UN Noon Briefing: BRICS Summit, Ukraine Conflict, Gaza Crisis, and Global Affairs (July 7, 2025)

UN Secretary-General's Activities at BRICS Summit

• 🌍 The Secretary-General is attending the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, focusing on environment, COP30, and global health.
• ⚠️ He warned that the environment is under attack, with disasters accelerating and disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable.
• 🤝 He stressed the need for governments to build on biodiversity COP progress, secure ambitious finance agreements, and ensure COP30's success in Brazil.
• 🤖 Addressing multilateralism, economic affairs, and artificial intelligence, he emphasized guiding AI transformation wisely and ensuring it benefits all, especially developing countries.

Deputy Secretary-General's Engagements

• 🇨🇻 The Deputy Secretary-General represented the UN at the 50th anniversary of Cabo Verde's independence.
• 🇬🇲 In The Gambia, she met with President Adama Barrow to strengthen UN relations and discuss SDG implementation.
• 👩‍💼 She is highlighting the importance of investing in youth skills and women's economic empowerment for advancing SDGs.
• 🇨🇲 She will travel to Cameroon for the International Conference on the Sustainable Blue Economy.

Conflict and Humanitarian Crises

• 🇺🇦 The Secretary-General condemned Russia's drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, noting disruptions to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and a dangerous escalation with civilian casualties.
• 💔 He reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine to achieve a just and sustainable peace.
• 🇵🇸 In Gaza, the UN warns of starvation risk, with nearly one in three people not eating for days. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and aid partners condemn the killing of civilians seeking food.
• ⛽ The UN urges Israel to open all crossings, facilitate distribution, and allow fuel into Gaza, essential for hospitals, water, and preventing an internet blackout.
• 🇸🇩 In Sudan, El Fasher faces extreme shortages of food and clean water, with high rates of acute malnutrition in children. Humanitarian needs far outpace resources, and the response plan is severely underfunded.
• 🇸🇸 South Sudan is experiencing surging conflict, pushing communities to the brink of famine, with over 1 million people facing acute hunger and millions of children at risk of malnutrition.

Other Global Issues and UN Operations

• 🇸🇾 Wildfires in Latakia, Syria, have damaged infrastructure and displaced families; UN partners are ready to support the response.
• 🇭🇹 Haiti's essential services are strained by an influx of deported migrants and displaced families, with severe underfunding hampering the response.
• 🇲🇲 Aid delivery in Myanmar, following earthquakes, is hampered by funding shortfalls and access constraints, with monsoon rains posing further risks.
• 🗣️ Today is World Kiswahili Language Day, celebrating its use by over 200 million people globally.
• 🇯🇴 Jordan has become the 114th fully paid-up member state of the UN.
• 🕊️ The UN is prepared to scale up humanitarian activities and distribution should a ceasefire in Gaza be implemented.