“Last month at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured in Ukraine. This is the highest monthly combined figure of killed and injured since April 2022,” ASG Khaled Khiari told the Security Council.
Briefing Council members in New York, he also said, “We are also concerned about the growing impact of the war on civilians in the Russian Federation. Just today, three people were reportedly injured in a missile strike on a manufacturing plant in the city of Voronezh.”
He added, “The increased military activity reported near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in recent weeks remains a grave concern. The IAEA maintains its presence at all of Ukraine’s nuclear sites, including ZNPP, to help ensure nuclear safety and security.”
Briefing Council members today in New York, OCHA’s Director of Crisis Response Division, Edem Wosornu, said, “Since we last briefed this Council two weeks ago, civilian harm and suffering have deepened including over this past weekend. More families have been forced to endure the all-too-familiar pattern of this war: attacks, destruction, loss, another night without safety. On June 15th, strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv damaged homes and critical infrastructure, leaving well over 100,000 households without power.”
Edem Wosornu also said, “In Kyiv, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site at the heart of Ukraine’s religious and cultural life, was struck and damaged. This site carries centuries of cultural heritage – history and identity – that must be protected.”
She also said, “In Kharkiv, rescuers responding to an earlier strike were themselves hit when a second one followed. This fits a documented pattern. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has found repeated strikes on ambulances, rescue teams and aid workers – in some cases as you heard hit twice, as they returned to help. Civilians have also been struck when simply going about daily life: in cars, on buses, in their gardens.”
Wosornu added, “The Mission records that more civilians were killed and injured by short-range drones in May than in any month since February 2022. Technological advances in warfare are expanding the zone of danger for civilians, which is no longer confined by the reach of artillery.”
Press Conference by Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS.
The fifth meeting since the first UN General Assembly special session on a health crisis 25 years ago opened with the president of the General Assembly and the Deputy Secretary-General leading the session.
Byanyima told delegations the world made a promise 25 years ago to stop AIDS with all people in all countries getting the treatment and prevention they needed, with funds mobilized to enable every country to fight the disease, and communities on the ground leading and delivering services for their people.
That promise has been kept for 25 years, she said, but the progress should not be mistaken for success: nine million people remain off treatment, and UNAIDS data show 1.2 million people were newly infected last year. The promise to end AIDS, she said, “hasn’t been realized.”
Therefore, Byanyima said, she had urged countries to agree on “an ambitious political declaration” expected to be signed Tuesday.
She nonetheless pointed to gains, noting 32.1 million of the 40 million people living with HIV are now on treatment, calling it “tremendous progress.”
The UNAIDS chief called on member states to sustain international financing as countries mobilize their own domestic resources, noting 52 countries increased domestic financing for the HIV response last year, alongside regional efforts to achieve “health sovereignty.”
She closed by stressing the importance of universal access to medicines, saying “Innovations without access are not innovations. They are an injustice.”
Briefing by Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, on the situation in the Middle East.
Cordone said that the scale of the challenges facing the transitional parliament in the country “cannot be overstated.” He said, “More than eight months since the main elections, the People’s Assembly has still not been constituted, awaiting the Presidential appointment of a third of its members. The delay is generating anxiety. Syria needs the People’s Assembly to begin its work. And it needs all Syrians – in particular, Syria’s women and its various components – to feel meaningfully represented in it. The scale of the challenges facing this transitional parliament cannot be overstated. New laws need to be debated and adopted, executive actions need to be reviewed, diverse voices must be heard, and progress made on the transition.”
Cordone noted, “Last week, demonstrations in Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor and Damascus saw participants calling for accountability for crimes committed during the conflict and demanding legal action against individuals associated with abuses under the former regime. In some locations, these demonstrations were accompanied by violence.”
He added, “The government announced that 5,989 persons linked to the former regime are in detention and awaiting prosecution for crimes allegedly committed after 2011. These developments highlight transitional justice challenges facing Syria, with frustration from lack of perceived sufficient progress. While the government swiftly calmed the situation, to avoid repetition of such incidents there needs to be a sense of the past being addressed swiftly yes, but also fairly.”
Cordone reported, “No progress on the implementation of the September 2025 Roadmap of confidence-building and reintegration in Sweida. The underlying issues that contributed to the violence of July 2025 remain unresolved, including accountability measures. Distrust between Damascus and actors within Sweida persists, as do strong feelings of distrust at societal level. Calls within Sweida for secession threaten to undermine the country’s unity and territorial integrity.”
