UN INFORMATION SERVICE GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

26 June 2026

The Venezuela earthquakes

Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), stated that the Secretary-General was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela the day before. He extended his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. The Secretary-General expressed his solidarity with the people and Government of Venezuela. (See statement)

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that earthquakes were among the most devastating occurrences in any country. An international mobilization at its very best was now underway, with the entire humanitarian system moving fast and at scale, with search and rescue being the top priority. A total of 25 search-and-rescue and medical teams with over 1,000 personnel were deploying to Venezuela, coming from a wide array of countries. Some of the urban search-and-rescue teams were already in the country, informed Mr. Laerke. UN Disaster and Assessment teams had also been mobilized, along with a four-member operational support team. Several OCHA staff were also being deployed to Venezuela, said Mr. Laerke.

Matthew Saltmarsh, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that UNHCR was scrambling staff and resources to respond to the effects of the devastating earthquakes. The Government’s response was still focused on search-and-rescue operations, emergency medical care and damage assessment. UNHCR was ready to support the response, with UN partners, and is mobilizing assistance and triaging available emergency supplies to meet emerging needs. At the end of 2025, Venezuela had hosted more than 210,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and other people of concern to UNHCR, and the earthquakes were likely to further exacerbate their situation. UNHCR had prepositioned items around the country, he informed. Authorities in La Guaira had reported the collapse of a temporary accommodation centre hosting approximately 140 returnees who had recently arrived on a flight from the US. Finally, Mr. Saltmarsh reminded that 6.9 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants were hosted in Latin America and the Caribbean, including four million in need of assistance. Search-and-rescue in the country remained a priority, he stressed.

More details from UNHCR are available here.

Loyce Pace, Regional Director for the Americas at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), speaking from Panama City, said that the earthquakes and aftershocks had taken place in a country which had already experienced multiple pressures. After two nights, people were still terrified to return home. Limited communications affected the abilities of families to be connected, said Ms. Pace. First-responders were working tirelessly to ensure that people survive. Thousands of Red Cross volunteers of the Venezuelan Red Cross, which was 131 years old, had responded within minutes, even if some of them had lost their own homes. The national headquarters of the Red Cross had also sustained damages. IFRC had released CHF 2 million in the hours after the earthquakes and was today launching a CHF 50 million emergency appeal. First 17 tons of humanitarian aid were leaving the IFRC humanitarian hub in Panama this morning. Ms. Pace informed that a number of sister Red Cross societies in the region had programmes to restore family links helping people receive news on their loved ones. Venezuelans, while showing impressive resilience, should not be left to rely on themselves only, concluded Ms. Pace. The time to stand with Venezuela was now.

Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Health Emergencies Director at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), connecting from Washington, D.C, said that, given the pre-existing fragility of the health system and the protracted humanitarian emergency in Venezuela, the shock from the two earthquakes on 24 June was driving significant additional needs for support, including medical supplies, trauma care, health facility assessments, and coordination. The figures of dead, injured and missing would continue to evolve as search and rescue operations, patient care and damage assessments continued. PAHO/WHO was working with the Ministry of Health, Civil Protection and the Health Cluster, convening partners, supporting evaluations of health structures, mapping where partners were and how they could support, and engaging regional counterparts on potential donations.

At this moment, stressed Dr. Ugarte, the overriding priority was to rescue as many people as possible while urgently providing life‑saving health care to the injured. The first 72 hours were critical to saving lives, and efforts were heavily focused on ensuring timely medical care for those affected. The immediate health priorities included mass casualty management and trauma care, particularly in areas with collapsed buildings and ongoing search and rescue operations. Hospitals were managing injuries such as broken bones and head injuries, crush wounds, burns and other injuries that result from building collapse. Amidst this, it was also key to maintain critical health services, including care for all the other health needs that did not disappear in the midst of a disaster: maternal and newborn care, dialysis, chronic disease treatment, emergency surgery, mental health and psychosocial support, and disease surveillance. Looking ahead, said Dr. Ugarte, the PAHO Regional Response Team was on standby, with specialists available for deployment as needed.

