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Building on the Legacy of Nelson Mandela

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

On #NelsonMandelaDay, we honor a legacy of service, justice, and hope. This year's theme is a reminder that the power to combat poverty and inequality is still in our hands.

More information: https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/building-legacy-nelson-mandela

World Cup, Iran, Yemen & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (20 July 2026) | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

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

Highlights:
- World Cup
- Secretary-General/Travels
- Nelson Mandela International Day
- Iran
- Yemen
- UNIFIL
- Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Security Council
- Sudan
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Burundi
- Ukraine
- Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator - Burkina Faso
- World Heritage Committee
- World Chess Day
- International Moon Day
- Guests Today and Tomorrow

WORLD CUP

Huge congratulations to the men’s Spanish team on its World Cup victory yesterday. They now join the Spanish Women's team in being the reigning football world champions.  It’s the first time one country has held both men’s and women’s teams championships at the same time.

By every account, it was a very impressive run by La Roja during the championship, during the games.  

And well played to all of the other teams, as well, who, during the five weeks, provided the world with a lot of emotion … passion, joyfulness and a little bit of heartbreak for some of us. But congratulations to La Roja.   

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from China. He will arrive late tonight. Following his attendance at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference in Shanghai, he travelled to the Yunnan Province.

This morning, in Kunming, the Secretary-General interacted with beneficiaries and local counterparts of UN programmes from agencies such as UNDP, FAO, IFAD and UN Women, supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in China. He heard first-hand accounts from beneficiaries of projects on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, promoting nature-based solutions, the sustainable use of medicinal plants and community-based conservation efforts linked to local livelihoods.

The Secretary-General will be back in the office tomorrow.

NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY

Courtenay Rattray, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly in observance of Nelson Mandela International Day, which was observed on Saturday.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the life and legacy of Madiba. He highlighted that Mandela Day reflects a defining challenge of our time, poverty and inequality, and celebrated Madiba’s ability to see the world both for what it was and what it could be, having recognized that progress is never automatic; it is the result of action.

To honour that legacy, the Secretary-General encouraged all of us to carry forward Mandela’s vision of a just, inclusive, equal and peaceful world.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-20

The Untold Story Behind Haiti's Crisis

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Four senior international officials address the UN Security Council with one shared message: Haiti's future depends on protecting its people—especially its children.

Haiti's future depends on protecting its people—especially its children, according to senior officials involved in supporting the Caribbean island nation to restore security and hold elections.

Featured voices include representatives from the United Nations, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the multinational security mission authorized by the UN Security Council to support Haitian authorities in addressing gang violence.

Their message is clear: lasting peace requires security, justice, opportunity, and hope.

Nelson Mandela International Day - Chef de Cabinet on behalf of UN Chief | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Remarks by Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, on behalf of António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General on the Observance of the annual Nelson Mandela International Day.

Marking the Nelson Mandela International Day, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that ending poverty and inequality requires re-wiring economies and societies to focus on people.

Rattray said, “Madiba was blessed with a rare kind of double vision. He saw the world both for what it was — and what it could be.”

The Chef de Cabinet continued, “he also recognized that progress is never automatic. Progress is the result of action. It’s up to all of us to come together to make that progress real — and through our actions, our advocacy, and our voice, to defeat poverty and inequality. Not as an act of charity, but as an act of justice.”

Rattray also said, “as we mark Mandela Day, let’s re-commit to the timeless principles that defined his life. Freedom. Justice. Equality. Solidarity. Reconciliation. Compassion. Peace.”
“Let’s carry forward Mandela’s vision of a just, inclusive, equal and peaceful world,” he concluded.

President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said, “Nelson Mandela reminded this Assembly, us, of the same principles that guided the founding of this organization. That peace requires more than the absence of conflict. That requires human dignity, justice and equality for all.”

She said, “as we mark the Nelson Mandela International Day, we honor not only that vision. We acknowledge our own responsibility to carry this work, this spirit, forward, as reflected in this year's theme. It is still in our hands to combat poverty inequality.”

