UN Geneva Press Briefing

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service at Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Children's Fund. 

Situation of women and girls following the fall of El Fasher, Sudan

Anna Mutavati, Regional Director for East and Southern Africa at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), said that one year after the fall of El Fasher in North Darfur, women and girls continued to suffer the consequences of violence, displacement and insecurity. Presenting findings from a survey of 50 women's organizations supporting people displaced from El Fasher, she said that women and girls continued to experience the trauma of sexual violence, the disappearance of family members, loss of livelihoods and severe psychological distress.

According to the survey, 49 of the 50 organizations reported signs of psychological distress among displaced women and girls, while 90 per cent said that such distress persisted one year after the violence. Nine in ten organizations described women and girls as living in unsafe conditions, and nearly all reported that many affected women had received no mental health, psychosocial or legal support since fleeing El Fasher.

Ms. Mutavati said that some displaced families had started returning to El Fasher, but fear and insecurity remained prevalent. According to the 2026 Sudan Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 84 per cent of surveyed households reported that women avoided marketplaces, two thirds avoided collecting firewood, and half avoided social, community and religious spaces because of security concerns. She added that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure continued to force people to flee, while access to essential services remained severely limited. Citing findings of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, she noted that 80 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas were not functioning, contributing to increased maternal mortality and reduced access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Despite these challenges, women across Sudan continued to play a critical role as frontline responders, caregivers, mediators and peacebuilders. Recalling the upcoming twenty-sixth anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, Ms. Mutavati called for increased support for women-led organizations and for the meaningful participation of women in peacebuilding and decision-making processes. She also called for the protection of civilians, accountability for perpetrators of violence, and compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law.

Babar Baloch for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), explained that nearly 100,000 people had fled from El Fasher to neighbouring Chad since the fall of the city one year ago. Since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, almost one million people had crossed into Chad in search of safety. He noted that the increasing use of airstrikes and drone attacks across Sudan was placing civilians at greater risk, forcing families to flee repeatedly and contributing to growing displacement both within Sudan and across its borders. Mr. Baloch also called for an immediate end to attacks on civilians, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and renewed international efforts to bring an end to the conflict, stressing that the people of Sudan urgently needed protection, sustained support, and the opportunity to live in peace and dignity.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said that humanitarian partners continued to report civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure caused by air and drone strikes across several parts of Sudan, particularly in Darfur and the Kordofan regions. She reiterated that civilians, humanitarian personnel and civilian infrastructure had to be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. Humanitarian organizations were preparing to scale up life-saving assistance in the most affected areas of Darfur and Kordofan over the coming six months, but severe funding shortfalls continued to hamper the response. Ms. Vellucci called on donors to provide the resources needed to sustain and expand humanitarian operations and on the parties to the conflict to facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

Answering a question from the media, Ms. Mutavati said that women and children continued to be disproportionately affected by ongoing violence in Sudan. She noted that drone attacks were increasingly targeting civilian areas, including markets and places of worship, where women and children were often present, resulting in deaths, injuries and displacement. Ms. Mutavati stressed that civilians had few safe places left to seek refuge and reiterated calls for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, accountability for violations of international law, and the meaningful inclusion of women in peace processes and negotiations.

Update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Stevenson, Country Director in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that the Ebola outbreak had spread to an eighth province, increasing risks for communities already affected by conflict, displacement and food insecurity. He stressed that hunger was undermining efforts to contain the disease, as many families faced difficult choices between following public health measures and meeting their basic food needs. Drawing on recent visits to affected communities, he shared accounts of families who had lost relatives to Ebola, patients relying on food assistance during recovery, and caregivers struggling to support children amid insecurity and loss. He stressed that WFP had been supporting the response by providing food assistance to patients and their families and by delivering logistics support for the broader humanitarian operation.

Mr. Stevenson said that WFP had delivered more than 744,000 hot meals in 60 treatment and isolation facilities and distributed more than 3,000 metric tons of food to affected households. The organization had also constructed an Ebola treatment centre in Musienene and was building additional facilities in Bunia and other locations. He noted that WFP required USD 115 million over the next six months to sustain food assistance, air services and other critical support as the outbreak continued to expand.

Dr Catherine Smallwood, Ebola Incident Manager for the World Health Organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighted the strong collaboration among national authorities, WHO, UNICEF, WFP and other partners in supporting the Ebola response, including through the provision of treatment facilities, food assistance, logistics and transport support to hard-to-reach areas. She stressed that nearly six months into the outbreak, 9,765 confirmed Ebola cases and 4,727 deaths had been recorded, while approximately 30,000 contacts were being monitored daily. She noted that almost half of all confirmed cases had died, but that more than 2,600 Ebola survivors had been registered and were receiving medical, psychosocial and follow-up care. The outbreak continued to affect increasingly remote and hard-to-reach areas, including a newly affected province in the north-west of the country near the border with the Central African Republic.

