UN Noon Briefing: SDGs Report, Francesca Albanese Sanctions, Gaza Crisis, Ukraine, Sudan & More

Launch of Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025

• 🗓️ The Secretary-General will launch the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 on Monday, joined by the Deputy Secretary-General and the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
• 🎤 The press conference is scheduled for 12:45 p.m., immediately following the noon briefing, with the Secretary-General expected to take a few questions.

Sanctions on Francesca Albanese

• ⚠️ The UN views the imposition of sanctions on Special Rapporteurs as a dangerous precedent.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Francesca Albanese, like other UN Human Rights Rapporteurs, is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, and the Secretary-General has no authority over their work.
• 🚫 The UN considers unilateral sanctions against Special Rapporteurs or any UN expert/official to be unacceptable.

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

• ⛽ A UN team delivered approximately 75,000 liters of fuel to Gaza, the first such provision in 130 days, which is insufficient for daily operations.
• 💧 Fuel shortages threaten clean drinking water supplies for about 44,000 children, increasing the risk of waterborne illnesses.
• 💔 Strikes in Deir al-Balah reportedly hit people waiting for nutritional supplements, resulting in dozens of casualties, including women and children.
• 🕊️ The UN reiterates its condemnation of civilian killings in Gaza and stresses that parties are bound by international humanitarian law to prevent excessive death and injury.
• 🏫 Over 626 temporary learning spaces have been established, but only 299 are currently operational due to displacement, funding shortfalls, and other challenges.
• 🆘 Aid workers and UN colleagues are delivering assistance under intolerable conditions, facing hunger, water scarcity, and safety threats.
• 🛑 A ceasefire is urgently needed, and all hostages must be released unconditionally and immediately.

Conflicts and Crises in Other Regions

• 🇵🇸 In the West Bank, intensified Israeli operations cause destruction and displacement, with daily attacks and harassment by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
• 🇱🇧 UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon faced aggressive behavior and stone-throwing, requiring the use of non-lethal measures; unauthorized weapons caches, including tunnels and rockets, were also discovered.
• 🇺🇦 Overnight strikes in Ukraine caused civilian casualties and damaged residential buildings, clinics, and facilities; June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in three years.
• 🇸🇩 The cholera outbreak in Sudan is worsening, with over 84,000 suspected cases and 2,100 deaths reported; $5 million has been allocated for urgent response, but $50 million is needed.
• 🇸🇴 Clashes in Somalia have displaced thousands of civilians, leading to the suspension of six health facilities and compromising water sources and supply routes.
• 🇨🇩 In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, peacekeepers established mobile operating bases to respond to threats from armed groups; six civilians were killed in attacks by suspected ADF members.
• 🇱🇾 The UN mission in Libya urges all parties to refrain from using force and calls for the swift implementation of security arrangements.

UN Environment Programme Report

• 📈 Annual heat-related deaths among older persons have risen by an estimated 85% since the 1990s.
• 🏙️ The report recommends proactive urban planning for age-friendly, resilient cities with reduced pollution and improved accessibility, including expanded green spaces.