Welcome to the press briefing of the UN Information Service.
Today is Tuesday, 19th of August and we will start immediately by reminding everyone that today the international community comes together to celebrate, commemorate and remember humanitarian workers.
That is their life everyday to carry out their extremely important work.
I will start by reading you the message of the Secretary General and then we will hear from our colleagues.
The Secretary General said humanitarian workers are the last lifeline for over 300 million people caught in conflict or disaster.
Yet funding for that lifeline is drying up and those who provide humanitarian aid are increasingly under attack.
Last year, at least 398 workers at record high were killed across the world, from Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar and beyond.
International law is clear humanitarians must be respected and protected.
They can never be a target.
This rule is non negotiable and it's been binding on all parties to conflict always and everywhere, yet red lines are crossed with impunity.
Governments have pledged action and the Security Council has laid out a path to protect humanitarians and their life saving work.
The rules and tools exist.
What is missing is political will and moral courage on this World Humanitarian Day, says the Secretary General.
Let's honour the fallen with action to protect everyday every aid worker and invest in their safety.
To stop the lies that cost lives, to strengthen accountability and bring perpetrators to justice, to end arms flows to parties that violate international law.
Together, let us say in one voice, an attack on humanitarians in is an attack on humanity, and let's hashtag act for humanity.
And this concludes the work of the Secretary General or the statement of the Secretary General.
And on this subject, I'd like to give the floor now to Jens for Orchard, the organisation that brings together coordinates all this very important work.
Yeah, thank you very much.
Alessandra, let me read my bit here on World Humanitarian Day.
Today is World Humanitarian Day and that brings a lot of mixed emotions for people in the humanitarian community and beyond as it means different things to different people.
First, on behalf of OCHA, I want to honour every humanitarian worker we have lost to violence in the past year and all the years before that, and say that our thoughts are with the family members, friends and colleagues who are left grieving.
It shouldn't be this way, but it is.
Today's scrim statistic is that last year, 2024, a shocking number of aid workers were killed and we have seen a 31% increase compared to the previous year, 2023, a third more than the year before.
Most of those killed were national staff serving in their home communities and the numbers are driven up by the relentless conflict in Gaza, where more than 180 humanitarian workers were killed last year and many more if you count from the beginning of the war, and in Sudan, where sixty were killed last year.
Tragically, the first eight months of this year show no sign that this disturbing trend is reversing.
As of mid August, 265 aid workers have been killed and that's according to provisional data and I stress it's provisional data from the Aid Worker Security database that we work with every year on this occasion.
This must be a wake up call to the world.
People representing the best of humanity trying to help others are being killed in record numbers and some of them in cold blood.
Attacks on this scale with no accountability cannot be ignored year after year.
So our campaign this year, as mentioned, and everyone can engage using the hacks hashtag Act for humanity is very clear in its message to people with power and influence.
Respect the rules of war, protect humanitarians and civilians and call time on impunity.
And let's move on to OHCHR also has a message on this important day.
Today, as we mark World Humanitarian Day, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Vocal Turk pays tribute to the many human rights defenders around the world who risk their lives and who stand up for human rights.
He says we will never stop insisting that governments work together to ensure that they provide full humanitarian access to people in need and that there is accountability for grave violations of international human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law.
Humanitarian workers and UN personnel must be protected.
Thank you very much, Tamin.
And I give the floor now to Christian for WHO also this that.
Yes, to share my or our bit on World Humanitarian Day.
As conflicts become more intense, complex and protracted globally, attacks on healthcare that's facilities, health workers, infrastructure, transportation and all related services, humanitarian civilians and civilian infrastructure have become increasingly common, often in clear violation of international laws.
Attacks are happening everywhere.
Since the beginning of this year, who has verified 821 attacks on health across all regions of the world, with 1121 deaths and 645 injuries among health workers and patients across 16 countries or territories.
So far this year, the five countries reporting the highest numbers of attacks are.
Although they should by no means a comparison, let's be clear, every single attack on health is one too many.