She added that conflict, insecurity and weak health systems continued to hamper the response. While the number of deaths occurring outside Ebola treatment centres had declined, indicating improvements in early detection and referral, many patients were still seeking care at several health facilities before receiving appropriate treatment. WHO and its partners had expanded treatment capacity and strengthened case management, but additional medical personnel, logistics support and resources were needed in newly affected areas. Dr. Smallwood stressed that sustained international support remained essential, warning that a reduction in response efforts could quickly allow the virus to resurge, spread to new areas, and pose broader risks to the country and the region.

Answering a question from the media, David Stevenson clarified that the WFP's requirement of USD 115 million over the next six months related specifically to the Ebola response. The higher figure of USD 214 million reflected WFP's overall funding needs in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including both Ebola-related activities and assistance to populations affected by conflict and food insecurity in areas not affected by the outbreak.

Answering a question from the media, Dr. Smallwood said that efforts to establish Ebola treatment centres in remote areas were hampered not only by logistical difficulties, particularly during the rainy season, but also by insecurity in conflict-affected regions and the need to build trust with local communities. She stressed the importance of working closely with community leaders and strengthening the capacity of local response teams to manage outbreak response activities. She noted that continued support for medical care, logistics, transport and community engagement remained essential to contain the outbreak.

Regarding a recently confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria, Dr. Smallwood said that there was no information indicating that the patient had travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), added that investigations were ongoing to determine the source of infection and trace contacts. He said that WHO was working closely with national authorities and urged countries in the region to maintain a high level of preparedness and surveillance, while reiterating that WHO did not recommend any restrictions on travel or trade with affected countries.

Question on a human case of Shamonda virus in France

Answering a question from the media, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that French authorities had notified WHO under the International Health Regulations of the first documented human case of Shamonda virus disease. WHO was working closely with the French authorities, who were investigating the source of infection, possible routes of transmission and any potential public health risks. Mr. Lindmeier noted that the virus had previously only been detected in animals and that the reported case involved a severely immunocompromised patient who later died. Based on current information, WHO considered the event to be an isolated case and said wider transmission was unlikely at this stage, while further assessments were ongoing.

Questions on the situation in Yemen

Answering a question from the media, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that hospitals in Yemen's Taiz Governorate continued to face critical shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicines and other medical supplies. In Taiz city alone, 42 health facilities had reported acute shortages, threatening essential services including emergency surgery, dialysis, intensive care, and maternal and neonatal health care. Hospitals and ambulances required more than 156,000 litres of fuel per month to maintain operations, and fuel shortages were also jeopardizing oxygen production, emergency transport and vaccine cold-chain systems. WHO was working with health authorities to verify remaining fuel stocks and assess the extent of disruptions to health services.

Answering a question from the media, Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that Taiz had effectively been cut off for 20 days as fighting prevented the movement of people and supplies into and out of the city. Road closures had severely limited the delivery of fuel, food and other essential goods. He highlighted growing concerns over access to water, noting that water production had fallen by about half because of fuel shortages and restrictions on transport, while the price of trucked water had reportedly tripled. Shortages of cooking gas were also affecting community kitchens serving vulnerable families.

Mr. Laerke added that local humanitarian organizations continued to provide assistance using the limited stocks available inside the city, including fuel supplies to support water systems and health facilities. However, he warned that those resources were rapidly diminishing and stressed the urgent need for humanitarian access to allow additional supplies to reach affected populations.

Answering a question from the media, Riccardo Pires, for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that the malnutrition situation in Yemen remained extremely concerning. In Taiz Governorate, UNICEF had screened more than 168,000 children since the beginning of the year, identifying over 52,000 cases of acute malnutrition, including more than 11,500 cases of severe acute malnutrition. Nearly one in three children screened had been found to be malnourished. Mr. Pires said that UNICEF had pre-positioned nearly 8,000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food in Taiz, enough to sustain treatment services for approximately three months, but warned that escalating insecurity and restrictions on movement could hamper the replenishment and distribution of supplies and limit access to treatment for affected children.

Answering a question from the media, Azfar Deen for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that the food situation in Taiz remained deeply concerning, with more than 800,000 people cut off from assistance, including 600,000 people dependent on humanitarian aid and 200,000 women and children. He explained that WFP was using a hybrid approach, providing cash assistance where markets remained functional while continuing in-kind food distributions where access and conditions allowed. He stressed that humanitarian actors were continuing efforts to regain access to affected areas and sustain assistance operations.

