UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the World Health Organization.
Latest food security situation and analysis in the DRC.
Cynthia Jones, Country Director for the World Food Programme (WFP) for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), speaking from Kinshasa, said the latest Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) report, released a few days ago, showed that the number of people facing emergency levels of hunger in the DRC has surged, doubling since last year, driven by various conflicts in the eastern part of the country. For context, an area the size of Switzerland had fallen under the control of a non-state armed group, the M23, which had caused massive population movement including large-scale forced returns of all the displaced. People had been forced from their home repeatedly; there were around 5.2 million people displaced in the eastern part of the country, making the DRC one of the world’s largest displacement crises. This, combined with the establishment of the de facto authority and the fall of Goma, had disrupted markets and forced banks to close, devastating livelihoods and leaving people in extremely precarious food security conditions. One in three people in the eastern DRC were at a crisis and emergency level of food insecurity -IPC 3 and 4 - amounting to over 10 million people, with three million people falling under the emergency food category. 60 percent of children in some areas were malnourished.
Despite all the challenges, WFP teams on the ground had reached 3.4 million people with emergency, lifesaving assistance including food distribution and cash. However, funding was running out and WFP had been forced to cut their assistance. Almost 350 million dollars were needed to continue emergency food and nutrition assistance in the next six months. WFP needed improved access; the two airports in M23 areas had been closed since the end of January. They were urgently calling for a humanitarian airport to be established, such as partial reopening of the Goma airport. Cross-border flights to Rwanda were also a potential option. At a time when resources were depleting, WFP needed to respond efficiently, and improving air access would be a great enabler for this. Behind the statistics, the people of the DRC had been suffering. WFP was doing everything possible, but they required the right support to do more. WFP was calling on donors, partners and the international community to help the people of the DRC.
Responding to questions, Ms. Jones said WFP had received historically low funding levels this year, or around 150 million dollars. Typically, the organization would have expected to receive around 400,000 million dollars per year, to reach people in extreme levels of need. WFP was reducing the number of people being helped a month to stretch these resources further, from around one million to 600,000. Even with these measures, there could be a complete break in services by WFP by February next year if the situation did not improve. There were around five million people facing malnourishment in eastern DRC.
Responding to additional questions, Ms. Jones said during the takeover of Goma, WFP staff never left and had maintained their operations and teams on the ground. They worked with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to negotiate humanitarian access. Air access remained the biggest challenge, as WFP staff currently had to fly from Kinshasa to airports such as Nairobi and then continue their journey by road. Areas in North Kivu had been reached effectively but South Kivu was a real challenge, due to the level of conflict. The number of people in the IPC 4 category had gone up seven times compared to last year, which was alarming.
Responding to further questions, Ms. Jones said the Goma airport had been the humanitarian air hub. Since the fall of Goma, this airport had been closed due to damaged systems. Now WFP had to fly to different countries to get in, including Benin, and drive across lines, but this took significant time and was risky and expensive. In some areas, it was not possible to drive, which was why the eastern part of the country needed to be accessed through neighboring countries.
UNHCR appeals for funding to sustain refugee returns in West and Central Africa
Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Director of the Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaking from Nairobi, said this year, more than 42,000 refugees had been able to return home voluntarily in the West and Central Africa region, bringing the total to more than 272,000 since 2021, offering renewed hope for communities recovering from years of displacement. The majority had returned to Nigeria and the Central African Republic, with around 10,000 more refugees expected to return from neighbouring countries before the end of the year. UNHCR surveys showed 80,000 Central African refugees in Cameroon and Chad intended to return as soon as basic services and reintegration opportunities were available.
UNHCR and partners aimed to help 60,000 refugees return to the Central African Republic in 2026, part of a 2024–2028 plan targeting up to 300,000 returns, reflecting improved stability and stronger regional cooperation, Mr. Gnon-Konde added. Talks were progressing within the Great Lakes region, and renewed peace and commitment among Congo, the DRC, and Rwanda would pave the way for the sustainable return of refugees. However this process was fragile and without urgent and sustained funding, these returns could stop, leaving thousands of refugee families stuck in camps or in asylum countries. UNHCR called for urgent, flexible and multi-year funding to enable thousands more families to return home and recover with dignity.
Responding to questions, Mr. Gnon-Konde said in 2024 90,000 refugees were able to go back home, and last year, 251,000 internally displaced persons were also able to return.
UN Climate Change Conference - COP30 - Belém, Brazil
Eujin Byun, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said UNHCR’s High Commissioner Filippo Grandi would attend the Conference of Parties (COP) 30, which would be his last time attending in this capacity. He would host a press conference at 2:30 p.m local time which would be livestreamed. A link could be found in the embargoed press release which had been distributed to the media.
Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service Geneva, said the Secretary-General was still in Belém for the COP 30, and he would speak today at two thematic sessions: the energy transition Roundtable, and “Ten years of the Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions and Financing”. His remarks would be shared with the media.
Syria: Continued worrying reports about abductions and enforced disappearances
Thameen Al-Keetan, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said eleven months after the fall of the former government in Syria, OHCHR continued to receive worrying reports about dozens of abductions and enforced disappearances, in addition to the more than 100,000 people who went missing under the Assad regime. The fate and whereabouts of all those missing, both before and after the fall of the former government, needed to be urgently clarified. OHCHR supported the work of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic. One recent emblematic case was the disappearance of Syria Civil Defense volunteer Hamza Al-Amarin in July 2025, who remained unaccounted for. OHCHR stressed that all armed actors needed to respect and protect humanitarian workers, as required by international human rights law and applicable humanitarian law.
The full summary is available here.
Responding to questions, Mr. Al-Keetan said the security situation was volatile since the change of government in Syria. There were many parties and factions trying to grab power and at conflict with each other. One of the main challenges for OHCHR was that people were frightened to speak to the Office and had received threats for doing so. OHCHR had managed to document 97 people who had been abducted since January 2025, but many of these cases were not reported, due to fear of reprisals. Some abducted individuals had been released, but these were often not reported. Therefore, it was currently difficult to determine a real figure regarding the numbers of abducted or disappeared.
Responding to further questions, Mr. Al-Keetan said that dozens of people had been abducted, and it remained unclear how many had been released. The Institution on Missing Persons had been in development before the fall of the Assad regime, and once the regime collapsed, the team moved quickly to put its processes in place. He emphasized that this was both difficult and vital work, underscoring the importance of supporting the Institution and ensuring full cooperation from the authorities with the mechanism. Mr. Al-Keetan said many of the abduction cases occurred during violent events, such as those in coastal areas and in Suweida. However, the Office still received reports of abductions occurring in Syria.
Niger: Arrests of journalists
Seif Magango, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), speaking from Nairobi, said the arrests of at least 13 journalists in Niger over the past year on allegations of defamation, undermining national security, and conspiracy against state authority, under the revised cybercrime law adopted in June last year, were very worrying. Six journalists were arrested on 1 November, among them Moussa Kaka, the Director of Radio Television Saraounia. Kaka and two others were subsequently released on bail, but three others from other local media outlets, remained in custody. All six were accused on vague charges of “complicity in the dissemination of information likely to disturb public order”. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on the authorities to release the journalists still being held, and to discontinue all proceedings that exceeded the strict bounds set out under international human rights law.
The full summary is available here.
Gaza
Responding to questions from the media on Gaza, Thameen Al-Keetan, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that any use of force must comply with international law, including international humanitarian law. He stressed that any future process must include the participation of the Palestinian people and uphold their right to self-determination. Regarding strikes that had taken place since the ceasefire, he noted that OHCHR did not monitor compliance by the parties with the ceasefire agreement. Nevertheless, civilians must always be protected, and the human rights of the Palestinian people remain unchanged. OHCHR maintained that the ceasefire was essential and must be respected.