Zoe Brennan, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that up to 6.67 million people could be affected, including two million people in Caracas only. Every hour mattered, and initial focus was on search-and-rescue. While assessments continued, it was already clear that displacements would continue, and IOM was scaling up its operation. It was working with the government as it assessed the damages, and with the UN and other humanitarian partners to deliver aid to affected communities. IOM had basic relief items prepositioned in Caracas, said Ms. Brennan. She thanked private sector partners, including Microsoft’s AI Lab, for helping with mapping the damage. Emergency shelter, water, sanitation, medicine and protection were among the major priorities now. Timely, effective international support was critical for saving lives, and IOM remained committed to staying and helping the people of Venezuela, concluded Ms. Brennan.

More information on IOM’s response can be found here.

Answering questions from the media, Loyce Pace, for IFRC, explained that there were many immediate needs, but health was critical in the first hours, including mental health support. Ensuring that people have access to personal hygiene kits and to food and water was critical too. Jens Laerke, for OCHA, said that the Venezuelan government had the full picture of foreign teams coming from abroad to help. Matthew Saltmarsh, for UNHCR, said that he was not aware of any requests by the Brazilian government to help. Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador also hosted big numbers of Venezuelans, and UNHCR had significant footprint there as well, standing ready to support national governments where needed. The numbers of victims were already extremely worrying and were likely to climb further. Dr. Ciro Ugarte, for PAHO, added that it was very difficult to provide a real assessment of the situation as access to the places was difficult and communication was interrupted. There were hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

Responding to another question, Ms. Pace said that the authorities were responsive and engaged but had multiple needs when it came to cleaning rubble, but also with shelter and medical care, which was why international assistance was necessary. The IFRC’s CHF 50 million appeal would cover 300,000 Venezuelans, she explained. The Emergency Relief Coordinator had released USD 15 million from the Central Emergency Fund, said Jens Laerke, for OCHA.

On another question, Marta Hurtado, for the Office of the high Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the existing Internet restrictions had remained in place in the hours after the earthquake. OHCHR had published its latest report on Venezuela, to be presented by the High Commissioner at the Human Rights Council later today.

Deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention

Marta Hurtado, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged prompt action to prevent further loss of life in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and called for independent investigations into all deaths under ICE custody. Türk said that it was alarming that, according to US Government official data, in the first five months of this year, 18 people had died in ICE detention. A further case of death in ICE custody had been reported this month. In 2025, a total of 33 deaths had been registered, compared with 11 in 2024. The lack of transparency and clarity surrounding the circumstances of these deaths in custody undermined accountability for them, the High Commissioner added. He called for prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into all deaths in ICE custody. Those responsible for violations of the law had to be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence had to be upheld.

Ms. Hurtado informed that ICE was currently holding over 60,000 individuals compared to approximately 40,000 in early 2025, according to the latest official data. Detainees, who included entire families with children, and medically vulnerable people, were frequently reported to face inhuman conditions of detention and treatment, including inadequate healthcare and food, and exposure to disease outbreaks in overcrowded facilities. There had been concerning allegations regarding the use of force. The High Commissioner urged the full restoration and strengthening of independent oversight mechanisms for immigration detention, highlighting their importance as a key safeguard against abuse. He also emphasised that no one should be sent back to a place where they could face serious human rights violations or other irreversible harm.

Full OHCHR press release is available here.

Ebola outbreak response

David Stevenson, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), speaking from DRC, said that 26.5 million people in the country did not have enough food. The Ebola outbreak was not only a health emergency, but also a humanitarian crisis. When people were hungry, had lost their livelihoods, they moved to find food, work or safety, making it much harder to stop the virus. Mr. Stevenson spoke of an internally displaced father whose five-year old daughter had recently died of Ebola, and whose wife was currently in an isolation center. He now took care of 13 family members thanks to WFP food assistance. Food assistance was not separate from the Ebola response, but an integral part of it, stressed Mr. Stevenson. It reduced the pressure on families to move, giving frontline workers a chance to do their job. In Bunia, the epicenter of the outbreak, families were facing border closures and other restrictions, which were further driving up food prices. Safe and sustained access was important, as well as timely and flexible funding to ensure that food supplies reach those in need. WFP needed USD 72 million for direct Ebola response and USD 206 million for emergency food assistance across eastern DRC. Acting now would mean preventing a serious humanitarian crisis from getting worse.

