80th anniversary of International Court of Justice, Middle East & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right, good afternoon. Uh, I was gonna say happy Friday, but who knows if that's even such a thing anymore. Uh, in a short while, I will be joined by Fabrizia Falcione, the UNFPA country representative in Sudan. She will be connecting from Khartoum to give you an update of the situation in Sudan. And on Monday, my guest here will be Hamza Malik, director of the macroeconomic Policy for financing and Development division. At ESCAP, which is UN Commission Economic, uh, Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. He will join us here to discuss the launch of SSCAP's 2026 flagship report, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific. Today, the Secretary General is in The Hague, where about an hour ago he addressed the solemn sitting of of the of the court to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice's inaugural session. The Secretary General says it is easy to forget that the world of 80 years ago, Europe and far beyond lay in ruins, and The Hague was itself scarred and shaken. And yet he said in that dark and difficult moment, world leaders made a defining choice, a choice to reject a future rule by coercion and violence and to embrace a future rooted in the UN Charter and international law. The Secretary General stressed that the court's decisions, including provisional measures, are binding on the parties to a case, and respect for those decisions is not optional, he said. The respect for the decision is a charter obligation. Yet today he added violations of international law unfolding before our eyes, warning that when the law of force replaces the force of law, instability becomes contagious. The Secretary General emphasized that to weaken international law is to erode the foundations of global stability. And to strengthen it is to invest in a world governed by justice and not by fear. His full remarks have been shared with you. Also today, the Secretary General had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, and this afternoon he also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Bretson. He then met with Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, the president of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Criminal Tribunals, uh, and the SG will leave The Hague a bit later today. Uh, Turning to the Middle East, and I have a statement on the Strait of Hormuz. The Secretary General welcomes the announcement today by the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire. The Secretary General considers this a step in the right direction. The United Nations position remains clear. We need the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz to be respected by all parties. The Secretary General remains fully supportive of the diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful path forward out of the current conflict. He also hopes that together with the ceasefire, this measure will contribute to creating confidence between the parties and strengthen the ongoing dialogue being facilitated by Pakistan. Turning to Lebanon, you saw that yesterday we issued a statement in which the Secretary General welcomed the announcement of a 10 day ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel. Uh, Israel and Lebanon, and he commended the role of the United States in facilitating that ceasefire. The Secretary General very much hopes that this ceasefire will pave the way for negotiations and the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 towards a long-term solution to the conflict. The special coordinator for Lebanon, Janine Hennislasha, continues her good offices engagement with all stakeholders to support the parties to fulfill the full implementation of the of the Security Council resolution towards a permanent ceasefire. Meanwhile, our Blue Helmet colleagues report that they have not detected projectiles from north to south or air strikes in the area of operations since midnight. On the ground in Lebanon, our humanitarian partners say that some displaced families are starting to return to Beirut's southern suburbs as well as to southern Lebanon, including parts of Nabatiyeh and Tyre. According to our partners, local authorities and local authorities, thousands of people were seen traveling south early this morning, with major roads congested, particularly near the villages of Kasmiya and Zeta in southern Lebanon, despite extensive damage to bridges and civilian infrastructure. Reinforced pipes and other temporary fixes have been. Installed at river crossings in the south in the southern governorates and the coastal route to Kasmiye in order to facilitate returns, but our humanitarian colleagues warned that the risk to people's safety remain. Unexploded ordinances in many residential areas across the South and Nabatie governorates pose an immediate danger. As of 5:00 p.m. Lebanon time today, 113,000 people were in collective shelters. That's down from 141,000 just yesterday. As a reminder, some 1.2 million people were displaced during the escalation, and our partners continue to support humanitarian response in close coordination with Lebanese authorities at the local and national level. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that attacks on residential areas are continuing to be reported in all parts of the Gaza Strip. Yesterday there is no guaranteed safety for civilians anywhere in Gaza. They tell us. Yesterday attacks were reported across all five governors. With air strikes, shelling, navy fire, and shooting causing casualties in Dar al Bala, bullets hit the UNRWA Maghazi Health Center, reportedly causing damage and injuries. Ocha stresses that civilian and civilian infrastructures must always be protected and never be targeted. Despite the risks, humanitarian support continues, including through a joint UN. UN-run response mechanism that secures quick support to families affected by weather events and other sudden developments. Last week, we and our partners gave aid to more than 300 households through this mechanism. Dozens of them received tents and hundreds received tarpaulins, blankets, and other essential household items. Today, the UN Population Fund warned of economic hardship leading to reduced income, limited access to essential services, and increased exposure to exploitation and abuse among an estimated 57,000 women who lead their households. They also reported high levels of Child marriage, which is used as a harmful way to cope with hardship. In the first three months of 2026, safe spaces and women's shelters supported over 23,300 women and girls with case management and service to respond to gender-based violence. A couple of travel announcements first from Jean Pierre Lacroix, the Undersecretary General for Peace Operations, who will travel to Cyprus in Switzerland from the 19th to the 24th. In Cyprus, he'll meet with authorities from both sides to discuss the current situation and the role of the UN peacekeeping mission there in supporting stability on the island, including efforts to facilitate. Dialogue, prevent tensions, and maintain calm around the buffer zone. He also will also meet with the mission's leadership, diplomatic community, and mission personnel. In addition, Mr. Lacroix will engage with youth representatives and take part in the launch of the global Through Her Lens photo exhibit, which