Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
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Highlights:
Secretary-General/Responsibility to Protect
Security Council
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Democratic Republic of the Congo
SALIENT 2.0
Day of the Seafarer
**Guests
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SECRETARY-GENERAL/RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT
This morning, the Secretary-General was at the General Assembly, where he delivered remarks on the Responsibility to Protect.
Mr. Guterres warned that we are witnessing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War. These are marked by rising identity-based violence, widespread violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, as well as deepening impunity.
Mr. Guterres said that we must recognize that the Responsibility to Protect is more than just a principle. It is a moral imperative, rooted in our shared humanity and the UN Charter.
He added that credibility as the guardian of peace and security, development, and human rights requires consistency with the [UN] Charter.
And tomorrow, at 10 a.m., in the General Assembly, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks to commemorate the Eightieth Anniversary of the Signing of the Charter of the United Nations.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council heard a briefing from Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for children and armed conflict, who was presenting the Secretary-General’s report. She said, and as you have seen in the report, that 2024 marked a devastating new record: the United Nations verified 41,370 grave violations against children—a staggering 25 per cent increase compared to 2023. She added that the report she is presenting also includes the highest number of children killed or maimed since the mandate was established by the Security Council. Cases of sexual violence, she added, also rose by 35 per cent with 1,982 verified cases.
The way forward is clear, she said, we must call on all parties to conflict, particularly the armed forces and groups listed in the annexes to the report, to engage with the United Nations to develop, to sign, and to fully implement action plans that end and prevent grave violations against children.
Also briefing from the UN side was Sheema Sen Gupta, UNICEF’s Director of Child Protection. She said that we cannot allow these grave violations against children to continue unchecked, and she called on council members to act with urgency, with courage and with the conviction that every child, no matter where they are, deserves to live in peace.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=25%20June%202025