He also said, “Israeli military activity in southern Syria has continued, including in violation of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. Israeli forces have maintained presence in the area of separation and conducted near-daily incursions across parts of southern Syria, establishing temporary checkpoints and carrying out searches and detentions of civilians.”
Cordone continued, “The Syrian Government has exercised restraint while signaling openness to a security arrangement with Israel, although no tangible progress has been achieved to date. The United Nations in Syria is enhancing its efforts to address the needs of the affected population amidst continued Israeli military activity. We strongly reiterate our call on Israel to adhere to the 1974 Agreement, release those illegally detained and respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Former Ghanian Foreign Minister Hanna Tetteh knows first hand the responsibility that comes from being an elected politician. Now head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, she draws on that experience as she works to get the nation onto a peaceful and democratic footing.
“I have to be optimistic. Otherwise I’ll stop. And I think that when you’re doing this kind of job, you have to keep yourself optimistic. You always have to find openings and entry points and try to see what you can work with and where you can create some opportunity to have a conversation that results in some concrete outcome.”
Politics was always present in Hanna Tetteh’s house growing up. Inspired by a dual heritage rooted in Hungary and Ghana, she became a passionate advocate of inclusive dialogue. In this episode, she reflects on her journey into politics, on bringing women and youth on board for Libya’s future, and shares why, when it comes to peace-building, patience is the biggest virtue.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:02] A mission in Libya
[07:20] Working amid extreme risk
[10:32] Leading as a woman in Libya
[12:46] Empowering Libyan women
[15:23] What keeps Hanna awake at night
[18:22] The brutal reality facing migrants in Libya
[21:06] Finding hope in small steps
[23:54] Working through the curveballs
[24:50] Climate change and conflict in the Horn of Africa
[28:16] The cost of endless war
[32:27] Lessons from Ghana’s political evolution
[36:05] A childhood of ideas and identity
[37:23] Family, culture and public service
[38:46] Two cultures, one life
[40:26] Staying committed in a world of competing interests
[42:31] Peacebuilding takes patience
[43:43] Hope for Libya’s future
[45:16] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
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.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
• AIDS
• Peacebuilding Week
• Secretary-General/Travel
• Ukraine
• Sudan
• UNIFIL
• Lebanon/Humanitarian
• Occupied Palestinian Territory
• Syria/Security Council
• Panama
• World Food Programme/Pope Leo
• Ebola/Children
• Human Security
AIDS
The Deputy Secretary-General spoke on the Secretary-General’s behalf this morning at the Opening Plenary of the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, and she pointed to the progress over the past years in dealing with the disease, noting that AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and by 54 per cent since 2010. HIV prevention and treatment services have reduced new infections by 40 per cent in the same period, she added.
But the Deputy Secretary-General warned that AIDS is not over. At the end of 2024, 9.2 million people in need still lacked access to HIV treatment, and 1.3 million acquired HIV. And most tragically, 630,000 lives were lost in AIDS-related deaths.
The Secretary-General’s remarks underscore five priorities to face the AIDS challenge: to close the widening gaps in access to prevention, treatment and care services; to continue ensuring the leadership of communities in the HIV response; respect for human rights; adequate financing; and a revival of the multilateral spirit that has driven the HIV response from the very start. We have shared those remarks with you.
PEACEBUILDING WEEK
Today, we start the first-ever Peacebuilding Week, marking an important milestone, which is 20 years since the inaugural session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the establishment of the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund. More than 50 events in New York and over 20 around the world are being organized. Here at Headquarters today, a joint session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Economic and Social Council is taking place through 1p.m. on advancing social cohesion through job creation in peacebuilding contexts.
Also on Thursday, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the Peacebuilding Commission’s Annual Session in the General Assembly Hall.
And just a reminder, at 1:30 p.m., here in the briefing room, we will be joined by Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support, alongside Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, and the Permanent Representatives of Egypt, Ihab Moustafa Awad Moustafa, and Slovenia Samuel Žbogar. They will provide an overview of the Peacebuilding Week and the importance of investing in prevention and peacebuilding at a time of growing global challenges.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL
The Secretary-General has arrived in London, where he will attend a series of events taking place during the London Climate Action Week. He will deliver a special address on climate and energy tomorrow morning, outlining how renewable energy offers the clearest route to energy security, affordability and resilience, and underscoring the destructive role played by fossil fuels in the climate crisis and energy crisis we face.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-22
UN Peacekeeping is one of the international community’s most effective tools to respond to conflict. But it is facing significant reductions in political support and resources.
Peace does not happen by accident. It requires political will, sustained investment and collective commitment.
