Source: United Nations (video statements)
As the war in Sudan enters its fourth year, the most acute loss is the country’s greatest asset: its people. Sudanese refugees in Uganda appreciate the welcome they have received, seek international support, and contribute to their societies, even as they have been forced to leave behind productive lives they hope to soon resume in Sudan.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Informal comments to the media by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, on the situation in the Middle East and his forthcoming travel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Syria has made ‘remarkable progress’ on transitional justice just one year after the fall of the Assad regime. But despite the immense willingness that is in place, deep-rooted stigma continues to prevent many survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from coming forward.
Sofia Candeias, from the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, stresses that Syria needs the support of the international community to rebuild the architecture of the rule of law, and see a new Syria emerge.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said technological innovations “have enormous potential to accelerate progress” on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) program of action, as “they are making it easier to analyse population data, treat illness, strengthen advocacy and widen access to education.”
Addressing the plenary of the fifty-ninth session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, Mohammed said, “technology has reshaped almost every part of human life, from smartphones to social media, from artificial intelligence to biotechnology” and population and sustainable development “have been transformed by that shift as well.”
She noted that the risks posed by digital technologies are also “significant and the gaps are widening.”
The Deputy Secretary-General said “in high income countries, 93 percent of people use the internet. In the least developed countries, that figure falls to 39 percent. Within countries, those gaps follow similar lines rich and poor, urban and rural, old and young.”
The deepest and most persistent divide, she pointed out, “is between women and men,” as “in low-income countries, only 21 percent of women are online” and “women make up just 1 in 4 tech workers.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan called the three-year-old conflict there “an abandoned crisis,” warning that the scale of atrocities has yet to move the world to act.
Briefing reporters in New York, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Denise Brown said the situation in the country has become a cycle of suffering with no end in sight.
“We really are on repeat in Sudan – repeats of sexual violence, repeated displacement, repeated deaths,” Brown said. “It feels like we’re stuck in this cycle, and everything is being repeated.”
Brown said the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR, had documented patterns of sexual violence, citing a recent MSF report for Darfur entitled “No Safe Space Left for Women and Girls in Darfur.” The organization has treated close to 2,500 survivors of sexual violence over the past year.
“What we also need to be addressing here is the impregnation of these women and girls, and the consequences for them, for the families, for the communities, and of course most particularly for these children,” she said.
Brown said OHCHR had also documented mass atrocities around El-Fasher, where 6,000 people were killed in three days – a figure she said was likely an undercount. She noted that the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan now refers to the hallmarks of genocide.
“Why isn’t the world outraged enough to do something about it? What has to happen more? What more has to happen for everyone to sit up and pay attention, to find a solution,” she said.
Brown, speaking from Khartoum, said the humanitarian community was present across the country but was not the solution. “We are here picking up the pieces,” she said, calling on member states to examine the war economy and the flow of weapons into the country.
She flagged Dilling as an active area of concern, saying the town has been under daily attacks since she visited in March, with convoys unable to get in and residents trying to flee again. She said she was also heading to the Blue Nile, where close to 30,000 people had been displaced.
On funding, Brown said the humanitarian response plan was only 16 percent funded against a 2.9 billion dollars ask for 2026, after closing 2025 at 35 percent. “When we get a tent, that tent, … doesn’t become six tents. That tent is one tent,” she said.
“Please don’t call this the forgotten crisis,” Brown also stated her personal plea. “I’m referring to this as an abandoned crisis.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Addressing the Security Council on cooperation between the UN and the European Union, Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, said, “In an increasingly complex and uncertain international environment, sustained engagement, dialogue and trust-building are essential. Respect for international law and the Charter of the United Nations remains central to addressing shared challenges. The European Union plays an important role in advancing these principles.”
He also said, “We are particularly grateful for the role of European Union member states as troop- and police-contributing countries, including in challenging environments, such as Lebanon, and in intergovernmental processes, including the Peacebuilding Commission. At a time when advancing political solutions remains difficult in many contexts, the support of the European Union to the United Nations’ good offices, mediation and political engagement is especially important.”
He added, “The Russian invasion has shaken the foundations of the European security architecture to its core. As we enter the fifth year of this war, the human toll continues to rise. We hope that the Orthodox Easter temporary ceasefire will help pave the way towards a more durable one. An immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire must be the first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, grounded in respect for international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Middle East
Iran
Lebanon/Israel
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Iraq
Deputy Secretary-General/Nigeria
Sudan/Berlin Conference
Security Council
Haiti
Senior Personnel Appointment/UNMISS
Cyprus
Central African Republic
Ukraine/Children and Armed Conflict
Afghanistan
Football for the Goals
Guests Today and Tomorrow
MIDDLE EAST
After weeks of destruction and distress, it is clear that there is no military solution to the current conflict in the Middle East.
While no agreement was reached at the talks hosted by Pakistan between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Islamabad, the discussions themselves underscored the seriousness of their engagement and constituted a positive and meaningful step toward renewed dialogue.
Given the deeply rooted differences, an agreement cannot be reached overnight, and the Secretary-General calls on the talks to continue constructively for an agreement to be reached.
At the same time, the ceasefire must absolutely be preserved. All violations must cease.
He thanks the continued efforts of the mediators – Pakistan, which hosted these talks, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye – and calls for the international community to support those efforts.
The Secretary-General stresses that all parties to this conflict must respect freedom of navigation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, in line with international law.
We need to remember that some 20,000 seafarers have been caught up in this conflict and are currently stranded on ships and facing increasing hardships daily.
Disruptions in the maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz have already had direct effect well beyond the immediate region, with increased global economic fragility and insecurity in many sectors.
The disruption of fertilizer and related raw material is already having a very negative impact on agriculture, worsening the perspectives of food insecurity. With that in mind, the Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Jorge Moreira da Silva, working with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Chamber of Commerce, continues engaging extensively with relevant parties to design and operationalize the mechanism we announced for the Strait of Hormuz on 27 March.
For his part, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Jean Arnault, remains actively engaged in the region, consulting closely with key stakeholders and continuing his outreach in support of a comprehensive and durable agreement.
IRAN
On Iran, OCHA says that the UN and its partners continue to support the Government-led humanitarian response humanitarian in the face of sharply rising needs.
UNICEF has been working with its partners to support children and families, including by increasing psychosocial support.
As needs grow, UNICEF is also helping to restore access to essential health services. In coordination with the Ministry of Health, two mobile health units, eight primary healthcare tents, and more than 80 emergency primary healthcare kits have been deployed. Tents and emergency kits are also being delivered, helping reach more than 225,000 people.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has supported 33,500 refugees with food and cash assistance.
Over the weekend, the principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which brings together UN agencies and our NGO partners, expressed their alarm by the sustained violations of the rules of war and international humanitarian law. In a statement, they noted that thousands of civilians have been killed, with many more displaced. Health workers and facilities have been targeted, while global supply chains are also impacted, driving up food and fuel prices. The principals spoke out against all attacks on civilians. “Even wars have rules,” they said, “and these rules must be respected.”
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-04-13
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. She will brief reporters virtually on the three-year mark of the conflict in Sudan.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Conversation on how Small Island Developing States can use the ocean to support food security, climate action and more.
This panel will explore how Small Island Developing States (SIDS) can use the ocean to support food security, climate action, disaster risk reduction, justice, and sustainable growth. Speakers will discuss key ways to scale up ocean-friendly solutions and help SIDS achieve SDG14. The session will also introduce UNDP’s new SIDS Strategy, aligned with the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda, and highlight the GEF-funded, UNDP-led Blue and Green Islands Programme.
Speakers:
Francine Pickup, UNDP Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, and Head of UNDP Delegation for UNOC3
Tania Serafim Yvonne Romualdo, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cabo Verde to the UN
Rebecca Fabrizi, UK SIDS Envoy
Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Samoa to the UN
Moderator:
Kate Brown, Executive Director, Global Islands Partnerships (GLISPA)
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The UN Ocean Conference was from June 9-13 and focused on the transformation and solutions needed to accelerate action on the SDGs.
The Conference aimed to drive urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. Ocean science, pollution, fishing, maritime transport, biodiversity, financing, and cooperation were among the issues to be tackled.
Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, the SDG Media Zone takes the conversation out of the policy sphere and into the public discourse through impactful in-depth interviews and conversations on global issues that matter to people everywhere.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Conversation with Martin Stew, Science Correspondent, ITV News.
Antarctica is warming fast—three degrees hotter than in the 1950s—putting wildlife and the global climate at risk. It’s home to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the only ocean current linking all major oceans. Record-low sea ice means this is the latest in winter a ship has reached Antarctica.
Scientists are studying melting glaciers, nutrient release, and underwater tsunamis caused by ice break-off. ITV News’ Science team joins the RRS David Attenborough for a month-long mission with exclusive access to British Antarctic Survey scientists.
What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica—and what scientists uncover could shape our warming world’s future.
Speakers:
Martin Stew, Science Correspondent, ITV News
Moderator:
Rageh Omaar, News Anchor, ITV News
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The UN Ocean Conference was held from June 9-13, 2025, and focused on the transformation and solutions needed to accelerate action on the SDGs.
The Conference aimed to drive urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. Ocean science, pollution, fishing, maritime transport, biodiversity, financing, and cooperation were among the issues tackled.
Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, the SDG Media Zone takes the conversation out of the policy sphere and into the public discourse through impactful in-depth interviews and conversations on global issues that matter to people everywhere.
