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Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:

-Floods in Asia
-Iraq
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Syria / Israel
-Ukraine
-Mozambique
-UNDP
-Artificial Intelligence
-Haiti
-Abolition of Slavery
-Force Commander / UNISFA
-Guest Tomorrow

FLOODS IN ASIA

The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life caused by severe flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. More than 1,000 people have reportedly been killed, with many missing and millions affected as heavy rains continue to inundate large areas.
The Secretary-General conveys his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his solidarity with all those affected by these devastating floods.
The United Nations is in close contact with authorities in all four countries and stands ready to support relief and response efforts. UN Country Teams remain at the disposal of Governments to provide necessary assistance.

IRAQ
This morning, the Security Council heard, for the last time, from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in a briefing on the situation in Iraq. The mission will conclude its mandate on 31 December this year.
Mohamed Al Hassan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq and Head of UNAMI, opened by expressing profound appreciation to the Government and people of Iraq who have stood as partners to the UN through some of the nation’s most challenging chapters.
He recalled that when the Council established UNAMI 22 years ago, Iraq was confronting the legacy of dictatorship, regional wars, internal conflict, foreign occupation and the terror of Da’esh. But with the support of the international community, Iraq emerged stronger.
The UN underscores that UNAMI’s departure does not mark an end to the Iraq-UN partnership.
The UN will continue to stand by Iraq to build on its hard-won gains, and we hope that a new Government will be formed without delay.
Finally, the UN look forward to transferring the mandate on missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing property, including the national archives, from UNAMI to a Senior Representative, as decided by the Security Council.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-12-02

Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Website: https://www.un.org/sg/en/spokesperson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLApmDCMx5s

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press Conference by Cesar Nunez, Director of the UNAIDS New York Office, on the launch of the World AIDS Day report, Overcoming Disruption: Transforming the AIDS response.

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“The HIV epidemic is not over, and our previous progress is at risk,” warned César Antonio Núñez, Director of the UNAIDS New York Office, as the UN marked World AIDS Day with an assessment of shrinking global resources.

Briefing reporters at UN headquarters, Núñez said the findings of UNAIDS’ new Global Report: Overcoming disruption, transforming the response, point to mounting threats driven by a sharp decline in international funding. The report, launched last week in Geneva, underscores “the importance of overcoming the current disruption in the financing of the AIDS response.”

He highlighted severe pressures on countries already struggling to maintain services. “OECD projects that external health aid will drop by 30 to 40 per cent in 2025 compared to 2023,” he said, adding that the cuts are “causing immediate and severe disruption to health services in low- and middle-income countries.”

Núñez said the downturn is hitting prevention and community programs first. “The resources, the response and prevention, has kind of flatlined,” he said. Treatment uptake, once rising steadily, “has also been reduced,” with consequences for “prevention programs for young people and key populations.”

These setbacks carry long-term risks, he cautioned. Without urgent corrective action, “that will take us back, 3.9 million people newly acquiring HIV by 2030, in excess of what we would have hoped to be the end of AIDS as a public health threat.”

While some governments have rushed to close gaps, Núñez said the efforts could be insufficient. “Will the funding sources that still remain and the countries filling in the gaps be enough? Not necessarily,” he said.

Countries will have to make sharper strategic choices. “Prioritization will be essential,” Núñez said.

He added, “Evidently, we point to prevention because we need to reduce the number of new infections in order to address…the growing epidemic.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbBr55SCj_c