Source: United Nations (video statements)
Comments to the media by Olara Otunnu, candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General, following his interactive dialogue for the position of the next Secretary-General.
Ivonne A-Baki – Dialogue for the next UN Chief position | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Interactive dialogue with Ms. Ivonne A-Baki. Ms. A-Baki was nominated on 17 August 2026 by the Kingdom of Tonga.
The process for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General has been formally initiated by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council through a joint letter dated 25 November 2025. The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, has committed to guiding this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly sets out the process for the selection and appointment in line with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 97: "The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization.".
More info: https://www.un.org/en/sg-selection-and-appointment
West Bank, Lebanon & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (19 Aug 2026) | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– World Humanitarian Day
– International Criminal Court
– West Bank/Settlements
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Lebanon
– Deputy Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
– Sudan
– Somalia
– Venezuela
– Financial Contribution
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
Let me start off with the issues surrounding the International Criminal Court. We have seen the announcement by the United States regarding the imposition of sanctions on the International Criminal Court President, Tomoko Akane, as well as a senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye. I can tell you that the Secretary-General expresses serious concern about this designation, as well as the ongoing designation of other International Criminal Court employees.
While the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are separate institutions, with separate and distinct mandates, as we often said, the United nations considers the ICC a key pillar of international criminal justice and the Secretary-General very much respects its work.
WEST BANK/SETTLEMENTS
Turning to the occupied West Bank. I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the reports of new illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including new tenders, including for the E1 area.
He is particularly concerned about the developments related to the E1 settlement, which would effectively sever the connection between the northern and the southern West Bank. As such, it would have severe consequences for the territorial integrity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and present an existential threat to the two-State solution. The Secretary-General calls on Israel to refrain from taking any further steps in this regard and to act in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and in line with the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-08-19
Mediha: A Story of Survival, Resilience and Justice (Teaser) | Goals Lounge | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Stories have the power to bear witness, build understanding and inspire action. In this Goals Lounge conversation, Yazidi survivor Mediha and documentary filmmaker Hasan Oswald join Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, for a deeply personal conversation about survival, resilience, storytelling and the pursuit of justice.
At the heart of the discussion is Mediha, the documentary that follows Mediha’s journey after surviving ISIS captivity, as she continues her search for missing family members and works to rebuild her life. The conversation explores the enduring impact of violence and displacement, the strength of Yazidi identity and community, and the importance of ensuring that survivors’ voices are heard.
Mediha and Hasan also reflect on the process of bringing her story to the screen and the role storytelling can play in fostering greater understanding, dignity and accountability.
Security Council: Subsidiary Bodies by Elected & Incoming Members – Media Stakeout | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Informal comments to the media by Lewis Garseedah Brown II, Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, joined by Austria, Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Somalia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe, on on Subsidiary Bodies by the Elected Members (E-10) and Incoming Members of the UN Security Council.
Mediha: A Story of Survival, Resilience and Justice | Goals Lounge | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Stories have the power to bear witness, build understanding and inspire action. In this Goals Lounge conversation, Yazidi survivor Mediha and documentary filmmaker Hasan Oswald join Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, for a deeply personal conversation about survival, resilience, storytelling and the pursuit of justice.
At the heart of the discussion is Mediha, the documentary that follows Mediha’s journey after surviving ISIS captivity, as she continues her search for missing family members and works to rebuild her life. The conversation explores the enduring impact of violence and displacement, the strength of Yazidi identity and community, and the importance of ensuring that survivors’ voices are heard.
Mediha and Hasan also reflect on the process of bringing her story to the screen and the role storytelling can play in fostering greater understanding, dignity and accountability.
Libya: Women call for full, equal, safe participation in public life – Briefing | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
UN Special Representative for Libya Hanna Serwaa Tetteh said that critical infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to pressures that the country cannot ignore due to its impact on people across all three regions of the country.
Addressing the Security Council, Tetteh said, “The need to move Libya’s political process forward remains crucial. The recent widespread electricity outages and public discontent, exacerbated by a prolonged heatwave, have exposed the consequences of institutional fragmentation, large-scale diversion of public resources, underinvestment and uncoordinated decision-making, all of which are essentially failures of governance.”
She said, “The crisis highlights a striking paradox. According to National Oil Corporation (NOC) data, approximately USD 1 billion is spent monthly on fuel imports, yet electricity systems remain vulnerable to fuel shortages. Evidence of large-scale diversion of subsidised fuel in the electricity and security sectors, as I have highlighted in previous briefings and has also been reported by the panel of experts, underscores the need for stronger oversight, accountability and coordination to ensure public resources are used to deliver the essential services Libyans depend on. The diversion of subsidised fuel is an unacceptable abuse of public resources and those responsible must be investigated and held accountable.”
She reported, “On 9 August the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya submitted a letter to the two chambers requesting to be relieved of his position. The move is an indication of the mounting pressure on the Central Bank – precisely the pressure the Unified Development Programme spending framework was intended to contain. The concerns raised by the Governor should be treated with seriousness and a sense of urgency. We encourage the Central Bank to resume publication of its monthly revenue and expenditure bulletins as previously announced in an effort to promote greater transparency and accountability.”
