Briefing by Ramesh Rajasingham, Director, Humanitarian Sector Division, Head and Representative of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva (OCHA), on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
Briefing the Council, Ramesh Rajasingham, head of OCHA’s Humanitarian Sector Division, warned that the attacks are having severe consequences for civilians during winter. He said repeated strikes on power, heating, and water systems in major cities have left hundreds of thousands of people without basic services, adding that in Kryvyi Rih families are melting snow for washing and cooking and heating water over candles after prolonged power cuts.
The New Year has brought “no peace or even respite to Ukraine,” with renewed fighting and large-scale aerial attacks hitting civilians and critical infrastructure, a top UN political affairs official said.
Briefing the Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said large-scale assaults by the Russian Federation have resulted in “horrific levels of destruction and suffering” across the country.
DiCarlo said that overnight between 8 and 9 January, Russia reportedly launched 242 drones and 36 missiles against Ukraine. In Kyiv, at least four people were reportedly killed and 25 others injured, including a paramedic responding to emergency calls who was killed in what was described as a “double-tap” strike.
She said energy facilities and residential buildings were damaged, leaving nearly half of the city and hundreds of thousands of residents without heating, while the Embassy of Qatar was also damaged.
She added that on the same day, areas of Ukraine’s western Lviv region near the Polish border were reportedly targeted by an intermediate-range ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik,” marking the second time the weapon has been fired at Ukraine since 2024.
DiCarlo said the system is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons, raising concerns over its deployment, and that Ukrainian authorities reported damage to gas distribution pipelines.
The UN Secretary-General issued a statement on Sunday, saying he is shocked by reports of violence and the excessive use of force by Iranian authorities against protesters across the country, urging restraint and the immediate restoration of communications. The statement was read by the SG’s spokesperson during this Monday’s noon briefing.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Security Council
– Security Council / Ukraine
– Ukraine
– Iran
– Sudan
– Sudan / humanitarian
– Peacekeeping / Middle East
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Venezuela
– Kenya / UN Refugee Agency
– Peacebuilding and Peace Support
– Resident Coordinator – Cambodia
– Honour Roll
SECURITY COUNCIL
I want to flag that our esteemed colleagues in the Security Council Branch released online the 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice.
The Highlights Paper features insights into the work of the Security Council in 2025, particularly regarding meetings and other activities (including missions to the field) the agenda items and topics dealt with, decision-making and the work of its subsidiary bodies.
It’s a fantastic trove of date for all of you Security Council afficionados!
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, and our Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo will brief Council members. She is expected to underscore that the new year has brought no peace or even respite to Ukraine, but renewed fighting and devastation. Ms. DiCarlo is expected to note the recent use of the so-called Oreshnik missile, the second time the potentially devastating weapon has been fired at Ukraine since 2024.
Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s Director of the Coordination Division, will also brief and is expected to warn Council members about the impacts of the attacks on civilians, especially as the strikes impact energy facilities, cutting off power and heating for people enduring freezing temperatures.
UKRAINE
From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that over the weekend and the early hours of today, several civilians were killed and injured in the capital Kyiv and in the regions of Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. This is according to authorities. Two health workers were reportedly injured in the Chernihiv region when their ambulance came under attack while on a call in a border community. As the weather conditions deteriorate, hundreds of thousands of households were left without electricity and heating across the country leaving entire communities without electricity and heating, with overnight temperatures down to nearly –20°C.
In Kyiv, repairs continue to restore critical electricity and heating services.
The water supply has been fully restored, while 1,000 multi-story apartment blocks have been without heating since January 9th, and parts of the city have electricity only for several hours per day, according to the city’s mayor.
Complementing the work of utility companies and national rescuers, aid workers provided hot meals, water and psychological aid and deployed mobile warming centres where impacted people can warm up, charge their devices and receive essential support.
Turning to front-line areas, on 9 January, an inter-agency convoy delivered medicine, hygiene, shelter materials and solar lamps to the Sviatohirsk community, one of the hardest hit areas in the Donetsk region, where humanitarian access remains limited due to security concerns.
