Noon briefing of 24 October 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2025

UN DAY 

United Nations Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945. Eighty years on, the UN faces new and complex challenges, while working to adapt and strengthen itself. Through the 2030 Agenda, the Pact for the Future, and the UN80 initiative, the UN seeks to renew the foundations of international cooperation, and to ensure that it can deliver for people everywhere. 

A number of events are taking place today at Headquarters and around the world to mark the Day. 

SECURITY COUNCIL 

Today is the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, and the Secretary-General joined the Security Council session this morning to commemorate the anniversary. He joined the session via video link from Hanoi.   

He reminded Council members that the Security Council exists for sincere, hopeful people, who, for the last eight decades, have placed their trust in this institution to save them from the scourge of war. 

On many pivotal occasions, the Secretary-General added, this Council has delivered on that task, helping Cambodia to emerge from genocide and South Africa to emerge from apartheid.  

The Council is a vital necessity, and a powerful force for good. But at the same time, its legitimacy is fragile, Mr. Guterres said. He reiterated his call for reform of the Security Council, including the expansion of its membership. 

It is our duty to forge a body that can meet the challenges of the next 80 years, one that delivers justice and safety for all, he concluded.  

VIETNAM 

The Secretary-General arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam earlier today, where he met with the President of Viet Nam, Luong Cuong, and also took part in an official dinner hosted by the President.   

Tomorrow, he will participate in a high-level event marking the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. 

In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to say that this new convention is a powerful, legally-binding instrument to strengthen our collective defences against cybercrime. It is also a promise that fundamental human rights such as privacy, dignity and safety must be protected both offline and online. And, he will add, the convention is a vow that no country, no matter their level of development, will be left defenceless against cybercrime. 

About 115 Member State delegations are expected to attend the high-level event, and as we mentioned, the Convention will enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification.  

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General is also scheduled to hold a joint press conference with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. You will be able to watch both these events live on UN Web TV. 

And as a reminder, on Saturday evening, the Secretary-General will head to Kuala Lumpur, where he will attend the ASEAN-UN Summit, chaired by Malaysia. On the sidelines of the Summit, he will engage in a number of bilateral discussions with counterparts at the ASEAN meetings, as well as with the Malaysian hosts. And on Monday, we expect the Secretary-General to hold a press conference. 

The Secretary-General will be back in New York on 28 October.   

YEMEN 

Since 2021, the Houthi de facto authorities have taken a number of steps that have made it increasingly difficult for the UN to provide assistance to Yemenis. 

Their actions include the forcible entry and occupation of UN premises, seizure of assets and the repeated arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel, 55 of whom remain in detention. Two of those personnel were detained yesterday. 

These actions are forcing us to reassess the way in which we work in areas controlled by the Houthis. Mr. Muin Shreim has been appointed by the United Nations to lead and strengthen ongoing efforts to seek the release of our colleagues and prevent future detention. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the UN and our partners continue to scale up the humanitarian response, in line with our 60-day response plan.  

UN partners working on food security say that they are now distributing over one million hot meals daily across the Strip. In the north, partners have started distributing general food parcels, containing rice, canned food and cooking oil, and six UN-supported bakeries have resumed bread production.  

UN partners providing nutrition services report that since the ceasefire came into effect on 10 October, they have opened over 20 new nutrition sites in Gaza. There are now 150 such sites that are functional across the Strip.  

Meanwhile, 20 mobile health and nutrition teams are being deployed across Gaza to deliver nutrition support in hard-to-reach areas, doubling the number of teams compared to pre-ceasefire levels.  

This week, our partners working in nutrition despatched enough therapeutic food to treat over 1,200 children suffering from acute malnutrition, as well as more than 32,000 jars of baby food to support dietary diversity for some 760 infants and young children for two weeks.  

Efforts to provide water and sanitation services are also scaling up. Over the course of two days this week, partners have distributed about 600,000 diapers, 11,000 jerry cans, 5,800 hygiene kits, 3,000 buckets and 280 disability kits to displaced communities in various locations in the Strip.  

More than 140 water tanks with a 2,000-litre capacity have been collected from the crossings into Gaza to expand community water points and reduce the need for water trucking.  

