Palestine, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (05 August 2025) | United Nations

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Secretary - General / Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries Plastic Pollution Occupied Palestinian Territory Sudan Afghanistan / Refugees India / UN Partnership For South - South Cooperation on the SDGS PLASTIC POLLUTION The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, opened today in Geneva. The session, which will continue until 14 August, aims to finalize and approve the text of the agreement and forward it for consideration and adoption at a future Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries. Noting that countries are negotiating a global plastics treaty to help beat plastic pollution, the Secretary-General emphasized that we need a fair deal that tackles the full life-cycle of plastics, reflects the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Climate Change and supports a shift away from fossil fuels. Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, pointed out that plastic pollution is already in nature, in our oceans and even in our bodies. And plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow 50 per cent by 2040, she added. If we continue on the current trajectory, Ms. Andersen warned, the world will be drowning in plastic pollution – with massive consequences for planetary, economic and human health. She stressed that agreeing to a treaty text is the first step to beating plastic pollution for everyone, everywhere. OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY This afternoon at 3:00 pm, the Security Council will hold a briefing on the situation in the Middle East. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča will brief, and the Council will also hear from Ilay David, the brother of a hostage who is being held in Gaza.  Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that people continue to struggle to survive in Gaza. With starvation on the rise, the volumes of supplies that are entering Gaza remain insufficient to meet people’s needs. In addition, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to face many impediments preventing us from bringing in aid in sufficient quantities and distributing it to communities. UN partners working on food assistance warn that massive food shortages continue to impact people’s chances for survival. As malnutrition levels are rising, children are more likely to have weakened immune systems, hindering their development and growth far into the future. Last Thursday, 71 kitchens prepared and delivered more than 270,000 hot meals across Gaza. These included 10,000 meals delivered to health facilities, most of which are struggling to operate as mass casualties, widespread destruction and shortages of basic necessities continue to overwhelm the healthcare system. The number of meals being provided is far below the minimum required to reach more than two million people in Gaza. We need an urgent scale-up of supplies, as well as an environment that allows humanitarians to reach people in need safely, rapidly and efficiently. UN staff working in health say that some quantities of medicine have managed to reach Gaza in recent days. Medicine shortages place an additional strain on healthcare workers who continue to work under immense pressure and with very limited resources. The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the number of people diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare, potentially deadly condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves – has reached 46 cases and two deaths in July, with 38 per cent of the cases requiring intensive treatment. This syndrome can be caused by a compromised immune system, poor nutrition and hygiene-related infections. WHO is working with the Health Ministry to continue surveillance of cases and address the gaps related to diagnostics and treatment. Yesterday, the UN was able to bring three fuel tankers to Gaza City. The fuel was offloaded in a UNOPS-managed fuel station and will be used to power the most critical health, water and sanitation and emergency telecommunication facilities. OCHA once again stresses that much more fuel is needed daily to run emergency operations. Current levels of fuel are only allowing the UN and our partners to function at the bare minimum. The UN and its partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene underscore that access to clean water remains limited, putting people’s health and well-being at risk. Ninety-six per cent of households across Gaza surveyed by our partners in July face moderate to severe challenges in accessing clean water – whether to drink, bathe their children or wash dishes.  Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=05%20August%202025


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