Ukraine, 325 attacks reported with 10 deaths and 114 injuries.
OPT, 304 attacks with 61 deaths and 165 injuries.
The DRC 38 attacks with no deaths and eight injuries.
Sudan 38 attacks with 933 deaths and 148 injuries.
And last but not least, Myanmar with 33 attacks with 51 deaths and 90 injuries.
Violence involving the use of heavy weapons, tanks, missiles, bombs.
There are 471 obstructions to the delivery of healthcare.
255 Violence with individual weapons 144 and the use of psychological violence 142 were the most frequent types of attacks so far this year.
In 2025, health facilities were the most frequently affected resource of the 821 attacks reported in our system.
A majority of incidents affected health facilities, followed by health workers and patient last year.
In 2020, four 1647 attacks on healthcare have been reported from 16 countries or territories, with nearly 1000 deaths and 1779 injuries.
W Joe defines an attack on health as any act of verbal or physical violence or obstruction or threat of violence that interferes with the availability, access and delivery of curative and or preventive health services during emergencies.
Attacks on health not only **** and maim, but also deprive people of urgently needed care, endanger healthcare providers, undermine health systems, disrupt access to health services when people need it the most.
All actors have a role to play, to attack to stop attacks on health and take accountable actions in legal, operational and policy measures to prevent and protect against the tax and ensure the right to health for all.
WHO calls on all relevant parties in conflicts to actively protect and respect healthcare, ensuring safe and continued delivery of healthcare and access to healthcare free from violence, threat or fear.
The escalating humanitarian needs are occurring at a time of severe funding cuts.
This makes sustained and diversified support from Member States and other stakeholders more critical than ever to uphold humanitarian principles and to ensure life saving aid reaches those in need, including for health.
And yes, these were a lot of figures.
Thank you very much, Christian.
And before opening the floor to question if any, on this, on this matter, I would like to remind everyone that the Geneva community will commemorate World Humanitarian Day with the solemn ceremony that will be held at 4:00 PM today.
That's going to be, as usual, outside the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilisation Room, Room 20.
A lot of people will be there and will speak, including the Director General of Union Geneva, Tom Fletcher, and the Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Nada Al Nasheed, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.
We will also hear from Abdul Karim Hashim Mustafa, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq, where the attack killed 22 years ago, so many UN officers and and local workers.
And we will also hear from Mr De Fair Yunis al Ousini, a human rights officer who was there on the 19 August 2003 and who survived the terrorist attack against the UN mission in Baghdad.
And we will hear from Laura Johnson, the executive secretary of the UN Geneva Staff Council.
And of course, the event will be webcast on on web TV.
So I'll open the floor to question now if there is any on, well, Humanitarian Day.
Are people ever brought to justice for these crimes, for these killings?
And and if so, what is what is the actual pathway for, for achieving justice?
Is it is it entirely reliant on the state where these killings take place?
Because a lot of them, it seems from the figures tend to happen at the hands of state actors, Yensu or or Tamina, I don't know.
Yeah, I, I will leave it with I've been actually on the, on the processes of of of of these things.
But look, the attack in Baghdad, nobody has ever been held to account on that right?
And that kind of says everything because we see very, very few, if any, off the top of my head, I can't recall anyone who has ever been brought actually to justice for, for any of these attacks.
Exactly what the secretary General is asking for in his statement.
I mean, yes, thank you for that question.
Of course, the primary obligation is that of the state concerned when it comes to such attacks on humanitarian workers, but also there is universal jurisdiction.
So where the state concerned is unable or unwilling to proceed with accountability measures, other states can use the principle of universal jurisdiction.
So we call on all states to take their responsibility to do what they can within their jurisdiction in order to ensure justice and accountability.
Yes, Emma, just on the numbers, the ends that you mentioned at the beginning, how how is 2025 shaping up historically?
Has there ever been a year that's been this bad for the number of humanitarians killed?
But to date, yeah, I I can't tell you because I can't truthfully tell you because it goes through quite a rigorous verification process.
