Noon briefing of 7 November 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2025

SECRETARY-GENERAL/BELÉM CLIMATE SUMMIT 

The Secretary-General is in Brazil, where he is participating in the Belém Climate Summit. Today, he spoke at a thematic session on Energy Transition.  

The Secretary-General noted that the global energy landscape is changing at lightning speed. Last year, he pointed out, ninety per cent of new power capacity came from renewables and global investment in clean energy reached two trillion US dollars – eight hundred billion dollars more than fossil fuels. 

The Secretary-General highlighted that renewables revolution is here, but we must go much faster – and ensure all nations share the benefits.  

Also today, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of Türkiye, Cevdet Yilmaz. He also met Denis Sassou N’Guesso, President of the Republic of Congo.  

Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General spoke at a thematic session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans”, where he stressed that protecting forests and oceans is not charity, it is a legal and moral responsibility – and smart economics. He called on all to honour that duty, by safeguarding these foundations of life, investing in nature’s recovery, and ensuring that people and planet thrive together – now and for generations to come. 

Yesterday, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.  

This afternoon, the Secretary-General is expected to speak at a session on 10 years of the Paris Agreement: NDCs and Financing. He will depart Belém tomorrow and will be back here in New York on Sunday.   

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY  

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that despite significant progress on the humanitarian scale-up, people’s urgent needs are still immense, with impediments not being lifted quickly enough.  

Since the ceasefire and as of this Monday, the UN and our partners have collected from Gaza’s crossings more than 37,000 metric tonnes of aid – mostly food. That’s according to the UN 2720 Mechanism, which does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.  

Entry continues to be limited to only two crossings, with no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza or from Egypt to southern Gaza. This is on top of certain items and NGO staff not being let in.  

Our colleagues leading on the shelter response say that most displaced people remain in overcrowded makeshift sites – many of which were established spontaneously in open or unsafe areas. Hundreds of thousands of families face the onset of the rainy season without desperately needed protection from the elements.  

Our partners working on shelter support say that once impediments are lifted, they have enough materials in the pipeline to meet most of the needs of nearly 1.5 million Palestinians requiring such assistance.  

On the food front, there has been clear progress. Since the ceasefire, the World Food Programme has reached over one million people with food distributions, hot meals, bakery support, fortified snacks for children, expanded nutrition services, and digital cash assistance.  

WFP expanded storage capacity to three warehouses, reopened key roads, and reinforced retail networks to sustain food assistance. The agency says that food has been delivered in all parts of Gaza.                                                    

However, local food production remains challenging, given widespread damage to farmland and soil being contaminated with remnants of war. Only 13 per cent of cropland in the Gaza Strip has not been damaged, and most of it remains inaccessible because it is located in areas where the Israeli military remains deployed. That figure is from a recent geospatial analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).  

Between 79 to 89 per cent of greenhouse areas, agricultural wells and farming infrastructure have been damaged. Nearly 89 per cent of orchard trees, especially olive trees, have been damaged or – in most cases - destroyed.  

Turning to the West Bank, OCHA warns of a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians, both in frequency and severity.   

Last month, OCHA recorded 264 settler attacks that caused casualties, property damage or both. That’s the highest monthly toll in nearly two decades of record-keeping – averaging more than eight incidents every single day.  

Since 2006, OCHA has documented over 9,600 such attacks. About 1,500 of them took place just this year, roughly 15 per cent of the total.  

The humanitarian impact has been severe. Since October 2023, more than 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence and related access restrictions. Entire herding communities have been completely depopulated. People have been killed, hundreds injured – including with live fire – and many more have lost access to their livelihoods.  

The attacks often involve vandalizing trees, cars, homes and infrastructure. OCHA says it also receives daily reports of other settler actions – involving intimidation, trespassing, threats and harassment – that are not reflected in the published figures but nevertheless fuels the coercive environment that pushes Palestinians off their farmland and out of their homes and communities.                                          

According to OCHA-confirmed data, as of Wednesday, the number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank so far this year has reached 42. That means one in every five Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in 2025 has been a child. 

UNIFIL 

You will have seen the statement issued on Thursday by the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in reaction to the latest Israeli airstrikes within UNIFIL’s area of operations in the southern parts of the country. 

UNIFIL says that these airstrikes constitute clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701. They come as the Lebanese Armed Forces are undertaking operations to control unauthorized weapons and infrastructure in the south Litani area. 

