Climate, Pope Francis & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (21 April 2025) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
-Pope
-UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
-Sudan
-Yemen
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Lebanon
-Democratic Republic of the Congo
-Haiti
-Myanmar
-Creativity and Innovation Day


POPE
The Secretary-General joins the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, a messenger of hope, of humility and of humanity. The Secretary-General said that Pope was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice, leaving behind a legacy of faith, of service and of compassion for all — especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict.
Our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions, the Secretary-General said.  
Speaking at the stakeout just an hour ago, the Secretary-General addedthat many of us find great meaning in the Pope’s final Easter message, which wasdelivered just yesterday.
He appealed for us not to yield to – as he called it – the “logic of fear”. Instead, he urged the world to invest in what he referred to as the “weapons of peace” – and to help the most vulnerable to fight hunger and to advance development.
The Secretary-General spoke also earlier this morning by phone to the Papal Nuncio, the representative of the Permanent Observer State of the Holy See to the United Nations to offer his deepest condolences to Catholics and to all those around the world inspired by the extraordinary life and examples of Pope Francis. 

UN PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He said that the difficulties facing Indigenous Peoples around the world are an affront to dignity and justice, and a source of deep sorrow for him personally.
The Secretary-General noted that everywhere, Indigenous Peoples are on the frontline of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss – despite having done nothing to create these crises and everything to stop them. He pointed out that eviction and illegal exploitation continue to harm Indigenous Peoples and grossly violate their rights, and that they face marginalisation, discrimination, unemployment, economic disadvantage and horrendous violence.
The Secretary-General stressed that governments must honour their obligations in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – without delay, and bring Indigenous Peoples, particularly women, into all forms of decision making. He also urged countries, companies and more, to work with us to deliver on all the recommendations of the Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, addeding that he will soon launch the High-Level Expert Advisory Group to accelerate action on benefit sharing, value addition, and fair trade – and to make sure that the needs and inputs of Indigenous communities will be key.

**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, as you know, we have been warning of the horrifying reports that we are getting from El Fasher and Zamzam camp in North Darfur State. Those horrendous reports include the killings, sexual violence, and huge displacement, as well as the massive humanitarian needs of those who are there.
Today, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, spoke by phone separately with General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces and with General Abdelrahim Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces, who is the second-in-command of the RSF forces. He noted their commitment to give us full access to get aid in. The Under-Secretary-General stressed that we are mobilized to reach and support civilians.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also warns that the situation is further compounded by rising levels of food insecurity, placing people at heightened risk of malnutrition and famine.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, warned that the humanitarian community in Sudan has faced critical and intensifying operational challenges in North Darfur, driven by the forced and large-scale displacement of civilians from established infrastructure and humanitarian services.
The UN continues to call on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law – and urges donors to provide rapid and flexible funding to maintain the humanitarian response in North Darfur.


Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...