Source: United Nations (video statements)
As the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) marks its 20th anniversary, Secretary-General António Guterres shares his message of gratitude to all who help the United Nations stay and deliver in the world’s most challenging places.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Congolese photographer Do Nsoseme is featured in the "Through Her Lens" photo exhibition at the United Nations headquarters. For a week, the Global Organization has marked the work of women in Peace and Security. Twenty-five years ago, the international community agreed a new approach to women’s inclusion in peace processes in what came to be known as the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS), outlined in the landmark Security Council resolution 1325. Photographer and activist Do Nsoseme reveals how admirable women in her country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo have inspired her artistic creation as a poet and photographer.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Secretary-General/Belém Climate Summit
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-UNIFIL
-Philippines
-Hurricane Melissa
-West and Central Africa
-Food Prices
-International Day
—————————-
SECRETARY-GENERAL/BELÉM CLIMATE SUMMIT
The Secretary-General is in Brazil, where he is participating in the Belém Climate Summit. Today, he spoke at a thematic session on Energy Transition.
The Secretary-General noted that the global energy landscape is changing at lightning speed. Last year, he pointed out, ninety per cent of new power capacity came from renewables and global investment in clean energy reached two trillion US dollars – eight hundred billion dollars more than fossil fuels.
The Secretary-General highlighted that renewables revolution is here, but we must go much faster – and ensure all nations share the benefits.
Also today, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of Türkiye, Cevdet Yilmaz. He also met Denis Sassou N’Guesso, President of the Republic of Congo.
Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General spoke at a thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans”, where he stressed that protecting forests and oceans is not charity, it is a legal and moral responsibility – and smart economics. He called on all to honour that duty, by safeguarding these foundations of life, investing in nature’s recovery, and ensuring that people and planet thrive together – now and for generations to come. Yesterday, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General is expected to speak at a session on 10 years of the Paris Agreement: NDCs and Financing. He will depart Belém tomorrow and will be back here in New York on Sunday.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that despite significant progress on the humanitarian scale-up, people’s urgent needs are still immense, with impediments not being lifted quickly enough.
Since the ceasefire and as of this Monday, the UN and our partners have collected from Gaza’s crossings more than 37,000 metric tonnes of aid – mostly food. That’s according to the UN 2720 Mechanism, which does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.
Entry continues to be limited to only two crossings, with no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza or from Egypt to southern Gaza. This is on top of certain items and NGO staff not being let in.
Our colleagues leading on the shelter response say that most displaced people remain in overcrowded makeshift sites – many of which were established spontaneously in open or unsafe areas. Hundreds of thousands of families face the onset of the rainy season without desperately needed protection from the elements.
Our partners working on shelter support say that once impediments are lifted, they have enough materials in the pipeline to meet most of the needs of nearly 1.5 million Palestinians requiring such assistance.
On the food front, there has been clear progress. Since the ceasefire, the World Food Programme has reached over one million people with food distributions, hot meals, bakery support, fortified snacks for children, expanded nutrition services, and digital cash assistance.
WFP expanded storage capacity to three warehouses, reopened key roads, and reinforced retail networks to sustain food assistance. The agency says that food has been delivered in all parts of Gaza.
UNIFIL
You will have seen the statement issued on Thursday by the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in reaction to the latest Israeli airstrikes within UNIFIL’s area of operations in the southern parts of the country.
UNIFIL says that these airstrikes constitute clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701. They come as the Lebanese Armed Forces are undertaking operations to control unauthorized weapons and infrastructure in the south Litani area.
As you will recall, the cessation of hostilities agreement between Israel and Lebanon was reached a year ago. We continue to urge the parties to adhere to their obligations under resolution 1701 to avoid putting the current hard-won progress at risk.
Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-11-07
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Secretary-General/Belém Climate Summit
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-UNIFIL
-Philippines
-Hurricane Melissa
-West and Central Africa
-Food Prices
-International Day
—————————-
SECRETARY-GENERAL/BELÉM CLIMATE SUMMIT
The Secretary-General is in Brazil, where he is participating in the Belém Climate Summit. Today, he spoke at a thematic session on Energy Transition.
The Secretary-General noted that the global energy landscape is changing at lightning speed. Last year, he pointed out, ninety per cent of new power capacity came from renewables and global investment in clean energy reached two trillion US dollars – eight hundred billion dollars more than fossil fuels.
The Secretary-General highlighted that renewables revolution is here, but we must go much faster – and ensure all nations share the benefits.
Also today, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of Türkiye, Cevdet Yilmaz. He also met Denis Sassou N’Guesso, President of the Republic of Congo.
Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General spoke at a thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans”, where he stressed that protecting forests and oceans is not charity, it is a legal and moral responsibility – and smart economics. He called on all to honour that duty, by safeguarding these foundations of life, investing in nature’s recovery, and ensuring that people and planet thrive together – now and for generations to come. Yesterday, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General is expected to speak at a session on 10 years of the Paris Agreement: NDCs and Financing. He will depart Belém tomorrow and will be back here in New York on Sunday.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that despite significant progress on the humanitarian scale-up, people’s urgent needs are still immense, with impediments not being lifted quickly enough.
Since the ceasefire and as of this Monday, the UN and our partners have collected from Gaza’s crossings more than 37,000 metric tonnes of aid – mostly food. That’s according to the UN 2720 Mechanism, which does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.
Entry continues to be limited to only two crossings, with no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza or from Egypt to southern Gaza. This is on top of certain items and NGO staff not being let in.
