Category: United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press Conference by Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on his recent travel to the Middle East.

UNICEF senior official Ted Chaiban said, “One in three people in Gaza are going days without food,” warning that “we are at a crossroads. The choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children live or die.”

Ted Chaiban is the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations. He briefed reporters today (01 Aug) in New York after returning from a five-day mission to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Chaiban highlighted, “Gaza now faces a grave risk of famine,” adding that “more than 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition.”

The UNICEF humanitarian also said that there has been some easing of humanitarian access after the pauses announced by Israel, adding that the Agency has over 1,500 trucks of life-saving supplies ready across corridors in Egypt, Jordan, Ashdod, and Turkey.

“Some have begun to move, and we have delivered in the last couple of days 33 trucks of life-saving infant formula, High Energy Biscuits and hygiene kits,” he explained.

This is still a fraction of what is needed, Chaiban said, explaining that a big part of his mission has been advocacy and engagement with the Israeli authorities in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

He said, “We pressed for a review of their military rules of engagement to protect civilians and children. Children should not be getting killed waiting in line at a nutrition centre or collecting water, and people should not be so desperate as to have to rush a convoy for food. We called for more humanitarian aid and commercial traffic to come in – moving closer towards 500 trucks a day – to stabilize the situation and reduce the desperation of the population and also the looting and, what we call it self-distribution, when the population goes after a convoy, and also looting, when armed groups go after it because the price of food is so high.”

On getting the aid to the people, Chaiban said, “We know what must be done and what can be done. The UN and NGOs that form the humanitarian community can address this, along with commercial traffic, if the measures are in place to allow access and eventually have enough goods in the Strip that some of the issues that are there with law and order abate.”

Asked about airdropping aid, the UNICEF official said, “Airdrops cannot replace the volume and the scale that convoys by road can achieve.”

He continued, “what’s needed is simply not feasible in terms of volume, in terms of access through airdrops. And so try every modality, but what’s clearly needed is to move back towards a volume of around 500 trucks a day, through all routes and that includes both humanitarian aid and commercial as I have said.”

Chaiban also said that for children who have access to ready to use therapeutic food, whose mother also has access to specialized foods, they can physically recover relatively quickly with sustained food, however, the emotional well-being, the risk of stunting the mental health of the child will “get worse and worse the longer the child is in the situation that it’s in.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpW8Drs09tQ

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Secretary-General’s remarks at the Centre for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan
————–
Distinguished President Tokayev and my dear friend,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a profound honour to join you today.

We have just signed the host country agreement for the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

The Centre represents the opening of a new chapter – for the region and for our collective journey towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

It symbolizes the new era of cooperation in Central Asia – grounded in shared priorities and solutions.

And it holds great potential for showing how the strong bonds among the region’s leaders can translate into deeper economic integration, for the benefit of all people.

This is more essential than ever.
And I commend President Tokayev for his vision and his leadership in helping to shape this new Central Asia that will become more and more a fundamental power in our world order.

I thank Member States for supporting this initiative.

And I salute the people of Kazakhstan for their warm welcome.

Almaty is a fitting home for this Centre.

This is a city of history, resilience, and vision.

And Kazakhstan is an ideal and generous host.

This country has long served as a bridge between East and West, tradition and innovation.

The Centre has been mandated by the General Assembly, and I look forward to its operationalization – with terms of reference being finalized and leadership appointments to follow.

Soon, it will serve as a hub for regional collaboration … a laboratory for ideas … and a launchpad for action.

It will bring together governments, UN country teams, civil society, academia, the private sector, regional organizations, and financial institutions – to develop coordinated, country-led efforts;

And tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time – from climate change and water scarcity to youth unemployment, gender inequality and digital exclusion.

Working together with our Resident Coordinators and Country Teams, it will contribute to accelerating progress toward the 2030 Agenda in Central Asia and Afghanistan – driven by the spirit of solidarity and shared responsibility that defines the United Nations.

Excellencies, dear friends,

We are only five years away from 2030 – but far from our destination.

The world is facing complex and interlinked challenges that threaten sustainable development.

Poverty is stalling. Hunger and malnutrition are plaguing societies. Inequalities are deepening. Conflicts continue to tear communities apart. And the climate crisis is accelerating.