As you will recall, the cessation of hostilities agreement between Israel and Lebanon was reached a year ago. We continue to urge the parties to adhere to their obligations under resolution 1701 to avoid putting the current hard-won progress at risk. 

PHILIPPINES 

Turning to the Philippines, the UN has fast-tracked funding to support more than 400,000 people at high risk of being severely affected by Tropical Cyclone Fung-Wong, which is expected to strengthen into a super typhoon as it approaches the country. 

The Central Emergency Response Fund allocated nearly $6 million for those relief efforts in record time – just two minutes after agreed triggers were met yesterday. These funds were released as part of anticipatory action efforts, which allow the humanitarian community to get ahead of the worst impacts of tropical cyclones in the Philippines. 

The CERF allocation will enable five UN agencies and their partners to deliver life-saving assistance – with a focus on food, health, shelter, protection, cash assistance, and water, sanitation and hygiene – in support of Government-led efforts. 

WFP’s preliminary assessments in Cebu Province show that tens of thousands - especially families forced to seek refuge from the storm - urgently need food, water and shelter. 

WFP, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, delivered cash assistance to more than 157,000 people (31,000 households) in the provinces of Aurora, Cagayan, and Isabela. The vital assistance before the storm arrives helps families protect their lives and livelihoods and to recover faster after the storm passes. 

Additionally, and at the request of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, WFP has mobilized 60 trucks to transport over 265,000 Family Food Packs (FFPs), enough to support 1.3 million people across Caraga, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas. 

WFP has also deployed generators and warehouse equipment to support the government’s response efforts. 

Tropical Cyclone Fung-Wong is expected to bring devastating winds, heavy rainfall and storm surges to the Philippines, posing severe risks to communities across the country – which has already seen an intense typhoon season this year, with some 20 tropical cyclones so far. 

Just this week, Tropical Cyclone Kalmaegi brought heavy rains and flash floods, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency. More than 150 deaths were reported, with dozens of people still missing, according to authorities in the Philippines. 

HURRICANE MELISSA 

Turning to the Caribbean, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that one week after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the Caribbean, nearly five million people in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica have been impacted. 

According to authorities in all three countries, the hurricane claimed at least 75 lives, displaced more than 770,000 people, and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, schools and healthcare facilities. 

We and our partners continue to support authorities across all three countries. OCHA has deployed additional staff to Jamaica to help the Government with humanitarian issues and strengthen operations, ensuring consistent information across agencies. 

In Cuba, the Food Agricultural Organization has delivered agricultural tools, livestock feed and fishing supplies to help restore livelihoods. 

The World Food Programme has deployed mobile warehouses, lighting towers and tents to the eastern provinces. 

The UN Population Fund is distributing reproductive health kits and working with partners to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, while the UN Development Programme is providing roofing materials, toolkits and generators to aid the early recovery process. 

UNICEF is delivering water storage and treatment supplies that will benefit up to 16,000 people daily. Additionally, UNICEF is mobilizing new funds to acquire school supplies and waterproof blankets, which could help more than 30,000 children in the worst-affected municipalities.                                 

WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA 

Our colleagues from the UN Refugee Agency are telling us that this year, more than 42,000 refugees have been able to return home voluntarily in the West and Central Africa region.  

This brings the total to more than 272,000 since 2021 and offers renewed hope for communities recovering from years of displacement. 
 
The majority of them have returned to Nigeria and the Central African Republic. Approximately 10,000 more Central African refugees are expected to return from neighbouring countries before the end of the year. 
 
UNHCR stresses that continued progress is tied closely to securing additional funding to ensure that returns remain voluntary, safe and sustainable. UNHCR appeals for urgent, flexible and multi-year funding to sustain voluntary returns and reintegration, enabling thousands more families to return home in dignity, reintegrate sustainably and contribute to the recovery and stability of their communities. 

FOOD PRICES 

Global food commodity prices declined in October, driven largely by ample supplies, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. 

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the prices of internationally traded food commodities, averaged 126.4 points in October, down 1.6 percent from September. Overall, the Index was slightly below its October 2024 level and 21.1 percent lower than its peak in March 2022. 

INTERNATIONAL DAY 

The International Week of Science and Peace begins on Sunday. This week aims to promote global cooperation and awareness of links between science, technology, and peace.