É«¿âTV

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

WEDNESDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2026

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT/AU SUMMIT  

Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to take part in the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit.   

While there, he is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ethiopian authorities as well as heads of State and Government from the continent.  

On Friday, the Secretary-General has also been invited to take part in the Second Italy-Africa summit, organized on the sidelines of the African Union Summit. 

On Saturday Mr. Guterres will address the opening session of the African Union Summit. In his remarks to the continent’s leaders, he will highlight that the African Union is a flagship for multilateralism. 

He will also reflect on the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, which in the past decade has reached new heights. 

Also on Saturday, the Secretary-General will hold a press conference that is scheduled to take place at 3pm.   

We will keep you posted on the Secretary-General’s activities, and he will be back in the office on Monday [16 February].  

CANADA 

The Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the tragic shooting in Tumble Ridge, British Columbia. He extends his deepest condolences to those affected and his sympathies to the Government and people of Canada.   

SUDAN/QUINTET 

In a statement released today, the Quintet, comprising the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, League of Arab States, European Union and the UN, expressed grave concern at the continued escalation of the conflict in the Sudan and called for the immediate halting of any further military escalation.  

The group also emphasized the need for coordinated international efforts to de-escalate the conflict and halt the flow of weapons and fighters sustaining the violence. As Ramadan approaches, it urged support for efforts to secure a humanitarian truce consistent with international law and Security Council resolution 2736. 

The Quintet reaffirmed its commitment to supporting a Sudanese-led, inclusive political dialogue toward ending the war.  

SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN 

Turning to the horrifying situation in Sudan, the UN is deeply alarmed by the escalating attacks in the country, where aerial strikes are placing civilians at grave risk and directly hitting humanitarian and public infrastructure.  

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that a drone strike at dawn today hit a mosque in the city of Al-Rahad in North Kordofan State, reportedly killing two children and injuring 13 others, all of them students. This information is according to the medical association, the Sudan Doctors Network. 

This follows a drone attack that struck a primary school last night in the city of Dilling in South Kordofan State, where injuries were also reported. 

Also last night, the World Food Programme warehouse in Kadugli, the state capital of South Kordofan, was struck by suspected rockets, significantly damaging buildings and mobile storage units.                                                    

In recent days, drone strikes have also been reported in other parts of South Kordofan, North Kordofan and West Kordofan States, close to key supply routes linking the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan to Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan.  

This is endangering civilians, including humanitarian workers. Once again, we stress that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, places of worship and humanitarian facilities, must be protected, in line with international humanitarian law. 

Amid these deeply concerning developments, humanitarian efforts continue. A multi-agency UN convoy made up of 41 trucks carrying nearly 800 metric tonnes of food and other essential supplies departed El Obeid for Kadugli yesterday. This marks a significant breakthrough along a previously closed route.

In South Kordofan, we and our partners have distributed nearly 600 metric tonnes of food to close to 70,000 people. However, the continued arrival of families fleeing their homes is depleting what limited stocks are available. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 115,000 people have been displaced across the Kordofan region since late October. 

All parties must ensure rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access so that life-saving assistance can reach people in urgent need across Sudan. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO  

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of our É«¿âTV Operations Department, wrapped up his visit to the country today. Yesterday, he met with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi. They discussed recent developments and the UN peacekeeping mission’s mandate implementation in the DRC, following the adoption of Security Council resolution 2808 (2025). 

Speaking to the media after their meeting, Mr. Lacroix stressed that in line with its mandate, the peacekeeping mission there will continue to support the implementation of ongoing peace processes, including through its support for a permanent ceasefire. As a first step, he confirmed that in the coming day, the UN Mission will deploy an initial aerial reconnaissance mission to Uvira, in South Kivu.                                                       

Mr. Lacroix added that the Mission deployment to support a permanent ceasefire will be phased, gradual and dependent on guarantees for the safety and security of UN personnel and assets. Today, he will make his way to Addis Ababa for the AU Summit.   

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/HUMANITARIAN 

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the spiraling cholera outbreak in the country demands an immediate scale-up of the response. It is reportedly the country’s worst outbreak in a quarter of a century. Since the start of the year, more than 1,300 suspected cases and 35 deaths have been reported. 

The Government, the UN and our partners are continuing to provide support, but there are still major gaps. Water, sanitation and hygiene services are critically underfunded, health workers are overstretched, supplies are running low, and access to treatment facilities remains difficult. 

On Monday, $750,000 was allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund so our partners working in healthcare can swiftly expand life-saving assistance and curb transmission rates.    

This marks the fourth CERF allocation for so-called anticipatory action since early 2025, releasing funds to stay ahead of predictable disaster and save more lives. Last year, the DRC recorded more than 71,800 suspected cases of cholera, with more than 2,000 deaths.  

Our humanitarian colleagues stress that we urgently need more and flexible funding to bolster health services, ensure there are enough supplies and monitor areas affected by cholera. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 

Turning to Gaza, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that yesterday, our teams supported the medical evacuation of 18 patients and 26 of their companions through Rafah Crossing.   

Our teams also received 41 additional returnees at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where we operate a reception area.   

Overall, since the re-opening of Rafah in early February, we facilitated the movement of just over 220 people in each direction through this route.  

I reiterate that we would like to see more people having the opportunity to move voluntarily and safely, in both directions, especially to access services that they need. 

We also hope to see the movement of cargo enabled through Rafah, to increase the volume of humanitarian supplies entering, and further expand the scale up of the humanitarian response.   

On the education front, over the past few days, we and our partners have taken additional stationery, pens, erasers, and toys into Gaza, hoping to provide a better learning environment for thousands of boys and girls.    

Meanwhile, last week, our partners established four new learning spaces, serving more than 5,500 schoolchildren. There are now about 450 temporary learning spaces operating across Gaza.   

Between 29 January and 4 February, our child protection partners provided much needed winter assistance, psychosocial support and safe spaces to more than 6,500 children and caregivers.  

Nearly 3,800 children received warm clothing, help that families tell us they urgently needed.  

 UKRAINE 

Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that today a humanitarian convoy reached the front-line community of Pokrovske in the Dnipro region, delivering critical medical and hygiene supplies. Access to the town has been extremely difficult due to continued fighting. Of the 10,000 people who lived there before the start of the full-scale war, only around 500 remain, most of them older people and people with disabilities. 

According to authorities, between yesterday and this morning, hostilities across the country have caused several civilian deaths and injuries, including children. The regions of Donetsk, Dnipro, Sumy and Kherson were hardest hit. 

In the region of Zaporizhzhia, a hospital and a pre-school were damaged, and thousands of people were left without heating after an attack.                               

WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE 

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Globally, only one in three researchers is a woman, and women make up just 26 percent of the workforce in data and artificial intelligence.  

In his message, the Secretary-General reaffirms that equality in science is essential for humanity’s progress. We must ensure that every girl can imagine a future in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and that every woman can thrive in her scientific career. 

The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, underscores that we will not solve climate change, pandemics, or food insecurity by leaving half the world’s brainpower on the sidelines, and we need to truly invest in funding, hiring, promoting, and listening to Women in Science.       

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS 

Albania, Togo and Türkiye paid their dues in full to the Regular Budget. This brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 64.                                                                                                                                                                     

**Briefings 

At 12:45 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to present the findings of a major new study on political violence against lawmakers by the public, both online and off. The speakers will be Martin Chungong, the Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary General, along with Rogier Huizenga, IPU Human Rights Manager.  

Tomorrow is the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism. Noon briefing guest will be Alexandre Zouev, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, who will brief on the occasion.