Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
Former Cabinet ministers, Rt. Hon George Osborne CH and Rt. Hon Sir Vince Cable, appear in front of MPs as the Treasury Committee continues its series looking ahead to the Chancellors’ November Budget.
Members of the Committee seek the views of both witnesses based on their experiences in government, with George Osborne serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 – 2016 and Sir Vince Cable as Secretary of State for Business from 2010 – 2015.
World Food Programme (WFP) officials in the Caribbean briefed journalists in New York on the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti and ongoing response and operations to support those affected.
From Jamaica, the Country Director for WFP’s Multi-Country Caribbean Office, Brian Bogart, said, “many people across Jamaica have lost their homes, they’ve lost their livelihoods, and they’re still in shock.”
Bogart said, “the Jamaican people are resilient. They tell us they are. We see that they are. But they need urgent support to maintain that resilience.”
He said, WFP “has managed to airlift 2000 food kits from a regional logistics hub that we have established for the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency in Barbados to Kingston, and we continue to airlift additional supplies while we’re sending up a commodity pipeline of assistance from markets here in Jamaica and working with national authorities to coordinate delivery of that assistance to people in need by air and by road.”
Bogart stressed WFP’s “commitment to meet the most urgent needs of the people in Jamaica and to support long term recovery efforts to ensure that the people of this country remain food secure.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that more than 1.5 million people – over half of Jamaica’s population – have been affected by Melissa, facing the loss of their homes and livelihoods.
More than 130 roads have been blocked, while power and communication networks have been disrupted. Access to some western parishes remains difficult due to roads being blocked by debris as well as fuel shortages.
Health services are under heavy strain, as several hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed, including the hospital in the town of Black River.
WFP estimates that up to 360,000 people may require food assistance. Meanwhile, UNICEF and its partners are working to restore safe water and sanitation services, particularly in shelters and affected communities.
WFP’s Country Director in Cuba, Etienne Labande, for his part praised the Cuban Government’s anticipatory actions, which he said, “demonstrated not only saved lives, they also optimise resources and reinforce the resilience of Cuba’s emergency response system.”
Labande said, “the ongoing response is an outcome of preparedness work alongside the Cuban government. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the shock to protection centres, and WFP and the government prepositioned food supplies to support 275,000 people for up to 60 days.”
Pending permitting, he said, WFP plans to assist “900,000 people for three months and half of those in need of assistance for an additional three months.”
The United Nations in Cuba, Labande continued, has finalised its response plan, “which has been approved by the government and will be launched officially tomorrow from La Habana, appealing for a total of 74 million US dollars, all sectors included, and aiming at assisting around a million persons affected over a period of 12 months, including the recovery period.”
In Doha today, Secretary-General António Guterres met with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and discussed the impact of climate change on the Caribbean, and the devastation left recently by hurricane Melissa.
The Prime Minister commended the United Nations team’s response and support to Cuba in these difficult circumstances, while the Secretary-General assured the Prime Minister of the United Nations’ solidarity and continued aid to Cuba in this regard.
Turning to Haiti, Labande said, “even before Melissa hit one in two Haitians were already severely food insecure. Armed groups controlled large areas of the capital and other regions, complicating food movements within the country. Our colleagues are reporting that homes and infrastructure have been washed away along the southern coast, where 1,250,000 people, estimated to be affected by the hurricane.”
The UN and partners in Haiti, continue to carry out assessments of the damage wreaked by Hurricane Melissa and are ramping up our efforts to reach people in need. According to the authorities, at least 30 people have died.
OCHA continues to work closely with authorities and partners to ensure a coherent, efficient, and well-coordinated response, facilitating information sharing and supporting collective efforts to reach affected populations. The $908 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for is just over 21 percent funded with $195 million received so far.