In Central Asia, climate change is already draining water supplies, melting glaciers, and fuelling natural disasters.

The shrinking of the Aral Sea is a stark reminder of the region’s environmental vulnerability.

Rising trade tensions and global uncertainty compound these risks.

The region’s landlocked geography presents additional barriers – to trade, connectivity, financing, and access to global markets.

That is why I am especially pleased to be here on the eve of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan.

This Centre can become a vital pioneer in implementing the Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries;

Today, we must say that Kazakhstan is no longer a landlocked country. Kazakhstan is a centre in the global trade system.

A centre in the global logistics, transportation and the telecommunication system with its corridors on roads, railways, fiber optics and transforming this country in really a bridge from East and West, North and South.

And the Centre can help ensure that the aspirations of landlocked nations are not constrained by geography – but can empower by cooperation and regional solutions.

It will build on the region’s greatest asset – its people.

Young people, women, entrepreneurs, and civil society – these are the true engines of progress, driving the innovation and resilience needed to leave no one behind.

The Centre will support data-driven policy, spark innovation, and amplify the voices of those too often unheard.

And nowhere is that cooperation more urgent than in our support to Afghanistan.

The people of Afghanistan continue to face immense hardship – from entrenched poverty and mass displacement to earthquakes, climate shocks, and a fragile humanitarian landscape.
…
Full Statement: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2025-08-03/secretary-generals-remarks-the-centre-for-sustainable-development-goals-for-central-asia-and-afghanistan-delivered

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYbfyUo3T9c

Source: United Nations (video statements)

On the recent developments in Ukraine, UN senior official Miroslav Jenča said, “Diplomacy, not fighting, needs to escalate in the coming days and weeks.”

Jenča told Council in New York today (01 Aug) that overnight, between 30 and 31 July, another large-scale Russian missile and drone attack hit Kyiv. At least 31 people, including five children, were reportedly killed. 159 people, including at least 16 children, were reportedly injured. The number of children injured in this attack was the highest in a single night in the city since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion.

The Assistant Secretary-General also told Council that there are reports of civilian casualties, including civilian deaths in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation. The world body is not in a position to verify these reports but remains concerned about the increasing impact of the reported Ukrainian strikes on the civilian population in the Russian Federation.

Jenča reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately – wherever they occur.

The senior UN official also highlighted “Ukrainian people have endured nearly three and a half years of unimaginable horrors, death, devastation and destruction. They urgently need relief from this nightmare.”

He reiterated the urgent call for “an immediate, unconditional, and complete ceasefire to pave the way towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

“A peace that is in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and relevant UN resolutions in full respect of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders,” the senior UN official added.

Jenča said, “Diplomacy, not fighting, needs to escalate in the coming days and weeks. Diplomacy that leads to real, tangible, verifiable and lasting results that would be felt by the long-suffering people on the ground.”

“The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end,” he concluded.

For his part, Russian Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said, “the expired princeling in Kyiv is not interested in easing the plight and suffering of his civilians, but rather in presenting such situations provoked by him presenting them as intentional Russian strikes.”

“His only goal here is to save his own height and convince his sponsors to continue financial and military support to his agonizing, dictatorial and corrupted regime,” Ambassador Polyanskiy continued.

He added, “The abuse of the Security Council meetings so as to shift the responsibility for the death of his own citizens, is a favorite trick of Ukraine.”

The Russian Ambassador concluded by underscoring once again that his government is not against discussing the Ukrainian crisis in the Council. “We’re against making the tragedy of the Ukrainians who became hostages of the Zelenskyy regime, and his maniacal will to sacrifice them on the altar of geopolitical interests that is exploited in the Council for political reasons,” he said.

“ It’s disrespectful and indifferent to the suffering of tens of thousands of people who are dying and suffering in other areas of the world, and Western members of Security Council are in no hurry to ask for meetings on that,” Ambassador Polyanskiy said.

Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Chargée d’Affaires of Ukraine to the United Nations also spoke at the Council.

She said, “Once again, the world witnessed Russia’s response to our desire for peace, shared with the United States and Europe: new killings, more destroyed homes.”

“It is a deliberate campaign to terrorize civilians and destroy any notion of normal life in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.

