Author: Kathleen Downie

Highlights:
Secretary – General / Travel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Syria
Yemen
Sudan
Uganda
New Resident Coordinators

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
In response to questions about the videos of the Israeli hostages shown by Hamas, the Deputy Spokesperson said the Secretary-General was very shocked by this unacceptable violation of human dignity.
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that many people reportedly continue to be killed and injured, including people seeking food along the UN convoy routes and militarized distribution points. Some 1,500 people have been reportedly killed since May.
Meanwhile, our colleagues continue to risk their lives to provide life-saving assistance. On Sunday, Israeli air strikes killed a health worker from the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Khan Younis.
Furthermore, yesterday, the Israeli military issued yet another displacement order in Gaza City, covering the neighborhood of Tufah. OCHA says that these orders continue to push people into overcrowded, unsafe areas with no shelters and essential supplies. OCHA reminds us that only 12 per cent of Gaza is outside the Israeli-militarized zone or areas affected by displacement orders. Our partners are still unable to respond to shelter needs due to zero stock, with no shelter supplies having entered Gaza since early March.
In the past few days, the UN and our partners have managed to collect wheat flour, ready-to-eat rations and hot meal commodities from the crossings; however, most of the cargo was offloaded by the hungry crowds before reaching its destinations.
While nutrition supplies have entered during the past week, including high-energy biscuits for pregnant and breastfeeding women and infant formula, and hygiene kits, UNICEF emphasized yesterday that this is still a fraction of what is needed and reminded that malnutrition among children in Gaza is reaching catastrophic levels.
The UN and our partners reiterate that a ceasefire is critically needed to reach all those in need and urge for the continued facilitation of a sustained, uninterrupted and scaled-up flow of aid, including commercial goods.
Regarding fuel, yesterday, the UN was able to collect about 200,000 litres from Kerem Shalom crossing; however, the limited quantities that have been entering Gaza since last week do not suffice to remedy the shortages.
For example, water, sanitation and hygiene operations continue to be affected by the lack of fuel. While some 70,000 litres of fuel are needed every day for emergency operations, only 29,000 litres have been received, which is far below the minimum quantity needed.
In a welcome development, Israeli authorities have approved an increase in the number of fuel tankers that are allowed to enter per week. We will update you once we have clarity.
As we enter the second week since the Israeli announcement of the tactical pause to allow safe passages for our convoys, colleagues tell us that realities on the ground remain largely the same. Aid that has entered remains by far insufficient for the starving population and our convoys continue to face impediments on their way to delivering aid.
Some missions inside Gaza take more than 18 hours to be completed. The teams are compelled to wait for more than 10 hours at a stretch on the roads, which are often dangerous, congested or impassable.
Yesterday, while seven out of 11 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated, OCHA tells us that two others were impeded; one to collect health items was not fully accomplished; one was cancelled by the organizers.
Turning to the West Bank, OCHA tells us that violence by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian communities continues unabated. Settler violence incidents are on the rise. Last week, OCHA documented at least 24 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both.  OCHA reiterates its call for the protection of civilians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

It is a profound honour to join you today.

We have just signed the host country agreement for the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

The Centre represents the opening of a new chapter – for the region and for our collective journey towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

It symbolizes the new era of cooperation in Central Asia – grounded in shared priorities and solutions.

And it holds great potential for showing how the strong bonds among the region’s leaders can translate into deeper economic integration, for the benefit of all people.

This is more essential than ever.
And I commend President Tokayev for his vision and his leadership in helping to shape this new Central Asia that will become more and more a fundamental power in our world order.

I thank Member States for supporting this initiative.

And I salute the people of Kazakhstan for their warm welcome.

Almaty is a fitting home for this Centre.

This is a city of history, resilience, and vision.

And Kazakhstan is an ideal and generous host.

This country has long served as a bridge between East and West, tradition and innovation.

The Centre has been mandated by the General Assembly, and I look forward to its operationalization – with terms of reference being finalized and leadership appointments to follow.

Soon, it will serve as a hub for regional collaboration … a laboratory for ideas … and a launchpad for action.

