UN Press Briefing: Gaza Crisis, BRICS Summit, and Global Affairs (July 3, 2025)

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

• 💔 The Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, condemning the loss of civilian life due to recent attacks on sites hosting displaced people.
• ⚠️ Israeli orders to relocate have forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, with inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine, and water, and no safe place to go.
• ⛽ With no fuel entering Gaza for over 17 weeks, critical lifelines are being cut, threatening incubators, ambulances, and water purification.
• 🆘 The UN calls for full, safe, and sustained humanitarian access and reiterates the need for an immediate permanent ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.
• 🗺️ Displacement orders now cover 78% of Gaza, with militarized zones increasing this to 85%, leaving overcrowded and underserved areas for civilians.
• 🩸 Menstruation has become a nightmare for 700,000 women and girls due to lack of water, soap, and privacy, with UNFPA supplies unable to enter.
• 🕊️ The UN reiterates that all parties must uphold international law and calls for an immediate permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

Secretary-General's Travel and Deputy's Activities

• ✈️ The Secretary-General will attend the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, speaking on multilateralism, economic affairs, AI, environment, COP30, and global health.
• 🤝 The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, attended the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), emphasizing consensus on closing the SDG financing gap and reforming the financial architecture.
• 🌍 She recognized over 100 initiatives launched on the Sevilla Platform for Action, including solidarity levies, and announced the UN will operationalize a Seville Forum on Debt.
• 🇨🇻 She will travel to Praia, Cabo Verde, to mark the country's 50th anniversary of independence.

Global Updates and Appointments

• 🇱🇧 UNIFIL's new Force Commander met with Lebanese leaders to support Security Council resolution 1701, while peacekeepers discovered unauthorized weapons caches.
• 🇨🇾 The Personal Envoy for Cyprus is traveling to the island for informal talks, following meetings with the UK and EU.
• 🇺🇦 Air strikes in Ukraine have killed and injured civilians, damaging homes, hospitals, and agricultural supplies, with over 80 facilities affected in the Donets region alone.
• 🏥 Ukraine has seen 255 attacks on healthcare facilities this year, accounting for nearly 40% of global attacks verified by WHO.
• 🇷🇺 Final consultations on the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and the Russian Federation will take place on July 11th in Geneva.
• 🇭🇹 Carlos Ruiz Masu of Mexico has been appointed as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti.
• 🇾🇪 In Yemen, local water authorities in Taiz reached an agreement to manage water supply systems, restoring services after a decade of disruption, with UN funding to connect 90,000 people.

Reports and International Days

• 📊 The inaugural UN Global Risk Report highlights 12 global vulnerabilities, focusing on perceived gaps in the multilateral space, including mis/disinformation, technological, environmental, and societal risks.
• 🤝 The report emphasizes coordinated action between member states and stakeholder groups to address these vulnerabilities.
• 🇨 🇺 The International Day of Cooperatives is on Saturday, focusing on community benefits.
• 🌍 World Rural Development Day is on Sunday, aiming to elevate rural voices and ensure no one is left behind.