UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Food Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, World Health Organization, United Nations Trade and Development, and the United Nations Environment Programme.

Response to Record Flooding in Mozambique

Xavier Creach, Representative in Mozambique, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said he was in Xia-Xia, one of the regions most heavily affected by flooding. Due to very heavy rains over the past two weeks, already 400,000 people had been displaced by flooding and had had to flee their houses in tremendously difficult conditions. Many people had had to wait long hours, if not days, on the roofs of their houses before rescue operations reached them.

Some 100,000 of these people were now accommodated in 100 temporary sites that had been established, which were overcrowded. Mr. Creach said he had met with a group of 55 women who had had to stay in one classroom. There were high risks of contraction of diseases, sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation for people taking refuge, particularly women and children. Families had sometimes been separated.

Important infrastructure such as roads, schools and health centres had been destroyed. UNHCR was responding on the ground with many other humanitarian actors, as well as the Government, which had led a very impressive response.  Mozambique had become a climate champion but had suffered devastating floods over the last fifteen years. Mr. Creach said he had met people who had been displaced three times already, and every time, they lost everything – their house, belongings, livelihoods and farming land. Everyone was worried that they would not be able to plant seeds in time during the current seeding season.

As the conflict in norther Mozambique had caused the displacement of over 300,000 people, there were around 700,000 people in the country who had been displaced in the last six months. This was a tremendous challenge, and the two crises were feeding on each other.  The crisis would have important social and economic implications, with concerns that fragility in Mozambique would continue to increase. Significant international support was needed to address this crisis.

Ross Smith, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, World Food Programme (WFP), said the WFP was working closely with UNHCR and the Government, which had been first in class for preparing for and supporting the response, supporting early warning messages and pre-positioning aid supplies that helped humanitarian actors to respond as quickly as possible.

There were major access constraints on the ground, with many people staying in more than 100 accommodation centres. WFP was scaling up its response to support more than 450,000 people. It was working on the logistics backbone to support the humanitarian community, including by supplying United Nations aircraft, helicopters and amphibious vehicles to reach people in inaccessible areas. There was more than 1,500 kilometres of road that had been washed away and was completely unusable. WFP was also procuring food using local resources to the extent possible, working with a large network of retailers that had supplies pre-positioned.

This shock came on top of an existing crisis in northern Mozambique, and WFP was very stretched for resources. It was borrowing from resources allocated for the northern region for the response in the southern and central regions. This put operations in the northern region under tremendous stress.

Needs were skyrocketing in Mozambique and WFP and its operational partners needed international support. There was a 32 million USD request for WFP alone, part of the 187 million USD flash appeal that had gone out to support the Mozambique flood response.

Responding to a question on the state of funding, Mr. Smith said the crisis in Mozambique was a sudden onset disaster that had occurred on top of an existing crisis in the country. The flooding was on a similar scale to other devastating natural disasters seen in southeast Asia. WFP had the capacity on the ground, but was facing a funding crisis, with 40 percent less funding than a year ago. This was straining its response in the country.

Humanitarian Situation in Yemen

Responding to a question on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, Ross Smith, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, World Food Programme (WFP), said WFP was very concerned by the situation. There were populations that it projected would soon be in famine-like conditions. It was imperative that WFP had operating conditions that allowed it to work in northern Yemen. The organisation was also very concerned by the situation of WFP staff who had been detained in Yemen and was doing everything it could to get them released. WFP had capacity throughout the region, including operations in southern Yemen, to respond and scale up activities when conditions allowed it to do so.

Myanmar Election and Fifth Anniversary of the Coup

Jeremy Laurence for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that as Myanmar marked five years since the military coup, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk today deplored that the conduct of recent military-imposed elections failed to respect the fundamental human rights of the country’s citizens, and that the process served only to exacerbate violence and societal polarization.

After the military grabbed power from the democratically elected government, Myanmar lost half a decade of peace and development. The profound and widespread despair inflicted on the people of Myanmar had only deepened with the recent election staged by the military.

Many people chose either to vote or not to vote purely out of fear, flatly at odds with their internationally guaranteed civil and political rights – and with ripple effects on their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. The conflict and insecurity continued unabated in large parts of the country. Opposition candidates and some ethnic groups were excluded.