highlights the role of women in advancing peace and security. The peacekeeping chief will then visit Switzerland from the 21st to 24th of April. In Bern, he will discuss peace and security operations with Swiss authorities and meet with Swiss peacekeepers and their leadership at the Swiss Armed Forces peacekeeping center in Stanz, Switzerland. He will then travel to Geneva where he'll open the 29th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and UN advisors, which brings together experts to advance best practice in addressing explosive hazards, ranging from improvised explosive devices to anti-tank mines. And also traveling is Volker Turk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He'll be going to Mexico, 19th to the 22nd of April. In Mexico City, Mr. Turk intends to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum and other senior officials, as well as civil society representatives and victims of human rights violations. Mr. Turk will also engage with the Mexican Federation of Public Human Rights Organizations, members of the private sector, the UN country team, and others. And back here, the Security Council held an open meeting, open briefing on South Sudan. Anita Kiki Gibebo, the newly appointed special representative ahead of the mission, briefed council members, stressing that South Sudan's challenges cannot be resolved militarily. A sustained political pathway is. Essential and the mission is supporting regional engagements through the AU EGAD UN trilateral framework. Briefing from uh VTC from Berlin, Tom Fletcher, the head of our humanitarian department, said 2/3 of the population needs humanitarian support this year, including over 7.5 million people who will need food assistance, while the $1.46 billion humanitarian appeal plan for 2026 is only 22% funded. He called for the urgent council action to ensure humanitarian access, boost flexible funding, and pressed the parties to uphold ceasefires and advance the peace agreement. The Secretary General meanwhile is following with interest the visit of Pope Leo X1V to Cameroon, which is being conducted under the banner of peace. The Secretary General calls on all actors to capitalize on the momentum of the Pope's visit to Bamenda in the northwest region, including the announced break in fighting. The United Nations remains willing to support any efforts in that direction. And from Afghanistan our OCHA colleagues warned that cross-border hostilities, including shelling, air strikes, and clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan since late February, have driven humanitarian needs higher. Civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including hundreds of homes, while dozens of health facilities and schools have also been damaged or destroyed. Humanitarian aid continues. To be hindered and unexploded device explosive hazards remain a threat. Hundreds of civilian casualties have been reported in that regard. Last night, a woman was killed due to shelling in Danham district in the province of Kunar. In addition, 3 people were killed on Wednesday in Pakistan's Khyber province as a result of shelling from Afghanistan. Our education partners say that a school in Kunar province was struck on Wednesday. Fortunately no casualties were reported, but the school was severely damaged. Although the main supply road between the district Nari Kunar and Kamdesh in the province of Nuristan opened on Monday after having been closed for two months, UN road missions remain suspended due to security concerns. Border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan remain mainly closed. The violence has also so far displaced more than 94,000 people in the province of Kos, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika, and Nuristan. We and our partners are assessing humanitarian needs in those hard to reach areas. Some 160,000 people are facing. Food insecurity and around 90,000 have been reduced access to health services while 12,000 students have had their education curtailed. Our partners warn that safety concerns remain high, including explosive hazards and gender-based violence. We reiterate once again that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected and safe and sustained humanitarian access must be facilitated for people to be reached. Quick update from Haiti and not a positive one. The World Food Program today called for support for Haiti as it issued a new report that shows that more than 50% of all Haitians continue to face acute food insecurity. An updated analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification System, the IPC tells us that 5.8 million Haitians, or roughly 52% of the population, are facing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. Of those, more than 1.8 million are dealing with emergency food insecurity for the period of March to June of this year. That means they're exhausting their last assets and unable to meet basic food needs. Last year, despite complex operating environment, WFP worked with the government and its partners to assist. 7 million people in Haiti, but WFP needs $332 million United States dollars to maintain its crucial operations over the next 12 months. If enough funding is secured, the agency plans to reach more than 2.7 million people with critical emergency and resilience. Resilience building support also from Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues say that new displacement following armed attacks earlier this week in the southeast department, according to IOM, violence on 13 April in Marigot displaced 1300 people. Most of them are currently sheltering with host families. The agency also says this is the first time that displaced. of this scale directly linked to armed attacks has been recorded in that department. This is an area that had previously served as a reception zone for people displaced by violence in other parts of Haiti. More than 165,000 men, women, and children are currently hosted privately across the department. OCHA is coordinating with humanitarian response where conditions allow. In close collaboration with authorities and its partners, however, ongoing insecurity and access constraints combined with the scale of needs and limited funding continues to affect the reach and pace of humanitarian assistance in affected areas. The $880 million humanitarian response plan for Haiti is just under 20% funded, with only $172 million received. Uh, before we go to our guest on Sudan, I'd want to flag that the permanent missions of Denmark, Liberia, Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the UK in partnership with UNHCR are launching an opening of a photo exhibit entitled Faces of Sudan, Women in War, and that will take place on Monday in the delegates' entrance. The photos were taken by UN UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Helena Christiansen during her visit to Chad last year. And 3 years on the conflict, the photos capture the stories and courage of Sudanese refugees, women and girls forced to flee across the border. The exhibit also speaks to 75 years of the 1951 refugee convention, the world's collective promise to uphold the right to seek safety and promise by neighboring countries welcoming those fleeing. If you want to attend, please get in touch with the organizing mission. The exhibit will be up through 1 May. On that note, no money, but there will be questions which I will get paid to answer. Go ahead, ED.

