Women and girls: Exclusion has real consequences - Briefing | United Nations

Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous said, “not one of the 13 ceasefire agreements reached in 2025 included substantive references to women and girls. Not one prohibited sexual violence - even as UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence doubled in just one year.” Bahous also said, “in conflict-affected settings, women are five times as likely to die from preventable maternal causes, and girls are two-and-a-half times as likely to be out of school, compared to those living in stable situations.” The Executive Director reiterated, “end impunity for crimes against women and girls, sanction and hold accountable those responsible for the killing, rape, sexual and gender-based violence, and gender persecution against women and girls.” “Protect women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and humanitarian workers from attacks and reprisals. Uphold international law and apply this Council’s women, peace and security framework consistently,” she concluded.


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Can Seawalls Save New York City from the Next Superstorm?

Following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Sandy - which flooded Lower Manhattan and United Nations headquarters - New York City has taken bold steps to adapt to the reality of rising sea levels and intensifying storms. This video examines how coastal protection infrastructure, elevated park systems, and resilient engineering are reshaping Lower Manhattan’s waterfront to safeguard local communities and build a sustainable future. 00:00 – Hurricane Sandy & UN Flooding 00:22 – Rebuilding & Elevating East River Park 00:40 – Pedestrian Bridges & Community Access 01:04 – Centering Impacted Communities 01:23 – Building Resilient Infrastructure for the Future #ClimateAction #SeaLevelRise #UnitedNations #NYC


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Women, Peace and Security: "Equality is not a dream. It’s a decision" - UN Chief | United Nations

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated, “peace processes are more likely to endure when women participate meaningfully in advancing them. Stability is more achievable when women have equal opportunity to shape the future of their communities.” Guterres spoke at the Security Council meeting (27 Oct) on women, peace and security. He said, “durable peace must reflect the leadership, aspirations and contributions of all people — including of women and girls. This includes through the use of concrete measures such as binding targets and quotas, as outlined by our Common Pledge for Women’s Full, Equal, and Meaningful Participation in Peace Processes.” The UN chief added, “since its launch two years ago, over 40 entities have adopted it — including Member States, international and regional organizations, and others.” He called on adopters of the Pledge to deliver on its commitments. “And all peace processes, dialogues, ceasefires, and peace agreements must reflect the diverse needs of women and girls, without exception,” Guterres added. Secretary-General also called on all countries to “live up to their official development assistance commitments, and urgently restore funding to organizations that support women and girls in conflict settings.” Guterres also called for “full accountability for those responsible for any acts of violence against women and girls.” He said, “the UN will continue doing our part — including by securing commitments to cease such acts, documenting violations and advocating for justice.” Guterres renewed his call for “the lifting of all restrictions on women humanitarian workers — and their full protection — as they carry out their lifesaving work.”


