Noon briefing of 23 October 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2026

BRIEFINGS ON MONDAY

Briefing guests on Monday will be Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Sarah Hendricks, the Director of Policy Program in Intergovernmental Divisions at UN Women.

They will brief on the Secretary-General's annual report on women, peace, and security. 

At 1 p.m., there will also be a briefing by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. Erik Møse, the Chair, will brief virtually from Oslo, and Pablo de Greiff from Colombia will brief in person.

EGYPT

The Secretary-General is leaving for Egypt today and is expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday morning. On Monday, he will meet with Egyptian leaders, including the President and the Foreign Minister, as well as the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. He will also deliver an address to students at Cairo University.

JORDAN

A statement is expected on the church attack in Jordan. In the meantime, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a funeral service at the church in Hmoud, Jordan, which reportedly left seven people dead and many more injured.

The Secretary-General expresses his deep condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to all those injured.

An attack not only on a place of worship but also during a funeral procession is especially heinous. The Secretary-General also calls for all those responsible to be found and held to account.

UKRAINE

In Ukraine, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to reach frontline communities despite continued attacks.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that two inter-agency convoys delivered food, clothes, hygiene supplies, winter kits and other essential supplies to frontline communities in the regions of Kherson and Dnipro today.

Meanwhile, authorities report that civilians, including children, were killed and injured in attacks across Ukraine between yesterday and this morning.

Energy infrastructure also came under attack, leaving half a million people without electricity across several regions. A power plant suspended operations after sustaining significant damage. Humanitarian colleagues also report that an attack on Kharkiv yesterday damaged vehicles and a generator belonging to an NGO.

Nearly two-thirds of the more than 250 humanitarian access incidents recorded between January and August involved violence against aid workers, their assets and their facilities.

YEMEN

Turning to Yemen, humanitarian partners say that more than 256,000 people have now been forced from their homes since the start of the fighting in August. The fighting is continuing, and further displacement is expected.

The UN Refugee Agency says that shelter is the most pressing need among newly displaced families, followed by food and cash assistance.

Across five governorates, more than 2,000 displaced families do not have shelter. In Taiz, the World Health Organization warns that shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicines and medical supplies are threatening life-saving services. In Taiz City alone, 42 health facilities are facing acute shortages, putting emergency surgery, dialysis, intensive care and services for patients, including maternal and newborn care, at increasing risk.

Despite severe access restrictions, UN humanitarian partners are working to keep essential services going. Since August, they have reached more than 188,000 displaced people and three in five displaced households with some form of support, including food, hygiene supplies and emergency cash.

WHO says emergency medicines have reached Al Thawra Hospital, a major hospital in Taiz, while additional medical supplies are still waiting in Aden to be delivered to conflict-affected areas as soon as access becomes available.

Safe, unhindered and rapid humanitarian access is needed for all those who depend on the UN and its humanitarian partners for life-saving assistance.

ETHIOPIA

And on Ethiopia, on a more positive note, more aid continues to arrive in the northern part of the country. Food assistance is reaching tens of thousands of people affected by conflict and El Nino-related impacts across the northern regions.

But humanitarian needs continue to outpace ongoing response, making additional resources and sustained access essential. In the Tigray region, our humanitarian partners report several incidents of drone strikes impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure. This includes a strike that hit a local NGO's humanitarian warehouse on Wednesday.

The extent of the damage, the loss of humanitarian supplies is still being assessed. Multiple drone strikes were also reported between the 15th and the 21st of October in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. That's what our local humanitarian partners are telling us.

Reports indicate that strikes killed and injured several civilians, including children. Schools were also damaged. It goes without saying that in this conflict, as any other, the parties must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure as dictated by International Humanitarian Law.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where, on top of the Ebola outbreak, the country is now dealing with cholera. The UN and its partners are supporting response efforts as cholera spreads in the eastern part of the DRC, with more than 55,000 suspected cases recorded between the start of the year and October. The situation is especially concerning in Tanganyika Province, in the southeastern part of the country, where more than 6,300 cases have been recorded since January.

The province has also recorded one of the highest death rates from cholera. In the provincial capital of Kalemie, the treatment centre for diarrhoeal disease is overwhelmed, putting further pressure on health services that are already under great stress. The UN and its partners, including UNICEF and WHO, are providing treatment, medical supplies and water chlorination tablets.

However, additional support is needed to expand capacity to meet urgent needs, as well as to sustain investment in safe water and sanitation infrastructure to prevent future outbreaks.

HAITI

Turning to Haiti, armed violence continues to drive displacement, according to UN humanitarian colleagues. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 7,000 people have fled Petite-Rivière in Artibonite over the last four days, while more than 3,000 others have been displaced in the commune of Arcahaie in the West Department.

In Artibonite, the latest displacement adds to an already worsening situation, which has been highlighted almost daily. More than 17,000 people were displaced in that department alone last month, with many families finding refuge within their communities and staying with host families, as movements within towns remain severely disrupted due to ongoing insecurity. The UN and its partners are working with local authorities to monitor the situation and assess urgent needs.

Humanitarian needs continue to grow. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti is only 49 per cent funded. More funding is urgently needed.

IRAQ VISIT / UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACE OPERATIONS

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has arrived in Iraq to show his support for mine action, including the work of the UN Mine Action Service, which he oversees.

Tomorrow he is expected to visit Mosul, where he will meet colleagues from the Mine Action Service and their partners to see their work addressing explosive ordnance threats and supporting the recovery of affected communities. He will then travel to Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi leadership.

Mr. Lacroix will brief on his recent travels soon, including visits to the three UN peacekeeping missions in the Middle East.

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