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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 1 MAY 2026

MYANMAR 

The Secretary-General has taken note of the transfer of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to a designated residence. The Secretary-General appeals for the swift and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained as a fundamental step towards conditions conducive to a credible political process.  

The Secretary-General reiterates that a viable political solution must be founded on an immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue. He stresses the importance of continued dialogue between all relevant Myanmar stakeholders and his Special Envoy on how the United Nations and its partners, in particular ASEAN, can help support efforts towards a peaceful solution in the interests of the people of Myanmar as called for by the Security Council and the General Assembly. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that we continue to receive reports of gunfire and strikes hitting residential areas across Gaza, causing civilian casualties. Yesterday, in Jabalya Camp, a UN school sheltering displaced families was hit by gunfire, and two people were injured. &�Բ�����;

OCHA reiterates that, under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. 

Meanwhile, humanitarians working on sanitation tell us that four in every five sewage pumping stations are not functioning. As a result, every day, about 40,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage are flowing into the sea and areas where families are staying. Restrictions on the entry of essential items like generators and spare parts must be lifted so that water can be properly pumped and prevent the further collapse of these systems.  &�Բ�����;

On food security, the Food and Agriculture Organization said yesterday that it has now provided cash assistance to every herding household with at least one sheep or goat that survived the hostilities. That’s more than 2,000 herding households reached, one quarter of them headed by women.  &�Բ�����;

This has supported the production of milk and protein locally, which are a powerful way to combat malnutrition, especially among children. 

In the West Bank, last week, the Israeli authorities delivered final eviction notices, by mid-May, to seven more families in the Batn al Hawa area of East Jerusalem. That’s to make way for settlers to take over the building, placing more than 40 people, half of them children, at risk of imminent displacement. 

So far in 2026, 17 families – including 30 children – have been forcibly evicted from their homes in that neighbourhood.                                                                 

OCHA calls once again for the protection of civilians. Evictions, demolitions and violence have grave physical, social, economic and emotional impacts, and they deepen humanitarian needs. &�Բ�����;

UKRAINE 

From Ukraine, OCHA tells us that between Monday and the early hours of today, we and our humanitarian partners reached front-line communities in eastern and southern Ukraine through six aid convoys, delivering urgently needed assistance in the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson.    

The convoys reached 4,000 people with food, hygiene items, dignity kits, generators, clothing and first-aid kits. 

Meanwhile, over the past day, attacks and hostilities across Ukraine reportedly killed at least two civilians and injured 58 others, with the regions of Dnipro, Sumy, Kherson, Kharkiv and Odesa among the hardest hit. Homes, a school, railway infrastructure and shops were damaged. 

Our humanitarian partners responded quickly in Odesa and Dnipro, providing shelter, psychosocial support, legal aid, hot meals, hygiene kits and materials for emergency repairs. In Dnipro, drone strikes also damaged or destroyed humanitarian vehicles, though thankfully no injuries were reported. 

Yesterday and today, local authorities, with support from our humanitarian partners, evacuated nearly 370 people, including 25 children, from frontline areas of Donetsk.  

CUBA 

Turning to Cuba, OCHA reports that the humanitarian situation continues to worsen as the energy crisis deepens following the US Executive Order and other sanctions. 

Healthcare, waste collection, water deliveries to remote areas, food distribution and other essential services are being heavily disrupted.  

Health officials say more than 96,000 patients – including 11,000 children – have had surgeries postponed because of power shortages. People who need dialysis and newborns who rely on incubators are also struggling to get timely treatment or transport to care. 

We and our partners are working to support people, with the World Food Programme providing food and nutrition assistance. WFP also continues to respond to humanitarian needs resulting from Hurricane Melissa, having reached more than 900,000 people since the storm struck Cuba late last year. 

As we have mentioned here, the UN has a Plan of Action to deliver life-saving aid to 2 million people, for which we need $94 million. But so far, only about a quarter of the funding has been secured. 

The Secretary-General calls on Member States to facilitate the timely and unimpeded delivery of life-saving aid, including fuel for humanitarian purposes, and to increase their financial contributions to the Plan of Action. 

VENEZUELA 

Turning to Venezuela, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has allocated $2 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to support the humanitarian response following the collapse of a water system in the northern state of Sucre. 

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, an earthquake in late February triggered a landslide that blocked a major water system tunnel, leaving nearly 640,000 people without reliable access to clean water. 