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Briefings, Sudan, Yemen & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (28 October 2026) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Briefings - Secretary-General/Remarks - Sudan - Yemen - Occupied Palestinian Territory - Spain - Democratic Republic of the Congo - Haiti - UN Biodiversity Conference - Climate Technology Progress Report - Financial Contribution BRIEFINGS At around 1:00 p.m. today, the guest is Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Then, at 1:45 p.m., there will be a briefing here by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, so you will want to stick around for that. And, tomorrow, at 2 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Kelley E. Currie and Nick Koumjian, Head of the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). SECRETARY-GENERAL/REMARKS This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the event on Honouring Our Values at Home, which deals with fighting against racism and sexism at the United Nations, and he said that the United Nations cannot credibly defend equality around the world unless we uphold it within our own walls. Our values, he said, can’t live only in the words we address to others. Mr. Guterres noted that a Secretariat survey in 2020 found that one in three staff members reported experiencing racial discrimination, which he said is totally unacceptable. The survey made clear that condemning racism was not enough, and that we had to become actively anti-racist, he added. Regarding gender, the Secretary-General asserted that the United Nations has achieved parity across all senior leadership, all headquarters and all professional staff. We did this not by lowering standards, but increasing opportunities, he said. Going forward, the Secretary-General said that gender gains and expertise must be protected, anti-racism must remain a priority and decisions on recruitment, promotion, assignments and retention must be transparent, consistent and bias-free. SUDAN Turning to Sudan. You will have seen that the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan today issued its new report on El Obeid while also highlighting the broader situation across the country, where civilians remain trapped between widespread violence, severe deprivation and fear. Drone strikes attributed to the RSF continue to kill and injure civilians, damage schools, displacement sites and other civilian infrastructure, and disrupt access to healthcare, electricity and water. At the same time, security forces affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have stepped up mass surveillance and arbitrary arrests, fostering fear among the civilian population. The Mission’s report comes one year after the takeover of El Fasher and surrounding areas by the RSF and affiliated actors. One year later, the RSF and the SAF bear primary responsibility for the devastation and atrocities in Sudan, external actors have fueled the war and benefited from it. The report comes amid continued deadly attacks in Blue Nile State and elsewhere across the country. We have also seen disturbing reports of drone strikes in South Darfur State on Monday, which hit a market and a residential neighbourhood in Nyala, the state capital, killing dozens of people and injuring more than 150 others. Civilians were reportedly killed and injured in two separate drone strike attacks near the airport in El Geneina, in West Darfur State, as well as in another strike in South Kordofan State yesterday. We condemn the killing of civilians and reiterate that civilians must be protected at all times, in accordance with international humanitarian law. Vital infrastructure has also come under attack. Today, in Al Jazirah State, drone strikes reportedly damaged an electricity station and fuel stations. We reiterate our call for an immediate end to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and for all parties to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law. OCHA says that despite severe funding shortfalls and insecurity, humanitarian organizations continue to deliver life-saving assistance across the country. During the first nine months of this year, humanitarian organizations reached more than 17 million people across Sudan with at least one form of assistance. However, OCHA warns that significant gaps remain in the humanitarian response. Just 3 million people, or 18 per cent of those reached overall, received assistance across multiple sectors, underscoring the impact of underfunding and other challenges in ensuring that people receive the full range of support they need. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-10-28


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UN Secretary-General on Ending Racism

“The United Nations cannot credibly defend equality around the world unless we uphold it within our own walls.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the ongoing work to eliminate racial discrimination, advance gender equality, and build a more inclusive and just organization from within. #UnitedNations #AntiRacism #HumanRights #Equality #Shorts


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Candidate for Secretary-General position: Lana Nusseibeh - Stakeout | United Nations

Media Stakeout by Lana Nusseibeh, candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General following her interactive dialogue.


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Inside the Time Machine: Saving Our Audiovisual History

What happens when the tapes and films that hold our history can no longer be played? At the New York Public Library’s Audio and Moving Image Preservation Lab, specialists are working to preserve the sounds and images of the past—transferring obsolete film, audio and video formats into digital form so they can be accessed by people today and preserved for the future. In this behind-the-scenes look at the lab, discover why audiovisual preservation matters, how fragile and outdated media can be brought back to life, and what might be lost if this work were never done. The film explores archival material connected to filmmaker William Greaves and his documentary about Ralph Bunche, the pioneering diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. It also features a historic United Nations Radio recording, offering a glimpse into how voices and images from another era can reach new audiences. As one archivist puts it, the work is like operating a time machine: going back into the past, retrieving its recordings and making them available to people today. Because preserving our past is essential to understanding our future.


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Children and Armed Conflict: Over 220,000 Children Released - Briefing | United Nations

UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier said that for the first time in the CAAC mandate’s history, “government forces were responsible for the majority of verified grave violations.” Today, at Security Council briefing marking the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) mandate Frazier said, “More than 40 action plans have been signed to date with parties to conflict, contributing to the release of over 220,000 children from armed forces and groups and their transfer to civilian child-protection actors. More than 220,000 children. Think about this number: each one is a life. That figure alone speaks to the impact of this mandate.” She also said, “The scale of current violations remains stark. In 2025, the UN verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children. This is the highest number of children affected since this mandate was established. For the first time in the mandate’s history, government forces were responsible for the majority of verified grave violations.” She stressed, “Parties to conflict must allow monitors to work safely and without obstruction. When violations are documented, Member States should press for specific steps to end them, protect children and hold perpetrators accountable. The UN’s effort to monitor and respond to grave violations gives these children something priceless: visibility, protection, and the promise that the world has not forgotten them.”


