GAZA
The Secretary-General and Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland are continuing their constant contact with leaders across the region, focusing on ways to end suffering and prevent further dangerous escalation. 
In the last few days, Mr. Wennesland met with President [Isaac] Herzog, senior Ministry of Defense and Israel Defense officials, as well as with US and EU envoys, among others.
Back here this morning, the Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths briefed Member States on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. 
He talked about the despair he saw as he spoke to families of Israeli hostages and families in Gaza who have lost loved ones and their homes. Mr. Griffiths said what we have seen unfold in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory over the last 26 days is nothing short of a blight on our collective conscience.
He said there are intense humanitarian negotiations – involving Israel, Egypt, the United States and the UN – with more than 300 trucks having moved into Gaza as of yesterday. More than 100 trucks moved into Gaza yesterday alone, he added; yet that remains far less than the 500 truckloads of goods that moved into Gaza every day prior to the current crisis. 
Mr. Griffiths called once more for the immediate release of all hostages and stressed the need to keep civilian infrastructure safe from harm, and he reiterated our call for humanitarian pauses.
Lynn Hastings, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory also briefed via videoconference.
She said the humanitarian impact of the attacks in Gaza has been catastrophic with more than 9,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and that’s according to the Ministry of Health there.
Thomas White of the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, briefed from Rafah and he discussed the worsening situation as fuel is running out, noting that we could soon have a situation where raw sewage gushes out onto Gaza’s streets. He paid tribute to the work that UNRWA staff are doing in very dangerous conditions. And sadly, just to recall, 72 staff from UNRWA have been killed so far, to date.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Still on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says we along with our partners will release an Flash Appeal update on Monday covering the remainder of the year.
The $1.2 billion appeal aims to support 2.7 million people – the entire Gaza population and half a million people in the West Bank.
The original appeal, that was launched on 12 October, asked for $294 million to support nearly 1.3 million people. The situation has grown increasingly desperate since then.
The revised Flash Appeal will outline the need for food, water, health care, shelter, hygiene and other urgent priorities following the massive bombardments in Gaza.  

MALI 
Update on another crisis we are following closely, which is our peacekeeping mission in Mali. The convoy, we’ve been updating you, which is travelling from Kidal city to Gao, again suffered an attack. This is part of the withdrawal process.
Earlier today, the convoy hit another improvised explosive device about three kilometres north-east of Anéfis village in the Kidal region. 
Seven peacekeepers have been injured and are being medically evacuated. 
On Wednesday, you will recall, eight other peacekeepers were injured in a similar incident. They are now reported to be in a stable condition.
This is the fourth time that the convoy has been impacted by an IED since it left the base in Kidal on 31 October.

SUDAN
And a quick update for you from Sudan, which is, you know, another major humanitarian crisis. An update on our efforts to deliver life-saving assistance. Our colleagues at OCHA say they facilitated an eight-truck convoy of food and medical supplies to South Kordofan’s capital Kadugli – the first since intense fighting broke out in April. 
This is a positive development, but we of course need sustained access to continue delivering to people in need across the country.
However, the situation remains extremely distressing, specifically in Darfur, and especially for women and girls. The UN Human Rights Office says they’re deeply alarmed by reports they received of women and girls are being abducted and held in inhuman, degrading and slave-like conditions in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur, where they are allegedly forcibly married and held for ransom.
Credible information from survivors, witnesses and other sources suggests that more than 20 women and girls have been taken, but the number could be higher. 
The UN Human Rights Office restated the High Commissioner’s calls on senior officials of both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces – as well as any other armed groups affiliated with them - to unequivocally condemn these vile acts and issue – urgently – clear instructions to their subordinates demanding zero tolerance for sexual violence. They must also ensure the abducted women and girls are promptly released, and provided with the necessary support, including medical and psychosocial care, and that all alleged cases are fully and promptly investigated, with those found responsible held accountable and brought to justice.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that, in October alone, last month, more than 300,000 people were driven from their homes by escalating violence in North Kivu Province in the eastern part of the Congo.
This brings the total number of people displaced in the eastern parts of the country to more than six million people. The eastern provinces are also facing continued outbreaks of cholera and measles.
Despite the volatile situation, we along with our partners have reached some three million people with humanitarian aid, including 1.9 million with food assistance, in the region.
However, as we have said on several occasions, access remains very much of a challenge through the recent and ongoing violence in Beni. This has forced many humanitarian workers to temporarily suspend their operations leaving more than 140,000 people unable to receive assistance.
This year’s $2.3 billion Humanitarian Response Plan is only 36 per cent funded. We need more money.

UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, I can tell you that we strongly condemn the latest wave of Russian attacks against critical infrastructure in various parts of the country, which reportedly resulted in injuries among the civilian population, including children, and caused damage to civilian residential and commercial buildings. 
We are concerned about the escalation of such incidents and their impact on the lives of civilians, especially at the onset of the winter period. 
We reiterate in the clearest terms that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law and they must stop immediately.
Also, just a humanitarian update from Ukraine, our colleagues there tell us that the attacks this week have destroyed energy facilities, schools, hospitals and other public sites. The Kherson region in the south and the Donetsk region in the east were particularly affected. 
Kharkiv City was also attacked last night. Our partner NGOs are already on-site, providing psychological support and shelter materials to people whose homes were damaged in the attacks. 
We and our partners continue to provide critical aid to front-line communities. Today, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy delivered vital aid to about 1,600 people who remain on the front-line town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia Region. The aid includes medicine, household and hygiene kits, as well as blankets, mattresses, solar lamps, sleeping bags and food aid has also continued to be distributed.
This year alone, we and our partners have delivered 14 convoys to front-line communities in the Zaporizhzhia Region, providing essential support to more than 30,000 people living near the southern front. There have been 96 humanitarian convoys to front-line areas since the beginning of the year. 
Ahead of winter, humanitarian workers are distributing vital items, such as thermal blankets, mattresses and portable heaters. We and our partners are also appealing for some $435 million to deliver winter assistance to more than 1.7 million people across Ukraine through March of 2024. Obviously covers the winter.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
A couple of travel announcements for you. Tomorrow, our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will be heading to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where she will participate in the Opening Ceremony of the inaugural International Conference on Women in Islam. This is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah. The Conference aims to facilitate dialogue about the position of Women in Islam, encompassing both religious and cultural aspects and promoting Muslim Women’s rights.
During her visit, she will meet with senior government officials, the Islamic Development Bank, and other stakeholders.  
She will be back in New York on Tuesday, 7 November 2023.                            

CYPRUS
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, our Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, is wrapping up his three-day visit to Cyprus today. 
Mr. Lacroix had discussions with the leaders of both sides on the island regarding recent developments within the buffer zone and the work of the UN Peacekeeping Force to maintain peace and stability on the island. 
He also engaged with civil society representatives, including women and youth representatives. He also went to the Pyla/Pile plateau and stressed that the implementation of the understanding that was reached recently is essential. In addition, he visited the Committee on Missing Persons and met with some of its members. 

MOZAMBIQUE
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, is in Mozambique where she visited the northern province of Cabo Delgado yesterday and today. 
We and our partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to people impacted by the conflict there. 
Ms. Msuya met with women, children and men who have returned to the district of Mocimboa da Praia, after fleeing violence that started in 2017.  Nearly three-quarters of the more than 175,000 returnees in the district reside in areas where basic infrastructure – such as schools, health centres and water facilities – have yet to be restored.
A reminder that more than 2 million people in Mozambique need humanitarian assistance to cope with the impact of the conflict, climate change and extreme weather events, including Cyclone Freddy earlier this year.
We and our partners have reached now some 1.5 million people in the country with some form of humanitarian assistance during the first part of this year.
To do more, we need more funding. In 2023, the Humanitarian Appeal for Mozambique for $513 million is just over one third funded. Our response plan for Cyclone Freddy, floods and cholera is even less resourced, having received just 16 per cent of the $138 million that we need.

FOOD PRICE INDEX
Our friends at FAO report today that the international food commodity prices declined moderately in October, down by 0.5 per cent from September with the index for dairy products the only one to see a bit of rise.
And according to the latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report also published today, FAO says persisting and intensifying conflicts are aggravating food insecurity and moderating international food commodity prices are being countered by weak currencies in many low-income countries. 

TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY
Sunday is which day besides being Sunday? It is the marathon. I will not be running… I hate to tell you. It is World Tsunami Awareness Day. In his message, the Secretary-General says that our “Early Warnings for All” initiative - which aims to protect every person on Earth by 2027 - prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable. 
It requires an investment of $3.1 billion – around 50 cents for each person to be covered – which is a small price to pay to protect people.

NOON BRIEFING GUEST – MONDAY
Monday we will be joined virtually from Paris by guest, Guilherme Canela De Souza Godoi, UNESCO’s Head of the Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists Section.

AFGHANISTAN
And just want to flag to you also on Sunday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime - in coordination with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan - will launch its 2023 Afghanistan opium survey, always an interesting document.  The survey examines the latest findings and emerging trends on the illicit opium trade and economy. 
It will be the second report since the de facto authorities banned cultivation of opium poppy and all narcotics in April last year. 
The 2022 harvest was largely exempted from the decree, meaning this survey is the first that examines trends since the enforcement of the ban.