Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Sudan
Sudan/Humanitarian
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Lebanon/Israel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
BBNJ
Sport for Development and Peace
Financial Contribution
SUDAN
The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, is continuing his engagements in the region. He is currently in Nairobi, where he met today with the head of the Rapid Support Forces Commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti. This follows his recent meeting with General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Republic of Sudan, and also meeting with the authorities in Khartoum as part of his continuing inaugural discussions.
The meetings afforded a constructive opportunity to exchange views and explore practical avenues for de-escalation and the protection of civilians.
All stakeholders engaged by Mr. Haavisto throughout these visits have expressed their readiness to cooperate with the United Nations and the Personal Envoy.
This is encouraging and must swiftly translate into concrete progress towards ending the suffering of all Sudanese, once and for all.
And just to flag that over the weekend, Mr. Haavisto was in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where he met with Egyptian officials there, as well as representatives of the League of Arab States and members of the Sudanese diaspora in Cairo.
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
On the humanitarian front, UN teams on the ground are scaling up their presence in Khartoum, to expand humanitarian operations. Our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, is returning to Khartoum with a core team from our humanitarian unit. Most of the OCHA team is remaining in Port Sudan for now, but a number of other agencies have opened up offices in Khartoum over previous months. These offices were closed since the start of the war, as you well know. The arrival of Ms. Brown and her team signals a renewed commitment to expanding humanitarian operations in the capital and beyond, at a time when needs are skyrocketing. More than 1.6 million Sudanese people have also returned to Khartoum in recent months, even as explosive remnants of war and damaged infrastructure continue to pose serious risks.
As the three-year mark of hostilities in Sudan approaches, we reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, an immediate cessation of hostilities, and rapid, safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access.
Once again, our humanitarian colleagues are sounding the alarm that drone attacks continue to endanger civilians and deepen humanitarian needs throughout Sudan. In White Nile State, an attack on Al Jabalayn Teaching Hospital last Thursday reportedly killed 10 health workers and injured 22 others, obviously severely disrupting all services at the teaching hospital. We reiterate that medical personnel and facilities must be protected, as international humanitarian law requires.
Since the conflict began nearly three years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified more than 200 such attacks, with over 2,000 people killed. In the first quarter of this year alone, 13 attacks against health targets have been verified, killing 184 people and injuring nearly 300 others.
We need adequate funding to deliver humanitarian assistance in Sudan. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which requires $2.9 billion to reach more than 20 million people across the country, is only 16 per cent funded, with just $465 million in the bank.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-04-06