Category: United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:

Iran/Israel
Security Council/Afternoon
Ukraine
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Peacekeeping
Switzerland
Children and Armed Conflict
World Refugee Day
Sudan
Sri Lanka
International Days
Guests on Monday

IRAN/ISRAEL
Speaking to the Security Council this morning, the Secretary-General urged Israel and Iran to give peace a chance and warned Council members that we are not drifting toward crisis – we are racing toward it.
He said that the Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international security and Iran must respect it. The only way to bridge the trust gap with Iran, he added, is through diplomacy to establish a credible, comprehensive and verifiable solution – including full access to inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mr. Guterres warned that the only thing that is predictable is that the consequences of continuing this conflict are unpredictable.
Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Council that the scope and scale of attacks in Iran and Israel continue to widen, with grave consequences for civilians in both countries. The intensifying cycle of attacks and counterattacks has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, including fatalities, in both Iran and Israel.
She added that we are teetering on the edge of a full-blown conflict and a humanitarian crisis. International humanitarian law must be respected, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attack.
Ms. DiCarlo said that we welcome the talks between the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, the UK, and Iran in Geneva today. We strongly encourage such efforts. We must pursue every possible opportunity to de-escalate, to cease the hostilities, to settle disputes by peaceful means, she said.
Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, told the Council that attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security there. Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur, he said.
Mr. Grossi said that he is ready to travel immediately and to engage with all relevant parties to help ensure the protection of nuclear facilities and the continued peaceful use of nuclear technology in accordance with the Agency mandate, including by deploying Agency nuclear safety and security experts wherever necessary.

SECURITY COUNCIL/AFTERNOON
At 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will reconvene for a briefing on Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine. Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, and Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at OCHA, are expected to brief Council members.

UKRAINE
On Ukraine, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that today, attacks in the cities of Kharkiv and Odesa killed and injured civilians, including children and first responders. This is according to local authorities. Homes, education facilities and utility pipelines were also damaged. Additional casualties were reported in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, and Dnipro. In Odesa and Kharkiv, humanitarian organizations, supporting local responders, provided hot meals, emergency shelter and psychosocial support.
Meanwhile, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy today delivered vital aid to the community of Bilozerka in the region of Kherson, in the south of the country. The supplies included hygiene items, bed linen, kitchen sets, first aid kits and a charging station. The area remains under constant shelling, and thousands of residents need humanitarian aid. This was the second humanitarian convoy to reach front-line areas of the Kherson region this week. Our humanitarian colleagues note that some 9.4 million Ukrainians are still displaced inside the country or abroad—more than four years since the full-scale invasion and over a decade into the war that began in 2014. This includes 5.6 million refugees globally, according to the UN Refugee Agency. The International Organization for Migration says that another 3.8 million people remain internally displaced.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=20%20June%202025

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Last year, 41,370 grave violations against children were documented and verified by the United Nations, according to the Secretary-General’s annual report on children in armed conflict.

Speaking to reporters today (20 Jun), Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba told reporters that the 41,370 verified incidents in 2024 – “is now the highest number of grave violations against children in armed conflict since the inception of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate almost 30 years ago.”

The numbers cover the 25 country situations, and one regional monitoring arrangement included in the children and armed conflict report, she explained.

“Wars and Armed conflict inflicted excruciating levels of violence on children. As conflicts rage across the globe, children around the world are being killed, maimed, starved, or raped,” Gamba said.

She added, “It is as if parties to war and conflict, and we -the international community- choose to settle our disputes through military means at an enormous cost for our children, rather than choosing to negotiate peace for the benefit of all children.”

The Special Representative stressed that behind the numbers of this year’s report are the shattered stories, dreams, and futures of 22,495 children, “each of them profoundly affected by war, displacement, and the collapse of protection systems that should have served as their shield.

Gamba said, “Countries with the highest levels of violations in 2024 were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.  Most grave violations showed an increase in 2024, including attacks on schools (44 percent), and rape and other forms of sexual violence (35 percent). “

The Special Representative expressed her “deep concern” at the continuous increase in verified incidents of sexual violence against children, as the numbers had already increased by 25 percent between 2022 and 2023.

