As the world came together for the FIFA World Cup Final, the United Nations Youth Office hosted One World, One Game, One Goal, bringing together young leaders, athletes and partners to celebrate the power of football beyond the pitch. The event highlighted how sport can promote youth mental health, break down stigma, foster inclusion and strengthen communities around the world.
Through inspiring conversations and shared experiences, participants explored how football can unite people, empower young voices and drive positive social change.
The Security Council met to discuss the escalating conflict in Ukraine following intensified Russian attacks. UN officials warned that more than 170 civilians have reportedly been killed and over 1,000 injured since the Council’s last briefing on 9 July, urging all parties to protect civilians, uphold international law and resume dialogue toward an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire.
Concluding his visit to Syria, the UN chief said political change must now deliver tangible improvements for all Syrians, backed by sustained international support.
“After so much suffering, this period of transition is a rare moment in the life of a nation,” Guterres told journalists on Sunday as he concluded the second day of his visit. “A moment of responsibility, possibility and choice.”
Describing Syria as a country at a historic turning point, the Secretary-General said people across the nation were drawing on their own experiences and aspirations to shape a new future after years of conflict.
Over the course of his visit, he said he witnessed both the deep wounds left by war and the determination of Syrians to move forward. “During these past days, I have seen the scars left by years of conflict. I have heard about pain, loss, displacement and fear.”
But alongside those experiences, he said, he had also encountered resilience and optimism. “I have felt a profound sense of hope.”
Throughout his remarks, the Secretary-General repeatedly emphasized Syria’s rich diversity, describing it as one of the country’s defining characteristics and a foundation for lasting peace. “This country has long known what it means to be a crossroads – of civilizations, cultures, faiths and ideas,” he said.
“That diversity is not incidental to Syria. It is one of this country’s greatest strengths.” Guterres stressed that the success of the transition would depend on ensuring all Syrians feel represented in the country’s future and can participate meaningfully in shaping it.
He said the aspirations he heard during the visit were universal: security and stability, economic opportunity, accountable institutions and respect for rights.
The United Nations, he added, stands ready to support efforts to promote accountability, reconciliation, human rights and confidence-building among communities while ensuring the participation of women, young people and all components of Syrian society.
The Secretary-General also used the visit to deliver a strong appeal to international partners, arguing that political change would need to be matched by significant economic support if Syrians are to see tangible improvements in their daily lives.
“The task now is to translate political change into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives,” he said and added: “Every Syrian must feel equally invested in the future of the country.”
While welcoming recent steps that have eased sanctions and opened new possibilities for economic recovery, Guterres called for all remaining sanctions to be lifted immediately.
He argued that rebuilding Syria would require sustained international engagement, investment and practical assistance. “The Syrian people have shown extraordinary resilience through years of hardship,” he said. “They should not have to carry the burden of recovery alone.”
The Secretary-General said support was needed to restore services, rebuild infrastructure, revive livelihoods and strengthen education and healthcare systems. International assistance would also be essential to help refugees and displaced people return home safely, voluntarily and with dignity, he added.
Looking ahead, Guterres said the road forward would not be easy and warned that setbacks were inevitable. Yet he insisted that a rare opportunity exists to build a more inclusive and peaceful future.
“There is also a real and extraordinary opportunity,” he said, “to help build a Syria where women and men participate fully in shaping their country’s future … where young people can fulfil their aspirations … and where every person can live in dignity, equality, security, and peace.”
“The United Nations will be a steadfast partner of the Syrian people in that journey,” he concluded.
Amongst reports that the current Ebola epidemics ranges amongst the deadliest outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
humanitarian workers continue to sensitize communities in Bunia, Ituri, to prevent further spread and rumours.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed Syria’s ‘moment of possibility’ on first visit since fall of Assad regime.
Syria has an opportunity not only to recover from conflict but to build “a future that is more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in Damascus on Saturday as he began a landmark visit to the country.
Calling Syria “today the pillar of stability of the Middle East”, the UN chief said the country “stands at a moment of possibility” and urged the international community to seize the opportunity to help rebuild a nation emerging from more than a decade of conflict.
Addressing reporters alongside Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani, Guterres described his visit as “an extremely meaningful” one, rooted in decades of engagement with Syrians as former UN High Commissioner for Refugees and later as Secretary-General.
“For years, long before becoming Secretary-General, I worked closely with Syrians,” he said, recalling communities that welcomed refugees fleeing conflict and persecution, as well as Syrian families later forced to flee their own country.
“I met young Syrians whose hopes were simple and universal: to learn, to work, to contribute, and to live in peace.”
Those experiences, he said, remained with him and helped explain why it was important for him to be in Damascus now.
“I made a conscious decision not to come to Syria since the beginning of the brutal repression of the Syrian people in 2011 until the fall of the regime.”
The Secretary-General said Syrians had endured years of “hardship, loss and uncertainty” but had never lost the resilience, talent and creativity that define the country.
“Today, Syria stands at a moment of possibility."
