Source: United Nations (video statements)
Plastic pollution poses a serious threat to human health and the environment, with over 430 million tonnes of plastic produced every year, two-thirds of which soon become waste. In 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly began to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution. Negotiations to finalize a global agreement are underway in Geneva from 5 to 14 August 2025.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries opens an opportunity to explore meaningful partnerships to unlock the potential of landlocked developing countries.
– Opening Ceremony
– Plenary Session, General Debate
Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), lacking direct sea access, face hurdles in trade, connectivity, and development. Without coastal ports, they rely on transit nations, causing higher trade costs and delays. Despite challenges, LLDCs host vibrant communities with untapped potential.
The Third UN Conference on LLDCs offers a chance to explore solutions and forge partnerships, addressing challenges and unlocking their full potential for a more equitable and prosperous future.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary – General / Travel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Syria
Yemen
Sudan
Uganda
New Resident Coordinators
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
In response to questions about the videos of the Israeli hostages shown by Hamas, the Deputy Spokesperson said the Secretary-General was very shocked by this unacceptable violation of human dignity.
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that many people reportedly continue to be killed and injured, including people seeking food along the UN convoy routes and militarized distribution points. Some 1,500 people have been reportedly killed since May.
Meanwhile, our colleagues continue to risk their lives to provide life-saving assistance. On Sunday, Israeli air strikes killed a health worker from the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Khan Younis.
Furthermore, yesterday, the Israeli military issued yet another displacement order in Gaza City, covering the neighborhood of Tufah. OCHA says that these orders continue to push people into overcrowded, unsafe areas with no shelters and essential supplies. OCHA reminds us that only 12 per cent of Gaza is outside the Israeli-militarized zone or areas affected by displacement orders. Our partners are still unable to respond to shelter needs due to zero stock, with no shelter supplies having entered Gaza since early March.
In the past few days, the UN and our partners have managed to collect wheat flour, ready-to-eat rations and hot meal commodities from the crossings; however, most of the cargo was offloaded by the hungry crowds before reaching its destinations.
While nutrition supplies have entered during the past week, including high-energy biscuits for pregnant and breastfeeding women and infant formula, and hygiene kits, UNICEF emphasized yesterday that this is still a fraction of what is needed and reminded that malnutrition among children in Gaza is reaching catastrophic levels.
The UN and our partners reiterate that a ceasefire is critically needed to reach all those in need and urge for the continued facilitation of a sustained, uninterrupted and scaled-up flow of aid, including commercial goods.
Regarding fuel, yesterday, the UN was able to collect about 200,000 litres from Kerem Shalom crossing; however, the limited quantities that have been entering Gaza since last week do not suffice to remedy the shortages.
For example, water, sanitation and hygiene operations continue to be affected by the lack of fuel. While some 70,000 litres of fuel are needed every day for emergency operations, only 29,000 litres have been received, which is far below the minimum quantity needed.
In a welcome development, Israeli authorities have approved an increase in the number of fuel tankers that are allowed to enter per week. We will update you once we have clarity.
As we enter the second week since the Israeli announcement of the tactical pause to allow safe passages for our convoys, colleagues tell us that realities on the ground remain largely the same. Aid that has entered remains by far insufficient for the starving population and our convoys continue to face impediments on their way to delivering aid.
Some missions inside Gaza take more than 18 hours to be completed. The teams are compelled to wait for more than 10 hours at a stretch on the roads, which are often dangerous, congested or impassable.
Yesterday, while seven out of 11 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated, OCHA tells us that two others were impeded; one to collect health items was not fully accomplished; one was cancelled by the organizers.
Turning to the West Bank, OCHA tells us that violence by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian communities continues unabated. Settler violence incidents are on the rise. Last week, OCHA documented at least 24 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. OCHA reiterates its call for the protection of civilians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=04%20August%202025
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Rather than follow in the footsteps of his late father, a Nobel-prize winning writer, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa opted instead to serve humanity. Now the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Representative to Syria, he just witnessed a historic end to 14 years of conflict and crisis.
“There were these long, long lines of cars of Syrian refugees coming back from Lebanon. So many of them stopped the car the moment that they entered Syria, they got out of the car, they kissed the ground … saying we are so happy to be back in this new Syria,” Gonzalo shared.
