UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Outreach, United Nations Information Service Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Mine Action Service, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the International Federation of the Red Cross.

Sudan: Explosive Remnants of War; Displaced Civilians; Health Situation

Sediq Rashid, Chief of the Mine Action Programme in Sudan for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), speaking from Port Sudan, said one of the critical and often overlooked protection dimensions was the actual or even perceived presence of explosive hazards. This was becoming a major issue for civilians in Sudan, particularly those displaced or returning to their homes. Sudan had experienced armed conflict since 1995 and each conflict had left behind explosive hazards including explosive ordnance, abandoned munitions and landmines. Unexploded ordnance remained on battlefields for several reasons, including due to failure of weapons to detonate, their spread over widespread areas, and the lack of oversight and tracking of weapon deployment by armed groups. The new contamination in Sudan, due to the ongoing war, came on top of the 34km² of legacy explosive ordnance, remaining from the earlier conflicts. Sudan now faced an extremely complicated contamination landscape, which affected urban centers such as Khartoum and El Fasher, as well rural areas. 

Many people were returning to areas where explosive ordinance remained a daily threat, and civilian casualties continued to rise. Explosive incidents caused devastating injuries including amputations and lifelong disabilities. Explosive contamination around critical infrastructure prevented access to essential services, livelihoods and market. Without clearance, humanitarian access remained constrained. Sudan now faced an urgent need to scale up mine action. Large scale surveys and clearance operations were required to identify market and remove explosive hazards. Smart Action services needed to target those living in urban areas. Victim assistance must also be strengthened, and survivors should be provided with medical care and other support supports. There were currently only five survey and clearance teams comprised of four operators per team in Sudan, and they were overwhelmed. However, there was the expertise, knowledge and infrastructure in place to address this problem.

Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet, Head of Sub Office in Port Sudan for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaking from Port Sudan, said UNHCR continued to hear horrific stories of people who had travelled the dangerous route between El Fasher to Tawila, including robberies, sexual assault and murder, and many were stranded in different villages along the route. Due to the violent and insecure roads, it was difficult for humanitarian actors based in Tawila to provide humanitarian aid to those on the route. Only recently, humanitarian agencies had been able to reach a place called Kerma. It was hoped the visit of the emergency relief coordinator would trigger further access for people stranded on the route. 

There was a need for urgent humanitarian aid. Many unaccompanied children had arrived to Tawila, and care situations were being assessed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNHCR had also heard many cases of gender-based violence, and provided some support, but not to the level required. New arrivals had expressed the desire to get as far away from Darfur as possible, believing Khartoum or Port Sudan to be safer areas. Everybody was concerned about access to the displaced in Darfur, where not everyone benefitted from the provision of humanitarian aid. UNHCR was reinforcing its response in Tawila and were sending materials for shelter for newly arrived internally displaced persons. Ms. Parlevliet said winter was coming and people needed urgent support to safely rest in the areas where they were now displaced. 

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said people were dying from a lack of access to basic essential health care medical evacuation. Less than half of Sudan’s health facilities were fully functioning. Sudan was experiencing one of the world’s largest food crises, with over 21 million people facing high levels of food insecurity as of September 2025. Famine was confirmed in El Fasher and Kadugli. Famine and malnutrition brought with it disease, outbreaks and infection. Reports of cholera, dengue and malaria were being received from several states. There were over 120,000 cases of cholera reported and 3,494 associated deaths. This was a case fatality of three percent which was triple the WHO threshold of one percent. For dengue, there were 44,493 cases and 115 associated deaths.

Responding to questions from the media, Sediq Rashid, Chief Mine Action Programme for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), said many other countries were affected by unexploded ordnances of war, but Sudan was different because war was mainly occurring in urban areas. Khartoum remained the epicenter of the conflict, a city of six to eight million people, which had seen two years of non-stop serious conflict. There were more than 16,000 ordnances which had been found during a limited period. Areas like Khartoum needed to be cleared to make them safe, as it was difficult to block people who were returning to these areas. Mr. Rashid referred to the UNMAS programme in Syria where there had been 800 explosions. He said Sudan was a State party to the Anti-Personel Mine Ban Convention. Generally, when international humanitarian law was violated, the weapons being used were not designed for urban areas, leaving significant destruction. Explosive ordnances could last for several decades. If this was not addressed, it could become a problem for future generations. 

Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Outreach, United Nations Information Service Geneva, said the Secretary-General had a recent press encounter, in which he stressed the need to stop the flow of weapons to Sudan. 

