Tensions reach a boiling point as Hezbollah and Israeli forces engage in their most intense conflict yet along the Blue Line, resulting in devastating civilian casualties and widespread destruction. The United Nations expresses grave concern over the escalating violence, urging immediate diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation. As rockets and missiles rain down, the international community watches anxiously, with fears of a broader regional conflict looming. Stay tuned for real-time updates on this unfolding crisis and the urgent calls for peace and humanitarian aid amidst the chaos.
#CatastropheAtTheBlueLine #UNConcerns #Hezbollah #IsraelConflict #DeadliestShowdown #MiddleEastCrisis #RocketAttacks #CivilianCasualties #PeaceEfforts #HumanitarianAid #RegionalTensions #DiplomaticSolutions #UNPeacekeeping #CrisisUpdate #GlobalReactions
#CatastropheAtTheBlueLine #UNConcerns #Hezbollah #IsraelConflict #DeadliestShowdown #MiddleEastCrisis #RocketAttacks #CivilianCasualties #PeaceEfforts #HumanitarianAid #RegionalTensions #DiplomaticSolutions #UNPeacekeeping #CrisisUpdate #GlobalReactions
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NewsTranscript
00:00I'm very concerned about the large number of civilian casualties being reported, thousands
00:05of displaced persons amidst the most intense exchange of fire across the blue line.
00:10The Secretary General notes the ongoing efforts by the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon
00:15and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon to reduce tensions.
00:21All right, good afternoon, and apologies for the delay.
00:27I can tell you that the Secretary General is indeed alarmed by the escalating situation
00:32along the blue line.
00:33He's very concerned about the large number of civilian casualties being reported by the
00:38Lebanese authorities as well as the thousands of displaced persons amidst the most intense
00:43exchange of fire across the blue line since October of last year.
00:48He expresses great concern for the safety of civilians both in southern Lebanon and
00:53in northern Israel, as well as the UN staff in those areas.
00:58The Secretary General notes the ongoing efforts by the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon
01:03and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon to reduce tensions, and he reiterates the urgent
01:09need for de-escalation and that all efforts should be devoted to a diplomatic solution.
01:15Our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Janine Hennis-Plachert, is currently in Israel where
01:21she's meeting with Israeli authorities as we speak to discuss the latest situation.
01:29Meanwhile, the head of the peacekeeping mission, Lieutenant General Haroldo Lazzaro, has been
01:34in contact with both Lebanese and Israeli parties, emphasizing the urgent need for de-escalation.
01:41Efforts are ongoing to reduce tensions and halt the shelling.
01:46The message for both the Special Coordinator and the head of the UN Peacekeeping Force
01:50is the same, which is that there is no military solution that will make either side safer.
01:57With the well-being of civilians on both sides of the blue line and the stability of the
02:01region at stake, space must be given for diplomatic efforts to succeed.
02:06All involved parties in this conflict must honor their responsibilities to protect civilians
02:12and ensure the safety and security of all UN personnel and assets.
02:17The Secretary General urges all parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security
02:22Council Resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities and to restore stability.
02:31We do expect a more official statement to be issued at some point.
02:36On the humanitarian front, our Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, met with
02:42the Lebanese government officials today, including the Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and the
02:47Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin.
02:50Our humanitarian agencies and others also participated in those discussions.
02:55At these talks, the Lebanese government announced the activation of an emergency operation center
03:01and also that schools are to be designated as shelters.
03:05The Ministry of Education in Lebanon has announced the closure of all public and private schools for tomorrow.
03:11Many people are being displaced from areas impacted by the airstrike, with heavy traffic
03:16reported towards Beirut and Mount Lebanon regions.
03:20Also on the Israeli side, during the weekend and following an uptick of hostilities, the
03:25Israeli military's Home Command announced that schools in northern Israel, which run
03:30from Sunday to Friday, have been closed until at least today at 6 p.m. local time.
03:37Humanitarian organizations urgently need some $50 million to preposition more basic needs
03:43such as food, shelter, and supplies as an immediate response for the next two days to
03:48four weeks in southern Lebanon and Lebanon in general.
