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Energy also contributed fuel trucks as a donation to several villages who are in Sector West of UNIFIL’s area of operations.

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN

The UN and its humanitarian partners in Lebanon are continuing to support the response whenever access allows us to.

Cash assistance remains a critical lifeline for people. More than 435,000 Lebanese people impacted by the conflict have been supported through Government-led social safety net. That was implemented not only of course by the Lebanese Government, but also by the World Food Programme, and other humanitarian partners. Over 100,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon have also been reached through expanded cash assistance programmes.

We and our partners are also addressing essential water and nutrition needs. To date, since 2 March, our food security partners have distributed more than 7.8 million hot and cold meals and over 105,000 meal boxes, in addition to 3.8 million litres of bottled water, 64,000 cubic metres of water through large trucks, and nearly 740,000 litres of fuel have been delivered to sustain critical water services to more than 628,000 human beings.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with nearly a quarter of the population in Lebanon now facing acute food insecurity. Repeated displacements, loss of livelihoods and damage to infrastructure are further compounding needs and deepening the crisis.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-05-05

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJqn0o1DZX8