Category: The Civic Circle

Guterres today (25 Jul) addressed the Global Assembly via a video link to the event in Prague. He is the first United Nations Secretary-General to address the Assembly – the charity’s highest decision-making body.

He commended the Amnesty International for being at the forefront of the global struggle for human rights – “fearless, principled and relentless.”

Guterres described a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing starving aid workers and traumatized children. He said, “Our own heroic staff continue to serve in unimaginable conditions. Many are so numb and depleted that they say they feel neither dead nor alive. Children speak of wanting to go to heaven, because at least, they say, there is food there. We hold video calls with our own humanitarians who are starving before our eyes.”

“This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience,” the UN chief stressed.

Guterres once again called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostage, and urgent steps toward a two-State solution.

He said, “The United Nations stands ready to make the most of a possible ceasefire to dramatically scale up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip, as we successfully did during the previous pause in fighting. Our plans are ready, and they are finalized. We know what works – and we know what does not.”

The Secretary-General also commended Amnesty International’s “indispensable” role in a global battle for human dignity. For human rights. For justice. For the multilateral system itself.

He said, “We need your movements – rooted in communities and rising from the ground up – making it clear that leaders cannot turn a blind eye to their obligations. And, yes, we need what you’ve called ‘troublemaking’. The kind that challenges complacency and inaction. That exposes injustice. That drives lasting change.”

The UN chief spoke about this year’s focus of the Global Assembly: confronting the rise of authoritarian practices – and advancing climate justice.

Guterres noted that the world is witnessing a surge in repressive tactics aiming at corroding respect for human rights. And these are contaminating some democracies.

“We must right these wrongs,” the UN chief stressed.

He said, “Many countries we must recognize stand firm with human rights. And we must push all countries to defend them – consistently, and universally, even – or especially – when inconvenient.”

He continued, “We must urge them to protect and strengthen the international human rights system. We must demand accountability for human rights violations – without fear or favour. And insist that countries honour commitments in the Pact of the Future – to protect civic space, and uphold human rights and gender equality. We must also demand action to confront the flood of lies and hate polluting our digital spaces.”

On climate justice, the UN chief called for “real finance” to support developing nations grappling with climate disasters. He urged nations to fulfill pledges and explore new sources of finance – “including putting an effective price on carbon, and establishing solidarity levies on polluting sectors and industries.”

Highlights:
Amnesty International
Deputy Secretary-General
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
U.N.I.F.I.L.
Climate/China–EU Summit
Security Council/Ukraine
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Financial Contribution 
Briefing Today
Briefing on Monday

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
This morning, António Guterres became the first United Nations Secretary-General to address Amnesty International’s Global Assembly. He told the Assembly that powerful forces are ranged against human rights – and against the international system built to protect and uphold them.
The Secretary-General said that the scale and scope of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is beyond anything we have seen in recent times. And he spoke about the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community.
The Secretary-General said that the UN’s heroic staff continue to serve in unimaginable conditions, while many are so numb and depleted that they say they feel neither dead nor alive.
He said that the United Nations stands ready to make the most of a ceasefire to dramatically scale-up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip, as we successfully did during the previous pause in fighting. Our plans are ready, and they are finalized, he said. He once more called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access and urgent, concrete and irreversible steps towards a two-State solution.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will travel later today, on behalf of the Secretary-General, to attend the 2nd UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4), taking place from 27 -29 July, in Addis Ababa, co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy. Four years since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, UNFSS+4 will serve as a platform to reflect on progress, strengthen collaboration, and unlock finance and investments to accelerate the transformation of food systems.
While at the Summit, Ms. Mohammed will meet with senior government officials, the private sector, civil society, youth and other stakeholders, to discuss priority actions to support food systems transformation and accelerate progress on the SDGs.
The Deputy Secretary-General will then go on to Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to chair the annual regional retreat with UN Resident Coordinators from across the Arab region, with a focus on advancing sustainable development in these countries.
Ms. Mohammed will also meet with senior government officials to strengthen the UN-Jordan partnership and discuss priority actions to support the SDGs.
The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York on 2 August.

Yuriko was diagnosed with Distal Myopathy in 2002 and became a wheelchair user in 2006 after giving birth to her son. A wish to take her son to the beach led to her realizing how better information on accessibility could change the lives of wheelchair users. By 2017, she had launched an accessibility map app that now has more than 100,000 users globally.