It will bring together governments, UN country teams, civil society, academia, the private sector, regional organizations, and financial institutions – to develop coordinated, country-led efforts;

And tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time – from climate change and water scarcity to youth unemployment, gender inequality and digital exclusion.

Working together with our Resident Coordinators and Country Teams, it will contribute to accelerating progress toward the 2030 Agenda in Central Asia and Afghanistan – driven by the spirit of solidarity and shared responsibility that defines the United Nations.

Excellencies, dear friends,

We are only five years away from 2030 – but far from our destination.

The world is facing complex and interlinked challenges that threaten sustainable development.

Poverty is stalling. Hunger and malnutrition are plaguing societies. Inequalities are deepening. Conflicts continue to tear communities apart. And the climate crisis is accelerating.

In Central Asia, climate change is already draining water supplies, melting glaciers, and fuelling natural disasters.

The shrinking of the Aral Sea is a stark reminder of the region’s environmental vulnerability.

Rising trade tensions and global uncertainty compound these risks.

The region’s landlocked geography presents additional barriers – to trade, connectivity, financing, and access to global markets.

That is why I am especially pleased to be here on the eve of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan.

This Centre can become a vital pioneer in implementing the Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries;

Today, we must say that Kazakhstan is no longer a landlocked country. Kazakhstan is a centre in the global trade system.

A centre in the global logistics, transportation and the telecommunication system with its corridors on roads, railways, fiber optics and transforming this country in really a bridge from East and West, North and South.

And the Centre can help ensure that the aspirations of landlocked nations are not constrained by geography – but can empower by cooperation and regional solutions.

It will build on the region’s greatest asset – its people.

Young people, women, entrepreneurs, and civil society – these are the true engines of progress, driving the innovation and resilience needed to leave no one behind.

The Centre will support data-driven policy, spark innovation, and amplify the voices of those too often unheard.

And nowhere is that cooperation more urgent than in our support to Afghanistan.

UNICEF senior official Ted Chaiban said, “One in three people in Gaza are going days without food,” warning that “we are at a crossroads. The choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children live or die.”

Ted Chaiban is the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations. He briefed reporters today (01 Aug) in New York after returning from a five-day mission to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Chaiban highlighted, “Gaza now faces a grave risk of famine,” adding that “more than 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition.”

The UNICEF humanitarian also said that there has been some easing of humanitarian access after the pauses announced by Israel, adding that the Agency has over 1,500 trucks of life-saving supplies ready across corridors in Egypt, Jordan, Ashdod, and Turkey.

“Some have begun to move, and we have delivered in the last couple of days 33 trucks of life-saving infant formula, High Energy Biscuits and hygiene kits,” he explained.

This is still a fraction of what is needed, Chaiban said, explaining that a big part of his mission has been advocacy and engagement with the Israeli authorities in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

He said, “We pressed for a review of their military rules of engagement to protect civilians and children. Children should not be getting killed waiting in line at a nutrition centre or collecting water, and people should not be so desperate as to have to rush a convoy for food. We called for more humanitarian aid and commercial traffic to come in – moving closer towards 500 trucks a day – to stabilize the situation and reduce the desperation of the population and also the looting and, what we call it self-distribution, when the population goes after a convoy, and also looting, when armed groups go after it because the price of food is so high.”

On getting the aid to the people, Chaiban said, “We know what must be done and what can be done. The UN and NGOs that form the humanitarian community can address this, along with commercial traffic, if the measures are in place to allow access and eventually have enough goods in the Strip that some of the issues that are there with law and order abate.”

Asked about airdropping aid, the UNICEF official said, “Airdrops cannot replace the volume and the scale that convoys by road can achieve.”

He continued, “what’s needed is simply not feasible in terms of volume, in terms of access through airdrops. And so try every modality, but what’s clearly needed is to move back towards a volume of around 500 trucks a day, through all routes and that includes both humanitarian aid and commercial as I have said.”

Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), lacking direct sea access, face hurdles in trade, connectivity, and development. Without coastal ports, they rely on transit nations, causing higher trade costs and delays. Despite challenges, LLDCs host vibrant communities with untapped potential. 

