UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the International Telecommunication Union, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the United Nations Children's Fund.

Lifesaving Food Assistance Operations in Gaza

Abeer Etefa, Senior Spokesperson for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, World Food Programme (WFP), said that, three and a half weeks into the ceasefire, WFP had distributed around one million food parcels in Gaza as part of a broad operation to push back hunger in the war-torn territory. However, to continue expanding operations to the level required, humanitarian teams needed more border crossings to be opened and more access to key roads inside Gaza.

Since the ceasefire, WFP had reached one million people with family food parcels, against a target of 1.6 million.  With supplies limited, each family received a reduced ration; enough food for 10 days. There were 44 WFP food distribution points currently active across Gaza, against a target of 145. Around 700,000 people were receiving fresh bread daily, supplied by 17 WFP-supported bakeries — nine in South and Central Gaza and eight in the north. WFP’s goal was to get 25 bakeries up and running. Nearly 200,000 people had received digital cash payments in October, enabling them to purchase food and essential goods; this was 100 per cent of the monthly target.

There were still only two operational border crossing points, which was severely limiting the quantity of aid that could be brought in. A major obstacle was the continued closure of the two northern border crossing points. To access the north, aid convoys needed to follow a slow, difficult route from the south. To deliver at scale, WFP needed all crossings to be opened. Full access to key roads across Gaza was also critical to allow food to be transported. Another difficulty was that some 50 per cent of WFP’s warehouses had been completely destroyed in the conflict.

After two years of war, families were still struggling to put food on the table. In October, hundreds of thousands of families had reportedly returned to northern Gaza, often to homes that were in ruins. Their access to food was severely limited. Most displaced households remained in the south, often living in tents and without access to food and services.

Food consumption had improved by mid-October due to humanitarian and commercial trucks, but was still much lower than pre-conflict levels. Households primarily consumed cereals and pulses. Meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits were being consumed very rarely. Prices of most food items had decreased since the ceasefire but were still higher than they were in February 2025 and pre-conflict levels. The inability of people to earn income was making food inaccessible for many families.

Nour Hammad, Communications Officer, World Food Programme (WFP), speaking from Gaza, said she had witnessed the joy on people’s faces that guns had fallen silent, fear about whether the silence would last, and shock at the destruction caused by the conflict. People were saying at distribution points that the humanitarian assistance mattered. After months of rationing food and stretching meals over days, families were at last receiving fresh bread, food parcels, cash transfers and nutritional support from WFP and humanitarian partners. One grandmother who received this support described it as a “gift from God”.

WFP’s food was following people wherever they moved. It was trying to set up distributions points and kitchens across Gaza to reach as many people as possible with dignity and respect. Markets were slowly reopening, and food was returning to market shelves, but prices were still inaccessible for most families. One apple, for example, cost as much as one kilogram of apples did before the war. Ms. Hammad recalled meeting a teacher called Samiya in Tal Al-Hawa under the debris of her home, who said that she did not have the resources to purchase food at the markets until she received cash transfers from WFP, which allowed her to feed her family the food of their choice.

Uncertainty continued to shape lives in Gaza. The ceasefire was very fragile, and families were worn out. People needed food, shelter and warm clothing, with winter around the corner. The humanitarian community was trying to meet the overwhelming needs, but more border crossings in the north were urgently needed. The ceasefire had opened the way for the humanitarian community to restore dignity, support peoples’ health and help rebuild lives. We owed all Palestinians a long-lasting ceasefire, to pave the way for recovery.

In response to questions, Ms. Etefa said that the current situation of humanitarian support in Gaza was better than the weeks before the ceasefire but was not at the scale needed. WFP needed to get full access to people in the north, where food needs were high and the food security situation was acute. Food was going into the markets but was beyond people’s reach in terms of price. Some 1.6 million people were in dire need, and assessments of the nutrition situation were underway.

Before the ceasefire, WFP had stocked up to three months of food supplies to allow it to respond quickly and deploy food. WFP was proactively raising funds and working with donors to ensure that supplies did not run out.

This was a fragile ceasefire. There continued to be violations, and WFP was in a race to save lives. It was important for families to see that, even with violations, there was a commitment to maintain the ceasefire. There had not been major issues in delivering food items, but not in the quantity needed or in every place.

WFP had not been given clear answers on why northern crossing points had been closed. Humanitarian elements of negotiations needed to be separated from political aspects. WFP needed access to families in the north of Gaza.

