Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, Francesca Albanese & other topics – Daily Press Briefing

Highlights:
Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025
Francesca Albanese
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon
Ukraine
Sudan
Somalia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Libya
UN Environment Programme/Report
Briefings

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORT 2025
On Monday, in a press conference, the Secretary-General will launch the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. He will be joined by the Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and our Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua.

The press conference will take place at 12:45 p.m., just after the noon briefing.

FRANCESCA ALBANESE
In response to questions on the sanctions imposed by the United States on Francesca Albanese, the Spokesman said that the imposition of sanctions on special rapporteurs is a dangerous precedent.

Francesca Albanese, like all other Special UN Human Rights Rapporteurs, is an independent human rights expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and reporting to the Human Rights Council. Special Rapporteurs do not report to the Secretary-General, and he has no authority over them or their work.

That being said, Member States are perfectly entitled to their views and to disagree with the reports by the Special Rapporteurs, but we encourage them to engage with the UN human rights architecture.
The use of unilateral sanctions against special rapporteurs, or any other UN expert or official is unacceptable.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that a UN team managed to bring about 75,000 litres of fuel from Israel into the Gaza Strip. That is the first such provision in 130 days. As mentioned yesterday during the noon briefing, the UN and its humanitarian partners need hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel each day to keep essential life-saving and life-sustaining operations going, meaning the amount entered yesterday isn’t sufficient to cover even one day of energy requirements. Fuel is still running out and services will shut down if greater volumes do not enter Gaza Strip immediately.

One partner, for instance, reported that this week that in a matter of days, fuel shortages could cut off supplies of clean drinking water to about 44,000 children that depend on that water source. The lack of fresh water would further increase the risk of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea and dysentery. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues its operations across the Gaza Strip, including shelling and ground incursions. This morning, people waiting to get nutritional supplements were reportedly struck in Deir al Balah. According to Al-Aqsa Hospital, the attack resulted in dozens of casualties, the majority of whom were women and children. 

In a statement issued today, Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said she was appalled by the reported killing of 15 Palestinians, including nine children and four women, who were just waiting in line for nutritional supplies their children. And I can tell you that the UN, yet again, condemns the killing of civilians in Gaza.

OCHA stresses that parties are bound by international humanitarian law to prevent such excessive death and injury of civilians in the midst of war.
All parties must take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm, and indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited.

Another strike today reportedly hit the office of a humanitarian partner in Gaza city; three staff were killed.

Yesterday, UN partners providing education services said that between October 2023 and June of this year, 626 temporary learning spaces have been established in Gaza, with 240,000 students enrolled, about half of those students are girls. However, UN partners say that only 299 spaces are currently operational due to the ongoing displacement orders, funding shortfalls and other challenges.

UN humanitarian partners, including first responders, health workers, and aid workers, continue to deliver food and other assistance under intolerable conditions, and they themselves are facing hunger. A number of our own colleagues are also facing hunger. They also face water scarcity and threats to their personal safety, just like everyone else in Gaza.
As we said, time and again: This catastrophic situation must end. A ceasefire is not only urgent, it is long overdue, and all of the hostages need to be released unconditionally and immediately.