Noon briefing of 14 November 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2025

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT 

On Sunday, the Secretary-General will return to COP30 in Belém, Brazil. During his visit, he will meet with negotiating parties, including various regional groups and ministers. He will also engage with civil society representatives, indigenous peoples and youth.  

The Secretary-General has called for COP30 to ignite a decade of acceleration and implementation, given the serious gaps in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. While in Belém, he will reiterate his call for parties to provide a clear plan for doing so. 

The Secretary-General is also expected to speak to journalists. 

JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE  

Yesterday evening, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at an event marking the 45th Anniversary of the creation of the Jesuit Refugee Service. He said that since its creation, the Jesuit Refugee Service has been coming to the aid of people uprooted by conflict and persecution, accompanying them in their suffering and providing them with vital services.   

The Secretary-General said that our world keeps turning its back on those in distress but he added that giving refuge to people in peril is more than a tradition, it’s a moral and practical necessity. He called on all to work together to uphold the right to seek asylum, a pillar of international law, insist on the shared responsibility to provide international protection, and summon the political will to resolve conflicts. His full remarks have been shared with you.   

UKRAINE  

The Secretary-General strongly condemns today's large-scale missile and drone strikes by the Russian Federation on several Ukrainian regions, reportedly killing at least six people in the capital Kyiv and two people in the city of Chornomorsk. The attack is also reported to have caused many injuries among civilians and damage to residential and energy infrastructure, as well as damage to the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Kyiv.

Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable, wherever they occur, and must end immediately. The Secretary-General recalls the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic premises.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions. 

UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN

From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that a large-scale overnight attack on the capital and hostilities across the country has resulted in several civilians killed and injured. Multiple residential buildings and several health facilities were damaged, while parts of the city of Kyiv were left without heating. This is what local authorities are telling us. 

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack, noting the ongoing pattern of massive civilian harm caused by such strikes during the cold winter months. The attacks reflect an alarming increase in civilian casualties.  

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, civilian casualties between January to October were nearly 30 per cent higher than during the same period last year, and the toll of casualties for the first ten months of 2025 has already exceeded the total for all of 2024.  

Following the latest attacks, humanitarian organizations, including UN agencies and national and international NGOs, swiftly mobilized to assist people impacted in Kyiv and across the country. They are providing hot meals, emergency shelter materials, blankets and hygiene items, as well as psychosocial support. Humanitarians are also registering impacted families for cash assistance.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters were flooded due to today’s rains that had a harsh impact on people across the Strip. We fear that thousands of displaced families will be left fully exposed to these harsh weather conditions, increased by these health and protection concerns. 

UN partners working to provide shelter support have deployed rapid response teams today and, for many weeks, have been doing everything possible to lessen the impact of anticipated rains on people across Gaza. 

Just yesterday, about 1,000 tents were distributed to families in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. And between Sunday and Wednesday, partners provided about 7,000 blankets to more than 1,800 households; some 15,000 tarpaulins to more than 3,700 households; and winter clothing to more than 500 households.  

That’s among other essential items. In the same four-day span, they collected more than 16,000 tents and 10,000 additional blankets from the crossings to further scale up the response. Since the ceasefire, they have distributed over 15,000 tents so far. 

Meanwhile, our partners leading on water and sanitation report recent progress in repairing sewage pumping stations, which decreases the risk of sewage overflowing into areas where people are sheltering. 

At the same time, our partners working on shelter stress that proper flood prevention requires equipment is not available in Gaza, including tools to drain water away from tents and to clear solid waste and rubble. Millions of urgently needed shelter items remain stuck in Jordan, Egypt and Israel, awaiting approvals to enter Gaza.  

Since the ceasefire began on October 10th, the Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine of our partners to bring in nearly 4,000 pallets of critical supplies, including tents, sealing and framing kits, bedding, kitchen sets and blankets.  

The dire living conditions are also increasing people’s exposure to explosive ordnance, with children among those most at risk. Some people have been injured while collecting firewood; others are having to pitch tents near areas suspected of containing unexploded remnants simply because they have no safer options.  

Since the ceasefire, our colleagues working on mine action have recorded more than 10 injuries from explosive hazards. This risk is further compounded by Gaza’s extremely limited geographical size, which leaves little room to avoid areas suspected of contamination. The density of the population and the proximity of civilian infrastructure to potential hazard zones mean that even minimal contamination can have widespread and devastating consequences. 

Since the ceasefire, our partners have responded to more than 70 requests for explosive-hazard assessments, supported 32 inter-agency missions, and delivered risk education sessions to over 49,000 people across the Gaza Strip. The UN Mine Action Service says it could do much more as soon as teams get access to detectors, spare parts, and equipment needed to safely dispose of explosive hazards.                   

We underscore the need for the full and sustained opening of existing and additional crossings, clearance of further critical items and equipment for entry, and comprehensive facilitation of UN agencies’ and NGOs’ operations. 

LEBANON/ISRAEL 

A UNIFIL survey conducted last month confirmed that a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) southwest of Yaroun crossed the Blue Line, making more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the local population. UNIFIL informed the IDF of its findings and requested that the wall be removed. 

And the peacekeepers also noted that a section of an additional wall is being erected southeast of Yaroun likewise crossed the Blue Line.  

UNIFIL underscores that the Israeli presence and construction on Lebanese territory constitute violations of Security Council resolution 1701, as well as Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.    