“The opportunity now is not only to recover from conflict, but to lay the foundations for a future that is more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians.”
He stressed that rebuilding the country would require leadership and trust, while ensuring that all Syrians see themselves reflected in the nation’s future.
“Above all, it will require that every Syrian sees a place for themselves in the future of their country.
“And it is for Syrians to define their path forward and shape the institutions that will serve future generations.”
The UN chief warned that no country emerging from more than a decade of conflict could rebuild alone and appealed for stronger international engagement.
“This is a moment that requires the international community to support Syria with determination and foresight,” he said. “Syria’s recovery is a humanitarian imperative – and it is also an investment in development, in peace and regional stability.”
He said the international community should help create conditions for economic recovery, restore essential services and infrastructure, expand livelihoods and employment opportunities, and support the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and displaced people.
“International financial institutions and development partners also have an important role to play in helping Syria reconnect with regional and global economic opportunities.”
“This is the moment for partnership and solidarity.”
Emphasizing the UN’s role, he said the Organization stood ready to accompany Syria through its transition.
“We are ready to support your political transition, including your efforts to ensure transitional justice, draft a permanent constitution, and hold free and fair elections.”
“We have no UN agenda for Syria. Our agenda is the agenda of the Syrian government and the Syrian people.”
Guterres also reiterated the UN’s support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
“We underscore the importance of fully respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity.”
“Violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must cease.”
Referring to developments around the Golan Heights, he added: “What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable.”
“I’d like to remind the international community that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory.”
The Secretary-General said the UN would continue working with Syrians and international partners in support of “a future defined by peace, dignity and opportunity by the Syrians themselves.”
Taking questions from journalists, the UN chief reiterated his call for an end to violations of Syrian territorial integrity and said the international community needed to take a more active role.
“We consider that the present situation is intolerable and that that situation needs to stop,” he said, while noting that UN personnel on the ground were working to mitigate the impact of ongoing developments.
While acknowledging divisions within the UN Security Council, he pledged continued advocacy on the issue, insisting that “what is Syrian is Syrian and cannot be taken away.”
Wrapping up a two-day visit in Syria – his first-ever as United Nations Secretary-General – António Guterres told journalists that Syria has an opportunity not only to recover from conflict but to build ‘a future that is more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians’.
Press conference by Paula Narvaez, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA), on her recent mission to Venezuela.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Secretary-General/Syria
– Deputy Secretary-General/Travel
– Secretary-General/Red Sea
– UN Office for Project Services
– Seafarers
– West Bank
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– South Sudan
– Sudan
– Burundi
– Venezuela
– Ukraine
– Climate
– International Days
UN OFFICE FOR PROJECT SERVICES
In a statement issued today, the Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Jorge Moreira da Silva, said that the UN Task-force for the Strait of Hormuz that he has been coordinating has developed, in consultation with relevant parties, a practical confidence-building mechanism to facilitate safe, orderly and predictable maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, with a specific focus on fertilizers and related raw materials to prevent a massive food crisis.
In the last four months, the Task Force team has consulted extensively with Member States and has received overwhelming support, particularly from the most vulnerable countries.
This Mechanism is ready to become operational, subject to the will of all Parties in the conflict and in the region.
Mr. Moreira da Silva said it is time to give a chance to an operational mechanism to build confidence and to build trust.
He continues to engage with all relevant parties through the Task Force, while reiterating the Secretary-General’s own call for restraint and de-escalation.
SEAFARERS
The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, unequivocally condemned the latest reported attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area.
These attacks are indefensible, he said. They endanger the lives of seafarers, while threatening the security of international shipping, of the safety and security of marine environment and the stability of the global supply chains.
Meanwhile, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, also called for urgent action to remedy the plight of thousands of stranded seafarers who are facing a dire humanitarian and human rights crisis across the Strait of Hormuz.
He said his Office has received information that some seafarers have been abandoned at sea by shipowners who have left them without support, without repatriation plans or even without paying their wages.
WEST BANK
The Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, today said that the continued loss of civilian life across the occupied West Bank is deeply alarming.
He said today’s violent incidents southwest of Nablus, which resulted in the killing of four Palestinians and two Israelis, injuries to several others, and extensive damage to Palestinian property, underscore the urgent need to protect civilians and prevent further escalation in the occupied West Bank.
Mr. Alakbarov said Israel must take immediate steps to prevent settler violence, to protect civilian communities, and ensure those responsible for attacks are held accountable. And he said Palestinians must unequivocally reject violence and incitement to take immediate steps to prevent attacks against Israelis.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-24
One month after the devastating earthquake in northern Venezuela, the UN remains on the ground in La Guaira providing critical reproductive health services and support families as they rebuild.
Who will lead the United Nations next? Candidates to become the next UN Secretary-General took part in a public Town Hall at UN Headquarters, answering questions from Member States, civil society and UN staff.
Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, organized the event as part of the selection process for the UN’s next chief – a process that has become significantly more open than in the past, with candidates now making their case in public.
