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 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration, United Nations Children's Fund, Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, and the World Health Organization.
Sudan: Millions at risk of losing emergency shelter as funding runs out
Abubakarr Jalloh, Deputy Representative in Sudan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaking from Khartoum, said that on 25 April 2023, he woke up in the city to the sounds of war. Many families fled within minutes, carrying only would they could. They left their homes, blankets, cooking pots, everything that made a house a home. For millions across Sudan, this uncertainty remained real.
Mr. Jalloh said today, he was back in Khartoum, working with partners, civil society, and communities, helping everyone who had lost their lives or been uprooted. Three and a half years on, the conflict continued and suffering was deepening as front lines changed. More families were being forced to flee, some for the first time, while others were fleeing for the second or third time. They arrived in places with little or nothing to support them. The host communities were commendably doing all that they could, struggling to meet the growing needs, while they themselves had very little to provide.
Almost 15 million people in Sudan had been uprooted by the war or were trying to rebuild their lives in places that had been destroyed. This figure included Sudanese displaced within the country, returnees determined to restart their lives, and refugees who had fled Sudan seeking safety years ago but were now fleeing for their lives again.
This year, the war had sadly spread to a new frontline in the Blue Nile states. Nearly 120,00 people had been displaced there since January. Many fled in the middle of the night. Some arrived in places of relative safety carrying nothing at all. Even after fleeing, many did not feel safe.
Three in four displaced persons in Sudan were women and children, and they did not have privacy. There were no private latrines for women and girls. For a woman who had lost everything, a tent was more than just shelter. It meant the difference between sleeping in the open, surrounded by strangers and having a space of their own. A solar lamp meant women could reach a latrine at night without walking in darkness. A kitchen meant mothers could cook for children without exposing themselves to unnecessary risk.
Winter was now approaching. Sudan was known as a country of extreme heat, but winter nights in Darfur could be bitterly cold and temperatures in northern Sudan could fall into single digits. For newborn babies and older persons, a blanket could be a life-saving item. Many families were approaching winter with shelters that were already damaged or barely standing. In Tawila, which now sheltered 900 people, heavy rains this summer destroyed hundreds of tents. Across displaced sites, two in five displaced families were living under plastic sheets.
At the same time, El Niño had brought far less rain to Sudan this year, affecting harvesting across Darfur, Kordofan and many other areas impacted by the ongoing fighting. This time of the year, just after the harvest, food was supposed to be affordable. Yet prices remained painfully high. In September alone, the price of staple grain rose by up to 40 per cent, on top of extremely high inflation. For a family that had lost everything, every Sudanese pounds spent on food was money they could not spend on a blanket or supplies or safe shelter.
Even getting life-saving assistance to those who needed it had become increasingly dangerous. In this year alone, drones struck UNHCR trucks twice. Drivers survived, but every emergency shelter for more than 1,300 families went up in flames in April and in July in White Nile, and 50 tonnes of blankets, sleeping mats, and solar lamps were destroyed. When those supplies were destroyed, women lost a measure of protection, children lost the warmth of blankets, and families who had already fled violence often multiple times lost the chance of having a roof over their heads.
Despite these challenges, UNHCR and partners continued to work every day to reach the millions that were in need. The collective shelter response required 179 million dollars this year. So far, only 35 per cent had been funded.
Mr. Jalloh concluded with the story of Amira, who left Kurmuk in the Blue Nile on foot in the dark with her three children. It took her days walking and travelling in crowded trucks to reach Wad Madani. When she arrived, the displacement sites were already full of families who had made the same desperate journey as she had. She said she had been sleeping under the sky. UNHCR teams brought her a tent, and her children could finally sleep under a roof. A roof was something most people barely noticed, but for a mother who had fled violence with her children, it meant safety, dignity, and the ability to sleep without fear.
For millions of families in Sudan this winter, this modest hope remained out of reach. The difference between sleeping under a roof and sleeping under the open sky in winter in Sudan was not a question of technology. It was a question of access, resources, and whether the international community chose to act before this winter passed for the families who had already lost so much.