In the West Bank, attacks by settlers were, unfortunately, continuing, Mr. Al-Keetan stated. Since 7 October 2023, and as of 5 November 2025, Israeli security forces and settlers had killed 1,010 Palestinians, including 215 children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These attacks must stop, and accountability was urgently needed. In the first half of 2025 alone, 757 attacks had been recorded, a 13 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
Ricardo Pires, speaking for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that 47 children had been killed this year in the West Bank and Jerusalem. He stressed that this violence must stop, and that international law must always be respected.
Update on impacts of hurricane Melissa
Ricardo Pires, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said it had been one week since Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean, leaving behind a path of destruction across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and thousands of children still lacked safe water, health care, schooling and protection. Across these four countries, more than 900,000 children had been impacted, and at least 679,000 were now in urgent humanitarian need. UNICEF teams were on the ground working with national authorities and partners to restore essential services, including safe water, health care, education and child protection, for the most affected children and families.
In Jamaica, 281,000 children needed urgent help. In Cuba, 441,000 children were affected, and over 1,500 schools and 287 health centers had sustained damage. In Haiti, the hurricane claimed 31 lives, including 10 children, and destroyed or damaged over 16,000 homes. In the Dominican Republic, some 62,000 children were affected by severe flooding. UNICEF were providing Water and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and medical supplies, cash assistance, and psychological support and were supporting the Government to restore health, nutrition and education services in these countries. To sustain the regional response, UNICEF was appealing for 56 million dollars, of which significant gaps remained.
Responding to questions, Mr. Pires said that assessments of the funding gap were still underway. He noted that the shortfall was significant and far below what was required, although UNICEF did not yet have an exact figure.
WHO Virtual Press Conference for the launch of the 2025 Global Tuberculosis Report
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the WHO Virtual Press Conference for the launch of the 2025 Global Tuberculosis Report would be held on Tuesday 11 November. A media advisory would be released today with the exact time. The report provided a comprehensive, current update of the tuberculosis epidemic progress and response at global, regional and country levels, as well as the impact of recent funding cuts, among other information.
Mr. Lindmeier also said the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control would hold virtual press conferences for the Conference of Parties (COP) and the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) on Thursday 13 November, at 3 p.m. Speakers would share what would be expected during these two events, being held in Geneva from 17 to 22 November, and details to join would be sent to journalists with the media advisory next week.
Responding to questions, Mr. Lindmeier said attendance to the COP would not be possible for the media. A media advisory had been sent earlier on how to register and get accredited.
Responding to another question, Mr. Lindmeier said the 2025 Global Tuberculosis Report was embargoed until the press conference. An embargoed copy would be available 24 hours in advance.
Announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service Geneva said on Monday, 10 November at 10:30 a.m, a press conference would be held by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the major outcomes of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (held in Geneva, from 3 to 7 November 2025). Speakers included Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention; Brenda Koekkoek, Senior Coordination Officer, Minamata Convention; and Lara Ognibene, Legal Officer, Minamata Convention on Mercury, who was a new speaker.
Ms. Vellucci also said the Committee Against Torture would open next Monday, 10 November, at 10am, its 83rd session during which it would review the reports of Israel, Argentina, Bahrain and Albania.
Furthermore, the Human Rights Council would hold a special session on the human rights situation in and around El Fasher, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan, on Friday, 14 November 2025. It was expected to start at 9 am in the Assembly Hall at the Palais des Nations and would be webcast live by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva.
Ms. Vellucci said the media were invited to this year’s opening of 16 Days of Activism against Gender based Violence, being held under the theme “Unite to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”. The opening would be held on 25 November and was being organized by the European Union and UN Women.
Finally, Ms. Vellucci said today was the International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools, including Cyberbullying. Colleagues from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) were organizing a symposium which would be webcast live.
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