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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 20 APRIL 2026

NEXT SECRETARY-GENERAL 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, candidates for the position of Secretary-General will take part in interactive dialogues in which they will outline their vision for the United Nations and answer questions from Member States and civil society. Discussions will focus on their leadership experience and qualifications, reform of the UN as well as the three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, development, and human rights. These dialogues represent a pivotal moment in the selection process for the next Secretary-General.   

Interactive dialogues with Michelle Bachelet [10 am to 1 pm] and Rafael Grossi [3 pm to 6 pm] will be held on Tuesday while the dialogues with Rebeca Grynspan [10 am to 1 pm] and Macky Sall [3 pm to 6 pm] will be on Wednesday. All interactive dialogues will be webcast on UN WebTV.   

Ahead of the start of the dialogues, the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, is expected to deliver a press statement at the GA Hall stakeout tomorrow morning at 9:45 a.m. 

Some candidates will participate in media stakeouts shortly following the conclusion of their dialogues. 

FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT WEEK 

The Financing for Development Forum this morning was also the opening event of the Financing for Development Week. 

The Financing for Development Week will feature several events, including a Special High-Level meeting with Bretton Woods Institutions tomorrow, and the SDG Investment Fair from 21 to 23 April.  

FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT  

This morning, the Secretary-General addressed the opening session of the ECOSOC forum on Financing for Development – the first major gathering on this topic since Member States adopted the Sevilla Commitment last year. 

He told participants that the task before us is steep. The financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals now stands at over $4 trillion annually — and it is growing fast.  

Mr. Guterres said it is up to us to keep pushing to translate the promises made in Sevilla into concrete progress for people and countries that need it most.  

He highlighted three broad areas of focus to bring them to life.  

First, the Secretary-General said it’s time to rev-up the machinery of finance. 

By increasing the assets housed in Multilateral Development Banks, by combining public and private finance in new and expanded ways to support development. And by mobilizing domestic resources and channeling them to the areas of greatest need — including by tackling illicit financial flows. 

And finally, the Secretary-General renewed his call to reform the international financial architecture.  

Global economic governance must become more inclusive, representative, equitable and effective, he said.  

Also speaking at the forum today, Amina Mohammed, our Deputy Secretary-General presented the 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report. 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE 

The Secretary-General is speaking right now at the opening of the 25th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and he is telling his audience that Indigenous Peoples are bearers of cultures, knowledge, and ways of life that have sustained humanity for thousands of years and that their participation in global decision-making has never been more critical. 

The Secretary-General’s speech lays out four priorities: first, that all Member States must honour their commitments under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

Second, that the UN system and Member States must ensure the full, meaningful, and direct participation of Indigenous Peoples at all levels, supported by adequate and sustained financing. Third, that societies everywhere must take immediate and concrete steps to protect Indigenous Peoples, their leaders, and human rights defenders – and to address the violence and risks they face. 

And last, that we must all work to ensure that Indigenous women and girls can participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives. 

This year’s theme focuses on ensuring the health of Indigenous Peoples, including in the context of conflict, highlighting the interconnectedness of health with Indigenous territories, cultures and ecosystems, as well as the impacts of climate change. 

UNIFIL 

The Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack on in which a French peacekeeper serving with UNIFIL was killed and three others were injured, two seriously.  

According to a UNIFIL initial assessment, the peacekeepers came under fire from non-state actors, presumed to be Hizbullah, while investigating a location where suspected improvised explosive devices had reportedly been placed on a road between two United Nations positions in the UNIFIL area of operations in southern Lebanon. 

The 39-year-old Staff-Sergeant Florian Montorio leaves behind a partner and two daughters.  

We extend our deepest condolences to Florian’s loved ones, the Government of the French Republic and his colleagues at the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment in Montauban, in the South of France. 

Paying homage to his courage at a ceremony in Beirut yesterday, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander General Diodato Abagnara said that Florian’s service “does not end here, it lives on what we do next as soldiers and as peacekeepers,” he said. 

Meanwhile, UNIFIL reports that the two peacekeepers who were severely injured in the same incident are being treated in Beirut and are in a stable condition. A third peacekeeper was moderately injured, and he is now back in his base. We wish them all a swift recovery. 

LEBANON 

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground continues to be fragile in the context of the ceasefire. UN peacekeepers continue to observe Israel Defense Forces artillery fire and demolitions at several locations in southern Lebanon. We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and fully respect the ceasefire. 

The peacekeepers continue to face restrictions on their freedom of movement. This has an impact on the resupply of the peacekeepers’ positions. We urge all sides to facilitate unhindered movement of the peacekeepers. 

Our humanitarian colleagues report that 10‑day cessation of hostilities announced on 16 April has prompted some people to return to their communities as they assess whether it is safe to return. 

Authorities continue to advise displaced people against returning, as the situation remains fragile.                  

While the temporary pause in hostilities offers relief, it falls short of the sustained ceasefire needed to protect civilians, particularly children who have endured weeks of intense violence and displacement. 

According to the Lebanese authorities, since 2 March, at least 177 children have been killed and more than 700 injured. In addition, more than 350,000 children have been displaced, with many sheltering in overcrowded conditions with limited access to basic services. 

We continue to do everything we can to support those who need assistance. Since 2 March, we and our humanitarian partners have provided more than 5.7 million meals, alongside shelter items and hygiene supplies.  

Our partners have also delivered 3.5 million litres of bottled water and 30,000 cubic metres of water through water trucking and supplied more than 660,000 litres of fuel to sustain critical water services for more than 550,000 people. And over 330,000 people have received emergency cash assistance. 