Syria’s Health Transition Gap

Dr Christina Bethke, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative, a.i. in Syria said she was speaking from Damascus at a moment of fragile hope and rising risk. As Syria moved from emergency to recovery, a transition gap had opened where humanitarian funding declined before national systems could take over. That gap was measured in missed care, not percentages. 

Since mid-year, 417 health facilities had been hit by funding cuts, with 366 suspending or reducing services. Some 7.4 million people had already seen access to medicines and treatment shrink. In just two months, this meant 210,000 referrals that could not take place, 122,000 trauma consultations that did not happen, 13,700 births without a skilled attendant, and 89,000 mental health consultations that people could not reach. Only 58 per cent of hospitals and 23 per cent of primary health-care centres were fully functional. Chronic shortages of medicines, power and equipment kept services fragile. 

Despite the high level of government ownership and a prioritised two-year national strategic plan for health, needs were rising. Drought, unsafe water and poor sanitation were fuelling outbreaks of cholera, leishmaniasis, lice and scabies, while power shortages compromised cold-chains, water pumping and hospital operations. Nearly three million returnees were coming back to areas where medicines, staff and infrastructure were limited – adding pressure to already thin services. 

There were immediate flashpoints. In the northeast, Hassakeh National Hospital – the only comprehensive public hospital for more than 300,000 people – faced the end of donor support in December. Risks to the ambulance and referral system, and to round-the-clock primary care in several camps, were also imminent. 

There were also reports from partners this week that support to al-Kasrah General Hospital in Deir-ez-Zor had been suspended, forcing most departments to halt operations, with only dialysis and physiotherapy continuing, affecting over 700,000 people living in and around. 

The funding picture was stark. The Health Cluster requirement was about 565.5 million United States dollars, with roughly 20 per cent received. WHO’s appeal for 2025 was 141.5 million United States dollars, with a 77-million-dollar gap as of October. Without predictable, multi-year support, the health system could unravel just as recovery was within reach.

To bridge the transition gap, WHO was calling on the international community to sustain essential services so recovery financing could take hold, and prioritise services in areas of return so families who went home could find a functioning clinic, not a locked door. Keeping health services alive today was the bridge to Syria’s recovery tomorrow.

In response to questions, Dr Bethke said challenges faced in Syria prior to the political transition last year were still present in the country. There continued to be shortages of healthcare workers and the conditions for skilled workers to return were not necessarily in place. There had been a slow but steady return to market activity inside Syria, but there were still some sanctions in place, for example related to spare parts. There were many facilities that were in a state of disrepair. Syria had not had the opportunity to benefit from some modern medical technology. WHO was working to make changes in medical systems and infrastructure, but investments were needed to achieve this.

Water was needed for operation of medical facilities and for critical services like dialysis. There was a heavy reliance in medical facilities on non-networked supplies such as fuel generators and water trucks. There had been significant efforts by the Ministry of Energy to ensure more predictable supplies of energy and develop new energy sources. Repairs of power and water pumping facilities required significant investments. When there was no safe supply of water, families relied on unsafe sources, which presented the risk of disease outbreaks. WHO was working to detect outbreaks, but this was a major challenge.

There were traditional humanitarian donors who had stood by Syria through its toughest moments. These donors were facing increasing questions regarding Syria’s transition to a recovery phase and regarding the right funding instruments to apply. There was a need for collective risk sharing amongst donors. There had been World Bank investments in electricity repair, and the Government had launched a tenure for millions of barrels of fuel. There had been sincere efforts from the Government to manage resources and address this issue, but there was no magic switch for restoring resources.

Eujin Byun for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said essential basic services were an enabler of refugees’ return to Syria. The United Nations in Syria had been working to scale up services such as health care and education to encourage return, and refugees were waiting to see that basic services inside Syria were available. UNHCR was advocating for countries hosting Syrian refugees to continue to support them. The international community needed to not only protect Syrian refuges while in asylum but also help them rebuild their lives after returning to the country by supporting the restoration of basic services.

Updates on the Latest Afghanistan Earthquake and Response

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said a 6.3 magnitude earthquake had hit near Mazar-e-Sharif, in Balkh province, in Afghanistan’s north. The United Nations was working with local and national disaster management authorities to assess the situation and coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Even prior to this earthquake, people in the region were already experiencing drought and limited basic services following the return of over two million people to Afghanistan this year, as well as chronic poverty.