Tomorrow, we, along with our humanitarian partners, will launch a prioritized Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026, calling for continued solidarity with the most vulnerable war-affected people in Ukraine.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Website: https://www.un.org/sg/en/spokesperson
During a visit to Kakuma Refugee Settlement in northern Kenya, Barham Salih, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, highlighted Kenya’s role as a model for refugee protection and stressed the need for greater international solidarity to support durable solutions.
Speaking with refugees, students and entrepreneurs, Salih emphasized the importance of self-reliance, education and dignity for people living in protracted displacement.
A large-scale overnight Russian attack on Ukraine caused civilian casualties and widespread disruptions to electricity, heating, and water supplies as temperatures fell below minus 10 degrees Celsius. The United Nations condemns these attacks against critical civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian organizations are providing emergency assistance and monitoring urgent needs in Kyiv and other affected areas amid extremely challenging conditions and low temperatures.
UKRAINE
The Spokesman said we expect a statement on Ukraine today. We have seen that another large-scale overnight Russian attack struck Ukraine, causing civilian casualties and widespread disruption to electricity, heating and water supplies, all this as temperatures dropped to -10°C and below. We once again condemn these attacks against critical civilian infrastructure.
In the capital Kyiv, a health worker was killed, and rescuers and other health workers were also injured while trying to help people impacted by the attacks, which also killed and injured several civilians. This is what local authorities are telling us. Since the start of the year, the World Health Organization reports that nine attacks on health care in Ukraine.
Humanitarian organizations are continuing to support people in Kyiv and other impacted cities and towns, providing emergency assistance and monitoring urgent needs as conditions remain extremely challenging due to low temperatures.
SYRIA
On Syria, we continue to be gravely alarmed by the hostilities in Aleppo. Despite ongoing efforts to try to calm the fighting, the dangers of renewed and further escalation and the impact on civilians are extremely concerning.
We underscore that all parties are bound by international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times and we urge all to avoid further escalation. We urge them to demonstrate restraint, and take concrete steps to prevent any additional civilian casualties.
We call on all parties to show genuine flexibility and good faith and to swiftly return to negotiations to ensure the full implementation of the 10 March agreement.
On the humanitarian front, our colleagues tell us that the heightened insecurity in parts of Aleppo has disrupted access to key roads, limiting the ability to move around and delaying humanitarian access. We are coordinating with relevant groups so we can continue to deliver humanitarian aid.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Website: https://www.un.org/sg/en/spokesperson
Commenting on the recent protests in Iran, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said, “The right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in international law, must be protected.”
The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 will present global and regional economic outlooks for the year ahead, highlighting the need for global cooperation and policies to support growth and advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speakers:
Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, UN DESA (on behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Mr. Li Junhua)
Shantanu Mukherjee, Director, Economic Analysis and Policy Division, UN DESA;
Ingo Pitterle, Senior Economist and Officer-in-Charge, Global Economic Monitoring Branch, Economic Analysis and Policy Division, UN DESA.
Jean-Martin Bauer was just a teenager when a visit to his uncle’s Haitian rice farm planted the seed of his life-long passion for food security. Now Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at the World Food Programme (WFP) he works to feed hungry people worldwide.
“Even now, even during these dark times … there are opportunities to sow seeds for a better future.”
The world faces a global hunger crisis, with a record 319 million people currently not getting enough to eat. The author of a recent book on hunger in the Twenty-First Century, Jean-Martin Bauer reflects in this episode on the human cost of famine in Gaza and Sudan, the impact of funding cuts on the most vulnerable, and explains why the best solutions are those closest to home.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:18] Haiti, Home and Heritage
[06:00] Planting the seed to fight hunger
[11:06] Hunger in a world of plenty
[13:19] What keeps Jean-Martin awake at night for Haiti
[17:47] Building food security even in crisis
[22:18] When desperation turns dangerous
[26:42] How shrinking budgets reshape humanitarian work
[28:04] The growing reality of famine worldwide
[30:31] Hunger is more than a statistic
[32:29] Making hunger visible and personal
[35:12] Can the world end hunger?
[36:28] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #UnitedNations #awakeatnight #WFP #hunger
About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.