She said, “Data for some countries is particularly staggering. For instance, in 2024, for Haiti alone, over 550 children were victims of sexual violence, with over 70 per cent of cases involving gang rape. In Nigeria, over 400 children were subjected to sexual violence, including forced marriage. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations verified that over 350 girls were subjected to sexual violence including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery.”

The Special Representative reiterated that children living amidst hostilities are being robbed of their childhood, adding that parties to conflict who, instead of recognizing the special protection afforded to children, are blatantly ignoring international law and show little to no political will.

“The magnitude of the suffering of the children in Gaza defies and contravenes every human standard,” Gamba continued, stressing, “we cannot continue to stand by and watch with no action.”

“There is no justification for depriving children of access to survival means such food, healthcare, and security,” calling Israel to “facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to civilians in need in the Gaza Strip.”

The Special Representative added, “it is imperative that the armed groups inside Gaza prime humanitarian relief over their political aspirations, including through the immediate release of all Israeli hostages, alive or dead.”

Gamba called on the international community to “recommit to the universal consensus to protect children from armed conflict, and on parties to conflict to immediately end their wars which are fought over the bodies of their own children.”

“All parties to conflict must uphold the core principles of International Humanitarian Law that impose limits on the destruction and suffering caused by armed conflict: humanity, distinction, proportionality and necessity,” the Special Representative concluded.

The report was published on Thursday (19 Jun) and will be presented in a meeting to the security Council next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlGz-4lSw8A

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Media stakeout by Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, on Iran.

——-

Talking to reporters outside the Council before the meeting, Danon said, “the same regime whose Supreme Leader calls for the extermination of Israel and the United States, whose operatives have plotted assassinations of elected leaders, now sends its ambassador to cry victim before the Security Council. This week alone, the ambassador over Iran submitted five letters within a week, five letters, not to condemn terrorism, not to announce it is dismantling its nuclear program, but to seek sympathy for a regime that funds, arms, and orchestrates terror across the globe. Iran is not under attack. Iran is being stopped.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kKUcGNrGjE

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Secretary-General António Guterres today (20 Jun) called on the parties to the Israel – Iran conflict, as well as potential parties to the conflict, to “give peace a chance,” and said, “let us act — responsibly and together — to pull the region, and our world, back from the brink.”

Addressing the Security Council, Guterres said, “there are moments when the choices before us are not just consequential — they are defining. Moments when the direction taken will shape not only the fate of nations, but potentially, our collective future. This is such a moment.”

Guterres said, “the world is watching with growing alarm. We are not drifting toward crisis – we are racing toward it. We are not witnessing isolated incidents — we are on course to potential chaos. The expansion of this conflict could ignite a fire that no one can control. We must not let that happen.”

He said, “the only thing that is predictable is that the consequences of continuing this conflict are unpredictable. Let us not look back on this decisive moment with regret.”

Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, for her part said, “the intensifying cycle of attacks and counterattacks has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, including fatalities, in both Iran and Israel,” reporting to the Council official Iranian figures of 224 people killed and more than 2,500 others injured in Israeli strikes across Iran as of 19 June, 90 percent of them civilians.

Other estimates, she said, “based on local non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, suggest the death toll is at least double the official figure.”

In Israel, DiCarlo continued, “the Office of the Prime Minister stated that, as of 19 June, Iran’s strikes have killed 24 people and injured 915 others, the vast majority civilians. The strikes have also damaged homes, leading to the displacement of Israelis.”

IAEA Director-General Mariano Grossi briefing the Council via video teleconference, said, “attacks on nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic of Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in Iran. Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur.”

Grossi said, “in case of an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment. Similarly, a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor’s core to melt, which could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment. In their worst-case, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions, such as evacuations and sheltering of the population or the need to take stable iodine, with the reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometres.”

He said, “any action against the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor could have severe consequences, potentially for large areas of the city of Tehran and its inhabitants.”

Shea told the Council that “while the United States was not involved in Israel’s strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”

She said, “Iran’s leaders could have avoided this conflict had they agreed to a deal that would have prevented them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon, but they refused to do so – choosing instead to delay and deny.”

Iranian Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani for his part said Israeli airstrikes were “an assault on the global non-proliferation regime,” and called on the Council to “implement its resolution.”