Heatwave in Europe

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that the current heatwave in Europe had shattered many temperature records and it was having adverse impact on numerous spheres of life and economy. WMO and its partners were mobilizing against the extreme heat, through many early warnings, red heat alerts and supporting coordinated heat health action plans, focused on saving lives. Informed decisions needed to be made in order to minimize economic damage, said Ms. Nullis. From the Iberian Peninsula, the heatwave had now moved up. The heatwave was expected to spread across Central Europe and the Balkans later in the month. The heat levels in June were comparable to those of late July and August, stressed Ms. Nullis. France had recorded its hottest day on record on 24 June, with the average temperature of 30 degrees and the overnight temperature of 22 degrees. Spain had recorded 23 and 24 June as its hottest June days ever. The UK Met Office had issued extreme red warnings for three days in a row. Basel in Switzerland had experienced the Swiss record of 38 degrees, informed Ms. Nullis.

John Kennedy, Head of Climate Information at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that under the high pressure, the air was descending across the continent, leading to less clouds and higher temperatures. The persistence of the blocks meant that temperatures would keep building. No two heatwaves were ever the same, said Mr. Kennedy. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sixth assessment report said that there was high confidence that there was human contribution to the warming of Europe. Exceptionally high nighttime temperatures meant that people could not recover from the daytime heat, leaving bodies stressed and increasing death rates. There was also a risk of droughts and wildfires. Dry soil was also a key factor for the formation of heatwaves, added Mr. Kennedy.

More information from WMO is available here.

Announcements

David Hirsch, for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), informed that Geneva Digital Week would take place from 6 to10 July featuring three key international events on AI and digital technologies at Palexpo: the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, the WSIS Forum 2026 and the AI for Good Global Summit. The three events would focus on ensuring that AI and digital technologies benefit everybody, that they are accessible to everybody, and that no one was left behind in the digital future. An event-specific press badge was required. Media registration was open and can be accessed via Indico or by sending an email to pressreg@itu.in with a picture of your current UN press badge. Advance registration and pickup of media badges was strongly encouraged. Reporters could receive badges at ITU headquarters on 3 July and in the afternoon of 5 July.

Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that on 1 July at 5 pm Geneva time, the first report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence would be launched at a press conference at UNHQ. The Panel, established by the UN General Assembly, was the world's first global independent scientific body dedicated to AI, reminded Mr. Gómez.

The Human Rights Council was continuing its 62^nd regular session in the Assembly Hall.

Finally, Mr. Gómez informed that today was the UN Charter Day and the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, on which occasion the Secretary-General’s messages would be shared.

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VENEZUELA

OCHA Jens Laerke (PR)

· Response update on Venezuela

UNHCR Matthew Saltmarsh (Zoom)

· UNHCR rushing to support Venezuela after deadly quakes

IFRC Paolo Cravero (Zoom) with Loyce Pace, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas, (From Panama City)

· The rising needs and the IFRC response after the earthquakes in Venezuela

WHO Christian Lindmeier (Zoom) with Dr Ciro Ugarte, PAHO/WHO Health Emergencies Director (Washington, D.C.)

· Update on health implications of earthquakes in Venezuela

IOM Zoe Brennan (PR)

· Earthquake in Venezuela

OTHER TOPICS

OHCHR Marta Hurtado (PR)

· US: Deaths in ICE detention

WMO Clare Nullis (PR) with John Kennedy, WMO Head of Climate Information (PR)

· Heatwaves in Europe.

WFP David Stevenson, WFP Country Director for DRC (From DRC).

· WFP’s scaled up operations in support of the Ebola outbreak response, and critical importance of stabilizing livelihoods amidst persistent conflict, access challenges, and displacement.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ITU David Hirsch (PR)

· Geneva Digital Week (6-10 July)