Noon briefing of 20 October 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2025

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL TO GENEVA, HANOI AND KUALA LUMPUR 

On Wednesday morning, the Secretary-General will arrive in Geneva to participate in a special session of the World Meteorological Congress, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The session will spotlight the Early Warnings for All initiative, where the Secretary-General will reiterate his urgent call for universal access to life-saving alert systems. 

Immediately following this event, he will proceed to the Palais des Nations to attend the sixteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Following the session, the Secretary-General and Carlos Cuerpo, Spain’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, will officially launch the Sevilla Forum on Debt.                                                                                 

The forum is a key milestone in advancing commitments made during the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. 

On Thursday, the Secretary-General will head to Hanoi, Vietnam, to participate in a high-level event marking the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. Adopted by the General Assembly in December last year, this landmark treaty is the first comprehensive global framework to address cybercrime, offering States a robust set of tools for prevention and enforcement. The Convention will enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification. 

While in Vietnam, the Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings with senior Vietnamese officials. On UN Day, October 24, he will join via video link a Security Council session to commemorate the United Nations’ 80th anniversary. The session’s official name is: The United Nations Organization: Looking into the Future.

On Saturday evening, the Secretary-General will depart for Kuala Lumpur, where he will attend the ASEAN-UN Summit, chaired by Malaysia. On the sidelines of the Summit, he will engage in bilateral discussions with Malaysian leaders and other counterparts. A press conference is also scheduled during his visit. 

The Secretary-General is expected to return to New York on Tuesday, October 28. 

YEMEN 

UN team in Yemen reports that all fifteen UN international staff are now free to move inside the UN compound in Sana'a and are in contact with their respective UN entities and families. This follows the 18 October incursion into that compound by the de facto authorities. Also, the five national staff who had been detained since 18 October within the same UN compound have been released. As a reminder, 53 of our national colleagues in Yemen continue to be arbitrarily detained.

I just want to flag a number of calls the Secretary-General made this morning. All on the situation in the Middle East, including the specific situation in Yemen. He spoke to the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. He spoke with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, and he spoke twice with the Foreign Minister of Oman, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

On Gaza, we are encouraged that the parties have reaffirmed their commitments to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and commend the steadfast efforts of the mediators. We remain concerned by all acts of violence in Gaza and the reported attacks and strikes that took place yesterday. 

We urge the parties to honor all their commitments, ensure the protection of civilians and avoid any actions that could lead to a renewal of hostilities and undermine humanitarian operations. We reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for the release of the remains of the deceased hostages. 

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, wrapped up his visit to the Gaza Strip over the weekend. On Saturday, he went to a UNICEF nutrition centre in Gaza City, where humanitarians are working to get hunger levels down.                                                    

Mr. Fletcher also visited a hospital in Gaza City, he also witnessed a road clearance project run by the UN Development Programme, and a community kitchen run by our partner, World Central Kitchen.  

Later on Saturday, the Under-Secretary-General exited Gaza through the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. On Sunday, he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, where they discussed the massive humanitarian needs in Gaza, the 60-day aid scale up, the importance of sustaining the ceasefire, the situation in the West Bank, and the path to long-term peace.  

Today in Jerusalem, Mr. Fletcher met with the Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which brings together about 15 UN entities and representatives of some 200 NGOs, both international and local.   

Also today, Mr. Fletcher and the Minderoo Foundation announced a contribution of $10 million Australian dollars from the Minderoo Foundation for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, delivered in close coordination with the 60-day plan.  

With the ceasefire in place and as more areas become accessible, UNRWA, the Relief and Works Agency, said yesterday that they are expanding the number of temporary learning spaces set up in community shelters for displaced people.   

In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, our partners successfully resumed the distribution of food parcels to thousands of families for the first time in months. 

Over the weekend, the UN and our partners continued to collect aid from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings. This included post-partum and hygiene kits, medical supplies, fuel, water, and food.            

Yesterday, for the first time, Israeli authorities allowed the UN to deploy monitors at the Kissufim crossing. This is a welcome development, as it provides us with much-needed visibility into that segment of the pipeline.   

Turning now to the situation in the West Bank, OCHA said that between 7 and 13 October, it documented 71 settler attacks, half of which were related to the ongoing olive harvest season. The incidents, which affected Palestinians in 27 villages, included attacks on harvesters, theft of crops and harvesting equipment, and vandalism of olive trees – resulting in casualties, property damage or both. 

Sudan 

Turning to the situation in Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground warn that the ongoing violence across the country is putting civilians at grave risk and forcing even more people to flee their homes. 

In recent days, fighting has escalated in North and West Darfur states, with drone strikes and clashes reported across several areas. On Sunday, a drone attack on Sarf Omra’s main market in North Darfur reportedly killed at least seven civilians. Strikes in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, also caused casualties. 

