Ukraine, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (12 June 2026) | United Nations

[00:00:01]Afternoon, uh we will be joined shortly by Angeli Acharya, the Deputy Executive Director of the Joint Program on HIV AIDS, better known to all of us as UNAIDS.

[00:00:14]Uh she will be here to brief you on the UNAIDS report entitled entitled Global AIDS Brief with the latest data on HIV AIDS from uh last year.

[00:00:24]Our Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, arrived in Dakar, Senegal this morning, where she met today with uh President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and exchanged views on matters pertaining to regional security, development of the UN-Senegal relationship, uh cooperation.

[00:00:40]The Deputy Secretary General commended Senegal's continued commitment to multilateralism, its role as a bridge builder in the region, and its leadership in advancing peace and sustainable solution, including as co-host of the 2026 UN Water Conference.

[00:00:56]While [snorts] in Dakar, she also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the government of Senegal and the United Nations regarding the new UN House in that country.

[00:01:05]Signing is an important milestone in the long-standing partnership between the UN and the government and people of Senegal. The house brings together 29 UN entities together under one roof in the spirit of one UN aligned with the UN 80 initiative, strengthening cooperation, reducing duplication, and improving how the UN delivers for the people of Senegal. Uh at the signing, the Deputy Secretary General reaffirmed our continued support for Senegal's effort to deliver on the 2030 agenda. On the sidelines of the ceremony, she also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Niang to discuss progress on the UNAIDS initiative, as well as collaboration between the UN and Senegal to accelerate implementation and financing of the Sustainable Development Goals. She also, of course, met with our colleagues from the country team and thanked them for their hard work and commitment.

[00:01:56]Uh she will be returning to New York this Sunday.

[00:02:01]Just want to flag on Ukraine, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine today said conflict-related violence in Ukraine last May killed at least 274 civilians and injured 1,763 by their count. This is more than more than in any other month in the last four years. The mission said that the use of powerful weapons in urban areas by the Russian Federation was the main reason for the high casualty count in May.

[00:02:31]Turning to Lebanon, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon continues to observe extensive Israeli Defense Forces military activity across its area of operations. Those activities are characterized by high-density armored movements, large-scale engineering and demolition works, and sustained logistical traffic. Yesterday, UNIFIL reported intensive air activities involving fighter aircraft and various unmanned aerial systems across the area of operations. UNIFIL recorded 72 violations of Lebanese airspace by the IDF amounting to over 110 hours of overflight. A total of eight eight air strikes were carried out by IDF fighter aircraft in UNIFIL's area of operations yesterday.

[00:03:16]Peacekeepers reported 500 531 trajectories yesterday. 526 originated from IDF positions south of the blue line and within its UNIFIL's area of operations, and other and five trajectories presumably launched by Hezbollah with one actually crossing the blue line. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL facilitated nine humanitarian missions in coordination with OCHA and in liaison with the IDF. Eight of them were in Sector West, mainly to Tyre, and one was done in Sector East. Also yesterday, a UNIFIL-funded and UNESCO-led campaign to counter miss and disinformation was launched in Beirut in cooperation with the Lebanese uh in Lebanese Ministry of Information. The campaign features short video clips broadcast on Tele Liban and all promoting fact-checking and the responsible use of free expression. It aims to encourage the public to verify information before sharing content online and raise awareness for misleading information that is circulating.

[00:04:20]On the On the broader humanitarian front, um we remain deeply concerned by the continued impact of hostilities on health care, people's access to essential services. Yesterday, a reported strike near Hiram Hospital in Tyre district in South Governorate injured 10 staff members and damaged the hospital's buildings and impacted its vehicles as well. This is at least the fifth reported incident affecting Hiram Hospital since the escalation started on March 2nd. That's what authorities are telling uh are telling us. Our colleagues at the World Health Organization report that across Lebanon, 17 hospitals have been damaged during the escalation, including all three hospitals in Tyre. In addition, 135 health care workers and first responders have been killed, nearly 400 others injured. Hospitals and medical personnel must not be protected at all times according to international law, as we have said numerous time in many conflicts around the world. Our humanitarian partners in Lebanon continue to support affected families across the country. Since the escalation began, more than 182,000 people have received essential relief items.