Elections were held in only 263 of 330 townships, often exclusively in urban centres under military control, and limited in conflict areas. As a result, large segments of the population, especially the displaced and minorities, such as the ethnic Rohingya, were excluded. Credible sources verified that 170 civilians were killed in some 408 military aerial attacks reported by open sources during the voting period between December 2025 and January 2026.

For five years now, the military’s rule had been characterised by repression of political dissent, mass arbitrary arrests, arbitrary conscription, widespread surveillance and limitation of civic space. Now, the military was seeking to entrench its rule-by-violence after forcing people to the ballot box. This could not be further from civilian rule.

The past five years had also been accompanied by disastrous mismanagement of the country’s economy. Almost a quarter of the population was now faced with high levels of acute food insecurity, and over a third were in urgent humanitarian need. The Office of the High Commissioner feared this was only set to deteriorate further. It called on the international community, particularly those States with influence, to redouble efforts to end the violence. Now was the time to find new pathways to restoring democracy and respect for all human rights, as demanded by the Myanmar people for half a decade.

James Rodehaver, Team Leader for Myanmar, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the Myanmar military created the human rights environment in the country today, an atmosphere of fear, oppression, violence and despair. Civilians did not feel safe and did not see hope for their own futures. 

That sentiment was key to the elections that the military just forced upon the Myanmar people in the segments of the country that it controlled. It was a process intended to win the military legitimacy, both for the coup that it perpetrated in February 2021 and the violence that followed it. It was a process in which the military asked citizens to risk life and limb to cast a ballot in a process with predetermined outcomes. Citizens were pressured and cajoled, forced to vote or face stiff consequences such as forced conscription, the non-renewal of passports, rescinding of university enrolments or cancellation of permits to travel or work abroad.

The elections did not prevent violence from continuing throughout 2025. Last year was the deadliest year since the coup for children. It was also the year in which more civilians died from airstrikes that any other since 2021. Airstrikes continued even through the election days, even in townships where voting was going on. Detentions and other forms of repression were also rife. As the military sought legitimacy, it was important to look at their five-year track record, which revealed all that the international community needed to know.

In response to a question on the number of civilians killed in airstrikes, Mr. Rodehaver said OHCHR was working to verify the number of deaths, which occurred in several locations in the run-up to the election and on days in which balloting occurred.

On whether the Rohingyas were allowed to vote, he said the vast majority of Rohingya were not able to vote because they were not recognised by the military as citizens. Over 85 percent of the Rohingya population of Myanmar was displaced in Bangladesh or other countries, and no provisions were made for displaced persons overseas to vote. The small population of Rohingya in Myanmar lived mostly in town not controlled by the military, where no voting took place.

On the methodology for verifying deaths and arrests, Mr. Rodehaver said OHCHR worked closely with organisations on the ground that could put a name to every individual who had been arrested or killed, so that their identity could be verified.

There were close to 1,900 verified civilian deaths for the year 2025, but there were 4,500 incidents that were still under active investigation, and the number of deaths was likely to keep climbing over the coming weeks. Last year was the deadliest year for children, with 287 children killed. The previous high was 250 deaths in 2024. Last year also had the highest number of verified deaths due to airstrikes last year, with 982 verified deaths. Over the last five years, around 30 percent of civilian deaths had been individuals in the custody of the Myanmar military.

On whether recent operations had expanded the military’s territorial control, Mr. Rodehaver said the military had made some gains on the ground, but not nearly as many as originally feared. There had been much back and forth, with territory changing hands. It now controlled around 40 percent of the country.

Right up to 25 January, there had been 408 aerial attacks that happened between December and January, with at least 170 deaths resulting from those airstrikes as of 22 January. The numbers could change because the verification process was slow, with communications cut off and fear from individuals in some regions to come forward with information.

Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said that Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, had this morning issued a statement echoing the concerns expressed by OHCHR five years on from coup.