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About Awake at Night

Highlights:
– Thailand/Cambodia
– Amnesty International
– International Court of Justice/Climate
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Sudan
– Ukraine
– Russia
– Security Council
– Afghanistan
– Timor-Leste
– Briefing Tomorrow

THAILAND/CAMBODIA
In response to questions about the situation between Thailand and Cambodia, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is following with concern reports of armed clashes at the border between Cambodia and Thailand. The Secretary-General urges both sides to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue and in a spirit of good neighbourliness, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the dispute.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Tomorrow morning, at about 10:00 a.m., the Secretary-General is scheduled to deliver remarks at Amnesty International’s 2025 Global Assembly.
In his remarks, which he will deliver virtually, the Secretary-General will highlight concerns about human rights challenges around the world and the importance of recognizing that human rights are the solution to those challenges.
The remarks will be shown live on UN Web TV.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE/CLIMATE
Yesterday, in a message, the Secretary-General welcomed that the International Court of Justice has issued its historic advisory opinion. He noted that they made clear that all States are obligated under international law to protect the global climate system.
The Secretary-General underscored that this is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference. He pointed out that young Pacific Islanders initiated this call for humanity to the world, and the world must respond.
The Secretary-General stressed that as the ICJ has laid out, the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement must be the basis of all climate policies, under the current climate change treaty regime.
For his part, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, highlighted that the advisory opinion makes clear that human rights law and obligations apply in the context of climate change and must be taken into full account by States. He added that this includes the human right to life, as well as to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, which the ICJ says is foundational for the effective enjoyment of all human rights.

Margot van der Velden briefed reporters today (Jul 23) on the humanitarian situation in Nigeria stating that WFP will suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for over 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria at the start of August, citing critical funding shortages and a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The looming cuts in Nigeria reflect a broader funding crisis across the region. “This crisis is not just in Nigeria,” van der Velden said. “Across West and Central Africa, WFP is facing critical funding shortfalls that are forcing us to reduce and suspend many operations in some of the most fragile contexts on the continent.”

WFP assistance in the region has dropped by 60 percent compared to last year. In Mali and Niger, emergency support has been slashed by over 80 percent, van der Velden said. Overall, WFP is now only reaching five million people, a dramatic decrease given the scale of need.

She also highlighted that nearly ten million people are displaced across West and Central Africa, including around two million in northeast Nigeria alone. Many are trapped in areas they cannot leave. Chad, meanwhile, has received 1.7 million refugees from Sudan, further stretching regional capacities.

The situation is being exacerbated by a surge in violence. “We see an uptick of the attacks of the armed groups in the northeast of Nigeria,” van der Velden said.

Inflation and climate-related shocks are compounding the crisis. “We’ve also, of course, been faced in Nigeria with this unfortunate high-level inflation of food prices,” she said. “There is a larger proportion of populations that have difficulties meeting their basic needs on the high costs of a minimum food basket. And that is also aggravating.”

Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Gaza, saying that it is long past time for the fighting to end, for adequate humanitarian aid to enter the Strip, and for the recovery and reconstruction to begin in the context of a return to a political path towards a two-State solution.

He said that today, the situation inside the Strip, especially for women and children, is more dire than at any other time during this crisis.

Khiari also talked about the situation in the occupied West Bank, which he said remains deeply concerning, with high levels of violence driven by ongoing Israeli military operations, many involving civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, attacks by settlers against Palestinians, and attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.

He added that the upcoming ministerial meeting to support a two-State solution, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, is key to highlight international consensus around these goals, and reaffirm the principles of sustaining a two-State solution.

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN said, “Israel has ravaged Gaza. It has destroyed nearly everything in that narrow strip of Palestinian land. But nearly 2 million human beings remain, including 1 million children. They must be saved.”

Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, said, “Mr. Fletcher has not walked back the accusation that Israel is committing genocide. He knows it’s not true. He knows it. There are facts, international law, you have to prove intention. Yet, he said it anyway. That word carries more weight than any other accusation. To use it falsely is to dishonor the memory of real genocide victims and to endanger more lives by fueling hatred. It is not too late to correct the record. Israel demands that Mr. Fletcher retract his statement publicly, unequivocally and immediately.”

He then announced, “Today, I announce that Israel will take steps to ensure that what has been happening with OCHA will no longer continue. Hundreds of OCHA employees are undergoing security vetting. Key employees will not have their permits renewed following clear evidence of strong affiliation with Hamas. Some were even involved in the atrocities of October 7th. Israel will no longer grant automatic visas to OCHA’s international staff. Visas will now be limited to one month’s terms. What was, will no longer be.”

He also stated, “Jonathan Whittall, OCHA’s head of office for the so called ‘territories,’ has consistently and outrageously demonstrated his bias and agenda against the State of Israel. He will not have his visa renewed, and he will leave the country by July 29th.”

He also said, “Israel is doing the job the UN was created to do. We are dismantling terror networks. We are protecting civilians. We are standing up for minorities under threat.”

Barbara Woodward, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations called on Israel to end “these attacks, hold those responsible to account and to work with the UN to implement effective aid distribution in line with humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.”

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon addressed the press earlier this morning.

