Category: United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Secretary-General Travel
– South Sudan
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– West Bank
– Lebanon
– Somalia
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Ukraine
– Haiti
– Human Trafficking/Scam Centres
– International Days
– Financial Contribution

SOUTH SUDAN

Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, arrived in South Sudan today. He will spend the next five days assessing the situation in the country firsthand and drawing international attention to the acute but largely forgotten humanitarian crisis there.

Mr. Fletcher traveled directly to Malakal in Upper Nile State upon his arrival, meeting with local communities, their leaders, and South Sudanese returnees, hearing firsthand about their needs and the challenges they face amid the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

He is scheduled to visit Jonglei State, where a recent flare-up in conflict has further intensified humanitarian needs.

Throughout the visit, the humanitarian chief will meet with local responders on the frontline.

He will advocate for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, reiterate our urgent calls for support to the humanitarian response and call for coordinated efforts to tackle the root causes of the crisis.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that families continue to live in overcrowded shelters, which pose severe fire and health risks. Families cook, sleep and store their belongings in small spaces and also uses open fire. Since November 2025, our partners have recorded at least 12 fires in these shelters.  

In ten days leading up to 17 February, humanitarians provided shelter assistance to 85 families in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis whose shelters were damaged by a fire in Gaza City.  Partners have been raising fire safety awareness among displaced families to reduce the risk.  

Displaced families need adequate shelter to protect them from the elements and provide more privacy. Our partners working in shelter reiterate the urgent need to move towards more sustainable solutions. 

In many areas within Gaza, humanitarian movements still require coordination with Israeli authorities. Of 67 movements coordinated between 12 and 19 February, 43 were approved and nine were denied outright. Eight missions were approved but faced impediments, of which six were fully accomplished. Organizers cancelled seven other missions for operational and security reasons.  

Humanitarian partners coordinated the entry of fuel, medical supplies, animal fodder and hygiene kits. Teams also facilitated the medical evacuation of patients through Rafah and Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossings.  

Turning to the West Bank, OCHA warns of the continued violence and other coercive practices by Israeli forces and settler communities, resulting in casualties, destruction of property, and displacement.  

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-02-20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WA8Wkdw868

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said in a new report that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in and around El Fasher, the hallmarks of which point to genocide. Investigators documented evidence, which they said, establishes that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed: “killing members of a protected ethnic group; causing serious bodily and mental harm; and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part.”

Read more on UN News: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/02/1166997

OHCHR Press Release: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/sudan-evidence-el-fasher-reveals-genocidal-campaign-targeting-non-arab?sub-site=HRC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qziR3yz6PgE

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN top official for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo welcomed the progress in the initiative led by the Quad countries to secure a humanitarian truce in Sudan, calling on parties to the conflict to engage with the initiative “in good faith and without preconditions.”

The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs briefed the Council on the situation in Sudan, noting that near the fourth year of the war, the fighting continues to expand.

In recent weeks, the frontlines have fluctuated in North Darfur, North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. She also cautioned that the risk of regionalization of the conflict is a matter of urgent concern.

DiCarlo also said, “alongside work to silence the guns, progress on charting a political vision for the future of Sudan is of utmost urgency.”

She said, “we must anchor any ceasefire in a credible political process that can pave the way for an inclusive transition. And we are firmly committed to ensuring that voices reflecting Sudan’s diversity are heard.”

The Under-Secretary-General reiterated, “it is critical for all of Sudan’s partners to be united behind peace efforts,” explaining this entails ensuring the flow of weapons to the warring parties is cut off.

She said, “The war has gone on this long and been this deadly in large part because of the support the parties have received from abroad,” adding that unified messaging and strong action by the Security Council is “more important than ever.”

DiCarlo said, “pressure must be brought on the parties and those who back them to end the war now. The parties must also know that there will be accountability.”

OCHA official Edem Wosornu briefed the Council via video link.

She described the human toll of the fighting is “egregious.”

The UN humanitarian affairs office reminded all parties that “they must protect civilians and ensure their essential needs are met.”

Wosornu said, “this includes taking constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects, allowing civilians to move to safer areas, and allowing humanitarian relief to reach civilians in need safely.”

“The scale, severity, and brutality of gender-based sexual violence demand urgent international action to support survivors, prevent further abuse, and reinforce protection services – and hold perpetrators to account,” the OCHA official highlighted.

She urged the Council to use influence to urge the parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians across Sudan, and to ensure that are protected and their work facilitated.

The UN humanitarian affairs office also asked the members of the Council and all other Member States with influence to “work together in pursuit of an immediate stop to the fighting, to stem the flow of weapons into Sudan, and to press for the lasting, inclusive peace that is so desperately needed.”

Hala Alkarib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) also spoke at the Council.

She highlighted, “sexual and gender-based violence against Sudanese women and girls is a central feature of this conflict.”

“Such violence, including rape, torture, enslavement, trafficking, detention, abductions and killing continues since the beginning of the war,” she added.