Risk of Escalating Violence in Jonglei State in South Sudan

Adham Effendi, acting Country Director for South Sudan, World Food Programme (WFP), said he was in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, where active conflict was taking place. WFP was delivering life-saving food assistance by air to over 10,000 people who had experienced conflict, floods and a complete lack of access to the basics of life. Communities and the people of South Sudan were exhausted.

WFP was calling on all parties to the conflict to urgently halt military operations, de-escalate the situation and allow safe humanitarian access to deliver life-saving food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Jonglei state. The most pressing challenge was the rapidly expanding military confrontations in Jonglei between the main parties to the peace agreement.

Civilians had been caught in the crossfire, losing their lives and homes. Up to 260,000 people had been displaced by the Jonglei conflict this month alone. WFP needed access to affected areas to respond and react.

These vulnerable communities were further impacted by a sharp surge in cholera. There had been almost 98,000 cases of cholera, with 1,600 deaths reported, since September 2024. If the humanitarian community was not allowed to respond, the situation would deteriorate. 

Nearly 60 percent of the population in Jonglei was already expected to face crisis levels of hunger during the upcoming lean season, when hunger was at its worst. This military escalation could not have come at a worse time. WFP’s window to reach the most vulnerable was quickly closing. The time to act was now. WFP urged all parties to protect civilians and aid workers and allow the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance.

Prepositioning of life-saving food assistance and relief supplies close to hunger spots was crucial before the lean season, which spanned from April to August, when heavy rains would also cut off land routes to reach vulnerable women, men and children. Currently, both the WFP-led logistics cluster and the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service had not received clearance from the authorities to coordinate broad convoys and humanitarian flights.

Without urgent action, entire communities would be left beyond the reach of vital assistance they required. It was imperative that these restrictions were immediately addressed, to ensure that humanitarian assistance could be delivered effectively and without delay, with safe and unimpeded access. WFP had the teams and the capacity to reach the most vulnerable families. Hundreds of thousands of lives depended on it.

In response to a question on the timing of stoppages of humanitarian flights, Mr. Effendi said WFP had not been able to carry out flights for three weeks, with only limited flights conducted to facilitate evacuations for humanitarians. Today, some flights were being planned to Akobo, which had previously been on the Government’s no-fly list. WFP was coordinating with all parties to reach affected areas.

Responding to other questions on WFP activities, Mr. Effendi said WFP planned to reach around half a million people facing acute hunger during the lean season. If assistance was not delivered to these communities, the situation would continue to get worse. Access to services, health, water and sanitation was also very important. WFP planned to deliver 15,000 tonnes of food in these next months, which was ready to be delivered. 

This was the season in which people could have planted crops and participate in livelihood activities, he said. The window for agricultural activities would close if urgent assistance was not provided. Communities were currently surviving on water lilies and wild fruit. In some cases, people needed to canoe for five hours or walk long distances to obtain food.

Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, read out a statement issued last night by the spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the escalation of violence in South Sudan, particularly in Jonglei state, which had caused deaths, injuries and displacement. The Secretary-General said he was alarmed by inflammatory rhetoric targeting specific communities and the announcement of expanded military operations, which would further harm civilian populations who were already in a vulnerable situation. He called on all parties to ensure safe access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the security of United Nations peacekeepers, humanitarian personnel and their assets. He further called on the Government of South Sudan and opposition forces to take immediate and decisive action to halt all military operations.

Thin Line Between Abandonment and Hope for Children in Darfur

Eva Hinds, Chief of Communication in Sudan, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said in Darfur today, reaching a single child could take days of negotiation, security clearances, and travel across sand roads under shifting frontlines. But the work was critical, particularly in places like Tawila, where hundreds of thousands of children had fled unspeakable violence. It was also where their families had built an entire city from sticks, hay, and plastic sheeting. Nothing about this crisis was simple: every movement was hard‑won, every delivery fragile.

Still, under these conditions, support was getting through. In just two weeks, UNICEF and partners vaccinated over 140,000 children, treated thousands for illness and malnutrition, restored safe water to tens of thousands, opened temporary classrooms, and provided food, protection, and psychosocial care. It was painstaking, precarious work – delivered one convoy, one clinic, one classroom at a time – but for children in Darfur, it was the thin line between being abandoned and being reached.

Ms. Hinds said she had just returned from a 10-day mission to Darfur. Even with years of experience working in emergencies, she said that what she had witnessed was unlike anything before. The scale of displacement, the fragmentation of the conflict, and the collapse of essential services had created a situation where every child was living on the brink.

Travel across Darfur was extremely difficult. Roads were mostly sand and stones, and every movement required multiple permissions and careful planning to ensure the safety of UNICEF’s teams. None of it was straightforward. But it was the only way to reach children who had had only very limited access to support for months.

She said nothing prepared her for what she saw in Tawila. Over 500,000 to 600,000 people were sheltering there and standing inside that vast expanse of makeshift shelters - hay, sticks, plastic sheeting - was overwhelming. She said it felt like an entire city uprooted and rebuilt out of necessity and fear. It was a city rebuilt out of desperation, larger than her hometown Helsinki, and every one of those families is there because they had no choice but to flee.

She said she had met Doha, a teenage girl who had just arrived from Al Fasher with her aunt and siblings. Before the war, she had been studying English. She said she dreamt of returning to school and eventually teaching English to other children.

At a nutrition site, she met the aunt of a little girl named Fatima, who had been brought for treatment for malnutrition. Fatima’s mother, her sister, had been lost to the conflict. The aunt held the child close, doing everything she could to keep her safe.

At a centre for women and girls, Ms. Hinds met mothers who had nothing left. They told her they had no food, no blankets, no warm clothing for their children. “The children are freezing,” one mother said. “We have nothing to cover them with.”

These personal stories reflected only a small part of a much wider situation in North Darfur. Sudan was the world’s largest humanitarian emergency, yet one of the least visible. Limited access, a complex conflict, and competing global crises meant the suffering of millions of children was going unseen.

This was a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding on a massive scale. Sudan’s children urgently needed international attention and decisive action. Without it, the horrors facing the country’s youngest and most vulnerable would only deepen.

In response to a question on support for child victims of rape, Ms. Hinds said UNICEF had child protection colleagues on the ground who were providing spaces where women and girls affected by sexual violence could speak with counsellors.

World Neglected Tropical Disease Day - Progress and Persistent Challenges

Dr. Daniel Argaw Dagne, Team Lead, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization (WHO), wished all a happy World Neglected Tropical Disease Day, a day when we reflected on progress achieved in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and challenges being faced in moving forward.

There were 21 NTDs, which were caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins such as those from snakebites. They were prevalent in subtropical and tropical areas, affecting people mainly living in low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of Latin America and South Asia. Around one billion people were affected by these diseases and around 1.4 billion were at risk.  The diseases affected over 120,000 people annually, causing long-term morbidity, disability and death. Long-term morbidity increased out-of-pocket expenditure, contributing to the vicious cycle of poverty. WHO had prepared an essential care package to address the mental health burden caused by NTDs and would hold a webinar on 4 February to launch this package.

WHO established its dedicated control and elimination programme in 2005, so it had been operational for 20 years, and significant progress had been made in combating NTDs. There had been a 36 percent reduction in the number of people requiring interventions against NTDs. Right now, 1.94 billion people required intervention against neglected tropical diseases, down from 2.19 billion in 2010. In addition, around 58 countries around the world had eliminated at least one NTD. This was significant progress, showing that NTDs were preventable, curable and eliminable.

The success was due to various strategic approaches, one of which was treatment. Over 80 million people had been treated for these diseases. WHO thanked its pharmaceutical partners for providing it with over one billion doses of 19 different types of medicines free of charge. People were directly benefiting from these donations.

However, these diseases faced low prioritisation, hence the name “neglected”. They affected remote populations and were often not talked about unless a crisis occurred. The funding for fighting these diseases had also reduced significantly with the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Overseas development assistance in this area had decreased by 41 percent from 2018, resulting in uneven progress. Climate change and other factors were also hindering progress.

WHO had an ambitious but achievable 2030 target for eliminating these diseases. Today, it called on the world to sustain the progress that had been made thus far, mobilise new funding and leadership, and accelerate innovation and integration of health services, including mental health, into the NTD response.

