Category: United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:

High-Level Political Forum
Iran
Passing of the Former Emir of Qatar
Yemen
UNIFIL
Occupied Palestinian Territory
El Niño
Venezuela
Ukraine
Afghanistan
The Global Higher Education Symposium II
Briefings Tomorrow

HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM

This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the Opening of the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum. He told the Member States that we have made important progress on the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals. He pointed to lower child and maternal mortality; greater access to social protection, safe drinking water, sanitation, electricity and the internet; faster declines in harmful practices like child marriage; and exponential growth in renewable energy.

But Mr. Guterres warned that our journey has faced some major setbacks in recent years, and we’re now entering the toughest stretch of our journey. He said that the world is now far from meeting SDG 6, with about 2.2 billion people still lacking safely-managed drinking water, and 3.5 billion lacking safely-managed sanitation.

The Secretary-General added that artificial intelligence must reduce inequalities and mitigate the environmental impacts, and not multiply them.

And, lastly, the Secretary-General said that we need urgent action to close the SDG financing gap, which now stands at over $4 trillion annually.

IRAN

In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern at the serious escalation and renewed military confrontations in the Gulf region, including the Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the attacks by the United States on Iran, and the attacks by Iran on targets in neighbouring countries. These attacks must all stop, he said.

Mr. Guterres calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action and take immediate steps to, in fact, de-escalate. 

The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences, for the peoples of the region, for international peace and security, and for the global economy. He further reaffirms the need for the restoration of the full freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Secretary-General urges Iran and the United States to urgently resume negotiations and to address outstanding issues through diplomacy.

Speaking of diplomacy, I can confirm that, on his first visit to Iran, the officer-in-charge of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean Arnault, met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. Mr. Arnault outlined the UN efforts for the implementation of resolution 1701 and his understanding of the challenges ahead. He sought the views of Iran on the situation, and the support that countries in the region can provide to the Lebanese aspirations to peace, to sovereignty and to territorial integrity.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34YPJHcvFq0

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Opening the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Secretary-General António Guterres said, “our mission is clear: to accelerate progress at scale and speed.”

Guterres addressed the ministerial segment of the Forum today (13 Jul) in New York. The UN chief warned that the world is now entering the toughest stretch of its journey. Conflicts are multiplying.

He reiterated, “the ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Gulf region must be fully established and respected. And the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law must be respected.”

Guterres noted that crisis by crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals are drifting further out of reach. Just 36 per cent of the 139 assessable SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, and 15 per cent have gone into reverse.

He highlighted that need to accelerate progress at scale and speed, by “investing in the proven tools of poverty reduction — from education to universal health coverage, energy security, and adaptive social protection systems. By adopting policies that promote decent work, gender equality and technological access. By grounding progress in human rights. And by protecting our planet through climate action, biodiversity conservation and a just transition to renewable energy.”

Guterres also said, driven by overconsumption, pollution and climate change, the world is using freshwater faster that it can be replenished, with permanent, irreversible effects on many river basins, lakes, aquifers and freshwater ecosystems.

He said, “governments, the private sector, businesses and communities must work together to fill gaps in finance, innovation, infrastructure, capacities and governance,” adding “they must join forces and leverage resources to build accountable, equitable, and inclusive institutions that secure clean water and sanitation for all, manage conflicting demands on water, and address the growing risks stemming from unsustainable water use and climate change.”

The UN chief also stressed, “Artificial Intelligence must reduce inequalities and mitigate the environmental impacts — not multiply them.”

On partnerships, Guterres reiterated, “we must recognize that governments cannot act alone,” adding “development requires all hands on deck — businesses, development banks, innovators, civil society, community leaders and young people. And it requires south-south cooperation, so countries can benefit from shared development expertise and experience without limiting the need for north-south cooperation to continue.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqwFKo1p8fg

Source: United Nations (video statements)

With fewer than five years remaining to achieve the SDGs, this panel discussion provides a candid assessment of our global trajectory based on The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026. Speakers will highlight the tangible gains achieved through purposeful global action, demonstrating that SDG implementation successfully transforms lives at scale. However, the core of the discussion will address the severe headwinds stalling systemic progress. Panelists will unpack how escalating conflicts, slowing economic growth, climate chaos, rising debt burdens, and declining aid have created deeply uneven and insufficient outcomes. The session will outline solutions on what is needed to help accelerate the SDGs before 2030.

Speakers:
– Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for DESA
– Shantanu Mukherjee, Acting Director, UNSD
– Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division

Moderator: Chelsea Miller, Global strategist, advisor, and CEO of CPM Global

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXiZu1YZtU8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press Conference by Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat; Ambassador Erastus Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations; and Shirley Pryce, Jamaica Household Workers Union, GROOTS Jamaica, Huairou Commission and Member of the UN-Habitat Advisory Group on Gender Issues. They briefed on Renewing Commitments on Sustainable Cities and Communities and the launch of the SDG 11 Global Synthesis Report 2026.

UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach said, “adequate housing is the foundation of sustainable cities and communities. Housing is not only about shelter, it determines access to transport, employment, education, healthcare, public space and economic opportunities.”

The world is off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) on sustainable cities and communities, ten years after its adoption, according to the SDG 11 Global Report 2026, launched by UN-Habitat during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

Prepared with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), UNDRR, WHO, UNODC, UNESCO, UNEP and other partners, the report presents the United Nations system’s joint assessment of progress towards achieving SDG 11.

The report identifies the global housing crisis as one of the greatest barriers to sustainable urban development. Today, more than three billion people lack access to adequate housing, including over 1.1 billion living in informal settlements and slums.

The UN-Habitat Executive Director said, “this report reminds us that housing crisis is fundamentally a crisis of inequality. The people most affected are often those facing multiple forms of exclusion, including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, migrants, displaced populations, indigenous people, and residents of informal settlements.”

She continued, “addressing these inequalities requires more than building houses. The report calls for in-situ upgrading of slums and informal settlements in partnership with communities. Residents must be recognized as co-producers of solutions with investments that improve housing, security, infrastructure, public transport, public spaces and resilience without displacement.”

Rossbach highlighted that the report “demonstrates that climate related disasters are becoming an increasingly central urban challenge. Encouragingly, countries are strengthening resilience planning more national urban policies meet international standards, and an increasing number of countries have aligned national and local disaster risk reduction strategies.”

She added, “141 countries have national disaster risk reduction strategies, and 116 countries report aligned local strategies. However, planning must now translate into implementation through safer housing, resilient infrastructure, risk informed land use and stronger local preparedness.”

The Executive Director said, “the report concludes with a call for renewed commitment during the remaining years of the 2030 agenda,” reiterating the need for “greater investment, especially in adequate housing, stronger political leadership, improved urban governance and a renewed commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind as cities continue to grow.”

Ambassador of Kenya Erastus Ekitela Lokaale also spoke to reporters. He said, “for Kenya, these findings resonate deeply, guided by our Constitution and the bottom-up economic transformation agenda.”

He continued, “we have placed affordable housing, integrated urban planning and resilient infrastructure at the centre of our national development priorities through the Affordable housing program, informal settlement upgrading initiatives, expanded urban infrastructure and investments in sustainable mobility. We are working to ensure that urbanization becomes a driver of economic opportunity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.”

For her part, Shirley Pryce of Jamaica Household Workers Union and a member of the UN-Habitat Advisory Group on Gender Issues said, “housing is much more than a roof over our heads or four walls. Housing is dignity. It’s safety. Housing is health. Housing is opportunity. It is where children learn, where families recover, where a person finding security and where resilience begins.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeRBQvDLLkg

Source: United Nations (video statements)

“Haiti’s crisis has become deeper, more complex and more urgent,” said Youri Saadallah, Global Emergency Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, following a mission to Haiti.

Briefing reporters in New York from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he said 6.4 million people, more than half the country’s population, require humanitarian assistance, and only one in ten public health facilities with inpatient capacity are fully operational nationwide.

“Speaking not only as a humanitarian, but also as a father and, quite frankly, as a human being, the situation we witnessed is unacceptable,” Saadallah said. “The strongest message we heard was that people no longer feel safe. They are being stripped of [their] dignity. Women and children are bearing the brunt of this crisis. Sexual violence, including collective rape, is rampant. There is a disturbing sense that such abuses are becoming normal.”

Saadallah said armed groups have expanded in Port-au-Prince and infiltrated displacement sites. “One mother told us that she has to sleep on top of her daughter every night to keep her safe,” he said. “And sadly, this story is only one among the many we heard throughout our visit.”

He added that the recruitment and use of children by armed groups increased by 200 per cent, and grave violations against children rose by 21 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year. “One community center we visited removed all glass from its windows because staff fear that severely traumatized children may use the shards from these glass windows to harm themselves,” he said. “That’s the reality within the country.”

Maria Moita, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced, the highest number ever recorded due to violence in Haiti.

“Port-au-Prince remains the epicenter of Haiti’s displacement crisis,” Moita said. “Schools have become shelters. Communities have been uprooted. Safe space is almost non-existent in Haiti. Displacement sites are extremely congested. There is no space to sleep or live with dignity. There’s no space to install the most basic services, such as latrines or cooking areas. People are living on top of each other. Privacy is non-existent and therefore protection needs are immense.”

