Source: United Nations (video statements)
80th Anniversary of the UN Charter – Secretary-General’s Remarks | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter.
UN chief said that the Charter of the United Nations is not “an à la carte menu.”
Addressing the General Assembly today (26 Jun) at Informal Plenary meeting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, António Guterres said, “The Charter has given us the tools to change destinies, save lives, and deliver hope to the most desperate corners of the world. And we can draw a direct line from the creation of the United Nations and the prevention of a third world war.”
He highlighted, “Today, we see assaults on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter like never before.”
He stressed, “On and on, we see an all too familiar pattern: Follow when the Charter suits, ignore when it does not. The Charter of the United Nations is not optional. It is not an à la carte menu. It is the bedrock of international relations. We cannot and must not normalize violations of its most basic principles.”
He concluded, “On this anniversary, I urge all Member States to live up: To the spirit and letter of the Charter. To the responsibilities it demands. And to the future it summons us to build. For peace. For justice. For progress. For we the peoples.”
The eightieth anniversary of the signing of the Charter in San Francisco provides an opportunity for the United Nations membership to reflect on the enduring significance and relevance of the Charter of the United Nations.
As geopolitical dynamics shift and new global challenges emerge, the meeting will serve as a moment of collective reaffirmation of the spirit of San Francisco and the founding principles of the United Nations enshrined in the Charter.
This gathering not only honors the legacy of the United Nations but also seeks to inspire continued cooperation in the pursuit of a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world, guided by the Charter and the promise it enshrines.
UN Charter, Palestine, Ukraine & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (26 June 2025)
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Briefings Tomorrow
UN Charter
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Ukraine
Security Council
International Day against Drug Abuse
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow will be a busy day.
There be no Noon briefing, but at 11:30 a.m., Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will be at the Security Council stakeout to speak about the situation in the Middle East and Gaza and he will take some questions.
Then, at noon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, will be in the briefing room to brief about his recent travels to the Middle East.
Then at 12:45 p.m., the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, will brief reporters on the launch of the Secretary-General’s debt recommendations, ahead of the Sevilla Conference. She will be joined virtually by Rebeca Grynspan, the Head of UN Trade and Development as well as the Secretary-General’s Expert Group on Debt.
UN CHARTER
The Secretary-General spoke at the special General Assembly session this morning and he said that the UN Charter is a declaration of hope — and the foundation of international cooperation for a better world. And from day one, he added, the United Nations has been a force of construction in a world often marked by destruction.
Mr. Guterres said that upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter is a never-ending mission. But he warned that today, we see assaults on the purposes and the principles of the UN Charter like never before.
On and on, he said, we see an all too familiar pattern: Follow when the Charter suits, ignore when it does not. But the Secretary-General said the Charter of the United Nations is not optional, and it is not an à la carte menu. We cannot and must not normalize violations of its most basic principles.
He urged all Member States to live up to the spirit and letter of the Charter, to the responsibilities it demands and to the future it summons us all to build.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that civilians continue to be killed and they continue to be injured daily – whether in Israeli air strikes, shelling, or while trying to just find food for their families. These tragic events must not be accepted as normal, ever.
This afternoon, our partners working on health reported a mass casualty incident following a strike in Deir al Balah – with Al Aqsa Hospital said to have received more than 20 people killed and some 70 injured. Additional wounded patients were transferred to Nasser Medical Complex and two other medical facilities.
Our partners working on health also tell us an increase in preventable diseases is being seen. In just the past two weeks alone, over 19,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been recorded, alongside over 200 cases each of acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhoea.
These outbreaks are directly linked to the lack of clean water and the lack of sanitation in Gaza, underscoring the urgent need for fuel, the urgent need for medical supplies, the urgent need for water, the urgent need for sanitation and the urgent need for hygiene items. All of this to prevent any further spread of the collapse of the public health system, which is already in dire, dire situation.
In a social media post, the World Health Organization noted that yesterday, it delivered its first medical shipment into Gaza since 2 March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on the Strip. Nine trucks carrying essential medical supplies, some 2,000 units of blood, and 1,500 units of plasma were transported from Kerem Shalom.
These supplies will be distributed to priority hospitals in the coming days. The blood and plasma were delivered to Nasser Medical Complex’s cold storage facility for onward distribution to other hospitals facing critical shortages amid the growing influx of patients we have been speaking about.
However, WHO reminds us that all these medical supplies are only a drop in the ocean of what is actually needed.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=26%20June%202025
Closing Ceremony, IGF 2025
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The 20th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum is hosted by the Government of the Norway in Lillestrøm from 23 to 27 June 2025. The Forum’s overarching theme is: Building Digital Governance Together.
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The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) serves to bring people together from various stakeholder groups as equals, in discussions on public policy issues relating to the Internet. While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors.
80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter – Commemoration at the General Assembly | UN
Source: United Nations (video statements)
A commemorative plenary meeting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, emphasizing its foundational importance to achieving peace, development and human rights for "we the peoples".
Opening Segment
Musical Performance
Plenary
The President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly convenes a commemorative plenary meeting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, emphasizing its foundational importance to achieving peace, development and human rights for "we the peoples".
A meeting of the General Assembly to observe the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. The meeting will serve as a moment to revive the spirit of San Francisco and once again embrace the ideals that united humanity during its darkest hour, reaffirming our commitment to those values into the future.