That's why we release the numbers, the record numbers for 2024 now, right, because there is a process.
So we are as sure as we possibly can be that this is a truthful picture of of what's going on.
But with what did I say 265 as of mid August, you know that doesn't look like the trend is bending in the the right way.
So of course, we are very concerned.
That's why I think this World Humanitarian Day this year is particularly important.
It really, really is because it is, it is catastrophic and the trend is going right the opposite direction of what it should.
Other questions on the platform, No, I don't see any.
I really hope we'll see you this afternoon at 4:00 in front of Room 20.
Just wanted to also remind everybody, because that's also somehow connected to the event in in Baghdad 22 years ago, that the 21st of August is International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, of course, including those who lost their lives, were wounded in the Baghdad attack and so many others after this and before.
Thank you, Jens and Christian, you stay with us because I think you have an announcement at the end.
But I'd like now to give the floor to Tamim who has who is going to brief us on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, in particular.
Video footage showing Israeli National Security Minister Itama Bang Veer berating and taunting Palestinian leader Marwan Al Baruthi face to face inside an Israeli gaol is unacceptable.
The minister's behaviour and the publication of the footage constitute an attack on Baruthi's dignity.
International law requires that all those in detention be treated humanely, with dignity and their human rights respected and protected.
Such conduct by the minister responsible for the Israeli prison service may encourage violence against Palestinian detainees, enabling human rights violations in Israeli detention facilities.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Israeli army has intensified its attacks in the north of the Strip.
The Israeli military has also continued to issue displacement orders for Palestinians, including those in Gaza City, telling them to move to Al Mawasi area, even as strikes on this area continue.
On the 16th and the 17th of August, we recorded 5 attacks on tenths of internally displaced people in Al Mawasi area, killing at least nine people.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to Al Mawasi have little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents.
The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza.
This is a direct result of the Israeli government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid.
In the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that remain far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation.
Reaching the meagre supplies available can be a deadly pursuit.
Since the 27th of May and up until the 17th of August, we have documented that 1857 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, including 1021 killed in the vicinity of the Gaza humanitarian foundation sites and 836 killed on the routes of supply trucks.
Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military.
Thank you very much to me.
Let me go now to the questions in the room.
Yes, Emma, I had a couple of questions on Gaza.
If I might pose 1 to Jens as well, if, if, if possible, that would be great.
If you don't mind, Jens, and just for you, Tamim, you mentioned the attacks on Al Mawasi where people are sheltering.
There haven't been any supplies allowed into Gaza for many months for shelter equipment, tents and that sort of thing.
What So what does that constitute?
Is that a violation of, of some rights that people have to adequate shelter, given that there's supplies piling up on on the other side of the border?
Could you elaborate on that?
And, and for Yens, if you don't mind, it's, it's on shelter as well.
I, I, I know that Israel has lifted the ban on shelter equipment and I saw your statement last night, but can you say whether you know if any has been able to get in since then and why and why not?
We have seen reports that some supplies are entering and we have seen that there are some trucks entering with supplies.
And when we talk about supplies, we're talking about partly humanitarian aid and partly.
Now this is far below the amounts that are needed to avoid starvation.
And, of course, the use of starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime.
And we continue to call on Israel to allow in aid in sufficient amounts for the population to be able to survive.
What I can say is we cannot speak for other actors, but the United Nations and our partners have, as of last night, not been able to bring in gaols and materials following the Israeli announcement.
There's a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance.
And can I just get you to elaborate?
Because some people are estimating maybe a million more people being displaced if the Gaza City offensive goes ahead.
If these suppliers you mentioned can't get in in a timely manner, where does that leave people in Gaza who've been displaced?
We don't even need to to to look ahead of what how possibly this could get worse.
It has already gotten worse.
As you know, shelter has been banned entry for about 5 months and in that.
Over 700,000 people have been displaced or re displaced.
What very often happens is that they have to leave their tents.
They may have been provided with a with a tent and then they're displaced again and they have no possibility of taking a tent with them.
