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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 30 APRIL 2026

PRESS FREEDOM/WOMEN JOURNALISTS 

Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, which falls on Sunday, a new analysis from UN Women and their partners, sheds light on a growing and deeply troubling reality. The toll of online violence on women in public life, especially women journalists and media workers.  

The findings are stark. Nearly half of women journalists say they self-censor on social media, and more than one in five in their professional work, just to avoid abuse. Many report harassment ranging from non-consensual sharing of personal images to so-called “deepfakes” which are as you may know are AI-generated or AI-altered images, videos, or audio to that make it look like someone said or did something they never actually did. This abuse is often coordinated and designed to silence women’s voices and undermine their credibility, according to the analysis. 

Beyond limiting expression, the impact is deeply personal. Significant numbers report anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress linked to the violence they face online. 

The report also underscores the serious gaps in legal protection, leaving billions of women and girls without adequate safeguards against cyber harassment. The full report is available online. 

Also related to the World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO today announced the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate as the laureate of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. This in recognition of the role the Syndicate has played in condemning the deliberate targeting of journalists in the ongoing conflict in Sudan. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL/IRAN 

The Secretary-General this morning spoke to you about the continuing crisis in the Middle East, where, he said, the consequences grow dramatically worse with each passing hour. 

Even in the best-case scenario, he said, this year’s global economic growth will still drop, from 3.4 to 3.1 percent, while inflation will climb from 3.8 to 4.4 percent. By contrast, in the worst scenario, inflation skyrockets past 6 percent, growth plummets to 2 percent, and immense suffering takes hold, especially among the world’s most vulnerable countries and people. 

Mr. Guterres appealed to the parties: Open the Strait. Let all ships pass. Let the global economy breathe again. 

He said that the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, is, as you know, developing a framework to securely evacuate ships and seafarers from the conflict zone, obviously, if it is safe to do so.             

Meanwhile, Jorge Moreira da Silva, the head of the UN Office of Project Services (UNOPS), who is leading the Task Force for the Strait of Hormuz for the UN, will be heading to the region to continue his active consultations for a possible humanitarian corridor to be ready if the worst-case scenario materializes. 

SECURITY COUNCIL  

This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on non-proliferation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In her remarks to council members, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said that the DPRK’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and its ballistic missile programmes remain a matter of serious concern.  

She reiterated our call on the country to fully comply with its international obligations, under the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty and the IAEA safeguards, and also to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.  

Ms. DiCarlo also reminded Member States that all countries must abide by the relevant Security Council sanctions in their relations with the DPRK.  

With a security landscape that remains tense in the region, she reiterated that the only way to durably reduce tensions is to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 

LEBANON 

Jeanine Hennis-Plaschaert, our Special Coordinator for Lebanon met today with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. They met to discuss the ongoing and prospective efforts to consolidate the cessation of hostilities and advance stability in the country. As previously mentioned, she was in Israel this week where she also held discussions with government officials in Jerusalem. 

On the humanitarian front, the situation in Lebanon remains fragile and volatile, despite the extended ceasefire, with hostilities continuing to cause casualties. 

Lebanese authorities reported multiple airstrikes and military activity across southern Lebanon today. 

We and our humanitarian partners continue to support people in need, despite major constraints, and we continue to facilitate humanitarian access where possible. Through a Humanitarian Notification System that is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), humanitarian organizations have carried out some 100 facilitated movements between March 2nd and today so urgent assistance can reach communities in some of the hard-to-reach areas. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the UN and its partners today visited four displacement sites in eastern Gaza City, where about 600 families are exposed to harsh conditions and heightened risks. OCHA found that people are sheltering in overcrowded tents and heavily damaged buildings, with no alternative arrangements in sight. They have very limited access to clean water and sanitation services are virtually non-existent, with solid waste remaining untreated. Rodents and insects are everywhere, increasing the risk of skin diseases. 

The teams identified the need to provide more clean water, sanitation and hygiene support; to provide shelter and other essential items; to expand food and health services; and also, to strengthen education support.     

UN partners also said that with a very few ways to earn a living, children are venturing closer to high-risk areas where Israeli troops remain deployed, so that they can try to collect and sell whatever materials they can find. 

OCHA and its humanitarian partners say that security incidents continue to restrict humanitarian access and the delivery of services in many areas, including the ones our colleagues saw today. All of this while emergency medical services remain largely unavailable in the area. 

In the West Bank, the UN team leading on water and sanitation say services are constrained by settler violence, movement restrictions, demolitions and infrastructure damage. These unacceptable conditions continue to disrupt people’s access to water sources, damage networks and storage, and increase reliance on water trucking and other short-term and more expensive measures.

So far this year, Israeli settlers have vandalized more than 60 structures used for water and sanitation by the Palestinian civilians. This is impacting more than 30 Palestinian communities. 

In March, ten partners supported nearly 30,000 displaced people and others across more than 70 Palestinian communities by delivering water by trucks, fixing cisterns and distributing hundreds of water tanks. 