03:52Our colleagues at OCHA tell us that according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health,
03:57more than 274 people have been killed and at least 700 injured, including women and
04:02children, following the continued airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
04:07Moving to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the principals of the Interagency Standing
04:13Committee, which brings together the heads of UN humanitarian systems and large international
04:24NGOs, today sent out a joint message renewing their demand for an end to the appalling human
04:29suffering and humanitarian catastrophe ongoing in Gaza.
04:33They mourn the loss of innocent lives everywhere, including those killed in Israel on October
04:397th and during the 11-month of the conflict in Gaza since then.
04:43They also urgently call for a sustained, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire.
04:47This is the only way to end the suffering of civilians and save lives.
04:52All hostages and all those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally.
04:58The UN's humanitarian heads said that they cannot do their jobs in the face of overwhelming
05:03need and ongoing violence.
05:05They warn that more than 2 million Palestinians are without protection, food, water, sanitation,
05:10shelter, health care, education, electricity, and fuel, the basic necessities to survive.
05:17The risk of famine persists with 2.1 million residents still in urgent need of food and
05:23livelihood assistance as humanitarian access remains restricted.
05:27They also reasserted that civilians must be protected and their essential needs must be
05:31met.
05:32There must be accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights
05:37law.
05:38From the ground on Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports
05:44that ongoing bombardments and hostilities continue to put civilian lives in danger.
05:49Between Saturday and today, three schools were hit by airstrikes, reportedly killing
05:53dozens of people.
05:55Women and children were among the fatalities.
05:57Many Palestinians were also injured, including children who required amputations.
06:02The UN Relief and Works Agency said in a social media post over the weekend that schools have
06:07been turned into rubble or overcrowded place for refuge.
06:11Displaced families are living in fear.
06:14Meanwhile, efforts are underway to establish temporary learning spaces for children.
06:18As of 15 September, education partners had established more than 2,000 learning spaces
06:24across the Gaza Strip, which aimed to reach about 33,000 children, which is only 5 percent
06:31of school-aged children in Gaza.
06:34On the health front, our humanitarian partners warn that the health situation continues to
06:38worsen, with only 17 out of 36 hospitals remaining functioning, but all partially functioning.
06:46The situation is also dire for primary health care facilities.
06:50Just 57 out of 132 primary health care facilities are functional, amid crippling shortages of
06:56fuel, medicine, and essential supplies.
06:59Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that access constraints continue to severely undermine the delivery
07:05of essential humanitarian assistance and services across Gaza.
07:11So far in September, 45 percent of coordinated humanitarian movements in Gaza were denied
07:17or impeded by Israeli authorities, movements in particular restricted between the south
07:23and the north as it requires crossing through Israeli checkpoints.
07:27There, 87 percent of movements have been denied or impeded, only 5 percent have been facilitated,
07:32and the rest were canceled.
07:34Once again, we want to underscore that humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated
07:40and we must have unimpeded access for our humanitarian goods.
07:46Turning to Syria, the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that on September
07:5320th, a four-year-old child and an off-duty health worker were killed following artillery
07:58shelling in eastern Idlib.
08:00Two women and six children, all under the age of 12, were also injured.
08:04The UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, David Carden, called for the cessation
08:09of attacks on civilians.
08:11Ongoing hostilities in Syria are deepening humanitarian needs at a time when our appeal
08:17for response efforts across the country remain highly underfunded.
08:21The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan just received 26 percent of the $4.1 billion
08:29that we need.
08:31That means that only just over a billion dollars is actually in the bank.
08:35This has led to the lack of funding.
08:38The fact that it is only just over 26 percent funded means that we've had to suspend health
08:45and water services and other critical assistance in some areas.
08:49Turning to Sudan, which is another horrific humanitarian crisis that is ongoing as we
08:55speak, we're particularly concerned about the situation in al-Fashr, which as you know
09:00is the capital of North Darfur State.
09:03You will have seen that we issued a statement on Saturday in which the Secretary General
09:07expressed his grave alarm by reports of a full-scale assault on the city by the rapid
09:13support forces.
09:15He called on General Mohamed Hamdan Hameti to act responsibly and immediately order a
09:20halt to the RSF attacks.
09:22Any further escalation will also threaten the spread of conflict along intercommunal
09:27lines throughout Darfur.
