Development

The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli authorities’ actions to demolish the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Sheikh Jarrah compound, urging them to immediately cease the demolition and restore the compound without delay.

In Mozambique, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is gravely concerned about intensifying attacks on villages and the rapid spillover into districts considered safe, with nearly 100,000 people displaced in the past fortnight alone. The violence, which began in Cabo Delgado in 2017, has displaced over 1.3 million people.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, observed on 5 December:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the twenty-first session of the General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in Riyadh today:

In Cyrus, the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman, met for the first time as leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. The meeting took place in the UN protected area and was facilitated by the Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Sport gives people the courage to see an opponent “not as an enemy, but as a partner in a shared endeavour”, the General Assembly heard today, as its President urged Member States to uphold the Olympic Truce — a “living metaphor” for peace at a time of escalating global tensions.

The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) reports it has completed repairs and maintenance on the Banton Bridge over the River Kiir, a vital link between Abyei’s central and southern areas and an important trade route with South Sudan. The bridge had been unsafe for months, restricting civilian movement and aid access.

The General Assembly today elected Alexander De Croo of Belgium as the next Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a four-year term.  The Russian Federation objected to confirming the appointment by acclamation and requested a recorded vote.  The Assembly approved the nomination with 172 votes in favour to none against, with 1 abstention (Russian Federation).  Mr. De Croo will serve from 2 December 2025 to 1 December 2029.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), wrote to the President of the General Assembly requesting the General Assembly to confirm Alexander De Croo of Belgium as the new Administrator of UNDP for a term of four years. The General Assembly confirmed the nomination on 17 November.

A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme warns that acute food insecurity is deepening in 16 hunger hotspots, which threatens to drive millions more into famine or risk of famine. Of highest concern are Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.