Noon briefing of 22 December 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

MONDAY, 22 DECEMBER 2025

SUDAN 

The Security Council will hold an open briefing on Sudan. Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations, Khaled Khiari, and the Director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division, Edem Wosornu, will brief the Council. 

The UN is deeply concerned by the escalating violence that is placing civilians at extreme risk and triggering new waves of displacement, particularly in the Kordofan region. 

OCHA says that in South Kordofan State, displacement has increased sharply in recent days. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that on Friday, heightened insecurity drove nearly 500 people to flee villages in the locality of Reif Shargi and seek refuge in Kadugli and surrounding areas, as well as in North Kordofan State. 

Displacement into White Nile State is also rising, with more than 15,000 people arriving from the Kordofan region since late October, according to local authorities. 

In eastern Sudan, local authorities yesterday reported the arrival of some 400 people in Gedaref town from Babanusa and Heglig towns in West Kordofan State. While community kitchens have provided immediate food support, shelter assistance is urgently needed, particularly as further arrivals are expected. 

Meanwhile, in the Darfur region, the IOM estimates that more than 107,000 people were displaced from North Darfur’s state capital, El Fasher, and surrounding villages between late October that’s when the Rapid Support Forces took control of the city, and early December. Many had already been displaced multiple times after fleeing camps such as Zamzam and Abu Shouk. 

Our partners also report that last week, more than 2,500 people displaced from El Fasher and surrounding areas arrived in the locality of Sheria, in South Darfur State. These newly arrived families urgently need food, essential relief items and health services. 

Civilians in the Darfur region continue to face deadly violence. On Saturday, a drone strike reportedly hit a busy market in Al Malha, North Darfur State, killing at least 10 people, according to first responders.  

This violence is part of a broader pattern that continues to devastate Sudan’s health system. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that attacks on healthcare facilities have reached alarming levels.  

In 2025 alone, 65 such attacks in Sudan have caused more than 1,600 deaths, accounting for over 80 per cent of all global deaths from attacks on healthcare in complex emergencies this year. 

As the year draws to a close, we continue to urge all parties to immediately halt attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, uphold international humanitarian law and ensure safe, unhindered humanitarian access, so the year ahead is not marked by the same misery. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that humanitarians continue to deliver assistance to help the most vulnerable families endure the dire situation on the ground, especially during this cold and wet season. 

Over the past 24 hours, and despite the ceasefire, the UN has continued to receive reports of air strikes, shelling and gunfire in all five governorates of the Gaza Strip. This has resulted in reported casualties and disruptions to humanitarian operations. Yesterday, a rescue mission to reach an injured person in Gaza City was denied.   

Amid the severe lack of shelter across the Strip, people are staying in buildings that are either partially or mostly damaged as they try to protect their families from the elements.  

Our partners in Gaza said that over the weekend, several buildings collapsed due to stormy conditions, with casualties reported.   

A reminder that three quarters of women-headed households urgently need shelter support, and two thirds urgently need clothing, that's according to the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group.  

Our partners continue to work to improve access to dignified shelter for the estimated 1.3 million people who require it. In the past week, about 3,500 families affected by storms or living in flood-prone areas received tents, bedding sets, mattresses and blankets. Additionally, more than 250,000 children received winter clothing.  However, our partners estimate that 630,000 adolescents across the Strip still need winter clothing assistance.                        

The UN and our partners call once again for the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, including shelter material, as these constraints hinder humanitarian efforts to reach people in need.  

Meanwhile, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to coordinate humanitarian missions within Gaza. OCHA reports that yesterday, half of such attempts were facilitated by Israeli authorities.  

Through these missions, humanitarian teams collected six full tankers of fuel, more than 270 pallets of medical supplies, and other essential food items from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Zikim crossings.     

UKRAINE 

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that hostilities in Ukraine this weekend resulted in more civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure.   

Between Friday and early this morning, authorities report more than a dozen civilians were killed and over 70 others injured, including two children. Basic services’ disruptions were reported in over 270 towns and villages.  

The region of Odesa is particularly impacted and experiencing nearly daily attacks. On Friday, an overnight attack targeting port infrastructure killed eight civilians and injured 27 others, according to authorities. Repeated strikes also caused power outage affecting dozens of thousands of people.  

The regions of Dnipro, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv also sustained attacks on their energy infrastructure, with hundreds of thousands of people affected. A health facility and a school were also damaged in the attacks. Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia also suffered casualties. 

Authorities also report that a warehouse storing humanitarian aid was damaged in the Mykolaiv region following an attack on Saturday.  

Meanwhile, evacuations from front-line and border areas continue. In Sumy region, over the last three days, around 40 people were evacuated to safer areas. In the Donetsk region, nearly 330 civilians, including 50 children, were evacuated.  

Since 1 June, nearly 150,000 people have been evacuated from front-line areas, including more than 16,500 children and over 5,000 people with limited mobility.     

Humanitarians reached more than 700,000 people near the front line with aid in the first 11 months of 2025. However, funding gaps persist, leaving more than one million people without safe water and limiting access to protection and gender-based violence services in these high-risk areas.  

This year’s $2.6 billion appeal for Ukraine is only half funded, at nearly $1.4 billion. 

MYANMAR  

Julie Bishop, the UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, says her office engages with all stakeholders relevant to the situation in Myanmar, including regional countries, Security Council and General Assembly members. As a part of this effort, she recently visited Myanmar for a third time and met again with the Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.  

In her engagements the Special Envoy continues to reiterate the urgent need for a cessation of violence to enable humanitarian response and recovery and protection of civilians and underscores the need to keep Myanmar on the global agenda and provide sustained support toward a Myanmar-led sustainable, inclusive and peaceful solution to the protracted crisis. 

SOMALIA 

From Somalia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that drought continues to impact millions of people across the country. Authorities estimate that more than 4.6 million people, or around a quarter of the population in Somalia, are impacted. 

Our partners indicate that at least 120,000 people were displaced between September and December, as water prices soar, food becomes increasingly scarce, livestock die and livelihoods collapse. Education has also been severely affected, with more than 75,000 students forced to drop out of school nationwide. 

The upcoming dry season between January and March is expected to make drought conditions worse. Increased water scarcity and higher livestock mortality are anticipated, potentially intensifying food insecurity in many parts of the country.  

The situation is also likely to drive more people from their homes toward urban areas and displacement sites, where living conditions and livelihood opportunities are already extremely limited. 

Authorities are appealing for urgent assistance to avert a possible collapse of pastoral and farming livelihoods and to prevent avoidable loss of life. They warn that the next four months will be critical, as the next rainy season is not expected until April 2026. 

The UN and its humanitarian partners are mobilized, supporting assessments, mapping available supply stocks, and coordinating emergency responses across water, food, nutrition, health and shelter sectors. The UN partners are also providing cash assistance, animal fodder and rehabilitating boreholes, as they visit field locations to assess the severity of the situation and review resources for early action.  

However, these efforts are severely constrained by significant funding shortfalls. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund allocated USD 10 million at the end of November, but substantially more support is urgently needed. The $1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for this year is only 26 per cent funded, with $370 million received. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION  

Timor-Leste paid its full dues to the Regular Budget. Timor-Leste’s payment brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 149.                                    

**Scheduling 

Noon briefings will be suspended from tomorrow onwards until the first Monday of January, which is the 5th.