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

-Secretary-General/Travels
- Aswan Forum
- Peace Operations
- Hurricane Beryl
- Haiti
- Security Council
- OPT
-Afghanistan
-Sudan
- UNHCR/Sudan
-South Sudan
-Democratic Republic of the Congo

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
This morning, in Cholpon Ata, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with Sadyr Zhaparov, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.
In the meeting, they discussed UN-Kyrgyzstan cooperation, regional peace and security issues, and progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Secretary-General commended the President of the Kyrgyz Republic for his leadership in advocating for sustainable mountain development. He thanked him on behalf of the United Nations for naming a mountain in the Tian-Shan range in honour of the Organization.
After the meeting, the Secretary-General visited a UNDP project, related to the impacts of climate change.
The project's primary focus is the restoration of engineered structures specifically designed to reduce the risk of mudflow.
At the project, the Secretary-General met with the local community and civil society representatives. He also had a meeting with young activists on climate and environmental issues. He told them how important their voices are in pushing for change around the world.
In a joint press encounter with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, Zheenbek Kulubaev, the Secretary-General commended Kyrgyzstan for its leadership on mountain issues and welcomed the adoption of the General Assembly Resolution on Sustainable Mountain Development, an initiative of Kyrgyzstan. He noted that around the world, we see many serious challenges to multilateralism and a failure of countries to unite behind global solutions.
The Secretary-General pointed out that the Summit of the Future in September is a pivotal opportunity for renewal and reform, and Central Asian countries have a key role to play. He said that we will have a mountain to climb together, but Kyrgyzstan’s expertise in this area will be more important than ever.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will head to Kazakhstan, where he will have a bilateral meeting with the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

ASWAN FORUM
Today, the Secretary-General spoke by pre-recorded video message to the fourth Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, which is taking place in Egypt.
He told participants that the Forum arrives at a difficult moment for Africa and the global family, as sustainable peace and development are being obstructed by enormous challenges.
He called for accelerated efforts to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals and renewed his appeal for deep reforms to the global financial architecture so that developing countries can invest in jobs, gender equality and education. The Secretary-General said that this year’s theme for the conference reminds us of the need to re-envision global governance and amplify Africa’s voice and leadership on the world stage — including the UN Security Council and across the global financial system.
He said that he looks forward to strong and vocal African leadership at September’s Summit of the Future in New York.

PEACE OPERATIONS
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of the UN Peace operations department, is at the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, where he is scheduled to participate in a panel tomorrow on the future of peace operations in Africa.
In meetings today with the Egyptian Ministers of Interior and Defence, Mr. Lacroix thanked them for their support and contributions to UN peacekeeping and discussed how we can collectively address the current challenges facing multilateralism.
Mr. Lacroix will then visit Cambodia from July 4 to 9, to thank the government for its support to peacekeeping and to recognize the enormous progress made in clearing the country's landmine legacy, including through support from the United Nations.
During his visit, he will engage with senior Cambodian government officials, including Prime Minister Borvor Manet Hun; the Director-General of the National Centre for Peacekeeping Force, Mine and Explosive Remnants of War, or ERW, Clearance, as well as the leaders of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority.
Mr. Lacroix will also visit a demining operation near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Prasat Koh Ker.

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