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PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
23 June 2023
Occupied West Bank violence risks spiraling out of control
Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), informed that today UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that this week’s violence in the Occupied West Bank risked spiralling out of control, fuelled by strident political rhetoric and an escalation in the use of advanced military weaponry by Israel. The sharp deterioration was having a terrible impact on both Palestinians and Israelis, and the High Commissioner called for an immediate end to the violence.
Following Israeli Security Forces’ operation in Jenin Refugee Camp that had killed at least seven Palestinians, including a boy and a girl, and injured at least 91 Palestinians and seven Israeli soldiers, OHCHR reminded Israeli authorities of their obligations under international law with respect to the use of lethal force.
“Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the Occupied West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life,” the High Commissioner said. “As the occupying power, Israel also has obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure public order and safety within the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Following the Jenin raid, four Israeli settlers had been killed by two armed Palestinian men near the Israeli settlement of Eli in the Occupied West Bank. The High Commissioner was appalled that such killings had been celebrated by some Palestinians.
“For this violence to end, the occupation must end. On all sides, the people with the political power know this and must instigate immediate steps to realize this,” stressed the High Commissioner.
Full statement can be found here.
Rolando Gómez, for the UN Information Service, reminded the media of the Secretary-General’s statement on the escalating violence, distributed this week.
Responding to questions, Mr. Laurence said that the use of air strikes was in general deeply worrying for the OHCHR. The Israeli forces were reminded of their obligation to act under the international human rights law, so that use of lethal force ought to be minimized and every death should be investigated. The OHCHR had raised this matter with both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Crackdown on freedom of expression and independent journalism in Tunisia
Marta Hurtado, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the High Commissioner Türk today expressed deep concern at the increasing restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and press freedom in Tunisia, noting that vague legislation was being used to criminalize independent journalism and stifle criticism of the authorities.
“It is troubling to see Tunisia, a country that once held so much hope, regressing and losing the human rights gains of the last decade. The crackdown earlier this year against judges, politicians, labour leaders, businesspeople and civil society actors has now spread to target independent journalists, who are increasingly being harassed and stopped from doing their work,” he said. “I urge Tunisia to change course.”
The High Commissioner called on the Tunisian authorities to respect due process and fair trial standards in all judicial proceedings, cease trying civilians before military courts and release all those arbitrarily detained, including any person detained for exercising their right to seek, receive and impart information.
OHCHR statement is available here.
Answering questions from the media, Ms. Hurtado confirmed that the OHCHR had an office in Tunisia and was continuing its contact with local civil society and journalists; OHCHR was engaged both with the authorities in Tunisia and the Permanent Mission in Geneva. The High Commissioner had requested to visit Tunisia, to which the authorities had agreed, and currently the two sides were trying to identify a suitable date. There were worries about due legal process in court cases against journalists in Tunisia, said Ms. Hurtado. There were still obstacles to unobstructed monitoring and reporting on court processes.
Human Rights Council
Pascal Sim, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), informed that the HRC would today hear from the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, whose latest report explored the linkages between the right to freedom of expression - including the right to information - and sustainable development. Around 5 pm, the Council would hear from the Special Rapporteur on discrimination against persons with leprosy, Alice Cruz. The Council was expected to appoint her successor at its 54th session in October.
At 3:30 p.m. today, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, would hold a press conference following the presentation of her latest report at the Council the previous day. The report addressed the issue of custody.
On 26 June, the Human Rights Council would first hear from Margaret Satterthwaite, the new Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. The same day, the Council would then hear from Felipe Gonzalez Morales, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, who would present a report on ways to expand and diversify regularization mechanisms and programmes to enhance the protection of the human rights of migrants. A new mandate holder proposed by the President of the Council should be appointed by the Council at the end of this session, on 14 July. Finally, in the afternoon on 26 June, the Council would hear from the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, whose latest report focused on deaths in prisons; he would also present a report on his recent visit to Argentina.
AI for Good Global Summit
David Hirsch, for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), reminded that registration for the upcoming AI for Good Global Summit (6-7 July) was required, even for journalists who held UN press cards. An online media round table would be held on 26 June at 5 pm, which would include the ITU Secretary-General, among others. The event would focus on substantive subjects related to AI rather than organizational or logistical aspects of the Summit. More information about the Summit is available here.
Migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean
Responding to a question, Matthews Saltmarsh, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that until now, UNHCR had no update on the numbers of bodies recovered from the tragedy in the Aegean Sea; the number still stood at 82. An investigation was still ongoing; UNHCR had expressed serious concerns from what they had seen in both initial reports and testimonies. The investigation had to be impartial, independent, and to establish the circumstances which had led to this awful loss of life. It appeared that this was the worst loss of life in the Mediterranean in years.
On another question, Mr. Saltmarsh confirmed that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was deeply worrying; UNHCR had a serious funding shortfall and was doing its best to get more resources to the country.
Announcements
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), reminded of the Secretary-General’s statements from Paris the previous day, which had been shared with the media – one was his address to the Paris Summit on a New Global Financing Pact, and the other his speech at the Sciences Po University.
He informed that the Human Rights Committee would open on 26 June its 138th session, during which it would review the reports of Brazil, Uganda, Cyprus, Burundi, State of Palestine, Somalia, Colombia, and Lesotho.
The Conference on Disarmament would announce at a later stage the date of its next plenary meeting.
Finally, Mr. Gómez reminded that today was the United Nations Public Service Day and the International Widows’ Day.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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