Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the situation in the Middle East.
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Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, briefing the Security Council, said Syria remains “by any metric one of the largest humanitarian emergencies globally,” with over 70 per cent of the population in need, 9 million people acutely food insecure, and millions displaced inside and outside the country.
He noted progress in aid delivery, highlighting “a more collaborative engagement with the authorities” that has allowed the UN to reach some communities for the first time in years. On average, nearly 3.5 million people are now receiving assistance each month, including food for 1 million, subsidized bread for 2 million, medical care for 2 million, and immunizations for 1.7 million children. UNICEF, WHO and partners are rehabilitating hospitals and water systems, while WFP and FAO support agriculture and bread production.
Yet, Fletcher warned that “we risk missing a rare opportunity for the people of Syria.” The humanitarian appeal is only 18 per cent funded, forcing cuts to hospitals, safe spaces, and essential programmes, with women and girls bearing the heaviest risks. Without more support, he cautioned, refugee returns and recovery efforts will falter, especially with winter approaching.
He concluded with three key asks: “First, preserve stability to prevent renewed violence. Second, fund the humanitarian response to save more lives. Third, enable Syrian-led recovery by translating pledges into concrete investment, rebuilding homes and services, and creating livelihoods.”
0:14 – Young adults are unhappier than their parents, for the first time in generations: For generations, life’s happiness curve has looked the same. People were happiest as young adults, became progressively less happy until the age of 50, and then began to grow happier again.But that’s no longer the case, according to a new study. What’s behind this reversal?
1:52 – Spain is now the fastest-growing economy in Europe: Spain is the fastest-growing economy in the Eurozone today. Spain’s green industry is fuelling its economic engine. As the 14th member of the First Movers Coalition (FMC), the World Economic Forum’s decarbonization initiative, Spain is now throwing its economic success behind the coalition’s efforts to accelerate the global phasing out of fossil fuels.
3:37 – This medication could help prevent heart attacks: For decades, doctors have been prescribing aspirin to patients with cardiovascular disease. It thins the blood by preventing the formation of clots – reducing the risk of blockages and reduced blood flow. A new study found that a drug called Clopidogrel reduces patients’ risk of a heart attack or stroke by 14% compared with aspirin, and with no added risk. Here’s how it works.
5:20 – This trade deal ends support for overfishing to help rebuild ocean health: The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is the first binding set of global rules designed to curb subsidies that fuel overfishing, threatening the health of the ocean. The deal, brokered by the World Trade Organization, has been decades in the making. Here, Santiago Wills talks through its implications, and who is set to benefit.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
Informal comments to the media by Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) to the United Nations, on Iran’s Non-Proliferation issue.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– UN80 Report
– UN@80
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Allenby Bridge
– Lebanon/Israel
– Sudan
– South Sudan
– Haiti
– Democratic Republic of The Congo
– International Days
UN80 REPORT
Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General shared with Member States another report linked to the UN80 initiative. This one was prepared under the third workstream and is about structural reforms and programme realignments. The report outlines proposals for changes in the Organization’s structure, in the way UN entities collaborate and operate.
The UN80 process, and the proposals included in this new report, aim to strengthen how we deliver across all three pillars of our work – peace and security, sustainable development and of course, human rights.
The report was issued ahead of the High-Level Week to inform deliberations between Member States on ways to strengthen the UN system. The Secretary-General will formally present the report to Member States in October – after high-level week.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that ongoing strikes and ground operations continue to exact a heavy toll on battered and exhausted civilians. As the offensive on Gaza city intensifies, the influx of newly displaced people arriving in the south is putting even more stress on already overstretched services, as space in southern Gaza continues to shrink due to overcrowding.
OCHA reports that people are arriving deep into the night, many of them walking for long hours without food, without water and without shelter. The coastal Al Rashid Road remains extremely congested as vehicles, donkey carts, tuk-tuks and people on foot make their way south amid the escalating attacks. Despite the announcement by the Israeli authorities to allow Salah Ad Din Road to be used by people fleeing south, partners report that the road is impassable for travel by vehicles, as the route requires repairs.
Today, Israeli authorities also announced that the 48-hour window to use the road is now closed, making Al Rashid the only passage available for civilians who want to leave north.
