UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

4 February 2025

Update on Assistance for Palestinian Refugees

Juliette Touma, Director of Communications, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, UNRWA teams were staying and delivering services, including education and primary health care. Schools had reopened on Sunday after a planned break, and were seeing over 85 per cent attendance. There had also been a steady increase in the number of patients visiting UNRWA health clinics on the West Bank. In one clinic in East Jerusalem, there were more than 400 patients a day.

The situation in Jenin camp was going in a catastrophic direction. Large portions of the camp, including 100 houses, had been destroyed in a series of detonations by the Israeli forces. Residents of the camp had faced impossible circumstances; all had reportedly fled the camp this morning. The explosion occurred when children were supposed to be in school. Thirteen of UNRWA’s schools in the camp and the surrounding area had been closed, affecting 5,000 children in the area. All UNRWA services in the camp had been stopped in early December.

Regarding Gaza, no aid supplies had come into the region since Thursday. The target that had been set for the initial phase of the ceasefire of 4,200 trucks a week delivering aid to the region had been met. There were still hundreds of aid trucks outside of Gaza in Egypt and Jordan. UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip continued to work to the degree possible, including in northern Gaza, distributing supplies, including food and other basic items. UNRWA’s health teams, which had more than 1,000 health workers, continued to provide primary healthcare services across the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General had issued a statement on disinformation and misinformation directed at the organisation.

In response to questions, Ms. Touma said an estimated 10.000 trucks, including UNRWA trucks, had come into Gaza since the ceasefire started and the focus now was on distributing the supplies that had come in. In northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people were expected to be returning, needs were extremely high.

UNRWA was distributing a vast majority of the aid. It had over 5,000 people on the ground in Gaza, one-fifth of whom were health staff. UNRWA continued to call for a standard flow of commercial supplies to enter Gaza to reduce dependency on humanitarian supplies. It expected that delivery of aid would continue later this week. Weekly supply delivery targets were being met.

UNRWA had had no interactions with Israeli officials since last week. The visas of several dozen staff had expired on 29 January and had not been renewed yet. UNRWA had asked Israeli officials to renew these but had not received any communications. The Government of Israel had not communicated to UNRWA regarding how they planned to implement the bans on the organization. UNRWA’s focus was to stay and deliver.

UNRWA schools were open only in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. UNRWA-run schools in the Gaza Strip had been closed since October 2023, impacting more than 400,000 boys and girls. UNRWA was delivering services to the degree possible, including services in education and primary healthcare. It facilitated 17,000 daily consultations through health teams in the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA had received information this morning that all residents of the Jenin camp had gone to surrounding areas, including Jenin City. UNRWA teams had been providing these people with assistance, including mattresses and basic items.

Jens Laerke for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, arrived in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory yesterday. He was on a week-long humanitarian mission, in which he would speak with authorities and humanitarian partners to ascertain how to improve the humanitarian situation. Yesterday, he met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several Palestinian ministers, and with the President of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. In the coming days, he would meet further with Israeli and Palestinian officials and visit areas in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and in Israel itself.

Impacts of the Suspension of Aid Funding from the United States

Pio Smith, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, worked with partners in over 150 countries to prevent maternal deaths, end gender-based violence, and ensure access to family planning. It was proud to have the support of more than 100 Member States, along with actors from the private sector, philanthropy, and individuals who recognised the importance of this work for all of humanity.

But this lifesaving work was now in jeopardy. On 24 January, the United States administration paused nearly all its foreign aid programmes, pending a 90-day review. In response, UNFPA had suspended services funded by United States grants, which provided a lifeline for women and girls in crises, including in South Asia.

Mr. Smith said he was deeply concerned that millions of women and girls now faced life-threatening risks due to the lack of access to UNFPA’s crucial services across Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

In Afghanistan, over nine million people would lose access to health and protection services, with nearly 600 mobile health teams, family health houses, and counselling centres suspended. Every two hours, a mother died from preventable pregnancy complications, making Afghanistan one of the deadliest countries in the world for women to give birth. Without UNFPA’s support, even more lives would be lost at a time when the rights of Afghan women and girls were already being torn to pieces.

In Pakistan, 1.7 million people, including 1.2 million Afghan refugees, would be cut off from lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services with the closure of over 60 health facilities. In Bangladesh, nearly 600,000 people, including Rohingya refugees, faced losing access to critical maternal and reproductive health services.

This was not about statistics. This was about real lives. These were literally the world’s most vulnerable people.

Mr. Smith said he had seen firsthand the life-saving difference that UNFPA made. Despite restrictions, last year, UNFPA supported over 13 million people in Afghanistan through hundreds of women-led facilities. In Cox’s Bazar, where over one million Rohingya refugees remained trapped in dire conditions, nearly half of all births now took place in health facilities, with UNFPA’s support.

This progress was now at risk, but UNFPA was committed to finding common ground with all Member States, including the United States, to protect women and girls from violence and save lives. It remained extremely grateful to its donors, who sustained its lifesaving work.

The humanitarian needs across the region, however, remained immense. UNFPA required over 308 million United States dollars this year to sustain essential services in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

When its work was not funded, women gave birth alone in unsanitary conditions; the risk of obstetric fistula increased; newborns died from preventable causes; and survivors of gender-based violence lost places to turn for medical or psychological support.

UNFPA hoped that the United States Government would retain its position as a global leader in development and continue to work with the Fund to alleviate the suffering of women and their families as a result of catastrophes they did not cause.

As committed humanitarians, the Fund’s staff would continue to work diligently with partners and with the communities they served to uphold the safety, dignity and hope for every woman and girl, no matter what. Because while political winds and funding decisions could change, UNFPA’s vital mission did not.

In response to questions, Mr. Smith said the stop order from the United States was for funds that had already been committed to the agency. Programmes focusing on maternal and reproductive health and psychosocial support would be affected. More than half of UNFPA’s facilities, 596 out of 982, would be impacted, including 287 mobile health teams, 191 family health houses, 65 mother and health centres and 45 psychosocial and counselling centres. More than half of UNFPA’s female health workers, who delivered life-saving services to women and girls, would lose their jobs, around 1,700 out of 3,100 workers.

UNFPA had predicted that funding would be stopped and had devised contingency plans. The difference with past experiences was that this stop affected funding that had already been received.

Immediately after the stop order from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), programme operations related to all United States grants were suspended in around 16 countries. UNFPA was trying to communicate with the United States Government regarding the programmes that had been impacted.

In the Asia Pacific, UNFPA had suspended 53.7 million United States dollars’ worth of project funding that was due from the United States State Department and a further 24 million dollars that had been received from USAID. The United States was one of the largest contributors for UNFPA’s humanitarian aid across the world.

Between 2025 and 2028, the absence of United States support was estimated to result in an additional 1,200 maternal deaths and over 109,000 unintended pregnancies in Afghanistan. Overall, funding cuts would impact around 1.9 million Afghan citizens who relied on the organisation’s services. UNFPA did not provide abortion services and respected the laws of the countries in which it worked.

UNFPA was extremely grateful to existing donors that supported its work across the globe. Millions of women and girls required UNFPA’s services. It was committed to working with partner Governments, the private sector and communities to help protect these women and girls.

UNFPA hoped to receive more details from the United States Government regarding why its programmes had been impacted. When the United Nations worked with the United States, millions of lives were saved. This was money very well spent by United States taxpayers. UNFPA was extremely proud to work with USAID to protect young women and families in need of aid. It had worked shoulder to shoulder with USAID for decades and hoped to continue to do so.

Juliette Touma, Director of Communications, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said UNRWA no longer received aid funding from the United States as of January last year. The financial health of UNRWA was dire and was expected to continue to worsen, with a number of countries, including Sweden, deciding to stop funding for the agency. This primarily affected the payment of salaries for frontline workers. Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, recalled that Secretary-General Guterres had reaffirmed the organization’s strong support of UNRWA, the backbone of its humanitarian activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Also answering questions, Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the UNIS Geneva, said USAID was a critical and generous partner for the work of various United Nations agencies. The United Nations was extremely grateful for the support for the most vulnerable provided by the United States for many years. Providing aid for countries where civilians were suffering showed support for humanity and the actions of the United Nations, and was a way of preventing violence and suffering from escalating. The United Nations was working on demonstrating how the generosity of United States taxpayers had made a real difference across the world. It was committed to continuing to work with the new administration and to building trust, and would listen to constructive criticism and consider points that needed to be reviewed.

Jens Laerke for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said some 47 per cent of last year’s global humanitarian appeal was funded from the United States Government. In 13 countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, United States Government funding exceeded 50 per cent of all funding provided last year.

There was currently a state of confusion in United Nations agencies regarding United States funding. The United States had not given detailed instructions regarding programmes to be retained and programmes to stop. OCHA had been in close contact with its offices around the world and was seeking more clarity about the impact of funding stops.

For decades, the people of the United States had been tremendously generous donors to humanitarian action across the world and the international community was very grateful. The percentages of gross national income spent on international aid demonstrated the generosity of each nation, including the United States.

OCHA had spoken about broadening its donor base for years, and had sought donations from multiple sources, including the private sector. Its actions were for the global public good and there needed to be more contributions to them.

Sofia Calltorp, Geneva Office Director and Chief of Humanitarian Action, United Nations Women (UN Women), said UN Women was also very grateful for the support of the US authorities and was looking forward to continue working with the new Administration.

Tarik Jašarević for the World Health Organization (WHO) said that WHO’s Executive Board session held yesterday included several interventions from countries expressing support for the Organization. Today’s programme of work included discussions on Member States’ financing plans and proposed budgets.

Situation of Women and Girls in the Ongoing Crisis in the DRC

Sofia Calltorp, Geneva Office Director and Chief of Humanitarian Action, United Nations Women (UN Women), said UN Women was deeply concerned about the increased vulnerability of women and girls in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The renewed escalation of violence had resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, disproportionately affecting women and girls. As clashes unfolded in a country that had endured prolonged instability, women and girls were bearing the brunt of both direct and indirect consequences, with their rights, safety, and dignity increasingly under threat.

Women and girls in the DRC currently faced increased levels of sexual and gender-based violence, with reports of rape and exploitation becoming tragically routine. Women’s organizations had voiced urgent concerns about forced displacement, widespread sexual violence, and significant gaps in protection and basic social services. This context of increased displacement and resource scarcity, added to pre-existing gender inequalities, exacerbated the vulnerability of women and girls.

UN Women welcomed the ongoing regional political and peace initiatives and urged all stakeholders to intensify dialogue and cooperation, paving the way for a sustainable resolution to the conflict. Collective efforts needed to be focused on ensuring that the voices and needs of women were central to the response and recovery process.

UN Women called for immediate action by all actors to end sexual and gender-based violence and impunity of perpetrators, and to strengthen prevention, protection, and response mechanisms, ensuring accountability for perpetrators and comprehensive support—medical, legal, and psychosocial—for survivors. It also called for support for local women’s rights and women-led organizations. Highlighting their critical role in the response to the crises, partnerships with investments in these groups needed to be prioritised.

There needed to be an increase in humanitarian aid with a gender-sensitive approach to ensure women could equally participate in the whole cycle of aid programming and distribution. We needed to invest in long-term gender equality, with a focus on rebuilding women’s resilience through education, economic empowerment, leadership opportunities, and by addressing structural inequalities.

UN Women remained committed to supporting the people of DRC and advocating for a future where women and girls could live free from violence and oppression and contribute fully to the rebuilding and peace of their nation.

Jens Laerke for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Bruno Lemarquis, OCHA’s humanitarian coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, had this morning issued a statement with a strong appeal for the Goma airport to be reopened. The situation in Goma had calmed after the announcement of the ceasefire, but there were immense difficulties in getting aid into Goma. Hospitals were overwhelmed. Agencies were on the group and were helping people, but they needed aid supplies and for that, they needed the airport to be reopened. The survival of thousands of people depended on it; every hour counted.

In response to questions, Mr. Laerke said OCHA was engaging with the conflicting parties to promote the delivery of aid. The humanitarian presence in Goma was extensive and there were warehouses and stockpiles of aid supplies that were available, but needs were immense and supplies needed to be replenished. OCHA hoped that the current calm would continue, but it was too early to tell whether it would. It was imperative that the fighting did not restart.

Ms. Calltorp said that the airport needed to be opened to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to support women and girls. UN Women was appealing to all actors to consider the needs of women and girls, who were imperative for humanitarian action; they were very often first-line responders and needed to be empowered. With increased conflict and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there had been an increase in violence against women. UN Women had been receiving funding from various partners to provide humanitarian support in the country.

