Secretary-General/Cyprus, Refugee Convention, Security Council & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Hello.
How are you? Good afternoon, everyone.
Tomorrow, my guest will be Julian Harness, who is the UN senior Ebola Coordinator, and Carl Sk, acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Program.
They will both be joining us virtually from Bunia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to update us on the Ebola response on the ground.
The Secretary-General is currently in Cyprus.
His visit comes as part of his good offices mission and to show his strong commitment to the Cyprus issue.
Earlier today, he met separately with Mr.
Nicholas Krišto, leader of the Greek Cypriot community and with Mr.
Teufan Elman, leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.
Following his meetings, the Secretary-General emphasized that this is a visit of solidarity with the people of Cyprus and that he will do everything he can to support the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in this very important moment.
The Secretary-General held a number of meetings today, including the co chairs of the technical committees and civil society representatives.
The Secretary-General also visited the committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus, which is the island's oldest bi communal institution, as well as the committee's anthropological laboratory.
The Secretary-General visited the UN buffer zone where he laid a wreath at the permanent monument dedicated to the service and sacrifice of all the peacekeepers who have served on the island since 1964.
The monument honors the memory of the 187 peacekeepers from 11 countries who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace in Cyprus.
He then toured the buffer zone.
Later today, the Secretary-General will have a joint dinner with the Greek Cyprit and Turkish Cypriot leaders.
He will continue his engagements in Cyprus tomorrow.
Today is the 75th anniversary of the entry into force of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees.
The Secretary-General said that the convention has saved millions of lives and stands among the clearest expressions of our common humanity.
Today, he warned that promise is under strain.
Conflicts are multiplying, persecution persists, and growing numbers are forced to flee.
Meanwhile, the right to seek asylum is too often questioned, restricted, or denied.
The Refugee Convention is not a relic of another era, Mr.
Guerre said.
It remains as necessary today as when it was adopted.
It is not an obstacle to be circumvented, but a foundation to be upheld through access to protection, fair and humane asylum procedures, and full respect for the principle of non refoulement, all without discrimination.
It also means rejecting policies that externalize protection responsibilities or penalize people for seeking safety or make protection conditional on nationality, religion, ethnicity, or route of arrival.
He calls on every member state to renew its commitment to the letter and spirit of the convention and to choose solidarity over indifference and humanity over fear.
The full statement is online.
Also, on the refugee anniversary of the Refugee Convention, 75 leading figures from across society have today joined the UN refugee agency in launching the promise a global statement of solidarity with refugees.
Convened by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barra Saleh, the initiative aims to build a global coalition in support of refugee protection at a time when the international system faces growing challenges.
Among the signatories are actor filmmakers Kate Blachett Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Malala ususy, Nadia Murad and others.
Their participation reflects broad support from across society for protecting the right to seek asylum and standing in solidarity with refugees.
Ramiz Al Akbarrov, the deputy Special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, briefed the Security Council this morning and he warned that the situation in the West Bank is rapidly deteriorating.
This is compounding the already alarming conditions across the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, with a wider escalation increasingly likely unless immediate steps are taken to reverse course, he said.
Mr.
Alakporov said that the situation in Gaza has improved somewhat, but progress is far too slow.
Recent weeks have seen some welcome progress in clearing solid waste from key areas and coordinating the entry of desperately needed sanitation equipment and supplies.
These are relevant steps, he said, but they remain highly insufficient in the face of the immense needs on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Deputy special coordinator said that in the past week, de escalating violence in the West Bank has resulted in civilian casualties, displacement, damage to property, and growing insecurity across affected communities.
He urged Israel to take immediate and effective measures to prevent settler violence, protect Palestinian communities, and ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable.
And he added that Palestinians must unequivocally reject violence and incitement and take all necessary measures to prevent attacks against Israelis.
Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the reported instruction by Israeli leadership for the military to take over a fourth refugee camp in the West Bank could have a devastating humanitarian impact on thousands of people.
Since last year, Israeli operations in the camps of Jenin, Tolkarm and Nour Shams have displaced more than 30,000 people, including children at destroyed homes, livelihoods and essential services.
These operations have also deepened humanitarian needs.
All the while, the ability of local authorities and international humanitarian organizations, first and foremost, our colleagues from the UN Relief and Works Agency to help those affected is impeded through harsh restrictions and financial constraints, resulting in people's needs remaining largely unmet.
This reported announcement comes amid an escalation in violence across the West Bank, involving settler attacks, operations by Israeli forces, confrontation with Palestinians, the use of lethal force, and further displacement of Palestinian families.
Yesterday, there was a question about the Nablus area.
I can tell you that the Secretary-General condemns the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, including the reported arson attacks on two mosques, vandalism of private property, and attacks targeting Palestinians and their livelihoods.
Attacks against places of worship are heinous and unacceptable and risk further inflaming an already volatile situation.
The Secretary-General calls for those responsible to be swiftly identified and held accountable in line with Israel's obligations under international law.
The Secretary-General further calls on the Israeli authorities to take immediate and effective measures to prevent further attacks by settlers against Palestinians and their property, including places of worship and to ensure the protection of civilians.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint, prevent any further escalation, and take immediate steps to restore calm and reduce tensions.
