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Source: United Nations (video statements)

President of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said “We are at a more decisive crossroads than at the beginning of this 80th session. The multilateral system is not only under pressure; the multilateral system is under heavy attack.”

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York today (14 Jan), Annalena Baerbock said her priorities for the remainder of the session focus on institutional defense and reform.

She said, “I invited Member States to symbolically recommit to our shared principles and values by signing the 80th Anniversary Charter poster ahead of Charter Day.” She added Member States echoed that call.

Baerbock said changes in global politics require new approaches. She said, “The political and diplomatic ecosystem has undergone drastic changes, and we can’t expect the old ways of working to suffice.”

Baerbock said Member States are engaging with reform efforts, “The UN80 initiative, while not coming at the most desirable time or in the best condition, is overdue.”

Baerbock said the selection of the next Secretary-General is another priority this year, with interactive dialogues with candidates are scheduled for April.

She said the process will include Member States and civil society. PGA said, “Our choice of who will lead this organization is a chance to send a clear message in this turbulent time about who we are and what the United Nation stands for.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yxDQ7mvS-s

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
Secretary-General/Group of 77
Haiti
Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Yemen/Security Council
Global Temperatures
Briefings

SECRETARY-GENERAL/GROUP OF 77

This afternoon, the Secretary-General is scheduled to deliver remarks at the ceremony marking the handover of the Group of 77 and China chairmanship from Iraq to Uruguay.

Mr. Guterres will stress that, more than six decades on, the Group of 77 and China remains a strong pillar of multilateralism and an indispensable force for global cooperation.

He is also expected to highlight the urgent challenges facing the world, including conflicts, widening inequalities, climate impacts, debt distress and rapid technological change.

The handover will take place in the ECOSOC Chamber and will be live on UN Web TV.

HAITI

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that clashes continue to drive people from their homes in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

According to the International Organization for Migration, some 6,000 people have been displaced since 6 January. Most of them sought refuge with host families, while others have settled in two displacement sites.

The escalating violence has significantly impacted humanitarian programmes in the area. Our friends at Doctors Without Borders announced on 8 January that they were suspending all its medical activities in the Bel Air neighborhood of Port‑au‑Prince. That was until further notice. This comes at a time when only 10 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity in Haiti are fully operational, while approximately 4.9 million people in Haiti need emergency health assistance.

Internal displacement linked to violence has doubled in the past year and has now reached 1.4 million people – or 12 per cent of the population of Haiti.

This year, 6.4 million people in Haiti – or more than half of the population – need humanitarian aid. We and our partners are appealing for $880 million to help the 4.2 million of the most vulnerable Haitians.

SUDAN

Today, in Cairo, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, is attending the Sudan Consultative Group meeting,which is been hosted by the Republic of Egypt. This is the fifth meeting of this group since 2024. It brings together key international stakeholders working to advance peace in Sudan.

Yesterday, Mr. Lamamra discussed with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty the ongoing efforts to secure a de-escalation in Sudan.

In Cairo, he also met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, as well as other officials including Djibouti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, all of this to strengthen cooperation and collective efforts to end the horrendous warin Sudan.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-01-14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7UJofri_mE

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
-Ukraine
-Security Council / Ukraine
-Sudan
-Trip Announcement / Sudan
-South Sudan
-Yemen
-Syria
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-UNIFIL
-Myanmar
-Briefing Tomorrow

UKRAINE
Today in Ukraine, as the war approaches its fifth year, we and our humanitarian partners launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for $2.3 billion to support more than 4 million people across the country with life-saving assistance. Overall, nearly 11 million people across Ukraine are estimated to require humanitarian assistance this year. Our colleagues note that widespread disruptions to electricity and to heating during extremely cold winter conditions are creating a crisis within an existing crisis, pushing already vulnerable people to the brink. Humanitarian needs remain most severe in front-line areas and along the northern border, where intensified shelling, destruction of civilian infrastructure and persistent disruptions to essential services is ongoing.
People living in territories occupied by the Russian Federation remain largely cut off from services and protection, while humanitarian access remains extremely limited. Humanitarian assistance works hand in hand with Government-led efforts, with national and local organizations, together with our international partners, all playing a central role in reaching people in the most difficult and dangerous conditions. Meanwhile, authorities report that attacks across Ukraine in the past day resulted in civilian casualties, and disruptions to basic services, all of this continuing in freezing temperatures. The capital Kiyv and its region, as well as the regions of Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia were all among the hardest hit. In Odesa, overnight attacks injured several civilians and damaged residential buildings as well as civilian facilities, including offices and premises of several UN organizations.
Across the country, rolling power outages are continuing, and some areas, including parts of capital city, Kyiv, remained without heating as temperatures dropped to –15°C.

SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
Yesterday afternoon, you will have noted that the Security Council held an open briefing on Ukraine. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, briefed Council members and noted that large-scale aerial assaults by the Russian Federation against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure across Ukraine have resulted in horrific levels of destruction and suffering. Ms. DiCarlo reiterated the Secretary-General’s strong condemnation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, stressing that such attacks violate international humanitarian law. She reaffirmed the Secretary-General’s repeated calls for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, grounded in respect for international law and the principles of the Charter of this organization.
Also briefing the Council, Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s Director of Coordination, said that what makes the latest attacks especially devastating is that they cripple systems that keep civilians alive during winter. He underscored that civilians who are enduring these attacks need more than statements of concern from the Security Council. They need concrete action to reduce civilian harm and ensure that humanitarian support continues to reach people when they need it most.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-01-13

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFH37OGudUs

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:
– Security Council
– Security Council / Ukraine
– Ukraine
– Iran
– Sudan
– Sudan / humanitarian
– Peacekeeping / Middle East
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Venezuela
– Kenya / UN Refugee Agency
– Peacebuilding and Peace Support
– Resident Coordinator – Cambodia
– Honour Roll

SECURITY COUNCIL
I want to flag that our esteemed colleagues in the Security Council Branch released online the 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice.
The Highlights Paper features insights into the work of the Security Council in 2025, particularly regarding meetings and other activities (including missions to the field) the agenda items and topics dealt with, decision-making and the work of its subsidiary bodies.
It’s a fantastic trove of date for all of you Security Council afficionados!

SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, and our Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo will brief Council members. She is expected to underscore that the new year has brought no peace or even respite to Ukraine, but renewed fighting and devastation. Ms. DiCarlo is expected to note the recent use of the so-called Oreshnik missile, the second time the potentially devastating weapon has been fired at Ukraine since 2024.
Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s Director of the Coordination Division, will also brief and is expected to warn Council members about the impacts of the attacks on civilians, especially as the strikes impact energy facilities, cutting off power and heating for people enduring freezing temperatures.

UKRAINE
From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that over the weekend and the early hours of today, several civilians were killed and injured in the capital Kyiv and in the regions of Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. This is according to authorities. Two health workers were reportedly injured in the Chernihiv region when their ambulance came under attack while on a call in a border community. As the weather conditions deteriorate, hundreds of thousands of households were left without electricity and heating across the country leaving entire communities without electricity and heating, with overnight temperatures down to nearly –20°C.
In Kyiv, repairs continue to restore critical electricity and heating services.
The water supply has been fully restored, while 1,000 multi-story apartment blocks have been without heating since January 9th, and parts of the city have electricity only for several hours per day, according to the city’s mayor.
Complementing the work of utility companies and national rescuers, aid workers provided hot meals, water and psychological aid and deployed mobile warming centres where impacted people can warm up, charge their devices and receive essential support.
Turning to front-line areas, on 9 January, an inter-agency convoy delivered medicine, hygiene, shelter materials and solar lamps to the Sviatohirsk community, one of the hardest hit areas in the Donetsk region, where humanitarian access remains limited due to security concerns.
Tomorrow, we, along with our humanitarian partners, will launch a prioritized Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026, calling for continued solidarity with the most vulnerable war-affected people in Ukraine.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NebfC5bYaP0

Source: United Nations (video statements)

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

Highlights:

-Ukraine
-Syria
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Sudan
-South Sudan

UKRAINE
The Spokesman said we expect a statement on Ukraine today. We have seen that another large-scale overnight Russian attack struck Ukraine, causing civilian casualties and widespread disruption to electricity, heating and water supplies, all this as temperatures dropped to -10°C and below. We once again condemn these attacks against critical civilian infrastructure.
In the capital Kyiv, a health worker was killed, and rescuers and other health workers were also injured while trying to help people impacted by the attacks, which also killed and injured several civilians. This is what local authorities are telling us. Since the start of the year, the World Health Organization reports that nine attacks on health care in Ukraine.
Humanitarian organizations are continuing to support people in Kyiv and other impacted cities and towns, providing emergency assistance and monitoring urgent needs as conditions remain extremely challenging due to low temperatures.

SYRIA
On Syria, we continue to be gravely alarmed by the hostilities in Aleppo. Despite ongoing efforts to try to calm the fighting, the dangers of renewed and further escalation and the impact on civilians are extremely concerning.
We underscore that all parties are bound by international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times and we urge all to avoid further escalation. We urge them to demonstrate restraint, and take concrete steps to prevent any additional civilian casualties.
We call on all parties to show genuine flexibility and good faith and to swiftly return to negotiations to ensure the full implementation of the 10 March agreement.
On the humanitarian front, our colleagues tell us that the heightened insecurity in parts of Aleppo has disrupted access to key roads, limiting the ability to move around and delaying humanitarian access. We are coordinating with relevant groups so we can continue to deliver humanitarian aid.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKZr524QxNA

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, briefs Member States on her priorities, outlining how multilateralism is under attack and emphasizing the need for UN reform.

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Two senior UN officials briefed the UN Security Council, warning that millions of people in Yemen face acute hunger as political fragmentation threatens to deepen the country’s crisis.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7hV0d1vOjzE