Source: United Nations (video statements)
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Afairs and Emergency Relief coordinator, briefs press ahead of the release of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2026.
The world spent $2.7 trillion on weapons last year. In 2026, OCHA will ask the world for $23 billion to save 87 million lives. OCHA is asking for just 1% of that to save 87 million lives—more than died in WWII.
The next 87 days decide whether the world shows up.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme kicks off the International Volunteer Year 2026. This opening video honors the power of volunteerism to drive sustainable development, foster solidarity, and create positive change worldwide. Featuring voices and stories from across the globe, it sets the tone for a year dedicated to action, recognition, and impact.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The event to celebrate the International Day of Volunteer on 5 December 2025 at the UN Headquarters also launches the International Year of Volunteer for Sustainable Development in 2026 to recognize, amplify and advance the contributions of volunteers to global development and resilience.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, on behalf of António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Informal meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Democratic Republic of the Congo/Rwanda
Democratic Republic of the Congo/Humanitarian
Sudan
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon
Ukraine
Southeast Asia Children
Food Price Index
International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
International Days
Guest
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/RWANDA
The Secretary-General welcomes the official signing yesterday in Washington of the Washington accords for peace and prosperity between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, under the facilitation of the United States of America. He commends President Trump for his efforts and congratulates Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame on this important milestone.
The Secretary-General underscores that these agreements represent a critical step towards restoring trust between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and in advancing efforts for lasting peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Secretary-General also welcomes the significant progress made under both the Doha and the African Union-led processes.
He urges all parties to honour the commitments they have undertaken, including the respect of a permanent ceasefire, as called for by Security Council resolution 2773 (2025).
The Secretary-General reiterates that the United Nations, including the UN Peacekeeping mission in the DRC -MONUSCO, stands ready to continue supporting all efforts towards sustainable peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider region.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/HUMANITARIAN
On the humanitarian side, on the ground, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that hostilities are continuing across South Kivu province, resulting in more civilian deaths, injuries and displacement.
Since 2 December, intense fighting, including the use of heavy weaponry and shelling, has been reported in several villages across the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Kabare, Fizi and Kalehe. These attacks have damaged critical infrastructure and homes.
Meanwhile, local health authorities in Walungu territory say that at least 13 civilians have been admitted to hospital. Intense fighting and roadblocks have rendered unfortunately evacuations impossible, and that is preventing an unknown number of injured civilians from reaching the medical facilities they need for treatment.
The violence has forced people to flee their homes, though the exact number cannot yet be determined. As of the end of October, there were 1.2 million people displaced in South Kivu.
Between January and September of this year, we and our partners have provided food, shelter and protection and health services to 1.5 million people in South Kivu.
We, yet again, reiterate our urgent call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect all civilians and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian access must be granted to allow for life-saving assistance to reach those in need.
SUDAN
The UN Children’s Fund today noted that drone strikes in Ghadeer locality, Kalogi, in South Kordofan, have reportedly killed more than 10 children aged between 5 and 7 years old. That was inside a kindergarten. UNICEF stressed that the killing and maiming of children, and attacks on schools and hospitals are grave violations of children’s rights. These strikes come amid a sharp deterioration in security across the Kordofan States since early November, driving up widespread displacement and deepening humanitarian needs. UNICEF says that medical services are collapsing, essential supplies are nearly exhausted, and education is disrupted, leaving children without learning opportunities and in severe psychosocial distress.
The UN Children’s Fund continues to work with its partners to deliver lifesaving support in Sudan, but the scale of needs far exceeds the resources.
UNICEF calls on the international community to step up efforts to protect children and to provide urgent assistance.
And today, we join the World Food Programme in strongly condemning an attack on a WFP truck near the town of Hamra El Sheikh in North Darfur. That took place last night. That truck was part of a larger convoy of 39 trucks on route with vital food assistance to support hungry families who fled to Tawilah, in North Darfur, in search of food and safety.
WFP supports about 700,000 people in Tawilah with food support.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-12-05
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Drone strikes in Ghadeer locality, Kalogi, South Kordofan, have reportedly killed more than 10 children aged between 5 and 7 years, inside a kindergarten yesterday.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
A life-long humanitarian, Matthias Schmale has borne witness to a number of seismic moments in world history. Currently United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, he is overseeing efforts to help Ukrainians prepare for a fourth winter at war.
“The longer this lasts, the more the resilience will go down, the more the psychological damage will take hold […] There are nights where I lie in bed thinking, why can’t this nightmare for civilians end?”
Ukrainians have endured four years of hellish conflict that continues to devastate civilian lives and infrastructure, leaving 36 percent of the population in need of aid. In this episode, Matthias Schmale looks back on a long career of humanitarian service, reflects on the deep scars of war and explains why daily life in Kiev can be both heaven and hell.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:01] Experiencing “Heaven and Hell” in Ukraine
[03:03] Do not romanticize resilience
[08:00] Navigating loss and the hard road to healing
[11:04] Hope and reality
[12:36] Winter as a weapon
[14:41] Declining humanitarian funding
[15:49] Hope persists despite dark times
[21:50] What keeps Matthias awake at night
[26:13] Reflections from UNRWA – then and now
[29:49] Losing colleagues in Gaza
[31:42] Clarifying a controversial interview
[35:26] From missionary kid to humanitarian
[37:27] Growing up in Apartheid South Africa
[40:34] Witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall
[42:16] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #OCHA #Ukraine
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.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, on behalf of António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Informal meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Press conference by Matthias Schmale, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine on the situation in the country.
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Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine said, “At the moment, I don’t sense any optimism that we’re getting closer to ending this terrible tragedy.” Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters, he cautioned that earlier “moments of cautious optimism” had faded as Ukraine enters another winter under bombardment.
Schmale warned that continued strikes on energy infrastructure pose one of the gravest risks. “We are particularly worried about the winter,” he said, noting that the “big worry is people potentially getting stuck in high rise buildings in cities.”
He pointed to a recent close call in the northeast, saying a city of 40,000 people in Sumy region “was cut off for several days.” Authorities had begun considering evacuations, he said, adding that the worst was fortunately avoided. But he warned that the winter months could bring “a catastrophe within a catastrophe.”
Despite ongoing strikes, Schmale said Ukraine is living through a dual reality in which “development and recovery work goes on” even as fighting continues. In Kherson, he noted that “every day there’s been shelling this year,” leaving the streets desolate and largely empty. Yet beneath that devastation, he visited an underground maternity ward, a setting he described as a stark counterpoint to the destruction above. Schmale said, “And you couldn’t experience a starker contrast: above ground the horror of war, below ground in the same place people helping women give birth to new life. And it sort of characterizes the defiance of the Ukrainians.”
He also highlighted “innovative work” combining de-mining with agricultural recovery, with NGOs and UN agencies clearing fields and helping farmers return to their land. He said such efforts keep alive the hope of a better future.
Still, he cautioned against “romanticiz[ing] resilience.” After nearly four years of war, he said “the population is getting weary and more tired,” even as red lines remain firmly in place. That fatigue, he added, will shape “the receptiveness to whatever deal might come out in the future.”
Schmale said the conflict is becoming increasingly technological, with drone warfare reshaping conditions for civilians and aid workers alike. On a recent trip to Donetsk region, he observed “kilometers of the road being covered by fishnets” to disrupt drone surveillance. Humanitarian groups, he said, report that their biggest worry is “drone attacks targeting them very directly.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
As the war in Ukraine continues with no ceasefire in sight, civilians face mounting risks amid ongoing strikes and harsh winter conditions. Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, describes the deepening challenges for communities and outlines how UN agencies and partners are supporting people through winterization efforts.