Over the past month, the lack of safe water has sharply increased public health risks, especially for children, pregnant women, older people and those living with chronic illnesses. Cases of hepatitis B, acute diarrhoea and amebiasis, a serious intestinal infection, have already been reported, with the risk of further disease outbreaks growing by the day. 

The new funding will help nearly 80,000 of the most vulnerable people in Sucre to meet their water, sanitation and health needs. In addition to this allocation, the UN-managed humanitarian fund in the country has also allocated another $1 million to bolster the response. 

As efforts to repair the water system continue, our humanitarian partners, together with the authorities, have reached 11,000 people across 32 communities with water purification tablets, sanitation kits and other assistance. 

This year’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela has received only 14 per cent – or $90 million – of the $632 million that we need.  

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT 

 The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will travel to Italy and Türkiye from 4 to 7 May. 

During his time in Rome on 4 and 5 May, Mr. Lacroix will have a number of bilateral meetings with Italian Government officials to discuss peacekeeping-related issues.  

He will then head South to Brindisi, to participate in the Police Standing Capacity Conference. 

�鶹��ý Standing Police Capacity, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, is a rapidly deployable police capability of the UN, designed to strengthen the early policing response in peace operations and other mission settings. 

The conference will focus on the evolving global context, UN80 priorities, and the work of United Nations Police, including how the Standing Police Capacity can be further strengthened to support peace operations.  

Mr. Lacroix will then travel to Ankara on 7 May, where he will meet with Turkish officials to discuss Türkiye’s support to United Nations peacekeeping, including as a police-contributing country.  

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT   

Vanessa Frazier, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, has now concluded her mission to the Russian Federation.  

During the visit, she engaged with government officials and other stakeholders on the protection of children affected by the conflict in Ukraine. 

In Moscow, Ms. Frazier had constructive discussions on the implementation of the Children and armed conflict mandate as well as on the 2025 mandate from the General Assembly Resolution on the return of Ukrainian children.  

She also travelled to Belgorod, met with Russian officials there and visited damaged sites in the city. 

Throughout her visit, Ms. Frazier reiterated our commitment to supporting all efforts aimed at strengthening the protection of children. 

MIDDLE EAST 

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, says the spikes in transport costs and freight disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis is forcing it to adapt its delivery strategy. To mitigate disruptions, UNHCR has adapted quickly by rerouting sea cargo, for example around Aqaba, and by increasing reliance on alternative land corridors, including trucking across the Arabian Peninsula and Türkiye from Dubai. 

UNHCR says that the closure of key maritime routes has forced greater use of longer and more expensive alternatives, leading to increased transit times and operational complexity. Freight rates from key sourcing countries have risen by nearly 18 per cent since the start of hostilities, while the capacity of global transport providers has dropped from 97 to 77 per cent since the start of 2026. 

Amid the challenges, UNHCR has so far maintained the continuity of life‑saving assistance thanks to its strong preparedness systems and global supply network. This includes seven global stockpiles in Dubai, Termez, Copenhagen, Accra, Douala, Nairobi and Panama City, capable of supporting up to one million displaced people at any given moment, along with more than 160 country‑level warehouses and standby arrangements for local procurement and financial assistance.  

There are more details in a UNHCR press release. 

MAURITANIA 

The Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund has approved $3 million for an initiative in Mauritania in support of peaceful coexistence between migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and local communities in both Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott, and the town of Nouadhibou.  

Over the next 24 months, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will partner with national stakeholders to increase protection measures for these groups, promote coordination of relevant local authorities, security forces, and education facilities, establish an information point for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS 

Today is the Day of Vesak. On this day, Buddhists around the world commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha. 

In his message, the Secretary-General says that guided by the Buddha’s example, we must summon our shared humanity and build the more peaceful and sustainable world that all people need and deserve. 

Tomorrow is World Tuna Day. It highlights the importance of continued global cooperation in achieving truly sustainable tuna fisheries. 

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 

And then on Sunday, we mark World Press Freedom Day. Recent years have seen a sharp rise in the number of journalists killed – often deliberately targeted – in war zones. Eighty-five per cent of the crimes committed against journalists go uninvestigated and unpunished. In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General says that across the globe, media workers risk censorship, surveillance, legal harassment – and even death. 

He reiterates that all freedom depends on press freedom. “Without it, he says, there can be no human rights, no sustainable development – and no peace.”  

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

The payments from Cambodia and Colombia to the regular budget bring the number of fully paid-up Member States to 106.