She continued, This effort is propped up by Iran and the DPRK, in blatant defiance of numerous Security Council resolutions. These regimes supply Moscow with drones, missiles, and ammunition, while Chinese companies continue to provide dual-use goods and equipment – contributions that further fuel Russia’s ability to wage war and deepen the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people.”

Chargée d’Affaires Hayovyshyn pointed out, “Russia awaits the international law to be defeated, they believe that the world will look away and that justice will be avoided.”

“Don’t push the horses. This will not be the case,” she said, adding that “Russian illusions will shatter against the unbreakable resiliency of the Ukrainian people. Russian illusions will shatter against the unyielding will of the international community. Because we stand united in defense of justice and freedom.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-owahYy5G8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press conference by Eloy Alfaro de Alba, President of the Security Council for the month of August (Panama), on the programme of work for the month of August 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMm6A47XXg

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The HLPF will be held from Monday, 14 July, to Wednesday, 23 July 2025, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council.

Opening
Unlocking means of implementation: Mobilizing financing and STI for the SDGs (Townhall meeting)

-How can countries and stakeholders advance a coherent framework for financing the SDGs? 
-What are the key outcomes from the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) which can be addressed in the short-term?
-How can promising science and technology solutions for the SDGs be scaled up? 
-What innovative examples were highlighted at the 10th Multi-Stakeholder Forum on STI for the SDGs?

—

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from Monday, 14 July, to Wednesday, 23 July 2025, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 21 July, to Wednesday, 23 July 2025, as part of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC.

The theme of the HLPF will be "Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind"

Five Sustainable Development Goals would be the focus of HLPF 2025 

SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being
SDG 5 – Gender Equality
SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 14 – Life Below Water
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals

The 2025 HLPF is expected to bring together ministerial and high-level representatives of governments, as well as a wide range of expertise and stakeholders, including heads of UN entities, academics and other experts, and representatives of major groups and other stakeholders. 

37 countries will present a Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) at the 2025 HLPF: Angola, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Thailand.  

Watch in 6 UN official languages: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1f/k1fv876o81

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FEcMRkKdGw

Source: United Nations (video statements)

World Food Programme (WFP) deputy chief Carl Skau said, “one in three people in Gaza goes for days without eating.” He once again called for a ceasefire and the access for humanitarian aid, the Programme has "enough food on the borders to be delivered to the entire population for some two months," he said.

The Deputy Executive Director briefed reporters today (11 Jul) in New York on his recent visit to Gaza.

“Starvation is spreading,” Skau said, referring to the recent IPC report a few weeks ago pointing to the entire population being acutely food insecure and 500,000 people in starvation, he added, “it’s much worse now. Malnutrition is surging.”

The senior WFP official also highlighted the displacement in the Strip. He said, “I’ve met families who have moved maybe two or three times. Now it’s a situation where I meet families who have moved two or three times in the past ten days. They have moved 20 or 30 times, and obviously every time they are able to bring less and the margins to survive become slimmer

Skau also said that the Programme’s ability to response and assist as humanitarians “have never been more constrained.”

“The first issue is obviously the amount that we are able to bring in. It’s just a fraction of what’s needed,” he explained, adding that the price of a kilo of wheat flour was over $25 during his visit last week.

Skau described the operating environment for his team as “impossible.”

He said, “Some 85 percent now of the territory, there are active military operations. Our teams get stuck in waiting for clearances and at checkpoints, often spending between 15 to 20 hours straight in the armored vehicles trying to escort our convoys.”

“There’s not enough fuel. There are not enough spare parts to our vehicles. Most of the windows in our armored vehicles have been damaged, and we don’t have basic communication. Radio, antennas from our cars have been ripped off. And so, if you are more than 20 metres away from each other, we don’t have proper communication. And that, it is really an issue when you are in this kind of environment, he added.

The Deputy Executive Director also informed the reporters that WFP has been “actively engaging with Israeli authorities over the past few weeks.”

He noted that there were some agreements in terms of improving the conditions, but the implementation of the agreements is not yet enough.

