Source: United Nations (video statements)
There is no mechanism within international law that allows countries to charge ships wishing to cross the Strait of Hormuz, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) says. ‘There’s no imposition of charges. It’s not a mechanism that introduces any charges or fees. And that is something that has to be very clear,’ says Arsenio Dominguez.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Press Conference by Karla Quintana, Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic on missing people.
“We have the names of around a little bit more than 600 cases. Some of them we know for sure are alive, and some of them have already gotten back to their families,” the head of the UN’s Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP) said.
ASG and IIMP’s chief, Karla Quintana, however emphasized while briefing reporters in New York, that that hundreds of thousands of Syrian families are still waiting for concrete answers about their missing loved ones, more than a year and a half after the fall of the Assad regime. “Over the past year we have been implementing our mandate. We have already been delivering news and information to families. We are building a system that is enabling us in analyzing information that is enabling us to give, every time, more information to families in Syria and abroad. We have been working not only in Syria, but in other countries with the diaspora: in Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, and Germany,” Quintana said.
Quintana also said the joy that followed the collapse of the Syrian government on 8 December 2024 was not shared by all families, many of whom are still searching for answers. “Those people are still waiting for answers, and those people are still missing. So, the answers are there waiting, can only be built with information flow, again, scientific methodologies directed to finding the missing, political will at all levels, and trust. And we know this from comparative experience,” she said.
The IIMP chief added that her office has so far identified more than 600 cases involving missing children, though she cautioned against raising expectations while investigations continue. “We have to be very cautious about how we manage the expectations with the families of the missing. When we talk about the concept of ‘the missing,’ this is very broad. So, we’re not only talking about forced disappearances and the modus operandi where we know that many of the persons who were in prisons are dead — that’s just the information we have now, but we cannot affirm that 100 per cent. And we also know that there might be some trafficking, so that’s a possibility as well. We cannot, again, raise expectations until we have information,” Quintana said.
She noted that while access to Syria has improved under the new authorities, the IIMP still lacks a permanent office in the country, something she has raised with the General Assembly. “So hopefully we can have an office in Syria, which will enable us to better implement our mandate, build trust with families, with Syrian authorities, and, in the end, be able to give more answers to families,” she said.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on strengthening the mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes: follow-up to Security Council resolution 2788 (2025).
Guterres told the Security Council that the situation in the Middle East “is getting out of control” and “teetering on the edge of unimaginable,” but stressed that “geopolitical divisions are not a reason for inaction or abdication.”
Addressing a high-level open debate on Strengthening the Mechanisms for the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes, the Secretary-General said, “conflicts are increasing in number, complexity, length and scope,” with increased disregard for international law, impunity, and violations are going unanswered.
He said, “each violation unanswered becomes the next violations precedent. Trust is eroding and negotiated settlements are becoming harder to reach and maintain.”
The Middle East region, Guterres said, “is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation. One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next,” and “as this dynamic spreads, the political objectives are becoming increasingly obscured by the confrontation itself.”
In Gaza, he continued, “despite the so-called ceasefire, civilians continue to pay a heavy price every day. People are being killed in their homes, in their communities, and while carrying out ordinary acts of daily life as Israel increases its control.”
In the occupied West Bank, the Secretary-General said, “we see creeping annexation with violence, settlement expansion, extensive Israeli military operations and large-scale displacement,” while in Ukraine, the Sahel, Sudan and many other places, “conflict is inflicting enormous suffering, disrupting livelihoods and uprooting populations with dire humanitarian consequences.”
He said Security Council resolution 2788 “reminds us of a fundamental truth. Diplomacy may not have succeeded in preventing these conflicts, but it still holds the power to stop them.”
