Noon briefing of 12 January 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 12 JANUARY 2026

SECURITY COUNCIL 

I want to flag that our esteemed colleagues in the Security Council Branch released online the 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice. 

The Highlights Paper features insights into the work of the Security Council in 2025, particularly regarding meetings and other activities (including missions to the field) the agenda items and topics dealt with, decision-making and the work of its subsidiary bodies. 

It’s a fantastic trove of date for all of you Security Council afficionados! 

SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE  

This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, and our Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo will brief Council members. She is expected to underscore that the new year has brought no peace or even respite to Ukraine, but renewed fighting and devastation. Ms. DiCarlo is expected to note the recent use of the so-called Oreshnik missile, the second time the potentially devastating weapon has been fired at Ukraine since 2024.  

Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s Director of the Coordination Division, will also brief and is expected to warn Council members about the impacts of the attacks on civilians, especially as the strikes impact energy facilities, cutting off power and heating for people enduring freezing temperatures. 

UKRAINE 

From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that over the weekend and the early hours of today, several civilians were killed and injured in the capital Kyiv and in the regions of Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. This is according to authorities. Two health workers were reportedly injured in the Chernihiv region when their ambulance came under attack while on a call in a border community. As the weather conditions deteriorate, hundreds of thousands of households were left without electricity and heating across the country leaving entire communities without electricity and heating, with overnight temperatures down to nearly –20°C. 

In Kyiv, repairs continue to restore critical electricity and heating services.       

The water supply has been fully restored, while 1,000 multi-story apartment blocks have been without heating since January 9th, and parts of the city have electricity only for several hours per day, according to the city’s mayor. 

Complementing the work of utility companies and national rescuers, aid workers provided hot meals, water and psychological aid and deployed mobile warming centres where impacted people can warm up, charge their devices and receive essential support.  

Turning to front-line areas, on 9 January, an inter-agency convoy delivered medicine, hygiene, shelter materials and solar lamps to the Sviatohirsk community, one of the hardest hit areas in the Donetsk region, where humanitarian access remains limited due to security concerns.                 

Tomorrow, we, along with our humanitarian partners, will launch a prioritized Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026, calling for continued solidarity with the most vulnerable war-affected people in Ukraine.  

IRAN 

In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General was shocked by the reports of violence and excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters in multiple locations across the Islamic Republic of Iran, resulting in scores of deaths and many more injuries in recent days. 

All Iranians must be able to express their grievances peacefully and without fear. The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international law, must be fully respected and protected.   

The Secretary-General urges the Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from unnecessary or disproportionate use of force. He further urges steps that enable access to information in the country, including restoring communications. 

SUDAN 

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra is currently in Cairo until 15 January for the fifth Sudan Consultative Group meeting, hosted by Egypt.  

This meeting will provide an opportunity for renewed and coordinated international engagement to advance peacemaking efforts in Sudan. On the margins of the meeting, the Personal Envoy will engage with key regional and international partners. 

The United Nations continues to work closely with all partners to support a coordinated approach to ending the conflict in Sudan 

SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN 

On the ground in Sudan, the escalating insecurity in Kordofan is placing civilians under increasing strain, disrupting health services and triggering new displacement. 

In the city of Dilling in South Kordofan State, a medical association in Sudan reports that three major hospitals are now out of service amid ongoing shelling, and that four doctors have reportedly been killed. Continued insecurity and siege-like conditions have severely restricted access to life-saving assistance for civilians trapped in the city. 

We once again call on all parties to immediately stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law, and ensure rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.  

Violence continues to force families to flee.        

The International Organization for Migration is telling us that more than 2,200 people were displaced last week from the locality of Abassiya and the state capital Kadugli in South Kordofan State, moving towards White Nile State.  

Local partners further indicate that families displaced from North Kordofan State continue to arrive in Gedaref, Khartoum and River Nile states. 

These areas hosting the displaced families are reaching breaking point. Last week, Denise Brown, our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, led an assessment mission to Al-Afad Camp in Northern State, where authorities report that the camp has reached its full capacity of 3,000 households. Between 60 and 80 new families continue to arrive at the camp each day from the Darfur and the Kordofan regions.                 

Conditions at the camp are harsh, sanitation capacity is severely limited, with only about 100 latrines available against an estimated need of roughly 800.  

Local authorities further report that nearly 80,000 displaced families are now hosted across Northern State, placing severe strain on food, health, water, education and sanitation services, and exposing women, children, older people, and persons with disabilities to heightened risks. 

OCHA urgently appeals for additional funding so our humanitarian partners can scale up life-saving assistance and help avert an even deeper humanitarian catastrophe across Sudan. In 2026, our partners aim to help 20 million people through the $2.9 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. 

PEACEKEEPING/MIDDLE EAST 

A quick update on Jean-Pierre Lacroix’s trip to the Middle East. The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations is today in Amman, Jordan. Mr. Lacroix met with the Jordanian authorities and discussed peacekeeping-related issues, including in the context of the regional situation.   

Prior to Jordan, Mr. Lacroix concluded a visit to the Golan, where he met with members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and was briefed on the situation on the ground and operational priorities. Mr. Lacroix also exchanged with community members in Quneitra on how the Mission can continue supporting them in these challenging times.  

During his stop in Damascus, Mr. Lacroix met with Syrian Authorities and reaffirmed UNDOF’s commitment to continuing to carry out its important mandate. 

Mr. Lacroix is going to Israel and will also visit the headquarters of UNTSO, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. 

