Noon briefing of 13 January 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 13 JANUARY 2026

UKRAINE

Today in Ukraine, as the war approaches its fifth year, we and our humanitarian partners launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for $2.3 billion to support more than 4 million people across the country with life-saving assistance. Overall, nearly 11 million people across Ukraine are estimated to require humanitarian assistance this year. Our colleagues note that widespread disruptions to electricity and to heating during extremely cold winter conditions are creating a crisis within an existing crisis, pushing already vulnerable people to the brink. Humanitarian needs remain most severe in front-line areas and along the northern border, where intensified shelling, destruction of civilian infrastructure and persistent disruptions to essential services is ongoing.  

People living in territories occupied by the Russian Federation remain largely cut off from services and protection, while humanitarian access remains extremely limited. Humanitarian assistance works hand in hand with Government-led efforts, with national and local organizations, together with our international partners, all playing a central role in reaching people in the most difficult and dangerous conditions. Meanwhile, authorities report that attacks across Ukraine in the past day resulted in civilian casualties, and disruptions to basic services, all of this continuing in freezing temperatures. The capital Kiyv and its region, as well as the regions of Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia were all among the hardest hit. In Odesa, overnight attacks injured several civilians and damaged residential buildings as well as civilian facilities, including offices and premises of several UN organizations.                                                                               

Across the country, rolling power outages are continuing, and some areas, including parts of capital city, Kyiv, remained without heating as temperatures dropped to –15°C.  

SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE 

Yesterday afternoon, you will have noted that the Security Council held an open briefing on Ukraine. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, briefed Council members and noted that large-scale aerial assaults by the Russian Federation against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure across Ukraine have resulted in horrific levels of destruction and suffering. Ms. DiCarlo reiterated the Secretary-General’s strong condemnation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, stressing that such attacks violate international humanitarian law. She reaffirmed the Secretary-General’s repeated calls for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, grounded in respect for international law and the principles of the Charter of this organization.                                        

Also briefing the Council, Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s Director of Coordination, said that what makes the latest attacks especially devastating is that they cripple systems that keep civilians alive during winter. He underscored that civilians who are enduring these attacks need more than statements of concern from the Security Council. They need concrete action to reduce civilian harm and ensure that humanitarian support continues to reach people when they need it most. 

SUDAN 

Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs say they are alarmed by the continued harm to civilians and displacement as fighting escalates in multiple parts of the country. 

Local reports indicate that at least 19 civilians were killed during a ground assault in the Jarjira area of North Darfur State, that was just yesterday. 

Another 10 civilians were reportedly killed and nine injured in a drone attack in Sinja, the state capital of Sennar State. That is what the the Sudanese Doctors Network is telling us. 

The violence continues to drive people from their homes and it must stop. The International Organization for Migration estimates that on Friday, more than 8,000 people were displaced from villages in the locality of Kernoi in North Darfur, with some fleeing within the state and others crossing, seeking refuge into Chad.                                                                                      

At the same time, a deepening nutrition emergency is unfolding in North Darfur State. UNICEF and its partners conducted a survey last month in the localities of Tina, Um Baru and Kernoi which showed acute malnutrition levels far exceeding World Health Organization emergency thresholds of 15 per cent. In Um Baru, the survey found the highest levels of acute malnutrition, with a rate of 53 per cent. 

We once again call on all parties to immediately protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law, and enable rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, while urging donors to urgently scale up funding to deliver life-saving assistance. 

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT/SUDAN 

And a trip to announce. Our good friend, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, will be visiting Sudan from 14 to 18 January. 

During his visit, he is scheduled to meet with authorities in Port Sudan, as well as representatives of civil society and our own Country Team. He will also travel to Northern State where he will visit Al-Afad camp and meet displaced people and humanitarian partners that are working on the ground. 

For your planning purposes, and if you wish to share with your colleagues on the ground, Mr. Türk will hold two press conferences at the conclusion of his visit on Sunday, 18 January. One in Port Sudan and a second one during a transit stop in Nairobi.

Further updates will be shared by his office. 

SOUTH SUDAN 

Today in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the UN and its humanitarian partners, together with the Government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for South Sudan.  

The plan calls for $1.5 billion to deliver life-saving assistance and protection to 4.3 million people in one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.  Out of this total amount, our colleagues estimate that the priority is to raise $1 billion to reach 4 million people. 

This year, an estimated 10 million people – that is about two-thirds of the population of South Sudan, including over 600,000 refugees – will need humanitarian aid. 

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, deepening economic challenges, and the spillover from the crisis in neighboring Sudan all continue to drive humanitarian needs in South Sudan. 

More than 7.5 million people are projected to face food insecurity, that is IPC Phase 3 or worse, during the lean season, which is from April to July. 

YEMEN  

UN Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg, is in Muscat, the capital of Oman. He met today with senior Omani officials to discuss recent developments in Yemen and the broader regional context. 

Mr. Grundberg also met with Ansar Allah Chief Negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam to discuss pathways to advance political dialogue, stressing the need to maintain momentum on the release process of the conflict-related detainees, building on the outcomes of the Muscat meetings of December of last year. 

During the discussions, Mr. Grundberg reaffirmed our continued engagement with all parties to support a return to an inclusive political process.   

One of the main topics consistently raised in all our discussions, as you can imagine, remains the fate of 73 of our colleagues who continue to be arbitrarily detained by the Houthis, some since 2021.                     

The Special Envoy, together with Muin Shreim, our official who is leading on discussion on detainees, raised the ongoing arbitrary detention of the colleagues, calling for their immediate and unconditional release of the 73 and stressing the need to respect the safety and the security of all UN staff, whether they be national or international staff. We continue to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all other personnel from international and local non-governmental organizations, civil society and whose who had served with diplomatic missions.  

