Sudan, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (7 August 2026) | United Nations

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights： - Sudan - Democratic Republic of the Congo - South Sudan - Lebanon - Occupied Palestinian Territory - Ukraine - Fiji/Australia - Food Price Index - International Day - Briefing - Financial Contribution SUDAN Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, spoke to the Security Council members this morning at an Arria formula meeting on education in Sudan. She said that among everything that the war in Sudan has taken, one of the most significant is the future of Sudan depriving the education of its children. Today, she said, at least eight million school-aged children remain out of school, with a disproportionate impact on millions of displaced children, especially those seeking refuge outside of Sudan. Since 2024, the United Nations has verified more than 67 attacks on schools across Sudan, while over 154 instances of military use of schools have been reported. The Deputy Secretary-General said that this year, the UN and its partners have brought more than a million Sudanese children back into some form of learning, but it is simply not enough. She said it is time to stop this war and to pull Sudan back from the brink of losing another generation of its children. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that children and women continue to bear a disproportionate share of the Ebola outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri. The outbreak is unfolding in a province where nearly one million people are displaced, around 80 percent of them women and children. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), more than 300 children have died from Ebola since the outbreak began. Children make up nearly a quarter of confirmed cases, but almost a third of all deaths. The outbreak is also severely disrupting essential healthcare. In the hardest-hit areas, use of health services has dropped by more than 40 percent in recent months, as fear of infection keeps people away. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warns that this fear, combined with overstretched health services, is preventing many pregnant women from seeking care. Maternal deaths in Ituri have nearly doubled since the outbreak began, with about six women dying each week from childbirth-related complications. Ebola infection during pregnancy remains associated with almost universal fetal loss. OCHA stresses that restoring community confidence is key. Together with the Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC), UNICEF and partners have deployed 13,000 community workers, reaching more than 2.4 million people with information on Ebola prevention and early detection. They've also carried out over 500,000 household visits to counter misinformation and encourage early care-seeking. Meanwhile, WHO reports that its technical advisory group on vaccine research is recommending a clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the Ervebo vaccine, the only licensed vaccine against Ebola. WHO is working with partners to begin the trial as soon as possible. This comes as the virus continues to spread rapidly across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with total cases now surpassing 4,000, and 1,850 deaths recorded. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-08-07


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