Moita said the displacement crisis extends beyond Haiti’s borders. “In Ouanaminthe and Belladère we witnessed a human impact of large-scale deportations from Dominican Republic. Humanitarian partners reported 600 to 700 forced returns every day through Ouanaminthe alone, many people are arriving with nothing. Many have already fled violence inside Haiti before they were deported.”

Saadallah and Moita are part of a group of Emergency Directors, including UN agency representatives and representatives of large NGOs, who undertook a mission to Haiti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gc9dAkA2xU

Source: United Nations (video statements)

As hazards become more frequent, complex and interconnected, cities face growing risks driven by climate change, rapid urbanization, population growth and development patterns that place people and assets in harm’s way. Extreme heat, flooding, earthquakes, technological disruptions and other hazards threaten lives, infrastructure and development gains. Ahead of the 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction under the theme “Resilience Starts at Home”, this session poses an urgent question: are our cities built to protect people where they live? With SDGs 6, 9 and 11 under review, this discussion highlights why investing in resilient cities is essential to safeguard communities and sustain progress.

Speakers:

– Mr. Kamal Kishore, SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR
– Dr. Esam Halawani, Decision Support Center Director, Al Madina Region Development Authority

Moderator: Ms. Elaine Reyes, News Anchor, UN Insider & Americas Now (CGTN America)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHuw8BA5QkU

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Survivors of the genocide in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina share how they are keeping alive the memory of the more than 8,300 men and boys who were killed in the town in July 1995.

Watch the full film "The Memory Keepers of Srebrenica": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK060SfOAC4

Featuring Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, on why truth must be told and facts must be defended

#RememberSrebrenica #srebrenica

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hm9KXmM4cxs

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy (UGPS) is helping advance the meaningful participation of uniformed women across United Nations peace operations. Through voices from Headquarters and the field, this video highlights how the meaningful participation of uniformed women contributes to more effective and inclusive peacekeeping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wobMxpsLD4g

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Survivors of the genocide in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina share how they are keeping alive the memory of the more than 8,300 men and boys who were killed in the town in July 1995.

Watch the full film "The Memory Keepers of Srebrenica": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK060SfOAC4

Featuring Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, on why truth must be told and facts must be defended

#RememberSrebrenica #srebrenica

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hm9KXmM4cxs

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Young adults want relationships, children and hopeful futures — but financial and job insecurity are standing in the way, new UNFPA survey finds.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Diene Keita briefed reporters today (8 Jul) on the launch of UNFPA’s new global report on the findings of Demographic Futures Survey.

The new UNFPA survey of more than 108,000 internet-connected young adults across 73 countries and territories offers a revealing insight into what young people today want regarding relationships, children and the future — and what they feel is standing in the way. The results of UNFPA’s Demographic Futures Survey are published today in its report Lives, Choices and Futures: What young people want and what shapes their decisions about relationships and parenthood.

Keita said, “the findings are striking. Most young people aspire to partnership and parenthood, but many do not feel the conditions are in place to achieve these goals. Economic and housing constraints were the most commonly cited barriers to both partnership and having children.”

The UNFPA chief also said, “some people have suggested that younger generation are rejecting marriage and family life. But our data shows this is simply not true,” explaining that “two thirds of the respondents say their ideal relationship involves marriage. Yet among those aged between 25 and 39 who want to have a partner, one quarter are single and not dating. Most respondents said they want to have children with two children the most commonly reported ideal family size.”

Financial security topped the list of condition young adults say they need to feel ready for parenthood, the Executive Director said.

She continued, “this was cited as important by 88 of the respondents. Stable employment followed closely at 87 percent and emotional readiness at 85 percent.”

“They are asking for the condition that would make real choice possible: decent work, affordable housing, health care, sexual and positive health services, child care support, parental leave and gender equality at work and at home,” Keita added.

Executive Director emphasized, “it is uncertainty, not unwillingness, that is making young people question whether they can start a family. And that uncertainty is not only economic. For many young people, conflict and insecurity also shape whether the futures feel safe enough to plan for a family and that distinction matter. If we misread the problem, we risk designing the wrong solution.”

She also said, “although it is clear that young people are worried, but they are not without hope. Two thirds of the respondents say they feel positive about the future, even as conflict, economic insecurity and inequality ranked among the top concerns.”

The UNFPA chief reiterated, “the right based response to demographic change is about ensuring every person has the agency the support and opportunity to make some of the most intimate and consequential decision of their lives, and that drives the work we do in helping government strengthen population data, understanding the demographic trends and development data based population policy that uphold rights and expand choice.”

She added, “all these issues are deeply, deeply political. This is precisely why open evidence-based dialog is so important.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voODMJTthZQ