The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that this past September was the hottest on record — putting 2023 on track to be the warmest year on record. September saw a record-high monthly global ocean surface temperature and Antarctica also had its warmest September with sea ice remaining at record lows.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that 220,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 88 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip, also noting that numerous personnel, teachers and students have been killed. Agency staff are working around the clock, caring for the people in the shelters.

In Afghanistan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that aftershocks continue three days after the earthquake which struck Herat Province and affected over 12,000 people. The UN and its partners are on the ground providing emergency food, shelter, health care and household aid.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has begun rolling out food distributions to nearly 900,000 refugees in Ethiopia following a full revamp of the safeguards and controls at its refugee operations, with refugee camps across five regions receiving food parcels for the first time since WFP paused food distributions in June.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed on 17 October:

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, visited Hroza today, less than 24 hours after an attack that killed dozens of civilians — calling it a barbaric consequence of the war that 20 per cent of a community can be wiped out in mere seconds. The UN is mobilizing humanitarian aid to civilians in the area.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, observed 13 October:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on World Food Day, observed 16 October:

In Armenia, the UN, led by acting Resident Coordinator Natia Natsvlishvili, is boosting support to national authorities to address the needs of over 100,000 refugees, who recently arrived. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continues to distribute locally procured core relief items requested by local municipalities.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development’s newly released Trade and Development Report 2023 warns of a stalling global economy this year, with growth slowing in most regions and only a few countries bucking the trend. The agency calls for a change in policy direction and institutional reforms to avert a lost decade.