[00:05:30]>> [snorts] >> And turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, uh OCHA warns that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including aid workers and their premises and assets, continue to be exposed to Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire, resulting in reports of casualties and damage.

[00:05:49]Yesterday, a structure in Deir al-Balah belonging to a humanitarian organization sustained minor damage by an Israeli airstrike that hit nearby. Under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times. Also yesterday, the entry of goods into um Gaza, the Kerem Shalom Kerem Abu Salem crossing was reduced due to ongoing infrastructure work. This week, we and our humanitarian partners have taken food, medicine, hygiene items into Gaza to be distributed to the most vulnerable families. WHO and our partners also supported the medical evacuation of 26 patients and their companions.

[00:06:28]Meanwhile, people's uh access to water sanitation services across the West Bank remain constrained due to settler violence, movement restrictions, demolitions, and damage to infrastructure, particularly in the northwest uh northern West Bank um and [snorts] in Masafer Yatta in the south and herding communities across Area C.

[00:06:51]Since the beginning of the year, more than 100 incidents involving demolitions or settler violence have resulted in damage to over 190 water and sanitation structures, including pipelines, irrigation systems, water tanks.

[00:07:04]We reiterate that Palestinians should be protected and their access to essential services must be respected and safeguarded, not obstructed or destroyed. Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the head of our peacekeeping mission there, James Swan, today concluded a visit to Goma, where he reaffirmed the mission's continuing engagement of uh and support of peace efforts in the eastern DRC in line with the peacekeeping mission's mandate.

[00:07:29]During his stay in Goma, he met separately with representatives of the Alliance Alliance Fleuve Congo M23, as well as the commander and other members of the expanded joint verification mechanism.

[00:07:41]Uh as part of ongoing efforts to advance ceasefire monitoring and verification arrangements, he also, uh, ex- had exchanges of views with our colleagues to review the security, the political, and the humanitarian situation. And to assess the mission's operational priorities in the current environment, including Ebola response. During his visit, Mr. Swan reiterated the importance of advancing and ensuring coherence among regional, international, and national peace efforts, including the Washington, the Doha, and the African Union, uh, processes. He underscored MINUSCA's uh, readiness, uh, within its mandate to support implementation measures of peace processes.

[00:08:22]Also, uh, Mr. Swan visited the Uruguayan contingent's base, where he congratulated Sergeant Matias Reyes, who is so up on the on the screen during the 2026, um, uh, Peacekeeper Awards. As you know, he was the recipient of the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for his exceptional courage under fire. On the broader humanitarian front, our OCHA colleagues warn that escalating violence in the eastern DRC is impacting civilians and undermining efforts to manage the Ebola outbreak. In North Kivu, an armed attack in Beni this morning killed at least five civilians, and so our local civil society is telling us. Elsewhere in the province, renewed clashes in Masisi territory have triggered further displacement and forced humanitarian organizations to restrict their movements in several areas. This significantly limits access to people in need and disrupts Ebola response activities. In South Kivu provinces, hostilities in Kabare territory over the past three days have also resulted in civilian casualties and new displacement. The hostilities have forced the World Food Program and our partners to delay planned food distribution in the affected areas.

[00:09:32]Meanwhile, in Ituri, the peacekeeping mission is reinforcing its protection of humanitarian workers, medical teams, and health facilities responding to the Ebola outbreak. Since June 4th, the mission has deployed a mobile military base in Mong uh Mongba Excuse me, Mongbualu in Djugu territory, one of the epicenters of the Ebola uh the Ebola outbreak. Um while the mission continues to coordinate with Congolese National Police to protect healthcare facilities in other affected areas, the presence of peacekeepers is already deterred armed groups from intimidat- from The presence of peacekeepers, excuse me, has already deterred armed groups from intimidating healthcare efforts and civilians, and it has helped ensure dignified uh and safe burials for victims. Despite these efforts to improve security, a health worker in the health zone was taken by members of an armed group on June 8th and forced to perform a postmortem procedure without any protective equipment. The incident highlights the serious risks faced by frontline workers, and this week our humanitarian coordinator at interim, Damien Mama, was in Ituri to support the response efforts, stressing that Ebola response must be integrated in the broader humanitarian uh response to sustain essential services for vulnerable populations.