The fall of the Assad regime has brought fresh hope for millions of displaced Syrians. Yet with a lack of housing, services and jobs still preventing most from returning, the UN is calling for action to support returnees.
In this episode, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa looks back on a career full of seismic turning points, and reflects on the painful sacrifices of a life spent in service.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:10] A turning point in Damascus
[04:10] A new atmosphere
[10:28] The emotional reunions
[12:42] Fears of another exodus
[15:43] What keeps Gonzalo awake at night
[19:29] Gonzalo’s humanitarian awakening
[25:16] Why work in the field matters
[27:23] The personal cost
[34:22] A hope for the future
[35:41] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #Syria #refugees
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.
More info: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-gonzalo-vargas-llosa-what-next-for-syria-refugees
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Rather than follow in the footsteps of his late father, a Nobel-prize winning writer, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa opted instead to serve humanity. Now the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Representative to Syria, he just witnessed a historic end to 14 years of conflict and crisis.
“There were these long, long lines of cars of Syrian refugees coming back from Lebanon. So many of them stopped the car the moment that they entered Syria, they got out of the car, they kissed the ground … saying we are so happy to be back in this new Syria,” Gonzalo shared.
The fall of the Assad regime has brought fresh hope for millions of displaced Syrians. Yet with a lack of housing, services and jobs still preventing most from returning, the UN is calling for action to support returnees.
In this episode, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa looks back on a career full of seismic turning points, and reflects on the painful sacrifices of a life spent in service.
Full podcast: https://youtu.be/rLEjDXUboEI
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #Syria #refugees
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 chan
More info: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-gonzalo-vargas-llosa-what-next-for-syria-refugees
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Sudan
– Somalia
– Pacific Tsunami Warnings
– Haiti
– Cholera
– Tax Cooperation
– International Days
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that four days since the start of tactical pauses in Gaza declared by the Israeli authorities, we are still seeing casualties among those seeking aid and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition.
Parents continue to struggle to save their starving children. In a social media post, UNICEF said that this is a condition that we can prevent and called for increased humanitarian access.
Aid workers in Gaza have not been spared. UN partners report high workloads, burnout and exhaustion – due mainly to the lack of food – among frontline workers as well as among caseworkers in mental health and psycho-social support facilities.
While the UN and its partners are taking advantage of any opportunity to support people in need during the unilateral tactical pauses, the conditions for the delivery of aid and supplies are far from sufficient. As an example of the delivery of aid challenges, you’ll recall that the Kerem Shalom crossing is a fenced-off area. For our drivers to access it, Israeli authorities must approve the mission, provide a safe route through which to travel, provide multiple ‘green lights’ on movement, as well as a pause in bombing, and, ultimately, open the iron gates to allow us to enter.
On the issue of fuel, last week, the UN brought in limited quantities of fuel through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, almost half of which were transferred to the north to support vital health, emergency, water and telecommunications needs.
OCHA reiterates that current fuel entries are insufficient to meet life-saving critical needs and represent a drop in the ocean of needs.
OCHA again stresses that a permanent ceasefire is needed more than ever. Unilateral tactical pauses alone do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense needs levels in Gaza.
Meanwhile, desperate, hungry people continue to offload the small amounts of aid from the trucks that are able to exit the crossings.
The UN and our partners continue to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza with the Israeli authorities. Yesterday, three facilitated missions allowed our staff to collect cargo containing food from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and allowed for fuel to be transferred within Gaza. However, the others faced impediments, particularly delays in receiving the green light to move by the Israeli authorities, and one had to be cancelled.
OCHA reiterates that in order to scale-up the delivery of aid in a manner that begins to meet people’s tremendous needs, it is critical that all crossings must open, a broad range of supplies – both humanitarian and commercial – be allowed to enter, aid movements inside Gaza be safeguarded and facilitated in a timely manner, and that humanitarians be allowed to do their jobs.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=30+July+2025
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Myanmar
Helsinki Final Act
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
UNIFIL
Ukraine
Haiti
Security Council
Briefings Tomorrow
MYANMAR
The UN remains concerned by ongoing violence in Myanmar, including aerial bombardment hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected. Any pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence and unimpeded access of relief workers and supplies to meet the enormous humanitarian needs exacerbated since the 28 March earthquakes.
The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the military’s plan to hold elections amid ongoing conflict and human rights violations and without conditions, including safety and security, that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights.