Uh, thank you, Steph. Um, some 40 countries, uh, met today to discuss, um. Keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, including the British and the French, is the UN involved in this activity at all?

Uh, my understanding is that the, uh, Secretary General of the International Organization for Migration is there and he spoke, uh, to the, um. To the to the gathering, uh, I think from his remarks he underscored obviously the need to restore full freedom of navigation but also underscored the plight of the thousands and thousands of seafarers who have been stuck on ships for a long time.

And is the UN planning to play any kind of a role in this operation?

Uh, I, I don't have anything to share with you at that at this time. Yes, uh, go ahead, Fredie.

Uh, thank you, Steph. Uh, with regard to the Secretary General, uh, remarks today at The Hague, at the ICJ, uh, although the, the, the occasion, the symbolism and the gesture of the Secretary General to travel personally to The Hague to attend this, uh, uh, occasion. And through the readout you provided, I haven't heard anything about working sessions with the justices at the ICJ. Secretary General, a few days ago here at the at the stakeout, he made, he delivered short remarks but with the pinching line that international law is under strain. Uh, UN personnel are in harm's way and the numbers of, uh, uh, whether blue helmet, uh, relief worker, etc. is on the rise. Does this does not represent legal challenges that the Secretary General need to discuss with the justices, or that contradict with the independence of the court that they should hear from an

outside

source?

It is not for the secretary general to have any discussions with. Uh, the judges sitting on the court about specific cases, as you know, the secretariat is sometimes called to present to the court, to submit cases to the court, and we've done so recently on a number of cases including the situation. Uh, in Gaza, so I think there's no, there's not gonna be any discussion on cases between the SG and the court, uh, president or other judges. I think the fact that the Secretary General was invited to address a solemn session of the court, uh, is, uh, a strong symbol of the Secretary General's own position on the defense of international law, and that's a defense, I think that is clear to anyone who follows him and listens to him, and speaks with him.

Uh, follow up, please. Uh, I didn't mean, uh, cases, I meant, uh, Issues that I

mean they I mean they I'm sure they, I'm sure they, they, they chatted, but I,

the international law is under strain, yes,

and I think they, they both if you I think that that is a statement that the Secretary General has been making, uh. More than weekly, uh, almost in the times that we are, and I think his position is very clear, no more than Gabriel.

Uh, thank you, Stefan. Uh, Iran has tied the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. To the remaining period of the Lebanese Lebanon ceasefire and specified quote unquote coordinates routes, does the Secretary General view this to be in full compliance with the principle of the freedom of navigation under international law?

Look, there are a lot of statements being made, almost. I, I won't even say hourly, you know, every, every 10 minutes there seem to be new statements regarding the situation on the ground. The, the issue of full freedom of navigation, uh, in the Strait of Hormuz, uh, based in international law that needs to be respected is very clear, um, and is not something to be, uh, negotiated. Gabriel,

thanks, Steph, um. President Trump in a post on social media in regards to the situation in the Middle East said, and I'm reading part of it, he said Israel will not be bombing Lebanon anymore. They are prohibited from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough. Um, I'm asking this question to you because the Secretary General has said many times, and you've said that you encourage, uh, state member states with influence to use that influence to bring about peace or ceasefires. Is this an example of that? And would the Secretary General echo the statements of the President Trump.

This area as I've told some of your colleagues, I'm not here to, uh, grade comment or, uh, express an opinion on every tweet. Post or anything by any world uh leader I think the secretary general has been clear that in this and he said it yesterday in this instance uh he also welcomes and thanks the United States for facilitating. The ceasefire uh in in Lebanon and also which also impacts Israel right? I mean it's uh we've seen Hezbollah rockets go to Israel and we've seen um uh Israeli uh military activities in um in Lebanon. Everyone needs to respect the ceasefire, and that includes Hezbollah, that includes Israel, and it also we need to make sure that the government of Lebanon is fully supported in its effort to extend its full authority over its own territory. OK, anything online uh or even in the room.

Uh, thank you, Steph. Sorry, just a quick one, Arsencio Dominguez, the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization, says that the UN shipping agency is currently verifying announcements related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Have you heard anything back from.

No, I mean, I, I saw the statement, uh, he made, uh, that is, uh, clearly in his, uh, wheelhouse, which is an apt metaphor given it's the International Maritime Organization. Um, on that note, I will ask for a guest to be put on, uh, screen. Fabrizio, are you connected?