UN INFORMATION SERVICE GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Organization for Migration.

Crisis in Lebanon

Imran Riza, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, speaking from Beirut, said that later today a humanitarian flash appeal would be launched, following the escalating crisis of the past three months, which had led to numerous casualties, displacement, damage, and trauma. More than 3,500 people had been killed, 10,000 injured, and over one million people remained displaced. Entire neighbourhoods had been reduced to rubble, and at least 1.4 million people needed humanitarian aid. Hospitals and clinics had been hit by airstrikes and agricultural land scorched. The psychological trauma of the conflict meant that the emotional scars of the conflict would last long beyond its end. Mr. Riza had recently visited displaced families in the southern city of Tyre, some of whom had been displaced five times, and were simply hoping for stability and return to home. 

Mr. Riza said that the USD 190 million given by the donors had helped assist over 600,000 people this year; USD 331 million was now needed to assist 1.4 million people, bringing the overall humanitarian appeal through the end of August to USD 639.9 million. The objective was to support the government-led efforts, helping both displaced families and their host communities. The most vulnerable categories were to be prioritized, while the communities left behind the front lines would not be forgotten. Mr. Riza stressed that the escalation of violence had to stop, and a full cessation of hostilities was needed. International humanitarian law had to be respected. Safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access was necessary, and civilians fleeing hostilities needed to be given safe passage. Finally, Mr. Riza emphasized the need to scale up humanitarian funding which would help save lives.

Andrew Saberton, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), connecting from Cairo, said that nearly everyone he had met in Lebanon said they wanted to return home, but many of them no longer had a home to return to. Some one million people remained displaced across Lebanon, including 16,000 pregnant women. The crisis was evolving into a health and protection crisis. Health facilities continued to come under attack, and women found it increasingly difficult to access maternal services. Women and girls also faced a heightened risk of gender-based violence. For example, UNFPA had supported a women centre in south Lebanon, one of the very few facilities operating in the area, but it too had now been shelled. Healthcare should never be a target, stressed Mr. Saberton. UNFPA was appealing for USD 25 million to reach 400,000 people until August; only 16 percent of the appeal had been funded. The cost of inaction would be acute; sustained investment was critical to prevent the deepening humanitarian catastrophe. All actors were appealed to cease further attacks and adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Responding to questions from the media, Imran Riza, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, said that host communities also had to be assisted. Some 28,000 people were believed to still remain below the so-called “yellow” evacuation line. As summer was about to begin, access to water was becoming more critical, and many water facilities had been damaged, he informed. Mr. Riza said that many displaced people had moved several times, returning home when they thought it was safe, only to be displaced again. At least 200,000 people were expected not to be able to return to their affected frontline villages, leading to protracted displacement. There was hope that in a three-month time there would be no need to reissue a flash appeal and that the ongoing negotiations would be successful. 

Displacement in Jonglei State, South Sudan

Eujin Byun, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that South Sudan remained one of the worst displacement crises in the world, with some 2.4 million South Sudanese refugees in the region, two million internally displaced people, and one million refugee returnees. 

Matthew Brook, United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative in South Sudan, speaking from Juba, had just returned from the Jonglei State, at the border with Ethiopia, where a grave protection crisis was evolving, leading to hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee their homes. In the Akobo county only, 140,000 people had been displaced. In the past few weeks, thousands of people had returned despite very difficult conditions. Mr. Brook provided examples of displaced families in hardship and women affected by gender-based violence. On the other hand, the area held a lot of potential as it was very fertile. One of the largest concerns was that women and children were exposed to exploitation. Humanitarian access was a big challenge, particularly as the rainy season had started. The population had moved repeatedly between South Sudan and Ethiopia seeking safety. In the coming months, flooding, a perennial issue, would further complicate the humanitarian situation on the ground. UNHCR was working with other UN organizations and partners to provide an adequate response, but UNHCR had received only 25 percent of the resources required, which was why donors were urged not to neglect and forget South Sudan. 

Global food insecurity

Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service at the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking from Rome, stated that in March, WFP had projected that 45 million people could fall into acute food insecurity by the end of June if the conflict in the Middle East continued and oil prices remained around USD 100 per barrel. This scenario was now unfolding: a new WFP report, “Food Security Under Pressure: How the Middle East Crisis is Impacting Vulnerable Countries”, analysed the situation in three vulnerable countries. It found that an additional 2.5 million people in Somalia, 1.3 million in Sri Lanka and 2.3 million in Afghanistan were struggling to meet basic food needs and, in some cases, being pushed into acute hunger due to the crisis. The hike in energy and food prices was now affecting marginal rural populations but also urban core populations. Significant impacts were being seen on global supply chains, informed Mr. Bauer, because shipping had been disrupted, which undermined local food markets. Governments’ fiscal space was quite constrained. Three major crises this decade: the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the Middle East conflict had all impacted the governments’ ability to cope. 

