51����

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 29 JUNE 2026

High-level conference on Counter-terrorism  

This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the 4th High-level conference on Counter-terrorism. He told participants that this year’s meeting takes place at a moment of acute instability. 

This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and an opportunity to assess progress and to strengthen our resolve. 

Looking ahead, the Secretary-General highlighted four priorities. He highlighted prevention, cooperation, technology and values.  

He told Member States that our response must be rooted in the very principles that terror seeks to destroy, adding that our efforts must be firmly grounded in the rule of law and in human rights.  

Terrorism is evolving, the Secretary-General said and so must we. 

Through prevention, through cooperation, and through unwavering commitment to human rights, we can build a safer world, where people everywhere live free from fear. 

Deputy Secretary-General 

The Deputy Secretary-General is in Hamburg, in Germany, today, where she participated in the third edition of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference. Delivering opening remarks, she called for urgent collective action to safeguard decades of development progress amid mounting geopolitical, economic and climate-related challenges. Warning that these overlapping crises risk reversing hard-won gains and pushing the Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach, underscoring the need for renewed multilateral cooperation, a more equitable international financial system, and greater investment to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda. Ms. Mohammed also joined panel discussions on UN80 reforms, reinvigorating multilateralism, and strengthening collective responses to the Middle East crisis. 
                                          
On the margins, she met with the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as other senior government officials, including the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Reem Alabali Radovan and the Minister for International Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands. 

Over the weekend, Ms. Mohammed was in Cairo, in Egypt, where she convened a high-level dialogue on Artificial Intelligence and Human Development. The dialogue brought together global thought leaders from across sectors to discuss how artificial intelligence can support sustainable development, while safeguarding human dignity and shared values. 

 
In Cairo, she also met with Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdelatty. She expressed her appreciation for Egypt’s constructive diplomatic engagement in efforts to address ongoing regional issues. 
 
Following her engagements in Hamburg, she will travel to London, where she is convening a high-level roundtable on Sustainable Development in an Era of Flux, and that will take place tomorrow, 30 June, and you will hear more about it. 

Afghanistan/Pakistan 

Turning to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the latest violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which resulted in civilian casualties. He calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the protection of civilians. The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the parties to resolve their differences through diplomacy. We continue to call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and continue to stress that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times. 

In a statement issued this morning, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, has confirmed that many civilians were killed and injured in these airstrikes carried out by Pakistan in the provinces of Paktya, Paktika and Kunar, and all these strikes took place last night.                   

The Mission is continuing its verification work on these incidents.            

We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery for the injured. 

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the latest attacks have also reportedly triggered displacement, and humanitarian partners on the ground are assessing needs and preparing to provide emergency assistance. 

Lebanon/Israel 
Turning to Lebanon.  I was asked by a number of you about the latest developments on the political track between Israel and Lebanon. I can tell you that the Trilateral Framework Between the U.S., the State of Israel, and the Republic of Lebanon, announced on 26 June, constitutes a milestone in efforts to end decades of conflict and advance lasting stability. 

We continue to underscore the importance of resolving outstanding issues through dialogue to achieve sustainable stability on both sides of the Blue Line, and to ensure the sovereignty and security of both Israel and Lebanon. 

We are committed to supporting Lebanon and Israel to fulfil their obligations towards a long-term solution to the conflict, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1701.                                                

Meanwhile, our colleagues in UNIFIL report that no launches of projectiles were observed in the mission’s area of operations over the weekend.  However, peacekeepers continued to observe IDF (Israel Defense Forces) kinetic ground activities and air violations over Lebanon. 

UNIFIL observed airstrikes near Deir Siriane in Sector East and in the Yohmor area outside the UNIFIL area of operations. A UNIFIL acoustic detection system also picked up 28 explosions in Deir Siriane yesterday. On Saturday, UNIFIL peacekeepers observed two Israeli tanks opening small arms fire towards Al Mansouri in Sector West. 

Peacekeepers encountered several restrictions to their movements, including yesterday when an IDF personnel blocked a UNIFIL explosive ordnance disposal team that was going to dispose of an explosive hazard on the road near Al Bayyadah in Sector West. That caused a temporary halt to the mission.  

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

Our colleagues on the ground also report some positive trends in displacement and returns. They tell us that many people who were staying in collective shelters have started to return home, with sites closing as families leave. However, around 50,000 people remain in 469 collective shelters across Lebanon. 

Safety risks remain high, particularly due to reported contamination by unexploded ordnance across several locations across the southern part of Lebanon. 

Of course, all returns must be safe, they must be voluntary and dignified, and people who return must have access to sustained support from humanitarian partners. 

Security Council 

Back here, the Security Council heard from Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. He briefed via VTC from Jerusalem and said that the situation across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory has remained volatile, adding that Israeli airstrikes and military operations have continued across Gaza, resulting in further fatalities and bringing the total killed since the ceasefire to over 1,000. That is what the Gaza Ministry of Health is saying.  

On the humanitarian side, the Deputy Special Coordinator said that the needs in Gaza remain immense. Sanitation conditions remain alarming. Seventy per cent of the population lacks dignified shelter. Humanitarians continue to face persistent constraints as they carry out their essential work.  

He condemned the continued killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, including women and children.  

Mr. Alakbarov is particularly concerned by recent increasing calls for the resumption of widespread hostilities in Gaza. This would be disastrous for the Palestinians in Gaza, for Israelis, and for the entire region, he warned. 

He reiterated the Secretary-General’s strong condemnation of the relentless expansion and acceleration of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These developments further entrench the unlawful Israeli occupation and threaten the viability of a fully independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian State. 

 Occupied Palestinian Territory 

Meanwhile on the ground in Gaza,  OCHA tells us that daily strikes in populated areas and tightening of restrictions put civilians increasingly at risk. They cause displacement, and limit access to basic services for people who need them. 

We and our partners are currently assessing the needs of dozens of families who have been displaced since the weekend in two areas along the so-called “Yellow Line”, in the East of the Gaza Strip.   

You will recall that this line has served to mark the part of the Gaza Strip –which is more than half of the land – that is virtually off limits to all Palestinians. 

Over 20 families have been displaced in eastern Deir al Balah governorate, and more than a dozen have been displaced in the eastern part of Gaza City. 

Newly displaced people tell our humanitarian partners that they were ordered out through quadcopter announcements or had fled, when Israeli forces advanced towards their residential areas while dropping explosive munitions from the air.  

In Deir al Balah governorate, new yellow cement blocks were set up, signaling further expansion of the areas that are now off limits. 

We and our partners are supporting newly displaced families through a rapid joint distribution mechanism. 

This morning, an airstrike hit a location about 100 metres away from e UN offices in Deir al Balah. We’ve seen reports of casualties, thankfully not among our own staff. 

Meanwhile, areas where restrictions apply on the movement of humanitarian staff are also expanding, covering about 65 per cent of the land in Gaza.   

The latest shift to the “Orange Line” – which delineates those areas – was introduced just last Tuesday, effectively expanding by another 800 square metres the area where Israeli authorities urge the UN and our humanitarian partners to coordinate their movements. 

Having to coordinate every movement with Israeli authorities in most of Gaza undermines our service provision. The impact ranges from higher operational costs and delays to a complete cutting off of essential facilities, such as Gaza’s two sanitary landfills. 

Our humanitarian colleagues say that efforts are also undermined by the actions of forces affiliated with the de facto authorities, who stop convoys for inspection or enter humanitarian warehouses, including inviolable UN facilities. 

Security Council/Afternoon 

This afternoon, the Security Council will reconvene at 3:00 pm for a meeting on Maintenance of International Peace and Security, at the request of Belarus and supported by the Russian Federation. Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations will brief.   

Sudan 

Turning to Sudan, we welcome today's announcement by the Government of Sudan to extend the opening of the Adre border crossing with Chad until 30 September. This will continue to allow us to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need, despite the ongoing insecurity. 

Armed clashes continue near the Chadian border, and some humanitarian partners report that their operations have been suspended due to the worsening security conditions and communications disruptions. 

Despite the volatile operational environment, humanitarian partners continue to deliver assistance especially across Darfur. In West Darfur, for example, our partners last week completed cash distributions to 250 families. In addition, general food assistance was delivered, reaching more than 42,000 people with monthly food rations.                      

In West Kordofan, where cholera continues to rise, our partners in health, water, and sanitation say they are scaling up the response through the operation of cholera treatment facilities, deployment of rapid response teams, strengthened surveillance capacity, water chlorination efforts, and the distribution of cholera supplies supported by the World Health Organization. However, continued constrained access, limited operational presence and severe water shortages make the response that much more difficult.

Meanwhile, the situation in El Obeid remains concerning.  

Drone attacks on the city have continued for a third consecutive week. Local sources are telling us that a drone strike on June 27 reportedly hit areas near a school for girls, injuring at least eight of the students. 

We once again call on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and allow unimpeded humanitarian access wherever it is needed.  

UNDP Report 

A new report by UNDP (UN Development Programme) is warning that the recent military conflict in the Middle East has far-reaching economic consequences, particularly in developing countries. As oil prices surged, many governments had to spend more on fossil fuel subsidies to shield people from rising energy costs, leaving less money available for health care and climate action.  

Fossil fuel subsidies are now projected to reach US$1.1 trillion this year, which is an increase of $410 billion compared to last year, reversing recent progress in reducing such spending.  

Day of the Tropics 

Today is the International Day of the Tropics. Covering about 40 per cent of the Earth's surface, the tropics are home to around 80 per cent of the world's biodiversity. Tropical countries are also on the front lines of climate change, underscoring the greater need for action to protect these vital ecosystems. 

Financial Contribution 

Algeria is the 117th Member State that has paid its contribution to the Regular Budget in full. 

**Guest today 

Gianluca Rampolla Del Tinardo, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Venezuela, briefed reporters on the situation in the country following the earthquakes.