Noon briefing of 19 November 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

WEDNESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2025

SECRETARY-GENERAL/COP30 

Today, the Secretary-General is in Belém, where he is attending the COP30 summit. This morning, he participated in a European Union Coordination meeting and also met with the Ministers from a group of African nations. 

Also, this morning, in a meeting with representatives of civil society, the Secretary-General thanked civil society for its leadership, vigilance and moral clarity, noting that their work is indispensable in driving ambition, as well as protecting communities and holding decision-makers to account. 

Later on, in a meeting with indigenous peoples, the Secretary-General underscored that the ancestral wisdom, knowledge, and stewardship of indigenous peoples are vital for the planet's survival. He said their voices and effective participation must shape the global response to the climate crisis.                                                                                                    

This afternoon and tomorrow morning, he will continue meeting with other negotiators and Ministers and different groups. He is also expected to speak to the media tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Belém time, which is about 9:00 a.m. in the morning here in New York, and that will be webcast. 

Also to flag that yesterday afternoon, apart from engaging with youth representatives, Mr. Guterres met with the so-called Umbrella Group, which is formed by a diverse group of non-EU developed countries. He also had a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities of Denmark, Lars Aagaard Møller, and the European Union Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra.  

UKRAINE 

Turning to Ukraine, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the latest overnight missile and drone attacks by the Russian Federation on several Ukrainian regions, that reportedly killed at least twenty-five people, including children and injuring several dozen others in two residential areas in Ternopil in western Ukraine.  

Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable, wherever they occur, and they must end immediately.  

Today's appalling attack – one of the deadliest against civilians since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly four years ago – once again underlines the urgency of a full and unconditional ceasefire in this country, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, its independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, in line with the United Nations Charter, international law and relevant resolutions of the United Nations.  

Our Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, is in Ukraine, she is in Kyiv today. She said that she herself was appalled by the overnight attacks. 

Ms. DiCarlo is wrapping up a three-day visit to Ukraine and today, she met with Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The discussions centered on how the United Nations can further support efforts towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and assist the country in addressing its complex needs amid the war. The Under-Secretary-General said that strengthening recovery, social cohesion and the role of women in public life remain shared priorities. 

She also addressed the Fourth International Food Summit in Kyiv today, highlighting the war’s devastating impact on the global food supply and our own efforts to advocate for safe navigation in the Black Sea. Her full remarks are available on the website of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. 

For his part, our Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, also strongly condemned the latest wave of attacks overnight, and his statement is online.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the humanitarian situation remains extremely dire, despite ongoing efforts by the UN and our partners to reach people in need wherever they may be.   

We continue to carry out assessments and provide assistance to families impacted by the rainstorm that hit Gaza last week. According to the latest estimate, over 18,600 households were impacted, and thousands of people lost their shelters, had their belongings damaged or were displaced yet again. This number continues to increase as partners complete additional assessments to gauge the extent of the damage caused by the storm.   

With winter drawing near, our partners working on shelter warn that the volume of items entering Gaza is not sufficient to meet the immense needs of the people there.  

Since the start of September – when shelter supplies were allowed to enter Gaza again following a six-month ban – we and our partners and Member States have been able to bring in fewer than 60,000 tents, 346,000 tarpaulins and 309,000 bedding items. This is at a time when hundreds of thousands of people require urgent shelter support, especially given the approaching winter.   

As part of the ongoing winterization response, our partners focusing on child protection have distributed 48,000 children’s winter clothing kits across Gaza since the ceasefire took effect.   

Meanwhile, our partners leading on water and sanitation report that in the past two days, they have managed to distribute diapers, towels, jerry cans and other critical items to meet the hygiene needs of some 400,000 people.   

However, they warn that sanitation and hygiene conditions in Gaza are deplorable, with no wastewater treatment capacity in the Strip due to widespread destruction of infrastructure after two years of conflict.   

In northern Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan ponds in Jabalya are once again at risk of overflowing, with partners only able to provide short-term solutions by draining the sewage into the sea. The dilapidated state of Gaza’s sanitation systems puts public health at risk, including by raising the threat of bacterial infections spreading through contact with contaminated water or waste.   

