Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
Highlights:
Rome Trip Announcement
Ocean Conference
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Myanmar
Iraq
Sudan
Abyei
Ukraine
Haiti
Colombia
Resident Coordinator/Ecuador
Birth Rates
Dialogue Among Civilizations
Programming Note
ROME TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General landed in Rome a short while ago – after he concluded his program in Nice at the Ocean conference.
Tomorrow, Wednesday 11 June, he will be in Vatican City for an audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing the cooperation between the United Nations and the Holy See, notably on efforts to build a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
The Secretary-General will return to New York tomorrow.
OCEAN CONFERENCE
During a press event at the Ocean Conference, the Secretary-General told journalists we are in Nice on a mission – to save the ocean to save our future.
He warned that the Ocean is approaching a tipping point, adding that powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink.
We are facing a hard battle with a clear enemy: greed, Guterres told journalists. A greed that sows doubt, that denies science, that distorts truth, that rewards corruption and destroys life for profit.
He added we are in Nice this week to stand in solidarity against those forces and reclaim what belongs to us all.
The Secretary-General said we have a moral duty to ensure future generations inherit oceans swarming with life, and he called for stronger global cooperation, for action on plastic pollution and for the fight against climate change to extend to the seas.
He also encouraged those countries that have yet to sign the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction to do so without delay. With ratifications coming in at a record rate, the treaty’s entry into force is now within sight.
Before leaving Nice, the Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with Mohamed Al-Menfi, the Head of the Presidential Council of Libya and with Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango, the Vice-President of Tanzania.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that hostilities and hunger continue to fuel desperation among more than two million people who are being denied the basics necessary for their survival, amid reports of ongoing Israeli military operations.
In northern Gaza, Israeli military operations have intensified in recent days, with mass casualties reported. Hungry and displaced people have also reportedly been killed while risking their lives to access food at militarized distribution hubs.
Meanwhile, four new displacement orders have been issued by the Israeli authorities for northern areas of Gaza since 6 June. The last of these was said to be in response to reported Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. Combined, they cover about eight square kilometres but largely overlap with previously issued orders.
OCHA underscores that civilians must be protected, including those fleeing and forced to leave through displacement orders and those who remain despite those orders. Civilians who flee must be allowed to return as soon as circumstances allow. OCHA reiterates that civilians must be able to receive the humanitarian assistance they need, wherever they are. All of this is required by international humanitarian law.
Yesterday, some supplies, mainly flour, were collected from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The aid was bound for Gaza City but was taken directly from the trucks by hungry and desperate people who have now endured months of deprivation.
Separately, there have also been some instances of violent looting and attacks on truck drivers, which are completely unacceptable. OCHA reiterates that Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility with regards to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting.
Today, additional supplies have been sent to Kerem Shalom, and humanitarian partners continue their efforts to pick up supplies when they are allowed access by the Israeli authorities.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=10%20June%202025