Skau reiterated that WFP has enough food on the borders to deliver to the entire population for some two months, “but obviously we need that ceasefire and we need conditions within that ceasefire.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFmi37nXRCk

Source: United Nations (video statements)

“Since the spring of this year, first Pakistan, then Iran and now possibly others, such as Tajikistan, are fomenting the mass return of Afghan refugees,” a UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.

Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, addressed the press virtually from Kabul today (11 Jul), in New York on the country’s humanitarian situation, notably on the increase of Afghan returns in adverse circumstances

He reported, “Since the spring of this year, first Pakistan, then Iran and now possibly others, such as Tajikistan, are fomenting the mass return of Afghan refugees. Some people are moving in a voluntary fashion, but others are not.”

He said, “Of concern to us is the scale, the intensity and the manner in which returns are occurring. In terms of the scale, over 1.6 million Afghans have returned from both Pakistan and Iran this year alone, including 1.3 million from Iran.”

He also said, “At the Iran Afghanistan border, where I just was a few days ago, and to which I’m heading again tomorrow, we are seeing peaks of over 40,000 people a day. And on the fourth of July, we actually saw 50,000 people coming across that border. Many of these returnees are arriving having been abruptly uprooted and having undergone arduous, exhausting and degrading journeys.”

He highlighted, “And while they are from Afghanistan, they often appear to be not of Afghanistan. Often born abroad, with better education and different cultural norms. Their outlook is different from and often at all with present day in Afghanistan. We are particularly concerned about the fate of women and girls in a country in which their most basic human rights are at risk and not respected.”

He continued, “What we are seeing with these returns is precarity layered upon poverty, on drought, human rights abuses and an instable region. In other words, we are having a deeply impoverished people coming to a country that is itself, while welcoming wholly unprepared to receive them.”

He stressed, “Many will be left with a desperate choice: Do they flee, or do they fight? Do they do they come home find nothing to do and simply bounce back to Iran, to Turkey and on to Europe? Or if they are, particularly if they are working age men, are they going to be victims of those groups that are prowling the countryside looking for recruits for their various causes.”

He concluded, “We are calling for restraint, for resources, for dialog and for international cooperation to stem an evolving chaotic situation and to foster a more stable outcome for all of us.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-mb6ZnlqMU

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Deputy International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan today (10 Jul) told the Security Council that the Office of the Prosecutor has “reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur.”

Khan described a series of ongoing violations, including hospitals, humanitarian convoys, and other civilian objects apparently being targeted; famine escalating and humanitarian aid not reaching those in need; people being deprived of water and food; rape and sexual violence being weaponized; and abductions for ransom or to bolster the ranks of armed groups becoming common practice.

She said, “we come together at a time when it can seem difficult to find appropriate words to describe the depth of suffering in Darfur. The humanitarian position has reached an intolerable state.”

The Deputy Prosecutor noted the Office’s conclusions are grounded on the activities it has been undertaking in the last six months and in earlier reporting periods, relying on documentary, testimonial, and digital evidence, collected and analysed by the Office.

She said, “drawing on the over 7,000 evidence items collected to date, the Office of the Prosecutor remains focused on delivering concrete landmarks, so as to respond to the legitimate and impassioned calls for justice heard from victims and survivors.”

Khan said, “to those on the ground in Darfur now; to those inflicting unimaginable atrocities on its population; they may feel a sense of impunity at this moment, as Ali Kushayb may have in the past. But we are working intensively to ensure that the Ali Kushayb trial represents only the first of many in relation to this situation at the International Criminal Court.”

On 9 July 2021, Pre-Trial Chamber II confirmed all the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity brought by the Prosecutor against Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman – commonly known as Ali Kushayb – and committed him to trial. The trial ended on 13 December 2024

Khan said, “there is an inescapable pattern of offending, targeting gender and ethnicity through rape and sexual violence which must be translated into evidence for the Court and the world to hear,” and stressed that “these alleged crimes are being given particular priority by our Office as we proceed with focus in our investigative work.”

Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed, for his part told the Council that “militia of the Rapid Support are launching an all-out destruction war against the state without the main parameters of a regular army.”

Al-Harith Mohamed, said, “they lack unity of control and command or even knowledge of the rules of engagement. They are established based on communal bases. The recruitment is based on ethnicity. They have been designated as a terrorist group.