Mr. Bauer further explained that supply chains to Afghanistan now took much longer than before, which impacted the WFP’s ability to help people there. At the beginning of 2026, the WFP had planned to assist over 100 million people around the world, of whom now as many as nine million people would not be able to receive that support. Fragile countries were at particular risk, he stressed. Populations most affected needed to be supported, in both targeted and time-bound government safety nets. Data systems ought to be strengthened, and changes in food prices, energy prices and consumption needed to be recorded and analyzed. Some of the humanitarian supply chains had to be adjusted or localized, while targeting frameworks also needed to be accordingly updated.

More details can be found here.

Answering questions, Mr. Bauer explained that higher costs of fuel would mean that the cost of helping people with food supplies would also go up. He said that the challenges came both from funding and supply chain issues – El Niño could also strain the situation further. The pipeline break in Somalia was going to happen in July, leaving the most vulnerable categories, including children under five, particularly exposed. Efforts needed to be made now in order to avoid last-minute, expensive measures to avoid massive hunger in Somalia. 

Humanitarian situation in Haiti

Zoe Brennan, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that 1.5 million people in Haiti were now faced with escalating violence. With repeated waves of displacement, violence was now spreading to areas once considered safe.

Gregoire Goodstein, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Haiti, stated that Haiti was not experiencing a crisis that unfolded in stages, where violence peaked, then receded, then recovery began. What we were seeing was the permanent simultaneity of hardship: armed violence, mass displacement, acute food insecurity, forced returns at scale, climate hazards, and institutions under pressure at every level. These did not take turns; they operated together, continuously, each one making the others worse. More than 5,900 people had been killed by the end of 2025, 2,700 had been wounded, and nearly 650 kidnapped. Now, 1.47 million people remained displaced, with violence expanding across the country. Forced returns were continuing without pause, with 110,000 returned just in 2026, including mothers and children. For some, it was the first time in decades, or even in their lives, to be in Haiti. 

IOM was very much a frontline organization, having conducted 92 percent of all high-level missions this year. IOM saw what sustained presence made possible, including some cautious, incremental returns. It could not be assumed that those returns were sustainable, for which continuous investment and support was needed. On top of that, the hurricane season was starting. Every gap in the humanitarian response would be filled by armed gangs. Short-term relief could not meet the scale or persistence of the crisis, which now went on for almost five years. A long-term, sustainable intervention and continued engagement were needed.

Full press release is available here.

World Food Safety Day

Dr. Elaine Borghi, Head of Monitoring and Surveillance, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, at the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the theme of World Food Safety Day 2026, “From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere”, highlighted how data on illness, its burden and lost lives could guide action towards focused and cost-effective solutions. With evidence in hands, governments could craft adequate policies and address risks. The importance of evidence into action was critical, stressed Dr. Borghi. WHO estimates showed that in 2024, some 866 million cases of illness and 1.5 million deaths had been caused by unsafe foods. Children under five faced almost three times the risk of illness compared to the general population, especially children in poor settings. Most illnesses came from biological hazards, but chemical hazards had caused as much as 73 percent of all food poisoning deaths. This was also a crisis of equity, with people living in low and middle-income countries facing largest risks. Antimicrobial resistance made the situation worse. A one-health approach was essential, stressed Dr. Borghi, and countries had to break down silos. Political commitment and coordinated action were needed to make safe food a reality for everyone.

Markus Lipp, Senior Food Safety Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), speaking from Rome, said that countries needed to move from a reactive to a proactive stance. FAO focused on the solutions, helping countries to identify food safety issues and find solutions. Anticipating risks was one of the priority areas of FAO’s work. FAO provided independent scientific advice that underpinned informed decisions worldwide and development of standards. Working with farmers and producers was another area of FAO’s work, to help them prevent contamination at source. FAO addressed food safety risks across sectors, including the one-health approach. Tools, like risk ranking, helped countries prioritize key hazards and keep food safe. FAO and WHO had developed a number of sophisticated scientific tools, and were helping countries use them, for example to assess their food control systems. Most foodborne diseases were preventable, and prevention started long before food reached consumers’ plates, stressed Mr. Lipp. 

More information on the World Safety Day can be found here.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that on 9 June at 9:30 am, UNHCR’s High Commissioner Barham Salih would present its annual Global Trends Report, under embargo until 11 June at 5 am.

On 10 June, at 12:15 pm, a press briefing with Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, would be held at Palais Wilson. 

On 10 June, at 3 pm, UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya would deliver remarks at an event on the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations organized by the Permanent Mission of China at the World Meteorological Organization.

Ms. Vellucci further informed that the informal exchanges on artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security would be held at the Palais des Nations from 15 to17 June. More information can be found here.

UNOPS’s 2025 annual report was being launched today, showing that UNOPS continued to deliver to the most vulnerable communities amid global challenges, increase in armed conflicts and humanitarian needs, and a deepening climate crisis. In 2025, the agency had provided technical, operational and logistical support through over 1,100 projects across 130 countries and territories, delivering around USD 2.7 billion in support of humanitarian response, sustainable development and peace and security initiatives. 

The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families would review this afternoon at 3 pm the initial report of The Gambia.

Finally, the Portail des Nations would be formally inaugurated on 7 June.

***