AIDS, Peacebuilding Week & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (22 June 2026) | United Nations

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
• AIDS
• Peacebuilding Week
• Secretary-General/Travel
• Ukraine
• Sudan
• UNIFIL
• Lebanon/Humanitarian
• Occupied Palestinian Territory
• Syria/Security Council
• Panama
• World Food Programme/Pope Leo
• Ebola/Children
• Human Security

AIDS

The Deputy Secretary-General spoke on the Secretary-General’s behalf this morning at the Opening Plenary of the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, and she pointed to the progress over the past years in dealing with the disease, noting that AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and by 54 per cent since 2010. HIV prevention and treatment services have reduced new infections by 40 per cent in the same period, she added. 

But the Deputy Secretary-General warned that AIDS is not over.  At the end of 2024, 9.2 million people in need still lacked access to HIV treatment, and 1.3 million acquired HIV. And most tragically, 630,000 lives were lost in AIDS-related deaths.

The Secretary-General’s remarks underscore five priorities to face the AIDS challenge: to close the widening gaps in access to prevention, treatment and care services; to continue ensuring the leadership of communities in the HIV response; respect for human rights; adequate financing; and a revival of the multilateral spirit that has driven the HIV response from the very start. We have shared those remarks with you.

PEACEBUILDING WEEK

Today, we start the first-ever Peacebuilding Week, marking an important milestone, which is 20 years since the inaugural session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the establishment of the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund. More than 50 events in New York and over 20 around the world are being organized. Here at Headquarters today, a joint session of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Economic and Social Council is taking place through 1p.m. on advancing social cohesion through job creation in peacebuilding contexts.

Also on Thursday, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the Peacebuilding Commission’s Annual Session in the General Assembly Hall.

And just a reminder, at 1:30 p.m., here in the briefing room, we will be joined by Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support, alongside Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, and the Permanent Representatives of Egypt, Ihab Moustafa Awad Moustafa, and Slovenia Samuel Žbogar. They will provide an overview of the Peacebuilding Week and the importance of investing in prevention and peacebuilding at a time of growing global challenges.

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL

The Secretary-General has arrived in London, where he will attend a series of events taking place during the London Climate Action Week. He will deliver a special address on climate and energy tomorrow morning, outlining how renewable energy offers the clearest route to energy security, affordability and resilience, and underscoring the destructive role played by fossil fuels in the climate crisis and energy crisis we face.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-06-22