The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 3,000 people were newly displaced in North Darfur last week alone, including 1,500 from El Fasher, the besieged state capital, and another 1,500 from Abu Gamra village, following renewed fighting.  

Tensions were also rising sharply in the Kordofan region. Nearly 1,000 people were displaced from Lagawa town in West Kordofan State on Saturday, due to heightened insecurity. 

Meanwhile, in South Kordofan State, the town of Dilling and the state capital Kadugli remain under siege, with supply routes cut off and shortages of basic goods worsening by the day. 

In Blue Nile state, clashes between armed groups displaced 600 people from Bout town in At Tadamon locality last week.  

Civilians across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of this relentless violence.  

Despite the numerous challenges, humanitarians continue to provide vital assistance to displaced people in areas that we and our partners are able to safely access. 

And once again, we call for the immediate cessation of hostilities, for the protection of civilians, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are sounding the alarm over the collapse of the health system in North and South Kivu provinces, in the east of the country, where hostilities continue to impact civilians and devastate critical civilian infrastructure. 

In these two provinces, 85 per cent of health facilities are affected by shortages in medicine, while nearly 40 per cent have seen an exodus of health staff, further undermining the delivery of services. 

In North Kivu alone, our partners working in health report that more than a third of all health facilities in the province’s conflict zones have been destroyed, looted or abandoned, leaving millions of people with extremely limited access to healthcare.           

The remaining facilities are overwhelmed and face critical shortages of essential supplies, including kits for survivors of sexual violence, cholera treatments and routine vaccines. 

This is happening as the province battles deadly epidemics. Since the beginning of the year, health partners have recorded over 8,600 cases of cholera, 8,000 cases of Mpox, and more than 10,500 cases of measles, which have already claimed dozens of lives. 

Our partners on the ground estimate that without urgent action, more than 6,000 preventable deaths could occur between now and the end of the year. They also project a potential 40 per cent increase in maternal mortality in the hardest-hit areas. 

The $2.5 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for DRC is currently just 16 per cent funded, with $410 million received so far. Our health partners urgently need US$6 million to procure essential supplies and maintain these life-saving services. 

Urgent measures are needed to ensure the continued functioning of healthcare facilities in all areas affected by crisis in eastern DRC. Additional funding is required to prevent a greater tragedy. 

We also call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, and to ensure safe and unimpeded access for our humanitarian partners. 

HAITI 

From Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns of a resurgence of cholera in the Ouest department over the past month. Since September 8th, health authorities have reported new cases in the commune of Pétion-Ville, following 11 weeks with no cases confirmed across the country. 

In just a single week between 5 and 11 October, 139 suspected cases were recorded, including more than 20 laboratory-confirmed cases. Five deaths were also reported. 

Pétion-Ville, as well as parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, including the commune of Cité-Soleil, remain on red alert, amid concerns over cholera spreading at sites hosting internally displaced people. 

Haiti’s Ministry of Health, with support from the Pan American Health Organization and humanitarian partners,  has stepped up disinfection campaigns, community awareness activities, and the distribution of chlorine, safe water and hygiene kits in the most affected neighborhoods. 

This outbreak is unfolding amid a severe deterioration of basic services in the capital, where only 11 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain fully operational. 

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and our partners continue to support national authorities’ efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, expand response capacities, and contain the spread of cholera. 

WORLD STATISTICS DAY 

Today is World Statistics Day, which is observed every five years to recognize the vital role of data in addressing today’s global challenges.  

In his message, the Secretary-General says that reliable data drives progress and recovery. He calls for greater investment in trustworthy, timely and impartial statistics to help shape better policies and advance sustainable development for all. 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY EVENT 

You are all invited to attend the launch at 6 pm today of the global exhibition ‘Shared Lives, Shared Future’, on the occasion of the UN’s 80th Anniversary. That will be in the General Assembly lobby. 

The Secretary-General will make opening remarks, followed by those of the Permanent Representatives of Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland, with whom the Department of Global Communications (DGC) co-organized the project. 

The project comprises more than 200 stories from 193 countries and three other territorial entities, showcasing the impact of the UN System on people’s lives everywhere, including in the Global North, often in ‘invisible’ ways.   

**GUESTS TODAY AND TOMORROW 

Noon briefing guests today are from UN Women. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, who is the Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results; and Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Programme, Policy and Intergovernmental Division, will be here to brief on the UN Secretary-General’s report on Women, Peace and Security, as well as the 25th anniversary of the UN Security Council resolution 1325.   

Tomorrow at noon, Luke David Irving, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, will join us virtually from Jerusalem, to discuss the situation in Gaza and UNMAS’ work there.