Category: United Nations

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Occupied Palestinian Territory, UNIFIL, Sudan & other topics – Daily Press Briefing

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
Palestinian People
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Sudan
South Sudan
Ukraine
Senior Personnel Appointment
Police Week
Honour Roll
Belarus

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PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the opening session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. He said that the New York Declaration and its annexes, endorsed by the General Assembly last year, provide a clear, actionable path toward a two-State solution.

But what matters, he added, is durable change on the ground, and, as we sadly know all too well, the situation is perilously fragile. Since the October agreement, the Secretary-General said, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed.

He urged all parties to implement the agreement in full, exercise maximum restraint, and comply with international law and UN resolutions. And he also called for the facilitation of rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief at scale, including through the Rafah crossing.

Mr. Guterres noted that more than 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank in 2025 alone, a year that also saw record-high levels of Israeli settler violence.

He also condemned once more in the strongest terms actions by Israeli authorities to demolish the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Public threats by officials of Israel against the staff of UNRWA are utterly abhorrent and must be met with unequivocal repudiation, he said.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, yesterday welcomed the partial reopening of Rafah crossing for people to leave and return to Gaza. He stressed, however, that this is not enough and that Rafah must function as a real humanitarian corridor so we can have a surge in aid deliveries.

And our partners working in education continue their efforts to increase enrolment capacity through setting up new learning spaces, expanding existing ones, and supporting community-led initiatives. Supplies are arriving gradually, which will help with this effort.

UNIFIL

Moving to southern Lebanon, and in answer to some of the questions the Spokesperson received on the substance that was dropped by the Israel Defense Forces over areas near the Blue Line yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeeping colleagues confirmed that they supported the Lebanese authorities to collect samples north of the Blue Line, to be tested for toxicity. The Lebanese authorities will test the samples and UNIFIL remains in contact with the Lebanese authorities as they work to obtain results as quickly as possible.

Separately, this morning peacekeepers on patrol observed two drones hovering above them near Kafr Kela in Sector East. One drone carrying an unidentified object entered a range assessed as an immediate threat.

Peacekeepers took defensive action, after which the drone dropped a stun grenade about 50 metres away before flying toward Israeli territory. No injuries were reported, and the patrol continued.

UNIFIL informed both the Israeli and Lebanese armies, as it does for all activities in sensitive areas near the Blue Line. The use of armed drones is unacceptable. We reiterate the obligation of all parties to respect the Blue Line, ensure the safety of peacekeepers and avoid actions that endanger them.

Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-02-03

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

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UN Secretary‑General Addresses Committee on Palestinian Rights

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The Secretary‑General opened the 2026 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the #palestinian People, warning that conditions in #gaza and the West Bank remain “perilously fragile.” He urged full implementation of the October agreement, unimpeded humanitarian access, respect for international law, and renewed commitment to a two‑State solution.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/olQ2T3dKr9g

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Why peace begins with people, not power, w/ Bintou Keita | Former SRSG for the DRC | Awake at Night

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Bintou Keita knows instinctively that some moments call for a more human response than words alone can offer. Once, at a ceremony to mark the end of the devastating Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, she found herself hesitating to deliver her pre-prepared statement to a grief-stricken crowd.

“I have my statement, but I can’t deliver [it] because there’s something else I have to do before. And in that moment, what came to me was humming, so I did it. And at that moment, the tears – my own, the tears in the audience – came out. These people were grieving, were still mourning.”

Bintou Keita has retired after 36 years with the UN, most recently the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and head of the peacekeeping mission there. In this episode, she reflects on times when peacekeepers saved thousands of lives, on hopes for a people reeling from decades of violence, and shares why she learned to never say never again.

[00:00] Introduction
[01:57] Conflict in the DRC and the fluctuating will for peace
[05:23] When violence becomes normalized
[07:49] Empowering communities to use their own voice
[12:52] Making the case for peacekeeping
[16:18] The UN family in action during crisis
[20:33] Unprecedented funding cuts and their human cost
[23:03] Pride and hope for the DRC’s future
[24:36] The Ebola crisis and taming fear
[29:18] The power of human connection over protocol
[32:36] Bringing humanity into work
[36:24] From a military family to peacekeeping
[39:57] What keeps Bintou awake at night
[42:44] Looking to the future
[45:14] Closing remarks

Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #UnitedNations #AwakeAtNight #Peacekeeping

About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bM-ybpuEjU

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Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Humanitarianism & other topics – Daily Press Briefing

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria/Humanitarian
Syria
Lebanon/Israel
Somalia
Ethiopia
Madagascar
Ukraine
New Resident Coordinators – Nepal and Iran
World Wetlands Day
Honour Roll
Briefing

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OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we welcome the re-opening of the Rafah crossing. As we have said before, civilians must be allowed to leave and return voluntarily and safely, as international law requires. Ultimately, essential humanitarian supplies must enter in sufficient quantities and with fewer restrictions through Rafah and all other crossings.

Also today, WHO supported medical evacuation efforts from Gaza. The limited re-opening of the Rafah crossing allowed some patients and companions to exit directly to Egypt, while others transited through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom/ Kerem Abu Salem crossing. 

The World Health Organization tells us that the last medical evacuation through Rafah crossing dates back to May 2024.  

Over the weekend, the UN system, including our colleagues from OCHA, UNDP and the Department of Safety and Security, undertook an advance mission to assess road conditions, and the World Health Organization carried out a technical mission to examine the compound area and access roads, to ensure appropriate and dignified conditions. 

OCHA – together with several UN entities and NGO partners – has set up a reception area at the Nassar hospital in Khan Younis.

We also saw the reports of violence over the weekend and we are very concerned about the killing of civilians and Israeli airstrikes. Again, we condemn all killings of civilians.

And just a note on the reception centre at the Nassar centre. It is staffed with psychologists and protection specialists and equipped with food, information materials and internet access to provide returning people with support. Our colleagues from the World Food Programme and the UN Human Rights Office are among those operating the reception. 

SYRIA/HUMANITARIAN

The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to reach thousands of people in the northeast with critical assistance.

Today, a convoy consisting of two dozen trucks and one mobile clinic arrived in Ain Al Arab/Kobani in Aleppo Governorate, delivering ready-to-eat food, health supplies and fuel. This is the second convoy to reach the area in a week, as the city continues to face shortages of water, communications, medical supplies and food, among other basic services, with communities relying on bakeries as the primary source of sustenance.

Since the fighting broke out in Aleppo in December, more than 150,000 people have received humanitarian assistance. Yesterday, a 50-truck UN convoy carrying humanitarian aid from Damascus reached the city of Qamishli in Hasakeh Governorate.

That is the third such convoy in a week.

As of 25 January, more than 170,000 people have been forced to flee their homes across 178 communities across the northeast of Syria, mostly in Al-Hasakeh governorate. The vast majority of these people are women and children, who face heightened risks of violence and abuse.

Nearly three quarters of displaced families are living with host communities, putting additional strain on housing, water, basic services, and livelihoods in already challenging situations for the hosts.

While some have returned home, many remain displaced due to explosive ordnance, infrastructure that is damaged, winter conditions, and limited access to the most basic of essential services.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-02-02

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ew4z0ulmGQ