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Bi-Weekly Press Briefing 13 December 2022
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
13 December 2022
Winterization in Ukraine
Jaco Cilliers, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Representative in Ukraine, stated that more than 10 million Ukrainians living in the most affected areas faced winter without water, heat, and electricity. An estimated 50 per cent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had recently been directly affected, with power cuts affecting just about everyone in the country. Nearly 18 million people – 40 per cent of Ukraine’s population – needed humanitarian aid.
UNDP’s priority was to provide emergency support, which included the distribution of blankets, cooking stoves and heating equipment. Mr. Cilliers said that UNDP was working on repairing the grid and providing high-voltage equipment to restore and ensure uninterrupted supply of water and heating. Speaking about longer-term priorities, Mr. Cilliers also listed supporting the provision of basic services; mine action and rubble removal; and the assessment and recovery of the damaged energy infrastructure system.
Responding to questions, Mr. Cilliers explained that all UN agencies were involved in the humanitarian response, one way or the other. It was a joined effort, in which OCHA, WFP, IOM, and UNICEF were in the lead, among others. The United Nations, together with the World Bank, was assessing the damages done to the energy grid and infrastructure. Mr. Cilliers stressed that shelters had been created for people to receive support, get warm, or use electricity. Regarding funding, Mr. Cilliers emphasized the immense solidarity of the international community towards Ukraine, but more still needed to be done. The International Telecommunications Union had also been active in assessing the needs and looking into ways of strengthening the network’s resilience.
Shabia Mantoo, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) added that UNHCR’s top priority was to deliver winterization support, including through cash assistance. UNHCR was working closely with national and local actors in this regard.
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that many hospitals were under huge pressure because of the continuous attacks. A large rise in respiratory illness was being seen; there were also concerns about diphtheria and measles, as well as the mental health of the Ukrainian population. Finally, many HIV-positive people in the Donetsk region were not able to receive their medication.
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the itinerary of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths in Ukraine had been shared with the media.
Security projections for Somalia
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated that the latest findings from the Integrated Phase Classification security food reports did not lead to a declaration of famine in Somalia, thanks to the commendable response of the international community and local actors. Famine was, nonetheless, expected to occur in certain population groups between April and June 2023. Somalia’s food crisis was expected to both widen and deepen next year, stressed Mr. Laerke. Five consecutive failed rain seasons; low domestic cereal production and a decreased import; and the long-running armed conflict with insecurity are the three key factors behind the dire situation. The report would be published later today.
Replying to questions, Mr. Laerke explained that even if famine had not been technically declared, that did not mean that people were not experiencing catastrophic food shortages, with such numbers growing. The reason why the previous projection had not turned into famine was because of the humanitarian organizations doing their job and local communities stepping up.
James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), added that there was good news in averting the famine for now, but stressed that this was a delay rather than a definite elimination of the threat of famine. While precise fatality numbers were difficult to obtain, there was no doubt that large numbers of children were dying.
COVID-19
Responding to questions from the media, Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the WHO issued recommendations, while countries, as always, made their own decisions. WHO had recommended to the countries not to go into lockdowns too easily, as many factors at community and national levels ought to be considered first. She explained that WHO staff were advised to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Announcements
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), announced that the December issue of the Global Trade Update was being released today. Following a record year, global trade growth now turned negative. The report went through negative and positive impacts that played in the global economy as well as factors affecting global trade patterns. It also gave trade trends in the major economies, regional ones, and at the sectoral level. The eight-page report was under embargo until 1 p.m. today.
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water report would be released tomorrow morning. An embargoed press conference would be held today at 15:00 CET.
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New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
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“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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