UN Daily Press Briefing: Budget, Gaza Humanitarian Crisis, Lebanon/Israel, and More (17 Oct 2025)

UN Budget and Financial Outlook

• 💰 The Secretary-General presented the proposed program budget for 2026 to the General Assembly's Fifth Committee, emphasizing an enhanced focus on mandate delivery.
• 📊 The 2026 budget is set at $3.715 billion USD, slightly below the 2025 budget, and provides for 14,275 posts.
• ⚠️ Effective delivery in 2026 is contingent on the timely and full payment of assessed contributions, as the downward trend in collections has continued.

Humanitarian Situation in Occupied Palestinian Territory

• ✈️ Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing to assess the humanitarian situation.
• 🍞 Fletcher visited a World Food Programme-supported bakery in Deir al Balah, which can now produce up to 300,000 loaves of pita bread daily due to access to fuel and flour.
• 🤝 Humanitarian teams are working to scale up life-saving efforts, acknowledging immense challenges but determined to leverage humanitarian possibilities from a peace deal.
• 🚚 Aid continues to be collected and delivered, including tents, diapers, hygiene kits, diesel, and animal fodder, though OCHA reports more can be done with additional crossings and restored infrastructure.
• 🚶 Families continue to move within Gaza, with significant movements recorded from south to north and between different areas of Khan Younis.

Peacekeeping Operations and Regional Updates

• 🛡️ UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon are monitoring violations of resolution 1701 and discovering unauthorized weapon caches.
• 🇮🇱 UNIFIL continues to observe Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) military activities, including mortar fire and laser targeting of patrol vehicles, stressing that interference must stop.
• 🇸🇸 In South Sudan, discussions focused on escalating political violence and the impact of the UN-wide financial crisis on peacekeeping missions, which face a 15% spending cut.
• 🇨🇫 In the Central African Republic, improved security in some regions has allowed displaced people to return home, with $8 million allocated from the humanitarian fund for urgent priorities.
• 🇳🇬 A UN mission will visit Nigeria to highlight efforts in advancing durable solutions for internally displaced people, with 3.5 million Nigerians still displaced due to conflict, violence, and climate shocks.

Global Issues and UN's Role

• 🌍 A report highlights that 887 million people globally, or 8 in 10 living in multi-dimensional poverty, are directly exposed to climate hazards.
• 🕊️ The Secretary-General calls for inclusive policies to combat poverty, emphasizing fair wages, affordable healthcare, and social protection.
• 🚢 The IMO postponed a vote on cutting maritime emissions, which the Secretary-General views as a missed opportunity for decarbonizing a sector critical to the global economy.
• 🇺🇦 The UN's position on ending the conflict in Ukraine is to support the implementation of an agreement leading to a just and durable peace in line with international law and Ukraine's territorial integrity.
• 🇾🇪 The UN continues to push for the release of 53 colleagues arbitrarily detained in Yemen, rejecting all accusations against them.
• ⚖️ Regarding the ICC, the UN maintains that the court is independent and does not comment on specific cases or government pressure.
• 🌍 The UN hopes that countries with capacity will open their borders to refugees fleeing violence and persecution, while acknowledging each country's right to control its borders.
• 🕊️ To create peace, the UN emphasizes that all member states must live up to their commitments to the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.