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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 19 AUGUST 2025

WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
Today is 19th of August, and since 2009 it has been marked as the day we observed World Humanitarian Day. August 19th was chosen because it is also the day back on 19^th August 2003 when 22 of our United Nations colleagues were murdered by the terrorists who attacked the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad.
Earlier today, on behalf of the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, accompanied by survivors of the bombing, led a remembrance ceremony here at the UN Headquarters.
In a Message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that humanitarian workers are the lifeline for over 300 million people caught in conflict or disaster. Yet, he says, funding for that lifeline is drying up, and those who provide humanitarian aid are increasingly under attack.
The Secretary-General points out that last year, at least 390 aid workers, a record high, were killed across the world, from Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar and beyond. On this World Humanitarian Day, he called on all to honour the fallen with action. Together, he adds, let us say in one voice: An attack on humanitarians is an attack against humanity.
For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is calling for urgent action as attacks on aid workers hit another record.
OCHA points out that the 31 per cent surge in aid worker deaths in 2024 compared to the previous year was driven by the relentless conflicts going on in Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, where 60 lost their lives.
In Gaza, 520 aid workers – mostly staff from the the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) – have been killed since October 2023. It is the deadliest place for humanitarians.
Speaking a short while ago, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that this is more than just a statistical spike. It is a stain – the normalization of violence against this community. He added that each attack on a colleague is an attack on all of us and we do not accept it.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Every day and every night, aid workers in Gaza courageously put themselves in harm’s way to keep others alive. At the same time, they also struggle to feed themselves and feed their own families. The world cannot look away while attacks on aid workers and on the very people they try to help have become routine.
The UN once again calls on leaders to find the political will to end this conflict and to end the suffering of the people.
Over the past 24 hours, the UN has received more reports of casualties in shooting incidents that occurred along routes designated for our convoys, where crowds often wait to take supplies from the back of trucks. Such shooting incidents have been reported in Israeli-militarized areas in North Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, the UN team on the ground also reports intense hostilities between Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups. Over the past 24 hours, this has included air strikes and shelling across five neighbourhoods of Gaza city, with reports of tanks and ground troops advancing.
Yesterday, the United Nations and NGOs officials working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory warned in a joint statement of the impact of the intensified offensive in Gaza city announced by Israeli authorities, which will result in mass displacement of human beings. They said that it will have a horrific impact on people already exhausted, already malnourished, already bereaved and displaced, and deprived of basics needed for their bare survival. Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer.
The UN and NGOs stressed that their teams will remain in Gaza city to provide life-saving support as part of their commitment to serve people wherever they are. And they reminded parties of their obligation to protect civilians – including humanitarian workers and those who cannot or choose not to move – and safeguard humanitarian facilities and other civilian infrastructure.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says a continuing challenge, which is affecting shelter and other sectors - are the new registration requirements for International NGOs, which in practice is preventing many of our humanitarian partners from bringing supplies into Gaza. To secure registration, international NGOs are required to share sensitive personal information about Palestinian employees, often contrary to their countries’ domestic legislation, and to submit to conditionalities which could impact their ability to advocate for protection of civilians and humanitarian space.
Starvation in Gaza persists, as incoming supplies remain far from sufficient and do not necessarily reach the most vulnerable. The UN once again calls for a significant scale-up of private sector operations, as well as for full facilitation of community-based deliveries by a wide range of humanitarian organizations - local and international alike - with supplies allowed to enter through all available crossings, including those leading directly into the northern part of Gaza.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The UN strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces, known as ADF, in several localities of Beni and Lubero territories, in North Kivu province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attacks, which took place between 9 and 16 August, claimed the lives of at least 52 civilians, including eight women and two children. The death toll, according to the UN peacekeepers on the ground, may very well rise.
The UN Mission notes that the violence was accompanied by abductions, by looting, and by the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to populations who are already facing a dire humanitarian situation, as we routinely update you.
We reiterate once again, the Secretary-General’s call for foreign armed groups to lay down their arms unconditionally and return to their countries of origin.
The UN Mission urges the Congolese authorities to conduct thorough investigations to identify those responsible for the massacres of civilians and bring them to justice. In response to this new wave of violence, the UN Mission has reinforced its military presence and support to the Congolese authorities.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held an open debate on women and peace and security. Briefing the Council was Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. She noted that as needs are mounting, humanitarian assistance is being slashed, pointing out that we are told there is no money for lifesaving aid, even as military expenditure soars, and the world spends more in 24 hours on arms than it does in one year on addressing gender-based violence in conflict.
Ms. Patten noted that the 16th report by the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence shows that in the course of 2024, more than 4,600 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including as a tactic of war, torture, terror and political repression, were documented. This marked a staggering 25 per cent increase from 2023, which was itself a 50 per cent increase from the previous year.
Every year, Ms. Patten said, we note the disproportionate impact on women and girls, who consistently account for about 90 per cent of verified cases. The report, she noted, records violations against victims ranging in age from just one to 75 years old, as well as against persons with diverse sexual orientation, gender identities, racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Ms. Patten added that sexual violence against children increased by a shocking 35 per cent over the past year, with incidents of gang-rape rising dramatically, inflicting enduring, generational harm.

MAURITANIA / PEACEBUILDING FUND’S PEACEBUILDING AND RECOVERY FACILITY
The Secretary-General has approved yesterday Mauritania’s request to renew eligibility for the Peacebuilding Fund’s Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility for a second five-year period.
Based on multi-stakeholder consultations with the Government, civil society, the donor community, and the wider UN system, four strategic priority areas have been identified for the continued partnership. They are consolidation of democratic gains and social cohesion, empowerment of youth and women and human capital development and improving access to basic services, as well as the strengthening of local and transborder governance to promote peaceful coexistence in the context of mixed migration.