Category: United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

World Food Program (WFP) Country Director in Venezuela Stephanie Hochstetter described the situation in the country as “devastating” after the twin earthquakes, reiterating that the Programme is working with the authorities to reach people who are in need of assistance.

Hochstetter spoke to reporters today via video link from La Guaira. She said, “search and rescue efforts are now giving way to a full-blown humanitarian response and the need for food, safe water, shelter and just essential services is immediate and critical.”

The WFP official said the communities affected by the earthquakes are concerned of how to get food on a daily basis. She said, “some of them still cook, but it’s currently difficult to buy food in the in the current context, which is why we’re also providing food to them, to cook. And we’re also providing ready to eat food.”

Hochstetter also said, “WFP has more than 3, 000 metric tons of food in country, so that’s enough to feed more than 10,000 families for two months,” adding that the Programme is procuring additional supplies.

She said, “there is food availability in Venezuela, so we are procuring locally. And in addition, we have available stocks in Colombia that can be rapidly reallocated to support the emergency response.”

Hochstetter highlighted that WFP has an “unmatched” logistical footprint in the states hardest hit by the earthquakes, and across the region. She said, “in coordination with the authorities, scaling up, will be possible very quickly.”

Asked about challenges, the WFP official said, “as in any other catastrophe of this magnitude, it’s just the setting up and reaching the people as quickly as possible. The prepositioning of food in the country did help very much, because we already have the food in the country. But at the same time, we’re not sure how to the extent of the need. So we are working with our colleagues in Colombia to get the food we need eventually in case of need.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5vKlxyo81s

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Comments to the media by Ambassador Leonor Zalabata, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of June, following informal dialogues between Council members and the candidates for Secretary-General, Ms. Michelle Bachelet and Ms. Rebeca Grynspan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yOSTwq9RcA

Source: United Nations (video statements)

After devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, thousands of families have been left without homes, food and access to basic services.
Speaking from one of the hardest-hit areas, the World Food Programme (WFP) describes the growing humanitarian response as search and rescue operations transition to emergency relief.

WFP has already reached 1,200 people with emergency food assistance and plans to support up to 500,000 people over the next three months, while scaling up logistics and humanitarian operations alongside the Government of Venezuela and UN partners.

As immediate rescue efforts give way to longer-term recovery, sustained humanitarian support will be critical to helping affected communities rebuild.

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:

– Briefings Tomorrow
– UN Relief and Works Agency
– occupied Palestinian territory
– World Congress Against the Death Penalty
– Deputy Secretary-General/Travels
– Venezuela
– South Sudan
– Central African Republic
– Climate/Transport
– Ebola
– AI and Children
– Special Political Missions 1945–2025: an Overview
– International Days
– Financial Contribution
—————————————

BRIEFINGS TOMORROW

Tomorrow, at 11:00 a.m., there will be a briefing here by the UN Secretary-General to introduce the preliminary report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. He will be joined by Panel co-chairs Yoshua Bengio of Canada and Maria Ressa of the Philippines to present the findings ahead of the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance, to be held in Geneva on 6–7 July.  

We also expect a briefing here tomorrow by Ambassador Zénon Mukongo Ngay, Permanent Representative of the of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations and Security Council President for the month of July.

We expected a briefing by the controller Chandramouli "Chandru" Ramanathan on the budget.

UN RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY

The Secretary-General told Member States at a meeting this morning for voluntary contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, that today’s event is happening while the safety and welfare of millions of Palestine refugees hang in the balance. In Gaza, he noted, Israeli attacks have killed more than a thousand Palestinians since, and despite, the ceasefire announced last October.

Mr. Guterres warned that, despite all the services it provides to Palestinians throughout the Middle East, the Agency’s situation is increasingly precarious. It faces sweeping restrictions throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. And a cash shortfall that imperils its work across the region.

The Secretary-General said he is deeply concerned about UNRWA’s liquidity crisis, which jeopardizes its ability to implement its mandate.

Earlier this year, UNRWA was compelled to reduce its service delivery hours by 20 per cent. That meant reducing salaries for most local personnel and keeping 15 per cent of international posts vacant.

He added that he is appalled by continuing efforts to marginalize and undermine UNRWA – through disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA says humanitarian teams in the Gaza Strip are assessing the needs of those affected by yesterday’s airstrike on Al Muwasi area of Khan Younis. 

Initial information suggests that – in addition to the killing of a mother and her baby girl – more than 150 families have had their tents destroyed. The tents of 250 other families were also damaged. 

Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXkhcwwTbq4

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee expressed alarm at “the recent escalatory rhetoric and potential for further spillover “of the Ukraine war, and said, “everything must be done to prevent this from happening.”

Briefing the Security Council, Pobee said increased attacks by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in recent weeks have caused “greater civilian casualties and damage,” and added that “only today, at least 15 people were reportedly killed across Ukraine due to Russian aerial strikes.”