In a special address at London Climate Action Week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres draws on the latest scientific evidence to show how the worsening climate crisis and growing energy insecurity are rooted in continued fossil fuels dependence. He outlines a clear pathway to accelerate the transition to a more secure, resilient and sustainable energy future: one powered by renewable energy, strengthened international cooperation, and science-based action.
Press Conference by Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, on the Secretary-General’s Annual Report.
24,174 children were killed, maimed, recruited, raped or otherwise affected by grave violations in conflict zones last year, the United Nations said, calling the toll “many scars on our collective moral conscience.”
Frazier said her office verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children in 2025, the highest number recorded since the Children and Armed Conflict mandate was established 30 years ago.
“Today’s findings are stark. They reflect the shocking reality faced by children in conflict zones around the world, a reality that concerns all of us,” Frazier told reporters in New York.
The violations tracked under the mandate include recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access to children, she noted.
For the first time since the mandate was created, government forces were responsible for the majority of grave violations, Frazier said, adding that state forces remained the principal perpetrators of killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access. “These patterns reflect persistent and blatant disregard for international law, and for the rights and special protections owed to children,” she said.
Killing and maiming was the most prevalent violation, with 14,224 children verified as killed or maimed, Frazier continued. The number of children killed rose 35 percent compared with 2024, reaching 6,266, she said, followed by 8,322 incidents of denial of humanitarian access and 6,607 cases of recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.
Sexual violence against children, particularly girls, continues to be used as a tactic of war to humiliate, terrorize and displace entire communities, Frazier said, pointing to a rise in gang rape committed by parties to conflict as evidence of “a deliberate and organized use of sexual violence within the ranks.”
The countries with the highest levels of violations in 2025 were the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia, she said.
Frazier closed her briefing with an appeal to translate the findings into action. “The lives of these 24,174 children are as many scars on our collective moral conscience. I hope we carry them with us so that we use their memory and their pain to act,” she said.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that acute food insecurity is expected to worsen further for millions of people across 13 countries deemed “hunger hotspots” between June and November 2026.
Briefing reporters in New York by video teleconference, the Director of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, Jean-Martin Bauer, said Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Nigeria and Somalia are at the highest level of concern as “these are countries where populations are facing or at risk of facing high levels of acute food insecurity, including starvation and death.”
At a very high level of concern, Bauer continued, are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti, while Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali and Myanmar are included as “countries that require close monitoring and urgent action as the situation could deteriorate.”
The WFP official said in many of these hotspots “overlapping conflict, climate and macroeconomic shocks – including the spillovers from the Middle East conflict,” added to the potential effects of the El Niño, “all amplify food insecurity.”
He stressed that “every hotspot of highest concern is a place affected by conflict and violence. And conflict destroys livelihoods. It forces people to leave. It disrupts markets, damages infrastructure and restricts humanitarian access.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Director at the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Rein Paulsen, told reporters that “funding levels in 2025 dropped to a level that was last seen in the period 2016 and 2017. At the same time, during that same period from 2016 through 2025, the percentage and share of the population analysed as being in acute food insecurity, by acute food insecurity, has doubled during that same period.”
Paulsen said, “impossible choices within already hyper prioritised plans have to be made. And at the same time, we’re having to make, cuts to assessments, cuts to our monitoring and analytical capabilities, all of which are weakening the evidence base that’s needed precisely to be able to prioritise assistance and to guide decision making. And this is a major risk, without reliable data, vulnerable communities become invisible.”
He told reporters, “the worst outcomes that you see described in this report are not inevitable. They are foreseeable and therefore they are preventable. But the window to act is narrowing, which is why the issuance of this report and action in response to it is so important.”
The latest edition of the Hunger Hotspots report, released twice a year through the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), identifies Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine as the world’s most critical hunger hotspots in terms of severity and magnitude of hunger. Northeast Nigeria has been added to the list of highest concern, following projections indicating that populations in Borno State may face Catastrophe levels of acute food insecurity (defined as an extreme lack of food / other basic needs, with starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels evident) during the upcoming period covered by the report. Somalia has also been placed in this category with populations in the Bay region of Burhakaba District facing a risk of Famine.
Armed conflict and violence remain the primary drivers of acute food insecurity, affecting 12 of the 13 hotspots.
These pressures are compounded by economic shocks, severe funding shortfalls and growing risks linked to a forecast El Niño event, which is expected to bring uneven rainfall, droughts, and flooding across countries with already high vulnerability.
Funding for food assistance, emergency agricultural assistance and nutrition in food crises has declined by an estimated 59 percent between 2022 and 2025, returning to levels last seen nearly a decade ago. At the same time, the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in these countries has risen to around 266 million.
