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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 07 JULY 2026

SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVEL 

The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York, following his participation in the Global Dialogue for AI Governance in Geneva. 

WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT 2026  

The World Investment Report 2026, today released by the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), shows that global foreign direct investment rose 6 per cent to $1.6 trillion in 2025, ending two years of decline, but the recovery remains narrow, fragile and uneven. The report notes that inflows to developed economies rose 11 per cent, while developing economies recorded only 2 per cent growth, reaching $901 billion.  

According to UNCTAD, the world's top 20 host economies attracted more than 80 per cent of global foreign direct investment in 2025, underscoring a trend that runs throughout the report: investment is becoming more concentrated across countries, sectors and projects.  

VENEZUELA 

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, is arriving today in Venezuela on a four-day visit to meet with survivors and front-line responders after the devastating earthquakes nearly two weeks ago. Mr. Fletcher will also meet senior government officials and those supporting the search and rescue effort. 

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. New York time, Mr. Fletcher will speak, from Caracas, at a virtual ministerial-level Member States’ briefing about the humanitarian response so far and what comes next. 

And I was asked yesterday about assessments going on in Venezuela. Our colleagues in OCHA are referring to rapid assessments of people's immediate humanitarian needs, a process which includes humanitarian partners, field visits and surveys with affected people. These are not the overall damage and recovery assessments, which normally include development partners and international Financial Institutions.  

OCHA also wants to clarify the current status of humanitarian funding in Venezuela which, as you know, had a response plan in place prior to the earthquakes. Before the earthquakes, the $632 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela this year had received around $115 million. Since then, total reported funding for that plan has increased to $300 million, and we expect to hear more about the appeal in tomorrow morning's Member States’ briefing.                

Meanwhile, we, along with our humanitarian partners, are continuing to help coordinate and deliver assistance to meet people's most urgent needs, in support of the Government-led response to the earthquakes.  

The World Food Programme (WFP) provided ready-to-eat food kits to nearly 2,400 people and family food baskets to over 4,100 people at response centres and shelters. They also provided about 5 metric tonnes of food to two community kitchens located in La Guaira. Since response efforts began, WFP has reached more than 25,000 people with food assistance.  

WFP aims to reach up to 500,000 people sheltering in affected areas during the first three months of the response and has the operational capacity to scale-up assistance to one million people if sufficient funding is secured. 

LEBANON 

Turning to Lebanon, Jean Arnault, the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), began an official visit to Israel today. He is scheduled to meet with senior officials for discussions on the importance of consolidating the cessation of hostilities and advancing the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. 

In recent days, he held meetings in Lebanon with senior officials. Yesterday, he met with the Minister of Interior, Ahmad al-Hajjar, and separately with the Lebanese Army Commander, General Rodolph Haykal. Discussions with the officials focused on recent developments and efforts to strengthen stability in Lebanon. 

Meanwhile our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the situation on the ground in Lebanon remains critical, with major protection concerns and significant gaps in essential services, despite the reduction in hostilities after the ceasefire announced on June 19th. While returns continue, military activities and security incidents are still being reported, and conditions remain fragile in many areas. 

More than 500,000 displaced people have begun returning to their communities, but tens of thousands remain displaced, including more than 34,000 people still in collective shelters. Many families are reluctant or unable to return due to damaged housing, insecurity, the presence of unexploded ordnance and absence of basic services. Children continue to bear a disproportionate burden in this crisis.   

According to UNICEF, an estimated 308,000 children remain displaced, more than 1 million children require some sort of humanitarian assistance and 62 unaccompanied and separated children have been identified. Disrupted education, psychosocial distress and limited access to services continue to affect children across conflict-affected areas. 

Partners are reporting increased protection concerns linked to child labour, school dropout, exploitation, gender-based violence, domestic violence, harassment, movement restrictions and barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance. These concerns are particularly acute in conflict-affected communities. 

We and our humanitarian partners are responding despite these challenges, but funding remains far below what is needed.                                                             

The revised Flash Appeal launched by the United Nations and the Government of Lebanon on 5 June seeks $640 million to support 1.4 million vulnerable people through August. As of today, the appeal is only 42 per cent funded, leaving critical gaps in the response.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY  

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that people continue being displaced in areas along the so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza, as Israeli troop advancement is shrinking the area that families can still stay in.  