09:30The Secretary General underscores that a ceasefire is not only necessary but urgent imperative
09:35both in al-Fashr and across all zones of conflict in Sudan.
09:41The Secretary General recalls that his Special Envoy, Ramtan Lamamra, continues his efforts
09:45to advance peace.
09:46He stands ready to support genuine efforts to halt this violence and move towards such
09:51peace.
09:52Over the weekend, our humanitarian colleagues told us that they saw multiple reports indicating
09:58intense fighting in and around densely populated civilian areas in al-Fashr with widespread
10:04destruction of homes and continued civilian casualties and displacement.
10:10The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the escalation of hostilities
10:14in the city continues to fuel displacement.
10:18An estimated 1,500 human beings fleeing al-Fashr town between Thursday and Saturday alone.
10:25That's according to what our colleagues are hearing from the International Organization
10:28for Migration.
10:30The humanitarian organizations stand ready to rapidly scale up assistance in al-Fashr
10:35and other areas in need across Sudan.
10:37But to reach people in al-Fashr and across Sudan, our humanitarian organizations, they
10:42require safe and rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.
10:47This seems to be a refrain in many parts of the world.
10:51Despite myriad of challenges, including insecurity, impediment, and flooding that has made some
10:56roads impassable, we and our partners are rushing to reach civilians staring down famine
11:01wherever we can actually reach them.
11:04The World Food Program says that urgent assistance is being provided to displaced people just
11:10outside al-Fashr in the Zamzam camp where, as you know, famine conditions were confirmed
11:16last month.
11:17About 180,000 people are receiving flour, lentil, oil, and salt with the help of local
11:23suppliers, retailers, and humanitarian partners.
11:27But a lot, lot more assistance is needed for the people in Zamzam camp and throughout Sudan.
11:34Moving to Europe and Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues told us that over the weekend,
11:38hostilities in frontline regions caused more than 100 civilian casualties, including more
11:43than a dozen fatalities.
11:45Local authorities also reported damage to homes, hospitals, and schools.
11:50Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that several attacks targeted densely populated urban areas
11:55in the east, in the center, and the south of Ukraine, killing and injuring people, including
12:00children.
12:02Authorities and aid workers reported damage to a hospital and a kindergarten in Kharkiv,
12:07as well as multiple schools in Kharkiv and the Zaporizhia regions.
12:11Following these attacks, national and international non-governmental organizations, as well as,
12:16of course, UN agencies, mobilized and supported the humanitarian response.
12:21Complementing the efforts by Ukraine's first responders, they provided initial medical
12:27and psychological aid, meals and meals to those affected.
12:31They also conducted emergency repairs in hospitals and schools and distributed blankets, registered
12:36affected families for cash assistance.
12:39OCHA also tells us that evacuations are continuing amid intensified hostilities in the Sunni
12:45region in the northeast, as people flee danger from several communities along the front lines.
12:52In the town of Kholkiv, since the mandatory evacuation order that was issued on September
12:579th, nearly one-third of the population, that's about 10,000 people, have been moved to safety.
13:03That's according to local authorities.
13:06Meanwhile, back here, just to talk a bit about what's going on in this building, the Summit
13:11of the Future concludes today in the General Assembly Hall with statements by world leaders.
13:17Yesterday morning, you will have seen that following the adoption by the General Assembly
13:20of the Pact for the Future, the Secretary General told member states that they were
13:24here to bring multilateralism back from the brink.
13:29He said that the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration
13:33on Future Generations opens pathways to new possibilities and new opportunities.
13:38For peace and security, they promised breakthrough reform to make the Security Council more reflective
13:44of today's world.
13:45They also laid the foundation for a more agile Peacebuilding Commission and for fundamental
13:49review of peace operations to make them fit for the conditions they face.
13:54The Secretary General added that the Pact for the Future is also about turbocharging
13:58the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
14:03People everywhere are hoping for a future of peace, dignity and prosperity, he said.
14:08The Summit of the Future sets a course for international cooperation that can meet the
14:12expectations.
14:14He congratulated all member states for playing their part as we take these first important
14:19steps together, and he also challenged everyone to get to work.
14:24At 1.30 p.m., the Secretary General will deliver remarks at a high-level side event on the
14:32inclusion of women and the future of Afghanistan.