SYRIA 

The United Nations continues to follow the situation in Aleppo closely and remains engaged with all relevant parties. We are aware of reports of casualties and injuries and underscore, once again, the imperative of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

As of yesterday, our partners report that approximately 119,000 people have been displaced since renewed hostilities in the city of Aleppo. 

UNHCR and partners are on the ground, providing assistance to displaced families in temporary shelters and host communities. Support includes distribution of blankets, mattresses, and winter clothing. 

We urge all parties to ensure the safety and protection of civilians amid escalating hostilities in Aleppo.    

Immediate measures are needed to prevent harm, guarantee safe passage for those fleeing, and uphold humanitarian principles. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the humanitarian situation remains dire, as harsh weather conditions are jeopardizing the progress made by the humanitarian response.  

To help address immense shelter needs, during the past week, our partners delivered supplies to 28,000 families, including 1,600 tents, 16,000 tarpaulins and 27,000 blankets. They warn, however, that at least 1.1 million people still urgently need help as rainstorms continue to damage and destroy many existing shelters.   

On Friday, a new storm battered people’s tents in Gaza, leaving thousands without protection once again. The UN and our partners have been conducting assessments and helping the most vulnerable.  

Our partners stress that tents remain a temporary solution and more supplies are needed, including tool kits, cement and heavy machinery to clear debris, as well as sustained funding to transition from emergency to early recovery efforts.  

Children continue to be severely affected by the cold temperatures and harsh weather.  

Yesterday, our partners leading efforts to improve access to health reported that another infant reportedly died from hypothermia, bringing the total number of reported deaths to four, all of them very young children. That’s according to the Ministry of Health.  

Since the ceasefire and as of the year’s end, our partners were able to distribute more than 310,000 children’s winter clothing sets and more than 112,000 pairs of shoes as part of winterization response.                         

They also installed 150 specialized tents across the Gaza Strip to be used as child-friendly and safe spaces.   

Meanwhile, our partners leading on addressing malnutrition report that last month they screened over 76,000 children and identified around 4,900 cases of acute malnutrition, including more than 820 cases of severe acute malnutrition. This brings the total number of acute malnutrition cases identified in 2025 to nearly 95,000.   

Our education partners continue to expand their presence, with 18 additional temporary learning spaces opening their doors last week to about 35,000 students. The total number of operational temporary learning spaces is now 440, accommodating around 268,000 children.   

Our partners say that education supplies continue to be denied entry by the Israeli authorities on the grounds that education is not a critical activity during the first phase of the ceasefire.   

OCHA continues to call for rapid, sustained and unimpeded access to allow the UN and our humanitarian partners to scale up assistance faster to prevent further deterioration and to alleviate people’s suffering.   

VENEZUELA 

Turning to Venezuela. A shipment of 40 metric tonnes of medical cargo arrived in the country from the Government of Brazil. Colleagues from the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization say the delivery, which arrived late last Friday, includes essential medicines and dialysis materials needed to maintain treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease. It is the first installment of a package totaling up to 300 metric tonnes, coordinated with Venezuelan health authorities. 

The delivery follows the events of 3 January, when a warehouse in La Guaira used to store renal treatment stock was destroyed. The facility had held roughly three months’ worth of materials for some 8,000 patients, which is the equivalent of about 100,000 dialysis sessions per month.                  

PAHO/WHO in Venezuela has thanked Brazil for its support and indicated that the arrival of this shipment will help prevent treatment interruptions while longer-term replenishment planning continues. 

KENYA/UN REFUGEE AGENCY  

Today, in Kenya, on his first official visit as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih called for stronger global support to develop the solutions refugees need to rebuild their lives. Speaking in Nairobi after visiting Kakuma municipality in northern Kenya, Salih acknowledged Kenya’s decades-long generosity in hosting refugees and the farsighted policies that allow refugees to work and access health care, education and financial services.  

Last year, less than a quarter of UNHCR’s needs-based budget for Kenya was funded.                                   

Mr. Salih warned that the funding crisis is threatening lives and risks reversing the hard-won progress made. 

PEACEBUILDING AND PEACE SUPPORT  

As part of the Secretariat’s current efforts on efficiencies, a unified Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) under the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations has been established and is operational as of today.  

The Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office, which the Secretary-General said would be a “centre of excellence on prevention, peacebuilding and peace support”, will ensure that security gains are reinforced by institution building and development. 

The General Assembly endorsed the proposal to integrate DPPA’s Peacebuilding Support Office with three offices within the former Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions under the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

RESIDENT COORDINATOR - CAMBODIA 

The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) informs us that on 10 January 2026, Vladanka Andreeva of North Macedonia assumed her role as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cambodia, following host Government approval. 

She brings over 25 years of experience in international development, humanitarian coordination, strategic advocacy and partnership building across diverse regions. Most recently, she served as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, where she led the United Nations Country Team in advancing national sustainable development priorities, including in a post-conflict recovery context, and provided system-wide leadership on preparations for the twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties and on sustainable urbanisation efforts linked to the World Urban Forum. 

HONOUR ROLL

The assessment letters have gone out to Member States and we are happy to tell you about the first nine countries to make the 2026 Honour Roll.  To be on this year’s Honour Roll, Member States must make their full contribution to the Regular Budget by 8 February 2026.  Needless to say, given the current financial situation, we strongly encourage all Member States to pay their full assessment in full and on time. 

Today, we say thank you to Armenia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine.