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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 15 JANUARY 2026

PRIORITIES 

António Guterres this morning presented to the General Assembly his priorities during his last year as UN Secretary-General, and he assured the Member States that he will make every day of 2026 count. He said that he is fully committed and fully determined to keep working, to keep fighting and to keep pushing for the better world that we know is possible. 

The Secretary-General said that we are a world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability. But even in this turbulence, he added, we have succeeded in claiming space for the United Nations where it was not a given, including in fields ranging from artificial intelligence to financing for development and climate change.   

He noted that the UN80 Initiative he has presented is about building a UN system that delivers more effectively, more coherently and with greater impact, amid the reality of shrinking resources and rising needs.  But he warned that today’s situation is totally unsustainable. Either all countries, without exception, honour their financial obligations under the Charter, which no longer seems to be the case. Or Member States must overhaul our financial rules to prevent a budget breakdown. 

The Secretary-General outlined three basic priorities for the year ahead. First, he said, we must adhere to the UN Charter, fully and faithfully. He reiterated that the Charter is not an à la carte menu, it is prix fixe.  

Second, he said, we must be relentless in our work for peace with justice, peace between nations and peace with nature. He noted, among others, the efforts to push forward with peace processes in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. 

And last, he said, our priority must be to build unity in an age of division. Our challenge, and our priority, must be to build welcoming societies, not walled-off citadels. Instead of marginalizing migrants and other groups, we must build united societies in a world of united nations, the Secretary-General said.   

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT 

This evening, the Secretary-General will travel to London, where he will take part in a special event, organized by UNA-UK, the UN Association in the United Kingdom, to mark the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly. 

On Saturday, the programme will begin with a civic service by Methodist Central Hall Westminster. Shortly after, Mr. Guterres will deliver the keynote address at the UNA-UK conference, entitled, “UNGA at 80: From 1946 to Our Future”. You will recall that Central Hall is where the first meeting of the General Assembly took place in 1946. In his remarks, he will say that the General Assembly is the parliament of the family of nations. But it is also a mirror of our world, its divisions and its hopes. 

Mr. Guterres is expected to add that as we face challenges that are ever more borderless and interconnected, the only way to address them is together. And that requires a robust, responsive and well-resourced multilateral system. 

The Secretary-General will express his gratitude to the United Kingdom for being such a strong pillar of multilateralism, and his appreciation to UNA-UK and to civil society for honouring history with their eyes firmly fixed on the future. 

While in London, the Secretary-General will hold a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer. That meeting will take place tomorrow, and you can expect a readout. He is also scheduled to meet the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, on Saturday. 

After London, the Secretary-General will arrive in Switzerland on Sunday for two main engagements. He will attend the annual retreat with his Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys.  

He will then travel to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum, where on Wednesday, 21 January, the Secretary-General will deliver a special address focusing on “Dialogue,” as the Forum’s 56th Annual Meeting takes place under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue. He is expected to outline four priorities: investing in peace amid record global conflicts; advancing justice and opportunity by tackling extreme inequality and reforming the global financial system; securing a livable planet through accelerated climate action; and ensuring that technology, particularly AI, serves humanity through global governance and capacity-building. 

While in Davos, Mr. Guterres is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders attending the Forum.  

He will be back in the office on Thursday morning. 

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVEL 

This evening, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Cannes, in France, to participate in the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Council Retreat. The retreat will convene current and former leaders, policymakers and experts to exchange perspectives on leadership, governance, peace and security, and sustainable development, with a focus on advancing inclusive and accountable governance globally.  

Following her participation in the Retreat, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Switzerland to join the Secretary-General for the annual retreat for his Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov, wrapped up his visit to Gaza today. He visited the Gaza Power Plant in Nuseirat, which hasn’t functioned since the war began. He was informed about plans to restore electricity to hospitals and wastewater sites if materials and fuel can be accessed. Before leaving Gaza, Dr. Alakbarov visited the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing and saw the fuel being delivered from Egypt into Gaza. 

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that thousands of people continue to be affected by recent winter storms in Gaza. As of Tuesday, our partners report that more than 3,000 people are exposed to severe weather after hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters were blown away or severely damaged. More than 60 inhabited buildings could be at risk of collapse in Gaza City. 

Since the beginning of the winter season and as of Wednesday, seven children have died from hypothermia, according to the Ministry of Health and our health partners.  

The UN and our partners continue responding to flood alerts by distributing tents, tarpaulins, blankets and warm clothes, as well as nutrition, hygiene and sanitary items across Gaza. Heavy equipment for debris removal, as well as additional plastic sandbags and tools whose entry into Gaza is restricted, are urgently needed. 

As we’ve mentioned previously, we and our partners continue to scale up the response, despite impediments.  UNICEF says it has reached more than 280,000 people with cash. The agency says that sustained cash support can help malnourished children consume a variety of food.  

SYRIA 

From Syria, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that, as of yesterday, some 58,000 people remain displaced, while nearly 90,000 others have returned to their homes following recent clashes in Aleppo City. 

The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to provide food, psychosocial support and other aid to displaced families and those returning. 

The Syrian Humanitarian Fund and Syrian Cross Border Fund have allocated $2.5 million through national Non-Governmental Organizations’ partners to deliver rapid and crucial assistance to those who have been uprooted in Aleppo, Afrin and Idleb. 

The UN continues to coordinate with local authorities and humanitarian organizations on the response. 

SUDAN 

Moving to Sudan. As the country marks more than 1,000 days of brutal conflict, the World Food Programme (WFP) says that it continues to deliver food assistance to an average of four million people every month, including in previously hard-to-reach areas across the Darfur and Kordofan regions, and Khartoum and Al Jazira States. 

After more than two years of fighting, more than 21 million people face acute hunger in Sudan. And as you know, famine has been confirmed in parts of the country where months of fighting made access for aid workers largely impossible, and nearly 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Today, 3.7 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are also malnourished. 

Since the resurgence of civil conflict in April 2023, WFP reached over 10 million of the most vulnerable women, men and children in Sudan with emergency food, cash and nutrition assistance.  

In his speech at the General Assembly this morning, the Secretary-General reiterated that the parties must agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process, stressing that civilians must be protected.  

SECURITY COUNCIL 

This morning, the Security Council was briefed in closed consultations by the Head of our mission in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne. 

And this afternoon, the Council will discuss the current situation in Iran in an open briefing. Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and ɫ��TVbuilding Affairs and ɫ��TV Operations, will brief on our behalf and we will share her remarks as soon as we get them. 

HONOUR ROLL 

We are pleased to announce that 5 more Member States have made this year’s Honour Roll.   

We say thank you to our friends in Canada, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom for their full payments to the Regular Budget.  

This brings the number of Member States on the Honour Roll to 14.    

 **Guests today and tomorrow 

Noon briefing guest is Jorge Moreira da Silva, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, better known as UNOPS. He will be joining us from Jerusalem to speak about his ongoing trip to the region.

Tomorrow, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for ɫ��TV Operations will join the noon briefing from Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, to also brief on his recent trip to the Middle East.