The United Nations continued to call for support to address humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Its appeal remained severely underfunded, with just over a third of the 2.4 billion United States dollar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan funded, leaving a gap of more than 1.5 billion.

Hosam Faysal, Head of Delegation for Afghanistan, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that the epicentre of the earthquake was near Kulam and Hazrat Sultan districts in Samangan province and Marmol and Keshende districts in Balkh province—just 28 kilometres east-southeast of Mazar-e-Sharif.

The impact of the earthquake had been devastating. Current reports indicated 24 fatalities, more than 980 people injured, and over 2,000 homes either totally or partially damaged. Families had been displaced and were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. These numbers were likely to rise as assessments continued.

The challenges were immense. Search and rescue operations were hampered by difficult terrain and damaged infrastructure. Many affected areas were remote and hard to reach. Winter was approaching fast, and temperatures were already dropping, making it critical to provide shelter, warm clothing, and heating solutions immediately. Without urgent action, the risk of hypothermia and further loss of life was real.

The Afghan Red Crescent Society had deployed Branch Disaster Response Teams and Mobile Health Teams to provide primary health care and conduct rapid assessments. The IFRC had already contributed essential non-food items for 500 households—family tents, blankets, tarpaulins, jerrycans, and kitchen sets—and was processing additional emergency funding, including an allocation through the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.

Afghanistan was already facing multiple humanitarian crises. The IFRC was running several emergency operations across the country—from food insecurity and displacement to health emergencies. This earthquake added yet another layer of suffering to communities already stretched to their limits. 

The IFRC’s next steps included scaling up delivery of temporary shelters, winter kits, clean water and sanitation services, hot meals, and cash assistance for rent. These were life-saving interventions, and they could not wait. 

Mr. Faysal said the IFRC stood with Afghanistan and would walk beside the people of Afghanistan in the recovery process. Support from partners and the international community was more critical than ever. Together, they needed to ensure that no one was left behind.

In response to questions, Mr. Faysal said this morning, the number of fatalities had increased from 20 to 24, indicating that bodies of victims were still being found. IFRC had female humanitarian workers on the ground. Additional support teams were dispatched yesterday and this morning, and IFRC hoped that this would continue.

The reasons for the differences in impact between the two latest earthquakes in Afghanistan related to the magnitude of the earthquakes and the density of the affected communities.

Also responding to questions, Ms. Vellucci said the United Nations was engaging in discussions with the de facto authorities to make sure that women could participate in humanitarian activities in Afghanistan. United Nations officials had repeatedly said that the restrictions placed on women were unfair and were damaging humanitarian work.

Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization said that over 400 patients in Afghanistan had received treatment for quake-related injuries. The immediate injuries typically after earthquakes were trauma and crush injuries. There was also a need to focus on the long-term effects of the destruction of medical facilities.

The emergency response was ongoing, with medical teams mobilised to support local authorities to ensure continuity of care. Critical medical supplies were dispatched to key health facilities in the first hours after the quake, including enough emergency kits to treat 200 trauma patients, and enough emergency health kits to treat 10,000 people for a period of three months. 

IFRC's Asks at COP30

Ninni Ikkala-Nyman, Climate Change Lead, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said the climate crisis remained a humanitarian crisis. Every day, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams were on the frontlines of this emergency, responding to more frequent floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms. People’s health, food security, water supplies, lives and livelihoods were all under threat. Investment in early action and preparedness for climate-related disasters could save many lives; this urgently needed to be scaled up.

Recently, before the landfall of Hurricane Melissa, preparedness and early action gave teams on the ground valuable time to build shelters, evacuate people out of harm’s way, preposition aid and help to prepare communities to weather this unprecedented category five hurricane. The IFRC had emergency appeals for both Cuba and Jamaica – two of the most heavily-impacted countries – and more support was urgently needed to scale up these efforts as they moved from emergency response to recovery. Hurricane Melissa’s violent and rapid intensification needed to be a wake-up call, highlighting how climate change was making cyclones stronger, more unpredictable, and the humanitarian consequences harder to escape.

In Pakistan, IFRC and Pakistan Red Crescent teams had been responding to the devastating monsoon floods of June-September 2025 that had displaced thousands of families and destroyed homes, infrastructure and crops.