Responding to additional questions, Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet, Head of Sub Office in Port Sudan for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said UNHCR did not know how many people remained in El Fasher. The most recent estimate was around 50,000 civilians. UNHCR expressed concern that although reports indicated some 90,000 people had fled El Fasher, only about 10,000 had reached the main hubs of Tawila and Ad Dabbah. This suggested that a large number of people either remained in El Fasher or were stranded along the route. The situation in Kordofan was very tense; UNHCR was monitoring this situation closely with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and were drafting a response plan in case of further displacement. The road between El Fasher and Kosti was currently the only safe way out, but UNHCR were worried this would soon become a besieged situation. Ms. Parlevliet, said given the data of people who had left El Fasher, of around 90,000 people did not reflect the arrivals, meaning they were stranded somewhere. UNHCR knew that around 10,000 people were stranded in Kerma awaiting support. 

Violence in occupied West Bank

Thameen Al-Kheetan, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said images of mobs of masked Israeli settlers carrying out arson attacks in the occupied West Bank this week were abhorrent, and reflected a wider pattern of increased violence against Palestinians. Several people were injured in the attacks, which included a raid on a dairy factory and the torching of delivery trucks and homes. The surge in violence came as Israeli authorities ramped up home demolitions, the seizure of property, and the forcible displacement and transfer of thousands of Palestinians by Israeli settlers and the military. 

OHCHR reiterated that the Israeli Government’s assertion of sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and its annexation of parts of it were in breach of international law, confirmed by the International Court of Justice. More settler attacks were recorded in October than in any month since 2006: over 260 attacks. Since 7 October 2023, and up until 13 November 2025, Israeli security forces and settlers had killed at least 1,017 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, including 221 children. Last week, on 6 November, two 16-year-old Palestinian boys were shot and killed by Israeli Forces in East Jerusalem, after Israeli authorities alleged that they threw Molotov cocktails. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated that attacks against Palestinians and their property must stop, and those responsible must be held to account. Israel must end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, including by ceasing immediately all new settlement activities, and evacuating all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory. 

The full statement can be viewed here. 

Responding to questions from the media, Mr. Al-Kheetan said international human rights law applied in the West Bank. Security forces must not use lethal force unless there was an imminent threat to their lives. Israeli security forces were more heavily armed than boys with Molotov cocktails. OHCHR were calling for investigations and accountability for all actions being taken by Israeli security forces and settlers in the West Bank. 

Responding to additional questions, Mr. Al-Kheetan said OHCHR was not seeing enough investigations into these attacks. Impunity was prevailing in this situation. For example, regarding the arson attacks by groups of settlers, the Israeli forces reportedly arrested four Israeli settlers and handed them to the police, but only one remained in custody. OHCHR was yet to see effective accountability. 

Responding to another question, Mr. Al-Kheetan said the conditions of detention for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons were horrible, and the Office had raised this on multiple occasions, including in a detailed report released last year. There must be investigations and those responsible must be held to account. Regarding the draft law by the Knesset on the death penalty, OHCHR was firmly against the death penalty anywhere and everywhere. The lack of fair trial guarantees was even more concerning. The draft law must not go forward. 

Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Outreach, United Nations Information Service Geneva, said a statement had been shared with the media by Philippe Lazzarini Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief Works Agency in Palestine and the Near East (UNRWA). In the statement, Mr. Lazzarini explained to the General Assembly, the vital importance of safeguarding UNRWA's mandate and operations, for the survival of millions of Palestinians, specifically on the West Bank.

International Federation of the Red Cross on Ukraine winter preparations amid increased attacks on energy

Victor Nyambala, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) operations manager in Ukraine, speaking from Kyiv, said there had been another large-scale attack across the country, with more than 400 drones and missiles launched at Ukraine in Kyiv. Sadly, people were still being injured, and more families were losing loved ones. This morning, Mr. Nyambala spoke to colleagues without cooking gas, central heating and electricity due to power cuts. During the first seven months of 2025, there had been more than 1200 attacks on energy infrastructure, which was almost as many as in all of 2024. For many people in Ukraine, winter had become a race for survival. Last spring, the 60 percent of people surveyed said they did not have enough food, and 50 percent did not have stable access to water, electricity and gas. Power cuts could leave entire cities in the dark for up to 12 hours a day. Not all small and medium enterprises could afford to buy generators and businesses were collapsing, leaving people without jobs or basic livelihoods. Mr. Nyambala referred to the plight of older people who lived in high-rise buildings and apartments who became trapped in their apartments in blackouts when the elevator stopped working. The past four years had eroded people's resources. Seven in ten people reported that they did not have any savings left. 