Question on the situation in Gaza

Answering a question from the media, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that WHO continued to support medical evacuations of patients from Gaza. He noted that the process required coordination among multiple parties, including Israeli authorities, receiving countries and health authorities in Gaza, and that WHO facilitated the transfer of patients once the necessary approvals and arrangements were in place.

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), added that humanitarian organizations continued to operate in Gaza wherever access was possible. Around 100 community kitchens were providing approximately 600,000 meals daily. While restricted access across parts of the Gaza Strip remained a major obstacle to humanitarian operations, he also highlighted funding shortfalls, noting that the humanitarian appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory was less than half funded. He added that, for humanitarian cargo, the Kerem Shalom crossing was currently the only crossing available to aid organizations.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), mentioned that the UN Geneva 2025 Annual Report “UN at 80: Building Resilient Multilateralism for Tomorrow” had been launched. She recalled that 2025 had been a difficult year for the entire UN family in Geneva, including UN Office at Geneva. Despite a tight financial situation and shrinking resources, UN Geneva managed to deliver a number of achievements in light of the UN 80^th anniversary milestone. She invited participants in the briefing to have a look at the report, which also contains testimonials of UN Geneva’s work with the press. The report can be found here.

Ms. Vellucci announced that UN Geneva would see the official reopening of Building C of the Palais des Nations with a dedicated Open House on Tuesday, 27 October. More information will be shared ahead of the event. 

Ms. Vellucci reported that the Human Rights Committee would be reviewing the report of Cameroon today. She added that it would review the report of Jamaica on Monday and Tuesday next week.

Ms. Vellucci also informed participants that the deadline for media accreditation for the first International Conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals, taking place from 16 to 20 November in Geneva, was 31 October. More information is available here. 

Alessandra Vellucci, on behalf of the World Trade Organization, announced that the tenth edition of the Global Review of Aid for Trade would take place on 29 and 30 October at the WTO Headquarters. The event would examine the impact of trade development interventions, explore evolving trade and development needs, and forge partnerships aimed at helping developing economies and LDCs, fully realize their trade potential. The programme is available here.

Still on behalf of the WTO, Ms. Vellucci announced that following the opening ceremony of the Global Review conference, His Excellency Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, would deliver a Presidential Lecture on Thursday, 29 October 2026 at 10.45 a.m. at the WTO (Room CR). She added that the lecture would be followed by a conversation between President Ouattara and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as well as closing remarks with the WTO Director-General. The event will be livestreamed on the WTO website. 

Also on behalf of the WTO, Ms. Vellucci mentioned that an embargoed press briefing from the WTO and the OECD on the Aid for Trade 2026 publication “Two Decades of Trade and Development Partnerships: Trends and impacts of the Aid for Trade initiative” would take place on Wednesday, 27 October 2026 at 2.30 p.m. at the WTO (Room B) and on Zoom. The Deputy Director-General of the WTO, Xiangchen Zhang, and the Director for Development Cooperation of the OECD, Pilar Garrido, would be briefing the press.

Finally, the World Trade Organization and the International Trade Centre would hold a virtual briefing on Thursday, 29 October at 2 p.m. during which, the Deputy Executive Director of the ITC, Ms. Dorothy Tembo, would be discussing “Small firms, global rules: A conversation on standards, regulation and trade facilitation”.

Ms. Vellucci noted that today was the International Day of the Snow Leopard, an endangered species facing a high risk of extinction. She took the opportunity to remind participants that the Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17) had started last week in Yerevan and would continue through to 30 October. She recalled that UNIS had circulated the remarks delivered by the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, at the opening of the meeting. She added that proceedings could be followed live on UN Web TV. 

Ms. Vellucci stated that the Secretary-General would be traveling to Egypt today where he would hold a number of meetings with Egyptian senior officials and of the League of Arab States. She added that the Secretary-General’s visit is part of his ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran and, as well, to support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. She recalled that Egypt had been actively engaged in these efforts, working with regional and international partners. She underlined that the Secretary-General’s visit would also coincide with the United Nations Day, on 24 October, and that on this occasion, he would participate in an encounter with the students and diplomats at Cairo University.

Ms. Vellucci recalled that the Secretary-General’s message for the United Nations Day had been shared with correspondents. In his message, the Secretary-General recalled that “On United Nations Day, we celebrate not only an Organization, but an idea: humanity’s future depends on our ability to work together to advance peace, development and human rights. For 81 years, the United Nations has given life to that idea”. He concluded his message by a “call on all countries to renew their commitment to these shared values and the obligations that underpin them. Now more than ever, let us stand firm in our resolve to uphold the United Nations Charter and international law.  And let’s work to strengthen the United Nations to best serve people and meet the challenges of our time”.

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