Also answering questions, Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, informed that the World Food Programme had been actively prepositioning supplies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was ready to resume operations as soon as possible. It was strengthening preparedness efforts in neighbouring countries, working with other United Nations agencies to develop contingency plans, given the increased risk of displacement. One out of every four people across the country faced acute hunger, especially children and pregnant women.

Announcements

Pascal Sim for the Human Rights Council said on Friday, 7 February, the Human Rights Council would hold a special session on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The session would begin at 10 a.m. in Room XX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva and would be broadcast live in the six official languages of the United Nations on UN Web TV.

The convening of the session followed an official request made to the Council President last night by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a member of the Human Rights Council. For special sessions to be convened, at least one-third of the 47 member states of the Council, needed to support it - that is, 16 States or more. This request had to date been supported by 29 Member States. The request for this special session was also supported by 21 Observer States. An organizational meeting would be held on Thursday morning to discuss the details and modalities of the session and a draft resolution was under way.

More information on the session would be shared as soon as possible.

In response to questions, Mr. Sim said that the Human Rights Council had seen reports of plans for the United States to withdraw from the Council. The United States’ mandate as a member of the Council had concluded in 2024, and it was now an Observer State. It could not withdraw from a body that it was not a part of. As a general principle, all States, including the United States, were encouraged to engage with the Universal Periodic Review process.

Jovana Miocinovic for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said that the 87^th annual session of UNECE’s Inland Transport Committee would be held from 11 to 14 February 2025 at Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Since 1947, the Committee had provided an intergovernmental forum where United Nations Member States came together to help efficiently address global and regional needs in inland transport. It was the United Nations’ global platform for road, rail and inland waterway transport. Over three quarters of United Nations Member States were party to at least one of its 61 legal instruments.

At the session, the Committee would take stock of the work achieved so far and deliberate on the future of sustainable transport. Against the backdrop of ongoing challenges, such as escalating climate extremes, rapid technological advances, and geopolitical tensions, the high-level segment of the session on 11 February would focus on climate action in the transport sector, and on the promotion of sustainable regional and interregional inland transport connectivity.

Inland transport contributed more than 72 per cent of global energy-related CO2 emissions in the transport sector, with 69 per cent stemming from road transport. Against this background, last year in February, the Inland Transport Committee adopted its ambitious decarbonization strategy, which aimed to achieve net-zero GHG emissions from inland transport by 2050.

As part of next week’s session, the Committee would also hold a regional consultation on the development of the implementation plan for the first-ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035. The session was expected to be attended by around 20 high-level representatives of transport ministries from countries all over the world, as well as by some 20 heads of international organizations.

As the session next week, there would also be a demonstration of electric mobility. UNECE was working to develop a harmonised methodology for measuring the speed of recharging electric vehicles. It had recently conducted an analysis of electric recharging stations in different regions to identify gaps and understand how charging infrastructure was evolving.

The full programme of the session is available here.

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said 6 February was the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had issued a statement to mark the day, saying that female genital mutilation was a horrific act of gender-based violence. More than 230 million girls and women alive today were survivors of this abhorrent practice. It was one of the most brutal manifestations of gender inequality. Eradication of this vicious human rights violation was urgent and possible, he said, noting that we were making progress, but we needed to pick up the pace. The Pact for the Future, agreed at the United Nations last September, included a commitment by Member States to eliminate female genital mutilation by tackling negative social norms and gender discrimination. The Secretary-General concluded by calling on the international community to join forces to make female genital mutilation history and ensure a brighter, healthier, and more just future for all women and girls everywhere.

Ms. Vellucci reported that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (90th session, 3-21 February, Palais des Nations, Room XXIII) was reviewing today an exceptional report from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on sexual violence related to the conflict in the eastern part of the country. This session, the Committee would review the reports of Nepal, Belarus, Luxembourg, Belize, Congo, Sri Lanka and Liechtenstein. In the afternoon of Monday, 17 February, the Committee will hold a half-day of general discussion on gender stereotypes.

The Conference on Disarmament was having this morning a public plenary meeting under the presidency of Ambassador Bencini of Italy.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) would be hosting an embargoed press conference tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10:30 a.m. for the launch of the WIPO Technology Trends: Future of Transportation report. The official launch event would be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at WIPO, with a range of interesting features including a technological timeline charting the historical innovations and landmark developments across the transportation sector across the years. On display would be one of the world’s oldest electric vehicles, which would sit alongside one of the latest electric vehicles – a juxtaposition of past and current innovation.

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