Jenča told Council in New York today (01 Aug) that overnight, between 30 and 31 July, another large-scale Russian missile and drone attack hit Kyiv. At least 31 people, including five children, were reportedly killed. 159 people, including at least 16 children, were reportedly injured. The number of children injured in this attack was the highest in a single night in the city since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion.

The Assistant Secretary-General also told Council that there are reports of civilian casualties, including civilian deaths in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation. The world body is not in a position to verify these reports but remains concerned about the increasing impact of the reported Ukrainian strikes on the civilian population in the Russian Federation.

Jenča reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately – wherever they occur.

The senior UN official also highlighted “Ukrainian people have endured nearly three and a half years of unimaginable horrors, death, devastation and destruction. They urgently need relief from this nightmare.”

He reiterated the urgent call for “an immediate, unconditional, and complete ceasefire to pave the way towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

“A peace that is in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and relevant UN resolutions in full respect of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders,” the senior UN official added.

Jenča said, “Diplomacy, not fighting, needs to escalate in the coming days and weeks. Diplomacy that leads to real, tangible, verifiable and lasting results that would be felt by the long-suffering people on the ground.”

“The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end,” he concluded.

For his part, Russian Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said, “the expired princeling in Kyiv is not interested in easing the plight and suffering of his civilians, but rather in presenting such situations provoked by him presenting them as intentional Russian strikes.”

“His only goal here is to save his own height and convince his sponsors to continue financial and military support to his agonizing, dictatorial and corrupted regime,” Ambassador Polyanskiy continued.

He added, “The abuse of the Security Council meetings so as to shift the responsibility for the death of his own citizens, is a favorite trick of Ukraine.”

The Russian Ambassador concluded by underscoring once again that his government is not against discussing the Ukrainian crisis in the Council. “We’re against making the tragedy of the Ukrainians who became hostages of the Zelenskyy regime, and his maniacal will to sacrifice them on the altar of geopolitical interests that is exploited in the Council for political reasons,” he said.

“ It’s disrespectful and indifferent to the suffering of tens of thousands of people who are dying and suffering in other areas of the world, and Western members of Security Council are in no hurry to ask for meetings on that,” Ambassador Polyanskiy said.

Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Chargée d’Affaires of Ukraine to the United Nations also spoke at the Council.

She said, “Once again, the world witnessed Russia’s response to our desire for peace, shared with the United States and Europe: new killings, more destroyed homes.”

“It is a deliberate campaign to terrorize civilians and destroy any notion of normal life in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.

She continued, This effort is propped up by Iran and the DPRK, in blatant defiance of numerous Security Council resolutions. These regimes supply Moscow with drones, missiles, and ammunition, while Chinese companies continue to provide dual-use goods and equipment – contributions that further fuel Russia’s ability to wage war and deepen the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people.”

Chargée d’Affaires Hayovyshyn pointed out, “Russia awaits the international law to be defeated, they believe that the world will look away and that justice will be avoided.”

“As we all know, these problems have grown worse. We must learn from what went wrong. We must do better. And I believe we can,” Guterres said today (Aug 01), referring to inefficiencies in the mandate system.

The briefing followed the circulation of a report on 31 July 2025, presenting findings from Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative, a Mandate Implementation Review, which examines the structures, processes, and services related to mandate creation, delivery, and review. The report does not assess the content or merit of any mandates themselves.

Launched in March 2025, the UN80 Initiative aims to enhance the United Nations’ efficiency, effectiveness, and responsiveness to global challenges in the lead-up to the Organization’s 80th anniversary. The initiative focuses on three reform tracks: internal efficiency, mandate implementation review, and structural and programmatic reforms.

Since 1946, the UN’s three main organs, the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council, along with their subsidiary bodies, have issued mandates through over 40,000 resolutions, decisions, and presidential statements. These mandates define the UN’s activities and hold the Secretariat accountable, yet their sheer volume and complexity have created a “vast – and often opaque” landscape, the Secretary-General said.

“There is no easy way to know what already exists, or what has been adopted across different bodies,” he warned. “The risks of duplication and overlap are clear.”

Guterres emphasized that mandates are the responsibility of Member States, “They are the expression of your will. And they are the sole property and responsibility of Member States. The vital task of creating, reviewing or retiring them lies with you – and you alone. Our role is to implement them – fully, faithfully, and efficiently.” He called for reforms that would include “fewer meetings, fewer reports,” and more tailored, transparent systems for monitoring and reporting on mandate implementation.

