Category: United Nations

Posted on

AI Governance, Sudan & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (6 July 2026) | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:

Secretary-General/Travels
Responsibility to Protect
Sudan
Ukraine
Venezuela
Lebanon
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Abyei
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central African Republic
Myanmar
Senior Personnel Appointment
World Rural Development Day
Briefing

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS

The Secretary-General is in Geneva today, where this morning, he took part in the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

In his remarks at the Dialogue’s opening session, the Secretary-General said that, used well, and shared widely, Artificial Intelligence could compress decades of development into years. He added that the choice before us is not between faith in AI or fear of it. It is between governing by design, and drifting by default.

He shared four priorities for the road ahead.

First, safety, he said. He called for an AI Child Safety Pledge, so that when a child is harmed, the answer must never be “the algorithm did it.”

Second, the Secretary-General said we need red lines in protecting human rights.

Third, he called for capacity, adding that we cannot allow the digital divide to harden the AI divide.

The Secretary-General added that he will submit to the General Assembly his recommendations for a Global Fund for AI.

And finally, the Secretary-General reiterated his appeal for transparency through his AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, which calls on every major AI company to measure and publicly disclose the full footprint of its systems and to commit to power every data centre with renewable energy by 2030.

He also brought up the issue of lethal autonomous weapon systems, or killer robots. He reiterated his call to have them banned by international law, adding that some decisions must remain forever human, none more than taking a human life.

The Secretary-General expressed the hope that this dialogue will become the place where global participation leads to global action.

Later in the afternoon, at the Palais des Nations, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at a meeting of the International Law Commission. He said that finding legal solutions to today’s crises is a fundamental duty for us all. And shaping the future of international law, by anticipating tomorrow’s challenges, falls with particular weight on this Commission.

Throughout the day, he held a number of bilateral meetings with leaders taking part in the Global Dialogue,

The Secretary-General will back in New York tomorrow.

RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT

This morning, Courtenay Rattray, the Chef de Cabinet, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at an event marking the 21st anniversary of the adoption of the commitment of the Responsibility to Protect, in which Member States undertook a promise to take collective action, timely and decisive action in line with the UN Charter if a State fails to uphold its responsibility to protect its own people.

In those remarks, the Secretary-General told Member States that the Responsibility to Protect commitment is now more vital than ever, with the world facing more than 120 conflicts in 2025.

He also warned that we need to be proactive and vigilant, and to act before warning signs become mass graves.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-06

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-7lCji-xq4

Posted on

They survived the genocide in Srebrenica. Now they guard its memory.

Source: United Nations (video statements)

In July 1995, over 8000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were murdered in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb forces in a killing recognized by international courts as genocide.

Today, three survivors work at the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial — keeping the record against those who deny it happened.

This is the opening of The Memory Keepers of Srebrenica, a short documentary produced by the United Nations to mark the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide.

Full film on the United Nations YouTube channel on 9 July.

#Srebrenica #Potočari #Shorts #SrebrenicaMemorialCenter

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0kJqG59LueU

Posted on

UN Budget & Finances – Press Conference | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan told reporters that on Tuesday (30 Jun), the Member States approved a budget of $5.1 billion for peacekeeping, “which is about $550 million less than last year, which is a 9.7 percent reduction.”

“About 1,100 civilian posts also being reduced,” he added.

Asked about the two biggest financial contributors of the UN, Ramanathan said that on the regular budget, “China owes us another US dollars 428 million, which we expect them to pay maybe in September and December into installments.”

“The US also was assessed US dollars 767 million. They paid 160. We’ve been told that they were planning to make a payment in April and July. The April payment didn’t happen, so they are still telling us that the payment is on its way and we are expecting a payment.”

The Controller also said, “our assumptions are based on collections from both of them, if either of them doesn’t pay in time, we have a little bit of a crisis in September, but if they don’t pay at all or pay a less than their original amount, then we have a little bit of a challenge at the end of the year. But even if both of them pay, we’re going to end the year with pretty much our cash gone.”

