Noon briefing of 19 January 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 19 JANUARY 2026

SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVEL 

The Secretary-General is currently near Geneva, Switzerland, where he is meeting with his Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys. Following these meetings, he will return to New York and has cancelled his planned trip to Davos due to a bad cold. 

On Saturday, the Secretary-General was in London, where he addressed a special commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly. The event, organized by the UN Association of the UK, took place in Methodist Central Hall, the very place where the first meeting was held.   

In his remarks, he said that we must ensure full respect for international law and defend multilateralism and strengthen it for our times. Mr. Guterres pushed for reform of the UN system to reflect the world of 2026 and not 1946. He said, “As global centres of power shift, we have the potential to build a future that is either more fair — or more unstable.” He added that it is manifestly in the interests of those who hold the most power to be on the frontlines of reform. He warned that those trying to cling to privileges today risk paying the price tomorrow.   

As we move forward in a moment when the values of multilateralism are being chipped away, he said, it is up to us, in our capacity as professionals, as voters, and as members of civil society, to take a stand.  

Later that day, the Secretary-General was hosted by the UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, for a working lunch, during which they discussed a wide range of issues, including Ukraine, Sudan and UN reform.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the ceasefire agreement – which has crossed the 100-day mark – must hold so that more civilian lives can be saved. As we have been telling you, the scale-up of humanitarian work continues to be held back by restrictions and impediments, with recent harsh weather also setting back some of the progress.  

In a statement issued today, the World Food Programme warned of how fragile the situation remains, even as the agency reaches more than one million people every month through food parcels, bread bundles, hot meals and school meals – making real progress in pushing back famine. WFP called for additional safe humanitarian corridors from Egypt and Jordan, and along the Salah Ad Din Road inside Gaza, to increase volumes and reduce insecurity.  

Yesterday, our colleagues from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched the second round of a routine immunization catch-up campaign, together with our partners and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. This round will run until next Thursday and aims to further protect children under three from vaccine-preventable diseases. The campaign is being delivered by 170 teams at nearly 130 health facilities, with seven mobile teams deployed to hard-to-reach areas. A third and final round is planned for April 2026.  

Turning to the West Bank, OCHA says Israeli forces have placed an estimated 25,000 Palestinians under curfew in parts of the Israeli-controlled H2 area of Hebron city, as they launched a large-scale operation today. Initial reports point to a heavy deployment of military vehicles and snipers on rooftops, as well as the closure of six internal roads.    

As a result, four bakeries have been forced to suspend their operations, and two shops where about 4,000 people regularly obtain essential supplies through UN-issued vouchers remain closed. Education in more than a dozen schools has also been suspended, affecting thousands of students.  

OCHA adds that the area has been affected by a major electricity cut since the weekend, following damage to a local power station. With a curfew now in place, efforts are underway to allow technicians into the area to restore electricity. Steps are also being taken to facilitate emergency medical evacuations and for students to attend school online where possible. Meanwhile, families are confined to their homes, making it difficult for them to obtain food, medicine and other essential supplies. 

SYRIA 

From Syria, OCHA is telling us that we and our partners continue to provide humanitarian aid, following recent clashes in Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor and Al Hassakeh governorates. 

In Deir-ez-Zor city, public services have been suspended and key transport routes temporarily closed, cutting civilians off from education and healthcare. 

In Raqqa, damage to critical infrastructure has curtailed access between neighborhoods and disrupted the main water supply. 

People continue to flee the cities of Raqqa and Tabqa, as well as Thawra, towards Al-Hasakeh and Qamishli governorates. 

Hundreds of families remain unable to leave Tabqa and are sheltering in public facilities. 

Newly displaced families are facing harsh winter conditions, as well as acute shortages of food, shelter, tents and heating fuel. 

We and our partners continue to respond where we have access and are providing trauma care, water and hygiene support, as well as psychosocial support. 

Humanitarians are also conducting assessments, and continuing to call for sustained, safe humanitarian access.  

UKRAINE 

From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that over the weekend, attacks on energy infrastructure continued amid freezing temperatures.  

Between January 16th and today, authorities reported at least nine civilians were killed and more than 50 injured across multiple regions.  

Strikes further damaged energy infrastructure, leading to widespread power outages, including in Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Nationwide scheduled power outages continue as temperatures have dropped to around –20°C.  

In frontline areas, attacks have also driven more people from their homes.  More than 1,300 people – including 170 children – were evacuated from the Donetsk region in the past four days.  

Across Ukraine, we and our partners continue providing support – including hot meals, winter clothing, psychological help and other assistance at warm‑up tents.    