SYRIA 

Moving to the humanitarian situation in Syria. Despite significant funding shortages, we and our partners continue to support response efforts in southern Syria. The $3.2 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only a quarter funded, with $823 million received. 

Despite these constraints, assistance is reaching more than 350,000 people every month. Our colleagues at the World Food Programme deliver about 400 metric tonnes of flour each week to sustain public bakery operations. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has helped rehabilitate schools in Sweida Governorate. And partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene have been supporting water-trucking in Dar’a and Sweida governorates. In October alone, they delivered 19,000 cubic meters of potable water and 78,000 liters of fuel to operate essential water and sanitation facilities in both governorates.   

Humanitarian organizations and local authorities are also working to stabilize essential services, including the rehabilitation of electricity networks. However, OCHA warns that the limited funding and access challenges caused a 68 per cent drop in the number of people reached in Sweida, Dar’a, and Rural Damascus in October compared to September. 

The security situation remains unpredictable, with more than 180,000 displaced people in southern Syria facing sporadic incidents that disrupt mobility and access, particularly in rural areas.  

On top of all that, explosive ordnance remains a serious threat for both host communities and displaced families. In October, partners reported 15 casualties from explosive-ordnance incidents. Humanitarians continue surveying, clearance and risk educations activities as security conditions and funding allow.            

SUDAN 

Turning to Sudan. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, is in Darfur region. He met with families that fled the brutal violence in El Fasher. 

In Tawila, which is hosting hundreds of thousands of people displaced by hostilities in North Darfur State, Mr. Fletcher visited a malnutrition treatment centre run by our partners. He met with the mothers and caregivers of malnourished children who recently escaped El Fasher, as well as those who fled the famine-stricken Zamzam displacement camp in April and May. 

Conditions in arrival areas are dire. Families are lacking food, water, shelter, and medical care.  

At another site hosting displaced people in Tawila, the Under-Secretary-General heard from women who survived horrific sexual violence as they fled El Fasher in recent weeks.   

Mr. Fletcher stressed the need to stop these atrocities and ensure accountability for the perpetrators. He stressed that the international community has a responsibility to protect civilians and prevent this brutality. And we hope to have Mr. Fletcher brief you on his travels to Darfur and Port Sudan on Monday. 

Since El Fasher was taken over by the Rapid Support Forces late last month, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher and surrounding villages in the last two weeks, seeking safety in other parts of North Darfur and neighbouring states. Three-quarters of the newly displaced had already been forced from their homes before, primarily from Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps and unsafe neighbourhoods in El Fasher.  

The conflict has also reached other parts of western Sudan, including North Kordofan, where conflict has uprooted almost 50,000 people in recent weeks, many of whom had already fled previous waves of fighting. UNHCR and partners are scaling up aid and protection efforts but urgently call for humanitarian access, civilian protection, and international support. 

The Human Rights Council today held a special session on the situation in El-Fasher. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, highlighted that the siege and fall of El Fasher have led to extreme famine and violence, with civilians suffering and deaths mounting. He called for urgent action to protect civilians, ensure accountability for violations of international law, stop those profiting from the conflict, and uphold justice, while preventing Kordofan from facing a similar fate.           

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

From the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sounding the alarm over rapidly deteriorating conditions across more than 60 displacement sites in Ituri province. Nearly 280,000 people in these camps, mostly women and children, are living in increasingly dire conditions. 

The situation has sharply worsened since October, when funding cuts forced our humanitarian partners to halt their camp management work.  

These activities were essential for the functioning of displacement sites, ensuring access to protection, and coordinating essential services such as safe water, sanitation, health care, emergency education and shelter. 

Without site managers, displaced families are being left to preventable protection risks, and the equitable, accountable delivery of life-saving aid is being compromised.  

OCHA urgently calls on donors and international partners to mobilize resources to restore these life-saving services. 

As of the end of October, authorities estimate that more than one million people remain displaced in Ituri province.  

IMPACT OF DISASTERS ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY 

In a report published today, the Food and Agriculture Organization said that disasters have inflicted an average of $99 billion in annual agricultural losses worldwide, roughly 4 percent of the global agricultural GDP. 

The report, titled Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security, provides what FAO describes as the most comprehensive global assessment to date of how disasters from droughts and floods to pests and marine heatwaves  are disrupting food production, livelihoods and nutrition.  

FAO identifies digital transformation as a game-changer for agricultural disaster risk reduction. Emerging tools such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, mobile connectivity, drones and sensors are now enabling hyperlocal, real-time insights that improve early warning and anticipatory action. 

DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND SECURITY 

Today, we celebrate the 20th birthday of our Department of Safety and Security, UNDSS. 

The Department was created in the aftermath of the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad, when we lost 22 of our colleagues to a terrorist attack. Today, DSS operates in over 120 countries and finds ways to keep the UN working safely, from headquarters to the most dangerous parts of the world. 

This morning, there was a ceremony to celebrate and to discuss 20 years of UNDSS enabling UN operations to serve people in need.  

The Secretary-General pays tribute to all the women and men in UNDSS and other security departments for their work over the last 20 years. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS 

Today is World Diabetes Day. Diabetes affects 422 million adults globally. While chronic, it can be managed and its complications delayed through healthy diet, physical activity, medication, and regular screening. 

Tomorrow is the International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime, highlighting the need for global cooperation to disrupt criminal networks.  

Sunday is the International Day for Tolerance. Needless to say, tolerance means respect, acceptance and appreciation of our diverse cultures. It helps safeguard our human rights.