Sudan, Lebanon, Palestine & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (23 June 2026) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Secretary-General/London -Sudan UNIFIL Lebanon/Humanitarian Occupied Palestinian Territory Strait of Hormuz Central African Republic MONUSCO Democratic Republic of the Congo Peacekeeping Central Emergency Response Fund Ukraine International Widows’ Day UN Public Service Day Financial Contribution ----------------------------------------- SECRETARY-GENERAL/LONDON This morning, in London, the Secretary-General delivered a special address at London Climate Action Week. He said that our world is facing two crises: a climate crisis pushing us deeper toward higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points; and an energy crisis exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons.  The Secretary-General said that these crises may seem separate, but they share the same destructive origin: Fossil fuels. He underscored that they demand the same answer - a fast, fair transition to clean energy, and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm. The good news, the Secretary-General said, is that unlike every past energy crisis, we now have a clear way out, a clean way out.  He said that renewables are the cheapest, fastest and most scalable source of new electricity in most of the world. There are no embargoes on sunlight and no blockades on the wind, he added.  During his address, the Secretary-General launched a global Call to Action on Methane and also proposed an AI Environmental Transparency Initiative. Also today, the Secretary-General addressed the Local Climate Action Summit. He underscored that the climate fight will not be won in negotiating rooms, but through the actions we take in our communities. As we enter this era of implementation, he stressed that local leaders have an even greater responsibility to ensure the transition moves faster, becomes fairer, and delivers security, resilience and prosperity for all. Later on, the Secretary-General addressed the Global Energy Transition and Electrification Summit, where he said that the age of clean electrification is here. The question, he said, is whether we can build the grids and storage, mobilize the investment, and deliver the infrastructure at the speed and scale required. The Secretary-General will soon meet the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Yvette Cooper.  SUDAN Turning to Sudan. Our Human Rights colleagues issued a report today verifying 546 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence in 16 of Sudan's 18 states from the beginning of the conflict through mid-April this year, affecting at least 838 women, men and children. The findings underscore the devastating human toll the conflict continues to exact on civilians across the country. These figures represent only the tip of the iceberg of the true scale of the abuse, the report says, as persistent underreporting has obscured the full extent of conflict-related sexual violence. The report also documents the deaths of at least 13 victims, many of whom died after being subjected to brutal gang rapes. Meanwhile, we and our partners continue to provide crucial assistance to people affected by conflict in El Obeid in North Kordofan state. The World Food Programme and its partners plan to provide food assistance to more than 72,000 displaced people this month and the next one, with some 12,600 people having been reached so far. UNICEF and its partners reached more than 95,000 children under the age of five between last Friday and Sunday as part of a nutrition campaign. Our health partners have also pre-positioned cholera supplies and essential medicines to strengthen outbreak preparedness. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...