Source: United Nations (video statements)
Families across Ukraine are in ‘constant survival mode’ amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to deadly lows, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, visited Chad this 14 and 15 January, where he underscored the need for urgent humanitarian assistance and protection for people fleeing the brutal war in Sudan, and for greater support for refugees to rebuild their lives with dignity.
During his first official overseas trip as High Commissioner, Salih met Sudanese refugee families who had fled the vicious fighting in Darfur only days earlier; many had been displaced multiple times since the conflict began.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
We are in the ‘final stretch’ for the UN treaty to protect marine biodiversity in areas that are not within individual States’ jurisdiction the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, BBNJ Treaty, says Under‑Secretary‑General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld.
Almost two decades in the making, an international agreement to protect marine life in international waters and the seabed is due to come into force on Saturday, marking a major step forward in efforts to ensure the health of ocean ecosystems for decades to come.
Read more at UN News: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166762
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee called on Iranian authorities “to halt any execution linked to protest related cases,” and expressed “alarm” at public statements suggesting military strikes on Iran.
Pobee called on Iran “to respect due process and fair trial rights for all detainees” and for all deaths to be “promptly, independently and transparently investigated.”
On military intervention, she said, “this external dimension adds volatility to an already combustible situation. All efforts must be undertaken to prevent any further deterioration,” adding that Secretary-General António Guterres “remains convinced that all concerns regarding Iran, including those related to the nuclear issue and ongoing protests, are best addressed through diplomacy and dialog.”
United States Ambassador Michael Waltz said, “the people of Iran are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic’s brutal history” and quoted US President Donald J. Trump saying, “the United States of America stands by the brave people of Iran. Period.”
Waltz denied allegations “put forward by the regime that these inspired protests are somehow a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action.”
He said, “everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets. They are afraid. They’re afraid of their own people.”
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia for his part said, “the whole world has been watching as the United States continues to escalate tensions and fuel hysteria around Iran, declaring that help is already on the way. What’s more, in its official statements, Washington has not even tried to cover up the genuine reasons for its alleged concern over the country’s internal political situation as it threatens new strikes against Iran.”
Today’s meeting, Nebenzia said, “is nothing more than yet another attempt to justify blatant aggression and interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.”
Finally Iranian Ambassador Gholamhossein Darzi told the Council that the United States “is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilization and military intervention under a so-called humanitarian narrative.”
Darzi said, “Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation. However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate and lawful response under article 51 of the charter. This is not a threat. It is a statement of legal reality. Responsibility for all consequences will rest solely with those who initiate such unlawful acts.”
He denied allegations that the government of the Iran has killed peaceful protesters, which he said, “is quite a distortion of the facts on the ground.”
Darzi said, “what the Iranian security forces did confront firmly and responsibly were armed ISIS style terrorist cells and violent separatist groups funded and armed by a few foreign entities, including the Israeli regime. These groups deliberately targeted civilians and law enforcement officers in an attempt to ignite civil war and create the conditions for foreign intervention.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Secretary-General António Guterres said, “That is the paradox of our era: at a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem to be the least inclined to use it and invest in it. Some seek to put international cooperation on deathwatch. I can assure you: we will not give up.”
Addressing the General Assembly for the last time, Guterres set out priorities for the year ahead, pledging to focus his remaining time in office on advancing the Organization’s work. He warned that the global environment is increasingly unstable, saying, “Let’s be clear: the context is chaos. We are a world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality, and unpredictability,” marked by geopolitical divides, violations of international law, and cuts to development and humanitarian aid.
As the United Nations pushes forward with reforms, Guterres said its actions must be anchored in core principles. He urged Member States to fully respect the UN Charter, stating, “The Charter is a compact which binds us all. It is not an à la carte menu, it is prix fixe.” He warned that leaders who selectively follow international law are undermining global order and setting a dangerous precedent.
Turning to inequality, Guterres highlighted the concentration of wealth, noting that the top one percent holds 43 percent of global financial assets and that the richest 500 individuals added $2.2 trillion to their fortunes last year. He said, “The concentration of power and wealth in so few hands is morally indefensible,” calling it a clear danger to the promise of equal rights and dignity.
The Secretary-General said peace remains central to the UN’s mission, but warned that ongoing conflicts have trapped millions in cycles of violence, hunger and displacement. He said, “The suffering cannot go on.”
On Gaza, Guterres welcomed the start of Phase Two of the ceasefire and reiterated that that humanitarian aid must flow unimpeded. He said the ceasefire must be fully implemented and the way cleared toward “an irreversible path to a two-state solution in accordance with international law.”
He also addressed other conflicts, calling for renewed efforts to stop the fighting in Ukraine and Sudan. He said, “From Yemen to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from Haiti to the Sahel to Myanmar and around the world, we must never give up in the pursuit for peace.”
Linking peace to rights, Guterres said, “Peace with justice means peace grounded in international law and on human rights,” and warned of shrinking civic space worldwide. He said he was “deeply concerned by the violent repression in Iran.”
