Noon briefing of 23 February 2026
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM,
MONDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2026
SECRETARY-GENERAL/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Today in Geneva, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the opening of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council. He said human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world, adding that the rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force.
This assault, he said, is not coming from the shadows, or by surprise. It is happening in plain sight – and often led by those who hold the greatest power.
He called on Member States and all those attending today’s session to not let the erosion of human rights become the accepted price of political expediency or geopolitical competition.
Do not let power write a new rulebook in which the vulnerable have no rights and the powerful have no limits, he added.
Later in the day, the Secretary-General addressed the High-Level Segment of the 2026 Session of the Conference on Disarmament. He said disarmament is not a luxury to be enjoyed only in times of peace. It is a means for preventing war, restoring and building trust, and saving lives.
While in Geneva, the Secretary-General also participated in an event hosted by the Vice President of the Swiss Federal Council, Ignazio Cassis, to mark the completion of the Portail des Nations building, the new visitor centre for the UN in Geneva.
Throughout the day, he also had bilateral meetings with leaders and ministers attending the opening of the Human Rights Council, as well as a meeting with a group of human rights nongovernmental organizations.
The Secretary-General’s travel was also impacted by the snow storm in New York and he is now expected back here tomorrow.
SOUTH SUDAN
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, continues his visit in South Sudan. Today, he met with President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior and several Government ministers. In the meetings, Mr. Fletcher advocated for peace, humanitarian access and the protection of civilians and aid workers.
On 20 February, Mr. Fletcher travelled to Malakal in Upper Nile State, where he met representatives of the 45,000 people living in protracted displacement at a former protection of civilians site, which is now under Government responsibility. At the Bulukat Transit Centre, he spoke to South Sudanese families forced to return due to the war in neighbouring Sudan. People told him they want peace and security – and urgent support to rebuild their lives with dignity.
On Saturday, Mr. Fletcher travelled to opposition-held Akobo town in Jonglei State, which now hosts some 42,000 internally displaced people who have fled the fighting in Nyirol, Uror, Nasir and Ulang counties. He visited Akobo County Hospital, where doctors are working around the clock to treat people injured by the fighting. He met an 18-month-old child and a 70-year-old grandmother with gunshot wounds, and stressed in a social media post that civilians should never be a target. He also made a stopover in Bor and met humanitarian staff who have been relocated from Ulang county in Upper Nile due to the deteriorating security situation.
In Juba yesterday, he engaged with the diplomatic corps and with NGO representatives and religious leaders, who called for peace and accountability, and urged the Government to do more.
SOUTH SUDAN/UNMISS
The UN Peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is deeply concerned by reports of the brutal killing of civilians in Ayod county, Jonglei State.
UNMISS stresses that such violence against civilians is unacceptable and must cease immediately. Additionally, it reminds all parties to adhere to their commitments under the Revitalized Peace Agreement, a message reinforced by the outcomes of the recent African Union Summit. The Mission calls for a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
It further warns against the use of inflammatory rhetoric and hate speech, which risk inciting further violence, and urges all stakeholders to act responsibly to restore calm.
The Mission continues to monitor the situation while engaging intensively with authorities and community leaders to ease tensions.
SUDAN
OCHA is alarmed by continuing reports of attacks in Sudan preventing supplies from reaching people in desperate need in the Kordofan region.
In recent days, authorities reported a strike on a convoy transporting food to Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan, with three civilians reportedly killed in the attack.
Needs in Kadugli and Dilling have reached catastrophic levels. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification recently classified Kadugli as in being in famine, warning of similar conditions in Dilling. Rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained access to both locations, and across the broader Kordofan region is critical.
In a press release last week, Médecins Sans Frontières says it treated nearly 170 patients for injuries relating to drone attacks over the first two weeks of February. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted over the weekend that five attacks on health care in Sudan have already been reported this year, killing 69 people and injuring 49.
OCHA reiterates its calls for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as for the parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.
OCCUPIED PALEXTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, since 18 February, our partners leading on emergency shelter assistance have reached more than 7,700 families with tents, tarpaulins, sealing-off kits, mattresses, kitchen utensils, clothes and vouchers.
Partners reiterate the urgent need to transition to longer-term housing solutions to protect displaced families from the elements and restore privacy and dignity, as emergency shelter materials provide only temporary protection.
Education partners continue to enhance learning spaces. In the past two weeks alone, they have expanded or improved 160 temporary learning sites, reaching approximately 100,000 children.
The entry into Gaza of most learning materials remains restricted, delaying efforts for children to continue their education. Students with disabilities face even greater barriers, as assistive devices are largely being prevented from getting in.
Humanitarian operations, which require coordination with Israeli authorities, continue in Gaza. Between 20-22 February, the UN coordinated 20 operations to pick up food, fuel, hygiene kits, medical supplies and other items from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Zikim crossings, carry out medical evacuations through Rafah, and support people returning home.
LEBANON
Under-Secretary-General Vanessa Frazier, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), completed an official two-day visit to Lebanon. This visit marked a significant step in advancing engagement on the children and armed conflict agenda in the country.
During her visit, she met with the Minister of Social Affairs and senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside UN partners, civil society, the diplomatic and donor community.
The visit aimed to reinforce partnership and identify opportunities for sustained collaborations in addressing child protection concerns. She called for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) and the endorsements of political commitments such as the Paris and Vancouver Principles as well as the Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas Declaration.
UKRAINE
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that over the past three days, continued attacks across Ukraine have caused civilian casualties and further damaged homes and energy infrastructure. Between 20 February and this morning, authorities report that nearly 20 civilians were killed and 90 injured, including 10 children.
Homes, schools, a church and critical infrastructure were damaged, along with energy infrastructure, leaving thousands more people without electricity and heating. Health and education facilities have not been spared. Since February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified more than 2,880 attacks on health care in Ukraine, while over 1,700 education facilities have been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Humanitarian organizations mobilized emergency shelter, hot meals, psychosocial support and cash assistance. Meanwhile, OCHA says that evacuations continue with nearly 860 people, including more than 280 children, having recently been moved from front-line communities in the Donetsk region.
AFGHANISTAN
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today said that it has received credible reports of civilian casualties as a result of overnight airstrikes carried out by Pakistan inside Afghanistan late on 21 February and into the early hours of 22 February.
UNAMA noted that Pakistani military forces conducted airstrikes in Behsud and Khogyani districts in Nangarhar province. Preliminary civilian casualty figures indicate at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others injured, including women and children.
The UN Mission said that Pakistani military forces also conducted airstrikes in Barmal and Urgun districts in Paktika province. No civilian casualties have been reported in these districts so far.
UNAMA calls on all parties to bring a lasting end to hostilities to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life and injury, and reminds all parties of their obligations under international law to comply with the key principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to prevent civilian casualties.
MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE/MIGRANTS
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today said that at least 30 migrants are feared dead or missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Greece in severe weather on Saturday while attempting to reach the country. Twenty people were rescued, including four minors. The vessel had departed from Tobruk, Libya, on 19 February and overturned about 20 nautical miles south of Kali Limenes, Crete.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, just two months into 2026, at least 606 migrants have already been reported dead or missing along the Mediterranean route. This marks the deadliest start to a year in the Mediterranean since IOM began recording such data in 2014.
The International Organization for Migration is calling for increased search and rescue efforts in the Central Mediterranean to save lives and ensure safe disembarkation, as well as for stronger regional cooperation.
IOM warns that trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along the Central Mediterranean route, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to severe abuse and protection risks. IOM stresses that stronger international cooperation and protection-centred responses are key to tackling these criminal networks and expanding safe and regular pathways to reduce risks and save lives.