Noon briefing of 3 February 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 2026

PALESTINIAN PEOPLE 

The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the opening session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. He said that the New York Declaration and its annexes, endorsed by the General Assembly last year, provide a clear, actionable path toward a two-State solution.  

But what matters, he added, is durable change on the ground, and, as we sadly know all too well, the situation is perilously fragile. Since the October agreement, the Secretary-General said, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed.  

He urged all parties to implement the agreement in full, exercise maximum restraint, and comply with international law and UN resolutions. And he also called for the facilitation of rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief at scale, including through the Rafah crossing.                                                       

Mr. Guterres noted that more than 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank in 2025 alone, a year that also saw record-high levels of Israeli settler violence. 

He also condemned once more in the strongest terms actions by Israeli authorities to demolish the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Public threats by officials of Israel against the staff of UNRWA are utterly abhorrent and must be met with unequivocal repudiation, he said.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, yesterday welcomed the partial reopening of Rafah crossing for people to leave and return to Gaza. He stressed, however, that this is not enough and that Rafah must function as a real humanitarian corridor so we can have a surge in aid deliveries.  

The World Health Organization said earlier today that yesterday it facilitated the evacuation of five patients and seven of their companions from Gaza through the Rafah Crossing. WHO added that its role focused on ensuring the safe transfer of patients from Gaza to the Rafah crossing.  

Today, more people are expected to move through the Rafah crossing.  

WHO has been facilitating the movement of patients and their companions, as they did yesterday. The UN Development Programme is set to provide bus transportation for returnees from the internal checkpoint to Nassar hospital in Khan Younis. You will recall that this is where OCHA – together with several UN and NGO partners – had set up a reception area, with medical, psychosocial and referral services. 

Meanwhile, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue responding to existing and emerging needs across the Strip.   

Our partners leading on food security report that as of end of January, around 25 partners produced and distributed 1.7 million meals every day through more than 180 kitchens – over half a million meals in the north and 1.2 million meals in the south.  

Our partners also report that they brought in around 650 metric tonnes of animal feed during January, and that distribution is ongoing for both livestock holders and donkey owners that support essential services.   

On emergency shelter assistance, our partners report that during January, more than 83,500 families received assistance, including tents, mattresses, kitchen utensils and warm clothes. Our partners working in shelter reiterate the urgent need to move beyond emergency items towards more sustainable solutions.  

And our partners working in education continue their efforts to increase enrolment capacity through setting up new learning spaces, expanding existing ones, and supporting community-led initiatives. Supplies are arriving gradually, which will help with this effort.   

UNIFIL 

Moving to southern Lebanon, and in answer to some of the questions the Spokesperson received on the substance that was dropped by the Israel Defense Forces over areas near the Blue Line yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeeping colleagues confirmed that they supported the Lebanese authorities to collect samples north of the Blue Line, to be tested for toxicity. The Lebanese authorities will test the samples and UNIFIL remains in contact with the Lebanese authorities as they work to obtain results as quickly as possible. 

Separately, this morning peacekeepers on patrol observed two drones hovering above them near Kafr Kela in Sector East. One drone carrying an unidentified object entered a range assessed as an immediate threat.  

Peacekeepers took defensive action, after which the drone dropped a stun grenade about 50 metres away before flying toward Israeli territory. No injuries were reported, and the patrol continued. 

UNIFIL informed both the Israeli and Lebanese armies, as it does for all activities in sensitive areas near the Blue Line. The use of armed drones is unacceptable. We reiterate the obligation of all parties to respect the Blue Line, ensure the safety of peacekeepers and avoid actions that endanger them.  

SUDAN 

On Sudan, earlier today, Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, participated in an event hosted by the United States in Washington, DC. This event focused on mobilizing resources for the humanitarian response and building support for a humanitarian truce. 

In his remarks, Mr. Fletcher said that the horrific humanitarian crisis in Sudan has endured more 1000 days, far too long. Too many days of famine, lives uprooted and destroyed, and women and girls subjected to terrifying sexual violence. 

Mr. Fletcher also noted that the Secretary-General has stressed that, as this devastating war approaches its third year, the urgency could not be clearer: the guns must fall silent and a path to peace must be charted.  

He reiterated our support for the work of the Quad, comprising the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to secure a humanitarian truce including the demilitarisation of key areas alongside the rapid scale-up of life-saving humanitarian assistance across the country. 

Meanwhile on the ground, the continued insecurity in many regions is pushing more people to flee and deepening an already severe humanitarian situation. 