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Children and Armed Conflict: Over 430,000 Grave Violations Since 2005 - Briefing | United Nations

Briefing by Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), on Children and Armed Conflict. She reported that since 2005, the United Nations has verified more than 430,000 grave violations against children in armed conflicts. Last year, she added, “the highest numbers of grave violations were verified in the State of Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria. And these are only the violations the United Nations was able to verify. The true scale is undoubtedly greater.” She also said, “Digital technologies are also creating new avenues for recruitment, exploitation and abuse. The Security Council's recent adoption of resolution 2832, addressing the impact of digital technologies on violations against children in armed conflict, is a welcome step towards confronting these risks. Advances in technology must strengthen the protection of children - not expose them to new forms of harm.”


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The Palestinian people continue to endure immense suffering

Secretary-General - Remarks to the press. Cairo, 26 October 2026


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Women and Girls in Afghanistan: 5 years of Resistance and Solidarity | United Nations

Five years on from the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan faces a dire humanitarian, socio-economic and human rights crisis. Women and girls are living under unparalleled restrictions brought about through more than 200 laws and decrees, denying over 2.6 million girls access to secondary education and removing women and girls from public life. In an increasingly complex world of proliferating conflict and instability, Afghanistan and in particular the lived experiences of Afghan women and girls must remain firmly on the agenda of the international community. How can we take action to tackle the deteriorating women's rights crisis and ensure principled, human-rights based engaged? On the margins of UNGA81 High Level Week, Ireland and the Malala Fund co-hosted a side event, with co-sponsors Canada, Mexico and Portugal, entitled, ' Women and Girls in Afghanistan: 5 years of resistance, solidarity and the search for accountability'. Speakers: Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Helen McEntee T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland Gaisu Yari, Malala Fund Metra Mehran, Afghanistan Accountability Collective Asila Wardak, Women's Forum on Afghanistan ** The Goals Lounge is an innovative platform at the UN Headquarters that brings together dialogue, partnerships and visibility to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Since its launch, it has enabled major announcements, mobilized significant financial commitments and supported high-impact initiatives across areas such as mental health, women's leadership and digital transformation, while engaging diverse stakeholders and audiences worldwide.


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Kosovo: “1,577 Persons Remain Unaccounted For” - Briefing | United Nations

Briefing the Security Council on Kosovo, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Peter Due described tensions and called for dialogue, engagement and implementation of existing agreements. The SRSG highlighted rising tensions and frictions over inter-municipal and property-related issues, including demolitions and evictions in northern Kosovo and elsewhere, raising concerns over property rights, due process and socio-economic impacts on local communities and businesses. He also noted the stalled reintegration of Kosovo Serb judges and prosecutors, restrictions on freedom of expression, including the use of signs, symbols and languages associated with non-majority communities, and ongoing challenges of closures facing Serbia-run healthcare and education institutions and the Serbian Orthodox Church. “Taken individually, some of these developments may appear administrative or localized. Taken together, they reinforced perceptions of insecurity and unequal treatment among Kosovo Serbs, eroding trust and affecting Kosovo’s multi-ethnic character,” he said. SRSG Due flagged the Kosovo Assembly’s approval of amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, limiting their power and noting the EU’s deep concern about them. “I also note that the defendants retain the right to appeal. The integrity and independence of the judicial process must be respected. Any legislative action must be fully consistent with Kosovo’s legal and international obligations,” he said. The SRSG also urged all parties to ensure that the issue of Missing Persons to be addressed in a victim-centered approach and free from politicization as 1,577 persons remain unaccounted for. “Recent excavations and identification of remains brought a measure of closure to the families concerned, while serving as a reminder of the enduring suffering of those still awaiting answers” he said. SRSG Due echoed the Secretary-General’s calls for renewed progress in the EU-facilitated dialogue. He encouraged both sides to engage constructively, implement agreements already reached, including the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, and to take steps that help build trust and reduce tensions.


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Egypt, Jordan, Ukraine & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (23 October 2026) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Egypt - Jordan - Ukraine - Yemen - Ethiopia - Democratic Republic of the Congo - Haiti - Iraq visit / Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - International Day of the Snow Leopard - United Nations Day - World Development Information Day - Disarmament Week - Global Media and Information Literacy Week 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. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-10-23


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Before the UN: The Forgotten Story of UNRRA