In response to questions on funding for efforts to combat these diseases, Dr. Dagne said funding was needed for operations and distribution of medicines to reach people in endemic regions. The amount of money needed to tackle NDTs varied according to the disease being addressed and the region. In some countries, domestic funding was being allocated. WHO had lost over 400 million dollars, a 41 percent funding reduction, with the withdrawal of the United States and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. There was already a funding gap before this withdrawal. New funding partners were arriving, which was encouraging, but funding was not currently sufficient.

Nipah Virus Infection in West Bengal, India

Anais Legand, High Threat Pathogens Team, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization (WHO), said that on 26 January, India notified WHO of two confirmed cases of people contracting Nipah virus in West Bengal state. As of today, no additional cases had been reported. These two persons were in a health centre receiving supportive care. They did not travel while symptomatic. No cases had been reported in any other country associated with this outbreak.

Indian health authorities were implementing outbreak control measures, including enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing and risk communication and community engagement.

Nipah was a rare but serious disease. It was first reported in 1998 and since then, there had been reports of limited occurrences in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. The virus usually transmitted from infected fruit bats and other animals like pigs to humans through direct contact, or through consumption of contaminated fruit of food products, such as raw date palm sap. It could also be transmitted directly between people in specific circumstances.

India had demonstrated capacity and experience to contain such outbreaks. Over the past five years, a dozen confirmed cases were reported in India, all in Kerala state. Field investigations were currently underway to ascertain the source of infection of those two confirmed cases. To date, over 190 contacts of the two confirmed cases were being closely monitored. None of them had tested positive for the disease.

Infection prevention and control measures had been strengthened in health facilities in the affected area. Risk communication was underway, including providing people with guidance to avoid bats and food that may have been contaminated by bats, as well as the importance of getting symptoms checked as early as possible by a healthcare provider. 

WHO was in contact with Indian health authorities to conduct a risk assessment of the situation and would provide technical support as needed. Based on current information, the risk at national, regional and global levels was considered low. WHO would continue to closely monitor the situation in India and other countries, regularly assessing the risk and providing technical support to local health authorities as needed to ensure timely detection, response and public communication.

In response to a question on whether the virus was more pathogenic than in the past, Ms. Legand said that of the two confirmed cases, one person was still in hospital, while the other had shown signs of recovery. It was too early to say whether the virus was more pathogenic than previous outbreaks. When the virus replicated, it sometimes changed its genetic sequence. WHO was waiting on India to release the sequence to assess for potential mutations. There was no specific evidence that made WHO worry for the time being.

Ms. Legand said some countries had decided to strengthen border screening at the entry of their territories from travellers coming from certain states in India. The most effective way to control the disease was at the source, with a local response that included good care for sick people, close monitoring of contacts and informing the public about how they could prevent getting infected and what to do when they showed symptoms, while strengthening infection prevention and control in healthcare settings in affected areas.

The average incubation time for the virus was between three and 14 days. The fatality rate for the disease was estimated at between 40 and 75 percent.

On investigations into the source of the virus, Ms. Legand said they were ongoing in India with the support of WHO. Cases were not unusual at this time of year. All hypotheses regarding how the virus had spread were being assessed, including consumption of raw date palm sap, and exposure through healthcare facilities.

Transmission had been documented mostly in health facilities and through prolonged human-to-human contact, which mainly occurred through body fluid or secretion. For healthcare workers and others, wearing a mask, gloves and a face shield was advised, as was regular hand washing.

In response to false information on the virus going viral on social media, WHO was disseminating accurate information on it. WHO did not recommend border closures in response to this virus, however screening at borders was a choice that countries could make.

As with many viral diseases, its symptoms were not necessarily distinguishable from other diseases at the beginning. For most patients, the first symptom was a fever. However, Nipah virus also had symptoms involving the brain, such as headaches or confusion, and in some patients, coughing and difficulty breathing was also seen. Healthcare workers needed to be trained to recognise those symptoms early.

