Haiti is entering 2026 facing one of the most complex crises in its recent history as armed violence intensified in the last three months of 2025.
Armed gangs now control large swathes of territory and violence has spread well beyond the capital Port-au-Prince, weakening the State’s ability to govern and deliver basic services.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ latest report, gangs are using heavy weapons, sexual violence and kidnappings to assert control, while police operations supported by the Gang Suppression Force have pushed back in limited areas.
After more than 1,000 days of war in Sudan, millions have been uprooted. This is the story of one of them. “Nafeesa,” as we call her, fled the violence and found refuge across the border, in the town of Birao, in the Central African Republic. With support from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), she and her family secured shelter and began rebuilding their lives alongside the host community. Security in the border area is reinforced by the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which conducts patrols and supports local stability efforts. (more here: https://minusca.unmissions.org/en/mandat)
Nafeesa recounts what she has endured – and how, in exile, she found a strength more powerful than any weapon of war.
After more than 1,000 days of war in Sudan, millions have been uprooted. This is the story of one of them. “Nafeesa,” as we call her, fled the violence and found refuge across the border, in the town of Birao, in the Central African Republic. With support from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), she and her family secured shelter and began rebuilding their lives alongside the host community. Security in the border area is reinforced by the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which conducts patrols and supports local stability efforts. (more here: https://minusca.unmissions.org/en/mandat)
Nafeesa recounts what she has endured – and how, in exile, she found a strength more powerful than any weapon of war.
Press conference by Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and lead author of the report entitled "Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era".
Watch the "Water Policy Roundtable and the Launch of the Global Water Bankruptcy Report" using the link below: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1n/k1n0j0ywpm
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
UNRWA
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
Ukraine
Mozambique
Sudan
Security Council
United Nations Development Programme
**UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli authorities’ actions to demolish the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound. As he has repeatedly and unequivocally stated, including in his letter to the Prime Minister of Israel on 8 January 2026, the Sheikh Jarrah compound remains United Nations premises, and is inviolable and immune from any form of interference.
The Secretary-General views as wholly unacceptable the continued escalatory actions against UNRWA, which are inconsistent with Israel’s clear obligations under international law, including under the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
The Secretary-General urges the Government of Israel to immediately cease the demolition of the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound, and to return and restore the compound and other UNRWA premises to the United Nations without delay.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the UN and its partners continue to help people in need despite daily impediments that continue to affect the speed and scale of humanitarian operations.
Over the past week, UN partners distributed more than 1,300 tents, 7,000 tarpaulins, and thousands of mattresses, blankets and warm clothes across the Strip as families continue to be exposed to winter conditions without adequate shelter.
UN partners estimate that last week’s storms also impacted 80 displacement sites across the Strip, with at least 4,000 families’ shelters damaged or destroyed. The UN and its partners delivered emergency food supplies, tents and tarpaulins, as well as hygiene and cooking supplies to more than 660 families.
The UN reiterates the urgent need for sustainable shelter solutions, including repairing damaged homes, clearing rubble to make more land available, and restoring water and sanitation systems.
On the health front, over the past week, the UN and its partners supported the setting up of 140 specialized surgical and physical rehabilitation beds at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, as well as five beds in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Awda Hospital in Deir al Balah.
Meanwhile, UN partners working on improving access to education report that nearly 450 temporary learning spaces are now operational, accommodating around 40 per cent of children. They also distributed half a million bars of soap to educational facilities across Gaza.
And today, OCHA reports that the Israeli military dropped leaflets in Bani Suhaila in eastern Khan Younis, which is located east of the so-called “Yellow Line,” ordering people to evacuate immediately. OCHA estimates that more than 400 families remain in the area, and our partners have not yet observed any movement of people. OCHA reiterates that civilians must always be protected and allowed to flee safely. They must also be allowed to return when conditions permit, if they wish to do so.
**Syria
In response to questions about the fighting in Syria the Deputy Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is following with great concern the continuing violence in northeast Syria. He strongly calls for full respect for international law and the protection of civilians. He also stresses the importance of securing detention facilities.
The Secretary-General urges the parties to continue dialogue and to move forward in good faith and work together to secure the implementation of all agreements.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-01-20
