UN Press Briefing: Cyprus, Syria, Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar & More (July 16, 2025)

Cyprus Peace Talks

• 🤝 The Secretary-General is convening an informal meeting on Cyprus, involving Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, and representatives from Greece, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.
• 🗓️ The meeting, starting with a welcome dinner, aims to continue dialogue on progress since March and will include bilateral meetings and a plenary session.

Escalation in Syria

• ⚠️ The Secretary-General is alarmed by escalating violence in Suweida, Syria, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties and displacement.
• 🚫 Violence against civilians, sectarian tensions, and violations of Syria's sovereignty are unequivocally condemned.
• 🕊️ A call for immediate de-escalation, restoration of calm, and facilitated humanitarian access is reiterated.
• 🔍 The UN notes Syria's commitment to investigating violations and calls for transparency in the process.
• ✈️ Israel's airstrikes on Suweida, Daraa, and Damascus, along with troop redeployments in the Golan, are condemned, urging respect for the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
• 📜 Support for a political transition in Syria, in line with Security Council resolution 2254, is imperative.

Humanitarian Crisis in Syria

• 📞 Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and his deputy are actively engaged in communications amidst the crisis.
• infrastructure damage, including water, electricity, and telecommunications networks.
• 🆘 Humanitarian partners plan to assess needs and provide assistance in Suweida, pending security conditions and cooperation with authorities.
• 🏥 Medical services are overstretched, with WHO dispatching emergency supplies to Daraa, but deliveries to Suweida are pending due to security.

Dire Situation in Gaza

• ⛽ Small quantities of fuel entered Gaza, but severe shortages threaten vital operations for hospitals, medical facilities, and infrastructure.
• 💧 A rehabilitated well in northern Gaza provides some water, but it's insufficient for the population's needs.
• 🆘 Hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel are critically needed daily.
• ⚠️ Amidst hostilities and hunger, people risk their lives for food, with horrific reports of casualties at distribution hubs.
• ♿ Vulnerable populations, including those with disabilities and older people, face increased risks, isolation, and loss of essential mobility devices.
• 💔 Domestic violence and sexual exploitation are on the rise, with safe spaces for women and girls shut down or reduced in capacity.
• 🤰 Pregnant women are delivering babies in difficult conditions, and malnutrition rates are high among women and children.
• ⛺ Nearly all displacement sites report people sleeping in the open due to a lack of shelter supplies.
• 🛑 A ceasefire is long overdue, and massive humanitarian aid is urgently needed, along with the release of all hostages.

Other Global Issues

• ✈️ Tomorrow marks the 11th anniversary of the MH17 downing; the Secretary-General stands in solidarity with victims' families and urges cooperation to hold those responsible accountable.
• 💉 Sudan faces a looming threat of disease outbreaks as childhood immunization rates plummet to their lowest in decades, with over half of infants missing their first vaccine dose.
• 🏥 Cholera outbreaks are intensifying in Sudan, overwhelming limited treatment facilities, and further spread is a risk due to population movement.
• 💰 Severe funding shortfalls in Sudan deprive the vulnerable of support, with mobile clinics closing due to lack of funds.
• 🌾 Haiti's hunger crisis is deepening due to floods and ongoing violence, disrupting food production and access to basic needs.
• 📉 Haiti remains the least funded humanitarian appeal, with extreme shortfalls in food security funding.
• ✈️ In Myanmar, civilians are caught in intensifying conflict, with air strikes on displacement camps and monasteries resulting in casualties.
• ⚖️ The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns air strikes on civilians and calls for respect for international humanitarian law.
• 🤝 The UN recognizes the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and encourages unity among Palestinian leadership.