Noon briefing of 30 October 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2025

SUDAN/SECURITY COUNCIL 

This morning, Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, briefed Security Council members on Sudan. She said that the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra has invited both parties, the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, to separately enter into technical talks with the UN, focused on de-escalation and the protection of civilians. She added that both parties have shown encouraging signs of their willingness to engage. Ms. Pobee urged Member States with leverage over the parties to encourage them to take this critical step and called on the Security Council to use all tools available to demand peace in Sudan.   

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, also briefed the Council, describing the horrific humanitarian situation in El Fasher. He said that the Sudan crisis is fundamentally a failure of protection, and of our responsibility to uphold international law. The violence extends beyond Darfur as well. Mr. Fletcher noted that across Sudan, and despite the massive threats, cuts, and constraints to our work, the humanitarian community has reached 13.5 million people between January and August. 

The Security Council also issued a press statement expressing grave concern about the violence in and around El Fasher.

SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN 

Staying in Sudan. A joint UN convoy from the UN Refugee Agency, the UN Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme has reached the towns of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan, delivering urgently needed food, health, and relief supplies to families cut off for months by siege and conflict. 

This marks the first major joint UN convoy to the area since the conflict began. 

Despite the long and fraught journey, and the looting of some aid en route, the mission represents a vital breakthrough toward establishing sustained humanitarian access. We, once again, underscore the urgent need for safe passage, protection of aid workers, and continued cooperation to deliver life-saving assistance to all hard-to-reach areas in Sudan.  

We and our partners are scaling up response efforts also in Tawila. Mobile health clinics there are providing urgent medical and nutrition services for people who have newly arrived there. 

The UN and our partners are also sustaining water, sanitation and hygiene operations across Tawila, Melit and surrounding areas, trucking safe water, installing latrines, distributing hygiene kits and conducting cholera prevention campaigns. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

Later this afternoon, the Secretary-General will address the Conference in support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region via pre-recorded video message.  

He will tell participants that this conference must be a turning point and will urge donors to support the Humanitarian Response Plan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which remains underfunded.   

He will also call on parties to honour their commitments under the Washington Peace Agreement and Doha Declaration of Principles, and to comply fully with Security Council resolution 2773.  

The Secretary-General will also reiterate our support for peace efforts, including through MONUSCO’s support for the implementation of a permanent ceasefire.  

And in a statement, our colleagues at UNICEF also reminded participants of the conference that more than 12 million children across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Burundi depend on humanitarian aid simply to survive.   

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the scale-up of humanitarian operations continues under the ceasefire but remains constrained by ongoing restrictions and other impediments. 

Yesterday, the UN and our partners collected close to 240 pallets of tarps, winter clothes and hygiene kits from the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, bringing them closer to people in need inside Gaza. They also picked up more than 170 pallets of menstrual hygiene kits. Other teams collected over 220,000 litres of diesel to power critical services. And we also had colleagues collecting food supplies. 

But OCHA says that for the third day in a row, these collections had to be limited because of the rerouting ordered by the Israeli authorities. You will recall that convoys are now forced to go through the Philadelphi corridor – along the border with Egypt – and then up the narrow Coastal Road. This road is narrow, damaged, and heavily congested.  Movement remained slower, even after the World Food Programme repaired the road. Additional crossings and internal routes are needed to expand collections and response. 

WFP says its distribution channels in Gaza are back up and running. Over half a million people have received food assistance through 43 general food distribution points. That’s a major increase – though it still covers only about 35 per cent of the monthly target of 1.6 million people. In a social media post, WFP said that family food boxes are a lifeline, and restoring access to essential food is essential. 

Today, UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, said it reopened one of its medical points in Gaza City, which is providing essential care to families. In a social media post, the agency said its health teams have now provided over 15 million consultations since October 2023 – helping keep care, hope and dignity within reach. 

And yesterday, the UN Office for Project Services distributed nearly 210,000 litres of fuel across southern and northern Gaza – helping keep critical operations running in support of water, sanitation, health, food, rubble removal, essential telecommunications, education, protection and humanitarian logistics. 

Turning to the West Bank, today, Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, led a field visit to the Ramallah area, to highlight challenges faced during the ongoing olive harvest. 

Briefing diplomats from several Member States who joined him, he stressed the urgent need to ensure safe access to groves. This comes amid a spike in settler attacks and ongoing access restrictions that – combined – undermine people’s livelihoods, wellbeing and dignity and pressure families to abandon farming and leave their communities. 

So far this month, 126 settler attacks related to the olive harvest have caused casualties or damage across 70 villages. That’s according to OCHA’s records as of Monday. Farmers have been assaulted, crops and tools have been stolen, and over 4,000 trees have been vandalized. In total, 124 Palestinians have been injured.  

LEBANON/ISRAEL 

Turning to the situation across the Blue Line near the border between Israel and Lebanon. Our peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon expressed deep concern over an Israeli armed incursion in Blida this morning.  

Such Israeli action north of the Blue Line represents a blatant violation of the Security Council Resolution 1701 and Lebanon’s sovereignty. 

UNIFIL reiterates its call to all parties to fully commit to the cessation of hostilities and notes that the extension of state authority through its institutions is at the very core of Resolution 1701. 

The peacekeeping mission remains in communication with the Lebanese Armed Forces regarding the incident. 

YEMEN 

I want to flag the note we issued yesterday regarding our UN personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Sana’a. The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and Muin Shreim, the UN official appointed to lead on the issue of detentions, were in the Omani capital, Muscat on Monday. 