The UN and its partners continue to respond wherever and whenever way is possible, despite extremely challenging circumstances and the ongoing insecurity. Yesterday, an interagency mission led by our OCHA colleagues carried out an assessment in multiple areas of Khan Younis where people displaced from the north have recently arrived. The assessment noted high levels of need among the displaced families, especially for shelter, for food, for water, for medical care and for every essential part of survival.
OCHA reiterates that the volumes of supplies entering Gaza remain below the threshold necessary to address people’s deepening needs. Furthermore, humanitarians require conditions on the ground to enable them to reach the most vulnerable people with assistance safely, rapidly and consistently.
The looting of supplies remains a critical obstacle preventing the UN and its partners from being able to deliver aid at scale, including by using community-based mechanisms, which have been proved successful in the past. In a statement today, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that yesterday, four trucks full of ready-to-use therapeutic food were stolen at gunpoint in Gaza city.
SUDAN
The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, said noted that the attack that today struck a mosque near the Abu Shouk camp in in El Fasher claimed the lives of dozens of civilians who were worshipping there, reminding us that international humanitarian law demands the protection of religious sites and those civilians who worship there.
She called for an investigation and for the perpetrators to be held to account.
This ongoing siege of El Fasher has already created a severe humanitarian crisis, cutting off food, medicine and other life-saving support. The UN reiterates its calls for an immediate cessation of fire in and around El Fasher.
Humanitarian access of personnel and supplies must be facilitated in order for us to reach those in need.
And just to note that a report issued by our human rights colleagues in Geneva today showed that the conflict-driven crisis in Sudan intensified in the first half of the year, with a significant rise in civilian killings, including summary executions, amid growing ethnic violence and a worsening humanitarian situation.
The report calls on states to use their influence to end this conflict.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=19%20September%202025
Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)
Identification of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) based on comparisons of electron-ionization (EI) mass spectra continues to pose challenges in seized drug analysis. In this webinar, a method to statistically compare EI mass spectra is described, and an application of the method to distinguish several structural and positional isomers of NPS analogs are demonstrated.
This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 25, 2024.
(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)
Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) conducts the Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL) to provide insight into federal, state, county, and municipal crime labs that are funded solely by the government or whose parent organization is a government agency. The most recent CPFFCL provides national-level data on the workload and operations of crime labs during 2020. Of the 326 eligible crime labs and multilab systems in the 2020 CPFFCL, 293 (90%) provided responses to at least some of the survey questions. This webinar presents findings from the 2020 CPFFCL and provide an update on next year’s new CPFFCL.
This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 2, 2024.
(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)
Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)
The 2025 edition of the WTO’s Public Forum wrapped up on 18 September, after two intensive days of discussions. The theme of the Forum was “Enhance, Create, and Preserve.” While global trade is undergoing fundamental shifts, the event is an opportune moment to reflect on the contribution of trade to world growth and to explore the digital transformations shaping the interconnected global economy.
Download this video from the WTO website:
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm
Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)
This presentation explores a series of research studies aimed at assessing the accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility of forensic pattern evidence examination decisions across various disciplines, including latent prints, firearms, shoeprints, and handwriting. Key topics covered include a comprehensive overview of the design factors in these four large-scale research studies, as well as a response to common critical observations regarding the experimental design and the interpretation of results.
This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on March 19, 2024.
(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)
Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)
This webinar provides a means and rationale to prepare and execute the various steps of this process, including planning, gap analysis, educating key staff members, executing and delivering work products. The webinar introduces the process of standards implementation stepwise for key senior administrators whose laboratory system has not yet formally initiated a program. A question-and-answer portion covers topics such as planning, staff education, the best way to divide the list of standards on the OSAC Registry into workable segments by discipline, and conducting gap analysis between Registry standards and the implementation of those standards.
This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on January 30, 2024.
(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)
The annual ECB Conference on Money Markets brings together academics, market practitioners, and central bankers for in-depth discussions on money markets, monetary policy implementation, and central bank operational frameworks. Through a combination of research presentations, insights from market participants, and high-profile keynote speeches, the conference aims to advance our understanding of money markets and monetary policy transmission.
In 2025, the ECB Conference on Money Markets will discuss the ongoing adjustments in money markets as they adapt to smaller central bank balance sheets, evolving operational frameworks for monetary policy implementation, and the increasing role of non-bank financial intermediaries.