So there are lots of things that are very challenging with these repeat displacement when you are trying to respond to people where they are because they get displaced over and over and over again.
My question for for Tamim Tamim, as you see on the report, the Israeli army approved the plan to occupy Gaza City.
You already mentioned thousands of people are reported to feeling the Gaza City in fear as a result of this decision.
My question is, do you think this decision is the first step in Israeli plan to complete the control over all the Gaza and what are the dangers of this decision?
Maybe, yeah, let me, let me maybe start on this to say that the Secretary General remains concerned about the inflammatory statements that we are hearing for the Israeli military to capture additional territory in Gaza.
As you are asking, let me remind you that Security Council Resolution 2730, Five, 2024 rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any action that reduced the territory of Gaza.
So the latest decisions that we have heard about are another dangerous escalation of the conflict.
And we really want to underline and stress that there is no military solution to the armoured conflict in Gaza for the broader Palestinian conflict in general.
And we need to go back to the two state solution.
Yeah, as, as, as Sandra said, these plans have a huge risk for for people, for civilians.
There are risks of mass displacement and more and more killings and more misery that we have already seen in in in the Gaza Strip.
And of course, among those who will be affected are the most vulnerable people with disabilities, the injured, the children, women, many people who are unable to move the way they should be if they want to avoid all the risks that are entailed in in such operations.
Of course, we don't know whether this is the first step for a larger plan, but the High Commissioner has has warned that this plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted because of these risks that we've we're talking about.
Yes, on on shelter being banned from being taken into the Gaza Strip for for five months.
Are you are you ever given a reason as to as to why that would be when you attempt to take these take these things, you know, if so, what are those reasons?
Sometimes reasons are given to individual agencies, sometimes not.
Is, is my understanding what we have seen in this conflict and in previous conflict, by the way, is that it falls on the tool use regime because of tent poles.
Just to follow up on on on Robins, just in this most recent phase, we've heard that it might be related to this Israeli registration process.
The questions that they're asking aid agencies about Palestinian employees is that one of the impediments in in the difficulties of getting shelter supplies in.
It's additional layers of bureaucracy which are which are put on top that seemed designed not to facilitate fast entry of anything, but rather the opposite.
OK, don't see other hands up in the room or on the platform.
Tamim, you have you wanted to add something?
So I'll give now the floor to Christian Who?
Who, who had one additional thanks.
Yes, we had an additional announcement for us.
1 2nd So on Friday 22 August, WHO and the World Meteorological Organisation WMO will launch the Climate Change and Workplace Heat Stress Report and guidance.
This major new joint report and guidance warns that climate change driven heat waves are taking a growing toll on health, especially among manual workers in agriculture, construction and fisheries, and among vulnerable groups and low income settings.
An embargoed joint press conference will be held on Thursday, 21 August at 1400 hours Geneva time.
The report, the press release are available for early excerpts and experts from WTO and from WMO are available for interviews as well.
The embargo will then lift on at 8:00 Geneva time on Friday morning.
The announcement has been sent all related questions to the context there, please.
Thank you very much for this announcement.
Also on behalf of WMO just Claire is also online.
If you have any question on this either to Christian or Claire, I don't see any hand up.
So thanks Christian for for this and and Claire for being here.
Moji, I have only a few further announcement for you.
First, on behalf of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, who asks me to inform you that the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Mr Gayer or Pedersen, will brief the Security Council in an open session on Thursday and 10 AM New York Times of 4:00 PM Geneva.
And as usual, his briefing remarks will be distributed after the he speaks.
The Committee on the Rights of Person with Disabilities is concluding this morning the review of their initial report of Kiribati.
Tomorrow they will go to Maldives and the other country to be examined will be Finland on the 21st of August and 22nd.
The Conference on Disarmament is holding this morning a brief plenary meeting, which is the first under the Presidency of Mexico.
And we will announce further meetings when they come along.
Just a few announcements for you.
So is there any other question or remarks?
So thank you very much for following this briefing and I hope to see you this afternoon at 4:00 in front of Room 20.
