Nelson Mandela International Day, Cyprus & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (18 July 2025)

Highlights:
Nelson Mandela International Day
Cyprus
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
Security Council/Colombia
Haiti
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo/Peacekeeping
Afghanistan
Ukraine/UN Office on Drugs And Crime
Nuclear War
Refugees
International Days

NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY
Today is Nelson Mandela International Day. In his remarks to observe the Day at the General Assembly earlier today, Secretary-General, António Guterres, said that Madiba’s extraordinary life was a triumph of the human spirit. He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division — but of reconciliation, peace and unity.
“Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility,” he added.
The Secretary-General congratulated the laureates of the 2025 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize, Brenda Reynolds and Kennedy Odede. Both prize winners, he said, embody Nelson Mandela’s words, which are engraved on their Prizes: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.”
He added that as the UN celebrates its 80th anniversary, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and transformation continues to inspire and drive us.

CYPRUS
Yesterday afternoon, in a press encounter after the conclusion of the informal meeting on Cyprus, the Secretary-General said that the discussions were constructive, and both leaders reviewed the progress on the six initiatives they agreed in March to build trust.
Out of these six initiatives, four have been achieved: the creation of a technical committee on youth; initiatives on the environment and climate change, including the impact on mining areas; the restoration of cemeteries; and an agreement on demining that will be closed once the final technical details are established.
The Secretary-General noted that discussions will continue on the remaining two initiatives, which are the opening of four crossing points and solar energy in the buffer zone.
The Secretary-General said that there’s a long road ahead, and it is important to think about what the future can mean – for all Cypriots.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the continued onslaught and mass deprivation of people in the Strip is being normalized. Every day brings more preventable deaths, displacement and desperation.
Just today, the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order, this time for parts of North Gaza. The UN also continues to receive deeply troubling reports of malnourished children and adults being admitted to hospitals with little resources available to treat them properly.
OCHA warns that the energy crisis in Gaza continues to deepen, despite the resumption of limited fuel imports. That’s because the small quantities entering – while critical to continue – remain at lower levels than what we were previously able to extract from dwindling internal reserves, which have now been fully depleted.
The depletion of fuel has forced solid waste collection to pause over the past couple of days, and additional water wells have also had to shut down, particularly in Deir al Balah. While specific health services – including dialysis – have reduced or shut down, others could go on for a few more days before they too will have to go dark. With every day that passes, people have less clean water and healthcare and more sewage flooding ground floors.