Noon briefing of 3 November 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2025

SECRETARY-GENERAL/SOCIAL SUMMIT   

The Secretary-General arrived in Doha a few hours ago; tomorrow, he will open the Second World Social Summit there.  

Today, he met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar.  During the meeting, the Secretary-General thanked Qatar for hosting this landmark event.  The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed several regional issues, including the situation in Gaza. He thanked the Prime Minister for his decisive engagement for personally facilitating the recent ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. The Secretary-General underlined the need to establish a political horizon towards a negotiated two-State solution. 

 SECRETARY-GENERAL/C40 WORLD MAYORS SUMMIT  

Also today, the Secretary-General addressed via a video message the C40 World Mayors Summit, which is taking place in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. He noted that ten years after Paris, a new clean energy economy has emerged.  

The Secretary-General pointed out that continuing to invest in fossil fuels is a dead end, but the task before us remains immense. He stressed that COP30 must mark the start of a decade of acceleration, and deliver a clear plan to close the gaps on ambition, adaptation, and finance. 

The Secretary-General stressed that local leadership will be the force that turns this plan to life. He noted that a decade ago, bold leadership gave us the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Today, he added, we must summon that same courage and solidarity – to make the clean energy revolution the engine of climate justice. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the ongoing scale-up of the aid response is already having a positive impact on people in all areas of the Strip. But much more is needed so that we can address the full scale of the needs and leave no one behind.  

This Saturday, the UN and our partners collected nearly 200 truckloads of essential supplies from Israeli crossings along the perimeter fence that encircles Gaza. Among the supplies were nearly 1,900 metric tonnes of different food supplies and wheat flour and over 100 pallets of food boxes. The supplies also included over 1,000 pallets of mattresses, blankets, tents, tarpaulins and winter clothes. And they included nearly 300 pallets full of hygiene kits, buckets, water containers, and jerry cans; 50 pallets of fortified cereals; and some 200 pallets of dignity kits, menstrual health kits, and midwifery supplies.  

On Sunday – based on initial data that’s still partial – our teams collected nearly 1,000 pallets of blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water tanks, mats, winter clothes, tarpaulins and jerry cans, alongside one truckload of animal fodder.  

All of this data is preliminary, and it covers the UN and our partners but does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.  

Inside Gaza, the UN and our partners are currently supporting 17 bakeries in Gaza – nine in the south and eight in the north, which produce 150,000 bread bundles every day. That’s as of Thursday. These bread bundles are distributed through more than 400 points across the Gaza Strip. We’re also supporting 180 kitchens serving nearly 1,160,000 meals every day. This is as of Saturday. And all of this is in addition to the distribution of food parcels.  

On the nutrition front, we are currently supporting 133 treatment sites, including 20 in Gaza City, where famine was confirmed in August.                                     

We’re also improving services that prevent malnutrition, including by providing blanket supplementary feeding.  

On Saturday and Sunday, our teams also delivered 1,000 tarpaulins and 2,500 blankets to people in need.  

Since the ceasefire, the UN Population Fund has supported an estimated 90,000 women and girls with reproductive health and hygiene items. This includes the distribution of medical equipment and supplies to 13 health facilities across the Strip, including incubators and surgery equipment. UNFPA has also distributed thousands of post-partum kits and dignity kits to women and girls.  

Meanwhile, renovation is ongoing in four schools, and, over the past three days, the UN and our partners have supported the reopening of five temporary learning spaces in Gaza City.   

On Friday, the United Nations Satellite Centre published a new comprehensive assessment indicating that some 81 per cent of all structures in the Gaza Strip are damaged. Northern Gaza experienced the largest increases in damage since July 2025, with nearly 5,700 newly affected structures. Overall, more than 123,000 structures across the Strip have been identified as destroyed, another 50,000 are severely or moderately damaged, and 24,000 are possibly damaged. That’s nearly 200,000 affected structures in total.  

SUDAN 

Turning to Sudan, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, continues to warn of ongoing violence against civilians – including women and children – in and around El Fasher, following the Rapid Support Forces’ takeover of North Darfur’s state capital last week. 

We continue to receive credible reports of summary executions and sexual violence. And more than a week after the takeover, the city remains barricaded, and civilians are unable to leave. 

Hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers, have reportedly been killed, while large numbers remain trapped inside the city with little or no communication to the outside world. The delivery of life-saving assistance remains blocked by the RSF, contrary to its obligation under international humanitarian law to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of such relief. OCHA stresses that this obstruction is unacceptable and calls for immediate and unhindered access to the people trapped in El Fasher. An immediate cessation of hostilities is crucial to ensure the protection of civilians. 

The International Organization for Migration reports that nearly 71,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since October 26th, most towards the locality of Tawila, where camps are already overcrowded. Many new arrivals have reported killings, abductions and sexual violence along the way. 

Conditions in Tawila are dire: Families are living in the open or in makeshift shelters, food stocks are running out, and clean water is scarce. We and our partners are providing emergency assistance – including daily meals, healthcare, water, sanitation, nutrition and psychosocial support – but these efforts cover only a fraction of the needs due to funding constraints.               

Meanwhile, in Sudan’s Kordofan region, violence has also sharply escalated, triggering large-scale displacement and civilian suffering. In North Kordofan State, grave violations – including the alleged summary execution of civilians – have been reported in the locality of Bara. 

IOM reports that between October 26th and 31st, about 37,000 people were displaced from Bara, Um Rawaba and surrounding villages, many fleeing towards Sheikan and White Nile State. Civilians face mounting insecurity, food shortages, and the destruction of basic infrastructure. 

In South Kordofan State, UNICEF said yesterday that at least eight children were reportedly killed and three others injured after missile strikes hit displacement shelters last Friday [October 31st]. The reported strikes on these sites in the state capital Kadugli underscore the grave risks facing civilians. Continued fighting has displaced about 400 people from Abassiya and Delami towns. Families are sheltering in makeshift locations with little access to food, water or healthcare. 

Once again, OCHA calls for urgent, flexible funding to support the millions of people caught in Sudan’s devastating conflict.  

With just two months left in the year, the 2025 humanitarian response plan for Sudan is only 28 per cent funded in the face of overwhelming needs – with $1.17 billion received to date of the $4.16 billion required.  

TANZANIA  

Over the weekend, we issued a statement on the Secretary-General’s deep concern at the situation in the United Republic of Tanzania following the general elections of 29 October, including reports of deaths and injuries during demonstrations. He deplores the loss of life and extends his condolences to the families of the victims. 

He underscores the critical importance of safeguarding fundamental rights, notably the right of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression including access to information. He calls for a thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of excessive use of force. 

AFGHANISTAN 

Turning to Afghanistan, the UN and our humanitarian partners are closely monitoring the situation following reports of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit near Mazar-e-Sharif, in Balkh province, in the country’s north last night. Initial reports estimate that 20 people have been killed and over 900 injured, with many homes reportedly destroyed.  

The UN is working with local and national disaster management authorities to assess the situation and coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.  

Even prior to this earthquake, people in the region were already experiencing drought and limited basic services following the return of over two million people to Afghanistan this year, as well as chronic poverty.  

The UN continues to call for support to address humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Our appeal remains severely underfunded, with just over a third of the $2.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan funded, leaving a gap of more than $1.5 billion.   

HURRICANE MELISSA  

Over the weekend, we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General said that he had spoken by telephone with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, to express his solidarity with the Government and people of Jamaica as they deal with the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. The Secretary-General emphasized that international support is crucial at this time, and called for the mobilization of massive resources to deal with the loss and damage from the hurricane.  

Our humanitarian colleagues note that the Central Emergency Response Fund has released $4 million to scale up the response. The funds will focus on providing support in the areas of food, health, water, shelter, logistics, and sanitation and hygiene.  

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that logistics continue to pose major challenges, with debris and destroyed roads blocking access to some affected areas. Assessments are continuing, and OCHA is coordinating information management efforts. More members of a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination arrived today, joining others who reached Jamaica yesterday.  

The World Food Programme, with support from local residents, is setting up a mobile storage unit on the grounds of a church in the town of Santa Cruz in Saint Elisabeth Parish. The site will serve as a staging point for supplies moving to the west of the country. 

Turning to Cuba, the UN has finalized an emergency action plan, focusing on the eastern part of the island, which was severely impacted by the hurricane. We will share with you more details on the plan tomorrow.  

In the meantime, we, along with our partners continue to support the response. Nearly 300 heath facilities and 600 schools have been significantly damaged, and some 25,000 people remain in shelters. Electricity, running water and the availability of medicine are critical concerns. 