The UN and our partners also continue to collect humanitarian supplies from the two crossings into Gaza that are currently operational, Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim. On Wednesday, at least 127 UN-coordinated trucks were collected for distribution inside the Strip, 104 from Kerem Shalom and 23 from Kissufim. The supplies picked up included wheat flour and other food items, baby diapers, stoves and pots for community kitchens, tents and tarps, health supplies, nutrition supplements, and over 340,000 litres of diesel fuel.  

Also on Wednesday, the UN and partners offloaded 199 trucks at the two crossings, over half of them carrying food supplies.  

Yesterday, five UN-led humanitarian missions were coordinated with Israeli authorities to collect medical supplies, hygiene kits, winter clothes and fuel from these two crossings. One of the missions, which was facilitated, involved the collection of nearly 116,000 litres of diesel, as well as the distribution of fuel for critical humanitarian operations.  Two other missions involved the collection of essential medical equipment, hygiene kits, insulin and cholera kits.   

UN partners monitoring population flows across Gaza report that people continue to move towards areas that were off-limits before the ceasefire. More than 435,000 movements have been reported from southern to northern parts of the Strip since 10 October.    

UN partners present at monitoring points along the routes people are using to travel continue to provide basic support, such as bottled water, energy biscuits and referrals to address their needs.   

Partners report that only 10 per cent of all internally-displaced people reside in collective centres. The majority remain in overcrowded, makeshift sites, many of which were set up in open or unsafe areas.  

OCHA reiterates that more is needed and more can be done, but for this to happen, we need more crossings to open, including those that provide direct access to the north, as well as the facilitation of access for NGOs. These organizations must be able to bring in the essential supplies they have waiting to enter Gaza, and their work is vital to address the huge level of needs we are seeing.  

UNIFIL 

In southern Lebanon, peacekeepers continue to discover unauthorized weapons and ammunition caches and report them to the Lebanese Armed Forces for disposal. On Wednesday, peacekeepers found mortar shells, fuses and a cannon in Sector West. Near the same location, small homemade explosive devices were found on Thursday.  

UNIFIL is also continuing to refurbish the Blue Line markers damaged during the hostilities. Since 15 October, four new markers have been installed in Sector East and two more are to be refurbished next week. UNIFIL’s ongoing refurbishment work requires close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).  

Following a Lebanese Armed Forces request, UNIFIL has facilitated olive harvests by Lebanese farmers near the Blue Line on more than 40 occasions this month. In addition to de-conflicting these activities with the parties, the peacekeepers conduct patrols together with the Lebanese Army in those areas to ensure the farmers’ safety.  

Meanwhile, UNIFIL continues to observe Israel Defense Forces military presence and activities in the area of operations.  

SOUTH SUDAN 

Turning to South Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that nearly 1 million people are now affected by the devastating floods in the country. 

As of yesterday, severe and widespread flooding has impacted more than 960,000 people in six states, mostly in Jonglei and Unity. Some 335,000 people have been displaced, with many seeking safety on higher ground. 

Since last month, the floods have affected more than 140 health facilities, nearly a third of which were damaged or fully submerged, disrupting access to essential health services for thousands of people at a time when South Sudan grapples with disease outbreaks, including cholera and malaria. 

In the past week, the World Health Organization has reported over 104,000 malaria cases, including 16 deaths, across the country. This marks a 15 per cent increase in cases from the previous week, mainly due to the ongoing flooding. 

South Sudan also faces ongoing conflict and acute food insecurity, and the flooding is compounding an already dire humanitarian situation in the country. 

Despite significant access challenges in the states of Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile, we and our humanitarian partners continue to reach flood-affected people with vital aid and carry out needs assessments to inform the ongoing response. The World Food Programme is on the ground delivering food and nutrition assistance. 

WHO and its partners have delivered over 50 metric tonnes of medical supplies to support the response in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States, with more assistance in the pipeline, including tents, cholera kits and emergency health kits. 

Health teams from the International Organization for Migration have been providing medicine and other support, and earlier this week, IOM signed an agreement with South Sudanese officials that will see $8.5 million invested to build flood-resilient infrastructure and rehabilitate drainage channels to protect Bor Town, in Jonglei State. 

