Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Yemen
Secretary-General/General Assembly
Deputy Secretary-General
Gaza
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNSCOL
Antisemitic Attacks
Ukraine
Sudan
Nigeria
Financial Contribution
Briefings Tomorrow
YEMEN
This June we mark a grim milestone. It’s been one year since the arbitrary detention of dozens of personnel from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions, these detentions by the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen. The Secretary-General renews his call for their immediate and unconditional release, including those held since 2021 and 2023, and most recently, detentions in January.
He also reiterates his strongest condemnation of the death in detention of a World Food Programme colleague that took place earlier this year. The Houthi de facto authorities have yet to provide an explanation for this deplorable tragedy, and he renews his call for an immediate, transparent and thorough investigation and accountability. Mr. Guterres says he stands in solidarity with all detained colleagues in Yemen and their families and pays tribute to their essential work and their families’ perseverance.
We and our humanitarian partners should never be targeted, never be arrested and never be detained while carrying out our mandates for the benefit of the people we serve. The continued arbitrary detention of our colleagues is a profound injustice against those who dedicate their lives to providing life-saving assistance and support to the people of Yemen. It has placed additional constraints on our ability to operate effectively and undermined mediation processes to secure a path toward peace.
The Secretary-General urges the Houthis, yet again, to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained. Particularly on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, this is a time to show compassion. It is a time to end the ordeal of families who face celebrating yet another holiday without their loved ones. To our detained colleagues, the Secretary-General wants them to know that they are not forgotten.
We will continue to work through all possible channels to secure their safe and immediate release, and he calls upon Member States to continue expressing their solidarity with those detained and intensify advocacy for their release.
Finally, we welcome the collective support of international partners, NGOs and all those working to support the people of Yemen in these efforts.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/ GENERAL ASSEMBLY
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly, where he congratulated Annalena Baerbock of Germany on her election as the President of the General Assembly for the 80th Session.
He said that President-elect Baerbock’s vision, “Better Together”, is an inspiring rallying cry for today’s world and the global problem-solving system embodied by the United Nations to address the challenges we face.
He told President-elect Baerbock that she can count on his full support as she takes on this important responsibility.
The Secretary-General also thanked the current President of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang, for his leadership during the 79th session – which still has some ways to go.
As we look ahead to the end of the 79th session, and prepare for the start of the 80th, the Secretary-General said, let us strive to live up to the values of solidarity and collaboration that have defined this organization from its very start.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is currently in Marrakech, in Morocco, where she is attending the 2025 Ibrahim Governance Weekend, which is as you may know a high-level gathering of African political and business leaders, civil society, multilateral organizations, and international partners focused on financing for Africa’s development.
While in Marrakech, the Deputy Secretary-General is also meeting with senior Moroccan government officials and key stakeholders to discuss Africa’s development priorities, the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), challenges to Middle Income Countries, and the implementation of the Pact for the Future.
Tomorrow, she will travel to Geneva to participate in the 8th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025).
It is the main global forum for reviewing progress and sharing good practices in reducing disaster risk and building resilience.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=02%20June%202025