Noon briefing of 18 November 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2025

SECRETARY-GENERAL/COP30 

This morning, in Belém, where COP30 is taking place, the Secretary-General met with climate scientists, experts and economists. He also held a bilateral meeting with the Vice Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Li Gao.  

Yesterday afternoon, after his arrival back in Belém, the Secretary-General met with the COP 30 President, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago. Marina Silva, Brazil's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, was also present at the meeting. They discussed the positive and constructive tone of the ongoing negotiations. The Secretary-General emphasized that the outcomes of COP30 must respond to the urgency of the climate crisis and needs of the developing countries, especially those most vulnerable.  

Later, the Secretary-General met the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Francesco La Camera, and he also held a meeting with the CEO of the European Climate Foundation, Ms. Laurence Tubiana.  

This afternoon, the Secretary-General will meet negotiating parties and Ministers. He will also have a meeting with a Youth Advisory Group and will participate in a youth roundtable.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said yesterday that Palestinians across Gaza are cold and soaked following recent rains, adding that frustration is growing as floods rise and what little people have is destroyed. 

He reiterated that the UN and our partners are mobilizing to help, but much more is needed. Mr. Fletcher said that remaining restrictions must be lifted to urgently get more aid in.

On the ground in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stresses that we and our partners remain committed to providing life-saving support, including shelter. Humanitarians continue to distribute tents, tarpaulins and other essential items to affected families and assess people’s needs to guide the response. 

The UN is fast-tracking funds to bolster those efforts. The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov, has released $18 million from the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund to support critical operations across Gaza as winter approaches and heavy rains begin to compound dire living conditions. 

Those funds are already allowing partners to move ahead with more than 30 planned projects covering everything from food and nutrition to water, health, shelter, protection and other essential support. 

Today, Dr. Alakbarov visited a site for displaced people in Gaza City, where some families are staying after last week’s rainstorm destroyed their shelters. He also went to the Rantissi pediatric hospital, which is being rehabilitated to address extensive damage sustained during the war.

At the displacement site, Dr. Alakbarov spoke with families who urgently need basic assistance as winter draws near. He also appealed once again for more crossings, for more routes inside Gaza, and for NGOs to be able to bring in supplies.

Our partners report that as of Sunday, the number of operational health service points in Gaza rose to 219, compared with fewer than 200 in October. The 22 new service points include 12 primary healthcare centres, six medical points, and four hospitals in the northern governorates. 

As you know, the catch-up vaccination campaign launched on 9 November is ongoing, with more than 7,000 children under the age of three already vaccinated during the first five days of that effort. 

Meanwhile, our partners providing food assistance report that on Saturday, more than 1.3 million meals were distributed by more than two dozen partners through 195 kitchens. That includes over 180,000 meals distributed in northern Gaza and about 1.2 million in the Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates.

The UN and our partners also continue to provide general food assistance, reaching more than 64,000 households – that’s about 320,000 people – as of Saturday. 

GAZA 

We were asked yesterday about the adoption of the resolution on Gaza by the Security Council, and we said that it is an important step in the consolidation of the ceasefire, which the Secretary-General encourages all parties to abide by. 

It is essential now to translate the diplomatic momentum into concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground. The United Nations is committed to implementing the roles entrusted to it in the resolution, scaling up humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza and supporting all efforts to move the parties toward the next phase of the ceasefire.  

The Secretary-General underlines the importance of moving towards the second phase of the US plan, leading to a political process for the achievement of the two-State solution, in line with previous United Nations resolutions. 

SECURITY COUNCIL  

This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks virtually to the Security Council session on enhancing regional counter-terrorism cooperation in West Africa and the Sahel.   

He told council members that the security situation there is growing more critical by the day.  

Established groups expand their reach. Several coastal states are under threat and we face the risk of a disastrous domino effect across the entire region.  

According to the Global Terrorism Index, the Secretary-General said, five of the ten countries most affected by terrorism are in the Sahel.  

This violence and instability are unleashing massive suffering. 

He called for three areas of urgent action.  

First, he said, this regional crisis demands a regional response, one that is unified, coherent and consensus-based.   

