Noon briefing of 28 November 2025
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
28 NOVEMBER, 2025
GUINEA-BISSAU
In a statement, the Secretary-General said he was deeply concerned by the unfolding events in Guinea-Bissau. He strongly condemns the coup d’état perpetrated by elements of the military and any attempt to violate constitutional order. He stresses that any disregard of the will of the people who peacefully cast their vote during the 23 November general elections constitutes an unacceptable violation of democratic principles.
The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order, as well as the release of all detained officials, including those responsible for the electoral process, opposition leaders and other political actors. He urges all stakeholders to exercise utmost restraint, uphold democratic institutions and the rule of law, and respect the will of the people while acting in accordance with their obligations under international human rights law. He emphasizes that disputes must be resolved through peaceful and inclusive dialogue and legal avenues.
The Secretary-General reaffirms the full support of the United Nations to the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and the West African Elders Forum to safeguard democracy, promote stability, and assist Guinea-Bissau in concluding the electoral process peacefully and swiftly returning to its democratic path.
SYRIA
The United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, condemns the Israeli incursion into Syrian territory in the Damascus countryside, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of civilians.
The raid and accompanying strikes have also triggered the displacement of families from the town of Beit Jinn, forcing them to flee to nearby areas in search of safety.
Such actions constitute a grave and unacceptable violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, further destabilizing an already fragile environment.
Deputy Special Envoy Rochdi reaffirms the United Nations’ steadfast commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria. She calls for the immediate cessation of all such violations and urges full adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
GAZA
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that despite the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, UN staff and facilities continue to come under fire, posing unacceptable risks to their safety. On Monday in northern Gaza, a yard in an UNRWA school in Jabalya was bombed, reportedly by an Israeli quadcopter. On Tuesday night in Deir al Balah, a group of armed Palestinians fired at a UNOPS team, striking one of their clearly marked vehicles with multiple rounds. The team had finished loading fuel and carrying out monitoring work at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Thankfully, no-one was injured in either of these attacks.
The UN reiterates that civilians, including humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure – including humanitarian convoys, supplies and facilities – must always be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law. Attacks expose UN staff, NGO partners, and the people who depend on their services to grave risks, including death and injury, and further impede humanitarian work. The UN urges all parties to protect civilian lives and allow the safe passage of life-saving aid.
Despite these risks, as well as other obstacles preventing a full implementation of the humanitarian scale-up, the UN and its partners continue providing services and critical items to people in need across Gaza.
Between Sunday and Tuesday, humanitarian partners assisted some 18,000 families with monthly food parcels through 59 distribution points. Since the start of November, over 204,000 families – nearly half of Gaza’s population – have received food parcels.
Humanitarians are also scaling up nutrition services. The number of malnutrition treatment sites operating across the Strip now stands at 140, following the opening of eight new locations in the north last week.
Partners leading on water support are working to reduce people’s dependence on water trucking by supporting the restoration of wells and the extension of pipelines, as well as other critical infrastructure. Similar efforts are underway to restore parts of Gaza’s decimated sewage system.
Between 19 and 26 November, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) distributed 16 reproductive health kits to medical facilities across Gaza. This is sufficient to support some 200 safe deliveries over the next three months. The agency has also distributed 400,000 units of essential maternal health medicines – including oxytocin, antibiotics, corticosteroids, analgesics, antiseptics and supplements – to health facilities, to further support safe deliveries, alongside infection control and postnatal care. During the same period, UNFPA teams distributed oral contraceptives to health facilities, supporting an estimated 100 women for two months. They also distributed 90 midwifery kits to enable safe deliveries and nearly 1,500 kits to support new mothers’ recovery and newborn care.
Many of these humanitarian efforts are made possible by the UN’s mine action partners, who assess key sites for potential explosive hazards. On Wednesday alone, five such assessments were carried out.
WEST BANK
The Human Rights Office said it was appalled at the brazen killing by Israeli border police on Thursday of two Palestinian men in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, in an apparent summary execution.
Killings of Palestinians by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank have been surging, without accountability, even in the rare cases when investigations are announced.
The Human Rights Office has verified that since 7 October 2023 and up until 27 November 2025, Israeli forces and settlers killed 1,030 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Among these victims were 223 children.
OCHA says that violence continues unabated across the West Bank with casualties, damage and displacement reported on a daily basis. Palestinians’ movements are increasingly constrained, with thousands placed under curfew and many others subjected to restrictions that severely limit their access to workplaces, schools and essential services. As a result, humanitarian needs are deepening – as is people’s dependence on aid.
Updated figures released yesterday by OCHA indicate that more than 1,600 attacks perpetrated by Israeli setters since the beginning of 2025 led to casualties, property damage or both – affecting over 270 Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
The number of Palestinians injured in these attacks has now topped 1,000, with most of them sustaining physical assault, hit by stones or inhaling teargas.
Some 700 Palestinians were injured by settlers themselves; the rest were either injured by Israeli forces, or it remains unknown whether they were injured by Israeli forces or settlers. This toll of about 700 is roughly double the number of Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers in settler attacks in all of 2024, when about 360 such injuries were documented.
PAKISTAN
High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said today that Pakistan’s hastily adopted constitutional amendments seriously undermine judicial independence, and raise grave concerns about military accountability and respect for the rule of law.
The Human Rights Chief said the latest constitutional amendment, like the 26th amendment last year, had been adopted without broad consultation and debate with the legal community and wider civil society. Mr. Türk warned that the amendments run counter to the separation of powers that underpin the rule of law and safeguard the protection of human rights in Pakistan.
SOMALIA
The Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $10 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund for drought response in the country.
Drought conditions are intensifying in northern, central and southern regions, pushing struggling Somali communities to the edge. Forecasts indicate that rains will remain below-average, particularly in these regions.
The new funds will support 600,000 people in the northern regions and focus on health, nutrition and food security, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services.
The drought comes amid an already dire humanitarian situation. At least 4.4 million people, more than 1 in 5 people in the country, are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between October and December this year.
Children are particularly affected in such crises. Partners report that more than 1.8 million children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition between August of this year and July of next year.
Health and nutrition services are collapsing due to crippling funding shortfalls.
As we are about to enter the last month of the year, the $1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia is just under 24 per cent funded with $346 million received.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Saturday is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General calls on the world to draw inspiration from the Palestinian people, whose resilience and hope are a testament to the human spirit. He urges solidarity with their rights to dignity, justice and self-determination — and work together to build a peaceful future for all.
Sunday is the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. A century ago, after witnessing the horrific impact of chemical weapons during World War I, the international community came together to ban their use in war. In his message, the Secretary-General urges States to reaffirm their commitment to a world free of these repugnant weapons.
GUESTS
On Monday, 1 December, there will be a Noon Briefing and we shall be joined by our guest Mr. Cesar Nunez, Director of the UNAIDS New York Office, on the launch of the World AIDS Day report, “Overcoming Disruption: Transforming the AIDS response”.
Also, at 1:00 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of December. He will brief on the Programme of Work for the month of December.
Please note that it will be an in-person only briefing.