On the other hand, he continued, “the soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces are coming from all strata of the Sudanese society they have been trained on IHL (International Humanitarian Law); they follow a strict code of conduct. They also apply the principles of precaution and distinction. We’ve also, through our spokesperson, have issued a number of statements warning citizens from any potential areas that might be turned into a theatre of war. “

Outside the Council, Ambassadors Michael Imran Kanu of Sierra Leone and Sandra Jensen Landi of Denmark issued a statement joined by Representatives from France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

Kanu said, “we express, position to the office for their continued dedication to their mandate under exceptional, challenging circumstances. We welcome the ongoing intensive activities with respect to the situation in Darfur, reflected in the report. Based on extensive testimonial, digital and documentary evidence collected, the office has confirmed it has reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and continue to be committed in Darfur.’

Landi, for her part said, “we remain steadfast in upholding the principles enshrined in the Rome Statute and defending the court’s integrity against any threats or actions targeting the institution, its officials, or cooperating partners. Such actions are counterproductive to our shared goal of ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes, promoting the rule of law, and fostering lasting respect for international law, including human rights.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtVhuTh5Dnc

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Countries must urgently step up to transform their HIV responses amid an international funding crisis that risks millions of lives, a new UN report said.

UNAIDS today launched its 2025 Global AIDS Update, AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform, which shows that a historic funding crisis is threatening to unravel decades of progress unless countries can make radical shifts to HIV programming and funding.

Angeli Achrekar, UNAIDS Assistant Secretary-General, addressed virtually the press today (10 Jul) in New York about the report and said, “The report details one of the most successful public health responses in history, saving nearly 27 million lives, and showing what’s possible when the world comes together in solidarity. Right now, we show that 31 point 6 million people living with HIV, or 77 percent of all people living with HIV globally are on life saving treatment. This is extraordinary progress, and what we saw by the end of 2024 is that the end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 was indeed in sight.”

The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are having on countries most affected by HIV.

Achrekar said, “There has been a sudden, abrupt, wave of massive cuts and weakening of aid consensus from the single largest HIV donor, but also other governments all over the world since January 2025, and onwards. And what’s happening is that it’s putting the entire global HIV response in peril.”

Yet it also showcases some inspiring examples of resilience, with countries and communities stepping up in the face of adversity to protect the gains made and drive the HIV response forward.

Some 25 of the 60 low and middle-income countries included in the report have indicated increases in domestic budgets for their HIV responses in 2026.

The estimated collective rise among the 25 countries amounts to 8 percent above current levels, translating to approximately USD 180 million in additional domestic resources.

Achrekar said, “We’re seeing phenomenal new tools, a suite of long-acting HIV prevention medicines that are already coming to market with injections just twice a year, that are nearly 100 percent effective at preventing and stopping HIV transmission from occurring.”

This is promising, but not sufficient to replace the scale of international funding in countries that are heavily reliant.

Achrekar explained, “We have modeled in this report and show that if the world does not act to mitigate and really ensure that there is continuity of support and resources for HIV prevention and treatment efforts, an additional 6 million HIV infections and an additional 4 million AIDS deaths will occur by 2029. What this means is that we will return to the late 1990s and early 2000s when the epidemic would it was at its deadliest peak.”

She continued, “The number of countries criminalizing key populations had increased. Bans on same sex relations are now in 64 countries, and sex work in 168 countries. This dangerous trend limits access to HIV prevention and treatment services, and again, makes the progress of getting to end AIDS and get that response back on track even harder.”

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Beginning in late October 2012 in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Sandy grew into what some media reports described as a “once in a generation” storm, causing death and destruction across the Caribbean region and the eastern seaboard of the United States.
In the Caribbean, five million people were affected and 72 people died. In Haiti, 54 people died, and hundreds of thousands of people were hit by floods and heavy winds. In Cuba, 20 per cent of the country’s population was affected. Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas also suffered significantly.
Sandy’s arrival, and its effects, in New York City, where the United Nations is headquartered, led to the UN offices being closed for an unprecedented three days straight, with most meetings cancelled, before re-opening on Thursday, 1 November 2012.
The UN complex sustained damage due to high wind and flooding, which affected communications and other infrastructure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEj9bc2bH3E