MIL Video Engine

Source: United Nations (video statements)

“The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in the harbor,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said, urging a dramatic expansion of UN presence in Sudan as violence intensifies in Darfur.

Briefing reporters in New York City via a video conference from Sudan, Fletcher said “we need more UN boots on the ground,” stressing that his latest visit is part of a broader push “to make sure we’re mobilized closer to those we serve.”

Fletcher described Darfur as a “horror show,” adding that El Fasher is a “crime scene” based on testimonies from survivors. He said his trip was coordinated with other senior UN officials, noting that IOM’s Amy Pope and WFP’s Carl Skau were also there on the ground as part of a five- to six-week surge in leadership engagement.

Beyond Darfur, Fletcher warned that the UN must also monitor closely the Kordofans, emphasizing the need to investigate atrocities in El Fasher while preventing new ones.

Humanitarian needs remain overwhelming, he said, with “nearly two in every three people in Sudan” requiring assistance and the UN appeal 32 per cent funded of the 4 billion that is needed for 2025. He added that cuts were forcing “brutal life and death choices.”

Fletcher said the UN had made progress in securing access to El Fasher “on UN terms,” stressing that assistance must remain neutral.

He highlighted intensified diplomatic efforts and suggested “a moment of opportunity” may be emerging.

On engagement with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Fletcher said he spoke with General Hemedti and pressed both him and local RSF representatives for “complete unhindered access, safe passage,” and an end to atrocities.

Citing strong regional and international messaging including from the White House Fletcher said all parties must grant humanitarian access and work to end the conflict. The level of impunity in Sudan, he warned, is “utterly, utterly unacceptable.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztBZCCqlf44

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN Deputy Secretary-General said, “Food itself has become a weapon.”

Addressing the Security Council Amina J. Mohammed said, “Armed conflict drives acute food insecurity in 14 of 16 hunger hotspots worldwide. Last year, 295 million people faced acute hunger – 14 million more than the year before. The number of people experiencing catastrophic hunger have more than doubled to 1.9 million.”

She also said, “This is the new arithmetic of conflict: when food systems are attacked, weaponized, the impact is global. Food itself has become a weapon. Through deliberate starvation tactics, which we are seeing all too often, including recently in Gaza. But also, through the systematic destruction of agricultural systems.”

She highlighted, “And in a spiral of death, we continue to invest in military expenditure rather than putting and end of hunger. The world’s total military expenditure over the past decade, estimated at $21.9 trillion, yet ending hunger by 2030 costs much less – $93 billion per year.”

She stressed, “We cannot and must not accept these examples as the new normal. The hunger-conflict nexus is a strategic and existential threat, and this Council must treat it as such.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooXuuy3R9eY

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Informal comments to the media by Mike Waltz, Permanent Represent of the United States to the United Nations, on the UN Security Council resolution on Gaza.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU7mrC9D0-8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Informal comments to the media by Julius Maada Bio President of Sierra Leone and President of the Security Council for the month of November, on on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyXYMk9C8HM

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by escalating incidents endangering UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, after an Israeli tank fired near Sarda and rounds landed just meters from UN personnel. UNIFIL continually calls on the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to withdraw from the current positions in Lebanon to allow the Lebanese Army to fully redeploy across the south of Lebanon and restore security and stability.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZVyw1OLzpRI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock visited a sustainable cacao production enterprise on the island of Combu on the banks of the Guamá River, just 30 minutes by boat from Belém, the host city of this year’s Climate Change Conference COP30 in Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QtmTpwykFBQ

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
Senior Personnel Appointment
Secretary-General/Cop30
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon/Israel
Security Council/Food Insecurity
Ukraine
Abyei
Hurricane Melissa
Srebrenica
Road Traffic Victims
Briefings Today and Tomorrow

SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General, following consultations with the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), wrote to the President of the General Assembly requesting the General Assembly to confirm Alexander De Croo of Belgium as the new Administrator of UNDP for a term of four years. The General Assembly confirmed the nomination today.

Mr. De Croo succeeds Achim Steiner of Germany to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his leadership and commitment to the Organization. He also wishes to express his appreciation to Haoliang Xu, Associate Administrator of UNDP, who has been handling the interim and will continue to do so until Mr. De Croo’s arrival.

Just as background. Mr. De Croo has dedicated much of his career to public service advancing global solidarity, combining political leadership, development cooperation, and innovation. As former Prime Minister of Belgium from 2020 to 2025, he worked closely with multilateral institutions to steer structural change for people in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions, having consistently supported UNDP as a key partner.

SECRETARY-GENERAL/COP30
The Secretary-General has arrived in Belém, in Brazil, a few hours ago, where, as you all know, COP30 is currently under way. As mentioned last week, during the next few days, he will be meeting with negotiating parties, including various regional groups and ministers. He will also engage with civil society representatives, indigenous peoples and youth.  

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the humanitarian situation remains very difficult, with many people struggling to access the basics they need to survive.

Following heavy rains on Friday, humanitarian teams carried out rapid assessments of impacted areas over the weekend and provided some initial aid. More than 13,000 families are estimated to have been impacted by the flooding.

According to our partners working on shelter, over the weekend, they helped distribute at least 9,000 tents, 83,000 tarpaulins and 59,000 blankets, with thousands more planned in the coming days.

While we and our partners have moved swiftly to respond to rain-affected areas, our efforts remain constrained by inadequate volumes of shelter and other necessary supplies allowed to enter through the UN-coordinated mechanism.

With temperatures dropping and winter fast approaching, we must be allowed to expand the shelter response to meet the vast scale of needs across the Gaza Strip. We continue to call for unrestricted, for rapid and sustained access; the opening of additional crossings; facilitation of entry of tents that are currently restricted, as well as critical equipment to maintain storm drains and repair sanitation networks; permissions for NGOs to bring in supplies; and the safe movement of humanitarian convoys. Since 10 October, at least nine attempts by the United Nations and our partners to bring in tents have been rejected.

Our partners working on food security report that with the volume of food parcels entering Gaza having increased in recent days, they plan to resume the distribution of two food parcels and one bag of flour [per household] across the Strip.

Earlier last week, distributions in the north had to be limited to high-energy biscuits and one bag of flour because partners working to bring supplies were facing impediments, including the de-prioritization of humanitarian cargo at crossings, customs clearance delays, and lack of access to northern crossings.

Meanwhile, our colleagues working on efforts to remove rubble and debris from roads and communities tell us that they have cleared 100,000 tons of debris since the ceasefire came into effect. However, nearly 58 million tons of debris and rubble remain spread across the Gaza Strip – and only half of that amount is currently accessible.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-11-17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBu-nlakC4M