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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 19 MAY 2026

 FRIENDS OF FOOTBALL 

There will be an event in the General Assembly hall this afternoon from 3 p.m. Representatives from Member States, permanent observers, particularly ambassadors, as well as high-ranking guests from the Secretariat and top soccer players, will participate in the marking of World Football Day. The event this year focuses on “Refugees and Soccer.” 

This event is being co-hosted by Bahrain and Tajikistan, who are the co-chairs of the UN Friends of Football.  

And starting at 5 p.m., there will be a soccer tournament taking place on the North lawn with permanent representatives, more junior diplomats, and a number of former professional soccer players as well as the President of the General Assembly herself. They will be competing against each other in regional groups, using a knockout system. 

5 pm, North lawn. Be there. Wear your jerseys.

FOOTBALL 

The UN Refugee Agency today announced its “Game-changing Team”, a symbolic team comprised of soccer players who have backgrounds as refugees or displaced people.  

The team embodies hope, courage, resilience and the power of what is possible when people displaced by war and persecution are met with safety, opportunity and welcome. And it highlights the power of football to be more than a game; for young refugees it can be healing, it can bring hope, belonging. It also has the power to change lives. 

This team is captained by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Alphonso Davies, who was born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled war in Liberia.  You all know that he is the current of the Canadian national football team.  

SG TRAVELS 

The Secretary-General is in Tokyo today. This morning, he chaired the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, known as the CEB, which brings together the heads of all UN agencies, for better coordination across the UN system. 

During these sessions, the CEB members reflect on current world affairs as they affect and relate to the UN system, while engaging in deliberations on “Megatrends Transforming the World”, as well as the UN80 Initiative.  

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will have an audience with His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan.  

He will also meet with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Motegi Toshimitsu. Before leaving Japan, he will also hold a press conference at the National Press club in Tokyo, and we will of course share those remarks with you. 

MOSQUE ATTACK 

In response to questions about the deadly events that took place in San Diego yesterday, the Spokesman said the Secretary‑General strongly condemns yesterday’s deadly attack on a mosque in San Diego, in California, in which three people were killed. The Secretary‑General reaffirms that attacks on places of worship are particularly heinous and stresses the urgent need to confront hatred and intolerance in all their forms. 

The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. 
He stands in solidarity with the Muslim community and calls for a full investigation into the attack. 

EBOLA 

We have an update for you on our efforts around the Ebola outbreak in both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.  

As we speak, the World Health Organization is holding the first meeting of the Emergency Committee, that was convened by Dr. Tedros, WHO’s Director-General. 

After today’s meeting, the Emergency Committee will advise on recommendations to be issued to WHO and its Member States. 

On the ground, earlier today Dr Anne Ancia, who is WHO Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reiterated that this new Ebola outbreak is occurring in a highly complex epidemiological, operational and humanitarian context—marked by insecurity, population displacement, and both densely populated and remote areas.  

She said WHO is working closely with the government, local leaders and other partners to listen and work with communities. Community engagement is key to address any sort of outbreak and getting it under control.  

WHO is supporting the scale up of surveillance, contact tracing, testing, clinical care, and cross-border preparedness. The agency has deployed experts to the field alongside national responders, and sent 12 tonnes of supplies, including personal protective equipment for frontline health workers.  

WHO is also working with partners, such as the NGOs  ALIMA and MSF, to set up treatment centres and expand care in affected areas.  

For its part, the UN Children’s Fund -UNICEF- has mobilized nearly 50 tonnes of infection prevention and control supplies, such as disinfectants and soaps, personal protective equipment, and water purification tablets and water tanks to Bunia.  

A multidisciplinary Emergency Rapid Response team is also scheduled to arrive imminently to provide technical assistance in priority areas, including support for risk communication and community engagement activities.  

UNICEF says over 2,000 community health workers are already in place, but additional capacity and resources are urgently needed to ensure effective coverage, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.                                       

For its part, the UN Refugee agency reminds us that more than 2 million internally displaced people and returnees live in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces in the eastern DRC.  

UNHCR is particularly concerned that capacity for health care in these provinces has been severely weakened, leaving displaced communities with severely reduced access to medical care, disease surveillance, isolation capacity as well as referral systems. 

The outbreak also raises serious concerns for refugees living in these affected areas.  

In North Kivu,particularly, UNHCR is also closely following the closure of the Goma–Gisenyi and Bukavu borders. They are assessing implications for cross-border movements, voluntary repatriation and humanitarian access, while strengthening prevention measures at the Goma transit centre in the DRC.                                                    

UGANDA 

Over in Uganda, the UN team there is supporting Government-led efforts to respond to the Ebola outbreak. 

Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, Leonard Zulu, with WHO leading the technical health response, the UN team, together with NGO partners has activated a coordinated, systemwide response to support national authorities in containing the outbreak and stopping further spread of this disease. 

The UN system in Uganda has already repurposed US$3.5 million in existing resources and is mobilizing additional support to strengthen response efforts on the ground.  

Agencies and partners are providing operational, logistical and community-level support, including contact tracing, cross-border surveillance, risk communication, infection prevention measures, food assistance, protective equipment and medical supplies for the affected communities as well of course as the frontline responders. 

SECURITY COUNCIL - UKRAINE 

This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on Ukraine. In her remarks, Kayoko Gotoh, the Director for the Europe and Central Asia division at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said that the war in Ukraine is becoming deadlier by the day.  

In the last week alone, we witnessed one of the largest aerial bombardments of Ukraine since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of that country in February 2022. Inside the Russian Federation, reported Ukrainian airstrikes have also led to increasing civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. She called for negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to resume without delay to prevent further escalation and to make meaningful progress towards a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. 

Also briefing was Edem Wosornu, the Director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division. She told council members that Humanitarian workers in Ukraine came under repeated attack last week. 

She detailed the incidents, including where two separate and clearly marked UN convoys were hit while carrying life-saving assistance to civilians in need. She added that other humanitarian missions were hit, injuring humanitarian workers and damaging humanitarian assets.  

These attacks are intensifying, she said and called on all parties to urgently assess these incidents, so they do not happen again.   

SECURITY COUNCIL – MIDDLE EAST 

At 3:00 pm, the Security Council will reconvene for a briefing on the situation in the Middle East, as requested by Bahrain. The Internation Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Rafael Grossi, is scheduled to brief Council members via VTC on the weekend incident in the UAE.

We are trying to get his remarks for you. If we get them, we will share them with you. 

UNIFIL 

Moving to Lebanon, the Force Commander of our peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon – UNIFIL -, Major General Diodato Abagnara, held a meeting with Ambassadors of UNIFIL Troop Contributing Countries, as well as representatives of the  permanent five Security Council members ambassadors in Beirut. General Abagnara briefed them on the situation on the ground in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL’s operations under resolution 1701, and our continued support to local communities in southern Lebanon.  

Today, until 4:00 pm, local time, UNIFIL peacekeepers reported a total of 206 firing incidents originating from IDF -Israel Defense Force- positions, and 7 trajectories attributed to Lebanese non-State actors, presumed to be Hizbullah. They also detected 5 airstrikes in our own Area of Operations. 

Yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers observed multiple airstrikes in the vicinity of Al Mansouri, Frun, Bayt Yahun, and Qabrikha. Additionally, two airstrikes were reported north of the Litani River in the vicinity of Zawtar al Gharbiya. 

And yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers observed 384 firing incidents attributed to the IDF and 43 trajectories from Lebanese non-state actors, presumed to be Hizbullah. They also observed 21 projectile interceptions over our Area of Operations. 

We continue to urge all actors to fully respect the cessation of hostilities, cease any further attacks and comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. This should be done at all times and without exception. 

Over the past day, three security cameras installed at UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura (Sector West) were seen to be removed by IDF personnel.                                                              

These cameras show the immediate vicinity of UNIFIL headquarters and are critical to help ensure the safety and security of both our premises and our military and civilian peacekeepers who are living inside the compound. We remind the IDF of their obligation to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and to respect the inviolability of UN premises. 

Amid continued violence, UNIFIL peacekeepers have facilitated the delivery of food, water, hygiene kits, medicines and medical supplies to hundreds of families. Yesterday, the UNIFIL-OCHA civil military coordination cell facilitated multiple missions by humanitarian organizations to assist affected populations in Tyre and several villages in the eastern sector of UNIFIL.  

LEBANON 

On the humanitarian front in Lebanon, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that continued hostilities are driving casualties, forcing people to flee and deepening humanitarian needs. Some 95,000 people have fled as a result of the repeated displacement orders issued since last weekend. 

Healthcare also continues to come under fire. Yesterday, a double strike in the city of Maarakeh in South Governorate, reportedly killed one paramedic. On 16 May, strikes hit a health response point in the city of Qana, as well as areas near a hospital in Nabatieh Governorate in Lebanon.  

Since 2 March, the World Health Organization has recorded 169 attacks on health care, resulting in 116 deaths and 263 injuries, including 23 attacks and 18 deaths since the ceasefire was announced, further undermining people’s access to life‑saving services.        

Our partners continue to respond how and where they can. Since 2 March, they have distributed nearly 10 million meals, as well as some 170,000 blankets and 130,000 mattresses. 

But the humanitarian response is significantly underfunded. The Lebanon Flash Appeal has received just over half – that is about $158 million - of what is actually needed. 

In light of continued hostilities and rising needs, the Humanitarian Country Team, in consultation with the Lebanese Government, is working to extend the Flash Appeal, which had initially been set to run for only three months, so that aid can continue to be delivered to those who need it, but for that we need cash. &�Բ�����; 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that yesterday, 20 patients and over 40 of their companions were medically evacuated through the Rafah Crossing, with support from the World Health Organization and its partners. &�Բ�����;

As a reminder, thousands of people still need medical services that are unavailable in Gaza. Once referrals to the West Bank resume, including to East Jerusalem, more patients will be able to access care. Meanwhile, scaling up health services within Gaza remains a top priority, which requires facilitating the entry of critical equipment. 

Also yesterday, the International Organization for Migration said that in collaboration with local partners, it continued to increase emergency shelter interventions in April, using repurposed wood and metal pallets that are used to bring in humanitarian goods into Gaza.  

This has enabled the production of 73 large family kits which include high-quality, durable plastic sheets, nails, wire and rope for securing materials. It has also enabled installation of safer and more insulated shelters for high-risk households that include newborns. &�Բ�����;

You’ll recall that about 900,000 people across the Strip remain in need of emergency shelter assistance. At present, partners are managing around a third (522) of the 1,652 sites across the Strip. 

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, our OCHA colleagues reports that a 32-year-old Palestinian died from his wounds yesterday after having been shot by Israeli forces in Hebron, where he attempted to access Israel irregularly the day before. That is what his family has told OCHA. He was apparently trying to seek work in Israel. In 2026, and as of April, an average of 11 Palestinians per months have been injured while attempting to cross the Barrier.   

SOUTH SUDAN 

The newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho, told the press in Juba that the UN Mission in South Sudan has decided to retain peacekeepers for now in Akobo despite drawdown plans, given the security situation – or rather insecurity -situation in Jonglei State. This means, she said, that tensions have been reduced, civilians are no longer at imminent risk of harm, and conditions are in place for humanitarian partners to support affected communities. &�Բ�����;

Since conflict escalated in Jonglei state this January, more than 304,000 people have been displaced, particularly in Uror, Nyirol, Ayod, Duk and Akobo counties. Since then, nearly 79,000 people have returned to their areas of origin, including more than 44,000 from Ethiopia’s Gambella region, with Akobo seeing the largest number of returns. 

HAITI  

In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that following intensified armed violence, the situation continues to deteriorate in Cité Soleil,, which as you know, is a commune in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. 

The International Organization for Migration says that more than 10,000 people were displaced between May 10th and 15th, nearly doubling initial estimates of 5,300 people. More than 70 per cent of those displaced are sheltering across 20 sites, including five newly established ones, while others are hosted by already overstretched communities. 

Our humanitarian colleagues warn of a rapid increase in humanitarian needs across many areas. Assessments conducted by our partners highlight high levels of children being separated from their families. Many displaced women fled without their belongings, including essential hygiene items.                   

At the same time, local organizations say that entire families remain trapped in affected neighborhoods without any access to the most basic necessities. There are also reports of properties being systematically destroyed. 

Rising displacement is already straining very limited access to healthcare. Just 11 per cent – 11 per cent -of inpatient health facilities remain fully operational in the Port-au-Prince area. OCHA is supporting our partners to assess needs rapidly and ramp up the response, despite significant access and security constraints. 

For its part, WFP is telling us that in the past few days, its teams have been able to distribute 15-day rations containing rice, beans, oil, and fortified flour to about 3,300 people who are taking shelter in temporary displacement sites in the capital. WFP has also provided dry commodities to a local organization providing hot meals to displaced people.      

This new wave of displacement worsens an already critical food insecurity situation in Haiti. As a reminder, the latest IPC food security analysis, released in March, says that more than half of the entire population doesn’t have enough to eat. 

SCIENCE FORWARD PODCAST 

The Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board has just launched a new podcast, called Science Forward.  

The first episode features Yoshua Bengio, a Professor at Université de Montréal and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board and Charlotte Stix, an AI policy expert.  

Their discussion focuses on the growing risks of deceptive AI, when AI systems mislead users or developers about what they know, intend, or are capable of doing. 

You can find it on most platforms. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

Andorra made a full payment to the Regular Budget.  Andorra’s payment brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 109.

**Guests 

The Guests at the Noon briefing were Shantanu Mukherjee, the Director of the Economic Analysis and Policy Division in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and Ingo Pitterle, DESA’s Senior Economist and Officer-in-charge of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch. They briefed reporters on the World Economic Situation and Prospects report as of mid-2026.