News Links for the Week up to 15 November, 2025

 

November 15, 2025 – Humanitarian news dominated by Gaza's winter crisis and atrocities in Darfur, while UN Secretary-General selection process begins

Gaza

• Israel is breaching international law by continuing to impose restrictions on aid flows into Gaza, according to Natalie Boucly, UNRWA deputy commissioner general, who stated that UNRWA has enough supplies to fill 6,000 trucks ready in Jordan and Egypt but restrictions prevent their entry. She estimated only about half of the 500-600 daily truckloads needed are reaching the territory
• Heavy rainfall on Friday turned refugee camps into muddy swamps, flooding thousands of tents as Hamas warned of an impending humanitarian disaster with Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bseil reporting equipment shortages for rescue operations after Israeli forces destroyed relief tools. Another report warned that collapsing tents and soaked bedding reflect the harsh reality imposed by the ongoing Israeli siege.
• UNRWA reported that it may not be able to pay staff salaries in December, due to the lack of financing. 

Darfur Atrocity Crimes Investigation

The UN Human Rights Council on November 14 adopted a resolution requesting the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan to conduct an urgent inquiry into alleged violations of international law in El Fasher following the RSF takeover. UN High Commissioner Volker Türk stated the atrocities were foreseen and preventable but constitute the gravest of crimes. 

US Pressures UAE over RSF support

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressed the UAE on achieving a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan during a Friday call with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Rubio said action was needed to halt weapons support to the RSF as the humanitarian situation deteriorates rapidly. 

Next SG

The UN Security Council met on November 14 to discuss preparations for selecting the next Secretary-General in 2026 following António Guterres' departure in January 2027. Chile's representative advocated for an open, participatory and gender-inclusive process, declaring that after 80 years the time has come for a woman to lead the organization.

Israeli-Lebanon Border Dispute

A UN survey found that a wall built by the Israeli military crosses the Blue Line border, making more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible. UNIFIL requested the wall be removed, stating Israeli construction violates Security Council resolution 1701 and Lebanon's sovereignty. An Israeli military spokesperson denied the wall crossed the Blue Line.

Oct 7 - UN Denies Rape Occurred 

UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women Reem Alsalem claimed that no independent investigation found rape took place on October 7, 2023. This contradicts earlier UN investigators who found reasonable grounds to believe conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the attacks.

UNICEF Initiatives

• UNICEF announced plans to renew its parametric cyclone insurance in 2026 and introduce an insurance-backed anticipatory action fund for drought risks.
•   UNICEF and PAHO issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding in emergencies following Hurricane Melissa's impact on Jamaica, calling on humanitarian partners to refrain from requesting donations of breast-milk substitutes. 
• Jamaica's Ministry of Health and Wellness, with UNICEF support, developed a comprehensive Health, Nutrition, and WASH plan involving key interventions for pregnant women, infants, and water safety following Hurricane Melissa.

November 14, 2025

Sudan's Crisis Spills into Chad

Following the RSF's capture of El Fasher, nearly 89,000 people have fled into neighboring Chad, which alongside South Sudan struggles to accommodate 1.3 million refugees from Sudan's war.  Chad now hosts 7 million people needing humanitarian aid in 2025—one in three of its population—as it struggles with overlapping crises in Lake Province, unprecedented food insecurity, and climate change impacts. Refugees arriving at the Chad-Sudan border receive less than 10 liters of water daily, far below emergency standards,

Gaza

• The US is pushing the Security Council to endorse its Gaza peace plan establishing a temporary International Stabilization Force through 2027, as reported by Al Jazeera. Russia presented a counter-proposal while China and Arab countries express concerns about governance structures, and countries remain hesitant about contributing troops to the proposed 20,000-strong force due to fears of direct conflict with Hamas.
• Children continue to live under bombardment with Israeli strikes near 'the yellow line' every day. According to UNICEF, child safety partner assessments conducted in September showed that 93 per cent exhibited aggressive behaviour and 90 per cent were violent towards younger children. Sadness and withdrawal are almost as common (86 per cent), along with disturbed sleep (79 per cent) and widespread refusal to study (69 per cent).

Systemic Failures in Humanitarian Response

Former WFP executive director David Beasley writes in Time magazine that humanitarian efforts repeatedly fail because decision-makers profit from short-term solutions rather than addressing root causes of inequality and food insecurity. Despite producing more food per person than ever and having enough funds to feed the world, 800 million people remain hungry due to lack of access, understanding, and political will. The crisis stems from treating emergencies in isolation rather than as interconnected challenges.Global 

Yellow fever and dengue surge in South America 

 Yellow fever and dengue cases are surging across South America as climate change expands mosquito habitats. South America has reported 356 yellow fever cases and 152 deaths this year—the highest since 1960 apart from a 2017-2018 spike—while Brazil experienced nearly 6.5 million dengue cases in 2024. At the Cop30 climate summit in Belém, the UN launched the Belém Health Action Plan with $300 million in funding to help countries build disease surveillance and response capacity. 