The commemoration of the 80th anniversary will include an extensive communications campaign that will spotlight the Charter and its signing, as well as highlight milestones and successes of the United Nations and its Member States over the past 80 years. This campaign will also feature video testimonials by world leaders from June to September 2025.
A High-Level meeting of the General Assembly for Heads of State and Government to mark the 80th anniversary is scheduled for 22 September 2025, during the UNGA High-Level Week.
80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter – Commemoration at the General Assembly
Source: United Nations (video statements)
A commemorative plenary meeting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, emphasizing its foundational importance to achieving peace, development and human rights for "we the peoples".
Opening Segment
Musical Performance
Plenary
The President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly convenes a commemorative plenary meeting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, emphasizing its foundational importance to achieving peace, development and human rights for "we the peoples".
A meeting of the General Assembly to observe the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. The meeting will serve as a moment to revive the spirit of San Francisco and once again embrace the ideals that united humanity during its darkest hour, reaffirming our commitment to those values into the future.
The commemoration of the 80th anniversary will include an extensive communications campaign that will spotlight the Charter and its signing, as well as highlight milestones and successes of the United Nations and its Member States over the past 80 years. This campaign will also feature video testimonials by world leaders from June to September 2025.
A High-Level meeting of the General Assembly for Heads of State and Government to mark the 80th anniversary is scheduled for 22 September 2025, during the UNGA High-Level Week.
Children and Armed Conflict – UNICEF briefing to the Security Council | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Briefing by Sheema Sen Gupta, Director of Child Protection and Migration, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), on children and armed conflict.
UNICEF’s Director of Child Protection, Sheema Sen Gupta, said, “we are witnessing a breakdown in the basic protections each of these children is owed — not just as a legal matter, but as a matter of human decency.”
Gupta said, “children are not collateral damage. They are not soldiers. They are not bargaining chips. They are children. They deserve to be safe. They deserve justice. They deserve a future. This Council has a unique role to play in making that future possible. We cannot allow these grave violations against children to continue unchecked.”
UN Chief warns that the world is facing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of WWII
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity at the 80th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.
Delivering remarks to the General Assembly on the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world is facing “the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War.”
Guterres added that these crises are “marked by rising identity-based violence, widespread violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and deepening impunity.”
Guterres stressed that the principle of the Responsibility to Protect – commonly referred to as R2P – remains central to the UN’s mission. “On this anniversary, we must recognize that the Responsibility to Protect is more than a principle – it is a moral imperative, rooted in our shared humanity and the UN Charter,” he said.
The Secretary-General presented his seventeenth report on the Responsibility to Protect, which reviews two decades of international efforts and outlines the need for renewed action. “We found that the principle holds strong support among Member States. Communities affected by violence see it as offering a ray of hope. But they also call for effective implementation at all levels,” Guterres said.
The UN chief also reiterated that the world still falls short of delivering on the promise of protecting populations from atrocity crimes. “Twenty years on, the Responsibility to Protect remains an urgent necessity, a moral imperative, and an unfulfilled promise,” Guterres declared. “Let us keep that promise. Let us deepen our commitment. Let us strengthen our cooperation. And let us make the prevention of atrocities and the protection of populations a permanent and universal practice.”
The Responsibility to Protect, endorsed by UN Member States in 2005, affirms that governments have an obligation to shield populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. It also tasks the international community with taking collective action when states fail to do so.
The future of peacekeeping starts today
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The communities who are served by UN Peacekeeping are at the heart of its efforts to build lasting peace. But for peacekeepers to continue to do their vital work, we need to ensure peacekeeping is fit for the future and that local and global partnerships remain strong.
More on peacekeeping: peacekeeping.un.org
Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) – Curtain-raiser Press Briefing
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, accompanied by Ambassador Héctor Gómez Hernández, the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, and Ambassador Chola Milambo, the Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations, briefed reporters today to preview the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, which will be taking place in Sevilla, Spain.
Ahead of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), UN deputy chief Amina J. Mohammed said that the Conference offers a chance to "change course, to catalyze investment, to address debt and sustainable development, to reform the rules of the system and to put people’s needs at the center.”
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The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), to take place in Sevilla, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July 2025, will bring together world leaders to advance solutions to financing challenges threatening the achievement of sustainable development. Governments, international organizations, financial institutions, businesses and civil society will come together to commit to financing our future through a renewed global framework for financing for development.
Rising debt burdens, falling investment, and shrinking aid are among the financing challenges confronting the world today. With progress on the Sustainable Development Goals off track and rising systemic risks, including due to climate change and conflicts, the Conference provides a once-in-a-decade opportunity to mobilize finance at scale and reform the rules of the system to put people’s needs at the center.
The Conference is expected to adopt the Compromiso de Sevilla, an intergovernmentally negotiated outcome, which was approved for adoption by consensus at the Fourth Preparatory Committee Meeting for FFD4 on 17 June.
The Conference will mark the beginning of implementation of the outcome document, signaling a new phase of collective action on financing for development. Coalitions of countries and diverse stakeholders will announce ambitious commitments and concrete solutions under the Sevilla Platform for Action that will boost the renewed financing framework and setting out a turning point from dialogue to delivery.
Related Link:
4th International Conference on Financing for Development (30 June – 3 July 2025) – Website
https://financing.desa.un.org/ffd4