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U.N. briefing: Lebanon mission activity, Yemen water deal, Haiti SRSG named, Russia memorandum talks and Ukraine health attacks
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Summary
The U.N. spokesperson summarized operational and personnel updates across several countries, highlighting UNIFIL activity in Lebanon, a Yemen water deal supported by U.N. funds, the appointment of a new SRSG for Haiti, continued attacks on health facilities in Ukraine and forthcoming consultations on a U.N.-Russian memorandum.
The U.N. spokesperson summarized a range of country updates during the press briefing, including developments in Lebanon, Yemen, Haiti, Ukraine and on a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Federation.
Lebanon and UNIFIL: The newly appointed U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) force commander met senior Lebanese leaders this week, the spokesperson said. The force commander stressed support for implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, including strengthening and deploying the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon. U.N. peacekeepers reported Israeli military activity north of the Blue Line, including reported air violations and shelling that affected locations in Sector East. Peacekeepers also discovered unauthorized weapons caches, including at least one cache containing mortars. UNIFIL facilitated humanitarian missions this week from OCHA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR and the World Food Programme and carried out maritime training exercises for the Lebanese Navy and Air Force, the spokesperson said.
Yemen: Local water authorities in Taiz and Al Hawban reached a technical agreement to jointly manage water-supply systems, restoring services disrupted by conflict and institutional fragmentation, the spokesperson said. The Yemen Humanitarian Fund is allocating $2,000,000 to connect about 90,000 people to a functioning water network; the spokesperson urged donors to scale up support so that over 600,000 people in Taiz governorate can access safe water and sanitation.
Haiti: The U.N. announced the appointment of Carlos Ruiz Massieu of Mexico as the next special representative of the secretary-general (SRSG) and head of the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti. The spokesperson said Massieu will assume his functions in August and will be in New York in about two weeks to brief the Security Council on Colombia, according to the announcement.
Memorandum with the Russian Federation: Final consultations on the memorandum of understanding between the United Nations and the Russian Federation are scheduled for July 11 in Geneva, the spokesperson said. The memorandum was signed on July 22, 2022, with a three-year implementation period; the spokesperson said the memorandum will not be extended but that many of the issues it addressed — including safe navigation and exports through the Black Sea — will continue to be discussed among the U.N., the Russian Federation and other parties.
Ukraine: The U.N. reported airstrikes in the past three days had killed and injured civilians and damaged homes, hospitals and schools in frontline regions, the spokesperson said. WHO data cited in the briefing show 255 attacks on health-care facilities in Ukraine between January and June of the year, accounting for nearly 40% of such attacks verified globally; the briefing said those attacks caused at least six deaths and 55 injuries among medical personnel and patients in 2025.
Global Risk Report: The U.N. will launch its inaugural Global Risk Report, the spokesperson said. The report identifies 12 global vulnerabilities and highlights mis- and disinformation as a critical vulnerability, alongside clusters of technological, environmental and societal risk. The report recommends coordinated multilateral action and was being launched at an event hosted by the Mission of Singapore.
Ending: The spokesperson closed by summarizing the updates and pointing to forthcoming announcements and reports from U.N. agencies for further detail.