Haiti as test-bed for new UN approach to peacekeeping

 The UN is testing a fundamentally new peacekeeping approach in Haiti, shifting from direct troop command to coordinating multinational coalitions. Resolution 2793 doubled forces to over 5,000 and transformed the Kenya-led mission into a Gang Suppression Force, with operational command held by a coalition of nations while the UN provides logistical and political support. This model reflects constrained budgets and Security Council divisions, and could provide a blueprint for future missions where large UN deployments are politically or financially difficult. ```

November 13, 2025 

Sudan

The International Organization for Migration's director-general has called for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian corridor to help tens of thousands of civilians trapped in el-Fasher, with nearly 90,000 people having fled since the RSF takeover in October. UNICEF's envoy to Sudan, Sheldon Yett, has drawn stark comparisons between the current situation and Rwanda's genocide, with around 260,000 people trapped in el-Fasher eating grass and animal feed. The conflict has claimed nearly 150,000 lives over two years, with humanitarian aid efforts on the brink of collapse due to insecurity and funding shortages.

Gaza

• The United Nations reports that humanitarian response continues to ramp up despite persistent constraints, with Israel reopening the Zikim crossing after a two-month closure, though only 1,098 trucks were offloaded between October 11-22, far below the 600 daily promised.
  
  
• UNICEF's vaccination campaign for Gaza's children is being blocked by Israeli authorities who refuse to allow syringes and solar-powered refrigerators into the Strip, with one in five infants having missed essential vaccines. Conditions remain highly unsanitary with 57% of the population exposed to sewage or fecal matter within ten meters of their homes, creating risks for cholera outbreaks.

Afghanistan

UNICEF is supporting health workers across Afghanistan in managing child malnutrition through home-based care programs funded by the European Union, with health staff visiting children at home to reduce hospitalizations. The organization has established 70 child growth centers across Afghanistan to monitor and treat malnourished children. Many families, particularly in mountainous regions like Bamyan, lack access to varied and nutritious foods in a country where 41% of children under five are stunted.

Haiti

The UN Security Council approved on September 30, 2025, an expanded international military force for Haiti, doubling UN-backed forces to over 5,000 and transforming the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission into a new Gang Suppression Force to combat organized criminal gangs.

The mission represents a major shift in UN peacekeeping, with the organization's legitimacy now resting less on commanding troops directly and more on coordinating coalitions, as gang violence has displaced hundreds of thousands, shut down schools and hospitals, and made basic activities dangerous.

Lebanon

Following the November 2024 ceasefire, 1.3 million children in Lebanon need humanitarian assistance, with UNICEF requiring $447 million for its 2025 humanitarian response to support vulnerable Lebanese, Syrian refugees, and Palestinian refugees. Despite the ceasefire agreement, regular violations have continued with at least 71 civilians killed including 9 children and 14 women, while 91,574 people remain displaced and face damaged homes, water facilities, and risks from unexploded ordnance. The 2024 conflict marked Lebanon's deadliest period in decades, with 316 children killed and 1,450 injured, and resulted in significant damage to civilian infrastructure including 40 hospitals with disrupted operations and 98 primary health centers closed.

Argentina

UNICEF's ninth Rapid Survey reveals that 31% of Argentine households with children have insufficient income to cover monthly expenses, with household indebtedness reaching 45% when informal loans are included. The survey revealed alarming increases in school bullying, rising from 25% to 41% and affecting an estimated one million children, while four out of ten adolescents are now involved in online gambling. Positive developments include an eight-point decrease in households unable to access doctors or dentists and food consumption showing recovery.

Mali

The IHL Centre's new legal brief examines how Mali's counterterrorism legislation interacts with International Humanitarian Law, highlighting how broad definitions of terrorism can restrict impartial assistance or expose humanitarian actors to legal risk. The country's evolving security environment has further constrained humanitarian space and blurred the line between security imperatives and humanitarian principles. The brief sets out practical recommendations to preserve humanitarian access and ensure neutrality, impartiality, and independence remain protected.

Success in Reducing Mercury Pollution

The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention announced an  historic milestone in reducing mercury pollution, with parties adopting 22 decisions including agreement to end the use of dental amalgam by 2034. Parties also agreed to eliminate mercury-added skin-lightening products and strengthen action on artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The conference established the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Mercury and launched the Convention's Women's Caucus.