The humanitarian response continues to be outpaced by the scale of needs. The $308 million Flash Appeal launched in mid‑March to reach one million people over three months has so far received only $94 million, or 30 per cent of the required funding. 

GAZA 

The United Nations and the European Union released today a final damage and needs assessment for Gaza, jointly with the World Bank, which says that recovery and reconstruction needs in Gaza are estimated to cost $71.4 billion over the next decade. 

That would include $26.3 billion required in the first eighteen months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure, and support economic recovery. Physical infrastructure damages are estimated at $35.2 billion, with economic and social losses amounting to $22.7 billion. 

The report says that more than 371,000 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, while more than half of Gaza’s hospitals are non-functional, nearly all the schools are destroyed or damaged, and the economy has contracted by 84%. 

In a press release, the EU and UN outlined the enabling conditions required to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 effectively – including a sustained ceasefire, adequate security, unimpeded humanitarian access, and the immediate restoration of essential services.  

Also critical are the free movement of people, goods, and reconstruction materials within and between Gaza and the West Bank, as well as a functional and transparent financial system. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that Gaza remains unsafe for civilians, including aid workers and other personnel providing life-saving services.  

In a statement issued over the weekend, the UN and our humanitarian partners condemned the killing last Friday of two civilian contractors delivering water. The contractors were working on behalf of UNICEF, which said in a separate statement that they were killed by Israeli fire at a filling point in northern Gaza.  

The Humanitarian Country Team, which brings together the heads of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said such attacks not only cost lives but also disrupt critical services.  

We call on all parties to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian operations in line with international humanitarian law.                     

Meanwhile, an NGO consortium focusing on protection in the West Bank –led by the Norwegian Refugee Council - says in a new report that Israeli settlers are subjecting Palestinians to sexualized harassment, assault and intimidation inside their own homes. Men and boys report being forced to strip, and they are being humiliated and subjected to degrading treatment.  

The report says that more than 70 per cent of the displaced households surveyed cited threats against women and children, particularly sexualized violence, as the decisive factor in their decision to flee.  

In 2026, more than 2,500 Palestinians, including over 1,100 children, have been displaced across the West Bank, according to OCHA. Seventy-five per cent of those displacements are being linked to settler attacks and access restrictions.

MIDDLE EAST ENVOY 

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Middle East Conflict and its Consequences, Jean Arnault, is visiting Egypt. 

The Personal Envoy looks forward to learning about Egypt’s perspective on the ongoing conflict, as well as regional efforts to assist the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in reaching a settlement. He will also seek to gain a deeper understanding of the broader economic and humanitarian consequences of the conflict. 

Mr. Arnault will reiterate the Secretary-General’s commitment to supporting all efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive and durable settlement. 

SECURITY COUNCIL 

This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold an open briefing on Ukraine.  Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Khaled Khiari, is scheduled to brief alongside Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya. 

Mr. Khiari is expected to highlight the human cost of the ongoing hostilities and reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and relevant UN resolutions. 

HAITI 

The Secretary-General welcomes the renewed dialogue and cooperation efforts between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, including the 17 April joint declaration and the decision by both sides to partially reopen their airspace.  

The United Nations supports the Dominican Republic and Haiti in their efforts to strengthen dialogue and build trust among the two nations.   

 According to the information we have received, the Dominican Republic will reopen its airspace to Haiti, restoring flights between Santo Domingo and Cap-Haïtien in May 2026. We expect the reopening of the air corridor to help aid agencies to move staff and supplies into northern Haiti.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The peacekeeping mission there, MONUSCO, welcomes the signing of a Protocol on Humanitarian Access and Judicial Protection by the Congolese Government and the AFC/M23. Our colleagues say this is an important step toward rapid, safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access. 

Over the past week (13-18 April), both parties held talks hosted by Switzerland in Montreux, within the framework of the Doha process. The talks were facilitated by Qatar, the US, the African Union and with the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, as an observer.  

The Government of the DRC and the AFC/ M23 also signed a memorandum with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) that enables the operationalization of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus .  

In line with its mandate, the Mission stands ready to support the initial verification missions of the Ceasefire Oversight and Verification Mechanism, in support of ongoing peace processes in the country’s East. 

The Mission, however, reiterates that ceasefire monitoring requires conditions to be in place to ensure that the mechanism can operate in a credible, safe and effective manner.  

The Mission also encourages the parties to maintain the current momentum and to continue negotiations for the benefit of civilian populations affected by the conflict.           

EXHIBITIONS 

Two exhibitions are opening today here at UN Headquarters. The Permanent Missions of Denmark, Liberia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, in partnership with UNHCR, are launching of the photo exhibition entitled ‘Faces of Sudan: Women in War’ in the Delegates’ Entrance. 

And opening today as well is the World Food Programme’s “Innovation Rooted in Humanity” exhibition hosted by the Permanent Missions of Germany and Mali at the Visitor Lobby. The exhibition highlights the role of human-centred innovation in advancing sustainable development and global food security. 

CHINESE LANGUAGE DAY  

Today is Chinese language day at the United Nations. The day celebrates multilingualism and cultural diversity and also promotes the equal use of all six official languages throughout the organization. 

So, we say Ni hao to our Chinese speaking friends.   

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

Micronesia paid its full dues to the Regular Budget. The payment brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 101. 

**Guest  

Noon briefing guest today is Hamza Malik, Director of the Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division, at ESCAP, which is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. 

He will discuss the launch of ESCAP’s 2026 flagship report, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific.