Transforming Education Summit +4, UN Women & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right.
It feels like a Friday, doesn't it? Great.
All right.
Thank you for coming in a short while.
We will be joined by our guests virtually from Haiti, and that is Maria Moya, the Director of the Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery at the International Organization for Migration and Yuri Sadala, the global Emergency Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who is the lead of the Field Trip of Emergency Directors who are visiting Haiti and they will be briefing you from Haiti.
We're asking both of you to have a little bit few minutes patience while I get through the briefing, and then we will get to you.
On Monday, we'll have Lnise Collins brief you, and we will also have two guests on Monday in person, Alexander Ducro, the administrator of UNDP.
Joining him virtually will be Barnhmsi, the Hig Commissioner for Refugees, who will brief you on their very recent joint trip to Afghanistan.
Um, How dare people have phones on during the briefing, really.
Meanwhile, our Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed arrived in Paris this morning for the Transforming Education Summit plus four.
That summit was convened by the Secretary-General and the Director General of UNESCO.
In her opening remarks, she stressed that education remains one of the most powerful drivers of sustainable development, peace and opportunity, and she called for financing and education to be treated as an investment in people, an investment in economies, and an investment in sustainable development.
The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that education becomes a great enabler of every learner, every economy, and every hope we have for 2030 and beyond.
The summit brings together leaders and partners to take stock of progress since the 2022 Transforming Education Summit and accelerate action on SDG four.
While in Paris, the Deputy Secretary-General met with the president of South Africa and co chair of the high level committee on SDG four, and that is Cyril Amaposa.
They discussed the strong cooperation between South Africa and the United Nations.
She also met with a number of senior UNESCO officials, civil society representative, youth partners, and others who are attending the summit.
She will be back in New York on Saturday.
Also, today, UNSCO launched a report warning that international aid to education could fall up to 30% 2023-2027.
According to them, 113 countries spend more on debt servicing than education.
The report brings concrete recommendations to help countries break the debt trap and invest in education.
Another report I want to flag, this one by UN Women, which warns that deep cuts in humanitarian funding are forcing women's organizations to scale back or even shut down with at least 1 million women and girls losing access to critical support since January of 2025.
The report notes that some 120 million women and girls worldwide require humanitarian assistance and protection, yet almost half of the 855 women's organizations survey across 52 crisis in conflict affected countries.
That includes Afghanistan, DR Congo, and Haiti are at risk of shutting down temporarily or even permanently within the year due to lack of funding.
65% of these women led organization say their staff are working without pay to keep services running.
More than three quarters say they have cut staff.
The report also warns that the consequences extend beyond humanitarian response, threatening to reverse progress on women's rights, reduce women's participation, and community leadership and decision making.
UN Women is calling for sustainable investment in women's organization, which it describes as indispensable, first responders and a foundation for Protection, recovery, and peace.
Meanwhile, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under Secretary-General Political and Peace Building Affairs, briefed the Security Council this morning on Resolution 23 31 concerning nonproliferation in Iran.
She said the International Atomic Energy Agency has indicated it had not conducted any field verification activities under the nuclear nonproliferation Treaty Safeguard Agreement.
Adding that while significant differences remain between the relevant parties on the way forward regarding Resolution 23 31 and the joint comprehensive plan of action, otherwise known as JCPOA, parties have all underscored the importance of a diplomatic solution and indicated readiness to engage with each other for that purpose.
She added that the Secretary-General calls on parties to engage constructively and in good faith to achieve a peaceful, comprehensive, and durable solution to the Iran nuclear issue.
Consistent with the objectives of the resolution and the broader goals of strengthening international peace and security, and we, of course, stand by to support those efforts.
Turning to Lebanon, our humanitarian colleagues say that military activities in parts of South and Nabata governates in that country reportedly continue to pose risks to civilians, undermining confidence amongst displaced families considering a return.
Women and girls bear a disproportionate impact on this crisis.
They face heightened risks of gender based violence, disrupted access to essential services, including maternal health, and reduce access to safe and dignified support.
The UN Population Fund estimates that there are 390,000 women of reproductive age among displaced and returning populations in Lebanon.
This includes approximately 16,000 women who are pregnant and about 1,800 who are expected to give birth each month.
Many are returning to communities where health infrastructure remains damaged or just nonfunctional.
Our humanitarian partners tell us that three hospitals in these governors and 36 primary health care centers remain closed while at least 17 hospitals have sustained damage.
Access to maternal and newborn health services are limited in parts of southern Lebanon, particularly in conflict related areas.
Since March, UNFPA has reached more than 150,000 displaced and conflict affected people with sexual and reproductive health services alongside gender based violence services, health facilities, mobile teams, and safe places for women and girls.
Humanitarian partners warned that funding shortfalls, not surprisingly, and access constraints are limiting our response.
UNFPA's revised appeal asking for $25 million is only 16% funded, and the broader humanitarian appeal is also underfunded.
Turning to the occupied Tesian territory, our OCHA colleagues said that humanitarian operations in Gaza continue to be constrained by insecurity, Israeli access restrictions and funding shortfalls.
Um, we reiterate that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected.
Against this backdrop, humanitarian partners responded to emergency needs last week, assisting more than 970 families affected by 11 incidents across the Gaza strip.
These incidents include airstrikes, new displacement linked to military activities, as well as movement restrictions around the so called yellow line and fires in shelters and flooding from sewage.
Response included tents, blankets, mattresses, hygiene, dignity kits, gerry cans, and food assistance.
We and our partners are also continuing to support people facing protracted displacement, which impacts nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million inhabitants.
Meanwhile, communicable diseases remain widespread.