14:36This will take place in Conference Room 3.
14:38That will be webcast.
14:40The Secretary General is expected to highlight the deep crisis of gender-based discrimination
14:44and oppression faced by women and girls in Afghanistan.
14:48He's expected to stress that without educated women, without women in employment, including
14:53in leadership roles, and without recognizing the rights and freedoms of half of its population,
14:59Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the global stage.
15:04Rosemary DiCarlo, the head of the Political and Peacebuilding Department, will also deliver
15:09remarks.
15:10At 2.30 p.m. after the meeting, Ms. DiCarlo, as well as the former Swedish Foreign Minister,
15:16Margot Wallström, and the actress and activist Meryl Streep, alongside Habiba Sarabi, the
15:23former Afghan Minister of Women's Affairs, Fawzia Koufi, the former Deputy Speaker of
15:28the Afghan Parliament, and Asila Vardak, the former Director General of Human Rights and
15:33Women's International Affairs at the Afghan Foreign Ministry, will all be speaking to
15:38you at a stakeout on the third floor of the General Assembly building near the SDG studio,
15:45and I think next to the Thai boat.
15:49More briefings.
15:51At 3.30 p.m. we expect a background briefing by two brilliant unnamed UN officials on the
15:59Secretary General's remarks that he will deliver tomorrow.
16:05We have, or we're in the process of sharing his remarks with you under embargo, so if
16:09you can join us here at 3.30, that would be great.
16:13For those of you who are looking for something to do at 6.00 p.m., there will be a briefing
16:17here by the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, and the World Bank Group President,
16:22Ajay Banga.
16:23They will brief on support of the World Bank's Fund for Low-Income Countries, and of course
16:28we'll have several forthcoming briefings here on the margins of the General Assembly.
16:33Those are all in the media alert, and I'm sorry to tell you that you will have to find
16:38something else to do around 12, 12.30 tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday, because we will not
16:44be briefing you because you have other things to do.
16:49We will be posting the highlights daily, and we may come back for briefing on Friday, depending
16:56on the news.
16:57Also, I want to flag that the SDG Media Zone opened today in the Visitor's Plaza.
17:01In a video message, the Secretary General said that interviews and discussions held
17:06in the SDG Media Zone will help inform people everywhere about issues that matter to everyone.
17:11Today, there were already two major talents speaking on the innovative ways the creative
17:15community and the arts are driving social impact.
17:18There were actor and filmmaker and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, Edward Norton,
17:23and the globally renowned pianist and UN Messenger of Peace, Lang Lang, in conversations with
17:28Undersecretary General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming.
17:36Something you all ask me every year, I just want to give you some numbers.
17:42So far, we have inscribed to speak during the high-level debate 76 heads of state, four
17:50vice presidents, two crown princes, 42 heads of government, nine deputy prime ministers,
17:5754 ministers, one vice minister, and six others, which includes just heads of delegations.
18:04Of course, the numbers are subject to change.
18:07Of these 194 speakers, we expect to hear from 19 women only, which sadly, I will add.
18:17The list of speakers will be printed in the journal daily, and you'll see where the changes
18:21are reflected.
18:22And just to give you an idea of the number of people we've had in the complex, yesterday
18:26we had about 11,642 people, including some of yourselves.
18:32Swipe into the building, we'll keep updating you, and my colleagues will send out these
18:37numbers by email, so you don't have to write that fast.
18:44Today is the International Day of Sign Languages.
18:49Globally, there are more than 300 different sign languages, but there's also an international
18:54sign language, which is used by deaf people in international meetings and informally when
18:59traveling and socializing.
19:03Gabriel.
19:04Thank you, Steph.
19:05Does the Secretary General condemn Israel's closing of the Al Jazeera Bureau in Ramallah
19:11and the occupied West Bank?
19:13Look, we're extremely concerned about what we've seen.
19:19This is not the first time that the Israeli authorities have shut down Al Jazeera.
19:26They did it, as you know, in Jerusalem as well.
19:31I think this plays to a bigger picture of limiting media coverage of what is going on
19:38in the region, including in Gaza, where we see that no international journalists are
19:44allowed in unless they come in with the idea from the north, and frankly a reflection of
19:50a trend that we've seen globally, which hampers the work of journalists.