Our colleagues leading on the shelter response say that most displaced people remain in overcrowded makeshift sites – many of which were established spontaneously in open or unsafe areas. Hundreds of thousands of families face the onset of the rainy season without desperately needed protection from the elements.
Our partners working on shelter support say that once impediments are lifted, they have enough materials in the pipeline to meet most of the needs of nearly 1.5 million Palestinians requiring such assistance.
On the food front, there has been clear progress. Since the ceasefire, the World Food Programme has reached over one million people with food distributions, hot meals, bakery support, fortified snacks for children, expanded nutrition services, and digital cash assistance.
WFP expanded storage capacity to three warehouses, reopened key roads, and reinforced retail networks to sustain food assistance. The agency says that food has been delivered in all parts of Gaza.
UNIFIL
You will have seen the statement issued on Thursday by the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in reaction to the latest Israeli airstrikes within UNIFIL’s area of operations in the southern parts of the country.
UNIFIL says that these airstrikes constitute clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701. They come as the Lebanese Armed Forces are undertaking operations to control unauthorized weapons and infrastructure in the south Litani area.
As you will recall, the cessation of hostilities agreement between Israel and Lebanon was reached a year ago. We continue to urge the parties to adhere to their obligations under resolution 1701 to avoid putting the current hard-won progress at risk.
Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-11-07
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Press conference by Kishan Khoday, UNDP Resident Representative for the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos Islands on the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The UN Special Adviser on Genocide Prevention, Chaloka Beyani, has raised concerns over widespread allegations of war crimes committed in Sudan’s El Fasher last month, and plans to meet his African Union counterpart on Friday to discuss a coordinated response.
The UN is warning of a worsening humanitarian situation in North Darfur, where thousands of families displaced from El Fasher are living in extremely harsh conditions.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary-General/ Belém Climate Summit
Security Council
State of the Climate
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Sudan
Afghanistan
Hurricane Melissa
International Day
Guest
SECRETARY-GENERAL/ BELÉM CLIMATE SUMMIT
This morning, in Brazil, the Secretary-General spoke at the Plenary of Leaders of the Belém Climate Summit. He noted that the hard truth is that we have failed to ensure that we remain below 1.5 degrees.
The Secretary-General pointed out that after decades of denial and delay, science now tells us that a temporary overshoot beyond the 1.5 limit is inevitable – starting at the latest in the early 2030s. He stressed that we need a fundamental paradigm shift to limit this overshoot’s magnitude and duration and quickly drive it down.
The Secretary-General warned that even a temporary overshoot will unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss – especially for those least responsible.
This morning, the Secretary-General held bilateral meetings with the President of the EU Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa. He also met the First-ranked Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Ding Xuexiang.
Also today, the Secretary-General is to address the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility. He will say that tropical forests breathe life into our planet. Yet, he will add, they remain under relentless assault – treated as short-term profit, not long-term value.
The Secretary-General underscored that the Facility is a bold mechanism to make standing forests more valuable than cleared land – aligning conservation with opportunity, and solidarity with shared prosperity. He stressed that Governments, development banks, and the private sector must join forces to close the finance gap, unlock investment for sustainable forest economies and scale up monitoring and restoration.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a session on Climate and Nature: Forests and Ocean. He will also meet with other leaders attending the conference.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the head of the UN Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, addressed a session of the Security Council dedicated to the environmental impact of armed conflict.
She told Council members that environmental damage caused by conflicts continues to push people into hunger, disease and displacement – increasing insecurity.
She added that climate change exacerbates tensions, and – under some conditions – contributes to conflicts and that conflict-affected countries and communities must be supported with tools to protect natural resources and the environment.
In her remarks, Ms. Andersen highlighted three priorities that would enhance environmental support to conflict-affected counties.
She told Council members that the first priority should be to rebuild national capacity for environmental management, supported by science-based assessments and tools.
Member States should also increase investments in climate adaptation in conflict-affected countries.
As we head to COP30 in Belem, Ms. Andersen said, high ambition is needed both on adaptation and on mitigation. Every fraction of a degree avoided means lower losses for people and ecosystems – and greater opportunities for peace and prosperity.
STATE OF THE CLIMATE
Today, the World Meteorological Organization published its State of the Climate Update for COP30. The report, released in Belém, says that the alarming streak of exceptional temperatures continued this year, and 2025 is set to be either the second or third warmest year on record.
The report also reveals that the past 11 years (2015-2025) are set to be the warmest on record, with each year surpassing previous temperature highs.
Concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and ocean heat content, which both reached record levels last year, continued to rise in 2025.
Arctic sea ice extent after the winter freeze was the lowest on record, and Antarctic sea ice extent tracked well below average throughout the year. The long-term sea level rise trend continued despite a small and temporary blip due to naturally occurring factors.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Speaking at the opening of the World Leaders Climate Action Summit ahead of the UN’s annual climate conference, this year in Belém, Brazil, Secretary-General António Guterres opened the summit, saying that "the United Nations will not give up on the 1.5 degree goal.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate Update 2025 confirms what scientists have feared: the past eleven years are the warmest ever recorded, with 2025 likely ranking second or third hottest. From record-low polar ice to escalating ocean heat and widespread climate shocks, the report paints a stark picture — but also highlights growing global capacity for early warning and climate services. Released ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, this evidence-based update anchors negotiations in science and calls for urgent, collective action to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Press Conference on the key moments and commitments from the Second World Social Summit for Development.
Speakers:
Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General
H.E. Sheikha Alya bin Saif Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar
Moderated by: Martin Samaan, Spokesperson for the Second World Summit for Social Development, UN Department of Global Communications