Highlights:
-Security Council
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Syria
-Sudan
-Peacebuilding
-Haiti
-International Seabed Authority

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that humanitarian operations in Gaza are currently under severe strain: aid workers face serious security risks, crossings remain unreliable, and critical supplies are routinely delayed or blocked.
The UN stands ready to seize the opportunity of a ceasefire to significantly scale up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip, as it did during the previous ceasefire. UN plans are ready, and they are finalized.
But to make a real difference, Israel must enable safe and unimpeded aid delivery, allow the entry of critical equipment and fuel, must open all crossings and restore movement along key supply routes. Humanitarian staff must be able to operate safely, people must be allowed to move freely, and supplies – including from the private sector – must reach all parts of Gaza.
If these conditions are met, the UN will urgently prioritize providing food, water, shelter, medical care, and protection to the civilians of Gaza who have faced unimaginable hardship for far too long.
Today, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, visited the Gaza Strip, where he met with UN agencies and humanitarian partners in Deir al Balah. During his visit, he expressed strong support for the tireless efforts of humanitarian workers who are continuing to deliver under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous conditions, including working in active combat zones and amid persistent fear.
Meanwhile, the Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs warns that the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip has never been so dire. Today, 109 aid organizations warned that mass starvation is spreading across the Gaza Strip, with colleagues and those they serve wasting away.
The UN and its partners report that aid workers are fainting from hunger and exhaustion. Deadly malnutrition among children is reaching catastrophic levels. UNICEF reminds us that a severely malnourished child is over 10 times more likely to die than a well-nourished child. 
Despite catastrophic conditions, aid workers continue to deliver life-saving assistance, wherever and whenever they can. However, OCHA stresses that to sustain these operations – including nutrition programmes – the Israeli authorities must facilitate the delivery of much more aid into and across all areas of the Gaza without any delay.
As of Sunday, our partners deliver 158,000 cooked meals through 64 community kitchens. This figure reflects a decrease of more than 70,000 daily meals compared to the previous day.
On the health front, hospitals are overwhelmed and cannot cope with the influx of patients – including those injured by hostilities – due to lack of supplies and fuel.
Earlier today, local health authorities said that, in the past few days, several of their health facilities have been shut down due to the lack of fuel. More hospitals, including Al Shifa, are at imminent risk of shutting down within the next few days.
Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund warns that severe food deprivation, a shattered healthcare system, and immense psychological stress are leading to catastrophic birth outcomes for pregnant women and for newborns. From January to June of this year, births sharply declined, and 220 mothers died – more than 20 times the total number of maternal deaths recorded in 2022. At least 20 newborns died within 24 hours of birth, and a third of babies were born prematurely, underweight or required admission to neonatal intensive care, when those facilities were available.
Today, partners reported that people with disabilities have no food, no assistive devices and no healthcare.
Meanwhile, measures must be taken to protect civilians – including the tens of thousands of people in the Strip who are older or are living with disabilities – who need assistance that preserves their dignity and survival.
Currently, the Israeli authorities are the sole decision makers on who, how and how much aid enters the Gaza Strip, and the type of supplies that are allowed in. Logistical challenges are immense: To collect supplies that have reached any of the Israeli crossings around Gaza – all of which are fenced off and heavily guarded – drivers need multiple access approvals, as well as a pause in the bombing and for the iron gates to slide open.
All too often, civilians approaching our trucks are shot at. To collect supplies safely, we must get reliable assurances that troops would not engage or be present along the routes of our convoys.

The World Health Organization (WHO) operations compromised following attacks on warehouse and facility sheltering staff and families in Deir al Balah, Gaza.

WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Rik Peeperkorn spoke to reporters today (22 Jul) via video link, stressing that the Organization will remain on the ground. “We stay in and deliver, and we will expand our operation,” he said.

On Monday (21 Jul), following intensified hostilities in Deir Al Balah, after the latest evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military, the WHO staff residence, WHO residence for the national staff was attacked three times, the senior WHO official said.

“Personnel and their families, including children, were exposed to grave danger and traumatized after airstrikes caused a fire and significant damage,” Peeperkorn said, adding that Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict.

“Male staff and male family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two male family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff member remains in detention.,” he added.

Peeperkorn stressed that most of the WHO staff housing is now inaccessible in Deir Al Balah. “Last night due to this intensified hostilities, 43 staff and their families were already relocated from several staff residences to the WHO office in the darkness and in significant risk,” he explained.

The WHO senior official also said that in another event, WHO’s main warehouse located in Deir al Balah is within the evacuation zone, and was damaged yesterday after an attack caused explosions and fire inside.

“We see this as part of a pattern of systematic destruction of health facility. We also understand what was reported that it was later looted by desperate crowds,” he added.

Peeperkorn highlighted that the geographical coordinates of all WHO premises, including offices, warehouses, and staff housing, are shared with the relevant parties.

“With the main warehouse nonfunctional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted, WHO is severely constrained in adequately supporting hospitals, emergency medical teams and health partners, which are, as we know, already critically short on medicines, medical supplies, fuel and equipment,” the WHO official said.

WHO urgently called Member States to “help to actually increase the support to WHO and to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza.”