They met with Omani officials and Ansar Allah representatives, as part of our ongoing efforts to secure the release of all UN personnel. As of today, at least 59 UN personnel are arbitrarily detained, some for several years. 

Mr. Grundberg also held discussions with senior Omani officials and the Ansar Allah negotiating team on ways to reach a negotiated political settlement to end the conflict in Yemen. 

HURRICANE MELISSA 

From the Caribbean, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of devastation after crossing Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas, with severe effects also felt in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Central America. The hurricane caused widespread damage to homes, infrastructure and crops, with the Pan-American Health Organization reporting that health facilities have been particularly affected. 

The UN and our partners - already mobilized before the storm’s impact - are delivering assistance and supporting damage assessments, coordination and logistics in close collaboration with national authorities. 

⁠A three-person OCHA team is deploying to Jamaica today to reinforce the Resident Coordinator’s Office and support national emergency operations. Additional specialist teams remain on standby should Governments request further support. 

⁠In Jamaica, authorities report severe flooding, landslides, and power outages. The World Food Programme has begun logistics operations to deliver relief supplies from the Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub in Barbados, including 2,000 emergency food kits for airlift and additional items arriving by sea. We and our partners are also providing support in logistics, health, sanitation, early recovery, and protection. 

In Cuba, the UN and our partners are also delivering critical assistance. With the Anticipatory Action Plan activated ahead of landfall, UN agencies have been able to deliver early assistance, including health supplies, tarpaulins, generators, mattresses, and also agricultural materials.  

In Haiti, OCHA reports that heavy rains and strong winds linked to Hurricane Melissa have caused severe flooding, landslides, and destruction across several departments, particularly in the West, South, Nippes, and Grand ‘Anse.

More than 14,000 people sought refuge in over 100 temporary shelters across the country. 

According to the authorities, 24 people have died, 17 have been injured, and 18 remain missing, most of them in the commune of Petit-Goâve in the West department, where the La Digue River overflowed, sweeping away dozens of homes and claiming the lives of 10 children. Flooding has also been reported in the commune of Jacmel (Sout East), along and in the South department, where intermittent rain and strong winds continue to affect areas such as the communes of Aquin and Les Cayes. 

Humanitarian needs remain significant, particularly in clean water, hygiene supplies, and sanitation. Shelter materials, blankets, and transport support are also required to reach isolated communities. However, anticipatory action and preparedness measures have allowed partners to respond quickly. The International Organization for Migration is supporting the management of more than 150 evacuation shelters and has distributed over 1,200 shelters.  The World Food Programme has launched emergency food distributions for more than 5,000 people in the department of Grand ‘Anse and the commune of Les Cayes, while UNICEF has pre-positioned hygiene kits and water supplies for 14,000 people.  The Food and Agriculture Organization is assessing agricultural damage and preparing to deploy emergency livelihood kits to assist affected farmers. The UN Refugee Agency and its partners are prepared to carry out protection screening and monitoring in hurricane-affected areas, identifying vulnerable individuals and ensuring timely referrals to appropriate services.

Under OCHA’s coordination, UN agencies and humanitarian partners continue to support the Government of Haiti in organizing and implementing the emergency response.  

And in the Dominican Republic, UNHCR is supporting the Government’s response, maintaining close coordination with national authorities and partners to ensure assistance reaches hard-to-reach and vulnerable communities. Core relief items have been provided to affected areas, and coordination is underway with UN partners to facilitate potential cross-border support to Haiti. 

 VIET NAM 

Our colleagues in Viet Nam, led by Resident Coordinator Pauline Tamesis, are supporting national efforts to respond to one of the country’s most damaging typhoon seasons in decades. Between May and early October, eleven typhoons and tropical depressions, including Bualoi and Matmo, struck within days of each other, affecting over a million people across six provinces.  

Working closely with the Government and humanitarian partners, the UN helped establish Joint Assessment Teams that deployed to the hardest-hit areas. Their findings informed a Joint Response Plan, launched this week, and calling for nearly US$50 million in targeted, multi-sector assistance for the most vulnerable people and affected communities.  

CLARIFICATION 

I have a clarification to make. In the noon briefing on Friday, 24 October, responding to a question about allegations against UNRWA personnel by the Israeli authorities, I said that "there were a small number of staff members of UNRWA who were credibly linked to Hamas". 

This was incorrect. The outcome of the OIOS investigation into these allegations did not qualify them as credible. Instead, OIOS said that the evidence that it obtained - if authenticated and corroborated - might indicate that the staff members may have been involved. The Government of Israel, to date, has not provided additional elements to corroborate or authenticate the claims, although it has been asked to do so repeatedly.  

Furthermore, the International Court of Justice last week ruled that the State of Israel’s claim that UNRWA is infiltrated by Hamas was not substantiated, nor were allegations that UNRWA is not a neutral organisation. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 

China made a full payment to the regular budget, bringing the number of fully paid-up Member States to 142. 

 **Briefings today and tomorrow 

Francisco Pichon, Resident Coordinator for Cuba and Gregoire Goodstein, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Haiti, briefed reporters virtually on the humanitarian impact of Hurricane Melissa. 

Then, at 1:00 p.m., there was a briefing by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, following their presentation to the Third Committee this morning.  

And at 2:00 p.m., there was a briefing by a Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, following their presentation to the Third Committee this morning.  

Tomorrow, the guest at the noon briefing will be Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. He will brief on the situation in that country. 

Then, at 1 p.m. tomorrow, there will be a briefing by the President of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Ambassador Jürg Lauber.