Stephane Kulimushi Mutanda is a young social entrepreneur, basketball player, and coach from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, currently based in Uganda. He is the founder of the Refugee Basketball Academy (RBA), an initiative that empowers refugee and marginalized youth through sport, mentorship, and education. Stephane is also one of the 17 Young Leaders for the SDGs selected by the UN Youth Office, supporting efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The first global regulations for self-driving cars head to a vote at a world forum convening at the United Nations in Geneva this month, setting the stage for uniform safety standards across countries.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
– Haavisto
– Sudan
– Lebanon/Israel
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Kosovo
– Peacebuilding Week
– World Refugee Day
– International Day of Yoga
– International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will arrive in London on Monday, 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 on Tuesday morning, outlining how renewable energy offers the clearest route to energy security, affordability and resilience.
The Secretary-General is expected to underscore that it is clear that our world is facing a climate crisis and an energy crisis, which, on the surface, may seem separate, but share the same destructive force: fossil fuels.
During his visit to London, the Secretary-General will participate in other events, including the Global Energy and Electrification Summit and the Local Leaders Summit, as well as the Climate and Development Finance Forum 2026.
The Secretary-General will also attend a Super Pollutants reception, in the presence of His Majesty King Charles III.
While in London, the Secretary-General will hold a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Yvette Cooper. He will also meet with leaders attending the London Climate Action Week.
The Secretary-General is expected back in New York on 24 June.
HAAVISTO
The Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, spoke with the Commander-in-Chief of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, earlier today.
The Personal Envoy underscored the need to urgently de-escalate the situation in the El Obeid area and avoid any actions that may further worsen the already-dire humanitarian situation and put civilian lives at risk. He emphasized that the focus of the parties to the conflict should turn towards advancing dialogue to end the war.
They also discussed the latest political developments, including the recent Quintet-facilitated engagements with Sudanese civilian stakeholders in Addis Ababa.
The Personal Envoy is also engaging Member State partners with influence over the conflict parties to encourage their commitment to genuine dialogue and convey as a matter of urgency that an attack on El Obeid must be avoided.
We reiterate the call made by the Secretary-General in his statement yesterday for restraint from all parties in the El Obeid area and to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians. We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid.
SUDAN
We have seen further reports of drone attacks overnight. For now, the area remains accessible.
OCHA says it and its humanitarian partners are focusing on moving food and other supplies into the city, while preparing for the potential movement of large numbers of people of the immediate area.
And for those who have been asking about our presence in El Obeid, I can tell you that we do not have a permanent presence in the city. However, despite access constraints, our humanitarian partners are still working on the ground, staying and delivering with WFP and others, to move more assistance there to help residents is an area that hosts more than 100,000 displaced people.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-19
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The meeting took place under a ceasefire that has existed in name since October 2025 – but dire conditions continue and most Gazans remain displaced.
Special Representative for Libya Hanna Serwaa Tetteh warned against a “growing wave of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and incitement” targeting refugees, migrants, humanitarian actors, and UN personnel, and stressed that the UN “is not in the business of resettling migrants” in Libya.
Addressing the Security Council, Tetteh said, “a growing wave of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and incitement targeting refugees, migrants, humanitarian actors and UN agencies and personnel in Libya, including Libyan nationals.”
She continued, “False and misleading claims – particularly allegations of UN plans to settle migrants or refugees in Libya – have contributed to a climate of hostility, threats, and violence against humanitarian workers and UN personnel, and have already provoked violence against UN premises, underscoring the real dangers posed by disinformation. Migration is a legitimate public concern but must be addressed on the basis of facts, not fear, and through responsible public discourse rather than inflammatory, false and provocative narratives. Let me use this opportunity to state clearly that the UN in Libya is not in the business of resettling migrants into Libya.”
She stressed, “The country’s challenges cannot be addressed through fabrications and scapegoating. They require responsible leadership, unified functioning and effective institutions to restore public trust. Advancing the UNSMIL-facilitated roadmap is therefore not merely a political imperative; it is one viable path to overcoming institutional fragmentation and building a more stable and secure future for all Libyans.”
She also said, “Libya’s economic trajectory continues to pose a significant threat to its stability and the wellbeing of its citizens. Rising prices and the erosion of purchasing power increasingly strain households and impact the provisions of social services across the country.”
She added, “Higher global oil and gas prices have boosted revenues and provided short-term relief, but this should not obscure structural vulnerabilities. Fuel shortages across Greater Tripoli and other cities particularly in the south in late April and May, exposed persisting weaknesses in the management of the subsidy regime. The primary driver of fuel shortages remains entrenched networks smuggling subsidised refined petroleum products out of the country to the disadvantage of the Libyan consumer.”
She stressed that in Tripoli, public mobilisation against migration-related issues intensified this month due to “deliberate misinformation” on various media platforms.
She continued, “On 4 June, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the UNHCR and UNSMIL buildings, demonstrating against alleged plans to settle migrants in Libya. At UNHCR, demonstrators blocked access to the premises with earth barriers. At UNSMIL, protesters breached the perimeter, damaged the entrance gates, dumped sand and debris, and threw stones at UN security personnel.”