Meanwhile, since Friday, our security and safety colleagues have recorded military activities across all of Gaza's governates.
Air strikes, shelling, gunfire, and naval fire have been reported primarily in areas west of the so called yellow line.
Spanning less than half of the strip, where most people are crowded in harsh conditions.
Several incidents, including those resulting in fatalities and injuries have reportedly affected civilians.
Yesterday, our humanitarian colleagues received reports of more than a dozen families who are newly displaced in Eastern Gaza City.
The UN and our humanitarian partners are mobilizing support for those affected.
Also, yesterday, Israeli forces and municipal officials forcibly entered the Kalandia Training Center, the United Nations facility located in occupied East Jerusalem, disrupting ongoing educational activities and raising renewed concern over the protection of UN premises under international law.
At the time of the incursion, students and faculty were actively engaged in classes.
Israeli personnel gathered staff and students together and confined them for the duration of the operation.
No documentation was presented to explain the purpose of the entry, and municipal officials systematically took photographs of buildings, office spaces, and training facilities.
The KTC is a vocational training center of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
As a United Nations property, it is afforded explicit protections under international law.
URA calls on the Israeli authorities to uphold their obligations under international law and to refrain from any further interference with the agency's facility, staff, and beneficiaries.
Turning to Lebanon, yesterday, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator Imran Riza visited the villages of Chakra and Barchit in Nabata governorate.
He was joined by the UNICEF representative, Marco Luigi Corsi, and Ocha's head of office, Kristin Knudsen.
The two communities in Benchabil District lie outside the Israeli military zone and are partially accessible to displaced families returning home.
Today, Mr.
Rza and Mr.
Knudsen and miss Knudsen, together with the head of the Order of Malta, Marwan Sanui visited the border villages of Ainabel, Ramesh, Nabel, and Nabata to assess humanitarian needs and support for communities that remained throughout the conflict despite months of insecurity.
Local authorities, returnees, displaced families, and community representatives spoke to them about the challenges people continue to face.
These include damaged infrastructure, lack of or limited access to basic services, particularly water, health and education, as well as disrupted livelihoods.
Meanwhile, hostilities continue to affect civilians in southern Lebanon.
According to local authorities, demolition operations and shelling persist in parts of Nabotha governate.
On Saturday, authorities reported that a critical water pumping station in the village of Markaba in the Nabotha governorate was destroyed, jeopardizing access to water for numerous villages in southern Lebanon.
OSHA reiterates that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected.
Sustained humanitarian support and recovery assistance remain essential to help affected communities rebuild their lives and let them return to their home safely, voluntarily, and with dignity.
Turning to Sudan, our colleagues at the UN Children's Fund tell us that at least 23 children have reportedly been killed, with a further 25 reportedly injured in North Kordofan in the two months since conflicts intensified around Elobed.
UNICEF said that across Sudan, children bear the brunt of more than three years of conflict.
In the first six months of the year, at least 330 children were reportedly killed or injured.
Ongoing violence, repeated displacement, and damage to civilian infrastructure are putting children's lives, well being and future at risk.
UNICEF calls on all parties to protect civilians including children, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Today, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and our Human Rights Office released the latest updates on the human rights situation and the cross border civilian casualties in the country, as well as the update on enforcement of his job requirements in Heraat City.
Between the 1st of October 2025 and the 30th of June 2026, Unama Human Rights Service documented 499 civilians killed and 1,216 injured.
As a result of cross border armed violence between Afghanistan's de facto security forces and Pakistani security forces.
Yama has also documented an increase in civilian casualties caused by unexploded ordinance remaining on the ground in areas close to the border following clashes between Pakistani security forces and de facto Afghan security forces.
A single incident in Pattia province resulted in 13 civilian casualties.
The updates also highlight issues related to women's rights and access to UN premises and education, corporal punishment, and freedom of the media.
All updates are available online.
The World Heritage Committee will wrap up its 48th session in Busan and Republic of Korea tomorrow with the addition of two new sites to the UN educational, scientific, and cultural organizations World Heritage List.
Among the list are Mount Olympus in Greece and the Amazonian theaters in Brazil.
Three African countries also joined the list for the first time, Cobors, Sao Tome and Pinch, and South Sudan.
The committee added six sites on the list of world heritage and danger as well, including sites in the state of Palestine, Lebanon, and Ukraine, recognizing the immediate threats they are facing.
A full list of inscribed sites can be found on Unesco's website.
Ahead of the World Day against trafficking in persons observed on the 30th of July, the International Organization for Migration Today warned that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have been trafficked by criminal networks and forced to participate in online scams in a multi billion dollar criminal industry.
IOM noted that trafficked victims are often lured by fake job ads, promising legitimate work abroad.
Survivors report enduring torture, sexual abuse, starvation, and solitary confinement.
IOM pointed out that the scale of the crime is staggering.
New UN offices on the drugs and crime data estimates combined annual losses from scam offenses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand are between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion for 2025 alone.
2022-2025, IOM assisted more than 3,500 victims of trafficking for forced criminality across Southeast Asia from 39 countries, with the largest numbers originating from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh.
And last, today is World Hepatitis Day.
With 1.3 million reported deaths from chronic hepatitis B and C in 2024, this year's theme, hepatitis, let's Break it down, is a call to remove the barriers that stand between people and the services that could save their lives.
That is it from me.
Yes, ED.
Thank you, Farhan.
I'm not sure I quite understood the status of the UNRWA Training Center.
Is it open today? Are the Israelis still blocking people from going in? I believe that what happened yesterday they had come at the time of classes and had an operation that lasted for some hours, but that ended over the course of the day.
So I believe it's working today.
Yes, Gabriel in the No.
Thank you.
Thank you, Farhan.
As you noted in his briefing to the council, Mr.
Alekbarav said that the escalation in the occupied West Bank is increasing and likely let me rephrase it.
I'm sorry.
Apologies.
As you noted in his remarks to the council, Mr.
Alekbarov said that wider escalation is increasingly likely unless immediate steps are taken to reverse course.
What would the Secretary-General like to see those immediate steps be? Well, one of the things, as I just pointed out, is that the Secretary-General has called on the Israeli authorities to take immediate and effective measures to prevent further attacks by settlers against Palestinians and their property, including places of worship, such as the mosques that we were asked about yesterday, and to ensure the protection of civilians.
And he wants all the parties to exercise maximum restraint, prevent further escalation, and take immediate steps to restore calm.
In his remarks to the Council, the Palestinian envoy Rad Mansour said that settlers should be disarmed.
Does the Secretary-General agree? He certainly believes that there should not be any armed attacks by settlers against Palestinians and he wants all measures taken to make sure that all such attacks are prevented.
Yes, No.
Thank you for.
I follow up on what I asked you yesterday.
The Secretary-General press conference in Damascus included no Kurdish journalists.
My own colleague at Rudau based in Damascus says she received no invitation from Syrian authorities while others were invited.
Is the Secretary-General concerned that the transitional authorities might be excluding media from a certain group in attending important press conferences and events? Well, I don't speak obviously for the Syrians who organized the press conference.
From our standpoint, of course, we want to have all press outlets invited and all communities represented.
Abdul Hamid.
Thank you, Farhan.
The US representative said, Oorah has no place in Gaza.
She repeated that.
Do you have any comment on that? We have continually reaffirmed the importance of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza and throughout the region.
They have been the backbone of our operations.
As you know, our staff there performed a heroic job when they themselves were under attack.
Nearly 400 of our staff were killed since October 2023, and they continued to provide crucial relief services for the people of Gaza, and we continue to stand by them.
Yes, ma'am.
I have a second question.
Sure, then your colleague will.
Yes.
Okay.
Mr.
Al Akbarov said that three Israelis were killed.
He mentioned six Palestinians were killed and but he didn't put it in context, and that is very unfair characterization.
The Palestinians were attacked by about 20 soldiers, one old man who is an imam of asch of a mosque.
When he was attacked by these 20 soldiers, he grabbed one of their guns and shot two of them.
So is there any other option for these people except to defend their land and their dignity? We will not defend the killing of any civilians by anyone.
And Mr.
Akpov is simply making that point.
Yes.
Thank you, Farhan.
My question is about the US and Iran.
Over the past few days, we have seen a pause in the fighting.
Do the Secretary-General believes this is a real opportunity for diplomacy and an encouraging signs so far.
We certainly hope that the parties will use this particular lull in the fighting as an opportunity to strengthen their diplomatic efforts and to work with the mediators.
And we encourage the mediators, including Pakistan, Qatar, and others, to continue with their work trying to bring the parties back to negotiations.
Yes, Pam.
Thank you, Farhan.
The mayor of New York, as you know, had proposed had said he would arrest the Prime Minister of Israel, changed his opinion after speaking with his legal experts and then called for protests.
Today, the Israeli ambassador said that gives him pause and makes him worried about what will happen here at UN headquarters during Unga Week.
Are you worried about what may be the first time a mayor of New York called for protests against a visiting official? Thank you.
I don't think we have any particular concerns about the safety and security of all the delegations that are coming here.
We go about, as you know, with security preparations for the UN General Assembly every September, and they're proceeding in an orderly fashion as they always do.
And do you expect them to be elevated at all? At this stage, like I said, we're doing our preparatory work, and it seems to be going along in the normal fashion.
Thank you.
Yes.
Um, Farhan, forgive me if you mentioned this first.
Does the Secretary-General have any reaction to the earthquake that struck Japan this morning? Our hearts go out to the people affected by this earthquake.
We're well aware that there have been people placed under danger from this earthquake.
We do extend our sympathies to the people of Japan.
We're aware the national authorities are leading the response, but we stand ready to support if needed.
Yes, that does.
Follow up to Pam's question.
The Israeli ambassador to you and said that Mamdani accused the Prime Minister of being a war criminal.
Is that an accusation in your opinion, or is there is a state, there is a verdict came out from ICC that he committed war crimes.
It's not a verdict, but obviously there are charges laid out by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and you can refer to those.
All right.
Have a good afternoon, everyone.