UN80 Initiative:
https://www.un.org/en/delegate/guterres-prioritizes-reform-un80-initiative-launch

Highlights:
UN80
Trip Announcement
Deputy Secretary-General/ Travel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Haiti
Haiti – Humanitarian
Security Council/Afternoon
World Breastfeeding Week
Briefings Today

UN80

The Secretary-General this morning provided an update to Member States on his UN80 initiative, focusing on his report, issued yesterday, on what is known as “workstream two,” which deals with the implementation of mandates received from Member States. Mandates are the sole property of Member States, he affirmed.
Mr. Guterres said that the problems with mandates are well known: Burdensome processes. Overlap. Duplicative structures. And a growing gap between mandates and resources. And he told the Member States that the review of mandates is not about questioning their decisions but about implementing them — more effectively, more efficiently, and with greater impact. Mandates are not ends in themselves, the Secretary-General said; they are tools to deliver real results, in real lives, in the real world.
He said that today, there are more than 40,000 resolutions and decisions on the books – and counting. The risks of duplication and overlap are clear.
Meanwhile, since 2020, the average word count of General Assembly resolutions has increased by 55 per cent. ECOSOC texts have grown by 95 per cent. And Security Council resolutions are now three times longer than they were 30 years ago.
The Secretary-General added that we cannot expect far greater impact without the means to deliver. By spreading our capacities so thin, we risk becoming more focused on process than on results.
That is why, he said, the report puts for their consideration a possible shift: Toward shorter, clearer, and more focused mandates.

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT

The Secretary-General will travel to Central Asia this weekend. On Sunday, the Secretary-General and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym Jomart Tokayev, will witness the signing of the Host Country Agreement for the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan, which has been formalized by the General Assembly. The signatories will be Murat Nurtleu, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and Li Junhua, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
From Kazakhstan, the Secretary-General will travel to Awaza in Turkmenistan, to attend the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. He will reaffirm the need to help the Landlocked Developing Countries overcome physical barriers and connect to global markets, including by leveraging Artificial Intelligence to strengthen early warning systems.
While in Turkmenistan, the Secretary-General is expected to have bilateral meetings with the host country leaders, as well as leaders and officials attending the conference.

As part of the UN80 Initiative’s second workstream, and in line with General Assembly resolution 79/318, the report proposes ways to strengthen mandate processes while fully respecting that mandates remain the responsibility of Member States. Addressing these issues is essential to ensure the UN remains responsive, coherent, and fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world.

Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are locked out: with no direct territorial access to the sea, they struggle with international trade, connectivity, and economic development.

Highlights:
Myanmar
Helsinki Final Act
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
UNIFIL
Ukraine
Haiti
Security Council
Briefings Tomorrow

MYANMAR
The UN remains concerned by ongoing violence in Myanmar, including aerial bombardment hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure.  Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected.  Any pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence and unimpeded access of relief workers and supplies to meet the enormous humanitarian needs exacerbated since the 28 March earthquakes.   
The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the military’s plan to hold elections amid ongoing conflict and human rights violations and without conditions, including safety and security, that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights.
Security Council Resolution 2669 (2022) calls for immediately releasing all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi; upholding democratic institutions and processes; and pursuing in constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.
The United Nations is committed to staying and delivering in Myanmar and to working with all stakeholders, including ASEAN and other regional actors, to attain sustainable peace. 

HELSINKI FINAL ACT
Today, the Secretary-General addressed via a video message the High-level Conference commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. He noted that we are witnessing a dangerous drift away from commitments that have safeguarded peace for generations. Yet, he said, in this moment of peril, the values enshrined in the UN Charter and echoed in the Helsinki Final Act – sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence – remain our moral and strategic compass.
The Secretary-General called on all to recommit to the spirit of Helsinki by strengthening regional partnerships to renew multilateralism, by principled leadership to uphold international law, and by forging unity of purpose to build a future of mutual respect, resilience, and shared prosperity.

Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are locked out: with no direct territorial access to the sea, they struggle with international trade, connectivity, and economic development.