For his part, New York City Mayor's Office official Shaffiou Assoumanou said, “we need government that commit to the tasks of delivering a life of dignity by putting in place policies that make food, housing and care affordable and available to everyone. Policies that demonstrate our commitment to universal human rights, regardless of where people were born, their gender identity or sexual orientation, their nationality or their immigration status.”

Assoumanou highlighted, “our commitment to this Mandela Day is to nourish the brilliance of people who do small acts of courage and care, and to demand the same kind of brilliance from all of us in government and from our institution.”

International Broadcaster Redi Tlhabi also addressed the General Assembly.

She said, “Mandela understood something that remains profoundly relevant today. Peace without justice is not peace at all. It is only a pause -- one that delays the hard work of crafting our shared humanity.”

Tlhabi added that peace without justice is “a fragile truce.”

She also reiterated that the world needs the courage that made Mandela “so deeply inconvenient.” She said, “it needs leaders willing to disturb comfortable injustice before history rewards them for doing so. It needs nations prepared to defend international law, even when it inconveniences powerful allies. It needs institutions that are willing to reform themselves before the world loses faith in them. It needs us to reject forever the seductive argument that the might makes right because it never has and it never will.”

In recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom, UN General Assembly declared 18 July "Nelson Mandela International Day".

Haiti: Acute humanitarian needs with devastating consequences for people - Briefing | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Briefing by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), on the question concerning the country.

Why I’m still an obstinate optimist, with Allegra Baiocchi | UN ‘Awake at Night’ podcast teaser

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

@unitednations
▶ https://youtu.be/7HA8wArE3aI

Born to Italian parents in Venezuela, Allegra Baiocchi has been on the move ever since and has lived in more than 25 countries around the world. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Mexico, she believes in the power of the United Nations to improve the well-being of all people, wherever they are.

“I am truly an optimist. I do think we can turn this around, but it does need a lot of people taking action, and so I stay awake at night trying to figure out how to get people to act.”

Formerly the UN’s chief humanitarian coordinator for western and central Africa, Allegra Baiocchi faced down overlapping deadly crises, from Ebola and war, to drought, famine and displacement. In this episode, she reflects on the highs and lows of her long and varied career, and shares how she brought up children who are as much citizens of the globe as she is.

Haiti: Political and Security Progress Need to Move Simultaneously - Presser | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Following an open briefing of the Security Council on the situation in Haiti, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Carlos Ruiz Massieu told reporters in New York that the political process and security improvements need to move “simultaneously, so we can have further stability in the country on the security front, on the humanitarian side, but also on the political side.”

Ruiz Massieu said it was “still early in terms of coming back to democratic rule” in Haiti because of the transition nature of the government but added that “we have a chance to contribute to the improvements and the discussions that are taking place these days” so as “to make those gains more sustainable so we don't go back after getting some positive results.”

He said some of the gangs in Haiti are listed in the Secretary General’s Report on Children in Armed Conflict “as utilizing children, recruiting children” and stressed that “we need to establish now a system by which there will be engagement with those gangs in order to request and to demand the release of the children.”

Natural resources governance - Security Council Open Debate | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Open debate of the Security Council under the agenda item "Maintenance of international peace and security" .

Natural resource governance lies today at the heart of the challenges of peace, security and prosperity. The central question is whether minerals intensify conflicts or, conversely, can become instruments for ending them when they are effectively governed.

Objectives of the debate:

- To recognize the link between natural resource governance, conflict prevention and sustainable peace, and to affirm the relevance of a more coherent and universal approach.
- Mapping the volume and types of conflict-affected natural resources.
- Formulating conclusions and recommendations on the prevention and management of natural resource-related conflicts.
- To move beyond the fragmented and largely national responses currently in place by laying the foundations for a common framework of resource governance and traceability as instruments for conflict prevention and resolution.
- To mobilize the United Nations system, regional organizations and relevant partners around a shared vision in which natural resources and ecological capital become drivers of peace and shared prosperity.
- The meeting will be presided over by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Syria, Lebanon, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (21 July 2026) | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

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

Highlights:

- Trip Announcement/Syria
- Security Council
- Syria/Transitional Justice
- Middle East
- Senior Appointment
- Lebanon
- Sudan
- Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Afghanistan
- Rwanda
- Venezuela
- UNHCR/Mauritania

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT/SYRIA

The Secretary-General will arrive in Syria later this week at the invitation of the Government of Syria. In Damascus, he is scheduled to meet with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, as well as other government officials including the Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani.

