The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
25 August 2023
War and hunger could destroy Sudan
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), read the statement by Martin Griffiths, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator on how war and hunger could consume Sudan unless those fighting put the people of Sudan above their own interests.
The longer the fighting continued, the more devastating its impact would be. Some places had already run out of food. Hundreds of thousands of children were severely malnourished and at imminent risk of death if left untreated. Vector-borne diseases were spreading, posing a lethal risk, especially to those already weakened by malnutrition. Cases of measles, malaria, whooping cough, dengue fever, and acute watery diarrhea were being reported across the country. Most people had no access to medical treatment.
The statement further read that millions of people had been displaced inside Sudan, and nearly one million others had fled across its borders. A long conflict would almost certainly lead to a lost generation of children as millions missed out on education, endured trauma, and bore the physical and psychological scars of war.
Full statement is available here.
Responding to questions from the media, Mr. Laerke emphasized that the conflict was not getting the international attention it deserved, and those fighting did not abide by the rules of war. The entire country was at risk of being consumed by the war. The main reason the UN did not have access to those in need was primarily the fighting itself, as well as road blockages and bureaucratic impediments. Among other issues, visas for Sudan were sometimes not processed fast enough. UN could not understand why those hurdles were necessary.
Mr. Laerke reminded that there was a large humanitarian appeal in place (USD 2.6 billion for 2023), which was currently only 26 percent funded, which amounted to USD 666 million. The US provided 58 percent of the money received, followed by 12 percent by the European Commission, and 6 percent by the Central Emergency Response Fund. That was the money committed and received, explained Mr. Laerke. It was hoped that other pledges would be sped up and come through shortly. The UN remained in the country and tried to help and deliver aid as much as it could. The region was already very strongly feeling the impact of the war, with over one million Sudanese having fled to other countries. Responding to another question, Mr. Laerke specified that the total global humanitarian appeal for 2023 stood at USD 55 billion, of which USD 15.2 billion had been received, or 27.6 percent.
Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that 67 percent of all main hospitals in the affected areas of Sudan had been out of service already at the end of May. It was very difficult for the population to receive even basic health care. There were also widespread blackouts in some areas, which were affecting hospitals. Until 11 August, the WHO had arrived 53 attacks against health care, which were strongly condemned. He also spoke of logistical difficulties to deliver medical supplies to those in need.
James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that two million boys and girls had been displaced since the beginning of the conflict. Lack of access and supplies was becoming a death sentence, completely avoidable. Children were being attacked and used to attack, in a clear contravention of the international humanitarian law.
Rolando Gómez, for the UN Information Service (UNIS), reminded that the UN Secretary-General had been calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. He stressed that the UN had a presence in the country, with the basis in Port Sudan; the Special Representative Volker Perthes, while not in the country, was still actively seized on the issue.
Release of the Fukushima wastewater
Answering a question from a journalist, Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the Japanese standards were based on international safety standards, cosponsored by the WHO and seven other international organizations.
Emergency closure of the Palais des Nations
Responding to questions from the media, Rolando Gómez, for the UN Information Service, said that there had been a perimeter intrusion of the Palais des Nations grounds this morning, around 7:30 am, which was why Palais des Nations had been briefly shut down. The issue had been resolved within 30 minutes, and the Palais had reopened shortly afterwards.
Announcements
Rolando Gómez, for the UN Information Service, informed that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would close its session on 31 August, at 4 pm, when it would issue its concluding observations on the six countries reviewed: Italy, Croatia, Uruguay, Namibia, Senegal, and Turkmenistan.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was concluding this morning its review of the report of Mauritania.
The next public plenary of the Conference on Disarmament would be announced at a later stage.
The Secretary-General’s remarks at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg had been shared, informed Mr. Gómez. UN Spokesperson’s statement on the latest ballistic missile launch by the DPRK had also been shared
Finally, Mr. Gómez informed that from 29 August, press briefings would be held in the new press room, in the renovated Palais des Nations, in the vicinity of Door VI. Further details, including a map, would be shared later in the day.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , UNFPA , UNHCR , UNOPS , WHO
UN Geneva briefing: Yemen crisis worsens, urgent aid needed across multiple sectors.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference on the latest report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN Human Rights Council
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Victims Still Waiting: A Global Briefing on Transitional Justice Around the World
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
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”.
ends
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WMO , OCHA , WHO , UNICEF , UN WOMEN , OHCHR , IOM , UNHCR
Update on Ebola from WHO and OCHA, update on the situation of children with the beginning of school in Ukraine from UNICEF, UN Women on the impact of the settlers and restrictions on women and girls in West Bank, OHCHR on the recovery of extensive human remains in Gaza, IOM and UNHCR on the new wave of displacement in Yemen
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Update on the human rights situation in Belarus by the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Update on the human rights situation in Syria by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , IOM , UN WOMEN , UNCTAD , WHO , UNECE
IOM Yemen's Western Coast displacement; UN WOMEN on Gaza; UNCTAD Strait of Hormuz disruptions impacts; WHO Ebola logistics in DRC; WHO smoking and infertility; UNECE Data centres and energy.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNITAR , WMO
UNITAR: GA resolution on the merger of the United Nations System Staff College into the United Nations Institute for Training and Research; WMO: Air Quality and Climate Bulletin released; WHO: Ukraine update
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , UN WOMEN , WFP , WHO , WMO , OCHA
UN WOMEN/IFRC: Update on the impact of the floods in Nepal, WFP: Food assistance in the West Bank, WHO: Gaza’s rehabilitation needs and continued spread of diseases