Meanwhile, our partners working on nutrition note a gradual decline in the number of patients admitted for malnutrition treatment over the past two months, with about 9,280 cases admitted in October, compared to over 11,740 in September. However, last month’s numbers are nearly four times higher than what they were in January, during the previous ceasefire. 

OCHA continues to call for items that are currently restricted from entry into Gaza, including equipment to rehabilitate critical infrastructure, to be allowed into the Strip. They also reiterate the need for NGOs to be permitted to bring in assistance into Gaza, and for the opening of additional crossings into and routes inside Gaza to enable us and our partners to reach people in need faster and in a more efficient manner.    

SYRIA 

This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on Syria. They heard from Najat Rochdi,  the Deputy Special Envoy for Syria. She briefed via videoconference from Oslo, where she is attending a Senior Officials meeting on Syria, hosted by the European Union and Norway. She said her recent visit to Damascus, including talks with Foreign Minister Shaibani, underscored the scale of challenges and the need for an inclusive political transition. 

Noting that the Foreign Minister reaffirmed support for implementing the 10 March agreement between the authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces, she stressed the need for concrete mechanisms to advance military and political integration of the SDF. Ms. Rochdi urged all parties to take tangible steps forward, particularly confidence-building measures on detainees and abductees and restoring state services throughout Syria.       

For her part, Lisa Doughten, the Director of Financing and Outreach division at OCHA, told Council members that more than 1.2 million refugees have now returned from neighbouring countries since last December. More than 1.9 million people who were still displaced internally have also returned. But these people still need support to reestablish their lives. 

She said we and our partners reach 3.4 million people monthly, but the Syria appeal is only 26 per cent funded, forcing gaps and cuts in essential assistance.  

YEMEN 

Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy for Yemen, is in Muscat today to review recent developments and advance progress in the UN-led mediation efforts in Yemen. 

He held discussions with Sheikh Khalifa Ali Issa Al-Harthy, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs for Oman, and other senior Omani officials.  

Mr. Grundberg also met with Mohamed Abdel Salam, the Houthis’ Chief Negotiator. Talks focused on the need for a conducive environment for a meaningful and inclusive political process.  

During his meetings, the Special Envoy reiterated our continued efforts to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all of our colleagues, that is about 59 of them who remain arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Yemen. 

 ABYEI 

UNISFA, the peacekeeping mission in Abyei, is reporting that over the past two months, there has been an escalation in drone attacks and sightings in and around Kadugli.  

One attack struck a site for displaced people in Kulpa and resulted in six fatalities. This site is located about 25 kilometres from the logistics base of the peacekeeping mission’s Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism in Kadugli. Drone strikes were also reported in the Heglig oil producing area North of Abyei. 

These attacks, which have resulted in deaths, injuries, civilian displacement as well as destruction of property, are likely to further isolate Kadugli, escalating the humanitarian crisis and threatening the delivery of humanitarian aid to the area.  

Our peacekeepers are concerned and call on all those responsible to cease hostilities, ensure the safety of civilians and adhere to international law.  

LIBYA 

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya welcomes the agreement on the Unified Development Programme announced yesterday by the Central Bank Governor. The agreement, signed by delegates of the House Representatives and the High Council of State, is intended to strengthen financial stability through implementing expenditure controls and advancing unified development. 

UNSMIL also welcomes the role of the Central Bank of Libya in supporting the implementation of the agreement to ensure that development funding is guided by sound financial planning and transparent fiscal procedures.  

This agreement should be considered a first step. Continued dialogue is needed to achieve a unified national budget and advance efforts to unify state institutions. The Mission emphasises that progress on financial governance must be anchored in institutional cooperation.                                               

WORLD TOILET DAY 

Today is World Toilet Day. This year’s theme is “Sanitation in a changing world”.  

Today, billions of people still lack safe toilets, with the poorest people most affected.  

In his message, the Secretary-General says that access to a toilet is a matter of rights and survival, and for millions of women and girls, the lack of secure toilets means missed work and school. 

This World Toilet Day, we call for faster progress toward future-ready sanitation systems that are accessible, climate-resilient, low-emission; and well-funded.