In South Kordofan state, an OCHA mission to the locality of Abu Jubaihah last week found that more than 10,000 displaced people are living in camps facing critical gaps in food, healthcare, water and sanitation, shelter, and education services. Most of the newly displaced families fled insecurity and hunger in the state capital, Kadugli, and the city of Dilling.                                           

Others came from West Kordofan and East Darfur states, some via South Sudan, after long and dangerous journeys marked by theft, detention and family separation. They need immediate assistance. 

Moving to the state of North Darfur, our partners report that more than 1,000 people have arrived in the locality of Tawila in recent days. Families face acute shortages of food, health services and basic household items. We and our partners are giving hot meals through community kitchens, but more support is needed to meet other basic needs. Displacement also continues in the states of East Darfur and Blue Nile. 

With humanitarian needs sharply rising and resources stretched, OCHA appeals to donors for funding so our partners can scale up critical assistance for millions of people across Sudan.           

This year's humanitarian response plan calls for $2.9 billion to reach more than 20 million people.  

SOUTH SUDAN 

Turning to South Sudan, OCHA tell us the humanitarian situation is deteriorating across the country, driven by renewed violence, civilian displacement and access constraints, particularly in Jonglei State. 

Since the end of December, renewed fighting and airstrikes in Jonglei have forced an estimated 280,000 people to flee their homes. Our ability to deliver critical aid remains restricted due to ongoing clashes and insecurity. 

Today, UNICEF warned that more than 450,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition nationwide as hostilities disrupt health and nutrition services, with six counties in Jonglei close to running out of therapeutic food. 

Cholera is spreading in Duk County in Jonglei. Overcrowding in displacement sites and limited access to safe water and sanitation are leading to more cases of cholera.       

The UN and its humanitarian partners are expanding our treatment capacity and preparing vaccination campaigns. 

Humanitarian operations remain under serious threat. Facilities and assets, including vehicles, boats and office equipment, have been looted or damaged, and aid workers have faced intimidation, undermining response efforts. 

The Government has authorized a one-day access window the hard-to-reach Akobo County on 5 February. The UN Humanitarian Air Service will operate a flight to pre-position supplies. This is the second flight permitted there this week, helping deliver critical health and nutrition assistance.  

UKRAINE 

From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that several civilians were killed and dozens injured in the past 24 hours in another wave of attacks overnight. The attacks also damaged energy infrastructure across eight regions. Some 2,000 high-rise residential buildings in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro are currently without heating. Many other regions are also experiencing temporary power outages. This is according to local authorities.  

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, noted that repeated strikes on critical civilian infrastructure are disrupting the daily lives of millions of people and creating life-threatening conditions for the most vulnerable, including older people and children.  

Aid organizations are providing first aid and psychological support and setting up new warming points where people can warm up, get hot meals and charge their devices. UN agencies are providing generators and other supplies.  

The UN along with its humanitarian partners, also continue to support front-line communities despite limited access. Yesterday, OCHA’s Crisis Response Director Edem Wosornu joined a convoy that delivered food, medicines, hygiene supplies and solar lamps to the residents of the front-line community of Antonivka in the region of Kherson.

SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT 

The Secretary-General appointed Robert van der Zee of the Netherlands as his Representative for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).  He succeeds Pedro Antonio Guazo Alonso of Spain, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his service.    

The Secretary-General also wishes to extend his appreciation to Toru Shindo, Chief Investment Officer in the Office of Investment Management, UNJSPF, who served as Acting Representative of the Secretary-General from 16 July to 15 August 2025.  

Currently Acting Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the UNJSPF since 16 August 2025, Mr. van der Zee served as Chief Financial Officer at the World Food Programme (WFP) in Italy (2024-2025), bringing 30 years of experience across various financial management roles.  He possesses extensive and in-depth organizational and financial knowledge and expertise along with a strong track record of senior leadership in both the financial services industry and in international organizations.

POLICE WEEK 

UN Headquarters is hosting the 20th Chiefs of UN Police Components Conference, or Police Week, taking place from 4 to 6 February, bringing together senior UN Police leaders from peacekeeping operations and special political missions around the world. 

Participants will engage with senior UN leadership to address evolving security challenges and set priorities for the year ahead. Discussions will focus on the future of UN policing, and the critical role that UN Police play in advancing peacekeeping priorities, from harnessing data and new technologies to strengthening gender-responsive policing and operational pressures such as liquidity challenges in the field.  Some participants will also brief the Security Council during Thursday’s session on peacekeeping operations.  For interview requests, please contact our UN Peacekeeping colleagues.       

HONOUR ROLL 

Bulgaria and the Czech Republic paid their dues in full for the Regular Budget. This brings the number of Member States on the Honour Roll to 41.