Holding an emergency meeting following advances by the 23 March Movement, or M23, towards the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and concurrent attacks on United Nations peacekeepers there, the Security Council heard today that urgent action is needed to address a rapidly deteriorating situation while time remains to do so.

The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

The Security Council today unanimously adopted a presidential statement reaffirming that acts of international terrorism constitute one of the most serious threats to international peace and security in the twenty-first century, calling on all Member States to summon the requisite political will to denounce all acts of terrorism.

Following the resignation of Judge Nawaf Salam of the International Court of Justice on 14 January 2025, the Security Council today set the date for an election to fill this vacancy.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Hanna Serwaa Tetteh of Ghana as his Special Representative for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

In Nigeria, the United Nations and our humanitarian partners today launched the 2025 response plan in Abuja, calling for $910 million. This year’s plan aims to reach 3.6 million people in the north-east with health services, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition for children, protection, education and other vital support.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Meeting a week after a ceasefire paused the war in Gaza, after it raged for almost 470 days, the Security Council discussed the plight of children, with speakers calling for their needs to be prioritized, through the rebuilding of educational infrastructure, the provision of psychosocial support and ensuring a surge of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

In Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports the first cross-border barge convoy from South Sudan to Sudan via the White Nile on 22 January, in Kosti. The four-barge convoy of WFP food assistance travelled from Renk in South Sudan, carrying 1,000 metric tons — enough to feed 80,000 people for one month.

United Nations Academic Impact, an initiative that has engaged institutions of higher education since November 2010 in supporting and contributing to the realization of the Organization’s purposes and principles, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability (including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015) and conflict resolution, has appointed UN Academic Impact SDG Hub Chairs.