First Session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution

Tessa Goverse, Head of the Interim Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said that next week, the first session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution would be hosted by the Government of Switzerland from 2 to 6 February at the Gevena International Conference Centre. This would be the first time that the plenary, the governing and decision-making body of a new science policy panel, would come together after three years of negotiations convened by UNEP. 

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel was established on 20 June 2025 in Uruguay. Its objective was to strengthen the science policy interface to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste and prevent pollution. Its establishment in 2025 closed a long-standing gap in the chemical and waste landscape. It completed the global trio of scientific panels addressing the environmental crisis, along with the Intergovernmental Science Policy Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established in 1988 and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) established in 2012.

At its very first meeting, the plenary was expected to elect the chair of the panel and its first bureau would designate the physical location of the secretariat of the Panel, with two offers from Kenya and Switzerland, finalise and adopt the rules and procedures for sessions of the plenary, and advance on other policies and processes critical to fully operationalise the new panel. The panel currently had 125 members, and this number was growing by the week. This, and the fact that the panel would have its first meeting only seven and a half months after its establishment, showed the appetite from countries for the panel to get on with its important work.

Once fully operational, the panel would work with experts from all over the world and from various policy disciplines to provide countries with independent, policy-relevant advice on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention. It would do so through global assessments, horizon scanning, identifying knowledge gaps, supporting communication between scientists and policymakers, and facilitating information sharing.

Chemicals were used daily in modern life, but they could have unintended negative impacts on human and environmental health, as well as on the economy. There was also a lot of science and evidence available on chemicals, but it was not necessarily in the hands of policy and decision makers who needed it to take action on the ground. The panel was about science and solutions.

The start of the session on Monday would be briefly open for media to cover. The Government of Switzerland would be speaking as the host of the meeting, following a short performance starting at 10 a.m. Later that day, the Executive Director of UNEP would speak at a closed meeting and her speech would be published on the panel’s website. The sessions would not be streamed online. UNEP would communicate on the outcomes of the sessions through a press release that it aimed make available by Friday night. For more details and interview requests, journalists could contact Alejandro Laguna(laguna@un.org).

In response to questions on the meeting, Ms. Goverse said there was much fundamental work that needed to be done to set the panel off on a good footing. The plenary needed to come to an agreement on the work programme for the panel in order for it to start implementing it. This first meeting was an enabling meeting to ensure that the panel could start its important work. The election of the Chair was planned for the first day.

Announcements

Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization (WHO) said WHO had sent a media advisory this week which gave an overview of the agenda for the Executive Board meeting scheduled for 2 to 7 February, which was being held in Geneva and could be watched online. Journalists registered with the United Nations could receive daily access to the meeting at its reception.

Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had held a press conference yesterday where he presented his global priorities for 2026, which touched on many important subjects, including multilateralism, humanitarian funding, climate change, and artificial intelligence.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child would close this afternoon at 5 p.m. its 100th session and next week would issue its concluding observations on the seven countries reviewed: Maldives, Ghana, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Colombia, Spain, and Malaysia.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women would open next Monday at 10 a.m. its 92nd session (2-20 February, Palais des Nations, Room V), during which it would review the reports of Viet Nam, Iraq, Lithuania, Netherlands, Argentina, Czech Republic, El Salvador, and Lesotho.

The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) would meet this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the Assembly Hall to consider the draft reports of 13 countries reviewed during the UPR’s 51st session, which was ending today. The Human Rights Council was set to adopt the outcomes of these 13 country reviews at its 62nd session in June 2026.

The Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action would hold its 25th session in Geneva from 2 to 6 February 2026. This session would take place at the Palais des Nations in Room XII. The Durban Declaration and Plan of Action was adopted in 2001 to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. It was celebrating this year its 25th anniversary.

Catherine Huissoud for United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that she would be leaving the United Nations at the close of business today. She recounted her 22-year career as the spokesperson for UNCTAD, reporting on the fast-changing, chaotic world. She invited journalists to contact the new press officer at United Nations Trade and Development, Abiy Solomon (Email: abiy.solomon@unctad.org) for future inquiries related to UNCTAD’s work.

Mr. Gómez and several journalists commended Ms. Huissoud and other retiring colleagues on their valuable work over their long careers collaborating with the Geneva press corps.

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