This will be António Guterres’ first visit to Syria as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Throughout his stay in Syria, he will reaffirm the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the Syrian Government and the Syrian people at this defining period in the country’s history. He will also underscore the importance of respecting Syria’s sovereignty, its unity, and its territorial integrity.

The visit will offer the Secretary-General an opportunity to witness both the hope and the challenges of the political transition and recovery, as well as the impact of the enduring of years of conflict. During the visit, he will hear first-hand from representatives of Syrian civil society, women’s organizations and diverse communities.

While in Syria, the Secretary-General also plans to visit our colleagues from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, otherwise known as UNDOF.

We will continue to keep you informed with details of the visit as it happens.

SECURITY COUNCIL

This morning, the Security Council also met to discuss Syria. Claudio Cordone, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, briefed from Damascus and told council members that despite the challenges, the opportunities for Syria are indeed real.

He said the past month has demonstrated both the opportunities and the fragility of Syria's transition. He told council members that important institutional milestones have been reached, but building confidence will require an effective and balanced system of governance, with the meaningful participation by women and all components of Syrian society, continued progress on accountability and transitional justice, and tangible improvements in the daily lives of the Syrian people.

Mr. Cordone also reiterated our support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition, adding that sustained commitment from the international community, including the Security Council, remains critical.

Also briefing was our colleague Edem Wosornu, who, as you know, is OCHA’s Director of the Crisis Response Division. She also briefed on the humanitarian situation in the country.

Since December 2024, she said, some 1.7 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to their communities, but recovery is not measured only by how many people return. It is measured by whether they can stay, whether they can rebuild and whether they can survive.

For many families in the country, she said daily life continues to be defined by difficult choices and uncertainty.

She asked council members for sustained and predictable humanitarian funding, investments in the foundations of recovery and finally, she called on them to prevent further instability, protect civilians and preserve humanitarian access.

Those remarks have been shared with you.

SYRIA/TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

Also staying on Syria, there will be an Arria-formula meeting of the Security Council on transitional justice and the issue of missing people in Syria. Our friend the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, will be briefing.

He will stress that justice and inclusivity, centred on victims, survivors, and the families of the missing, are essential to rebuilding trust and securing a more peaceful future for all Syrians.

His remarks will be shared with you and posted online.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-21

A Pivotal Moment for Syria

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

A rare opportunity has emerged for Syria—but lasting recovery will depend on more than rebuilding what was lost.

At the UN Security Council, senior UN officials outline why this moment matters, what has changed on the ground, and why recovery must create the conditions for Syrians not only to return home—but to stay, rebuild, and thrive.

Speakers:
• Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria
• Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, OCHA

Critical Minerals: Who Pays the Price? | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

The phone in your hand runs on minerals most people can't name - but who benefits from extracting them, and who pays the price?

Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), explains what critical minerals are, why supply chain disruptions carry major economic and security consequences, and how the absence of global governance risks creating new "sacrifice zones" - communities left with pollution and human rights violations while the benefits flow elsewhere.

From extraction to electronic waste, he sets out what governments, companies and consumers can each do to make these supply chains fairer and more transparent.