According to initial information this morning, at least nine families were displaced from Dahab displacement site in southern Gaza, with some saying they fled advancing tanks. Shooting and injuries were also reported nearby.  

Our humanitarian partners are responding by providing newly displaced people with tents, shelter items and other assistance. Support to those facing protracted displacement continues.  

Last week, the UN and our partners supported more than 30,000 households, including through vouchers.  

The aid included more than 250 tents, over 10,000 tarpaulins, over 10,000 bedding items and nearly 15,000 kitchen sets.  

However, the number of families assisted is declining because of funding shortfalls that compound restrictions on the entry of items into Gaza.  

So far, just over a quarter of the $4.1 billion required for humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory this year has been secured.  

Meanwhile, yesterday, our colleagues from the World Health Organization said that while teams are providing wheelchairs, crutches, prosthetic limbs and walking aids to people with complex injuries, this support falls short of the needs.  

Over 43,000 people with life-changing injuries require rehabilitation in Gaza - yet only one third of the need for assistive devices has been met.  

Our partners working to support healthcare in Gaza remind us that attempts to bring medical equipment and devices into the Strip continue to face delays and denials. This includes equipment for laboratories, diagnostic, physical rehabilitation and physiotherapy, as well as prosthetic devices. 

SUDAN 

I’ve been asked (by Ephrem last week) about the activities of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto. I can tell you that he is currently in Chad, where he is holding meetings with national authorities and diplomatic counterparts to discuss the situation in Sudan and its regional implications. He is also expected to visit camps hosting Sudanese refugees. 

This visit comes amid growing concern over the regional dimension of the conflict in Sudan. Mr. Haavisto is engaging with all relevant stakeholders, including neighbouring countries of Sudan, with a view to preventing any further escalation and advancing dialogue towards a resolution of the conflict. In the coming weeks, he is expected to return to Sudan, where he will meet with senior officials. 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC  

Turning to the Central African Republic, our OCHA colleagues say the UN and our humanitarian partners are mobilizing emergency assistance to meet people’s urgent needs following clashes just over a week ago in the town of Am-Dafock, near the country’s border with Sudan. 

People displaced by the fighting there urgently need protection support, healthcare and access to safe drinking water. The security situation remains volatile, with the town’s sole health facility reportedly looted. 

While humanitarians were able to deliver 400 tarpaulins and other shelter assistance to Am-Dafock over the weekend, the rainy season has rendered the main road into the town impassable, hampering efforts to scale-up the response. Some two dozen tonnes of humanitarian cargo are still awaiting transport.  

Meanwhile, about 1,000 people displaced from villages around Am-Dafock have sought safety in Birao, putting pressure on already stretched resources in the town, which is hosting some 25,000 refugees from Sudan.  

STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN THE SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC  

A report released today by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that the vast ocean expanse in the South-West Pacific is becoming hotter and more acidic. This is harming local economies and marine ecosystems, whilst rising sea levels threaten vulnerable coastal communities and low-lying island nations.  

The report documents how the region had its second warmest year on record, behind 2024, with extreme weather causing widespread disruption, economic damage and loss of life.   

According to WMO, in 2025, the remaining tropical ice cover in Papua, Indonesia, was estimated to be only about 2 per cent of the ice area observed in 1988. The last remaining tropical glacier of the region is expected to disappear by the end of 2026 or early 2027. More information online.  

KISWAHILI LANGUAGE DAY 

Today is World Kiswahili Language Day. Kiswahili is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, with more than 200 million speakers across Africa and beyond. 

**Briefings 

Just a reminder, at 12:45 p.m., there will be a briefing here on the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026. It will be launched by our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, and she will be joined by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, and the Acting Director of the Statistics Division in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Shantanu Mukherjee.  

Then, tomorrow, I will be joined by UNFPA’s Executive Director Diene Keita and Alessio Cangiano, Senior Adviser of the Population Dynamics and Megatrends of UNFPA.  

They will brief on the launch of their new global report based on the findings of the Demographic Futures Survey.