SOUTH SUDAN / PEACEKEEPING 

In South Sudan, the UN Peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, is deeply concerned by reports of significant military confrontations between armed forces aligned with the main parties to the peace agreement in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria.  

This surge in conflict, which includes aerial bombardments of civilian areas, comes in the aftermath of efforts to diverge from the peace framework established by the Revitalized Peace Agreement.  

The mission urges South Sudan’s leaders to immediately cease hostilities, de-escalate tensions, and to advance reconciliation and peace through inclusive dialogue under the framework of the peace agreement.  

Strong leadership and decisive, consensus-based action is needed now, more than ever, to prevent the current crisis from deepening and to ensure that the peace and prosperity so deserved by the people of South Sudan is finally delivered, the Mission added.   

SOUTH SUDAN/ HUMANITARIAN 

And on the humanitarian side, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that an already dire humanitarian crisis, marked by food insecurity, disease outbreaks and the impact of catastrophic floods, is worsening following renewed fighting in Jonglei State over the past week. 

Since late last month, more than 180,000 people, mostly women, children and older people, have been forced to flee their homes in Jonglei, according to the Government. Many have sought refuge in remote areas, while others have fled to neighbouring states. 

As humanitarian needs continue to rise, already overstretched operations are under increasing strain. At least four health facilities have been looted, leaving more than 100,000 people without access to essential services. 

Restrictions on movement by air, river and road in several areas have obstructed the delivery of life‑saving assistance. 

While several humanitarian organizations have temporarily relocated staff, around 15 Non-governmental organizations continue to be present in the area. 

We and our partners are engaging with local authorities to ensure the protection of civilians and aid workers, as well as to secure safe, unhindered humanitarian access to people in need.    

MOZAMBIQUE 

From Mozambique, OCHA says that more than half a million people have been affected by recent floods in southern and central provinces.  

Heavy rains since mid-December have caused widespread flooding in the provinces of Gaza, Maputo and Sofala.  Authorities report that more than 510,000 people have been affected so far, with major damage to health facilities and roads. 

Nearly 5,000 kilometres of roads have sustained damage across nine provinces of Mozambique, with the main road connecting the capital, Maputo, to the rest of the country now inaccessible. Supply chains lines are significantly disrupted, and authorities report the loss of more than 27,000 heads of livestock. 

The Government is leading the response. On Saturday, it formally requested UN support for search-and-rescue operations, preventative evacuations, damage assessment and the provision of temporary shelters.   

Evacuations continue, and 50 temporary accommodation centres nationwide are hosting more than 50,000 people.  

We and our partners are scaling up life-saving assistance, focusing on easing overcrowding in accommodation centres, particularly in Gaza Province, as assessments continue in hard-to-reach areas. Additional funding is urgently needed to sustain the humanitarian response. 

Meanwhile, OCHA is engaging with countries across Southern Africa – including Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini – which are also experiencing severe flooding. 

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT TRENDS 

Our Human Rights colleagues say that while the overall global trend continues to move towards universal abolition of the death penalty, last year, the world has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of executions.  

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says the global increase is driven in particular by a growing number of executions for drug-related offences not involving intentional killing.  

Our colleagues also point out that several States took encouraging steps in 2025, including by reducing the number of offences punishable by death.  

In a statement, the High Commissioner, Volker Turk, reiterated his call for all States that retain the death penalty to establish an immediate moratorium on executions, commute all existing death sentences, and move towards full abolition. 

CONTINGENT-OWNED EQUIPMENT WORKING GROUP 

I wanted to flag that starting today and until 30 January, we are hosting the Contingent-Owned Equipment Working Group, here at UN Headquarters.  

This meeting of Member States reviews policies on equipment and services in support of uniformed personnel deployed to peacekeeping missions. And as you can imagine, the goal is to ensure that operations remain effective, safe, and cost-efficient.  

The working group is chaired by Major General Silver Moses Kayemba of Uganda, and their discussions will address innovative proposals, from counter-drone systems and modular hospitals to advanced monitoring technologies. All of this with the aim of enhancing safety, transparency, and cost-effectiveness, including rates of reimbursement for equipment based on utilization indicators.  

The proposals recommended from this meeting will shape peacekeeping capabilities for the next three years, when the next Contingent-Owned Working Group meeting is scheduled. 

HONOUR ROLL 

The full payments to the Regular Budget from Barbados and the Netherlands bring the number of Member States on the Honour Roll to 17. 

GUEST TOMORROW 

Tomorrow, the guest at the Noon briefing will be Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and lead author of the report entitled “Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era”.