Rafael Mariano Grossi addressed journalists in Austria following a briefing in the government in Vienna.
Israel began to launch air and missile air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites almost two weeks ago, and the United States made surprise bombing on three Iranian uranium installations last weekend.
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel, announced Monday evening on social networks by American president Donald Trump, is fragile but detained.
However, the extent of damage to Uranium stocks enriched with Iran remains uncertain.
After the initial attacks, Iran informed the Aiea It would take “special measures” to protect its nuclear materials and equipment.
Grosi told journalists that he had received a letter from the Iranian Foreign Minister who said protective measures had been taken.
“They did not enter into the details of what it meant, but it was clear that it was the implicit meaning of this. So we can imagine that this material is there, “he said. To confirm this and assess the situation, “we have to come back,” he added.
Vital inspections
On Wednesday, the Iranian Parliament approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, according to the media, which must be approved by the executive power of the government.
Grosi said he wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Arabhchi on Tuesday to ask him to come together to “analyze the terms” so that the inspections continue.
He stressed that the international community “cannot afford” so that the inspection regime is interrupted.
The head of the IAEA was also questioned on the plans of Iran to withdraw from TThe Non-Proliferation Treaty (TNP)A key international agreement to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
This decision would be “very regrettable,” he said. “I hope this is not the case. I don’t think it would help anyone, starting with Iran. This would lead to isolation, all kinds of problems. ”
Addressing the General Assembly, António Guterres said that the world witnessed armed conflicts more than at any time since the end of the Second World War.
“” Too often, early warnings are not heard and the alleged evidence of crimes committed by states and non -state actors were welcomed with denial, indifference or repression, ” he said Member States on Wednesday.
“The answers are often too little, too late, incoherent or undermined by standard doubles. Civilians pay the highest price. “
Known as the responsibility of protecting, or R2P, commitments have affirmed that sovereignty not only includes rights, but responsibilities – above all, the duty of each State to safeguard its own people.
When the national authorities fail to do so, the international community has the duty to act – collectively, appropriate and decisively – in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Secretary General António Guterres addresses the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the responsibility of protecting and prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
An unattended promise
“Two decades later, the The responsibility of protecting is both an urgent necessity, a moral imperative and an unseat promise,He said.
He cited the worsening of violence based on identity, deepening of impunity and the armament of new technologies as threats of composition of populations around the world.
“No company is immune to the risk of crimes of atrocity,” continued Mr. Guterres.
A radius of hope
The secretary general also presented his latest report on the responsibility of protecting, reflecting on two decades of progress and persistent challenges. It is based on a global survey showing that the principle still benefits from broad support – not only among the Member States, but also among the communities affected by violence.
“” Communities see it [R2P] As a radius of hope,“He said:”But they also call for effective implementation at all levels.“”
Mr. Guterres stressed that prevention should start at home: with inclusive leadership, the protection of human rights and the rule of law. And it must be supported worldwide by multilateral cooperation and diplomacy in principle.
“” No company is immune to the risk of atrocity crimes,He said.
“” [Prevention] Must be supported worldwide – by multilateral cooperation, diplomacy in principle and early and decisive measures to effectively protect populations. »»
Photo of the United Nations / Paulo Filgueiras
In September 2005, heads of state and governments around the world gathered at the United Nations headquarters for the World Summit.
Flashback: 2005 World Summit and the birth of R2P
The responsibility to protect was Adopted by consensus at the 2005 World Summit – At the time, the largest gathering of heads of state and government. The summit also established the peacebuilding committee to support the post-conflict recovery and the Human Rights Council To maintain human rights.
The principle R2P is built on three pillars: the responsibility of the State to protect its population; the role of the international community in states aid in this effort; And the duty to take collective measures when states fail to protect their people.
Since its adoption, R2P has helped shape international responses to atrocity crimes, to guide UN operations and to clarify preventive efforts through national, regional and multilateral mechanisms.
Make the promise
However, the gap between principle and practice remains a central concern – one that the secretary general urges the international community to close.
“” Hold the promise,“Said Mr. Guterres. »»Let’s go ahead with the resolution, unity and courage to act.“”
“From this day, our house has become a travel bag and our path became that of travel … My childhood was filled with fear and anxiety and people with which I was private,” she said, speaking by videoconference of Syria.