19:56It is, I mean, as you well know, we are extremely supportive of press freedom here, and I think
20:04particularly in conflict zones, we need the eyes and ears of media, of international media,
20:12of national media, to get a sense of what's going on.
20:14I mean, you look at the situation in Sudan, where there are almost no journalists, and
20:18we literally don't know what is going on, except that we hear these horror stories,
20:23and if there's no coverage, the suffering of people often goes forgotten.
20:29Stefan, Lebanon.
20:32What is the message from the Secretary General specifically to Israel that is escalating this situation?
20:40The Secretary General has talked for many months now about he does not want to see escalation in Lebanon.
20:45We are now seeing it. It's happening.
20:47It's in front of our eyes, and it's a day before high-level work.
20:51The message to the parties that are firing at each other across the blue line,
20:55to all the parties involved in this conflict, is step back from the brink. Stop the escalation.
21:00We have mechanisms through which to address these issues, notably on the security issue through UNIFIL,
21:09on the broader political issues through the work of our special coordinators in the region.
21:15As we just said, there is no military solution at this point that will make anyone in either country any safer.
21:22Pam.
21:25Thanks, Stef.
21:26The Gaza polio eradication campaign was very successful in the first round.
21:33It requires two shots.
21:35The second round would be somewhere in mid-October, they said.
21:39Do you expect this to be hampered by current escalation or continue?
21:45Well, I mean, the escalation we're referring about is across the blue line.
21:51We very much hope that all those who managed to work with the United Nations to agree to pauses
22:02to allow children under 10 to be vaccinated against polio will do so again in, I think, less than three weeks.
22:11There needs to be a four-week gap between the two doses of the vaccine.
22:14I mean, the parties were able to agree really on the bare minimum, right?
22:19But at least they were able to agree, and through continuous discussions with the UN,
22:25we hope that we can do the second round.
22:29And is there an ongoing proposal?
22:32Yeah, I mean, my colleagues at WHO and UNICEF and UNRWA are leading in the campaign.
22:37Deji.
22:39Yes, first, a follow-up on Gabrielle's question.
22:44Yesterday, I asked you this, actually.
22:46The Al-Jazeera office is actually in West Bank.
22:49Does Israel have the jurisdiction to close the office in West Bank?
22:53We know that the G8 just passed the resolution.
22:58The occupation is legal.
23:01Look, what we saw on video were soldiers armed with guns telling journalists to shut down an office.
23:14The office was shut down, right?
23:16I'm not going to enter into the legal niceties or not niceties, right?
23:21The point is that whatever measure was used, an order was given at gunpoint to shut down a media office.
23:29That's what we stand against.
23:31And second, a follow-up of Pam's question on the polio vaccine campaign, the second phase.
23:37I just want to know, it seems you still don't yet have the deal with relevant parties.
23:43Not that I'm aware of, no.
23:45So even no pause?
23:48These things are negotiated to the very last minute.
23:59We're negotiating pauses in an active conflict zone, right?
24:04So it's not something where you're planning ahead.
24:07We're trying to plan ahead.
24:09But to say that it's challenging discussions would be rather an understatement, Deshi.
24:15One last question.
24:16Any update on the possible meeting between the Secretary General with Prime Minister Netanyahu?
24:22I have not seen anything on the books yet.
24:24But as we've said a number of times, as the Secretary General has said,
24:27the door to his conference room is always open to any delegation that is coming here for the General Assembly that wishes to meet with him.
24:36Margaret Bashir.
24:37Thanks, Steph.
24:39Mr. Lacroix, Undersecretary General Lacroix has said in this room previously
24:43that if there is an all-out war across the blue line, that the UNIFIL peacekeepers will be evacuated to Cyprus.
24:52That's the contingency plan.
24:54There is a report circulating in the region that the IDF has told at least one contingent to go or to prepare to go.
25:03What has the UN heard about the peacekeepers?
25:08What is your plan?
25:09Are they in bunkers now or are they?
25:11We have all sorts of contingency plans.
25:13A number of civilian staff of the peacekeeping mission and dependents have been sent north towards Beirut for a temporary relocation.
25:27UNIFIL's military and civilian peacekeepers remain committed to their mission.