And just to add that Mr. Grundberg will brief the Security Council tomorrow and will share further details, and that will be done by video conference. 

SYRIA 

From Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that nearly 120,000 people remain displaced following recent hostilities in the city of Aleppo. 

Our partners report that around 29,000 people have returned to their homes so far. 

Access to the neighbourhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Ash-Sheik Maqsoud is gradually improving, but is limited by the continued operations to clear explosive remnants. 

Public services, including the restoration of the water supply to approximately three million people following the reactivation of the Babiri water station, are gradually resuming. However, schools remain closed for an additional 15 days, and flights to and from Aleppo Airport continue to be suspended. 

We and our humanitarian partners on the ground are continuing to provide aid, including shelter, health, nutrition, and food support, while closely monitoring population movements. OCHA and its partners remain on standby to adjust and scale up the response as required, amid ongoing access constraints and what can best be described as a fluid security environment. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, Ramiz Alakbarov, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, began today a three-day visit to the Gaza Strip. In Khan Younis, he met with displaced families who have been supported by the UN to move away from the flood-prone shoreline to a site in Hamad City.     

UNICEF provided water and sanitation infrastructure, the World Food Programme levelled the land, and the UN Development Programme improved road access to the site.  

Also in Khan Younis, Dr. Alakbarov visited Asda’a, where the UN has been supporting thousands of families for more than a year. There, UNICEF provides support for health and nutrition services. Children are also benefiting from temporary learning spaces, where mental health and psychosocial services are provided, and WFP does the school feeding programme there.   

The Humanitarian Coordinator also met with farmers who are producing food locally with support from the Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is managed by OCHA.  

Speaking from southern Gaza, Mr. Alakbarov commended the collaboration between UN teams, NGOs and Member States on the ground, while stressing that much more is needed. He called for sustained funding and for the lifting of restrictions on what supplies and equipment can be brought into Gaza, so as to address weather-related risks and other humanitarian needs. He also called for the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian organizations, whether NGOs or UN agencies.  

In Deir al Balah, he met with local organizations working on disability inclusion, focusing on access to devices and artificial limbs – as you can imagine, the need is great in Gaza for that - stronger inclusion in humanitarian assistance and recovery efforts and improved medical evacuation pathways for people with disabilities.                    

He will spend the night in Gaza City and is set to visit several additional locations in the North tomorrow.  

Meanwhile, on the ground weather conditions are continuing to be extremely harsh, taking a heavy toll on civilians, especially those living in makeshift shelters, flood-prone areas and war-damaged buildings.  

Hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters were reportedly blown away or heavily damaged since last night, affecting thousands of people. Amid heavy rainfall and strong winds, OCHA has received reports of cases of hypothermia, mainly among young children, and people being killed as buildings collapse.  

We and our partners are rapidly responding to flood alerts, and we are distributing tents, tarpaulins, blankets and warm clothes, as well as nutrition, hygiene and sanitary items across Gaza.   

Over the past month, nearly 20,000 households have received emergency support. Humanitarian teams have also mitigated flood risks by providing sandbags and clearing debris.      

OCHA stresses that, despite the scaled-up response, needs on the ground continue to far outpace available supplies and services, with each new rainstorm eroding hard-won gains.  

UNIFIL 

UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon issued a couple of statements in the last 24 hours regarding attacks on UN personnel who are all clearly identifiable as such, given that they wear Blue Helmets and blue jackets with the UN logo. The Peacekeepers say these attacks are becoming disturbingly common and constitute a serious violation of Security Council resolution 1701. 

Peacekeepers say that last night, two possible flare mortars hit a UN position near Yaroun. The peacekeepers requested a halt from the Israel Defense Forces. 

Hours earlier, UNIFIL peacekeepers observed two Merkava Israeli tanks move further into Lebanon from an Israeli Defense Forces position near Sarda. Peacekeepers requested through the usual liaison mechanism that the tanks stop their activity. Later, one tank fired three shells from its main gun, with two landing about 150 meters from our peacekeepers.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in these incidents. 

UNIFIL had informed, as they always do, the IDF of its activities in these areas, following standard practice for patrols along the Blue Line. 

We again remind the Israel Defense Forces, and all parties, of the obligation to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and to cease attacks against them. 

MYANMAR 

In Myanmar, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that they’re concerned about the situation in the Sagaing Region and in Chin State, where intense clashes and airstrikes have resulted in civilian casualties and driven people from their homes in the last several weeks. 

Since earlier this month, fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and non-state armed groups in Katha Township, in the Sagaing Region, forced an estimated 10,000 human beings to flee to neighbouring areas. 

During the same period, clashes in Chin State between the Myanmar army and non-state armed groups have forced people to flee from multiple areas in the Falam Township. Last week, between 4 and 6 January, civilians were reportedly killed and injured by airstrikes in the townships of Katha, Khin-U and Wetlet in Sagaing Region and Hakha Township in Chin State.           

Despite the continuing clashes, funding shortfalls and access challenges, our humanitarian partners continue to deliver aid in hard-to-reach and priority areas, in line with the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for $890 million. 

The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in Myanmar, Gwyn Lewis, says that underfunding in 2025 pushed families into impossible choices, with many skipping meals, taking dangerous journeys and exposing themselves to serious risks simply to survive. 

 **Briefing tomorrow  

At 2 p.m., tomorrow, there will be a briefing by the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock. She will brief reporters following her remarks to the General Assembly. 

And as a reminder, the Secretary-General will deliver his priorities speech to the General Assembly on Thursday, at 10 a.m.