OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that large volumes of humanitarian aid continue to enter Gaza through the Erez and Zikim crossings in the north and Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. 
Inside Gaza, OCHA says that aid cargo and humanitarian personnel are moving into areas that were previously hard to reach. Our humanitarian partners on the ground say the operating environment has improved significantly. The surge in supplies entering Gaza each day and the return of law and order has allowed aid organizations to scale up the delivery of life-saving assistance and services. 
In central and southern Gaza, partners have resumed monthly food distributions with full rations. Yesterday, humanitarian organizations on the ground in Gaza transported 118 trucks of food parcels and flour from UNRWA warehouses to more than 60 distribution points in the south. 
Across southern Gaza, UNICEF continues dispatching high-energy biscuits and ready-to-use food – enough for thousands of infants. 
While food items currently account for the bulk of supplies that have entered the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire took effect, more medicines, shelter materials, and water, sanitation and hygiene supplies are expected over the coming days. 
Yesterday, partners in southern Gaza distributed medical disposables and trauma management kits to 14 hospitals, as well as sexual and reproductive health kits to 28 health facilities – enough for 58,000 people. 
Meanwhile, fuel deliveries in central and southern Gaza are keeping functional water wells, desalination plants and sewage pumps running.
And yesterday, our humanitarian partners delivered seven trucks of fuel to northern Gaza. This is the first such shipment since the ceasefire began.
The supplies will help power the back-up generators that are sustaining critical humanitarian services provided by UNRWA, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization and other partners.
Also, in Gaza City yesterday, two of UNRWA’s primary health service points reopened – the Beach health centre and Daraj medical point.
Across the Strip, OCHA reports that most Palestinians remain at displacement sites – either because their homes are in ruins or contaminated by explosive ordnance, or because movement back to northern Gaza has not yet been allowed.
And turning to the situation in the West Bank, OCHA reports that the Jenin Government Hospital remains disconnected from water and electricity, and access is extremely difficult due to road damage. The facility is relying on dwindling water reserves from emergency tanks installed just weeks ago through an allocation by the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund, which is managed by OCHA.
  
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACE OPERATIONS 
Starting this Saturday, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will travel to the Middle East.
He will visit two UN peacekeeping missions and travel to Damascus to meet with caretaker authorities and Israeli authorities in Jerusalem.
Mr. Lacroix will first travel to Syria, where he will spend time at the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) before visiting the headquarters of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Jerusalem.
Mr. Lacroix's priorities are to express his solidarity with and support for UN peacekeepers and to highlight the importance of mine action and removal of explosive remnants of war.

SYRIA
Turning to Syria, today, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) completed a cross-border mission from Türkiye to Aleppo city to engage with caretaker authorities on the dire situation in camps, particularly in winter. Last year, more than 12,000 family tents and shelters in camps across Idlib and northern Aleppo were damaged by fires, flooding, wind and other incidents.
And yesterday, OCHA completed a field visit to the western rural areas of Aleppo where partners are implementing cash-for-work, peacebuilding and education activities funded by the Syria Humanitarian Fund.
The visit reveals a significant increase in the number of returnees to the area, many of whom were previously displaced to north-west Syria. Families are now residing in damaged and looted houses, often lacking basic infrastructure such as doors and windows.
Our humanitarian colleagues are also concerned by continued reports of artillery shelling and other incidents affecting the north-east of the country. This includes eastern Aleppo, near the Tishreen Dam, as well as northern Al-Hasakeh governorate.
In addition to insecurity, they tell us, economic challenges such as price hikes continue to persist across the country, disrupting people’s livelihoods and humanitarian operations. Cash assistance remains suspended in many parts of Syria where banking services are not working.
Meanwhile, due to high fuel and transportation costs, our partners report that most of their mobile teams remain in urban areas, leaving rural and remote areas deprived of services such as counseling and psychosocial support.
OCHA reports that the price of heating fuel has increased by 50 to 80 per cent in certain areas, and mainly in Idlib Governorate where 1.5 million people are living in displacement camps. People living in tents have limited access to heating, making this winter season particularly difficult.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East and Asia Pacific, Khaled Khiari, briefed Security Council members on “Cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States.”
Mr. Khiari spoke about aspects of cooperation with this key regional organization - mainly on issues related to the situation in the Middle East, including the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan and others. His remarks were shared with you.
Also, just to note that this afternoon, the Security Council will convene on the situation of children in the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in Gaza. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, is scheduled to brief.

HAITI
Yesterday afternoon, María Isabel Salvador, the head of BINUH, our political office in Haiti, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the country. She first highlighted the complexity of the security situation, noting the continued deterioration in the past months.
Ms. Salvador told Council members that while there is progress on the political front and reason to be timidly hopeful, the transition framework remains fragile. Serious corruption allegations targeting three members of Haiti’s transitional Council have heightened tensions and called into question the legitimacy of its actions.
She called on the Security Council to remain committed to supporting Haiti. A lasting solution requires simultaneous progress on the political and security fronts, supported by constant international solidarity, she said.
For her part, Ghada Waly, the head of the UN office on Drugs and Crime, reminded the Security Council that gangs control about 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince. Despite the reinforcement of the arms embargo, she said, weapons and ammunition trafficking continue to flow into Haiti and into the hands of gangs. She noted that Haiti is witnessing an alarming surge in human trafficking, particularly child trafficking by gangs.
Ms. Waly also called on Council members to stand with Haiti in confronting violence, corruption, and chaos.
 
SUDAN
Moving to Sudan. Our colleagues at the World Food Programme tell us that the first cross-border barge convoy from South Sudan to Sudan via the White Nile arrived yesterday, 22 January, in Kosti.
The four-barge convoy of WFP food assistance travelled from Renk in South Sudan, carrying 1,000 metric tonnes - enough to feed 80,000 people for one month. This convoy, that was months in the planning, establishes another vital route for getting assistance to Sudan.
And if you recall, earlier this week, WFP was able to reach Wad Medani, the capital of Al-Jazirah State, with the first delivery of aid in over a year.
WFP emphasizes that the humanitarian community must be able to use all possible routes – across borders and across frontlines – to get the urgently needed assistance to all parts of Sudan.

HOLOCAUST
As a reminder, today at 1:00 p.m., the Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme Education, along with UN Publications, will host a book launch and discussion with Professor Debórah Dwork, the author of “Saints and Liars.”
The launch will take place at the UN Bookshop and will be broadcast live on the UN Publications Facebook page.
This is one of many events hosted by the Holocaust and UN Outreach Programme ahead of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. And you of course, are all invited.
 
GUEST TOMORROW
Tomorrow is the International Day of Education. Our guest will be Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW). And she will be here to brief on the occasion and also discuss Education Cannot Wait’s latest Global Estimates Report. 
 
HONOUR ROLL
I am delighted to close out this briefing with the news that the 25th Member State has paid its regular budget dues. We thank our friends in Luxembourg.