Noon briefing of 10 February 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2026

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL

The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will travel to Abuja tonight, where she will deliver a keynote address at the 18th Annual Leadership Conference and Awards Ceremony and meet with senior Government officials. 

From Abuja, she will proceed to Addis Ababa to attend the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government. During her time there, she will co-chair the 6th High-Level Strategic Dialogue on Sustainable Development, together with the Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission. 

She will return to New York next Tuesday.

SOUTH SUDAN/SECURITY COUNCIL

This morning, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefed Security Council members on South Sudan via VTC from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He noted that political deadlock among the main signatories to the Revitalized Peace Agreement is driving tensions and fueling armed clashes, particularly in Jonglei.

Mr. Lacroix emphasized that the Mission continues to engage political leaders at all levels, conducts patrols and remains actively deployed to protect civilians. He called on the International Community, including the Security Council, to urge South Sudanese political actors to engage in dialogue and seek consensus on the way forward.       

SOUTH SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN 

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan continues to deteriorate. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that families fleeing their homes in Jonglei State urgently need food, safe water, healthcare and emergency shelter. 

As previously mentioned, since late December, renewed violence and airstrikes have uprooted an estimated 280,000 people, according to the authorities. 

Aid delivery continues to be disrupted by insecurity, and essential services are shutting down. Road and river traffic is blocked, and humanitarian flights have not been allowed to take place.

The displacements are driving up the risk of cholera spreading: 55 cases and seven deaths reported in a week in Ayod and Duk counties.

Since 28 September of 2024, South Sudan has recorded more than 98,000 cholera cases and 1,612 deaths across nine states. OCHA warnsthat transmission of cholera is likely to intensify ahead of the rainy season if humanitarian teams and supplies continue to be restricted. 

SYRIA 

This week, an assessment mission led by our UN teams entered Ain Al Arab/Kobani in Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria. And that was for the first time since clashes there began in January. 

Yesterday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Department of Safety and Security carried out anassessment mission to the city. Local humanitarian teams on the ground say the situation remains relatively calm. 

The UN and its partners have previously delivered two convoys to the city carrying 52 trucks of aid and one mobile clinic. Goods and fuel are entering through limited commercial routes, though not at the scale that is needed. Basic services are continuing to be severely disrupted. Water systems are only partially functioning using diesel, and hospitals and bakeries are operating with limited fuel. 

UN partners on the ground have reported that public electricity was restored yesterday evening.Water, sanitation and hygiene conditions continue to be a great concern, with some families relying on unsafe water sources, which as you can imagine, is increasing the risk of any water-borne diseases. More assessment missions are planned to identify people’s most needs. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)has received more reports of airstrikes, bombing, shelling, navy fire, and shooting in the past 24 hours in the Gaza Strip. This includes strikes in residential areas, which put civilians in danger and adds to the immense hardship they have endured over the past 28 months.  

OCHA stresses that civilians are protected under international humanitarian law wherever they are, even if they cross military demarcation lines or are near them. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected and during military operations and constant care must be taken to spare them. 

Today, UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, said that its teams on the ground have reopened the Bureij Health Centre in Deir al Balah, restoring essential services after months of closure. The facility is now providing primary health care, maternal health services, laboratory testing and dental care.                               

However, thousands of patients remain without opportunities for treatment and recovery, as some critical services are still unavailable in Gaza. Their top priority is to scale up local services, including by rehabilitating damaged facilities and expanding critical care. This requires more medical supplies, including items that are not easily approved for entry by Israeli authorities, such as X-ray machines and laboratory equipment. 

UN shelter partners say that by last week, they had provided more than 5,600 families with emergency shelter, including nearly 5,000 tarpaulins and over 12,000 bedding items, in just over one week. Last month, they provided this type of assistance, including nearly 8,000 tents, to more than 85,000 families. However, they stress that more durable solutions are urgently needed. This requires permission to take in machinery and materials to repair damaged structures. 