The women’s rights activist also warned, “the collapse of the health care systems means that survivors of sexual and gender-based violence lack adequate medical care and psychosocial support.”

She explained, “without access to necessary sexual and reproductive health care, including post rape care, women are dying of hepatitis, HIV / AIDS, syphilis and other STIs. Without access to emergency contraception and safe abortion, survivors are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term.”

For his role, Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed told the Council, “Sudan remains committed to constructive engagement with the US for peace.:

He called for “bringing pressure to bear on the regional sponsor so that they can cease supplying the militia with military equipment.”

Ambassador Mohamed reiterated, “ending external military interference must precede any other step. It is the key to stopping the war and to enhance civilian protection.”

The Sudanese Ambassador also rejects “any expansion of the scope of resolution 1591, and any arms embargo imposed on the Sudanese Armed Forces.”

He said, “we believe this would be as a support to the militias. We believe shortcomings can be addressed by revitalizing the Jeddah Declaration, which contains commitments that can be built upon.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAc2N1doNZ0

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Secretary-General/India
– Sudan
– South Sudan
– Syria
– Security Council/Middle East
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Peace-Building Fund
– International Organization for Migration
– Central African Republic
– Chad
– Peace-building fund
– Burkina Faso
– Costa Rica
– Honour Roll
———————–
SECRETARY-GENERAL/INDIA

The Secretary-General is in New Delhi, in India, where this morning he spoke at the opening ceremony of the AI Impact Summit. In his remarks, he said that holding the summit in India has special meaning and brings this conversation closer to the realities shaping much of the world, because the future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries and the whims of a few billionaires.

Last year, the General Assembly took two decisive steps, he said. First, by creating an Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, and second, by launching a Global Dialogue on AI Governance within the UN, where all countries, together with the private sector, academia and civil society, can all have a voice.

He told participants that real impact means technology that improves lives and protects the planet. And he called on them to build AI for everyone, with dignity as the default setting.

Throughout the day, the Secretary-General had exchanges and meetings with the government and tech leaders attending the summit. He also met with the UN team in India.

Tomorrow morning, the Secretary-General is scheduled to participate in a roundtable organized by the United Nations to discuss renewable energy and energy transition. Immediately after that, he will return back to the site of the AI summit to take part in a panel on the Role of Science in International AI Governance.

The Secretary-General is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, as well as with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

SUDAN

This morning, the Security Council held an open briefing on the situation in Sudan. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, described over 1,000 days of brutal war devastating the country. She noted that long-range drones and aerial strikes by both sides have severely affected civilians and civilian infrastructure, leaving no part of Sudan safe. DiCarlo emphasized that parties must respect international humanitarian law and human rights, and that violators must be held to account. She stressed that progress on a political vision for Sudan’s future is urgent, and any ceasefire must be anchored in a credible process toward an inclusive transition.

Edem Wosornu, the Director of the Crisis Response Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), briefed the Council via videoconference from Geneva. Linking to DiCarlo’s call for accountability, she highlighted the findings from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, which describe atrocities by the Rapid Support Forces in and around El Fasher in late October 2025 as “indicators of a genocidal path.” The Mission documented coordinated attacks targeting people based on ethnicity, gender, or perceived political affiliation, causing mass killings, serious physical and mental harm, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and accompanied by dehumanizing rhetoric.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of this conflict, as we told you again and again.The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that an earlier attack in West Kordofan on Monday killed 15 children. OCHA reports that yesterday a strike on an education centre near Rahad town in North Kordofan killed four civilians and injured four others. That is what local sources are telling them.

These incidents reflect a broader pattern of violence affecting civilians. The UN reiterates its call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and for all parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Full Highlights
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-02-19

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Comments to the media by Yvette Cooper, United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, and President of the Security Council for the month of February 2026, and Hala Al-Karib, the regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, on Sudan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QmGD4XeY6Y

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Remarks by United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, at the opening of the AI Impact Summit taking place in New Delhi, India.

Full Transcript:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2026-02-18/secretary-generals-remarks-the-ai-impact-summit-opening-ceremony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bggoKRa5_9w

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said, “We cannot afford half measures. The US-led Comprehensive Plan must be implemented fully, alongside urgent action to de-escalate and reverse the dangerous trajectory in the occupied West Bank.”

Addressing the Security Council, DiCarlo said, “The Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., tomorrow is an important step. We have a responsibility to work collectively to implement Phase II of the Gaza ceasefire and advance efforts toward a credible political path leading to a negotiated two-State solution.”

she also said, “Despite the ceasefire, Gaza is still not at peace. In recent weeks, the Israeli military intensified strikes across Gaza, hitting densely populated areas and killing dozens of Palestinians.”

she highlighted, “In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, the situation is deteriorating rapidly. There, Israeli forces continued large-scale operations across the West Bank, frequently involving live fire and raising serious concerns about the use of lethal force.”

