Lebanon

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $17 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for an urgent response to new displacement in North and South Kivu Provinces in the eastern part of the country.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the M23 armed group reportedly seized Minova in North Kivu province yesterday. Minova is a critical hub along the supply route to Goma. Since Saturday, the armed group has captured other localities in South Kivu, where UN peacekeepers are no longer present, resulting in casualties and the displacement of over 250,000 people.

As the ceasefire in Gaza entered into force yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have a 60-day plan to increase bed capacity across some hospitals in the north and south — and deploy professional health workers from abroad. WHO notes that some 30,000 people in Gaza have sustained life-changing injuries and need specialized care.

In the wake of profound changes across the Middle East — including new Governments in Lebanon and Syria and a recent agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza — speakers in the Security Council today, during a day-long debate, offered their visions for how to ensure that these developments usher in positive changes for the region.

Speakers in the Security Council urged Israel today to respect its long-established ceasefire agreements with Lebanon and Syria and stay clear of the areas where United Nations peacekeeping missions are deployed to carry out their duties.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Headquarters, in Naqoura, Lebanon, today:

In Burkina Faso, nearly 6 million people are estimated to need assistance this year, according to the UN’s newly released 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which aims to help 3.7 million people in support of the transitional authority’s national plan.

The Security Council today unanimously adopted a presidential statement on Lebanon, welcoming the recent election of President Joseph Aoun and the designation of Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister.

The Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) expressed concern about recent actions against Serbia-funded institutions there. UNMIK notes that the actions resulted in the closure of several institutions, including post offices, provisional institutions’ buildings and social welfare centres.

The United Nations Children’s Fund today released a report warning that the world is facing a new, intensifying era of crisis for children, with those impacted by conflict nearly doubling to almost 19 per cent today from around 10 per cent in the 1990s.