She also noted that Benghazi experienced a violent incident with the assassination of Major General Fawzi Mansuri, Director of the Military Intelligence Department for the LNA, on 10 August, in a reported car bombing.
She condemned “such acts of targeted violence and urge the authorities to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.”
She said, “Regrettably, the fragmentation of the judiciary persists. The conflicting outcomes of judicial challenges filed in relation to the dismissal and appointment of the intelligence chief demonstrate why this situation also needs to be addressed urgently.
She also said, “ Women in Libya continue to call for their full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in public life. I am concerned by the increase in hate speech, intimidation and misinformation targeting women and seeking to silence or marginalise their voices.”
She highlighted, “The UNSMIL-facilitated roadmap has made important progress. The Structured Dialogue concluded and the first two milestones of the roadmap have advanced, including on some of the most sensitive issues. However, it is important to note that progress does not solely require the efforts of UNSMIL but a sustained willingness of the Libyan political actors to engage constructively.”
Olara Otunnu – Dialogue for the next UN Chief position | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Interactive dialogue with Mr. Olara Otunnu. Mr. Otunnu was nominated on 24 July 2026 by Uganda.
The process for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General has been formally initiated by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council through a joint letter dated 25 November 2025. The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, has committed to guiding this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly sets out the process for the selection and appointment in line with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 97: "The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization."
More info: https://www.un.org/en/sg-selection-and-appointment
Libya: Stakeout by Signatories of Joint Pledges on Climate, Peace and Security | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Joint comments to the media by Ambassador Sandra Jensen Landi, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations, on behalf of the Security Council members signatories of the Joint Pledges on Climate, Peace and Security (Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Panama and the United Kingdom), on the situation in Libya.
Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (18 Aug 2026) | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Security Council
Yemen/Saudi Arabia
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Chad
Afghanistan
Colombia
SECURITY COUNCIL
Hanna Tetteh, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the United Nations in Libya, briefed the Security Council. She told members that Libya now enters a critical phase, that of advancing unified institutions and the conditions necessary for inclusive elections.
Ms. Tetteh told Council members that the consequences of Libya’s divisions are visible in daily life. Power cuts in July disrupted electricity and water supplies for hundreds of thousands of people and have continued into August, in the middle of a long heatwave.
Despite these challenges, Ms. Tetteh pointed to the meeting in Sirte in July when the two Chiefs of General Staff from the West and East, who agreed on the principle to establish a joint border force and to undertake joint exercises, regular communications and harmonised training.
YEMEN/SAUDI ARABIA
Turning to the situation in the Arabian Peninsula, between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. We are deeply concerned by reports of attacks by the Houthis against targets in Saudi Arabia. Such attacks risk further entangling Yemen in the wider regional confrontation, at a time when the region is already facing intense pressure and regional trade and energy flows are under severe strain.
Attacks and threats against shipping must also stop, and freedom of navigation in both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden must be upheld.
We again call on the parties to respect their obligations to protect civilians, to protect civilian infrastructure. The Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg, has stressed this imperative in all his engagements with the parties.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. I can tell you that we are deeply alarmed by the continued deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation for Palestinian in the occupied West Bank.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the northern West Bank yesterday, Israeli forces instructed about 10 Palestinian families in Jabal An Nasr neighbourhood in Tulkarm to leave their homes for seven hours, due to military activities near the adjacent Nur Shams camp for Palestine refugees.
Israeli military bulldozers excavated part of a road, damaging water and sewage networks, and carried out excavation works on Palestinian land before withdrawing. Families reportedly returned to their homes, and municipal crews repaired the damaged infrastructure once Israeli security forces withdrew from the area.
These incidents are taking place against the backdrop of a broader deterioration in the West Bank, where escalating violence, expanding settler presence, severe restrictions on movement and access for Palestinians, and shrinking economic opportunities have become the norm.
Turning to Gaza, we and our partners continue to deliver aid, support essential services and facilitate critical humanitarian operations wherever it is possible for us to do so. Since Sunday, we and our partners have successfully coordinated with the Israeli authorities to carry out several missions in Gaza, including the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Rafah crossings, to monitor humanitarian cargo, and collect fuel and support medical evacuations.
The scale of needs remains immense. Our colleagues at the Food and Agriculture Organization also warned yesterday that Gaza’s agricultural capacity has been devastated. A new assessment found that only 3 per cent of cropland remains both accessible and undamaged, further undermining local food production and farmers’ livelihoods.
At the same time, our humanitarian partners are concerned about the impact of continued Israeli military activities on civilians. Since yesterday and as of this morning, our partners leading on security and safety reported incidents involving Israeli air strikes, shelling, gunfire and naval fire, primarily west of the so-called “Yellow Line,” that’s where most of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are forced to be confined, and that is less than half of the Strip’s territory.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-08-18