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

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


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