UKRAINE 

Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that over the past day, attacks and hostilities continued to cause civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. According to the authorities, the Kherson region in southern Ukraine was hardest hit, with reports of sustained air attacks on more than 30 towns and villages. Attacks also impacted the Donetsk region, the northern Sumy region, the Kharkiv City and the Kirovohrad region, in central Ukraine.  

Ukrainian energy company reported scheduled power cuts in 12 regions and ongoing restrictions for industrial consumers nationwide. As cold temperatures set in, repeated power cuts and damaged homes are making living conditions increasingly difficult for civilians, especially for older people and families with children.  

The UN, along with humanitarian partners, continue to support evacuations from front-line areas in the Kharkiv region. Since August, nearly 9,000 people have passed through the Lozova Transit Centre and more than 27,000 through the Kharkiv Centre. With support from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, partners are providing transportation, psychosocial support and rehabilitation services.  

NORTH AFRICA

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened by the avoidable loss of around 80 lives at sea off North Africa in recent days, involving refugees and migrants from Tunisia and Libya. Boats departing from Salakta and Zouara sank or ran into difficulties, while survivors were rescued by the Tunisian Coast Guard and received medical assistance. Victims came from countries including Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Yemen, Bangladesh, Ghana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. UNHCR calls for stronger search-and-rescue capacity, more safe and legal pathways, and international cooperation to prevent further tragedies. Over 1,600 people have died or gone missing this year on Mediterranean and West African routes. UNHCR promotes a route-based approach to enhance protection, assistance, and solutions along key migration paths.

TROPICAL STORM MELISSA 

Turning to Tropical Storm Melissa in the Caribbean. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues to coordinate preparations and response efforts as weather conditions worsen in the region. Our humanitarian colleagues note that the US National Hurricane Centre reports that the storm is currently located south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and moving very slowly, bringing heavy rains and strong winds. While still a tropical storm, Melissa is expected to intensify to a major hurricane in the coming days, threatening Jamaica and then Cuba.  

The OCHA Regional Office is working closely with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, our UN teams and national authorities in Cuba and Jamaica to coordinate preparations, including through the prepositioning of supplies, and stands ready to deploy support if necessary. 

In Haiti, forecasts warn of life-threatening flash floods and landslides in southern parts of the country this weekend and early next week. Haitian authorities have issued an orange alert for the departments of West, Grand’Anse, Nippes, South and South-East, urging people to avoid high-risk areas and follow official guidance.  

As we announced earlier this week, $4 million has been allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund so that the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund and the International Organization for Migration can support more than 100,000 vulnerable people before the storm hits. This includes pre-positioned relief supplies and emergency shelter materials for tens of thousands of households, cash assistance to help families purchase essentials and food stocks strategically placed across the country.                      

Initial impacts have already been reported in Haiti. Two people were killed and one injured yesterday in a landslide in Fontamara, a suburb of the capital Port-au-Prince. Heavy rains caused flooding and damage across several departments: a bridge was destroyed in the North-East department, homes were damaged in the North-West department and flooding was reported in the Artibonite and Centre departments.  

Early-warning messages have been widely disseminated, including SMS alerts sent to 3.5 million people to help communities prepare. OCHA has bolstered its coordination capacities in the South department to support authorities and humanitarian partners with preparations ahead of the storm.  

The UN and its partners will continue to support Haitian authorities, who are leading on preparations and response efforts, to ensure a coordinated, efficient and rapid response before and after the storm. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS 

Today is World Development Information Day. It underscores the importance of mobilizing public awareness, international cooperation and technology to advance equitable, sustainable economic and social progress, especially in developing countries.  

Disarament Week begins today, promoting awareness of disarmament’s vital role in global peace and security. The UN urges reducing weapons, fostering dialogue and strengthening collective security to ensure a safer, more sustainable future.  

Today also marks the start of Global Media and Information Literacy Week. It highlights the need for critical thinking to navigate AI-shaped media, empowering people to discern, evaluate and responsibly engage in digital spaces. 

**Guests 

Noon briefing guests are: IOM’s Deputy Director General for Operations, Ugochi Daniels joining us from Geneva; along with UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements connecting from Nairobi; Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations joining us from N'djamena in Chad; and WFP’s Assistant Executive Director, Valerie Guarnieri, who will be joining us from Rome.  

They talked about their visit to Sudan and their joint press release on that topic.