HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2025
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The United Nations condemns the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive which took place over the weekend across Gaza City, with scores of people reportedly killed or injured. This is having an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation.
We reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, and full respect for international law.
Yesterday, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said that in the previous four days alone, 10 of the agency’s buildings have been hit in Gaza City. This includes seven schools and two clinics used as shelters for thousands of displaced people. Consequently, Mr. Lazzarini warned that exhausted and terrified civilians are again being forced to leave northern Gaza.
People are fleeing using the Al Rashid Road, which is the only route available for movement to the south and is extremely congested.
Over the past few days, colleagues monitoring the movement of people in Gaza counted almost 70,000 displacements heading south, primarily to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. In the past month, partners observed about 150,000 movements from north to south.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that forced displacement from Gaza City exhausts families’ resources and disrupts their last lifelines. Without safe, sustained access, the risk of worsening hunger grows, especially for children.
Meanwhile, the cost of transportation to the south has increased, and many who cannot afford to pay as much as $1,600 to move are having to stay put.
Our partners report that one third of malnutrition treatment facilities in Gaza City have already shut down due to forced displacement orders. Today, the Ministry of Health said that three more people died due to malnutrition and starvation over a span of 24 hours. Overall, the Ministry reports that 425 people across Gaza have died due to malnutrition and starvation, about a third of them children.
Our partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene have scaled up water production and are distributing water at reception points. They have been able to increase the number of meals being provided in the past few days, distributing about 40,000 additional meals daily. Throughout Gaza as of Saturday, 558,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered by 20 partners through 116 kitchens.
However, health services continue to be heavily constrained, since clinics have suspended their services due to insecurity and displacement orders. In Deir al Balah, more than half of the ambulances are now out of service, with a very limited number of ambulances to serve thousands of people.
OCHA reports that humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue to face impediments. Yesterday, out of 17 missions that our teams coordinated with the Israeli authorities, only four were facilitated. Seven missions were denied, including the delivery of water tanks to the north. Another four missions were impeded on the ground but three of them were nevertheless accomplished, and these included the collection of fuel and food cargo from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem. Two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers.
OCHA continues to call for unimpeded humanitarian access. Aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into and within Gaza, including the north.
Additionally, our partners estimate that about 77 per cent of road networks in Gaza have been damaged, with Gaza and Khan Younis governorates worst affected.
SUDAN
The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Ramtane Lamamra, is currently in Port Sudan after concluding consultations in Nairobi. He has had very constructive engagements with Sudanese stakeholders across the spectrum, as well key interlocutors from the international community.
This will help lay the groundwork necessary to support an inclusive process that can deliver a sustainable solution that preserves Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
The UN looks forward to working closely with the UN’s regional partners, including the African Union, IGAD and the League of Arab States on the recommencement of efforts towards an intra-Sudanese dialogue.
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
On the ground in Sudan, the humanitarian situation continues to rapidly deteriorate in different parts of Sudan.
In El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, local sources report that heavy shelling and assaults late last week left at least six civilians dead and scores injured. The attacks also triggered further displacement.
Essential services in the city are collapsing amid ongoing hostilities and lack of funding. Over the weekend, water trucking to the only functional hospital was suspended, while community kitchens have shut down due to depleted food supplies. Without urgent support, the most vulnerable people face severe hunger and even more difficult conditions than those they are currently experiencing.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and flash floods continue to displace people, damage homes and disrupt lives. Last Friday alone, over 4,000 people were displaced and 550 houses destroyed in Al-Jazirah State. Many families still urgently need shelter and other basic assistance.
In the capital Khartoum, OCHA last week saw how local authorities have made progress in restoring basic services and improving security. However, more than 800,000 people who have returned to the city in recent months still need urgent support to rebuild their lives.
The UN once again calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and increased international support to sustain life-saving operations across Sudan.
YEMEN
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on Yemen.
Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for the country, said that in recent weeks he held discussions with Yemeni interlocutors, including from the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah. He also met with representatives of regional countries, as well as representatives of the broader international community. He emphasized in all his meetings the need for a nationwide ceasefire and an inclusive political process.
For his part, Tom Fletcher, our Humanitarian Chief, warned that before February next year, 1 million more people in Yemen are expected to be forced into extreme hunger, joining by this the 17 million Yemenis who have too little to eat, almost half the population of Yemen.
Funding shortages, he added, and an increasingly difficult operating environment, are preventing us from reaching enough of those in need.