Security Council Resolution 2669 (2022) calls for immediately releasing all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi; upholding democratic institutions and processes; and pursuing in constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.
The United Nations is committed to staying and delivering in Myanmar and to working with all stakeholders, including ASEAN and other regional actors, to attain sustainable peace.
HELSINKI FINAL ACT
Today, the Secretary-General addressed via a video message the High-level Conference commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. He noted that we are witnessing a dangerous drift away from commitments that have safeguarded peace for generations. Yet, he said, in this moment of peril, the values enshrined in the UN Charter and echoed in the Helsinki Final Act – sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence – remain our moral and strategic compass.
The Secretary-General called on all to recommit to the spirit of Helsinki by strengthening regional partnerships to renew multilateralism, by principled leadership to uphold international law, and by forging unity of purpose to build a future of mutual respect, resilience, and shared prosperity.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=31%20July%202025
Source: United Nations (video statements)
As a young white activist in South Africa, Nicholas Haysom risked detention to oppose the apartheid regime, later working alongside Nelson Mandela. Now Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission there, he is still striving tirelessly in pursuit of peace and human rights.
“The lesson of [Nelson] Mandela is not just being a nice person, it’s perseverance in your ideals. It’ll change the world.”
After a long and varied career, Nicholas (Fink) Haysom is supporting recovery and resilience in South Sudan, the UN’s newest member state. In this episode, he reflects on helping the world’s youngest nation build a better future, on why thorny negotiations are always necessary to move on from any civil war, and on why lasting peace should never be taken for granted.
[00:00] Introduction
[02:01] Growing up in Apartheid South Africa
[04:35] Political awakening and activism
[06:44] Enduring arrests and solitary confinement
[10:33] The end of apartheid
[12:58] Becoming Nelson Mandela’s legal advisor
[15:23] Working with Nelson Mandela and lessons learned
[19:06] Joining the United Nations
[21:55] Challenges of peace agreements
[23:56] Leading UN efforts in South Sudan
[27:09] What keeps Nicholas awake at night
[28:00] Gratitude for a meaningful career
[30:06] Hope for the next generation
[31:22] Seeing Mandela’s statue at UNHQ
[32:34] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #SouthSudan #NelsonMandela
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.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres briefed Member States during an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the next phase of the UN80 Initiative, highlighting steps needed to streamline how the organization implements the thousands of mandates that guide its work.
“As we all know, these problems have grown worse. We must learn from what went wrong. We must do better. And I believe we can,” Guterres said today (Aug 01), referring to inefficiencies in the mandate system.
The briefing followed the circulation of a report on 31 July 2025, presenting findings from Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative, a Mandate Implementation Review, which examines the structures, processes, and services related to mandate creation, delivery, and review. The report does not assess the content or merit of any mandates themselves.
Launched in March 2025, the UN80 Initiative aims to enhance the United Nations’ efficiency, effectiveness, and responsiveness to global challenges in the lead-up to the Organization’s 80th anniversary. The initiative focuses on three reform tracks: internal efficiency, mandate implementation review, and structural and programmatic reforms.
Since 1946, the UN’s three main organs, the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council, along with their subsidiary bodies, have issued mandates through over 40,000 resolutions, decisions, and presidential statements. These mandates define the UN’s activities and hold the Secretariat accountable, yet their sheer volume and complexity have created a “vast – and often opaque” landscape, the Secretary-General said.
“There is no easy way to know what already exists, or what has been adopted across different bodies,” he warned. “The risks of duplication and overlap are clear.”
Guterres emphasized that mandates are the responsibility of Member States, “They are the expression of your will. And they are the sole property and responsibility of Member States. The vital task of creating, reviewing or retiring them lies with you – and you alone. Our role is to implement them – fully, faithfully, and efficiently.” He called for reforms that would include “fewer meetings, fewer reports,” and more tailored, transparent systems for monitoring and reporting on mandate implementation.
UN80 Initiative:
https://www.un.org/en/delegate/guterres-prioritizes-reform-un80-initiative-launch
Letter by the President of the General Assembly:
https://www.un.org/pga/79/2025/07/18/letter-from-the-president-of-the-general-assembly-on-the-briefing-on-the-report-of-the-secretary-general-on-the-un80-initiative/