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, shares three key messages from the latest economic outlook for the Caucasus and Central Asia region. Read the full report: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/MECA/Issues/2025/10/21/regional-economic-outlook-middle-east-central-asia-october-2025?cid=sm-com-yt-AM2025-REOMCDEA2025002
President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock visited the al-Thumama Complex in Doha, Qatar. The complex was developed for the FIFA World Cup 2022 but now is hosting Palestinian refugees. She spoke with children many of whom are orphans, women undergoing vocational training, and those seriously injured – who were evacuated from Gaza in the aftermath of the war in the Strip.
The Secretary-General spoke to the opening session of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar today, and he warned that today, we are at a moment of high global uncertainty with crises on going in terms of poverty, inequality, and climate.
He saluted the adopted Doha Political Declaration as a “booster shot for development,” describing it as a people-centered plan requiring urgent action in four areas: accelerating poverty and inequality reduction, job creation, increased financing for developing countries, and greater social inclusion. The Declaration, Mr. Guterres said, calls for targeted investments, climate finance, and inclusive governance.
The Secretary-General urged governments and partners to mobilize the political will and resources to realize the Declaration’s ambitious vision for sustainable development. This Summit, he said in closing, is all about hope – hope through collective action that is so desperately needed to continue the journey that we began together thirty years ago in Copenhagen.
He spoke to the press in Doha about the Political Declaration, and he also discussed the horrifying crisis in Sudan, which he said is spiralling out of control, and about the continued violations of the ceasefire in Gaza.
On Sudan, he said that, for over 18 months, El Fasher and the surrounding areas in North Darfur have been an epicentre of suffering, hunger, violence and displacement. And since the Rapid Support Forces entered El Fasher last weekend, the situation is growing worse by the day.
He once again called for an immediate end to this unimaginable violence; for the safe, rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to all civilians in need; for an end to the flow of weapons and fighters into Sudan; and for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Regarding Gaza, the Secretary-General said that all parties must abide by the decisions of the first phase of the peace agreement. And he stressed the need to establish a credible political path towards ending the occupation, realizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and leading to a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/DOHA
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, arrives in Doha, Qatar, today to attend the Second World Summit for Social Development. The Deputy Secretary-General will meet with senior government officials from Qatar and other delegations, as well as civil society representatives, youth, and other stakeholders, to discuss how to translate commitments made at the Summit into tangible progress on the ground.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will depart Qatar on Wednesday to head to Brazil, where he will attend the Belém Climate Summit, which will be held ahead of the 30th UN Climate Change Conference, taking place in Belém from November 10 to 21.
The Secretary-General will speak at the opening of the General Plenary of Leaders on Thursday, where he is expected to stress that in this critical moment for our planet and the billions of lives and livelihoods it sustains, every leader must confront some stark truths.
Noting that newly submitted Nationally Determined Contributions represent progress, the Secretary-General will say that policies and plans governments have put on the table still fall far short of a credible pathway to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as agreed by all Member States in the Paris Agreement. The truth, the Secretary-General will warn, is that the climate crisis is accelerating.
The Secretary-General will also highlight that another truth is that we have never been better equipped to fight back, emphasizing that this COP must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery. While in Belém, the Secretary-General will also meet with leaders attending the conference. The Secretary-General is expected back in New York on 9 November.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-11-04
World leaders are gathering in Doha, Qatar, for a high-level UN conference aimed at reigniting the vision of people-centred, inclusive development.
From 4 to 6 November, Heads of State, ministers, civil society, youth and private sector representatives will assess progress, confront persistent gaps, and chart a renewed path forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Leaders Gather at World Summit for Social Development
World leaders are gathering in Doha, Qatar, for a high-level UN conference aimed at reigniting the vision of people-centred, inclusive development.
From 4 to 6 November, Heads of State, ministers, civil society, youth and private sector representatives will assess progress, confront persistent gaps, and chart a renewed path forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The European Commission has just adopted its 2025 Enlargement Package, reaffirming that EU enlargement remains a top priority.
The report looks at how far Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Montenegro, and others have come on their path to EU membership.
Enlargement is a shared journey, the EU and its partners must keep growing together.