UNICEF has dispatched kits with medical supplies for 90,000 people. The kits include critical medicine, medical supplies, mosquito nets and oral rehydration salts, which are critical for preventing vector-borne diseases and treating dehydration among children. WFP is also providing food assistance to 180,000 people.   

HAITI 

We have an update on our work in Haiti, where over the weekend, a Technical Assessment Mission for the UN Support Office in Haiti was completed.  

You will recall that the Support Office was authorized by the Security Council in resolution 2793, adopted on 30 September. As you can imagine, the purpose of this assessment mission was to move forward with this process and to validate the mission support concept for the establishment of the UN Support Office.  

A team of technical experts and planners from the Department of Operational Support - including engineering, procurement, logistics, telecommunications, together with our security colleagues [DSS], travelled to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  

The team, alongside representatives from the departments of Peace Operations and Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, also went to Washington D.C. to work with key interlocutors.  

Throughout the mission, the team met with a variety of stakeholders to prepare for the transition of support. This included Haitian authorities, the UN Country Team and our political mission in Haiti – BINUH. They also met with Dominican Republic authorities, current contractors, the Organization of American States and member states who are supporting Haiti.  

Immediately following the adoption of the Security Council resolution in September, the Department of Operational Support initiated its operational planning across all mandated areas to assume responsibility for full logistical support to the Gang Suppression Force by the end of March next year – and to meet the 6-month timeline of the mandate.                              

Planning and delivery for the UN Support Office will be undertaken with strong coordination and cooperation across the UN system, also in line with the Security Council Resolution.  

UKRAINE 

From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that attacks and hostilities continued over the weekend, with more reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. 

According to authorities, at least 24 civilians were killed and another 84 injured, including children, between November 1st and this morning.  The most affected areas include the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa. 

The attacks also damaged schools, railway and energy infrastructure, as well as residential buildings, disrupting access to electricity and heating.  

Meanwhile, the security situation continues to deteriorate in the front-line town of Pokrovsk and surrounding areas in the region of Donetsk. As of the end of October, more than 1,200 civilians remain in the town, which has become the epicentre of hostilities in the region. Authorities report that evacuations are currently impossible due to ongoing hostilities. 

Between October 31st and November 2nd, around 500 people were evacuated from Donetsk region, according to humanitarians on the ground. More than 200,000 people, including over 13,000 children, remain in the region, according to the authorities.   

Between January and September, our humanitarian partners provided vital help to more than 300,000 people in the region of Donetsk. Around 150 organizations delivered food assistance, emergency water supply, and repaired water and wastewater systems. In addition, some 40,000 people, including older residents and those with disabilities, received transportation and evacuation support. 

LAND DEGRADATION  

The Food and Agriculture Organization today released a report showing that approximately 1.7 billion people live in areas where crop yields are falling because of human-induced land degradation. FAO warns that this is a pervasive and silent crisis that is undermining agricultural productivity and threatening ecosystem health worldwide.  

Yet, the State of Food and Agriculture report also offers hope: reversing just 10 per cent of human-induced degradation on existing croplands could restore enough production to feed an additional 154 million people every year. To achieve this, the report calls for integrated land-use strategies and policy interventions - including regulatory measures like deforestation controls and incentive-based programs.    

MARATHON 

The Deputy Spokesman flagged two colleagues who ran in the New York marathon yesterday.

The first is Duncan Nyasinga – one of our security colleagues. He finished with a time of 2 hours 36 minutes and 16 seconds. He finished 269th out of over 59,000 runners and he was the 6th Kenyan man to finish the race. 

We also want to flag our colleague Alix Genetay, one of the Secretary-General’s Special Assistants. She ran her first marathon yesterday and finished in less than 5 hours. 

Congratulations to both of them, and to all our other colleagues - and runners - who took part in this great event yesterday. 

**Briefings today and tomorrow  

At 1:00 p.m., Ambassador Michael Imran Kanu, the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, the President of the Security Council for the month of November, briefed reporters on the Programme of Work for November. 

 And, tomorrow, we will have guests from the World Food Programme (WFP) join us virtually to brief on hurricane Melissa. WFP’s Country Director for their Multi-Country Caribbean Office, Brian Bogart and WFP’s Country Director in Cuba, Etienne Labande, will brief on the impact of the hurricane and WFP’s response and operations to support those affected.