Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United Nations (video statements)

“The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in the harbor,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said, urging a dramatic expansion of UN presence in Sudan as violence intensifies in Darfur.

Briefing reporters in New York City via a video conference from Sudan, Fletcher said “we need more UN boots on the ground,” stressing that his latest visit is part of a broader push “to make sure we’re mobilized closer to those we serve.”

Fletcher described Darfur as a “horror show,” adding that El Fasher is a “crime scene” based on testimonies from survivors. He said his trip was coordinated with other senior UN officials, noting that IOM’s Amy Pope and WFP’s Carl Skau were also there on the ground as part of a five- to six-week surge in leadership engagement.

Beyond Darfur, Fletcher warned that the UN must also monitor closely the Kordofans, emphasizing the need to investigate atrocities in El Fasher while preventing new ones.

Humanitarian needs remain overwhelming, he said, with “nearly two in every three people in Sudan” requiring assistance and the UN appeal 32 per cent funded of the 4 billion that is needed for 2025. He added that cuts were forcing “brutal life and death choices.”

Fletcher said the UN had made progress in securing access to El Fasher “on UN terms,” stressing that assistance must remain neutral.

He highlighted intensified diplomatic efforts and suggested “a moment of opportunity” may be emerging.

On engagement with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Fletcher said he spoke with General Hemedti and pressed both him and local RSF representatives for “complete unhindered access, safe passage,” and an end to atrocities.

Citing strong regional and international messaging including from the White House Fletcher said all parties must grant humanitarian access and work to end the conflict. The level of impunity in Sudan, he warned, is “utterly, utterly unacceptable.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztBZCCqlf44

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN Deputy Secretary-General said, “Food itself has become a weapon.”

Addressing the Security Council Amina J. Mohammed said, “Armed conflict drives acute food insecurity in 14 of 16 hunger hotspots worldwide. Last year, 295 million people faced acute hunger – 14 million more than the year before. The number of people experiencing catastrophic hunger have more than doubled to 1.9 million.”

She also said, “This is the new arithmetic of conflict: when food systems are attacked, weaponized, the impact is global. Food itself has become a weapon. Through deliberate starvation tactics, which we are seeing all too often, including recently in Gaza. But also, through the systematic destruction of agricultural systems.”

She highlighted, “And in a spiral of death, we continue to invest in military expenditure rather than putting and end of hunger. The world’s total military expenditure over the past decade, estimated at $21.9 trillion, yet ending hunger by 2030 costs much less – $93 billion per year.”

She stressed, “We cannot and must not accept these examples as the new normal. The hunger-conflict nexus is a strategic and existential threat, and this Council must treat it as such.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooXuuy3R9eY

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Informal comments to the media by Mike Waltz, Permanent Represent of the United States to the United Nations, on the UN Security Council resolution on Gaza.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU7mrC9D0-8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Informal comments to the media by Julius Maada Bio President of Sierra Leone and President of the Security Council for the month of November, on on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyXYMk9C8HM

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by escalating incidents endangering UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, after an Israeli tank fired near Sarda and rounds landed just meters from UN personnel. UNIFIL continually calls on the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to withdraw from the current positions in Lebanon to allow the Lebanese Army to fully redeploy across the south of Lebanon and restore security and stability.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZVyw1OLzpRI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock visited a sustainable cacao production enterprise on the island of Combu on the banks of the Guamá River, just 30 minutes by boat from Belém, the host city of this year’s Climate Change Conference COP30 in Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QtmTpwykFBQ