Sila (on screen), representative of civil society, Briefes the meeting of the Security Council on children and armed conflicts.
The report documented a 25% increase in serious violations against children in 2024, the greatest number ever recorded during its 20 years of history.
“” The report of this year of the secretary general confirms once again what too many children already know – that the world did not protect them from war horrors“Said Sheema Sen Gupta, Director of Child Protection at the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
Seema Sen Gupta, Director of Child Protection and Migration to UNICEF, Briefes The Security Council.
“Each violation against children in each country around the world represents a moral failure.”
The report presented to the Security Council is published each year to document the serious violations against the children affected by the war. It is fully based on the data compiled and verified by the UN, which means that real numbers are probably much higher than those reported.
In 2024, the report documented A record of 41,370 violations of serious – including death and mutilation, rape, removal and targeting infrastructure such as schools supporting children.
“Each child struck by these attacks has a story, a stolen life, a interrupted dream, a future obscured by insane violence and prolonged conflicts”, ” said Virginia Gamba, the special representative of the Secretary General for children and armed conflicts, whose office has produced the report.
Virginia Gamba, the special representative of the Secretary General for children and armed conflicts, informs the Security Council.
While many of these violations have occurred during the conflict – especially since the urban war is increasing – serious violations can persist even after the end of a conflict.
They persist in unplodced ordinances which still dot the soil.
“Each unploded shell remains in a field, a school courtyard or an alley is A death sentence waiting to be triggered“Said Ms. Sen Gupta.
They persist in the spaces that remain destroyed, preventing children from accessing health care and education.
And they persist in the trauma and injuries that never completely leave a child.
Scars that never heal
Children who survive serious violations do not escape unscathed – if they suffered from violence, wounds will remain with them a lifetime. And even if they were not injured, the trauma remains.
“The physical and psychological scars carried by the survivors last a lifetimeAffecting families, communities and the very fabric of societies, “said Ms. Gamba.
This is why UNICEF and its partners worked to provide reinstatement programs and psychosocial support to children victims of serious violations.
Sila said that the trauma of her childhood is still with her and pushed her to become children’s defender in conflicts.
“From this moment, nothing felt normal in my life. I developed a phobia of all sound that looks like an airplane, darkness and even silence, “she said.
‘It cannot be the new normal’
Ms. Gamba called for “an unshakable conviction and an urgent action” of the international community in order to overthrow the disturbing trends that the report details.
“” We cannot afford to return to the dark ages where children were invisible and victims of armed conflict speech… Please do not allow them to retreat in the shadow of despair, ”she said.
Current humanitarian aid financing reductions lead to the work of United Nations agencies and partners to document and respond to serious violations against children.
In light of this, the call of Ms. Sen Gupta to the Security Council was simple: “Fund this program”.
She said that the international community cannot allow this to become “a new standard” and reminded members of the Security Council that children are not and should never be “collateral damage”.
Despite the devastation that the report detailed, there were “glimmer of hope” according to Ms. Sen Gupta. For example, the Syrian national army has signed an action plan that will prevent the recruitment, death and mutilation of children.
Sila also spoke of hope – she hopes hers is the latest generation to undergo these serious violations.
“I come from a generation that has survived. Physically, “she said. “Our body has survived, but our hearts always live in fear. Please help us replace the word movement by return, the word rubble by the house, the word war by life. ”
“From that day on, our home became a travel bag and our path became that of displacement … My childhood was filled with fear and anxiety and people I was deprived of,” she said, speaking via videoconference from Syria.
Sila (on screen), Civil Society Representative, briefs the Security Council meeting on children and armed conflict.
The report documented a 25 per cent increase in grave violations against children in 2024, the largest number ever recorded in its 20-year history.
“This year’s report from the Secretary-General once again confirms what too many children already know — that the world is failing to protect them from the horrors of war,” said Sheema Sen Gupta, director of child protection at the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Seema Sen Gupta, director of child protection and migration at UNICEF, briefs the Security Council.
“Each violation against children in every country around the globe represents a moral failure.”
The report presented to the Security Council is published annually to document grave violations against children affected by war. It relies entirely on data compiled and verified by the UN, meaning that the real numbers are likely much higher than reported.
In 2024, the report documented a record 41,370 grave violations — including killing and maiming, rape, abduction and the targeting of infrastructure such as schools which supports children.
“Each child struck by these attacks carries a story, a stolen life, a dream interrupted, a future obscured by senseless violence and protracted conflict,” said Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, whose office produced the report.
Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, briefs the Security Council.
While many of these violations occurred during times of conflict — especially as urban warfare is on the rise — grave violations can persist even after a conflict ends.
They persist in the unexploded ordinances which still pepper the ground.
“Every unexploded shell left in a field, schoolyard, or alley is a death sentence waiting to be triggered,” said Ms. Sen Gupta.
They persist in the spaces which remain destroyed, impeding children from accessing healthcare and education.
And they persist in the trauma and injuries which never fully leave a child.
Scars that never heal
Children who survive the grave violations do not escape unscathed — if they suffered violence, the injuries will stay with them for a lifetime. And even if they were not injured, the trauma remains.
“The physical and psychological scars borne by survivors last a lifetime, affecting families, communities and the very fabric of societies,” said Ms. Gamba.
This is why UNICEF and its partners have worked to provide reintegration programmes and psychosocial support for children who are victims of grave violations.
Sila said that the trauma of her childhood is still with her, and has pushed her to become an advocate for children in conflicts.
“From that moment on, nothing has felt normal in my life. I’ve developed a phobia of any sound that resembles a plane, of the dark, and even of silence,” she said.
‘This cannot be the new normal’
Ms. Gamba called for “unwavering condemnation and urgent action” from the international community in order to reverse the worrying trends which the report details.
“We cannot afford to return to the dark ages where children were invisible and voiceless victims of armed conflict… Please do not allow them to slip back into the shadows of despair,” she said.
Current funding cuts to humanitarian aid are impeding the work of UN agencies and partners to document and respond to grave violations against children.
In light of this, Ms. Sen Gupta’s call for the Security Council was simple: “Fund this agenda.”
She said that the international community cannot allow this to become “a new normal,” and reminded the members of the Security Council that children are not and should never be “collateral damage.”
Despite the devastation which the report detailed, there were “glimmers of hope” according to Ms. Sen Gupta. For example, the Syrian National Army signed an action plan which will prevent the recruitment, killing and maiming of children.
Sila also spoke of hope — she hopes that hers is the last generation to suffer these grave violations.
“I am from a generation that survived. Physically,” she said. “Our bodies survived but our hearts are still living in fear. Please help us replace the word displacement with return, the word rubble with home, the word war with life.”
At least 24 people were killed and more than 300 injured – including 32 children – when ballistic missiles hit the Ukraineuse regions of Dnipro and Odesa on Monday and Tuesday, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) announced on Wednesday.
The attacks destroyed houses, schools, hospitals and other civil infrastructure, and left hundreds injured.
“The attacks struck the day the civilians were at work, in trains or at school,” said Danielle Bell, head of HRMMU.
“Timing alone has made the high number of fully predictable civilian victims.”
On June 23, two ballistic missiles launched by Russian forces struck Lyceum n ° 1, an intermediate school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region. Although the school year has ended, staff and students were present for administrative work. The strike killed three educators and injured 14 others, including two boys.
The school, which served more than 700 students, has undergone critical damage.
HRMMU, who visited the attacks of the attacks, noted any proof of military presence at the school, and people confirmed that no military presence had been stationed there.
“The school of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was not a military objective,” said Bell.
“However, he was hit by two ballistic missiles, killing educators and injuring children.”
The next day, June 24, the missiles struck an industrial area of the city of Dnipro around 11 a.m. local time. The explosion broke windows in neighboring schools, hospitals and residential buildings.
HRMMU confirmed that two dormitories had been affected, injuring many residents. A nearby travelers train has also been affected – windows blown by the shock wave – injuring more than 20 travelers, according to a United Nations Monitor on board.
A disturbing trend
These strikes followed a series of other attacks in June which led to significant civil damage, notably in kyiv City on June 17 and 23, according to the mission of human rights.
The civilian victims in the first five months of 2025 were almost 50% higher than during the same period last year, with increases generally observed during the summer months.
“Ballistic missiles, when used in densely populated areas, cause foreseeable and widespread damage to civilians, as these recent attacks have demonstrated,” said Bell.
“Increasing civil losses reflect the severity of this risk.”
“Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout the Gaza Strip, effectively choking off life-saving services for deprived and starving people,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his regular press briefing in New York.
Conditions in the enclave remain bleak, as Israeli operations continue to have a devastating impact on civilians, with reports of the killing and injury of scores of people, many of whom were just seeking aid.
Due to the fuel situation, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that 80 per cent of critical care units, including those used for childbirth, risk shutting down – at a time when 130 women are giving birth every day.
“As UNFPA stressed, fuel for Gaza is a matter of life and death,” said Mr. Dujarric.
He added that community kitchens were able to prepare more than 200,000 meals every day this week.
However, this represents an 80 per cent reduction compared with the more than one million meals distributed daily at the end of April, calling it “basically a trickle offered to people on the brink of famine.”
In the absence of fuel, cooking gas and electricity, people have resorted to burning plastic waste.
“When they do so in makeshift tents, you can imagine what happens with the poor ventilation and the tremendous risks that that poses,” he told journalists.
A young boy in Gaza with severe weight loss and malnutrition eats a nutritional supplement.
Allow in more aid
Furthermore, the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, also reminds that to meaningfully address the massive deprivation in Gaza, the Israeli authorities must allow in higher volumes of supplies and more varied types of food, as well as cooking gas, fuel and shelter items.
Mr. Dujarric stressed that to facilitate the orderly distribution of aid, supplies must be channelled daily through multiple crossings and land routes simultaneously. This would ensure people that the flow of essential support is steady, sufficient and reliable.
He said the UN and partners attempted to coordinate 15 humanitarian movements inside Gaza on Tuesday but only three were fully facilitated by the Israeli authorities, while seven were denied outright.
Four missions were initially approved but then halted on the ground, although one was ultimately accomplished on Wednesday and another was cancelled by the organizers.
The European Commission has proposed ambitious new measures to make Europe’s space sector cleaner, safer and more competitive.
Europe’s space rules are currently fragmented, holding back innovation, reducing the European market share and creating extra costs. An EU harmonised framework would ensure safety, resilience, and environmental responsibility, while helping companies grow and scale up across borders.
The EU Space Act aims to cut red tape, protect space assets, and create a fair, predictable playing field for businesses. It is based on 3 pillars:
Safety: new rules for tracking space objects and limiting new debris, preserving Europe’s secure and uninterrupted access to space
Resilience: tailored cybersecurity requirements to strengthen the protection of European space infrastructure and ensure business continuity
Sustainability: operators will need to assess and reduce the environmental impact of their space activities, while benefiting from support for innovation in emerging technologies, like in-space servicing to extend satellite life and reduce debris.
The new rules would apply to both EU and non-EU operators offering services in Europe. Support will be offered to mitigate potential costs for the industry.
Alongside the EU Space Act, the Commission has also presented a Vision for the European Space Economy to tackle the evolving global space economy and the challenges posed by international competition and geopolitical tensions. The legislative proposal will be negotiated in the European Parliament and the Council, as part of the ordinary legislative procedure.
The European Commission has proposed ambitious new measures to make Europe’s space sector cleaner, safer and more competitive.
Europe’s space rules are currently fragmented, holding back innovation, reducing the European market share and creating extra costs. An EU harmonised framework would ensure safety, resilience, and environmental responsibility, while helping companies grow and scale up across borders.
The EU Space Act aims to cut red tape, protect space assets, and create a fair, predictable playing field for businesses. It is based on 3 pillars:
Safety: new rules for tracking space objects and limiting new debris, preserving Europe’s secure and uninterrupted access to space
Resilience: tailored cybersecurity requirements to strengthen the protection of European space infrastructure and ensure business continuity
Sustainability: operators will need to assess and reduce the environmental impact of their space activities, while benefiting from support for innovation in emerging technologies, like in-space servicing to extend satellite life and reduce debris.