#NaturalResources #ConflictMinerals #CriticalMinerals #DRC #SecurityCouncil #Peacebuilding #unitednations

0:00 The minerals behind our technology
0:09 What are critical minerals?
0:20 Why are they "critical"?
0:38 Who gains — and who pays
1:01 The governance gap and "sacrifice zones"
1:21 What governments and consumers can do

Unhealthy diets cost the world $8.1 trillion annually, new #UN report shows

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

Unhealthy diets contribute to diabetes and other non-communicable diseases which cost the world $8.1 trillion annually, according to a new report on the State of Food Security by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. It argues for making fruits and vegetables more accessible as a way to promote health and avoid costs.

FAO: 7.8% of the global population undernourished in 2025 - Press Conference | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

Briefing reporters in New York on the findings of the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Chief Economist Máximo Torero said, “the latest estimates indicates that 7.8 percent of the global population was undernourished in 2025, equivalent to 645 million people.”

Torero said these figures compare with 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.6 percent in 2022, “which means in terms of numbers, that there has been a reduction of 40 million between 2024 and 2025 and 43 million compared with a 2022 peak.”

However, he noted “the numbers remain approximately 50 million higher than in 2015, when the SDGs were adopted.”

The FAO official noted that “important inequalities also persist” and said, “moderate or severe food insecurity affected approximately 30 percent of the population in rural areas, compared to 22 percent in urban areas, and it also affected in the 24 percent of women, compared to 23 percent of men.”

He told reporters that for the first time the prevalence in Africa has been reduced, which he said, “is good news,” but pointed out that “the absolute numbers are increasing even more that Asia because of the population growth and the conflicts and the different problems that this region is facing.”

Torero emphasized “the importance of increasing the access and affordability to healthy diets, because 2.7 billion people is creating significant problems to health because of undernourishment and overnutrition.”

(Resumed) Natural resources governance - Security Council Open Debate | United Nations

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

Resumed open debate of the Security Council under the agenda item "Maintenance of international peace and security".

Natural resource governance lies today at the heart of the challenges of peace, security and prosperity. The central question is whether minerals intensify conflicts or, conversely, can become instruments for ending them when they are effectively governed.

Objectives of the debate

To recognize the link between natural resource governance, conflict prevention and sustainable peace, and to affirm the relevance of a more coherent and universal approach.
Mapping the volume and types of conflict-affected natural resources.
Formulating conclusions and recommendations on the prevention and management of natural resource-related conflicts.
To move beyond the fragmented and largely national responses currently in place by laying the foundations for a common framework of resource governance and traceability as instruments for conflict prevention and resolution.
To mobilize the United Nations system, regional organizations and relevant partners around a shared vision in which natural resources and ecological capital become drivers of peace and shared prosperity.
The meeting will be presided over by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nelson Mandela Day Commemoration 2026 - UN Chief Message | United Nations

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

A special video by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for the commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day at United Nations Headquarters, featuring archival footage in tribute to his legacy.

Taking Stock of the Pact for the Future - UN Deputy Secretary-General Remarks | United Nations

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

Remarks by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Taking Stock of the Pact for the Future - Informal meeting of the General Assembly, 80th session.

When Mandela Called Me "Sir"

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 03:00:02 +0000

Former Zimbabwean journalist Newton Kanhema's life changed the day he met Nelson and Winnie Mandela, upon their first trip abroad after Nelson Mandela's release from prison.
This encounter resonated with Kanehma's personal story, as the son of a man who was imprisoned for ten years without trial, in Zimbabwe.
Meeting Mandela and covering his political life shaped Kanehma's career that ultimately led him to serve with the United Nations.

How countries build human capital through sustained investment in education, health, and employment

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Human capital is everything that makes people productive, from education and skills to health and resilience. These qualities are valuable in their own right and essential for success in life and work. They help people learn, earn, grow, and contribute to their communities.⁠ The Human Capital Index measures how countries build human capital through sustained investment in education, health, and employment, capturing both the gains from these investments and the losses that occur when skills are not applied. ⁠Explore the data tool: worldbank.org/hci

ABOUT THE WORLD BANK ???? The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development on a livable planet. http://www.worldbank.org

1 in 3 People Cannot Afford a Healthy Diet - Press Conference | United Nations

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

Press Conference by Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He briefed journalists on the high cost of a healthy diet and what to expect from the upcoming State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report 2026, which will be launched on 21 July in Rome.

