Noon briefing of 31 December 2025
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
WEDNESDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2025
NEW YEAR MESSAGE
In a message for the occasion of the New Year, the Secretary-General says as we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us. Division. Violence. Climate breakdown. And systemic violations of international law. A retreat from the very principles that bind us together as a human family. He added that as we turn the page on a turbulent year, one fact speaks louder than words: global military spending has soared to 2.7 trillion dollars, growing by almost 10%.
“On this new year, let’s resolve to get our priorities straight. A safer world begins by investing more in fighting poverty and less in fighting wars. Peace must prevail.”
In 2026, the Secretary-General calls on leaders everywhere to get serious. Choose people and planet over pain.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that following yesterday’s announcement by the Israeli authorities of their intention to suspend the operations of several international NGOs in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies and more than 200 international and local NGOs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have urged the authorities to reconsider this decision. They stressed that international NGOs play a critical role in delivering life-saving assistance and that their suspension would severely undermine the humanitarian response.
OCHA says that international NGOs deliver a significant share of life-saving services, technical expertise and humanitarian supplies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In Gaza, they constitute most of the UN’s partners working on health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene services; they operate most sites providing cooked meals; and they hold the majority of shelter and other supplies currently in the pipeline.
Two weeks ago, the UN and its humanitarian partners warned that the registration system introduced by the Israeli authorities for international NGOs earlier in 2025 put dozens of organizations at risk of deregistration in 2026.
They cautioned the loss of NGO capacity would severely disrupt life-saving services – including health care, nutrition treatment, water and sanitation, and emergency shelter – at a time when needs are acute and there are no viable alternatives.
OCHA says that already in 2025, many international NGOs have been banned from bringing in supplies to Gaza, with visas largely withheld.
In parallel, UNRWA continues to face further restrictions. On Monday, the Israeli parliament passed new legislation cutting off water, electricity, fuel and communications from UNRWA’s facilities and authorizing the expropriation of UN properties.
Meanwhile in Gaza, OCHA reports that humanitarian partners continue helping people affected by the latest rainstorms. This month, the UN and its partners have provided tents, tarpaulins and bedding items to more than 80,000 households – or approximately 448,400 people.
OCHA says that, while this is significant, it remains far from enough, as many families are still struggling in weather-damaged makeshift tents or war-damaged buildings at risk of collapse. An easing of restrictions on bringing in shelter materials and other critical items is urgently needed.
Yesterday, the Food and Agriculture Organization reported that it has opened a second site in Khan Younis for emergency distributions of animal feed and veterinary supplies. FAO has been helping approximately 2,000 families in the Gaza Strip who still have sheep and goats to protect their livestock and combat acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, obstructions to the movement of aid workers in parts of Gaza continue. Of six such movements that the UN and its humanitarian partners attempted to coordinate with the Israeli authorities yesterday, two were denied and four faced impediments. Nevertheless, humanitarians managed to collect food and other supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing.
In the West Bank, OCHA reports that between 28 and 30 December, rainstorms damaged homes, infrastructure and livestock structures, especially in the northern areas and in several herding communities, forcing people out of their homes. The Palestinian Civil Defense reported on Sunday that its teams responded to hundreds of incidents, including fires and rescue operations.
Against this backdrop, OCHA reports that Israeli bulldozers started demolishing 25 buildings in and around Nur Shams Camp this morning, affecting about 70 households.
The demolitions follow the Israeli authorities’ issuance of demolition orders on 14 December that reportedly target both single-family houses and multi-unit residential buildings located in three neighbourhoods of the refugee camp.
GAZA CHILDREN
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the entry at scale of water treatment chemicals, spare parts, and other essential supplies needed to repair, maintain, and operate water and wastewater systems across Gaza. UNICEF also calls for an increased and sustained supply of fuel to avert flooding, sewage exposure, and serious public health risks, including disease outbreaks linked to disrupted solid waste collection.
This week’s heavy rainfall, strong winds and freezing temperatures have affected around 100,000 families living in makeshift shelters with little or no protection, and with further rain and colder conditions forecast, the situation is expected to worsen. Teams visiting displacement camps reported appalling conditions that no child should endure, with many tents blown away or collapsing entirely.
As part of its emergency winterization response, UNICEF, alongside UN partners, has been providing critical support to thousands of affected families. This includes installing temporary water pipelines, distributing hygiene items, tarpaulins, blankets, and dignity kits, and ensuring access to latrines. Teams are also working to clean and reopen sewage pipelines, clear stormwater inlets, and protect tents from flooding.
LEBANON
The Maritime Task Force (MTF) of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – the first naval task force ever in a UN peacekeeping operation – signed a new operational framework with the Lebanese Armed Forces Navy (LAF-Navy) last week outlining cooperation for 2026, with the LAF-Navy assuming greater responsibility for securing Lebanese territorial waters. The operational guidelines detail procedures for monitoring and surveilling Lebanese territorial waters and enforcing security. With the UNIFIL mission finishing at the end of 2026, the MTF will gradually transition from actively pursuing maritime security tasks to playing a role as advisor, mentor, and observer. For more details, please refer to this UNIFIL webstory.
UNIFIL also continues to conduct training activities with the Lebanese Army. Peacekeepers in Sector West recently conducted a weeklong training on leadership skills during special operations with LAF personnel, focusing on strengthening coordination, combat readiness, and joint response capabilities.
UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to discover unauthorized and unguarded weapons caches in the area of operations. Yesterday, they found anti-tank mines, mortar shells, rockets and grenades in Sector West. In coordination with the LAF, peacekeepers dismantled these items on-site. Since November 2024, UNIFIL peacekeepers have found 400 weapon and ammunition caches and the LAF have demolished 370 of them.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) today noted that following the four combined elections held on Sunday in the country, the counting of ballots is now complete. The transfer of envelopes containing the results from the 19 prefectural capitals to Bangui is currently underway, with logistical and security support from MINUSCA.
The Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic noted that according to preliminary reports from observers, more than 99 per cent of polling stations across the country opened as planned on election day. All election materials were delivered on time through MINUSCA and UNDP's continued support to the national electoral authority. In total, the Mission carried out 84 flights and eight road convoys to transport more than 230 tons of materials, including ballot papers, indelible ink, voter cards, voting booths and ballot boxes.
MINUSCA also played a key role in securing the polls by facilitating the deployment of additional national troops and police forces and by strengthening the capabilities of its own military and police personnel. Speaking earlier today at a press conference in Bangui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic, Valentine Rugwabiza, said that, given the manner in which the mandate given by the UN Security Council had been fulfilled, she could say that the multifaceted support provided by the Mission had been successfully achieved despite a difficult environment.
Ms. Rugwabiza also strongly condemned the attack in Bambouti on election day, in the south-east of the country, on the border with South Sudan, which prevented the elections from taking place in that locality due to insecurity. She added that MINUSCA had been working around the clock since Sunday to facilitate the release of those taken hostage, including the sub-prefect, during the attack carried out by Azandé Ani Kpi Gbe (AAKG) group from South Sudan.
MINUSCA notes that this is the first time in the history of the Central African Republic that four elections – presidential, legislative, regional and municipal – have been held simultaneously. The preliminary results of the presidential election are expected to be announced on 5 January.