Iravani said, “if the Council fails to act now, it will send a message that international law and resolutions apply selectively. If the non-proliferation regime collapses, this Council will share responsibility with the Israeli regime.”

The Iranian Ambassador said, “Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and under the world’s most extensive inspections. Iran has long advocated for a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in the Middle East. Israel is the only possessor of undeclared nuclear weapons in the region. It’s refused to accede to the NPT and blocked regional disarmament efforts.”

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, addressing Iravani directly, said, “you are not a victim. You are not even a diplomat. You are a wolf pretending to be a diplomat. And we are done pretending otherwise.”

Danon told the Council that “Iran has already enriched uranium to new weapon-grade levels,” and “has built deep underground facilities designed to survive bunker busting bombs.”

He said Iran “has advanced missile delivery systems, and it has lied to the IAEA and the world at every step,” stressing that “there must finally be an acknowledgment that there is no greater threat to international peace and security than a nuclear Iran.”

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Since 2019, the UN DPPA Innovation Cell and the Qatar Computing Research Institute have partnered to bring cutting-edge technology into the heart of diplomacy.

Since 2019, the UN DPPA Innovation Cell has partnered with the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) to bring cutting-edge technology into the heart of diplomacy. Through a shared commitment to innovation, the collaboration has led to the development of advanced tools and approaches for political analysis and peacebuilding. One of the highlights of this partnership is the co-designed E-Analytics and Innovation Course, hosted in Doha, which brings together UN staff and data scientists to explore how machine learning, natural language processing, and digital tools can enhance conflict prevention and mediation efforts. The course is not just about skill-building; it’s about reimagining how diplomacy can evolve in a data-driven world.

Produced by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs(UN DPPA)Innovation Cell.

https://dppa.un.org/en/innovation
https://futuringpeace.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7UZrDs0Pgc

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Statement to the Security Council by Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
—
Attacks on nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic of Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in Iran. Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has been monitoring closely the situation at Iran’s nuclear sites since Israel began its attacks a week ago. As part of its mission, the IAEA is the global nerve centre for information on nuclear and radiological safety, and we can respond to any nuclear or radiological emergency.

Based on information available to the IAEA, the following is the current situation at Iran’s nuclear sites.

The Natanz enrichment site contains two facilities. The first is the main Fuel Enrichment Plant. Initial attacks on the 13th of June targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the facility, including an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators. On the same day, the main cascade hall appears to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions.

The second facility at Natanz is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant. It consists of aboveground and underground cascade halls. On the 13th of June the above-ground part was functionally destroyed and the strikes on the underground cascade halls were seriously damaging.

The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment.

However, within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination. It is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility. The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if inhaled or ingested. This risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory devices. The main concern inside the facility is chemical toxicity.

Fordow is Iran’s main enrichment location for enriching uranium to 60%. The Agency is not aware of any damage at Fordow at this time.

At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in last Friday’s attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor-fuel manufacturing plant, and the enriched uranium metal processing facility, which was under construction.

No increase of off-site radiation levels was reported. As in Natanz, the main concern is chemical toxicity.

The Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor under construction in Arak, was hit on the 19th of June. As the reactor was not operational and did not contain any nuclear material, no radiological consequence is expected. The nearby Heavy Water Production Plant is also assessed to have been hit, and similarly no radiological consequence is expected.

As stated in the IAEA’s update of the 18th of June, at the Tehran Research Center, one building, where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested, was hit. At the Karaj workshop, two buildings, where different centrifuge components were manufactured, were destroyed. There was no radiological impact, internally or externally.

Let me now refer to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences of an attack could be most serious. It is an operating nuclear power plant and as such it hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. Countries of the region have reached out directly to me to express their concerns, and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: In case of an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment.

Similarly, a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor’s core to melt, which could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment. In their worst-case, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions, such as evacuations and sheltering of the population or the need to take stable iodine, with the reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometres. Radiation monitoring would need to cover distances of several hundred kilometres and food restrictions may need to be implemented.

Any action against the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor could have severe consequences, potentially for large areas of the city of Iran and its inhabitants. In such a case, protective actions would need to be taken.

I will continue to provide public updates about the developments at all these sites and their possible health and environmental consequences.
—
Full transcript of the statement: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1wefaw024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWyztUGEL8U

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s9dUnBbnLs

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on Threats to international peace and security.
—
We meet as the scope and scale of attacks in Iran and Israel continue to widen, with grave consequences for civilians in both countries.

In Iran, Israel claims to have targeted over 100 military sites and nuclear facilities, including the Kermanshah missile base, the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, and the Khondab (former Araak) heavy water reactor.

At the same time, government buildings, homes and residential neighborhoods, factories, hospitals, airports, and refineries have been struck in and around Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Ahvaz, among other cities.

The bombing on 17 June of Iran’s state-run television channel during a live broadcast marked a chilling moment.

Residents of Tehran and other cities have received warnings to evacuate on more than one occasion. Iran has closed its airspace until further notice and has shut some border crossings.

In Israel, residential neighborhoods and essential infrastructure have been hit throughout the country, notably in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Bat Yam, Dimona, Petah Tikva, and Eilat.

Several civilian sites have been directly impacted by Iran’s airstrikes, including the Weizmann research institute in Rehovot, the Bazan petrochemical complex in Haifa, and yesterday, the Soroka Medical center in Beersheba.

A state of national emergency remains in place, with severe restrictions on air travel. Several areas in the occupied West Bank have also been impacted, and checkpoints and road closures are impacting movement, particularly for Palestinians.

Throughout the region, airspace remains severely constrained by these exchanges, not only within Iran and Israel, but also throughout Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and beyond.

The intensifying cycle of attacks and counterattacks has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, including fatalities, in both Iran and Israel.

According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, as of 19 June, 224 people had been killed and more than 2,500 others injured in Israeli strikes across Iran. The Health Ministry added that 90 per cent of the victims were civilians.

Other estimates, based on local non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, suggest the death toll is at least double the official figure.

In addition, there have been over 20 high-ranking Iranian military leaders killed, notably the Commander and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, the IRGC Commander-in-Chief and IRGC Intelligence Chief, as well as several nuclear scientists.

We have also received reports of significant displacement out of Tehran – a city of over 12 million residents – resulting in massive traffic jams. Fuel shortages are leading to long queues at petrol stations, sometimes for over five hours, further hampering movement.

And still, many remain trapped in their homes in Tehran with nowhere to flee. In the absence of bomb shelters or air raid sirens in the city and widespread internet blackouts, further strikes are bound to harm more civilians.

In Israel, the Office of the Prime Minister stated that, as of 19 June, Iran’s strikes have killed 24 people and injured 915 others, the vast majority civilians. The strikes have also damaged homes, leading to the displacement of Israelis.

—

We are teetering on the edge of a full-blown conflict and a humanitarian crisis.

International humanitarian law must be respected, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attack.

Attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, and indiscriminate attacks, are strictly prohibited. Medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected.

We are witnessing in real time the impact of the conflict regionally, with missile launches by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel, and heightened tensions involving armed groups in Iraq.

With each passing day of fighting, the danger, particularly for civilians, grows. Interceptions and explosives falling short have been reported over Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, sending debris into populated areas, sowing fear, and uncertainty.

—

At the center of the ongoing conflict are concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. As the Secretary-General has consistently stated, the best way to address these concerns is through dialogue leading to a negotiated solution.

Israel’s attacks on nuclear installations are alarming, as is the risk of an expanded conflict.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdPD5n-lFUM

Source: United Nations (video statements)

At the UN DPPA Innovation Cell, innovation goes beyond technology. We integrate design thinking, foresight, behavioral science, AI and digital tools to strengthen political analysis, dialogue, and decision-making in the field of peace and security.

Celebrating World Creativity and Innovation Week in April 2025, the UN DPPA Innovation Cell presents a short film offering a glimpse into a different kind of innovation—one rooted in human-centered design, political insight, and creative problem-solving. In a world of growing complexity, the Cell brings together foresight, behavioral science, AI, and digital tools to support conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding. This video invites viewers into the Cell’s unique approach, where imagination, data, and diplomacy meet to shape more adaptive and inclusive responses to global challenges.

Produced by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA)Innovation Cell.
https://dppa.un.org/en/innovation
https://futuringpeace.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAuqNQSz49s

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Threats to international peace and security – UN Security Council, 9941st meeting.

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