25:34Their peacekeepers are continuing their work in the areas of operations along the blue line, but they are not currently, as we speak, given the volume of exchange of fire,
25:50they are not currently patrolling, but they remain along the blue line.
25:55So then, is it correct to report that they are in their bases?
26:00Yes, they are in their bases, small, large bases.
26:06They are not doing any patrols currently, as we speak.
26:10They have continued to do patrols previously, but I think the level of exchange of fire puts them at greater risk.
26:19And is there any plan to evacuate them to Cyprus?
26:21I have nothing on that. I'm not aware of any of that.
26:23Yes, sir.
26:25I'm Ayush Kirk from Yarn Express, Indian media.
26:28PM Modi is in the premises today.
26:30He just addressed the Summit of the Future.
26:32Is he meeting with the Secretary General?
26:35And second, the P5 countries have been very visibly absent from the summit.
26:40So any comment in particular regarding that?
26:43And just a follow-up third question.
26:46President Zelensky is coming today for the speech.
26:49Is he meeting with the Secretary General?
26:51Yes, the Secretary General will meet with Prime Minister Modi.
26:53He will meet with President Zelensky.
27:00On the P5, I mean the Permanent Five were represented at different levels in the Pact of the Future,
27:08and I think they've been very active in the discussions of the pact.
27:14Yes, sir.
27:16Thank you, Stephanie.
27:18I apologize if I'm a bit rusty.
27:20So on the list of the speakers, if a country was meant to be represented by the president
27:27and then it changed to become the vice president, does that affect the slot that they get?
27:33That's the first question.
27:34And then the second question, sometimes as early as May,
27:38the Secretary General spoke about the reform of the Security Council
27:42to the extent that he believes that Africans ought to have an equal voice.
27:46Now, is he going to speak about it during this General Assembly?
27:50And then, does he support the idea that Africans should also have,
27:55if they become permanent members of the Security Council, should have the veto power?
27:59Look, the Secretary General, I think, has been very clear on the fact that
28:03there is no African representation on the Security Council,
28:09and that is a blind spot, so to speak, that has impacted the work of the Security Council,
28:18the legitimacy of the Security Council.
28:20And that's why I think he's very pleased with the language that was adopted in the Pact for the Future,
28:25which specifically talks about the historical absence of Africa on the Security Council.
28:33On the issue of veto, I think those are discussions that will have to have within member states.
28:40On the speaking slot, it's a very valid question,
28:44and maybe my colleague Sharon Birch, who speaks on behalf of the President of the General Assembly,
28:51will use this time to figure out an answer to that question.
28:55Stefano, and then I'll come back here.
29:01Two follow-ups. One about UNIFIL.
29:04The Israeli Ambassador Danone, last week, he answered to a question saying that
29:11he thinks that UNIFIL didn't do enough in basically monitoring
29:19when the Hezbollah throw their rockets close to their bases.
29:25They should communicate better with Israel.
29:31So what do you think about that?
29:33And another one, he's on the Security Council, reform, and the Pact for the Future.
29:39I see in the language, I think in number six,
29:45when he says that another nation's charter must be strengthened to keep pace with the changing world,
29:52effective and capable, prepared for the future,
29:56just democratic, equitable, representative.
30:01More permanent seats, or permanent seats anyway, on the Security Council.
30:07How does it adjust with this language?
30:10Democratic, equitable.
30:12I mean, you are not equitable if you become in the Security Council a new permanent member.
30:18What Danone is talking about is, look at the seats in the five permanent seats.
30:26He's saying, reform it and make it more equitable.
30:31On your first question, we're very proud of the work that the UN peacekeepers have been doing,
30:36often in extremely, extremely dangerous circumstances.
30:40Senora.
30:43Thanks, Steph.
30:45Haiti.
30:46Today was a meeting, Canada led a meeting about Haiti,
30:50but what are the concerns for the Secretary General about the possibility of some countries
30:57asking for a peacekeeping mission in Haiti?
31:00People in the ground are losing hope that things will turn around,
31:05especially because things continue to be run by gangs.
31:10Look, I think we're very realistic of the situation on Haiti.
