Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee expressed alarm at “the recent escalatory rhetoric and potential for further spillover “of the Ukraine war, and said, “everything must be done to prevent this from happening.”
Briefing the Security Council, Pobee said increased attacks by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in recent weeks have caused “greater civilian casualties and damage,” and added that “only today, at least 15 people were reportedly killed across Ukraine due to Russian aerial strikes.”
She said, “drone strikes on industrial, military and energy sites have also reportedly continued to result in civilian casualties inside the Russian Federation.”
Pobee, who is Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) said, “a drone strike reportedly hit a bus carrying a Belarusian youth soccer team in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. According to Russian and Belarusian authorities, one pregnant woman was killed and nine people, six of them children, were injured.”
She stressed the United Nations “does not have additional information about the incident.”
Pobee urged the Russian Federation, Ukraine and “all concerned member States to avoid any steps that could cause this war, either intentionally or unintentionally, to spread further.”
More than 500 aftershocks have followed the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, where search and rescue teams continue working in a high-risk environment.
According to official figures shared during a UN briefing, 1,450 people have lost their lives, more than 3,000 have been injured, and over 12,000 people have been displaced. Despite being beyond the critical 72-hour window, rescuers are still finding survivors beneath the rubble.
International teams from 27 countries, alongside more than 2,000 rescue personnel and 160 search dogs, are supporting the ongoing humanitarian response.
This video features excerpts from a UN operational briefing and highlights the resilience of affected communities and the global solidarity supporting relief efforts.
Elpida Rouka’s first name means hope in Greek, a feeling that can sometimes be elusive when serving in the most troubled places on earth. Currently a senior political affairs officer in Geneva, she is a survivor of the 2003 Baghdad Canal Hotel bombing, the deadliest attack in UN history.
“First you feel the shake, and the light, and then the blast, the sound comes. I blacked out between exiting the building, but when I was out, there was just a scene of a massacre. The only thing I recall after that was being thrown a phone and told: ‘Call your parents, now.’”
Humanitarian workers are routinely exposed to primary and secondary trauma. Yet stigma and survivor’s guilt can prevent aid workers seeking timely help for post-traumatic stress. In this episode, Elpida Rouka reflects on grief, loss, and mental and physical scars, and shares why the exact wording of the preamble of the UN Charter has helped give her the strength to heal.
Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov reiterated the Secretary-General’s "strong condemnation of the relentless expansion and acceleration of Israeli settlements in the West Bank," stressing that all settlement activity and related infrastructure "must cease immediately."
The Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator spoke to the Council today (29 Jun) via video link.
Alakbarov said the escalating violence and tensions in the West Bank are “highly concerning.”
He condemned all violence against civilians, including acts of terror, echoing the Secretary-General’s “deep concern over persistent and intensifying settler attacks.”
Alakbarov also remained “deeply concerned” by ongoing attacks by Palestinians against Israelis. “All perpetrators must be held accountable,” he reiterated.
The Deputy Special Coordinator also expressed concern over growing threats to the status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem. He reiterated, “the status quo must be respected and upheld, in line with the special and historic role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”
Alakbarov echoed the Secretary-General in “condemning in the strongest terms the Israeli authorities’ decision to establish military facilities at the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in East Jerusalem.”
He urged the Government of Israel to “rescind its decision and immediately return to the United Nations the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound.”
The UN official also urged Member States to “continue to politically support and financially sustain UNRWA.”
More than 500 aftershocks have struck Venezuela since twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 hit last Wednesday, including a 5.2-magnitude tremor early Monday, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country said.
Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Venezuela, briefed reporters in New York City virtually, saying authorities continue operating in a “high-risk environment” amid the ongoing seismic activity.
Seven states have been affected, with La Guaira state and the Capital District of Caracas hit hardest, he said.
As of the latest update Sunday night, 1,450 people had died, more than 3,000 were injured and over 12,000 displaced, according to government figures cited by Rampolla del Tindaro. He said the toll would “unavoidably and sadly keep on growing” as search-and-rescue operations continue.
The government-led response remains focused primarily on search and rescue, he said. Although the response has passed the 72-hour window considered critical for finding survivors, rescuers continue pulling people from the rubble alive.
“Yesterday alone, seven persons were pulled out of the rubble alive,” he said.
Twenty-seven countries have mobilized more than 40 search-and-rescue teams, comprising over 2,000 personnel and more than 160 dogs, he said.
At least 2,500 structures have been affected, most of them fully collapsed, he said, with humanitarian partners procuring 10,000 body bags as a contingency measure agreed with national authorities.
“At least 2500 structures affected, most of which fully collapsed. So, we are definitely looking at a number that is higher than the one already reported. I can give you an approximate indicator – we are procuring (and this is something that has been agreed with the authorities here) 10,000 body bags,” he said.
Secretary-General António Guterres told the General Assembly that global instability, economic hardship and the misuse of emerging technologies are creating fertile ground for terrorism, as the UN opened its 2026 Counter-Terrorism Week.
“We meet at a moment of acute instability,” Guterres said today (29 Jun). “Conflicts are triggering energy shocks, inflation and hunger across the globe. Temperatures are rising. Millions are displaced. And millions more face economic hardship. These conditions – of want, of fragility, of mistrust – are ideal circumstances for terror to thrive.”
Guterres said sustainable development and human rights were central to prevention efforts. “This is why advancing sustainable development and upholding human rights are vital to counterterrorism,” he said. “In practice, this means expanding economic opportunity; ensuring greater inclusion for minorities; enabling the meaningful participation of women and youth; supporting local peacebuilding efforts; and protecting civic space. A more equal world is a safer world. That is the power of prevention.”
He pointed to victims’ testimony and private-sector cooperation as key tools in countering extremist narratives. “Victims share powerful testimonies that challenge terrorist narratives,” Guterres said. “And the private sector plays a crucial role in sharing insight and securing the technologies terrorists seek to exploit. Our allies are found across society – and by working together, we enhance our reach and our legitimacy.”
The Secretary-General warned that terrorist groups have grown adept at exploiting artificial intelligence, digital platforms and unmanned weapons to recruit members, raise funds and plan attacks, but said the same technologies could be turned toward prevention.
“Terrorists have grown adept at exploiting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and unmanned weapons,” he said. “These tools have supercharged their ability to recruit, finance and plan attacks. But technology also offers powerful tools to detect threats early, stop the flow of illicit assets, and understand pathways to terrorist radicalization.”
He noted that Member States had committed to harnessing digital tools for the public good through the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact and said the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI would provide further guidance.
Guterres also said terrorism was evolving and that the international community must adapt accordingly, calling for prevention, cooperation and a steadfast commitment to human rights to build a world where people can live free from fear.
Guterres’ remarks opened the Fourth United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States, running 29-30 June under the theme “A Future Free from Terrorism: Consolidating the Global Commitment to Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Counter Terrorism, notably through Member States’ Leadership and Action.”
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
High-level Conference on Counter-terrorism
Deputy Secretary-General
Venezuela
Afghanistan/Pakistan
Lebanon/Israel
Security Council
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Security Council/Afternoon
Sudan
UNDP Report
Day of the Tropics
Financial Contribution
Guest today
High-level conference on Counter-terrorism
This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the 4th High-level conference on Counter-terrorism. He told participants that this year’s meeting takes place at a moment of acute instability.
This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and an opportunity to assess progress and to strengthen our resolve.
Looking ahead, the Secretary-General highlighted four priorities. He highlighted prevention, cooperation, technology and values.
He told Member States that our response must be rooted in the very principles that terror seeks to destroy, adding that our efforts must be firmly grounded in the rule of law and in human rights.
Terrorism is evolving, the Secretary-General said and so must we.
Through prevention, through cooperation, and through unwavering commitment to human rights, we can build a safer world, where people everywhere live free from fear.
Venezuela
In Venezuela, we, along with our humanitarian partners are rapidly scaling up life‑saving assistance, as the Government continues to lead the response. Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us international search and rescue operations are fully mobilized, with more than 70 search and rescue teams and other specialized teams, and more than 2,300 personnel working side by side with national authorities. Several people have already been rescued alive from the rubble, even as the death toll continues to rise and many remain unaccounted for.
As the critical window to save lives narrows, humanitarian partners are expanding emergency support across health, shelter, water and sanitation, and logistics, including through multisectoral assistance sites in La Guaira and other affected municipalities.
Our colleagues from the World Food Programme are on the ground, providing logistics, food and other assistance as part of the broader humanitarian response.
The UN Refugee Agency prepositioned core relief items are already being actively utilized in the emergency response by partners and authorities. Caritas Venezuela is supporting the establishment of shelters for affected persons in Caracas and La Guaira, including through the use of 400 tents previously donated by UNHCR.
The Fundación para el Desarrollo del Servicio Eléctrico (Fundelec), attached to the Ministry of Electric Energy, reported that it will install 182 solar powered streetlights previously donated by UNHCR in affected areas of La Guaira.
For its part, working alongside the Government of Venezuela, the United Nations system and other humanitarian partners, UNICEF has activated a scaled-up emergency response, deploying additional staff and mobilizing supplies to reach an estimated 650,000 people, including 234,000 children, with assistance across health, nutrition, water and sanitation, child protection and education.
A first UNICEF air shipment of 20 metric tons of medical supplies, water and sanitation items arrived in Valencia from UNICEF’s regional warehouse in Panama on 27 June. A second shipment from UNICEF’s global supply hub in Copenhagen is planned in the days ahead. Together, the two shipments are expected to support more than 100,000 people.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-29
Comments to the media by Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, on behalf of Denmark, Greece, Latvia, the United Kingdom and France (E5 members) on the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Press Conference by Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on the Strait of Hormuz.
Following an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, IMO has decided to temporarily pause its evacuation operation pending further clarity, the Secretary-General of the Organization said.
The chief of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez spoke to reporters today (26 Jun) via video link from London.
Dominguez said he is currently working with several parties, in particular Oman, the United States and Iran, to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on its evacuation list and all those in the region.
The evacuation was paused on Thursday (25 Jun) after a container ship, the Ever Lovely, was struck while transiting the strait near Oman’s coast.
Dominguez explained that the attacked vessel did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework, adding that the Organization is waiting on the investigation of exactly what happened to the vessel.
The IMO chief reiterated that the safety of the seafarers remains paramount. Therefore, to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained.
He said, “while we have paused the evacuation of IMO, there are still some vessels that are transiting in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz. And this is why it’s important to reactivate the mechanism, in order to provide more safety guarantees for all the vessels that are waiting to transit. “
Dominguez also said, “the most recent information that I have from this morning. And again, I still need to fully verify, but four vessels were reported to transit using the northern corridor, and eleven vessels transit through the southern corridor.”
He continued, “it is important to also highlight that the southern corridor, the United States together with Oman, have continued to provide some assistance to the vessels. So even though the mechanism from IMO has been paused for the time being, there are still vessels that are actually utilizing the southern corridor in order to transit out of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The IMO Secretary-General reiterated, “shipping should not be used as collateral in any conflict and we all have been experiencing the very negative impacts on the economy, on food security whenever shipping gets affected.”
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that 115 ships carrying roughly 2,500 crew members had left the Gulf during the first three and a half days of the operation. The figures offered the first concrete measure of an evacuation launched this week to rescue some 11,000 mariners stranded aboard 600 vessels since the war pitting Israel and the United States against Iran erupted in late February.