Mohamed Refaat, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Sudan, also speaking from Khartoum, said that, a year ago, briefings on Sudan focused not only on funding but also on access constraints. Today, thanks to advocacy by colleagues in the humanitarian country team and others, humanitarians had more access and could reach more people. This meant that they were able to listen to the stories of their suffering and be more accountable.
IOM believed that the massive displacement crisis in Sudan might get worse. The figure of 8.6 million persons displaced in Sudan had been decreasing gradually because of returns. However, homes were not necessarily available when people returned.
Every humanitarian on the ground was feeling the pressure. Mr. Refaat said he had a colleague working in Darfur who helped a 70-year-old woman to set up a tent. The woman told him that she had not eaten for one day. She had lost one of her sons in El Fasher, and another had left to find work and never returned.
The failure to prevent a disaster in Sudan could be repeated elsewhere. If aid could not be provided in Sudan at scale, neighbouring countries would be impacted.
Some 5.2 million persons had returned to northern Sudan, many finding their houses destroyed and their homes looted. Many found no healthcare, no electricity, and no water, and found that they might have to leave again, without any hope of returning. Others were still in the move, fleeing violence for a second or third time. Around 3.5 million people had been displaced in Sudan for over 10 years.
There were around 13.4 million people in Sudan who urgently needed emergency shelters, but IOM could serve only one out of 10, reaching only 900,000 people with what it had. Just this year, IOM was able to distribute more than 40,000 tents, but its warehouses were completely empty now. It was moving stock, succeeding to get supplies into hard-reach areas, and supporting families who had been displaced or were returning home. Just yesterday, 16 trucks arrived in Darfur, but they were carrying the last of the stock. IOM was facing serious problems, as its supplies were running out.
Ongoing conflicts and logistic challenges were already making it difficult to reach people. Severe food shortages and severe malnutrition could push more people to move, and IOM did not have enough stocks to support them at their destinations. Families desperately needed shelter, but there was simply nothing left to give them.
IOM was working to restore people’s hope and dignity in Sudan. It urgently needed flexible funding to keep emergency supplies flowing and to reach families before it was too late. It needed international support to continue, because people were still fleeing and families were still returning to destroyed homes, and their needs were not going away. After nearly four years of conflict, Sudanese families had already lost so much. The international community could not undo what they had endured, but it could make sure that they had a safe place to sleep tonight.
Read the joint IOM and UNHCR press release here.
Nearly 90 million displaced people face severe climate risks, says UNHCR
Jana Birner, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Climate Action Expert, said UNHCR had launched a new report which showed that climate impacts were disproportionately affecting displaced communities across the globe. UNHCR developed this report as part of its “No Escape” series, together with partners, as well as refugees and community leaders globally, to put their voices, their challenges and their strategies at the centre.
What the report showed was that 90 million forcibly displaced globally were now living in countries that were highly or extremely exposed to climate-related hazards, including floods, droughts, and extreme heat. This included countries like Ethiopia, Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sudan. This was particularly concerning given the current displacement situation. Displacement meant often losing the resources that people needed to adapt to the impacts of climate change, like income, shelter and social safety nets.
What the report also showed was new data on extreme heat, which was of particular concern for refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa. It predicted a substantial increase in days with extreme heat until 2050: one in three refugee settlements across sub-Saharan Africa would see up to 100 days of extreme heat by 2050. In countries like Ethiopia, it could be up to more than 200 days, or more than half of every day in a year with extreme heat. Extreme heat had devastating impacts on the human body and particularly pregnant women, children, and elderly people were affected.
Climate impacts could be a contributing driver for displacement. Over the past 10 years, there were 255 million new internal displacements, including pre-emptive evacuations, related to weather disasters, an equivalent of around 70,000 displacements per day. This was an increase of around five per cent compared to the average of the previous 10 decades until 2024.
Ms. Birner said she saw this firsthand in Kakuma, where she spoke to refugee representatives who said they had been displaced again by devastating floods affecting their camps. In Kakuma, vocational training centres, schools and health facilities were at risk of being closed or already being closed because of the floods and erosions, which undermined the long-term resilience of refugees even more.
Climate impacts could undermine the sustainability of durable solutions. UNHCR estimated that by mid-2026, two in three refugee returnees had returned to climate vulnerable countries. That meant that the sustainability of their return could be undermined, and there was a risk of onward displacement. More investment was thus needed in climate resilient recovery and in climate resilient reconstruction, including in water systems, agricultural systems, and livelihoods.
Going into COP31, refugees globally were not just vulnerable. They were leading solutions on the front lines worldwide, ranging from climate smart agriculture to climate resilient shelters and reforestation efforts. Ms. Birner said she saw in Kakuma how refugees were planting trees to green their camp again. Refugees were already leading these solutions, but they were not getting enough support. There was not enough client financing reaching places of displacement, and better inclusion was needed to scale solutions.
Read the UNHCR press release here.
Children in Ukraine experiencing major water supply disruptions as attacks on energy infrastructure continue
Ricardo Pires for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said yesterday, UNICEF released a new report, Water Under Fire, documenting a deeply alarming global trend. Between 2021 and 2025, reported attacks damaging or destroying water and sanitation systems in conflict tripled. Across 23 countries and territories, attacks on water infrastructure, energy supplies and the people who kept these systems running were depriving children of something fundamental to their survival: safe water.
What this report described globally was unfolding right now in Ukraine. Kyiv, a city of around three million people, including half a million children, had experienced major disruptions to its water supply this week following attacks on energy infrastructure. On Tuesday, large parts of the city were left without running water. Yesterday, power outages disrupted water supplies in every district of the capital, affecting homes, hospitals, schools and kindergartens.
When electricity failed, it was not just the lights that went out. Water stopped flowing. Heating systems failed. Hospitals struggled to provide care. Schools could not function normally.
With winter approaching, the consequences for children and families could be devastating. Parents in Kyiv were preparing for another freezing winter of war, not knowing whether their children would have safe water to drink, whether their children’s school would remain open, or whether their home would stay warm.
This was why UNICEF was working urgently to keep essential services running. In Kyiv, it had already provided 47 generators to the city's water utility and upgraded pumps at four major pumping stations. It was supporting alternative water sources, including boreholes and public water kiosks that could operate during power outages. At the National Cancer Institute, UNICEF was helping establish a borehole reaching 300 metres underground, providing the hospital with an independent source of safe drinking water.
Across Ukraine, UNICEF had helped more than five million people access safe water and sanitation services this year, while supporting heating for more than three million people. But humanitarian assistance could not be a substitute for protecting civilian infrastructure. As the Water Under Fire report made clear, the consequences of attacks on water and energy systems extended far beyond the immediate damage. They threatened children's health, education, safety and survival.
Children in Ukraine had already endured years of bombardment, displacement and disrupted childhoods. They should not have to face another winter without the most basic services they need to survive. Attacks on civilian infrastructure needed to stop. Water and energy systems needed to be protected. And every child needed to have access to safe water, warmth and essential services, even in war.
Together for Science and Health initiative
Dr Sylvie Briand, World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist, said that when people trusted science, they were more likely to use scientific knowledge to make decisions about their health. And when societies valued science, they were more willing to invest in research, discovery and innovation.
The opposite was also true. Less trust could mean less investment. Less investment meant less scientific progress. And less trust in science could also mean less evidence in the policies that affected all our lives.
The Wellcome Global Monitor 2026, based on more than 140,000 people in over 140 countries and areas, found that 72 per cent of people globally trusted scientists, but also that trust had been on the decline since 2018. It also found significant gaps in people's knowledge of science and in perceptions of whether science benefits them.
Today, the relationship between science and society was facing new pressures. First, science was moving extraordinarily fast. Artificial intelligence, genomics, gene therapies, precision medicine and other technologies were changing what was possible in health. But society did not always have the time or opportunity to understand and adapt to these changes.
Second, artificial intelligence was changing how knowledge was generated, analysed and communicated. This created extraordinary opportunities, but it also raised new questions about transparency, accountability and trustworthy information.
Third, the information environment had been transformed. People had access to more health information than at any point in history, but misinformation and disinformation were circulating at unprecedented speed. Scientific findings competed for attention alongside opinions, rumours, commercial interests and deliberately false information. The result was often not simply disbelief, but confusion. That was why WHO believed it needed to act now.
On 10 November, coinciding with World Science Day for Peace and Development, WHO was launching “Together for Science and Health”, a global movement bringing together scientists, policymakers, health professionals, communicators, civil society, young people and communities. The movement would work through three interconnected relationships: science and society, science and policy, and science and communication.
Trust in science needed to be earned. It required scientific integrity, transparency, and listening. It required scientists engaging with communities rather than only communicating to them, and ensuring that the benefits of scientific progress reached everyone, not only those who could afford them.
Science and society needed to come closer together, so that people's needs and lived experiences helped shape scientific priorities. Science and policy also needed to be better connected, so that decisions affecting people's health continued to be informed by the best available evidence. Further, science and communication needed to work differently, so that people could access accurate, understandable and trustworthy information and make informed decisions about their health. These were the three pillars at the heart of the movement.
Preserving trust in science was about much more than defending scientists or scientific institutions. It was about preserving societies’ ability to distinguish evidence from falsehood, knowledge from assertion, and facts from manipulation. It was about protecting trust in public institutions, in credible media, and in humanity’s collective ability to solve problems together.
Trust was the glue that held societies together. At a time when that glue was under strain, scientists, policymakers, journalists, communities and citizens needed to work together. That was why the movement was called “Together for Science and Health”. WHO invited all parties to come together at the global launch of the movement on 10 November, because preserving trust in science was not only about protecting science. It was about protecting our capacity to build healthier, fairer and more resilient societies together and to shape the science we would like to have in the future.
In response to questions, Dr Briand said there would be 12 events held on 10 November, starting in Asia and then moving to Africa, Europe, and North and South America. Each event would focus on topics that were relevant to the region it was held in. The event in Paris would feature the WHO Director-General and the French President. Events would connect a range of different entities, allowing different communities to connect with scientific achievements more effectively.
The issue of distrust in vaccination was linked to misinformation. Scientists needed to continue to work to make vaccines safer and prevent side effects, but governments also needed to devote more effort to informing the public about the safety and importance of vaccination.
Distrust in science was higher in communities with less access to scientific discoveries than others. Fast action was needed to tackle misinformation and disinformation targeting these communities. Solutions needed to be found that were adapted to the different contexts of different regions. There was a need to train medical professionals in communicating with patients so that they could be better informed about scientific innovations.
“Democratisation of science”, for WHO, meant first asking society about their health needs and ensuring that research was driven by those needs. The organization would continue to ensure close dialogue with policy makers at country level to make sure that the results they were providing were well understood and implemented.
Ebola was an example of a case in which some communities were unwilling to follow medical instructions due to a lack of belief in the science, and this was fuelled by misinformation on social media. The algorithms on social media were developed for commercial purposes rather than to promote public health, and they could prioritise misinformation. There was a study that showed that one in five young people in the United Kingdom already regretted a health decision that had taken based on something they had read on social media. There needed to be further engagement with social media platforms to address this issue.
Announcements
Watban M. Lahmood for the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP) said that the IIMP would hold an annual forum for the Institution in early December. He would share details about the event soon.
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said this afternoon, Friday, 6 November at 2:30 p.m., the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) would hold a press conference on the “State of the Global Climate 2026” report, which was embargoed until 9 November at 8:30 a.m. Speaking would be Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, and John Kennedy, WMO Head of Climate Information.
This morning, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) was reviewing the report of Austria. At 3 p.m. this afternoon, in Room XIV of the Palais des Nations, CESCR and the Human Rights Committee would hold a joint event to mark the 60th anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Next week, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) would be holding its first-ever Global Forum on Intellectual Property (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The inaugural Global Forum would cover AI-related legal and policy issues across the full spectrum of IP rights, including patents, copyright, trademarks, designs, trade secrets and others. More broadly, it would explore AI’s impact on IP, innovation and creativity. Journalists could contact Ed Harris (edward.harris@wipo.int) for more information.
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