The new rules would apply to both EU and non-EU operators offering services in Europe. Support will be offered to mitigate potential costs for the industry.
Alongside the EU Space Act, the Commission has also presented a Vision for the European Space Economy to tackle the evolving global space economy and the challenges posed by international competition and geopolitical tensions. The legislative proposal will be negotiated in the European Parliament and the Council, as part of the ordinary legislative procedure.
Today the European Union has officially launched a call for proposals that will award €20 million of grants to “Operational Digital Platforms” as part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme.
The deadline to apply is 16 October 2025.
“Operational Digital Platforms” are cross-border digital infrastructures for the energy and transport, such as those:
– enabling consumer-centric electricity management, to match production and consumption in real time,
– integrating AI-driven solutions for electric vehicle and grid synergy,
– enhancing energy trading through comprehensive data management and frameworks.
By co-funding Operational Digital Platforms, the EU addresses the need for more technological sovereignty/security, defragmenting transport and electricity infrastructures and increasing the responsiveness of the energy sector to the challenge of rapidly growing electricity demand from data centres, electric vehicles charging, and heating and cooling. The CEF-Digital programme also aims to contribute to the EU meeting its environmental and energy targets, improving industrial competitiveness, and supporting the Digital Decade goals including the deployment of climate-neutral, highly secure edge nodes.
Managed by the European Health & Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) on behalf of the European Commission, this call is based on the CEF-Digital 2024-2027 Work Programme, aiming to bolster Europe’s competitiveness and technological leadership by advancing secure and resilient large-scale digital infrastructures. This call is the second of a two-step approach that built on the BEGONIA Coordination and Support Action, whose role was to identify address market gaps and mobilise the stakeholder community to apply for this funding.
This call is open to any public or private entities (including joint ventures) established in EU countries, including overseas countries or territories. The applicants should compose a consortium of minimum 6 applicants from a minimum of 4 different eligible countries. Participation is subject to security restrictions, which are defined in the call text.
Info Day
No need to register. Join via this link on 1 July from 10.00 to 12.30 (CET) onwards. If you have questions before and during the event, you can post them here.
For any questions related to the calls you can contact: HADEA-CEF-DIGITAL-CALLSec [dot] europa [dot] eu (HADEA-CEF-DIGITAL-CALLS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).
Today the European Union has officially launched a call for proposals that will award €20 million of grants to “Operational Digital Platforms” as part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme.
The deadline to apply is 16 October 2025.
“Operational Digital Platforms” are cross-border digital infrastructures for the energy and transport, such as those:
– enabling consumer-centric electricity management, to match production and consumption in real time,
– integrating AI-driven solutions for electric vehicle and grid synergy,
– enhancing energy trading through comprehensive data management and frameworks.
By co-funding Operational Digital Platforms, the EU addresses the need for more technological sovereignty/security, defragmenting transport and electricity infrastructures and increasing the responsiveness of the energy sector to the challenge of rapidly growing electricity demand from data centres, electric vehicles charging, and heating and cooling. The CEF-Digital programme also aims to contribute to the EU meeting its environmental and energy targets, improving industrial competitiveness, and supporting the Digital Decade goals including the deployment of climate-neutral, highly secure edge nodes.
Managed by the European Health & Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) on behalf of the European Commission, this call is based on the CEF-Digital 2024-2027 Work Programme, aiming to bolster Europe’s competitiveness and technological leadership by advancing secure and resilient large-scale digital infrastructures. This call is the second of a two-step approach that built on the BEGONIA Coordination and Support Action, whose role was to identify address market gaps and mobilise the stakeholder community to apply for this funding.
This call is open to any public or private entities (including joint ventures) established in EU countries, including overseas countries or territories. The applicants should compose a consortium of minimum 6 applicants from a minimum of 4 different eligible countries. Participation is subject to security restrictions, which are defined in the call text.
Info Day
No need to register. Join via this link on 1 July from 10.00 to 12.30 (CET) onwards. If you have questions before and during the event, you can post them here.
For any questions related to the calls you can contact: HADEA-CEF-DIGITAL-CALLSec [dot] europa [dot] eu (HADEA-CEF-DIGITAL-CALLS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).