She also emphasized that “if Libyan political actors and institutions are unable to work together to create the political and security conditions for holding elections and completing the remaining legal and institutional steps within a reasonable timeframe, continued reliance on this process alone will not be sufficient to deliver the Libyan people’s right to have a government of their choice which would have democratic legitimacy.”
Taher M. El-Sonni, Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations, stated, “We stress to everyone that Libya will not be a place for the resettlement of immigrants. Libya will never be country for the resettlement of immigrants in any form.”
On Sunday, 21 June 2026, on World Music Day, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council is honoured to present a special conversation with filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, director of the Oscar Award-winning film THE LAST REPAIR SHOP.
THE LAST REPAIR SHOP is a powerful and deeply moving film that tells the story of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Musical Instrument Repair Shop — the last of its kind in the United States. In a country where most cities have long abandoned free instrument repair for public school students, Los Angeles has kept this extraordinary service alive, and the craftspeople who run it have quietly changed thousands of young lives. Through intimate portraits of four master technicians — including Steve, an Armenian refugee whose own life was transformed by the kindness of a piano tuner after his father was murdered and he fled his homeland — and the children whose love of music they help sustain, the film reveals the profound healing power of music and the human will to repair what is broken. Co-directed with composer Chris Bowers, himself a product of the LAUSD public school system, THE LAST REPAIR SHOP is a film that restores faith in humanity — and in each other.
World Music Day reminds us that music is not a luxury but a human right — a universal language that transcends borders, cultures, and conflict. As enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child has the right to express themselves through music, to create, to dream, and to grow. When a child picks up a violin, a clarinet, or sits down at a piano, they are not only learning an instrument — they are learning to listen, to collaborate, to harmonize, and to become more fully human. These are the very qualities the United Nations was founded to nurture in the world.
Through THE LAST REPAIR SHOP, the UN Movie Society celebrates a film that champions the core values of the United Nations: the belief that broken things — instruments, communities, relationships, and even nations — can be repaired where there is the will to do so. As director Ben Proudfoot reflects, if a violin can be repaired, what else can be repaired? In the spirit of the United Nations, the film reminds us that peace is not an inevitability of war, but a choice — made one act of repair at a time. Since its Oscar win, the film has already inspired over $5 million in funding to preserve the Repair Shop and expand its team of technicians, nearly doubling the number of craftspeople serving the children of Los Angeles.
Founded at the United Nations Headquarters by Brenda Vongova, the UN Movie Society is committed to championing the goals and values of the United Nations through the universal language of motion pictures.
Comments to the media by Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Candidate for UN Secretary-General, following her Interactive dialogue for the position of the next Secretary-General.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Sudan
– Lebanon
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Ebola
– Deputy Secretary-General/Travel
– Libya
– Kosovo UN Youth Assembly
– Climate/Africa
– Joint FAO-WFP Anticipatory Action Appeal
– UN Open Source Week 2026
– International Day for Countering Hate Speech
– Sustainable Gastronomy Day
SUDAN
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the escalation of fighting in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan state, including drone attacks impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The Secretary-General is particularly alarmed by reports of the deployment, by the Rapid Support Forces, of substantial military reinforcements around El Obeid which may indicate an imminent ground offensive into the city. Such an offensive would potentially be placing yet another major population centre in Sudan at grave risk of large-scale violence.
The Secretary-General calls for restraint from all parties and urges them to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians.
Far too many times in this conflict, clear warnings have failed to trigger concerted action by the international community. The Secretary-General urges all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed. We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. He urges the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to engage with international efforts, including those of his Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, to facilitate de-escalation and to reach a negotiated settlement to end this devastating conflict.
Humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance in El Obeid and across the Kordofan region, despite the deteriorating security situation. A humanitarian worker was among the civilians killed by drone strikes in residential neighbourhoods in El Obeid in the last week.
The Secretary-General stresses that humanitarian workers and supplies must be able to move safely wherever they need to go. Humanitarian operations must be protected and they must be facilitated. El Obeid is a crucial hub for humanitarian response efforts across the broader Kordofan state.
Civilians who wish to leave must be allowed to leave safely. Those choosing to remain must be respected, they must be protected and they must have access to the humanitarian relief that they need.
The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their clear obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the respect and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.
As I mentioned, despite the volatile situation, our humanitarian partners, including NGOs and local responders, remain on the ground to provide rapid, essential assistance.
And also, we have a statement on the worrying situation in and around El Obeid from the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, and that is being shared with you.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-18
From the use of drones and artificial intelligence to track and stop disease to other potential ways to harness the power of such advances for the global common good, innovators attending the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum at the United Nations share their vision for a better future.
Stephane Kulimushi Mutanda is a young social entrepreneur, basketball player and coach from the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently based in Uganda. He is the founder of the Refugee Basketball Academy (RBA), an initiative that empowers refugee and marginalized youth through sports, mentorship and education.
Stephane is one of the 17 Young Leaders for the SDGs selected by the UN Youth Office who are leading efforts to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To learn more: https://www.un.org/youthaffairs/en/stephane-kulimushi-mutanda
