The United Nations Office at Geneva
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PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
17 February 2023
Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reminded of the flash appeal for Türkiye for USD 1 billion to help 5.2 million people. The flash appeal for Syria of almost USD 400 million had been issued several days before, and there was nowUSD 54 million in the bank. A total of 143 trucks had thus far crossed into Syria through the northern border, informed Mr. Laerke.
Caroline Holt, Global Director for Operations at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), informed that the IFRC had requested CHF 200 million to support both countries recovering from the earthquakes. This amount could change as needs assessments on the ground were being updated. Access to clean water and sanitation was critical in this situation, and it was paramount to support national societies in this regard. Syria’s vulnerabilities were rather specific, following 12 years of conflict, noted Ms. Holt; Syrian people had demonstrated a huge among of resilience, but needed global solidarity now more than ever. There were fuel shortages on the ground, she said. IFRC Secretary-General was in Gaziantep right now, after having visited Aleppo. The search-and-rescue was coming to a close, but life-saving aid was as needed as ever. Psychosocial support was also prioritized by national Red Crescent societies. The needs on the ground could not be met by any actor alone, concluded Ms. Holt.
Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director for the Near and Middle East at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), had just returned from a six-day visit to Syria, where he had travelled with the ICRC President. Palestinian camps within Syria had also been hit hard by the earthquakes, reminded Mr. Carboni. The magnitude of destruction and loss in Aleppo were shocking; not only was the physical infrastructure damaged, but immense psychological and emotional toll on local people, volunteers and ICRC staff was also immense. Homes on both sides of the frontline had been affected; the shared suffering should help put politics aside. The affected areas should be flooded with aid, and all corridors ought to be opened and accessible. Having presence on the ground at the time of the earthquakes, the ICRC could react fast and deliver initial aid to people in need within hours. Over the past 12 years, the ICRC had been working on preserving and maintaining critical infrastructure, to ensure, for example, that drinking water remain accessible. The ICRC was there to stay and continue helping the people of Syria.
Responding to questions, Mr. Laerke, for OCHA,explained that a total of 143 trucks loaded with aid, provided by six UN agencies, had crossed into Syria from 9 to 16 February. Three border crossings were currently open; it was expected that trucks would continue to cross every day.The aid, provided by IOM, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, included tents, non-food items such as mattresses and blankets, winter clothes, cholera testing kit, essential medicines, and food.
Also answering questions, Ms. Carboni, for the ICRC, said that half of the ICRC staff in Aleppo no longer had homes; they were temporarily staying at hotels. One staff member had lost 23 members of his family, Mr. Carboni said. Humanitarian workers had to take care of themselves and their families while helping all other affected people.
Tens of thousands arrive to Ethiopia from Somalia
Olga Sarrado, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that more than 60,000 Somalis, mainly women and children, had fled to Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past few weeks to escape clashes and insecurity in the city of Laascaanood, in Sool region. More than half of them had arrived earlier this week. Exhausted and traumatized, they had arrived with very little, only taking what they could carry. Many of them had lost loved ones in the clashes or had been separated during flight.
In response to this sudden influx, UNHCR was working with the Ethiopian Government’s Refugees and Returnees Services and regional authorities, together with UN and NGO partners, setting up temporary reception centers and providing immediate life-saving aid. Relief items, including blankets, jerry cans, buckets, kitchen sets, plastic sheets, and mosquito nets, had already been distributed to over 1,000 vulnerable families.
Full statement is available here.
More assistance needed for Congolese refugees in Africa
Olga Sarrado, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo continued to experience one of Africa’s most complex and long-standing humanitarian crises. UNHCR and 69 aid organizations today launched a Regional Refugee Response Plan to provide urgent humanitarian assistance and protection to refugees from the country in 2023.
The plan sought USD 605 million to support Congolese refugees who had found safety in neighbouring countries across the Southern and Great Lakes regions; it also aimed to provide support to their local host communities. More than one million Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers were hosted across the African continent, the majority in Uganda (479,400), Burundi (87,500), and Tanzania (80,000).
UNHCR and partners were calling on the international community to ensure continued support for these generous host countries, so vulnerable refugee populations could be provided with protection, shelter, food, health, education, and other basic services.
More details are available here.
Tropical cyclone Freddy
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed that tropical cyclone Freddy, category 4, was heading towards Madagascar, where it was expected to make landfall on 21 February. What was unusual about Freddy was that it had started on the other side of the Indian ocean and had travelled a long route, quite a rare occurrence. The impact on Madagascar was difficult to predict at this stage. It was hoped that early warnings would limit the loss of life. Ms. Nullis reminded that Madagascar had been hit by four tropical cyclones within one month a year earlier, which had led to widespread loss of life and devastation.
Responding to questions, Ms. Nullis said that weather balloons had an important role to play in collecting meteorological data. She would prepare and share an information note on this topic.
Announcements
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed about the release of new global maternal mortality statistics for the last five-year period just after midnight on 23 February. An embargoed press conference would be held on 21 February.
The following week, a meeting would also be held on the composition of Influenza Virus Vaccine for use in the 2023-24 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Season. A press conference was likely to take place on 24 February.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), stated that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was concluding this morning the review of the report of Tunisia.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would conclude this afternoon its review of the report of Portugal.
The Conference on Disarmament would have at 3 p.m. today a public plenary meeting, the last one under the Presidency of Egypt. Ethiopia would assume the Presidency the following week.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
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.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“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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