She said, “drone strikes on industrial, military and energy sites have also reportedly continued to result in civilian casualties inside the Russian Federation.”

Pobee, who is Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) said, “a drone strike reportedly hit a bus carrying a Belarusian youth soccer team in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. According to Russian and Belarusian authorities, one pregnant woman was killed and nine people, six of them children, were injured.”

She stressed the United Nations “does not have additional information about the incident.”

Pobee urged the Russian Federation, Ukraine and “all concerned member States to avoid any steps that could cause this war, either intentionally or unintentionally, to spread further.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UceHpT4HdRM

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the UNRWA Pledging Conference 2026.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_CcGzswm0U

Source: United Nations (video statements)

More than 500 aftershocks have followed the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, where search and rescue teams continue working in a high-risk environment.
According to official figures shared during a UN briefing, 1,450 people have lost their lives, more than 3,000 have been injured, and over 12,000 people have been displaced. Despite being beyond the critical 72-hour window, rescuers are still finding survivors beneath the rubble.
International teams from 27 countries, alongside more than 2,000 rescue personnel and 160 search dogs, are supporting the ongoing humanitarian response.
This video features excerpts from a UN operational briefing and highlights the resilience of affected communities and the global solidarity supporting relief efforts.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wYmGqj3Jdwo

Source: United Nations (video statements)

@unitednations
▶ https://youtu.be/F24g2DhQUb8

Elpida Rouka’s first name means hope in Greek, a feeling that can sometimes be elusive when serving in the most troubled places on earth. Currently a senior political affairs officer in Geneva, she is a survivor of the 2003 Baghdad Canal Hotel bombing, the deadliest attack in UN history.

“First you feel the shake, and the light, and then the blast, the sound comes. I blacked out between exiting the building, but when I was out, there was just a scene of a massacre. The only thing I recall after that was being thrown a phone and told: ‘Call your parents, now.’”

Humanitarian workers are routinely exposed to primary and secondary trauma. Yet stigma and survivor’s guilt can prevent aid workers seeking timely help for post-traumatic stress. In this episode, Elpida Rouka reflects on grief, loss, and mental and physical scars, and shares why the exact wording of the preamble of the UN Charter has helped give her the strength to heal.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QxIfPLeQud8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov reiterated the Secretary-General’s "strong condemnation of the relentless expansion and acceleration of Israeli settlements in the West Bank," stressing that all settlement activity and related infrastructure "must cease immediately."

The Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator spoke to the Council today (29 Jun) via video link.

Alakbarov said the escalating violence and tensions in the West Bank are “highly concerning.”

He condemned all violence against civilians, including acts of terror, echoing the Secretary-General’s “deep concern over persistent and intensifying settler attacks.”

Alakbarov also remained “deeply concerned” by ongoing attacks by Palestinians against Israelis. “All perpetrators must be held accountable,” he reiterated.

The Deputy Special Coordinator also expressed concern over growing threats to the status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem. He reiterated, “the status quo must be respected and upheld, in line with the special and historic role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”

Alakbarov echoed the Secretary-General in “condemning in the strongest terms the Israeli authorities’ decision to establish military facilities at the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in East Jerusalem.”

He urged the Government of Israel to “rescind its decision and immediately return to the United Nations the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound.”

The UN official also urged Member States to “continue to politically support and financially sustain UNRWA.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMZE2ac7eSc

Source: United Nations (video statements)

More than 500 aftershocks have struck Venezuela since twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 hit last Wednesday, including a 5.2-magnitude tremor early Monday, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country said.

Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Venezuela, briefed reporters in New York City virtually, saying authorities continue operating in a “high-risk environment” amid the ongoing seismic activity.

Seven states have been affected, with La Guaira state and the Capital District of Caracas hit hardest, he said.
As of the latest update Sunday night, 1,450 people had died, more than 3,000 were injured and over 12,000 displaced, according to government figures cited by Rampolla del Tindaro. He said the toll would “unavoidably and sadly keep on growing” as search-and-rescue operations continue.

The government-led response remains focused primarily on search and rescue, he said. Although the response has passed the 72-hour window considered critical for finding survivors, rescuers continue pulling people from the rubble alive.

“Yesterday alone, seven persons were pulled out of the rubble alive,” he said.

Twenty-seven countries have mobilized more than 40 search-and-rescue teams, comprising over 2,000 personnel and more than 160 dogs, he said.

At least 2,500 structures have been affected, most of them fully collapsed, he said, with humanitarian partners procuring 10,000 body bags as a contingency measure agreed with national authorities.

“At least 2500 structures affected, most of which fully collapsed. So, we are definitely looking at a number that is higher than the one already reported. I can give you an approximate indicator – we are procuring (and this is something that has been agreed with the authorities here) 10,000 body bags,” he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbdHDddS9DI