She continued, “Attacks by Palestinians against Israelis, and confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, have also continued. Israeli authorities also expanded operations in areas around Jerusalem and extended their operations in the northern West Bank, exacerbating displacement and access restrictions, and raising concerns about forced transfer. These developments unfolded alongside continued settlement expansion, rising settler violence, and accelerated demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem. We are witnessing the gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank, as unilateral Israeli steps steadily transform the landscape.”

She stressed, “Israel should immediately reverse these measures. All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and their associated regime and infrastructure, have no legal validity. They violate international law and UN resolutions.”

Yvette Cooper, United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, said, “Britain remains steadfast in our support for the security of Israel and its people because a two-state solution can be the gateway to transform the region with normalization, regional integration and peaceful coexistence. But security cannot be achieved by an indefinite and humiliating occupation that denies security and sovereignty to the Palestinian people.”

Mike Waltz, US Representative to the United Nations, informed, “The Board will announce tomorrow over 5 billion dollars in pledges for rebuilding. Colleagues, the Board is not talking, it’s doing.”

Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador, asked, “Israel had to choose between annexation and peace. It chose annexation. We all reject annexation. So how are we going to stop Israel?”

He also said, “Palestine, notably Gaza, is ground zero of the assault on international law. What is accepted there is normalized everywhere. The two-State solution must not become the two-State illusion. If you believe it is the only way forward, then you must end the occupation and save the Palestinian State to save peace.”

Gideon Saar, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated, “There’s constant the truth is simple; we are the indigenous people in the land of Israel.”

He then raised a map of the British mandate, stressing that the Balfour Declaration reestablished a national home for the Jewish people in their land.

He said, "We will not abandon our heritage, security and future to ease other countries’ domestic political difficulties."

He also said to the Council, “You invented a so-called state of Palestine, as if such a state exists or ever existed. But the truth is simple: there has simply never been a Palestinian state. You speak of occupied territories…how can they be taken from an entity that never existed by a nation that was always there?”

Earlier this afternoon, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs talked to the media and said, “Amazingly so many countries say that Jewish presence in our ancient homeland violates international law. The opposite is true. No other nation in any other place in the world has a stronger right than our historical and documented right to the land of the Bible.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJOMzBUx-M

Source: United Nations (video statements)

This short video walks through each step and clarifies how global consensus is built around one of the most important leadership roles in international governance.
It highlights how dialogue, diplomacy, and global consensus come together to shape one of the most important leadership roles in international governance.
Take a moment to watch and deepen your understanding of how the UN chooses its top official.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hINShw3CS4

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
Secretary-General/Travel
Secretary-General/International Energy Agency
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Libya
Sudan
Financial Contribution

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL

The Secretary-General has arrived in New Delhi, and he has just started his programme of activities there.

In the evening, he attended a dinner organized by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, for the high-level participants of the AI Impact Summit.

Tomorrow morning, Mr. Guterres will take part in the Summit’s opening ceremony, which will be followed by a plenary with Heads of State and Government. In his remarks to the AI Summit, he will say that meeting in India brings this conversation closer to the realities shaping much of the world, because the future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires. He will call for AI to be accessible to everyone, to benefit everyone and to be safe for everyone.

We have shared these remarks under embargo – and we will issue them as soon as they are delivered.

Throughout the day, the Secretary-General will hold bilateral meetings with leaders and ministers attending the summit. He will also meet with our UN colleagues based in India.

SECRETARY-GENERAL/INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

This morning, the Secretary-General addressed via a video message the International Energy Agency Ministerial Meeting, which is taking place in Paris. He noted that we have entered the age of clean energy, and renewables are now the cheapest, fastest and safest source of new electricity almost everywhere.

The Secretary-General highlighted that those who lead this transition will lead the global economy of the future. Yet, he said, some fossil fuel interests remain hell-bent on slowing progress, spreading disinformation; pretending that a transition is unrealistic or unaffordable.

The Secretary-General noted that the world’s addiction to fossil fuels is one of the greatest threats to global stability and prosperity. He stressed that we must stop treating the transition away from fossil fuels as taboo, and that delay will only breed instability.

The Secretary-General called for a dedicated global platform to deliver a fair, orderly, affordable transition plan away from fossil fuels aligned with 1.5 degrees objectives.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Turning to Gaza, our humanitarian colleagues report that families across Gaza are marking the first day of Ramadan today in harsh conditions – in unsafe shelters or out in the open, and with limited access to essential goods and services.

At the Rafah crossing, conditions for passengers remain inadequate, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us.

The UN and our humanitarian partners have visited the re-opened crossing and have noted gaps in basic facilities, including limited availability of latrines and handwashing stations, raising concerns for hygiene at the collection points. People are experiencing prolonged waiting periods, often in areas with limited shade, with insufficient seating and a lack of wheelchairs. The condition of the access road to and from Rafah is also of concern, particularly for patients being medically evacuated.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-02-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL2FqdWOPmI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Joint stakeout on Libya led by Ambassador Archie Young, Interim Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations, on behalf of the Security Council signatories of the Joint Pledges on Climate, Peace and Security (CPS) – Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Panama, and the United Kingdom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCDYHiP6GoQ