Also, by last week, our colleagues leading on protection had reached nearly 15,000 people with services, including psychosocial support, over a seven-day period. Across all governorates, the demand for such services continues to outpace available capacity. Overcrowding in displacement sites, loss or damage of tents, and lack of private spaces, continue to undermine service delivery and confidentiality.  

The UN and partners stand ready to further scale up humanitarian operations. However, this requires the lifting of restrictions on our work. All of our humanitarian partners must be allowed to operate without obstruction and bring in critically needed supplies and equipment.  

MOZAMBIQUE 

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that a large storm is forecast to pass offshore on Friday but still impact communities. Yesterday, the Government activated preparations ahead of the possible flooding that may be caused by Cyclone Gezani. That includes planning for evacuations and pre-positioning essential supplies. 

Ahead of the cyclone, $4.5 million was released by the Central Emergency Response Fund to fund UN agencies to help more than 300,000 people in southern Mozambique. 

OCHA notes that this comes as the country continues to recover from recent floods that impacted large parts of central and southern Mozambique. So far, 140,000 human beings, which is nearly a quarter of all those most affected by the floods, have been reached with some humanitarian assistance. 

ETHIOPIA  

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, today called on all parties to take urgent steps towards de-escalation, amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. The Human Rights Office noted that recent fighting between the Ethiopian army and regional forces has highlighted the risk of a deepening human rights crisis in the north of the country.  

Mr. Türk stressed that both sides must step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences through diologue and political means. He added that alleged serious violations or abuses must be promptly and independently investigated, irrespective of whom the perpetrators may be.  

Mr. Türk also expressed concern at recent tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, warning that they risked worsening the already serious human rights and humanitarian challenges in both countries, and across the Horn of Africa.              

VENEZUELA  

Turning to Venezuela, a country that has one of the most underfunded humanitarian operations globally. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that last year’s humanitarian response plan for Venezuela was just 19 per cent funded, or $115 million, of the $606 that we called for. 

But even with the lack of funding, OCHA said that humanitarian partners last year helped more than 2 million people in the country. That is about 40 per cent of the 5 million people we aimed to reach under the humanitarian response plan, which prioritized assistance for people most in need – women, girls, young children and the elderly. 

In the health sector, medicine and other supplies delivered to hospitals and health centres reached more than 400,000 people, while 260,000 children and pregnant women received nutritional support. More than 750,000 people received food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) through school meals and support to communities impacted by heavy rains. That was also done through WFP’s partners.

Additionally, nearly 600,000 people received protection services, including support related to gender based violence, child protection and assistance for people returning to the country. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), together with other UN agencies and their local partners, continue to provide legal advice, psychosocial support and livelihoods assistance. 

OCHA urges member States to step up and provide sustained, flexible funding this year so essential services can continue running and assistance reaches those who need the most. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS 

Today is the International Day of the Arabian Leopard. Known for its golden-yellow fur with black spots, this critically endangered wild cat is a powerful reminder of why protecting wildlife and their habitats matters.

And today is also World Pulses Day. This year’s theme, “Pulses of the world: from modesty to excellence,” celebrates lentils, beans, and chickpeas - humble yet mighty foods that nourish communities, support farmers, and protect the planet. 

BRIEFING TOMORROW 

Tomorrow, at 12:45 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to present the findings of a major new study on political violence against lawmakers by the public, both online and off.  

The speakers will be Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General, along with Rogier Huizenga, IPU Human Rights Manager.  

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS 

The Spokesperson for the Secretary-General noted that in the Financial Regulation, Member States have 30 days from the receipt of the assessment letters to be included in the Honour Roll, which ended on 8 February.  This year there were 55 Member States who made the Honour Roll. In 2025 there were 49, though the total cash is a little less this year in the Honour Roll than last year. The UN collected $941,186,981, compared to just over $1,000,000,000 last year. 

Today, Kenya, Lithuania, Montenegro, Nepal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Spain paid their dues in full to the Regular Budget. This brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 61.