Venezuela

Data released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) suggests the military escalation in the Middle East may cost economies in the region from 3.7 to 6 per cent of their collective gross domestic product (GDP). This represents a loss of $120-194 billion and exceeds the cumulative regional GDP growth achieved in 2025.

In Ethiopia, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today urged all parties to take urgent steps towards de-escalation, warning that recent fighting in Tigray risks deepening the human rights crisis in the country’s north.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN humanitarian colleagues report that the humanitarian situation in the provinces of North and South Kivu continues to worsen, marked by more civilian casualties, displacement and mounting threats to humanitarian operations.

In Venezuela, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today said that the UN, along with its partners, continues to deliver aid across the country. This includes food, school meals, healthcare and psychosocial support.

In Venezuela, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization’s regional arm, has received a shipment of 40 metric tons of essential medical and dialysis materials from the Government of Brazil, the first instalment of a package totalling up to 300 metric tons.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg concluded yesterday a visit to Cairo, and is now in Riyadh for meetings with senior Yemeni and regional officials. His engagement is focused on reducing tensions, supporting de-escalation efforts, preserving space for dialogue and supporting a political process that moves parties towards a negotiated settlement.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sounding the alarm over a surge in violence in Ituri province, in the east, which is severely disrupting life-saving operations, cutting off assistance to over 87,000 displaced people in and around Bule.

Amid a dramatic escalation between the United States and Venezuela, members of the Security Council were sharply divided over the fate of ousted President Nicolás Maduro Moros and next steps for his oil-rich nation, even as many delegates warned that Washington, D.C.’s, actions threaten the very foundations upon which the multilateral world order was built.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that aid workers continue to respond to people’s immense needs, despite persistent impediments hindering a full scale-up of humanitarian operations.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, in the Security Council today: