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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 19 JUNE 2026

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT 

The Secretary-General will arrive in London on Monday, where he will attend a series of events taking place during the London Climate Action Week. He will deliver a special address on climate and energy on Tuesday morning, outlining how renewable energy offers the clearest route to energy security, affordability and resilience. 

The Secretary-General is expected to underscore that it is clear that our world is facing a climate crisis and an energy crisis, which, on the surface, may seem separate, but share the same destructive force: fossil fuels.  

During his visit to London, the Secretary-General will participate in other events, including the Global Energy and Electrification Summit and the Local Leaders Summit, as well as the Climate and Development Finance Forum 2026.  

The Secretary-General will also attend a Super Pollutants reception, in the presence of His Majesty King Charles III.  

While in London, the Secretary-General will hold a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Yvette Cooper. He will also meet with leaders attending the London Climate Action Week.  

The Secretary-General is expected back in New York on 24 June.  

HAAVISTO 

The Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, spoke with the Commander-in-Chief of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, earlier today.  

The Personal Envoy underscored the need to urgently de-escalate the situation in the El Obeid area and avoid any actions that may further worsen the already-dire humanitarian situation and put civilian lives at risk. He emphasized that the focus of the parties to the conflict should turn towards advancing dialogue to end the war.     

They also discussed the latest political developments, including the recent Quintet-facilitated engagements with Sudanese civilian stakeholders in Addis Ababa.  

The Personal Envoy is also engaging Member State partners with influence over the conflict parties to encourage their commitment to genuine dialogue and convey as a matter of urgency that an attack on El Obeid must be avoided.                       

We reiterate the call made by the Secretary-General in his statement yesterday for restraint from all parties in the El Obeid area and to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians. We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid. 

SUDAN 

We have seen further reports of drone attacks overnight. For now, the area remains accessible. 

OCHA says it and its humanitarian partners are focusing on moving food and other supplies into the city, while preparing for the potential movement of large numbers of people of the immediate area. 

And for those who have been asking about our presence in El Obeid, I can tell you that we do not have a permanent presence in the city. However, despite access constraints, our humanitarian partners are still working on the ground, staying and delivering with WFP and others, to move more assistance there to help residents is an area that hosts more than 100,000 displaced people.  

LEBANON/ISRAEL  

Turning to the situation in Lebanon. We are aware of reports indicating that Israel and Hizbullah have agreed to a ceasefire and welcome such a development. We continue our call on all parties to cease hostilities, respect existing ceasefire arrangements and pursue dialogue as the only viable path to long-term security and stability. UNIFIL confirms its leadership is in constant contact with the parties through the agreed mechanism. 

Yesterday, UNIFIL detected 52 violations of Lebanese airspace by the IDF. Peacekeepers also recorded 217 projectile trajectories: 188 attributed to the IDF and 29 to Lebanese non-state actors, presumably Hizbullah. 

From midnight until 4:00 p.m. today, UNIFIL peacekeepers reported a significant escalation, with 748 trajectories detected.  

Of these, 695 were attributed to the IDF and 53 to non-state actors, presumably Hizbullah, most of which were launched from outside UNIFIL’s area of operations. During the same period, peacekeepers also recorded 49 violations of Lebanese airspace and 51 airstrikes by the IDF. 

They have also continued reporting extensive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground activities throughout the mission’s area of operations, including armoured movements, as well as engineering and logistical operations. 

On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL, through its Liaison Branch and in coordination with OCHA, facilitated eight humanitarian missions in Sector West yesterday. 

This week, UNIFIL has scaled-up the delivery of food and other essential assistance to people displaced from the mission’s area of operations in south Lebanon and currently residing outside collective shelters in various northern locations. On 16 and 17 June, hundreds of displaced families in Beirut and surrounding areas received assistance from UNIFIL, including food parcels.  

OCHA warns that, for many displaced families, ceasefire announcements have yet to translate into improved safety or the ability to return home and stay home. People continue to flee amid the insecurity.   

In the coastal city of Saida, this morning, during a joint visit by the French and British Ministers of Development, together with Imran Riza, the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator, to a collective shelter, site managers reported that many 

In one shelter, nearly half of families who had departed earlier this week were reported to have returned as of this morning, with others also indicating that they plan to come back.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, yesterday told the Security Council that civilians in Gaza cannot wait for a more convenient diplomatic moment to receive the basics for survival. 

He warned, “Gaza is being held together by humanitarian workarounds and Palestinian perseverance,” and he said that is unsustainable. He also said that Palestinians in Gaza remain deprived of the basics that all families need: safety, shelter, clean water, health care and education. 

Mr Fletcher said that Palestinians are being squeezed into an ever-shrinking strip of land and that their lives are shaped by the indignity of the constantly shifting ‘yellow’ and ‘orange’ lines that define where they can seek refuge.            

Speaking about the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, he warned of an intensification of discriminatory policies and practices directed against Palestinians. 

Meanwhile, on the public health front in Gaza, partners have seen a further increase in diseases related to ectoparasites, which live on people’s skin, and rodents in recent weeks, as temperatures climb and sanitation services remain inadequate. In the second week of June, partners trained nearly 100 people in multiple displacement sites on how to better detect and report disease. 

At the same time, our partners are exhausting stocks of pesticides and rodent killers that they brought into Gaza last month. Procurement of new supplies is underway. However, the lack of key chemicals for indoor spraying leaves shelters exposed. These and other items require approval from Israeli authorities to take into Gaza.  

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our OCHA colleagues are sounding the alarm over deteriorating conditions in displacement camps across the province of Ituri. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in these sites are heightening the risk of Ebola transmission. 

More than 270,000 people, mostly women and children, are sheltering in over 60 sites across the province, many of which lack adequate access to water, sanitation and health services. 

We have received reports from local partners that, between 17 and 18 June, at least 13 people died in two camps in Bunia. Response teams are urgently investigating whether these deaths are linked to Ebola to ensure that appropriate response measures are put in place. Since April, at least 62 deaths have been reported in camps around the city. 

These deaths are occurring amid a broader Ebola flare-up in Bunia, where mistrust of health facilities, congestion, gaps in prevention measures and unsafe handling of bodies are driving transmission risks among people in displacement camps. 

This is particularly concerning as Ituri province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for more than 90 per cent of confirmed cases. As of 17 June, authorities have reported 896 confirmed cases across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. 

OCHA and our partners are working with local authorities to strengthen community engagement and scale-up health and sanitation efforts in the camps. But current measures are insufficient, given the scale of the needs. 

The Ebola epidemic is unfolding against the backdrop of a broader humanitarian crisis.  

The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for $1.4 billion, seeks to respond to the full spectrum of humanitarian needs, including food security, protection, water and sanitation, health care and education, for 7.3 million of the DRC's most vulnerable people. But our appeal is currently just over half funded, with $745 million received. 

KOSOVO 

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will be in Kosovo this coming Monday and Tuesday. He will then continue to Serbia on 23 and 24 June and to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 24 to 25 June. 

The visit will be an opportunity to engage with our mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, as well as to discuss UN peacekeeping, multilateral engagement, and support for peace and stability in the region. Mr. Lacroix will meet with senior officials, international partners and UN colleagues, and he will visit UN-supported project sites during his travel. 

PEACEBUILDING WEEK 

Starting on Monday, the United Nations will mark the first-ever Peacebuilding Week. It marks the important milestone of 20 years since the inaugural session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the establishment of the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund. 

The Week is an opportunity to recognize the work of peacebuilders across and beyond the UN system, take stock of lessons learned and look ahead to the partnerships and actions needed to meet today's peacebuilding and prevention challenges. 

The Week will be marked with more than 50 events in New York and over 20 around the world. Here at Headquarters, high-level events will include the Peacebuilding Commission Annual Session celebrating 20 years of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, a General Assembly debate on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, and a joint session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Economic and Social Council, alongside anchor events under each of the Week's sub-themes: inclusion, innovation and impact.

You all are also invited to view an exhibit marking 20 years of Peacebuilding, on display near the Vienna Café through 26 June.

Also related to this, on Monday, 22 June, at 1:30 p.m. there will be a briefing here in this room by Ms. Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support; H.E. Mr. Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the UN and Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission; H.E. Mr. Ihab Moustafa Awad Moustafa, Permanent Representative of Egypt; and H.E. Mr. Samuel Žbogar, Permanent Representative of Slovenia. 

WORLD REFUGEE DAY 

Tomorrow is World Refugee Day. In a message, the Secretary-General says that on this day, we recognize the millions of refugees forced to flee war, persecution and disaster, and that solidarity must go beyond words. Solidarity, he stresses, must mean boosting humanitarian and development support, expanding protection and durable solutions such as resettlement, and upholding the right to seek asylum, a pillar of international law.  

The Secretary-General notes that becoming a refugee is never a choice, but how we respond is.  

For his part, in a statement, Barham Salih, our UN High Commissioner for Refugees, pointed out that every day refugees contribute to the communities that have welcomed them. Given the opportunity, he said, they rebuild their lives and help strengthen the societies around them.  

Mr. Salih also noted that this World Refugee Day marks another significant milestone: seventy-five years ago, in the aftermath of the Second World War, countries came together and agreed that anyone forced to flee war, conflict or persecution had the right to seek safety and protection. That promise was enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention.  Mr. Salih stressed that the message is clear: we must continue to uphold that promise, until everyone is safe. 

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT  

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Sexual violence against children is one of the six grave violations against children identified and condemned by the Security Council.  

In his message for the day, the Secretary-General says that as conflicts escalate across the globe, a shocking number of girls and boys fall victim to rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage and trafficking.  

To end this abomination, he says, it requires protection, accountability, and prevention.  

Children must never be targeted in war, he underscores. Protecting them is a legal and moral imperative for every combatant and every country. 

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA 

Sunday is the International Day of Yoga. This year marks the 12th International Day of Yoga with the theme “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”, which emphasizes the importance of Yoga for all ages. In his message for the day, the Secretary-General underscores that yoga teaches us mindfulness, respect and care: for ourselves, for our planet and for one another. 

He encourages us to extend that care to the older members of our human family and build a world where every generation can lead a healthy life. 

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE SOLSTICE 

Sunday is also the International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice. Solstices and equinoxes symbolize the fertility of the land, agricultural traditions and cultural heritage; and their celebration embodies the unity of centuries-long traditions across the world. 

On this day, cultural diversity is celebrated as the common heritage of humanity, aiming to be recognized to benefit present and future generations. 

**Guest on Monday 

On Monday, my guest will be Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). 

She will brief on the General Assembly High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, which will take place here at Headquarters from 22 to 23 June 2026.