31:15We have been talking about it relentlessly here almost every day,
31:20about the fact that the criminal gangs have taken over large parts of the capital,
31:26that now they are extending their reach into a number of the provinces,
31:31the impact it's had on children, the lack of schools, on health care, and so on.
31:36We want everyone to support the multinational security support force financially.
31:42It is not being supported enough financially.
31:44I think the Secretary General has already spoken on the issue of peacekeeping,
31:47and, of course, he's been very clear that, first of all,
31:51it needs to have the agreement and support of the government of Haiti,
31:55and, of course, should the Security Council decide to move in that direction,
31:59the Secretary General will do as requested.
32:03Yes, sir.
32:04Hi.
32:05To the extent that the –
32:06If you could just identify –
32:07Oh, Alex, with the New American Media.
32:08Yeah.
32:10To the extent that the Summit of the Future and the Pact for the Future
32:12have been mentioned by policymakers at all in the United States,
32:14it's been very negative.
32:16We had a congressional delegation last week had a press conference
32:19say this was an attack on our sovereignty,
32:21and last week we had 26 U.S. governors issue a statement
32:24saying that they weren't going to comply with U.N. dictates and mandates.
32:28Is the Secretary General concerned about public opposition,
32:31especially among Republicans in the United States?
32:33Look, this is not – the Pact for the Future is not about world government.
32:39It's about making an organization of independent, sovereign member states
32:46work better, right?
32:48If you look at the charter,
32:50you will see that the Secretary General has almost no authority.
32:54So it's not as if anyone is granting the Secretary General authority
32:59over governments.
33:00Clearly not.
33:01This is a deliberative body where governments come together,
33:07sovereign governments come together,
33:09to try to solve problems that impacts them all,
33:14that try to deal with problems that have no borders, right?
33:18Not one country can deal with the rising seas.
33:21Not one country can deal with global pandemics.
33:25Not one country can deal with international terrorism.
33:29It's about bringing countries, sovereign, independent countries,
33:32and working together.
33:35I think the most important part is for people to be well-informed
33:39and read original documents and make up their own minds.
33:45Madam.
33:47Thank you so much.
33:48My name is Azadeh Takhari from Independent Persian.
33:51Regarding the situation between Israel and Hezbollah,
33:55and I just wanted to know if United Nations trying to diffuse the tension
34:00with negotiating with the Iranian officials,
34:03which is now in New York.
34:07Obviously the Secretary General will meet,
34:09and I think today, I have to look at the schedule again,
34:15today or tomorrow with the new Iranian president.
34:18I can assure you that the situation in the region
34:24will be discussed,
34:27and our colleague Janine Henisch-Plescher,
34:31the special coordinator for Lebanon,
34:33regularly speaks to all the parties,
34:35including Israel, the Lebanese government, Hezbollah,
34:38and other parties in Lebanon.
34:42Madam.
34:46He has on his calendar to meet with two senators,
34:49Cardin and Sullivan.
34:52Today, I'm sure you'll do readouts on some of these things,
34:56but one's a Democrat, one's a Republican in the U.S.
35:00Is it about funding for the U.N., or is there a topic?
35:04They've requested the meeting.
35:05The Secretary General often meets with senators,
35:09members of Congress, the global scene, and U.S.-U.N. relations.
35:16Mike, sorry, I didn't see you up there.
35:20All good.
35:21Thank you, my friend.
35:22Two questions for you.
35:23I'll ask them separately.
35:24Number one, it appears that the U.N. has responded
35:27to a lawsuit filed in U.S. court regarding UNRWA
35:31filed by a number of October 7 victims,
35:34the U.N., as expected, claiming immunity.
35:37I'm trying to find out, though,
35:39because Philip Lazzarini and members of your office
35:42have said before that if any staffers, workers of UNRWA,
35:47were found to be participating in the October 7 massacre,
35:50they would be held to account, including, and these are your words,
35:53including criminal prosecution.
35:55So where for the U.N. does that line get drawn
36:00between a blanket claim of immunity and accountability?
36:04I mean, what level, what burden?
36:07Mike, I'm really glad you asked this question
36:09because I think the reporting that we've seen
36:12by different Israeli media is often not specifically well informed.
36:20The lawsuit that was filed in U.S. court
36:23names the commissioner general, former commissioner generals,
36:27and deputy commissioner generals.