Last week, partners working on health provided more than 240 243,000 medical consultations At over 200 service points in Gaza, acute respiratory illness and skin disease remains the most frequently reported conditions, while waterborne diseases continue to rise, particularly in the area around Han Yunus.
More than 18,000 new cases of chickenpox, ectoparasites, infestation, and impetigo, which is a bacterial skin infection, were also recorded last week.
Health partners warn that delivery of medical services continue to be constrained by shortages.
The high cost of fuel generate oil, spare parts and supplies.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, our humanitarian partners tell us that amid Israeli military operations, settlement expansion and settlement violence, more Palestinians are being displaced.
Protection risks are increasing.
Access to housing, livelihoods, and essential services is becoming more restricted.
Since the beginning of the month, 67 people were displaced by demolitions.
Two dozen structures were demolished, including two funded by donors to support people in need.
Israeli authorities frequently demolished those structures for lacking building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to receive.
In terms of funding, just a quarter of the $4.1 billion required for humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian territory has been received this year.
Quick update from South Sudan and in Warp State, where our peacekeeping colleagues from the peacekeeping mission there, UNMISS tell us that security situation in Tanj North County remains concerning.
Yesterday, an armed attack took place on the county's prison, the police station, and the county commissioners residence.
Initial reports indicate that around 25 people were killed, 20 injured, and some 208 heads of cattle raided.
UNMISS continues to engage intensively with state and county authorities to help reduce tensions.
Colleagues on the ground are also meeting directly with local police and corrections officials to assess the damage to prison infrastructure and to verify the figures given to us of casualties.
While a fragile calm has now taken hold, the situation remains tense.
This escalation comes on top of a separate wave of violence in Alibec, also in Warrup County, where in the same county, excuse me, where intra communal clashes between the second and the 17th of July cumulatively resulted in 20 fatalities and 39 injuries.
The UN peacekeeping mission strongly cautions against retaliatory violence and urges all involved to resolve grievances.
Through dialogue.
And quick update from Venezuela.
The Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher is wrapping up his four day visit.
Throughout the week, he's met with communities affected by last month earthquake, frontline responders, humanitarian workers, and national authorities.
He's also witnessed firsthand the response being delivered by ourselves and our humanitarian partners.
In addition to his engagements with humanitarian responders and non NGOs, he yesterday met leaders from the private sector and representative of the diplomatic community to discuss the transition from emergency response to recovery and reconstruction.
He urged sustained international engagement in support of the updated humanitarian response plan for Venezuela launched earlier this week.
The addendum calls for seeks to almost $300 million to support 1.3 million people in need.
On the response front, we, along with our partners are continuing to scale up assistance in impacted areas.
These efforts are coordinated by OCHA in support of national authorities own efforts.
Humanitarian operations are underway in three temporary camps in Laguara with plans to expand the support to an additional site as it evolves.
The International Organization for Migration is supporting CAP coordination and management, and UNHCR is providing support protection services and legal assistance.
For its part, the Pan American Health Organization and its partners are supporting emergency and primary health care while UNFPA is delivering services for women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health care and psychosocial support.
UNICEF is supporting children and families through child protection, nutrition, and water and sanitation activities.
Since the start of the response, the World Food Program has also provided assistance to some 46,000 people impacted by the earthquakes.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that member states are also continuing to provide generous support, including ongoing deployment of a field hospital and direct shipments of aid, including medical supplies, shelter and food.
A couple of a number of international days to share with you.
Tomorrow, as we've been telling you for the past few days, marks the international day of reflection and commemoration of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica.
In his message, the Secretary-General honors the thousands of victims who lost their lives to the atrocities in Bosnia and urges us to renew our resolve to make it never again a reality for all.
The resident coordinator in Bosnia Herzegvinor Arnel Spence, together with members of the UN team will participate in the official commemoration at the Srebrenica Potach excuse me, Memorial Center.
With support from the Secretary-General Peace Building Fund, our team works with national institutions, civil society survivor organizations to help address the legacy of this conflict and supporting survivors, promoting healing, from intergenerational trauma and strengthening reconciliation as well as social cohesion.
They're also supporting efforts to counter hate speech, genocide, denial, and the glorification of atrocity crimes, as well as history revisionism.
Tomorrow is also World Population Day.
The theme this year is realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people today and for the future.
In a message the Secretary-General calls on all to mash the determination of today's youth through investment in education, reproductive health, decent work opportunities and participation decision making, If I tell you giddy up, what does it mean? It means it is tomorrow's World Horse Day.
Come on, Gabriel.
A few animals have contributed more to human progress as profoundly as the horse.
This day highlights the importance of protecting one of humanity's oldest partnerships.
Sunday is also International Day of combating sand and dust storms, which have become serious global concerns in recent decades due to their significant impacts on the environmental, health, agriculture, and socioeconomic well being.
And we end the international days with Sunday, which is the International Day of hope.
Can't come any faster.
This day promotes hope as a guiding principle towards unity in a world facing increasing division.
It draws upon the values of the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which call for peace, dignity, tolerance, and shared progress.
Lastly, as I close, I just want to note that one of our colleagues is moving on to much greener pastures today.
Shaa Mg Grabi, who you know has been the porn person for the World Food Program, both for us and for journalists for the past nine years in New York, moving on, and I can speak, I think, on behalf of us and all of you in saying a big thank you to Shaza for her passion dedication and professionalism in her job.
On that note, I will take questions, please.
Thank you.
So we saw President Trump that Iran has asked to continue the negotiations, and the US has agreed, but he also says the ceasefire is over the world Secretary-General reaction.
Well, I think, as I said yesterday, I think the most important thing is for diplomacy to continue.
I mean, we have seen over the last 24 hours a sort of lull in the kinetic activity.
We see reports that the discussions are ongoing, and we hope that they are.
Thank you.