Secretary‑General António Guterres urges diplomacy, warns Gaza food insecurity could reach 1.4 million
July 24, 2026 | United Nations, International
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United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres told the Security Council in an open debate that diplomacy and the full range of Chapter VI tools are the only viable path to stop growing conflicts and prevent further civilian suffering. He said attacks on civilian infrastructure are "unacceptable" and warned that fighting must stop everywhere in the region.
Guterres highlighted an IPC food security analysis released that morning and said the number of people in Gaza facing high levels of food insecurity is expected to rise to about 1,400,000, roughly 70% of the population. "People are being killed in their homes, in their communities, and while carrying out ordinary acts of daily life," he said, describing intolerable living conditions and widescale humanitarian distress.
The Secretary‑General framed the briefing around Resolution 27 88 and Article 33 of the UN Charter, saying those instruments set out the tools for peaceful settlement — "mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlements, regional arrangements," and other options the parties may choose. He outlined six priority areas to bolster peaceful dispute settlement, including stronger use of the UN Secretariat's good offices and mediation support, expanded use of regional offices and envoys, earlier deployment of Chapter VI measures, more regular fact‑finding and council visits under Article 34, and inclusive processes that ensure women and civil society can participate meaningfully.
As examples, Guterres said the U.N.'s mediation helped broker the May release of more than 1,600 conflict‑related detainees in Yemen, and he described his personal envoy's engagement in Sudan to encourage restraint. He also called for restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab El Mandeb.
"There is no military solution to the conflict," Guterres said, urging Security Council members to act early and decisively and to "summon the spirit of compromise that is essential to peace." The president of the meeting thanked the secretary‑general for his briefing and introduced a minister for foreign affairs to speak next.
The Council record shows no vote or formal action on the briefing itself; the session proceeded to the next scheduled statement.
Guterres highlighted an IPC food security analysis released that morning and said the number of people in Gaza facing high levels of food insecurity is expected to rise to about 1,400,000, roughly 70% of the population. "People are being killed in their homes, in their communities, and while carrying out ordinary acts of daily life," he said, describing intolerable living conditions and widescale humanitarian distress.
The Secretary‑General framed the briefing around Resolution 27 88 and Article 33 of the UN Charter, saying those instruments set out the tools for peaceful settlement — "mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlements, regional arrangements," and other options the parties may choose. He outlined six priority areas to bolster peaceful dispute settlement, including stronger use of the UN Secretariat's good offices and mediation support, expanded use of regional offices and envoys, earlier deployment of Chapter VI measures, more regular fact‑finding and council visits under Article 34, and inclusive processes that ensure women and civil society can participate meaningfully.
As examples, Guterres said the U.N.'s mediation helped broker the May release of more than 1,600 conflict‑related detainees in Yemen, and he described his personal envoy's engagement in Sudan to encourage restraint. He also called for restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab El Mandeb.
"There is no military solution to the conflict," Guterres said, urging Security Council members to act early and decisively and to "summon the spirit of compromise that is essential to peace." The president of the meeting thanked the secretary‑general for his briefing and introduced a minister for foreign affairs to speak next.
The Council record shows no vote or formal action on the briefing itself; the session proceeded to the next scheduled statement.
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