SOMALIA 

Tom Fletcher, the humanitarian chief is continuing his visit to Somalia. Today he met the diplomatic community and humanitarian partners in the capital Mogadishu. Mr. Fletcher made a strong appeal to donors to support our efforts in Somalia, warning that without urgent funding, more aid programmes will shut down, with, as you can imagine, devastating consequences. 

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also said that two million people in Somalia face emergency levels of food insecurity and survive on one meal a day. Without additional funding and increased access, many people will face increased hardship. The hyper-prioritized humanitarian plan for Somalia asks for $852 million but is only 13 percent funded. 

As previously mentioned, more than 300 health facilities have closed or become non-functional due to funding cuts. Mobile health teams have been disbanded, cutting off access to essential care for hundreds of thousands of people.  

At the same time, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is driving up fuel prices which in turn is pushing up food and water prices. This erodes people's purchasing power and disrupts trade and markets. Mr. Fletcher wraps up his visit to Somalia tomorrow. 

SOUTH SUDAN 

In South Sudan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that efforts are underway to pre-position food, health and nutrition supplies ahead of the rainy season, which runs from April to October and often cuts off road access to many communities.  

Conflict and flooding continue to drive displacement and food insecurity higher in the country. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), since the start of the year, more than 300,000 human beings have been forced from their homes, with repeated displacement making it harder for families to recover. 

The UN and its humanitarian partners are prioritizing helping people in the worst-impacted areas. The World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners are distributing food, having reached more than 300,000 people in various counties in Jonglei state since this January.

In addition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners working in nutrition have resumed delivering life-saving supplies in remote locations. The aid was disrupted because of insecurity and underfunding. Thousands of cartons of high-energy biscuits and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food have also been delivered. 

Nearly 10 million people, that’s more than three-quarters of the population, will need humanitarian assistance this year. The $1.5 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for this year has so far received only $351 million, or less than a quarter of what is needed. The UN thanks those who have contributed, but we urge those who haven’t to do so.  Because without an urgent and sustained response, many communities face an increasing risk of life-threatening food insecurity in South Sudan. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has an update on the deadly attack in the Djugu territory in Ituri province Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nearly 200 people – mostly women and children – have sought shelter in makeshift structures and face urgent humanitarian needs, according to local authorities on the ground. 

OCHA is coordinating with our partners to monitor the situation and facilitated this morning a mission to Djugu to assess humanitarian needs in the areas impacted by the attack. 

As a reminder, the province of Ituri already hosts more than 920,000 displaced people.  

The UN reiterates its call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to ensure sustained and unhindered humanitarian access.                        

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said their peacekeepers rapidly deployed in response to this attack against the Congolese armed forces and civilians.  

CAMEROON

The Secretary-General expresses his deep concern following an incident that took place on 26 April at a cultural festival in Cameroon’s North-West Region. At least 14 people reportedly died there, including civilians, during an incident that reportedly involved security forces and individuals alleged to be members of an armed separatist group. 

The Secretary-General urges the authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation to establish the full circumstances of the incident and to ensure that any individuals found responsible are held to account, in accordance with applicable human rights obligations. 

The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and further calls for a sustained effort towards resolving the prolonged crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of the country.

THE GAMBIA 

The Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund has approved $2.5 million for an initiative in The Gambia to strengthen citizens' trust and public accountability by promoting inclusive access to information on reforms and the transitional justice process, protecting civic space and respect for human rights, and enhancing participatory governance.  

Over the next 36 months, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Human Rights Office will partner with Gambian government institutions, oversight bodies, the media, academia, political actors, and civil society for more transparent, accountable, and responsive institutions, contributing to democratic governance and the rule of law.  

SOLOMON ISLANDS/MICRONESIA 

Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, allocated $2.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, or CERF, in response to Tropical Cyclone Maila that hit the Solomon Islands and other countries. 

This was one of the most severe storms to impact the Solomon Islands in recent history: nearly 150,000 people, that’s one in six people in the Solomon Islands, were impacted by severe flooding and landslides. There has also been widespread damage to homes, health facilities and schools, many of which are now used as evacuation centres. 

The CERF funds will go towards supporting the Government-led response in the areas of shelter, hygiene, health, food, education and protection. The resources will also support aid organizations helping people in hard-to-reach areas and across dispersed communities, both of which remain difficult to reach due to damaged infrastructure, fuel shortages and limited transportation. 

And in Micronesia, as we told you earlier, the country is recovering from catastrophic damage wrought by Typhoon Sinlaku. Mr. Fletcher released $1 million from CERF to deliver immediate life-saving assistancethere. 

SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT - COLOMBIA 

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Ms. Claudia Mojica of El Salvador as his new Deputy Special Representative in the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia. 

Ms. Mojica succeeds Raúl Rosende of Uruguay, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his important contributions to peace in Colombia. Ms. Mojica brings to this position 30 years of experience in the United Nations, in several regions.

JAZZ DAY 

Today is International Jazz Day. This International Day celebrates something that is both music—and a message of peace. This art is often described as a symbol of unity, freedom of expression, and breaking down barriers.