Then, the Secretary-General added, humanitarian needs must be met. As the six humanitarian appeals in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin for 2025 remain severely underfunded, Mr. Guterres called on Member States to maintain strong financial support for humanitarian response plans in the region.  

And third — the Secretary-General appealed for a coherent development strategy to address the conditions that lead to terrorism taking hold in the first place.  

With coordinated efforts, political will, and the support of Member States and this Council, the Secretary-General said we can deliver the security, stability and opportunity that the people of West Africa and the Sahel need and deserve.  

SOUTH SUDAN 

In South Sudan, a mobile court supported by our mission (UNMISS) concluded its work today in Bunj, in Upper Nile state. The court delivered decisions on 28 serious criminal cases, including murder and sexual and gender-based violence.  

UNMISS says that the court convicted 23 people and released 22 others who had been wrongfully detained or had already served their sentences. Led by the country’s judiciary and the Ministry of Justice, the mobile court helped clear a major backlog caused by the absence of a high court judge in the area since 2021. With a permanent judge now deployed to Bunj, justice services are expected to continue.   

DEMOCRACTIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

And turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we join the head of our Peace Operations department, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, to welcome the signing of the Framework Agreement between the Government of the DRC and the AFC/M23, which establishes guiding principles towards peace.  

We also express our appreciation for the support of regional and international partners, in particular Qatar, the United States, the African Union and Togo.  

We encourage the parties to continue negotiations in good faith to translate these commitments into concrete progress on the ground. And, of course, our Peacekeeping Mission in the DRC remains fully committed to working alongside the Congolese people and authorities to support efforts towards lasting peace. 

NIGERIA 

Turning to Nigeria. We urge the swift release of 25 schoolgirls abducted following a reported attack on Monday on a girls’ school in northern Nigeria. 

In a statement, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed that this tragic incident is yet another stark reminder of the urgent need to protect children, schools and the personnel they rely upon to learn safely. 

UNICEF underscored that it continues to work with government partners, civil society and communities to strengthen child protection systems and promote safe, inclusive learning environments across Nigeria, but these systems must be enforced to prevent future tragedies.  

The agency also calls for those responsible for this incident to be held to account in accordance with national and international standards.   

HAITI  

From Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that people are fleeing their homes in the commune of Tabarre, in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, following armed attacks last week. 

According to the International Organization for Migration, attacks on November 13th and 14th forced more than 600 people from their homes. Most remain in Tabarre, hosted by local families. 

These incidents come as the security situation in the capital continues to deteriorate. Attacks in the residential areas of Thomassin and Fermathe – previously considered relatively safe – drove more than 1,800 to seek safety elsewhere. 

By the end of October, the number of people displaced by violence had reached 1.4 million – the highest level recorded in the country and up by more than a third from last year. 

With insecurity rising, we urge all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe, rapid, unhindered humanitarian access to every community in need. 

HUNGER CRISIS 

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned today of a deepening global hunger crisis, with 318 million people expected to face crisis-level hunger or worse next year, this is more than double the number in 2019.  

Despite rising needs, falling humanitarian funding means that WFP can assist only about one-third of those requiring support. In 2026, the agency aims to reach 110 million people at a cost of $13 billion but anticipates receiving barely half that amount.  

WFP is urging the international community to invest in proven solutions to stop the spread of hunger and get back on track in 2026 towards a world with zero hunger. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS 

Today is World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence. Children, especially girls, face heightened risks online, offline and in armed conflicts. These violations are grave human rights abuses, with lasting impacts on health and development. 

Today also marks the start of World Antimicrobial Resistance Week, which raises awareness of antimicrobial resistance and promotes global action against drug-resistant pathogens. This year’s theme is “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.”  

**BRIEFING 

At 12:45 p.m., there will be a briefing here organized by our good friends at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to launch the World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results. 

Speakers will be Bjørg Sandkjær, DESA’s Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination; along with John Wilmoth, whom you all know as DESA’s Director of the Population Division; and Sara Hertog, DESA’s Population Affairs Officer in DESA.