Resolution 2788, authored by Pakistan, requested the Secretary-General to provide, one year following the adoption of the resolution, concrete recommendations to further strengthen mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
To conclude, Guterres said, “most situations on the Council’s agenda are complex. The best path to peace is through compromise and finding common ground. I urge all members of this Council to summon the spirit of compromise that is essential to peace. Keep the channels of dialogue open and spare no effort in the pursuit of peaceful settlement of disputes, a founding principle of this organization.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
There is no mechanism within international law that allows countries to charge ships wishing to cross the Strait of Hormuz, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) says. ‘There’s no imposition of charges. It’s not a mechanism that introduces any charges or fees. And that is something that has to be very clear,’ says Arsenio Dominguez.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– UN/Organization of Islamic Cooperation
– Security Council
– Syria
– Palestine
– Lebanon
– Military Operation
– Civil Defense
– Missing people
– Guest Tomorrow
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-23
Source: United Nations (video statements)
As conflicts escalate across the Middle East and beyond, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns that military solutions cannot deliver lasting peace.
Addressing the UN Security Council, he calls for restraint, protection of civilians, and renewed diplomacy before further escalation takes hold.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Too often, children are casualties of war. Sometimes, they’re even forced to fight.
That’s the case in South Sudan, where UNICEF – the UN Children’s Fund, together with the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) – work with the Government to support the release and reintegration of underage fighters. The agency’s Chief of Child Protection, Brendan Ross, explains from the capital Juba.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– UN/Organization of Islamic Cooperation
– Security Council
– Nicaragua
– Sudan
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Central African Republic
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Ukraine
– Guests Tomorrow
– Financial contribution
UN/ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION
Starting today until 24 July, the General Cooperation Meeting between the Unoted Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and their specialized bodies is taking place at our own Offices in Geneva. This is a gathering that takes place every two years.
Co-chaired by Dr. Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, the Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs for the OIC, and Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the meeting will see high-level representatives from nearly 50 UN and OIC agencies, funds and programmes.
In his opening comments, Mr. Khiari emphasized the great value that the UN places on the support it receives from the OIC.
During the meeting, representatives of the two organizations will hold discussions on a full range of issues of common concern relevant to OIC Member States, including political, economic, and social issues.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Secretary-General addressed the Security Council debate on natural resource governance and he said that, across our world, the control and exploitation of natural resources are dramatically altering the causes, dynamics, and the outcomes of conflict.
Mr. Guterres said that critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements are gaining in strategic importance. He noted the illegal mining and mineral smuggling in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the exploitation of gold and gum arabic that has been taking place in Sudan, which have flagged to you not too long ago.
The Secretary-General stressed four urgent priorities for the way ahead: ensuring justice for countries and communities that have resources; curbing illicit flows and strengthening transparency across mineral supply chains; the peaceful settlement of disputes over natural resources; and taking climate analysis into account.
The Council also heard remarks from the head, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.
NICARAGUA
In answer to question on the recent statements made by the Government of Nicaragua on elections, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is closely following developments in Nicaragua and is concerned about the continuing erosion of civic and political space in that country. The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk earlier released a statement deploring Nicaragua’s deepening restrictions on civil and political freedoms.
The Secretary-General recalls that authorities have a responsibility to uphold human rights and ensure that all citizens can participate freely and safely in public life, including by exercising their right to vote in elections that guarantee the free expression of the will of the electorate.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-22
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Sudan is facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis – and gold is helping pay for it.
Armed groups are competing for control of Sudan’s natural resources. According to an independent UN panel of experts, the Rapid Support Forces have seized a number of gold mines in Darfur, giving them a steady source of money, weapons and influence. Both the RSF and the rival Sudanese Armed Forces are backed by outside supporters, and those revenues have helped both sides bring in drones and heavy weapons — escalating the war while civilians are trapped in the crossfire.
More than 14 million people have been forced from their homes. The UN has imposed an arms embargo and targeted sanctions, and is delivering relief aid, but far more funding is needed to save lives.
After more than a thousand days of war, the world’s largest displacement crisis is still not getting the attention it deserves.
▸ Part of the "Minerals, Conflict and Peace" collection: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBylw2Xwpq-g&si=O5DpwWdPH0aNt59F
#Sudan #Darfur #GoldMining #ConflictMinerals #HumanitarianCrisis #Displacement #UnitedNations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Briefing by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on on Natural resources governance: the foundation of peace, security and prosperity.
