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Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press conference by Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), virtually from Jerusalem, on his ongoing trip to the region.
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UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva visited the Gaza Strip and met with UNMAS teams at a site in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, alongside the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov.

Da Silva also visited the headquarters of Gaza’s main and only power generation company, inspecting the plant that has been out of service since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. The visit comes as part of UN efforts to support the restoration of critical energy infrastructure in the Strip.

Da Silva stated that energy is a key enabler for all vital sectors, including health and education, and that rehabilitating the power plant is an urgent priority.

He added that immediate support to repair the plant, its fuel tanks, and the electricity grid could be provided with a sum not exceeding $10 million, emphasizing the need to allow all necessary spare parts to be brought in to ensure a sustainable return of electricity to Gaza’s residents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEpSacpgb5w

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Addressing a landmark event in London today (17 Jan) commemorating the 80th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres said the multilateral system “is under threat” and called on civil society “to take a stand.”

Speaking at Methodist Central Hall, the very same venue where the first-ever UN General Assembly was held on 10 January 1946, Guterres said, “for eight decades, the General Assembly has been the place the world comes together to help advance peace, promote sustainable development, and safeguard human rights,” and is “the stage on which our shared story plays out.”

He said, “today, we are entering a new chapter of that story.”

The Secretary-General said, “if this period has taught us anything, it is that our challenges are ever more borderless, and ever more interconnected. And the only way to address them is together. And that requires a robust, responsive and well-resourced multilateral system. Yet as we speak, that system is under threat.”

He highlighted the “quiet victories of international cooperation” such as “the wars prevented, the famine averted, the vital treaties secured,” stressing that “if we wish to secure more such victories, we must ensure the full respect of international law and defend multilateralism, strengthening it for our times.”

Guterres said, “the world of 2026 is not the world of 1946. As global centres of power shift, we have the potential to build a future that is either more fair — or more unstable.”

He said, “in this moment when the values of multilateralism are being chipped away, it is up to us — in our capacity as professionals, as voters, and as members of organizations like the UNA-UK — to take a stand. More than ever, the world needs civil society movements that are fearless and persistent — that make it impossible for leaders to look away.”

To conclude, the Secretary-General said, “the General Assembly which we celebrate today exists because of a simple truth — humanity is strongest when we stand as one.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH33tyWqB9o

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Addressing a landmark event in London today (17 Jan) commemorating the 80th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres said the multilateral system “is under threat” and called on civil society “to take a stand.”

Speaking at Methodist Central Hall, the very same venue where the first-ever UN General Assembly was held on 10 January 1946, Guterres said, “for eight decades, the General Assembly has been the place the world comes together to help advance peace, promote sustainable development, and safeguard human rights,” and is “the stage on which our shared story plays out.”

He said, “today, we are entering a new chapter of that story.”

The Secretary-General said, “if this period has taught us anything, it is that our challenges are ever more borderless, and ever more interconnected. And the only way to address them is together. And that requires a robust, responsive and well-resourced multilateral system. Yet as we speak, that system is under threat.”

He highlighted the “quiet victories of international cooperation” such as “the wars prevented, the famine averted, the vital treaties secured,” stressing that “if we wish to secure more such victories, we must ensure the full respect of international law and defend multilateralism, strengthening it for our times.”

Guterres said, “the world of 2026 is not the world of 1946. As global centres of power shift, we have the potential to build a future that is either more fair — or more unstable.”

He said, “in this moment when the values of multilateralism are being chipped away, it is up to us — in our capacity as professionals, as voters, and as members of organizations like the UNA-UK — to take a stand. More than ever, the world needs civil society movements that are fearless and persistent — that make it impossible for leaders to look away.”

To conclude, the Secretary-General said, “the General Assembly which we celebrate today exists because of a simple truth — humanity is strongest when we stand as one.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH33tyWqB9o

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Speaking at Methodist Central Hall, the very same venue where the first-ever UN General Assembly was held on 10 January 1946, Secretary-General António Guterres reflected on the symbolic location of the commemoration. The first General Assembly took place within the same walls four months after the end of the Second World War, in a heavily bombed London where tens of thousands had been killed, a powerful reminder as to why the UN had been created

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TNX_EE9S-Vo

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press conference by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, on his recent trip to the Middle East.

After visiting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Lebanon and Syria, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told journalists in New York that “a number of aggressive incidents” have been putting peacekeepers “in danger coming from the Israel Defence Forces.”

Briefing remotely from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Lacroix said, “until 31 December 2026, UNIFIL will continue to support Lebanese Armed Forces, will continue to deliver on its mandate. So, there is no pre-drawdown mandate. We want to do our best and our colleagues in UNIFIL want to support as best as they can the further progress in the implementation of resolution 1701.”

UNIFIL’s mandate was granted a final extension until the end of the year by the Security Council.

The peacekeeping Chief said, “the number of aggressive incidents or hostile incidents or at least incidents that have been really putting our colleagues in danger coming from the Israel Defence Forces, the frequency of these incidents has been quite high, has been increasing.”

He said, “when meeting with the Israeli counterparts, I indicated to them that this was extremely concerning, that a number of these incidents could have been, could have had very tragic consequences on our peacekeepers. And I called upon them to do what it takes to avoid, these incidents moving forward.”

Regarding UNDOF, Lacroix said, “the military observers operate under a context that has changed dramatically since the Israel Defence Forces entered in the area of separation, where there can be only UNDOF as a military presence, and there are currently ten positions from the IDF in that area, the so-called area of separation. And that is of course creating a different environment, which of course the impact of which we are trying to mitigate.”

He stressed that “UNDOF’s mandate is based on the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Syria and Israel. And of course, the, what we would want is a return to the situation where, you know, that agreement is fully implemented. That is to say, where UNDOF would be the only military presence in the area of separation and the other provisions of that agreement would be fully respected.”

Lacroix Middle East trip included visits o UN peacekeeping in Lebanon and Syria, as well as Jordan and is currently in Jeddah discussing regional stability and UN peacekeeping roles amidst ongoing tensions, particularly concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The Security Council adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution extending until 15 July the Secretary-General’s monthly reporting requirement on Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions.

Humanitarian officials said insecurity and continued restrictions on UN operations are worsening an already dire crisis. Ramesh Rajasingham said, “the continued detention of 73 UN staff continues to severely restrict critical humanitarian work,” reiterating the Secretary-General’s call for the immediate release of detained UN, NGO and diplomatic personnel.

Rajasingham said “any further deterioration in security will worsen Yemen’s already dire humanitarian crisis,” warning of increased displacement and loss of access to life-saving assistance. He said more than 18 million Yemenis – or half the population – “will face acute food insecurity next month,” adding that “tens of thousands” face famine-like conditions and that “women and girls are hit hardest, often eating last and least.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGBAiu6DoRU