Concluding, Guterres urged unity in an age of division, warning that racism, xenophobia and religious bigotry are corroding societies. While acknowledging states’ rights to manage borders and security, he said migrants and refugees also have rights that must be respected, calling on countries “to build welcoming societies, not walled-off citadels.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Addressing Member States, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that violations of international law are unfolding in plain sight and called for renewed political courage to confront global fragmentation. Highlighting inclusion, social cohesion, education, decent work and social protection as core priorities for 2026, he urged a new social contract rooted in shared civic values. “The choice is clear,” he said. “Inclusion or isolation. Renewal or decline.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Priorities
Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
Deputy Secretary-General Travel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
Sudan
Security Council
Honour Roll
PRIORITIES
António Guterres this morning presented to the General Assembly his priorities during his last year as UN Secretary-General, and he assured the Member States that he will make every day of 2026 count. He said that he is fully committed and fully determined to keep working, to keep fighting and to keep pushing for the better world that we know is possible.
The Secretary-General said that we are a world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability. But even in this turbulence, he added, we have succeeded in claiming space for the United Nations where it was not a given, including in fields ranging from artificial intelligence to financing for development and climate change.
He noted that the UN80 Initiative he has presented is about building a UN system that delivers more effectively, more coherently and with greater impact, amid the reality of shrinking resources and rising needs. But he warned that today’s situation is totally unsustainable. Either all countries, without exception, honour their financial obligations under the Charter, which no longer seems to be the case. Or Member States must overhaul our financial rules to prevent a budget breakdown.
The Secretary-General outlined three basic priorities for the year ahead. First, he said, we must adhere to the UN Charter, fully and faithfully. He reiterated that the Charter is not an à la carte menu, it is prix fixe.
Second, he said, we must be relentless in our work for peace with justice, peace between nations and peace with nature. He noted, among others, the efforts to push forward with peace processes in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.
And last, he said, our priority must be to build unity in an age of division. Our challenge, and our priority, must be to build welcoming societies, not walled-off citadels. Instead of marginalizing migrants and other groups, we must build united societies in a world of united nations, the Secretary-General said.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
This evening, the Secretary-General will travel to London, where he will take part in a special event, organized by UNA-UK, the UN Association in the United Kingdom, to mark the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly.
On Saturday, the programme will begin with a civic service by Methodist Central Hall Westminster. Shortly after, Mr. Guterres will deliver the keynote address at the UNA-UK conference, entitled, “UNGA at 80: From 1946 to Our Future”. You will recall that Central Hall is where the first meeting of the General Assembly took place in 1946. In his remarks, he will say that the General Assembly is the parliament of the family of nations. But it is also a mirror of our world, its divisions and its hopes.
Mr. Guterres is expected to add that as we face challenges that are ever more borderless and interconnected, the only way to address them is together. And that requires a robust, responsive and well-resourced multilateral system.
The Secretary-General will express his gratitude to the United Kingdom for being such a strong pillar of multilateralism, and his appreciation to UNA-UK and to civil society for honouring history with their eyes firmly fixed on the future.
While in London, the Secretary-General will hold a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer. That meeting will take place tomorrow, and you can expect a readout. He is also scheduled to meet the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, on Saturday.
After London, the Secretary-General will arrive in Switzerland on Sunday for two main engagements. He will attend the annual retreat with his Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys.
He will then travel to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum, where on Wednesday, 21 January, the Secretary-General will deliver a special address focusing on “Dialogue,” as the Forum’s 56th Annual Meeting takes place under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue. He is expected to outline four priorities: investing in peace amid record global conflicts; advancing justice and opportunity by tackling extreme inequality and reforming the global financial system; securing a livable planet through accelerated climate action; and ensuring that technology, particularly AI, serves humanity through global governance and capacity-building.
While in Davos, Mr. Guterres is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders attending the Forum.
He will be back in the office on Thursday morning.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-01-15
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Gladwyn Jebb was appointed as Acting UN Secretary-General in October 1945, effectively making him the first leader of the United Nations. Jebb (Great Britain, 1900 – 1996) was made a Counsellor within the Foreign Office of Great Britain in 1943. It was in this position that he attended numerous international conferences, including the Conference on International Organization in San Francisco—which ultimately led to the birth of the United Nations. In 1945, Jebb served as the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations. He was appointed as the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1950 to 1954.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Addressing Member States, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that violations of international law are unfolding in plain sight and called for renewed political courage to confront global fragmentation. Highlighting inclusion, social cohesion, education, decent work and social protection as core priorities for 2026, he urged a new social contract rooted in shared civic values. “The choice is clear,” he said. “Inclusion or isolation. Renewal or decline.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Briefing under agenda item “The situation on the Middle East,” with a focus on the current situation in Iran and the potential implications for international peace and security.
To watch in all official languages, visit: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1p/k1pauart1a