Both officials stressed that the arbitrary detention by the Houthis of now 44 UN National staff, the forcible entry of our offices, and the seizure of equipment endanger our very ability to advance peace efforts and deliver humanitarian support to those in need.
UKRAINE
On Ukraine, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that that hostilities continued over the weekend there. Several civilians were killed and 40 injured in Donetsk between September 12th and today.
Local authorities also documented damage to nearly 190 civilian facilities in the region, including homes, schools and a hospital. Hostilities have also continued in other parts of Ukraine, damaging homes, farmland and other civilian infrastructure. Nearly 5,000 people remain without electricity in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The continuing violence has forced more than 2,700 people to flee their homes between 12 and 14 September. Humanitarian organizations are assisting evacuees at transit sites providing hot meals, psychosocial support and other emergency assistance before people move onwards to safer areas.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are telling us that we and our partners are supporting the Government-led response to the Ebola outbreak in the Kasai province.
Data indicates there has been a sustained increase in suspected cases. As of yesterday, the province has reported a total of 43 suspected cases and 35 confirmed cases, including 27 deaths. Among these fatalities, 16 have been confirmed as Ebola Virus Disease.
National health authorities are leading the response. Our partners working in health have facilitated the delivery of over 350 doses of the Ebola vaccine to the Bulape Health Zone, which remains in the epicenter.
They have also mobilized rapid response teams focusing on rapid case detection and surveillance, clinical case management, infection and prevention control, and risk communication and community engagement.
Our health partners are mobilizing to contain the outbreak, but gaps in medical supplies and logistical capacity are hindering the response.
Urgent funding for the Ebola response is still critical.
HAITI
The Secretary-General strongly condemned the reported killing of at least 40 people, including women, children and elderly, during a brutal attack by armed gangs in the Cabaret commune of Haiti's West Department. This happened during the night of 11 September. The Secretary-General expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the Government of Haiti.
The Secretary-General is alarmed by the levels of violence rocking Haiti and urges the Haitian authorities to ensure that perpetrators of these, and all other human rights abuses and violations, are brought to justice.
The Secretary-General calls on Member States to expedite efforts towards strengthening the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission with required logistics, personnel and funding to effectively assist the Haitian National Police in addressing gang violence in Haiti in full respect of international human rights law.
TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is in the Republic of Korea today and tomorrow. He will also travel to China from 16 to 19 September.
While in Seoul, Mr. Lacroix will meet with senior officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and other representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence. Discussions will focus on Korea’s important contributions to United Nations peacekeeping, as well as opportunities for future collaboration on peace and security, including in peacekeeping.
In Beijing, the Under-Secretary-General will participate in the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
He will also attend the 2025 Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, highlighting China’s ongoing contributions to UN policing and the importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing public security challenges.
AGREEMENT ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES
Today, in Geneva, on behalf of the Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, delivered a message at a special General Council meeting of the World Trade Organization. In the message, the Secretary-General welcomed today’s entry into force of the landmark WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
The Secretary-General said that the Agreement is a vital step in protecting our oceans and advancing sustainable development. He called on all to keep working to turn the tide, towards healthy oceans, resilient communities and a sustainable future for all.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
The Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) held its annual retreat on 11–12 September 2025 at UN Headquarters. The retreat produced a Statement on Open Science, urging greater sharing of research and data, stronger cooperation against misinformation, and expanded access for developing countries. It also warned that geopolitical tensions, financial pressures, and declining trust threaten international collaboration, and called on the UN and Member States to accelerate commitments under the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, the Pact for the Future, and the Global Digital Compact.
In close dialogue with the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, the Board agreed on its programme of work for the coming year and identified priority frontier science issues. The retreat also featured a high-level panel discussion hosted by Singapore and South Africa on strengthening multilateral responses to science misinformation, with participation from Member States, Board members, and science networks.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCRACY
Today is the International Day of Democracy. In his message, the Secretary-General says democracy is powered by the will of the people, their voices and their choices.
The UN Democracy Fund will host an event today at 3:00 p.m. here in the Goals Lounge to highlight how democratic participation can be transformed “From Voice to Action”. It will also be live streamed on UN Web TV.
**BRIEFINGS
Noon briefing guest today is Tom Fletcher, who as you know is the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Then, at 3:00 p.m., our friends from UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will be here to launch the Gender Snapshot 2025 report.
Tomorrow, the guest briefer will be the Secretary-General of the United Nations; he will be holding his annual pre-General Assembly press conference. That presser with the Secretary-General will be in person only. It will be at noon, and he will be on time.