Ramanathan also emphasized that the new methodology “prevents a crash” but “it does not do away with all the problems.”

He said, “the expectation should not be that suddenly we are in a great shape and we’re going. No, we have prevented a crash. We ensure that the boat can get to the coast. It does not mean that it’s strong enough now to keep sailing because it still has problems. It is still vulnerable to any nonpayment.”

The UN ended 2025 with a record high of $1.6 billion in unpaid assessments, according to the Secretary-General latest report on the Organization’s financial status, issued in May.

Overall arrears across the regular budget, peacekeeping and two international tribunals exceed $6.5 billion.

At the beginning of this year, the UN implemented strict cash conservation measures to both reduce and slow expenditures.

Until Tuesday night (30 Jun), the financial rules, established 80 years ago, required the UN to give back any unspent funds to Member States as credits against future assessments.

This applied even when underspending results from late contributions or from funds that were never received.

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

Posted on

US-Iran Ceasefire Strains as Attacks Hit Bahrain and Kuwait – Briefing | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Addressing a Security Council emergency session as a fragile US-Iran ceasefire came under renewed strain following fresh military exchanges, Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Spehar said, “residential areas, ports, energy facilities, commercial vessels and maritime personnel must be protected” and “merchant shipping should not be used as a tool of pressure.”

The military exchanges have reportedly included in recent days attacks by Iran on Bahrain and Kuwait.

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

Posted on

Bahrain on Iran – Media Stakeout | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Informal comments to the media by Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the situation in the Middle East – Security Council Media Stakeout.
—
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister told reporters outside the Council that “Iran has once again launched ballistic missiles and armed drones against my country, striking civilian areas in direct breach of its commitment under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding of the 17th of June to permanently cease military operations.”

He said, “these attacks must stop. Council resolutions must be implemented, and international commitments must be honoured. The credibility of this Council rests on not on adopting resolutions, but on seeing them upheld. “

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFjGnj6zFkc

Posted on

Building the Foundations for Human Dignity, with Jorge Moreira da Silva | UNOPS | Awake at Night

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Fighting for and believing in change is in Jorge Moreira da Silva’s blood. Now executive director of UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the former Portuguese minister is helping to improve lives. From restoring roads and repairing power plants to running health centres and constructing renewable energy mini-grids, UNOPS implements projects in more than 130 countries – often in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

“It’s about providing social basic human needs. We have found a way to provide livelihoods to 15 million people in Afghanistan…rehabilitating roads, streets, water canals, paying men and women to do the job.”

In this episode, Jorge Moreira da Silva reflects on the practical and political challenges of delivering projects in complex environments – from funding gaps to lack of political will. He also shares how releasing an Iberian lynx and earning his pilot’s license have to do with keeping hope alive through dark times.

Since this interview was recorded, the UN Secretary-General has appointed Jorge Moreira da Silva to lead the UN task force for the Strait of Hormuz. The Initiative aims to facilitate the delivery and movement of much needed fertilisers and related raw materials to Asia and the African continent. The urgent delivery of these fertilisers is crucial to avert more hunger and food insecurity. He has been engaged in extensive consultations with all parties involved to drive this initiative.

[00:00] Introduction
[00:43] UNOPS: Fit for Service
[02:55] Infrastructure as a lifeline
[05:30] Highlighting impactful climate and energy projects
[07:34] Providing livelihoods for 15 million people in Afghanistan
[09:30] Delivering aid under political constraints
[11:03] Witnessing the devastation in Gaza
[18:51] Restoring human dignity through infrastructure
[21:00] The risks humanitarians take
[23:57] War’s impact on children in Ukraine
[25:54] Confronting global injustice
[27:35] Path to the United Nations
[31:21] Family, sacrifice, and service
[34:13] Personal time and balance
[36:11] A vision for a better world
[38:34] Closing remarks

Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #UnitedNations #AwakeAtNight #UNOPS #Infrastructure

About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0618xFbT_M