Máximo Torero Cullen said, “almost one in every three people in the world still cannot afford a healthy diet.”

Under the theme “Understanding and addressing the high cost of a healthy diet,” this year’s report will present the latest global assessment of food security and nutrition and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2, as well as the latest updates on the cost and affordability of a healthy diet. The 2026 edition of SOFI examines the persistent challenge posed by the high cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) and its implications for ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

The FAO’s Chief Economist said, “the report shows that the global cost of a healthy diet has increased 25 percent in just five years, reaching 4.28 US dollars purchasing power parity dollars per person per day. As a result, 2.69 billion people, almost one in every three people in the world still cannot afford a healthy diet.”

Torero also said, “the most important finding is that calories are relatively inexpensive, but nutrition is not.”

He explained, “staple food provide about half of the calories we need, yet represent only 13 percent of the cost of a healthy diet. In contrast, fruits and vegetables provide only 5 percent of the calories but account for 16 percent of the cost, so significantly more expensive than cereals. While animal source foods account for almost 30 percent of the cost.”

“The challenge, therefore, is not to produce enough calories. It is making nutrient rich foods more affordable, and that's what will reduce the cost of this healthy diet,” the economist added.

Torero also said, “between 70 and 75 percent of the cost of a healthy diet is generated after food leaves the farm. So it's not in the farm, it's after it leaves the farm. And the biggest bottlenecks are no longer only on the farm. They are in storage, in transport, processing, cost chains and wholesale markets.”

He said, “our analysis shows that the investment in rural roads, cold storage, logistics and efficient value chains for fruits and vegetables generate much larger reduction in the cost of a healthy diet than broad and untargeted investments.”

The report also challenges the conventional policy thinking, “our simulations show that subsidizing staple foods alone can actually increase the relative cost of a healthy diet. So increase rather than reduce.”

FAO official said, “what we need to do is to focus in three priorities: reduce structural cost across the value chain, particularly after the farm gate; repurpose policies and investments towards nutrient dense foods, rather than reinforcing incentives that favor calories over nutrition and strengthen the evidence-based policymaking through better local data, closer coordination across agriculture, health, trade, and social protection.”

He reiterated, “the cost of a healthy diet is not simply another statistic. It is a very important diagnostic that we need to resolve if we want to minimize this enormous amount of hidden costs and the enormous amounts of fatalities that come as a result of overweight and obesity.”

Asked about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Torero said, “the major risk right now that we have in terms of commodities is the lack of sulfur is enormous right now. It's affecting all phosphates.”

He added, “the situation will continue to be complex, inputs will continue to be high costs. Farmers will continue to face enormous challenges and the possibility that what we are lucky today that we had enough good harvest in the past. That's why the commodity prices are still not so high, with the exception of rice and durum wheat. That means that in the future that could change.”

Sudan: ICC findings of war crimes against humanity committed - Briefing | United Nations

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 03:00:03 +0000

“Our Office has secured vital evidence that will allow us to hold senior contributors to attacks to account,” the International Criminal Court prosecutor told the Security Council.

Briefing the Council members (15 Jul) Nazhat Shameem Khan, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said that further evidence collected during the reporting period had strengthened earlier findings that both war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed in El-Geneina and El Fasher.

Khan warned that the most serious international crimes may be about to take place in El Obeid. “We cannot say we did not know. We cannot say it could not be expected,” she said, describing a shared assessment with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and calling on the Council and member states to act.

She also acknowledged constraints facing the investigation. “Our resources are limited. We have not been able to access the territory of Darfur, nor interviewed witnesses in a number of other key locations, and the witness protection needs are significant,” Khan said, noting that measures taken against the Court had affected its operations in Darfur.

“The ICC and its proponents seek a standing World Tribunal with near unlimited reach,” said Jeff Bartos, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United States, adding that the Court is overreaching its mandate and encroaching on state sovereignty.