36:29It does not mention any staff member,
36:32any staff member working on the ground, any of our national...
36:38I understand.
36:39No, no, let me finish.
36:41It does not mention any national staff members.
36:44So it's not as if we're claiming immunity for anything on that front.
36:51And I'm going to...
36:53You know, we have in the past,
36:55and it's in the public reports that we issue every year,
36:59often acted clearly
37:03and taken action against staff
37:05found to have committed criminal wrongdoing
37:08and referred them to national authorities.
37:10We do that on a regular basis.
37:13It is important to note that the United Nations
37:16does not consider immunity to be a barrier to investigations
37:20or national court investigations in criminal misconduct.
37:26And I think immunity is not to...
37:30The immunity granted to this organization
37:33is there to protect staff from harassment.
37:36It is not there to protect staff from criminal investigations.
37:40And you will recall that in the case of UNRWA,
37:44it was UNRWA itself which first took action against those staff.
37:48Now, investigations are going on,
37:51but we have regularly lifted immunity in the past
37:57in cases involving criminal activity.
38:00Your second question.
38:03The Secretary General and UNIFIL and others
38:06expressing now deep alarm, deep concern,
38:09whatever combination of words you want to use
38:11at Israel's retaliatory attacks in Lebanon.
38:15This has been a consistent pattern that I want to ask you about
38:18because in Gaza, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
38:22for years fired rockets over sporadically but consistently.
38:26Israel would knock down an observation tower,
38:29generally speaking, in return.
38:31And if that happened, there was no statement, nothing.
38:34It's only when Israel has finally had enough
38:37that suddenly the deep alarm and the deep concern comes.
38:40Lebanon has fired 9,000 rockets since October 8th.
38:45There have been dozens of casualties, hundreds hurt,
38:49thousands and thousands of acres burned.
38:51The north of Israel has been cleared out.
38:54And now Israel has had enough,
38:56and suddenly here's the deep alarm and deep concern.
38:59Hold on.
39:00UNIFIL couldn't even condemn Hezbollah
39:02for the Majd al-Sham tragedy.
39:04They couldn't even utter their word
39:06because it's 12 Arab children killed,
39:08so they've said nothing about it in terms of Hezbollah.
39:10Has the UN learned nothing about
39:13failing to condemn terror organizations
39:16for continuing to fire rockets into Israeli territory?
39:19I think, first of all, the statement that I just read,
39:24I didn't express my alarm at the actions
39:28of one party or another.
39:30I expressed our alarm at the escalation, right,
39:34which includes...
39:35UNIFIL has expressly called out Israel.
39:38Mike, which includes rockets fired by Hezbollah
39:44into northern Israel
39:45and also includes strikes that we've seen by Israel
39:50into southern Lebanon.
39:53I think every day that I speak about
39:56the impact on civilians from this podium,
39:59I speak about the civilians
40:02that have fled southern Lebanon towards north,
40:05and I speak about the Israelis
40:07who have had to abandon their homes
40:09for now close to a year.
40:12So I think we are not finger-pointing.
40:16We're just extremely worried
40:18about a larger conflict,
40:21notably a land conflict.
40:25Madame.
40:27Yes, the Pact for the Future has been adopted
40:32and there's been criticism surrounding
40:34the Pact for the Future
40:35with concerns that it may not address
40:38the urgent global challenges
40:39or could reinforce existing power imbalances.
40:42What is the SG's response to these critiques?
40:46The critics that said...
40:48The critics in terms of the Pact for the Future,
40:51that it doesn't address immediate global challenges.
40:55Look, in order...
40:59We address immediate challenges immediately
41:02in the best of our ability, right?
41:03There are meetings on Haiti, on Sudan, on Ukraine,
41:07on the situation in the Middle East
41:09to address the situations immediately.
41:12One of the lessons learned that we are seeing
41:15because of the system's inability to truly
41:20and best deal with immediate problems
41:22is to look how we're going to deal with future problems,
41:24how we're going to reform this institution
41:27to make it more efficient
41:29in resolving all sorts of problems.
41:31And that's what the Pact for the Future is about.
41:34I need to go.
41:35And I will leave you in the hands of Sharon Birch
41:37on behalf of the spokesperson.
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