As the Second World War raged, a remarkable international effort was already taking shape to help rebuild a shattered world. Founded in November 1943, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) began its work before the United Nations itself existed. Faced with hunger, disease, mass displacement and devastation, it helped deliver the essentials of survival—and offered hope to millions struggling to rebuild their lives. Through archival footage and personal testimony, this film explores UNRRA’s extraordinary mission: repatriating seven million people, coordinating vast supplies of food, clothing and medicine, and helping restore communities across war-torn Europe. It also tells the story of the women who worked on the front lines of rehabilitation, including welfare officers such as Amy Rachel Kerr, whose work helped displaced people recover their dignity, identity and sense of belonging. Beyond emergency relief, UNRRA became a pioneering experiment in international cooperation. Its achievements helped demonstrate that nations with different political and economic systems could work together - and helped lay the foundations for the United Nations. Aid and hope in a time of war - and a vision of peace built through solidarity. #UNRRA #WorldWarII #UnitedNations


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UN Chief Warns: Gaza Aid Shortage Ahead of Winter

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns that essential aid to Gaza remains severely restricted ahead of winter, while violence against Palestinians, journalists, and diplomats in the occupied West Bank is spinning out of control. With the World Food Programme urgently needing $450 million to feed people across Gaza and the West Bank over the next six months—an amount equal to roughly 90 minutes of global military spending—the UN Chief appeals to donors to step up and urges a credible political path toward a two-state solution. #UnitedNations #Gaza #HumanitarianAid #Shorts


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Sudan, Somalia & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (22 October 2026) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Secretary-General/Press Encounter - Secretary-General/Trip Announcement - Deputy Secretary-General/Trip Announcement - Sudan - Somalia - Yemen - Occupied Palestinian Territory - Lebanon - Ukraine - Afghanistan SUDAN The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that air and drone strikes reportedly caused civilian casualties across several parts of Sudan. In North Darfur State, an air strike reportedly killed five civilians, including two people who were working with a community-led initiative known as the Emergency Response Rooms. That took place in Tina locality on Tuesday. Many other people were reportedly injured. Further civilian casualties were also reported following air and drone strikes in West and South Kordofan. The UN condemns the killing of civilians and stressed that civilians and humanitarian personnel, as well as civilian infrastructure must always be protected and never target. And that is in accordance with humanitarian international humanitarian law. Hostilities are also reportedly driving up the price of fuel in parts of Kordofan and Darfur, increases that are expected to push commodity prices higher and make essential goods even less affordable for the most vulnerable families. The UN and its humanitarian partners are preparing to scale up life-saving assistance in the most impacted areas of Darfur and Kordofan over the next six months. However, as we have been saying here repeatedly, the severe funding shortages hamper our ability to respond to the growing needs. The UN calls on donors to provide the resources needed to sustain and scale up the response, and on the parties to the conflict to allow us to deliver that aid. SOMALIA The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warns that nearly 874,000 human beings could be forced from their homes over the next three months in Somalia. This is due to rising rivers and heavy rainfall that threaten communities already struggling with drought and repeated displacement. The Danish Refugee Council and the IOM project that flooding will account for 92 per cent of the displacement, as Somalia enters a rainy season forecast to bring above-normal rainfall amid strengthening El Niño conditions. IOM is working with Somali authorities to strengthen the early warning systems and prepare emergency assistance, but right now, they have only secured 14 per cent of the $16.6 million needed to prepare for and respond to El Niño-related events. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-10-22


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UN Chief: "We are witnessing an El Niño of war" - Media Encounter | United Nations

“We are now witnessing an El Niño of war,” the UN Secretary-General said. Ahead of his trip to Egypt tomorrow (23 Oct), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres briefed reporters in New York today (22 Oct). He said he would carry a message calling for an end to the widening of war, the protection of civilians and political space for diplomacy and peace. He said, “Today, conflicts are not only intensifying. They are expanding.” Referring to protests in Europe and elsewhere over the rising cost of living, Guterres said, “The violence and destruction we have seen on the streets is unacceptable – and those responsible for criminal activities must be held accountable.” At the same time, he said, “we cannot let intolerable violence obscure the legitimate and very real grievances of the many peaceful protestors.” On the spreading of conflicts globally, he said, “From the Middle East to Ukraine to Sudan, we are seeing civilians and civilian infrastructure deliberately thrust into the line of fire.” “Attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international law. They must stop,” the UN chief said. On Yemen, the Secretary-General pointed to “escalating hostilities around the city of Ta’iz and elsewhere” and described continued Houthi attacks against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia as “totally unacceptable.” “We need restraint – and Yemen needs a political horizon,” he said. Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Guterres said, “In Gaza, essential aid is still being severely restricted by Israel ahead of the fast-approaching winter.” He stated that in the occupied West Bank, “Palestinians continue to suffer daily attacks by Israeli settlers. The clear goal is to drive communities off their land.” “The situation is out of control,” the UN chief said. According to Guterres, the World Food Programme “urgently needs 450 million US dollars to feed people in Gaza and the West Bank for the next six months,” an amount equivalent to around 90 minutes of global military spending. “I appeal to donors to step up,” the Secretary-General said.


