Palestine, Philippines, Hurricane Melissa - Daily Press Briefing (07 November 2025) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: -Secretary-General/Belém Climate Summit -Occupied Palestinian Territory -UNIFIL -Philippines -Hurricane Melissa -West and Central Africa -Food Prices -International Day ---------------------------- SECRETARY-GENERAL/BELÉM CLIMATE SUMMIT The Secretary-General is in Brazil, where he is participating in the Belém Climate Summit. Today, he spoke at a thematic session on Energy Transition.  The Secretary-General noted that the global energy landscape is changing at lightning speed. Last year, he pointed out, ninety per cent of new power capacity came from renewables and global investment in clean energy reached two trillion US dollars – eight hundred billion dollars more than fossil fuels. The Secretary-General highlighted that renewables revolution is here, but we must go much faster – and ensure all nations share the benefits.  Also today, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of Türkiye, Cevdet Yilmaz. He also met Denis Sassou N’Guesso, President of the Republic of Congo.  Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General spoke at a thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans”, where he stressed that protecting forests and oceans is not charity, it is a legal and moral responsibility – and smart economics. He called on all to honour that duty, by safeguarding these foundations of life, investing in nature’s recovery, and ensuring that people and planet thrive together – now and for generations to come. Yesterday, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.  This afternoon, the Secretary-General is expected to speak at a session on 10 years of the Paris Agreement: NDCs and Financing. He will depart Belém tomorrow and will be back here in New York on Sunday.  OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that despite significant progress on the humanitarian scale-up, people’s urgent needs are still immense, with impediments not being lifted quickly enough. Since the ceasefire and as of this Monday, the UN and our partners have collected from Gaza’s crossings more than 37,000 metric tonnes of aid – mostly food. That’s according to the UN 2720 Mechanism, which does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector. Entry continues to be limited to only two crossings, with no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza or from Egypt to southern Gaza. This is on top of certain items and NGO staff not being let in. Our colleagues leading on the shelter response say that most displaced people remain in overcrowded makeshift sites – many of which were established spontaneously in open or unsafe areas. Hundreds of thousands of families face the onset of the rainy season without desperately needed protection from the elements. Our partners working on shelter support say that once impediments are lifted, they have enough materials in the pipeline to meet most of the needs of nearly 1.5 million Palestinians requiring such assistance. On the food front, there has been clear progress. Since the ceasefire, the World Food Programme has reached over one million people with food distributions, hot meals, bakery support, fortified snacks for children, expanded nutrition services, and digital cash assistance. WFP expanded storage capacity to three warehouses, reopened key roads, and reinforced retail networks to sustain food assistance. The agency says that food has been delivered in all parts of Gaza. UNIFIL You will have seen the statement issued on Thursday by the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in reaction to the latest Israeli airstrikes within UNIFIL’s area of operations in the southern parts of the country. UNIFIL says that these airstrikes constitute clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701. They come as the Lebanese Armed Forces are undertaking operations to control unauthorized weapons and infrastructure in the south Litani area. As you will recall, the cessation of hostilities agreement between Israel and Lebanon was reached a year ago. We continue to urge the parties to adhere to their obligations under resolution 1701 to avoid putting the current hard-won progress at risk. Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-11-07


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Latoshia Daniels, accused of fatally shooting Pastor Brodes Perry & his wife because he ended affair

Latoshia Daniels is accused of fatally shooting Tennessee pastor Brodes Perry & injuring his wife because he ended their affair Long video but worth it! Who's report do you believe?


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Hurricane Melissa: the Aftermath - Press Conference | UNDP | United Nations

Press conference by Kishan Khoday, UNDP Resident Representative for the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos Islands on the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.


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A federal judge ordered the Trump administrationto find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits

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Second World Summit for Social Development - Closing Press Conference | United Nations

Press Conference on the key moments and commitments from the Second World Social Summit for Development. Speakers: Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General H.E. Sheikha Alya bin Saif Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar Moderated by: Martin Samaan, Spokesperson for the Second World Summit for Social Development, UN Department of Global Communications


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Sudan/South Sudan: Increasing Insecurity in and Around the Border Area- Briefing | United Nations

Briefing the Council via video teleconference, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, Guang Cong said, “the bilateral relationship between Sudan and South Sudan remains deeply affected by the war that started in April 2023” between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In particular, Cong said, “the conflict in Sudan continues to impact the security situation in South Sudan with cross-border movements of armed groups on both sides, increasing the insecurity in and around the border area.” He told the Council that in this context, “South Sudan’s oil flow and exports through Sudan have experienced significant disruptions, resulting in a 24.5 percent contraction of its economy.” Cong noted that “following increased bilateral engagement and new arrangements to improve security along the pipeline route and other installations, oil production and transportation resumed early this year.” However, subsequent attacks by the RSF on oil installations in Port Sudan on 5-6 May, and another attack on 26 August on oil facilities in Heglig, near the Sudan – South Sudan border, resulted in oil spills, environmental damage and led to an emergency shutdown of operations. Sudan’s Ambassador Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed expressed “Sudan’s commitment to work closely with the government of South Sudan to enhance the role of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism and the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee,” expressing hope that both countries can activate bilateral mechanisms provided for existing agreements. Mohammed said, “Sudan firmly believes that a sustainable solution to the Abyei question can only be achieved through sincere dialog and cooperation between the two nations, away from any escalation, in a way to bring lasting peace to the region.” South Sudan’s Ambassador Sabino Edward Nyawella Amaikwey for his part said, “South Sudan has no intention to hinder or intervene in UNISFA's mandate. The presence of South Sudan Defence Forces (SSPDF) in South Sudan's territories is meant to protect civilians and discourage enterprise rivalry among communities.”


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Tackling the Growing Threat of Cyberbullying | United Nations

Cyberbullying affects one in ten young people, and the threat is growing. But there are ways to fight back. UNICEF Youth Advocate Abril Perazzini knows the problem because she experienced it—and she's taking action to advance digital rights. Joanna Herat, a Senior Programme Specialist at UNESCO, explains how governments and schools can make the world online safer for students. As the world marks the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, UNESCO is focusing on safety in the digital era.


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Sudan and South Sudan: War & Political Uncertainty - Security Council Briefing | United Nations

The Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Pobee, told the Security Council that “considerable challenges remain in achieving progress on the final status of Abyei,” including “the dynamics related to the ongoing war in the Sudan and the political uncertainty in South Sudan.” Pobee said, “the political process between the Sudan and South Sudan on Abyei and border issues remains stalled, as it has been since the outbreak of the Sudan conflict in April 2023,” but noted that earlier this year, both parties had indicated to the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) strategic review team, “their openness to resuming contact on Abyei, with United Nations and African Union support.” This was followed by a visit of the South Sudanese Foreign Minister to Port Sudan, last month where the two countries announced their intention to reactivate cooperation agreements focusing on security and the economy. She welcomed “these movements towards dialogue” and urged both South Sudan and Sudan “to go beyond statements of intentions, and to accelerate the implementation of existing agreements, as well as use the coordination mechanisms established to address outstanding challenges.” Pobee said, “the war in the Sudan and the continued influx of people displaced by the conflict continues to create economic hardship for the population of Abyei.” She said, “funding challenges have had an impact on partners’ capacity for humanitarian support,” and noted that “the Food and Agriculture Organization was forced to cease its operations in Abyei at the end of July and the World Food Programme has reduced its footprint.”


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Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan/Chad & other topics - Daily Press Briefing | United Nations

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Occupied Palestinian Territory - Lebanon/Israel - Deputy Secretary-General - Sudan/Chad - Abyei - South Sudan - Democratic Republic of the Congo - Central African Republic - Hurricane Melissa - Human Development - Tsunami Awareness Day OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the UN and our partners are reaching more people every day with more supplies and services in all areas of the Gaza Strip, despite access restrictions, bureaucratic hurdles, congestion along transit routes and other impediments. Today, UN agencies announced the launch of an integrated catch-up campaign for routine immunization, nutrition and growth monitoring, targeting 44,000 children who’ve been cut off from life-saving services due to the war. The UN Children’s Fund [UNICEF], UNRWA, and the World Health Organization will carry out the campaign with partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Children will receive three doses of the Pentavalent, Polio, Rota, and Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccines, and two doses of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine. The first of three planned rounds will start this Sunday and run for 10 days, with vaccinations taking place at nearly 150 health facilities and 10 mobile clinics across the Gaza Strip. Teams have already brought into the Gaza Strip all vaccines, syringes, cold chain equipment and nutrition supplies necessary for this campaign. Over 450 health workers and support staff, as well as nearly 150 doctors, have been trained. The agencies stress that the campaign’s success depends on the full respect of the ceasefire so that families, health professionals, and other humanitarian workers can reach vaccination sites freely and safely. Across Gaza, the number of daily meals being served by 183 community kitchens topped 1.2 million meals on Monday, with the UN and our partners supporting that scale-up. Compared with late September, this represents an increase of more than 80 per cent. You’ll recall that we’re also providing families with food parcels and other forms of food assistance. Humanitarians are also working to improve access to water supplies, with more than 40 partner organizations operating nearly 1,900 water points. On Monday, the UN and our partners distributed 4,400 hygiene kits, as well as 2,900 buckets and 3,700 jerrycans to people in need. Yesterday, the UN and our partners distributed hundreds of tarpaulins and hundreds of tents across the Strip to displaced families in need of urgent shelter support. On Sunday and Monday, they provided hundreds of families with cash-voucher assistance for clothing ahead of the winter. Meanwhile, the UN and our partners keep moving cargo into Gaza and collecting more supplies from Gaza’s crossings. Just to give you a sense of the scale of these operations, on Monday, we were able to offload over 180 truckloads of critical supplies at the crossings, including more than 1,500 metric tonnes of food. And yesterday, our teams collected about 120 truckloads inside Gaza, carrying more than 580 pallets of blankets, tents, winter clothes, hygiene items and more. They also collected over 150,000 litres of fuel and over 90 metric tonnes of animal fodder. These numbers are preliminary, and as we’ve noted before, they exclude bilateral donations and the private sector... SUDAN/CHAD Turning to the horrifying situation in Sudan, the UN is deeply alarmed by mounting reports of grave violations against civilians as fighting continues in North Darfur State. OCHA reports that local volunteers have documented executions, sexual violence, humiliation, extortion and attacks, among other systematic abuses, including against people fleeing the fighting following the Rapid Support Forces’ capture of the state capital, El Fasher, last week. The International Organization for Migration says that nearly 82,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since October 26th, including towards Tawila, which is already hosting hundreds of thousands who have fled previous attacks, with humanitarian needs far exceeding available resources. The UN Population Fund reports that women and girls faced rape, abduction and other extreme violence while escaping El Fasher. Other local sources report that about 1,300 people with gunshot wounds arrived in the locality of Tawila after being attacked as they escaped the city.... Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-11-05


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Democrats sweep elections tonight. Trump responds saying it's because he wasn't on the ballot

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Hurricane Melissa: World Food Programme (WFP) Relief Efforts - Press Conference | United Nations

World Food Programme (WFP) officials in the Caribbean briefed journalists in New York on the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti and ongoing response and operations to support those affected. From Jamaica, the Country Director for WFP’s Multi-Country Caribbean Office, Brian Bogart, said, “many people across Jamaica have lost their homes, they've lost their livelihoods, and they're still in shock.” Bogart said, “the Jamaican people are resilient. They tell us they are. We see that they are. But they need urgent support to maintain that resilience.” He said, WFP “has managed to airlift 2000 food kits from a regional logistics hub that we have established for the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency in Barbados to Kingston, and we continue to airlift additional supplies while we're sending up a commodity pipeline of assistance from markets here in Jamaica and working with national authorities to coordinate delivery of that assistance to people in need by air and by road.” Bogart stressed WFP’s “commitment to meet the most urgent needs of the people in Jamaica and to support long term recovery efforts to ensure that the people of this country remain food secure.” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that more than 1.5 million people – over half of Jamaica’s population – have been affected by Melissa, facing the loss of their homes and livelihoods. More than 130 roads have been blocked, while power and communication networks have been disrupted. Access to some western parishes remains difficult due to roads being blocked by debris as well as fuel shortages. Health services are under heavy strain, as several hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed, including the hospital in the town of Black River. WFP estimates that up to 360,000 people may require food assistance. Meanwhile, UNICEF and its partners are working to restore safe water and sanitation services, particularly in shelters and affected communities. WFP’s Country Director in Cuba, Etienne Labande, for his part praised the Cuban Government’s anticipatory actions, which he said, “demonstrated not only saved lives, they also optimise resources and reinforce the resilience of Cuba's emergency response system.” Labande said, “the ongoing response is an outcome of preparedness work alongside the Cuban government. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the shock to protection centres, and WFP and the government prepositioned food supplies to support 275,000 people for up to 60 days.” Pending permitting, he said, WFP plans to assist “900,000 people for three months and half of those in need of assistance for an additional three months.” The United Nations in Cuba, Labande continued, has finalised its response plan, “which has been approved by the government and will be launched officially tomorrow from La Habana, appealing for a total of 74 million US dollars, all sectors included, and aiming at assisting around a million persons affected over a period of 12 months, including the recovery period.” In Doha today, Secretary-General António Guterres met with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and discussed the impact of climate change on the Caribbean, and the devastation left recently by hurricane Melissa. The Prime Minister commended the United Nations team’s response and support to Cuba in these difficult circumstances, while the Secretary-General assured the Prime Minister of the United Nations’ solidarity and continued aid to Cuba in this regard. Turning to Haiti, Labande said, “even before Melissa hit one in two Haitians were already severely food insecure. Armed groups controlled large areas of the capital and other regions, complicating food movements within the country. Our colleagues are reporting that homes and infrastructure have been washed away along the southern coast, where 1,250,000 people, estimated to be affected by the hurricane.” The UN and partners in Haiti, continue to carry out assessments of the damage wreaked by Hurricane Melissa and are ramping up our efforts to reach people in need. According to the authorities, at least 30 people have died. OCHA continues to work closely with authorities and partners to ensure a coherent, efficient, and well-coordinated response, facilitating information sharing and supporting collective efforts to reach affected populations. The $908 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for is just over 21 percent funded with $195 million received so far.


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