During the past four years, IFRC and the Ukrainian Red Cross had worked to meet humanitarian needs. This year, the IFRC aimed to support around half a million people, with teams working to restore access to heating, clean water and energy, especially in the most affected areas. Relief items including energy systems, power backup equipment and rechargeable lighting kits for blackouts were being distributed, as well as cash assistance and grants to rural households. However, the support currently being provided was not enough. The IFRC called on governments and donors to urgently invest in the emergency response, and long-term recovery of Ukraine. People should not have to choose between whether to eat food, heat their homes or treat their illnesses.

Responding to questions from the media, Mr. Nyambala said where he stayed in Ukraine there were power cuts for eight hours a day, and power for just four hours and this was in the capital city. The situation was expected to be worse in rural areas. When businesses were not able to run due to a lack of electricity, this meant the economy was collapsing day by day. There was also a rise in respiratory illnesses due to a lack of heating. This meant people had to make tough decisions as to whether they should eat, heat their homes or treat their illnesses.

Recovery plans after Hurricane Melissa

Sarah Bel, for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said new data had come out of Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, where the Government’s Unit for Geospatial Data Management had completed a large-scale satellite-based assessment. The assessment looked at almost one million buildings and found that 10 percent were totally destroyed, or severely damaged. New UNDP satellite analysis revealed the immense scale of destruction, estimating over 4.8 million tonnes of debris across western Jamaica, equivalent to nearly 480,000 standard truckloads of debris. This analysis informed national recovery planning and immediate response priorities. Preliminary conservative government estimates suggested around six to seven billion US dollars in damage, representing around 28 to 32 percent of Jamaica’s GDP. In response, UNDP’s priority areas of engagement included debris clearance and recovery planning; stabilization of small medium enterprises and livelihoods; and solar energy for critical services. Crisis response funds were being allocated to support initial assessment and planning activities, and UNDP was rapidly engaging donor partners to mobilise additional financing. 

 Eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention and Fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers

Thomas Croll-Knight, for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), said next week, UNECE would convene around 300 representatives at the Palais des Nations to review progress and challenges on human rights and the environment. The event comprised the eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention and the Meeting of the Parties to Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, to be held from 17 to 21 November. These treaties provided global frameworks for transparency and environmental democracy. The Aarhus Convention was widely used by individuals and non-governmental organizations across its 48 Parties, including Guinea Bissau which became the first party to accede outside the pan-European region in 2023.

A joint high-level segment of the two bodies on 20 November was expected to adopt the Geneva Declaration, reaffirming commitment to public rights in addressing the triple planetary crisis. The Meetings of the Parties were also expected to set priorities for 2026 to 2029, including 22 compliance decisions on the Aarhus Convention, covering sectors such as mining, energy and extraction. The entry into force of the genetically modified organism’s amendment and the completion of the first term of the Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders would be key milestones. Parties to the Protocol were also expected to adopt a decision aimed at assisting countries to modernize pollutant release and transfer registers and promote synergies in data collection. 

Responding to questions, Mr. Croll-Knight said that the Meetings of the Parties included all countries that had ratified the Treaty, noting that there are 48 Parties to the Aarhus Convention. Every four years, the signatories of the Treaty came together to take the most important decisions. The declaration would be discussed and adopted by the parties of the Treaty. These treaties were open accession by all member States. Over several decades, the success of the Aarhus Convention in Europe had led to the adoption, negotiation and adoption of the Escazú Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Announcements 

Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Outreach, United Nations Information Service Geneva said this morning the Human Rights Council was holding a special session on the human rights situation in and around El Fasher, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan, scheduled to end at 1 pm, with action on a draft resolution.

A joint communique of the ninth African Union, United Nations annual conference had been shared to the media which highlighted several situations in Africa, including the Sahel, Mali, Madagascar, South Sudan and Sudan.

Mr. Gómez also said the Committee against Torture, which was currently holding its 83^rd session, would next review the report of Bahrain on Tuesday, 18 November.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would open next Monday at 10am its 116th session, during which it would review the reports of Maldives, Guatemala, Sweden, Burundi, New Zealand and Tunisia. 

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Gorup would conclude its session this afternoon, after having adopted the reports of Belarus, Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia, Panama, Maldives, Andorra, Bulgaria, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Croatia, Jamaica and Libya.

Mr. Gómez also said that 16 November was World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The Secretary-General’s message to commemorate the Day highlighted that 1.2 million people were killed every year in road crashes and another 50 million were left injured or disabled. He also noted that to date, the UN Road Safety Convention and the Special Envoy for Road Safety had helped to 94 countries save lives on the road.

Finally, Mr. Gómez said the seventh at Young Activists Summit (YAS) would convene on Thursday the 20th at 10 a.m. There would be presentations from five outstanding young individuals between the ages of 17 and 27, on the important work they'd done in their countries to drive positive change.  The activists were from Cote d'Ivoire, India, Lebanon, Brazil and Japan.

***