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Global warming will breach 1.5°C – but deep, fast cuts can still bring it back

The U.N. Environment Programme today launched its Emissions Gap Report 2026, showing that the chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels with no limited or limited overshoot is a key target of the Paris Agreement on climate change, and that goal is now gone. In a video message to the launch of the report, the Secretary-General notes that the consequences are already devastating, but overshoot is not surrender. The Secretary-General says that we can still keep it as small and as short as possible, and bring temperatures back down to below 1.5 degrees before the end of the 21st century. The Secretary-General underscores that we have the tools to change the course and we have the tools to pull back from the brink. He warns that the world is running out of time and governments must go much further and much faster. The Secretary-General also emphasizes that the G20 must lead and the principles of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities must apply, but all countries, especially the big emitters, must do more. He adds that developed countries must mobilize the affordable finance for developing countries, to accelerate the transition and protect people from the worsening climate.


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Emissions Gap Report & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (21 October 2026) | United Nations

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Emissions Gap Report - El Niño - Extreme Heat - Abyei - Sudan Consultations - Democratic Republic of the Congo - Libya - Yemen - Occupied Palestinian Territory - Security Council / Kosovo - Haiti - U.N. / AU Peacebuilding Meeting - Centenary of the Slavery Convention EMISSIONS GAP REPORT The U.N. Environment Programme today launched its Emissions Gap Report 2026, showing that the chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels with no limited or limited overshoot is a key target of the Paris Agreement on climate change, and that goal is now gone. In a video message to the launch of the report, the Secretary-General notes that the consequences are already devastating, but overshoot is not surrender. The Secretary-General says that we can still keep it as small and as short as possible, and bring temperatures back down to below 1.5 degrees before the end of the 21st century. The Secretary-General underscores that we have the tools to change the course and we have the tools to pull back from the brink. He warns that the world is running out of time and governments must go much further and much faster. The Secretary-General also emphasizes that the G20 must lead and the principles of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities must apply, but all countries, especially the big emitters, must do more. He adds that developed countries must mobilize the affordable finance for developing countries, to accelerate the transition and protect people from the worsening climate. The message and the report are available online. EL NIÑO This morning in Geneva, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, sounded the alarm over El Niño, calling it a “behemoth” and a “wrecking ball” that will hit regions already battered by conflict; battered by displacement; battered by soaring food, fertilizer and fuel prices; and massive aid cuts on top of it all. Speaking together with Celeste Saulo, the Head of the World Meteorological Organization, Mr. Fletcher warned that the humanitarian system cannot cope alone with a threat on this scale, calling for a much wider global mobilization of solidarity, expertise and action across governments, civil society, academia and the private sector. He warned that the next two weeks are a critical window to act before the damage is done. With forecasts giving us the chance to prepare, he said it would be an “extraordinary failure” to squander the opportunity to protect people in El Niño. “We cannot prevent El Niño,” he said, “but we can be serious about the challenges ahead, and we can be creative and generous for preparing them.” The World Meteorological Organization also today released a new second seasonal climate outlook which indicates that the current El Niño event could be unprecedented in strength. The Global Seasonal Climate Update forecasts that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, the epicentre of El Niño, may rise to 3.8°C above average during November through January of next year. EXTREME HEAT Today, as extreme heat intensifies around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Children Fund (UNICEF) and the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the first-ever set of priority indicators to help countries track the impacts of heat on pregnant women, newborns and children. The new framework is designed to strengthen preparedness, improve monitoring, and accelerate response. These actions will help protect some of the populations most vulnerable to climate-related health risks. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-10-21


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Kosovo: UN Warns of Rising Tensions

The Security Council was briefed by Peter N. Due, the Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), on rising tensions in Kosovo, concerns over minority rights and the challenges of building trust between communities.


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