November 12, 2025

Gaza

Zikim crossing reopens for humanitarian aid after a two-month closure, marking the first time the main entry point to northern Gaza has been operational since the October 10 ceasefire took effect. Israel announced the crossing would remain permanently open with aid subject to security checks before distribution through the UN. The reopening follows UN calls for direct crossings into the north to ensure sufficient aid reaches people in dire conditions, as famine was declared in August and volumes remain far below the 600 trucks per day promised in the ceasefire agreement.

Afghanistan

Eight in ten Afghans drink contaminated water amid a worsening climate crisis, UNICEF reported as more than half of Afghanistan's water sources in drought-prone provinces have dried up. The UN agency described the situation as a silent emergency, noting that recent earthquakes have worsened the crisis and led to a rise in waterborne diseases while sanitation systems in urban areas collapse under the strain of disasters and environmental degradation.

Sudan

• UN humanitarian chief Fletcher held constructive talks with Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on November 11 to ensure life-saving aid reaches all corners of the war-ravaged country.  The talks came two weeks after the RSF captured El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in western Darfur, where famine was declared last week and tens of thousands remain trapped in famine-like conditions.

• Sudan displacement accelerates as more than 12,000 people fleeing violence in the Kordofan and Darfur regions have sought refuge in White Nile State since late October, averaging 700 people per day. Displaced families face severe shortages of food, shelter and water, while host communities are overstretched as they try to accommodate the new arrivals.

Yemen

Houthi authorities suspended UN flight permits between the Safer area in Ma'rib governorate and Yemen's interim capital, Aden, until November 25, causing significant disruption to the movement of UN personnel and humanitarian missions operating across the country.  The Safer-Aden air corridor has been a vital link for humanitarian agencies navigating Yemen's fragmented geography and conflict zones, and the temporary halt is expected to affect dozens of staff movements and planned missions in the coming weeks.

Stateless fighters in IHL

Stateless fighters, including child soldiers, face critical protection gap under international humanitarian law, according to a new analysis that argues IHL lacks explicit recognition of their status in armed conflicts. While nationality is not formally required for combatant or prisoner-of-war status in international armed conflicts, stateless fighters often face inconsistent treatment, arbitrary detention, and repatriation obstacles due to lack of state affiliation. The situation is more precarious in non-international armed conflicts where stateless fighters receive only minimal protection under Common Article 3 and Additional Protocol II while being exposed to prosecution under domestic law.

November 11, 2025 

Gaza

• Syringes blocked as Israel continues to deny entry to 1.6 million syringes awaiting customs clearance since August, preventing UNICEF from delivering essential supplies for its mass children's vaccination campaign despite a fragile ceasefire being in place.
• Vaccination campaign begins with UNICEF reaching 2,400 children with multiple vaccines on the first day of its catch-up immunization drive targeting over 40,000 children under three who missed routine vaccines against polio, measles and pneumonia during two years of war.
• Aid delivery impeded by persistent Israeli shelling, bureaucratic delays, and coordination obstacles that continue to hold back efforts to ramp up aid despite the ceasefire terms, with UN teams forced to coordinate every movement in advance and only two of eight coordination attempts on one day being fully facilitated.
• Malnutrition -  more than 7,000 children under five were admitted to recovery programs for acute malnutrition within two weeks in August, with famine conditions now confirmed in Gaza City and warnings that the crisis will leave permanent developmental and cognitive impacts on thousands of children.
• International force debated as concerns rise in Israel over the U.S. seeking a two-year UN Security Council mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza, with Israeli experts expressing pessimism about effectiveness and safety given past experiences with UN-led forces like UNIFIL.
• Trump resolution circulated with the U.S. draft proposing a Board of Peace to establish an International Stabilisation Force with authority to use force for demilitarization and disarmament, though the peace enforcement nature raises questions about which countries will contribute troops.

Sudan

• Darfur violence spreads beyond El Fasher following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces on October 26, with nearly 89,000 people fleeing the city and nearby villages to seek refuge in Tawila, Melit and Saraf Omra regions where needs far exceed available resources.
• Hospital attack verified as WHO confirms that an attack on Dilling Hospital in South Kordofan killed six people including a 12-year-old child and destroyed the X-ray department, marking the 192nd verified attack on health care in Sudan since the conflict began in April 2023.
• Aid operations at risk as the International Organization for Migration warns that humanitarian operations in Sudan are on the brink of collapse, with warehouses in North Darfur almost empty and aid convoys facing significant insecurity and restrictions to access.

Lebanon / Syria 

•  Syrian displacement continues as more than 130,000 Syrians have entered Lebanon since December 2024 following the fall of the Assad regime, adding pressure to a country already hosting 1.5 million Syrian refugees and struggling with the aftermath of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
• Refugee returns monitored with UNHCR reporting that over 1 million refugees have returned to Syria from countries including Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, though many find their homes reduced to rubble and face challenges including unexploded ordnance and lack of basic services.
• Children face displacement as 473,000 Syrians displaced from Lebanon, including 58 percent who are children, have entered Syria since September 2024, putting further pressure on already overstretched resources and requiring urgent humanitarian assistance including health, nutrition and protection services.

Ukraine 

•   Winter crisis looms as attacks on infrastructure impact basic services from hospitals to water utilities and district heating, with families along frontlines urgently needing heating, warm clothing and essential supplies while some rural areas experience total blackouts.
• Mental health support expanded with UNICEF reaching 16,000 children and 25,000 caregivers in frontline areas with psychosocial support in October, though humanitarian workers warn that year after year conditions are becoming harder for people, especially children.
• Education disrupted as approximately 350,000 children in frontline regions attend school in person, while over 400,000 follow a blended schedule and around 280,000 continue fully online, with UNICEF supporting over 150 learning centers offering catch-up classes and safe learning spaces.

Haiti 

• Gang control expands as armed groups now control over 85 percent of Port-au-Prince and key roads, with more than 2.7 million people including 1.6 million women and children estimated to be living under gang control and facing violence, displacement and lack of access to basic services.
• Children face recruitment with gang recruitment of children rising by 70 percent in 2024 and between 30 to 50 percent of gang members now estimated to be under 18, as children are subjected to coercion, abuse and exploitation stemming from persistent violence and poverty.
• Displacement unprecedented as 703,000 individuals including more than 350,000 children are internally displaced, with the number of refuge sites soaring to 246 nationwide in the first half of 2025 and families often displaced multiple times as gang violence spreads.

Democratic Republic of Congo 

•   Grave violations surge as UNICEF warns of horrific reports of violations against children by parties to the conflict in North and South Kivu provinces, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything seen in recent year.
• M23 advances continue with the Rwanda-backed armed group now controlling Goma and Bukavu following intense fighting that displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, with UN reports confirming summary executions of children and widespread attacks on displacement camps.
• Humanitarian crisis worsens as more than 21 million people require humanitarian assistance across the country, with 7.77 million displaced internally including more than 3 million displaced in 2024, primarily in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces.

November 10, 2025

Gaza

• Malnutrition crisis confirmed Over 7,000 children under five in Gaza were admitted to acute malnutrition recovery programs within two weeks in August, with famine conditions now confirmed in Gaza City and warnings of further spread, according to a Frontiers in Public Health opinion article citing UNICEF data. The article describes severe wasting leaving children up to 11 times more likely to die from common infections, with long-term cognitive and developmental impacts that could affect generations.
• Aid delivery disputed The White House claims nearly 700 aid trucks enter Gaza daily since October 10, but Palestinians and aid groups sharply dispute the figures, with Gaza's Government Media Office stating only 28% of agreed-upon trucks have entered and accusing Israel of "engineered starvation" by banning over 350 basic food items while permitting low-value products sold at inflated prices, according to Al Jazeera's reporting.

International Humanitarian Law

• Civilian cyber operations risk The ICRC and Swiss Chair of IHL released a report warning that growing civilian involvement in cyber operations and digital activities during armed conflicts exposes civilians to significant harm, as digitalization makes it harder to distinguish combatants from civilians and risks civilians being misidentified as lawful targets, according to the joint initiative report on digitalization of conflict.

Sudan

• Japan partnership for education UNICEF and Japan launched a $5 million initiative to reopen schools and restore learning for over 83,600 conflict-affected children across five states in Sudan, rehabilitating 220 schools and training 1,760 teachers amid an education crisis that has left eight million children out of school, according to UNICEF's announcement.
• Al Fasher displacement Thousands displaced by recent escalations in Al Fasher and surrounding villages are rebuilding their lives in Tawila and Al Dabba, with families constructing makeshift shelters and children accessing UNICEF-supported child-friendly spaces where they are beginning to recover from trauma, according to UNICEF's photo essay on the displacement.
• Doctors blame UN The Sudan Doctors Network accused the United Nations of failing to protect civilians in El Fasher after the Rapid Support Forces took control in late October, with thousands trapped facing severe shortages and RSF allegedly committing mass killings, rape, and physical assaults while attempting to hide evidence by collecting bodies and burying them in mass graves, according to the doctors' group statement.

Ukraine

• Poverty crisis deepens Nearly 37% of Ukrainians now live in poverty—a fourfold increase from pre-war levels—with over 65% of children living below the poverty line as the war continues to devastate the economy, leaving more than a quarter of households including an internally displaced person, veteran, or war-disabled family member, according to Hope for Ukraine.

Somalia

• UN expert warns UN Independent Expert Isha Dyfan called for concrete action to safeguard fragile human rights gains in Somalia as insecurity, political tensions, humanitarian crises, and climate shocks threaten progress in governance and institution-building, with Al-Shabaab violence and restrictions on freedom of expression risking reversal of achievements, according to her final report to the General Assembly.
• Amnesty accuses government Amnesty International accused Somalia's government of failing to uphold human rights obligations despite declaring drought a national disaster, allocating less than 5% of its budget to health while prolonged drought intensified by climate change has led to mass displacement, food insecurity, and outbreaks of waterborne diseases, according to the organization's report based on interviews with 177 refugees.
• Aid funding crisis Somalia's Humanitarian Forum opened in Jowhar amid concerns over declining foreign aid, with only $272.8 million received of the $1.42 billion requested—just 19% of the total—largely due to United States aid cuts, though Somalia contributed $9 million of its own resources making it the ninth-largest donor to its own aid operations, according to forum organizers.

Nepal

• Climate Cinema concludes UNICEF's Climate Cinema campaign concluded after two weeks traveling across Nepal, amplifying children's voices on climate action and presenting their experiences and recommendations to Agriculture Minister Dr. Madan Prasad Pariyar, who will lead Nepal's delegation to COP30 and pledged to integrate child-centered climate action across all sectors, according to UNICEF's announcement.

Philippines

• Second typhoon in a week Schools have been suspended for at least two days after Typhoon Fung-wong battered the Philippines overnight, forcing 1.4 million people to evacuate including an estimated 470,000 children and killing at least two people, as the second major typhoon in a week triggered flash flooding, landslides and extreme winds, with the Philippines ranked the world's most disaster-prone country by the WorldRisk Report, according to Save the Children.

Afghanistan

• Child development centers UNICEF announced the establishment of 70 Child Development Centers in Afghanistan in collaboration with the World Bank, providing services to approximately 20,000 children and strengthening the bond between mothers and children, though the organization warns three million children in the country suffer from severe malnutrition, according to UNICEF's statement on 8am.media.
  

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November 9, 2025

Major developments today include UNICEF's education recovery efforts in Gaza, U.S. takeover of aid coordination, Houthi detention of UN staff in Yemen, worsening hunger in DRC, and new child labour data from Pakistan.

Gaza

• Education recovery — UNICEF is working to restore in-person learning for about 650,000 children in Gaza, though officials say the task ahead is immense. This includes clearance of massive amounts of rubble and ensuring that school spaces are free of unexploded ordnance.
• U.S. takes over aid coordination — The U.S. Central Command's new Civil-Military Coordination Centre has assumed primary control over aid convoys, working jointly with Israeli forces through a coordination hub in southern Israel under the Trump administration's cease-fire plan.
• Water contamination — Ongoing bombardment and blockade have poisoned Gaza's soil and aquifers, leaving families without safe drinking water and heightening disease risks. Wells are contaminated with sewage, pipes are destroyed, and even water delivered by truck is often contaminated.
• International aid summit — Istanbul is hosting a two-day global meeting on Gaza humanitarian assistance, featuring multiple workshops and a final declaration aimed at improving coordination.

Yemen

• UN staff detained — Yemen's Houthi authorities announced the detention of many Yemeni citizens, including at least 53 local UN employees from agencies like UNICEF, WHO, and WFP, as well as dozens of NGO employees. All are accused of spying for Israel through a Saudi-based network involving foreign coordination. This follows the release of 20 foreign aid workers through mediation by Iran and Oman.

Democratic Republic of Congo

• Hunger crisis deepens — The UN World Food Programme warned that the crisis in eastern DRC continues to worsen amid ongoing fighting, with WFP forced to cut the number of people it assists from one million to 600,000 due to funding shortfalls. WFP is calling for establishment of a humanitarian air corridor as airports in M23-controlled areas remain closed.

Pakistan

• Child labour survey — A new study in Sindh province finds more than 1.6 million children aged 5–17 engaged in child labour, with nearly half of older children working in hazardous conditions.

South Sudan

• Land clearances — UN-supported demining operations in the Upper Nile region are opening more than 19 million m² of land, enabling resettlement and farming for returning families.