[00:10:53]Despite these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners, together with local communities, continue our efforts to contain the outbreak. Again, we call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure safe, sustained, and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian teams. It's essential that surveillance, contact tracing, transport of lab samples, medical referrals, emergency dis deploys deployments, safe and dignified burials can continue without interruption.

[00:11:21]Couple of things I want to flag to you before I turn over to you. Uh the International Labor Organization today adopted the Decent Work on the Platform Economy Convention 2026, a very important uh uh a accomplishment. It establishes the first international labor standards for work performed through digital labor platforms. The convention was adopted at the closing of the 114th meeting of the International Labor Conference, which brings together government employers and working delegates from the organization's 187 member states. The new convention responds to the rapid growth of the platform economy, which has transformed the world of work by creating new opportunities for income generation, while also exposing workers to decent work deficits. It applies to digital labor platforms and platform workers, regardless of their employment classification.

[00:12:13]It establishes a global framework for promoting decent work in that sector.

[00:12:18]The landmark convention addresses a wide range of issues affecting platform workers, including their rights, protection against violence and harassment, fair remuneration, social protection, and transparency and accountability in the use of algorithms and automated decision-making.

[00:12:35]Also earlier today in Geneva, our friend Volker Turk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, launched his office's annual report, which says that in 2025, the UN Human Rights Office carried out more than 5,000 human rights monitoring missions. The report adds that the Human Rights Office documented tens of thousands of human rights violations, influenced nearly 140 legal and policy reforms, contributed to the release of 5,000 people from arbitrary detention.

[00:13:03]Mr. Turk also raised the severe funding cuts affecting his office, which has direct consequences on lives and freedoms. Today is the International Child Day against child labor, and this year's theme is red card to child labor, fair play for children, decent work for adults. Despite progress, the ILO notes that 138 million children remain in child labor worldwide, including nearly 54 million in hazardous work. Tomorrow is the also the International Albinism Awareness Day. The theme this year is proudly my skin celebrating all skin tones, which draws attention on how color-based discrimination can affect dignity, safety, and mental well-being.

[00:13:45]And Sunday, extend your arms because it is World Blood Donor Day.

[00:13:52]Uh this year's campaign, One Drop of Humanity Give Blood, Save Lives, places humanity at the heart of every blood donation. It is important. We have a quiz for you today because we have some money. All right, now you're paying attention.

[00:14:05]Built around 2600 BC, a city in this country is widely credited as having one of the first uh and most advanced plumbing and urban sanitation systems in the ancient world.

[00:14:20]The city is called Mohenjo-Daro.

[00:14:27]No clue? It's not far from you.

[00:14:31]We say thank you to our friends in Pakistan uh and our friends in Islamabad for their full payment to the regular budget.

[00:14:38]We are now 114 paid-up member states.

[00:14:40]Pakistan paid 3,913,201 American dollars, and we appreciate every one of those dollars.

[00:14:51]I'm Edina and Mariam.

[00:14:55]>> Thanks, Steph. I have two questions.

[00:14:57]First, maybe too early for a comment, but since we are here, the prime minister of Pakistan just announced that um text of the peace deal between the US and Iran has been agreed. Any comment?

[00:15:11]>> Uh I mean, we've seen um we've seen that uh we've seen that announcement. We saw also the announcement from the president of the United States yesterday.

[00:15:21]I think given the sensitivity of the situation and the fact we've been close before we will hold off on any comment, but we are encouraged by I think the the general tone of what we are hearing.

[00:15:34]>> Second topic, Elon Musk became today the first trillionaire in the world.

[00:15:39]Any thought from the Secretary General in a world where not so many people have so much money?

[00:15:45]>> I mean it does underscore the the issue of inequality that the Secretary General has been speaking about and the responsibility of some those who are on the positive side of the inequality to do whatever they can to support everyone.

[00:16:04]Madam.

[00:16:06]>> Thank you, Steph. Happy Friday.

[00:16:09]Um question on Afghanistan. As you may have been following what's happening in Herat, um there are some protests going on and the Taliban have been um opening fire on people. Two people have been killed and so many of the women who were arrested um uh families don't know about their um whereabouts. Uh is Secretary General following the situation? Besides the statement from UNAMA, do you have anything else to share with us?

[00:16:39]>> we've obviously our our UNAMA colleagues are are on the front lines.

[00:16:44]Uh the situation is indeed uh very concerning. Uh lethal force should never be used uh against uh peaceful um peaceful demonstrators and we'll continue to watch it closely.

[00:16:59]Vladimir.

[00:17:00]>> Thank you, Stephane. I have two questions.

[00:17:02]Uh the first one is less trivial perhaps. Following Armenia's recent elections, Russia has increased pressure on Armenia through trade restrictions, energy-related threats, and intensified propaganda campaigns targeting the country's democratic and European aspirations.

[00:17:22]Today, Moscow has banned the import of all plant products from Armenia. What is your reaction to these actions?

[00:17:32]>> Uh listen, I we've seen the results of the elections.

[00:17:37]These are These are bilateral issues and I don't have a particular comment.

[00:17:43]>> [clears throat] >> There's another question.

[00:17:44]>> Yes, sir.

[00:17:45]>> Uh today, Putin once again claimed the following.

[00:17:51]It was NATO that unleashed the war.

[00:17:55]We did not start the hosti- hostilities with the beginning of this special military operation.

[00:18:03]How would the Secretary General respond to this statement?

[00:18:07]>> I think the Secretary General was very clear in his statement uh when this phase of the conflict uh started, when we saw the the Russian troops cross into uh into Ukraine.

[00:18:18]Uh our focus is not so much as to the origins of the war, but to ensure that there is an end to this war in a way that is uh sustainable um and that recognizes also the territorial integrity of Ukraine uh and follows all the relevant uh General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

[00:18:41]Uh I will go on the screen. I see Mike walking about. Um as you're getting your steps in, but go ahead, Mike.

[00:18:51]>> Just getting my quiet in. Thanks, Dad.

[00:18:53]Um I reached out to UNRWA on the release about the 70 terminated workers. My contact over there is out of the office, so I'm coming to you. Uh the release was unclear. Um it said that they were terminated not for punitive measures and not because there was evidence against them, but because of the safety and security of the agency. What it What does that mean in English?

[00:19:15]>> Uh well, you know, as you well know, Mike, native English is not my native language, so I'm not sure I can help you. Um I can help you with that. I would refer you back to to what Anwar is saying. I mean, Christian uh Saunders' decisions are based in the best interest of the um of the organization. I will try to talk to Anwar and see if we can get you uh a bit more, but I feel this statement is as clear as it can be.

[00:19:41]>> But if if there's no if it's not punitive and there's no evidence, then why would you why would you terminate 70 people otherwise?

[00:19:49]>> the the situation uh in Anwar is rather complex and um and challenging, and sometimes the Commissioner-General has to take decisions uh that are not easy to take, but that are in the best interest of the organization.

[00:20:03]>> Were there threats to cut funding? Is that the reason?

[00:20:05]>> Well, I mean, I think the the funding uh the funding issue has always been a challenging, but this is not linked to funding issues.

[00:20:14]I will leave it at that, Mike.

[00:20:16]Uh anyone else online?

[00:20:25]Okay. Uh if I don't uh if if I don't see anybody else, uh please stand by. We'll go to our honored guest, and I would ask her please to come forward.