In Somalia, climate-driven drought had deepened an already dire humanitarian situation, with IFRC and the Somali Red Crescent Society supporting communities. In October this year, IFRC launched an emergency appeal to help the Somali Red Crescent Society to scale up life-saving and early recovery efforts across the country.

In Europe this summer, devastating wildfires – for example in Türkiye – caused loss of life, mass evacuations and widespread damage to homes and livelihoods, with Red Crescent teams delivering essential relief to firefighters and displaced families. Without urgent action to strengthen local resilience, humanitarian needs would continue to rise.

At COP30, IFRC would call for urgent action on health and wellbeing. Climate change was already driving a health crisis. Global temperature records were being broken month after month as heatwaves grew more extreme. The risk of vector and water-borne diseases – exacerbated by climate change – posed further risks. Heat waves already kill almost half a million people each year, yet only 0.5 per cent of adaptation finance went to health programmes. Investment was needed in climate-resilient cities and health systems, and in local action that protected people from heat and other climate-linked health risks.

Another critical ask at COP30 is for more ambitious investment in people and communities to strengthen health, food, water and livelihoods systems and build true climate resilience. People on the frontlines of the climate crisis were already bearing the greatest costs of climate change. Yet adaptation finance was largely not reaching them – less than 10 per cent of adaptation finance reached the local level. Adaptation finance needed to be massively scaled up to meet growing needs.

We needed to act before crises struck. Half of the world’s countries still lacked adequate early warning systems. Investing in being prepared before climate- and weather-related disasters strike not only saved lives, it also saved money. Without stronger investment in disaster preparedness and climate adaptation, climate-related loss and damage would continue to rise - much of it avoidable.

Ms. Ikkala-Nyman said IFRC would be highlighting these priorities at COP30, together with the work of our Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, which were responding every day to the realities of the climate crisis.

Situation in Sudan

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said Denise Brown, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sudan, continued to warn about violence against civilians, including women and children, in and around El Fasher following the Rapid Support Forces’ takeover last week. The United Nations continued to receive credible reports of summary executions and sexual violence, and more than a week after the takeover, the city remained barricaded and civilians were unable to leave.

Some 71,000 people had fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since 26 October, most towards locations where camps were already overcrowded. Many new arrivals had reported witnessing or facing killings, abductions and sexual violence along the way.

The crisis in Sudan was devastating, but the funds were not following. The 2025 humanitarian response plan for Sudan was only 28 per cent funded in the face of overwhelming needs, with only 1.17 billion United States dollars received to date out of the 4.16 billion needed. The United Nations and partners could not deliver the scale of support needed without financial support.

In response to questions, Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization said WHO received reports on the situation in Sudan from various sources, including eye-witnesses and institutions, which it triangulated.

Yesterday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimate for the food insecurity situation in El Fasher in September was released, which confirmed a famine in El Fasher and Kadugli in Sudan, and that 20 more areas in greater Darfur were at risk of famine. In September 2025, an estimated 21.2 million people, or 45 per cent of the population, faced high levels of acute food insecurity - IPC phase three. Some 6.3 million people were registered in IPC phase four, which represented emergency levels of food insecurity, while some 375,000 people were classified as being in IPC phase five, which was catastrophic food insecurity. While food security conditions were expected to improve after the harvest in some areas, leading to a decline in the number of people in IPC three and above in the coming months, this number was expected to increase again later.

Ricardo Pires for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Sudan remained the world’s largest food crisis. More than 3.2 million children under the age of five in Sudan were estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition, and over 772,000 children had severe acute malnutrition which required immediate treatment to prevent death. Children were dying every day from preventable causes, including diseases, unsafe water, lack of access to health services, and the ongoing conflict. There were horrible images coming out of Darfur and reports of violations of international humanitarian law that would be investigated. UNICEF was continuing to serve and reach some affected communities despite restricted humanitarian access, but these communities and especially children continued to be at a high risk.

Tommaso Della Longa for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the situation in El Fasher and most parts of Sudan was catastrophic. Civilians and humanitarian workers needed to be protected at all times. It was unacceptable that five Sudanese Red Cresent colleagues had been killed on 27 October during a food distribution in North Kordofan, in the city of Bara. Three other colleagues had gone missing in the attack, and two were still missing; one had been found the next day.

The Sudanese Red Cresent was assisting with the distribution of food and non-food items to people arriving in Northern State. The testimonies that colleagues on the ground had heard were shocking.

Impact of Hurricane Melissa on the Caribbean

Tommaso Della Longa for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that on 2 November, the IFRC had delivered 74 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Jamaica by sea and 20 tonnes to Panama, Cuba by air. This cargo included hygiene and bedding kits, blankets, mosquito nets, solar lamps and plastic sheeting – items needed by people who had lost everything due to Hurricane Melissa. IFRC had deployed teams in both countries and was continuing its humanitarian operations.

Ricardo Pires for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said 700,000 children had been impacted by Hurricane Melissa across the Caribbean. UNICEF had allocated one million United States dollars to support the immediate emergency response, which would provide urgent assistance to affected families. 

UNICEF was supporting the Government to reach more than 284,000 children in the region, including with access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene and mental health support. It was working to ensure that children had access to essential services. Some 1,300 hygiene kits and 213 recreation kits had been delivered in Cuba, as well as 80 school kits, 209 early childhood kits, 1,900 roofing sheets and 5,000 cubic metres of tarpaulins. 

In Haiti, where the storm claimed 20 lives, UNICEF deployed 2,900 hygiene kits and emergency health kits to meet the needs of 20,000 people and ensure treatment for 400 cases of acute water diarrhoea. It had also provided cash to 7,500 households at risk and had sent over 137,000 awareness messages via SMS.

In the Dominican Republic, where 660,000 people were affected, UNICEF delivered 750 hygiene kits and ensured appropriate sanitation and hygiene conditions for children in the most affected communities. It also supported the Government to ensure that health and nutrition services reached more than 20,000 children, women, and caregivers.

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said the UN Central Emergency Response Fund had released four million United States dollars to scale up the response. The funds would focus on providing support in the areas of food, health, water, shelter, sanitation and hygiene in Jamaica. As for Cuba, the United Nations had finalised an emergency action plan. More information would become available today on the eastern part of the island, which was severely impacted by the hurricane.

The United Nations Secretary-General had just met with the Prime Minister of Cuba in Doha. They had discussed the impact of climate change in the Caribbean and the devastation left recently by Hurricane Melissa. The Prime Minister had commended the United Nations team’s response and support to Cuba in this difficult period, and the Secretary-General had assured him of the United Nations’ continued solidarity with Cuba.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) said the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterreshad participated in the World Summit on Social Development in Doha, delivering a statement in which he highlighted the progress made since the first Summit in Copenhagen in 1995 and underscored the major challenges of today, including deepening inequality, unemployment, poverty, conflict and widespread human suffering. He also participated in a press conference in which he answered several questions including Gaza and Sudan.

David Hirsch for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said ITU would release the next edition of its annual Facts and Figures report on Friday, 7 November. The report provided estimates on the number of people connected to the Internet, in support of advancing universal and meaningful connectivity. It focused on progress made to bridge the world’s digital divides, and underlying factors such as affordability, connectivity quality, gender and urban-rural living. ITU hoped to have embargoed versions of the report and press release to share prior to the launch, and to have a senior ITU official at the press briefing on Friday, 7 November to present the report as the embargo lifted. 

For more information, please contact pressinfo@itu.int.

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, on behalf of Clare Nullis for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said WMO would send the embargoed State of the Global Climate Update 2025 report today. The report was embargoed until the United Nations Secretary-General spoke at the Belem Climate Summit on 6 November. On Thursday, 6 November at 4 p.m., WMO would hold a press conference in Geneva to present the report, at which Ko Barrett, WMO Deputy Secretary-General, and Chris Hewitt, WMO Chief of Climate Services, would speak.

5 November was World Tsunami Awareness Day. The United Nations Secretary-General had issued a statement for the day.

6 November was the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

On Wednesday, 5 November at 2 p.m., the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) would hold a press conference to launch a report on the forests of North America, Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Speaking were Paola Deda, Director, Forests, Land and Housing Division, UNECE; Michael Köhl, Professor of World Forestry, University of Hamburg; Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

The Committee against Torture would open next Monday, 10 November, at 10 a.m., its eighty-third session, during which it would review the reports of Israel, Argentina, Bahrain and Albania.

The seventh edition of the Young Activists Summit would be held on 20 November at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The event celebrated young activists who made a difference in their communities.  The laureates this year were from Côte d’Ivoire, India, Lebanon, Japan and Brazil. The Summit’s theme this year was “From hashtags to action”, and it would focus on young people who made a difference in the life of their community through digital tools and on the digital platforms. The activists would be available for interviews.

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