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UN Geneva Press Briefing - 21 January 2025
UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
21 January 2025
Announcements by the new US Administration
On the question related to the announcement of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), stated that the Paris Agreement had been adopted by all the world’s nations in 2015 because they had recognized the immense harm that climate change was already causing and the enormous opportunity that climate action presented. It offered a meaningful yet flexible framework for action by all countries. The transformation envisaged in the Paris Agreement was already underway. The Agreement had unleashed an energy revolution, offering unparalleled opportunities for countries and businesses to invest in renewables that power 21st century jobs and prosperity. Leaders had to seize these opportunities in this critical decade for climate action.
UN Secretary-General remained confident that cities, states, and businesses within the United States, along with other countries, would continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that would create quality jobs and markets for 21st century prosperity. It was crucial that the United States remained a leader on environmental issues.
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that the International Year of the Preservation of Glaciers would be launched at the WMO today; a press release would be sent out shortly. She stressed that the glaciers around the world were melting and retreating, which was just one sign of the climate change, which followed the laws of physics. The last ten years had been the hottest in recorded history, and 2024 had been the hottest year on record, at about 1.55°C above the pre-industrial era, reminded Ms. Nullis. Every fraction of a degree of global warming had an impact on our economies and our lives. Climate change had to be viewed in long-term, and it was a defining challenge of our time.
The previous week, said Ms. Nullis, the World Economic Forum had published its 2025 global risks report, where environment-related risks featured prominently, both in short and mid-term projections. Extreme weather events were particularly considered as major threats in the coming years. According to WMO statistics, extreme weather, climate, and water-related events had caused nearly 12,000 reported disasters between 1970 and 2021, with just over two million deaths and USD 4.3 trillion in economic losses. The lion’s share of those losses was in the United States of America. The US had sustained 403 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded USD 1 billion. The total cost of these 403 events exceeded USD 2.915 trillion, according to US figures.
Ms. Nullis emphasized that the need for the Paris Agreement and climate action was as strong as ever. Answering another question, Ms. Nullis stressed that national governments had a key role to play. The revolution towards renewables could not be stopped, she said.
Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that the WHO regretted the announcement that the United States of America intended to withdraw from the Organization. WHO played a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing, and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others could not go.
The United States had been a founding member of WHO in 1948 and had participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other Member States, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. For over seven decades, Mr. Jašarević reminded, the WHO and the USA had saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, smallpox had been eradicated and polio had been brought to the brink of eradication. American institutions had contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO. With the participation of the United States and other Member States, WHO had over the past seven years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform its accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continued. WHO hoped that the United States would reconsider, and it looked forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and the WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.
Replying to questions, Mr. Jašarević said that the WHO was now analyzing the language and the exact details of the US executive order in order to assess its impact. The US was the largest single donor of the WHO, contributing 18 percent of the entire budget in 2023; all details were available at the WHO budget portal. In recent years, the WHO had already been working on diversifying its funding and finding more sustainable sources of funding. The first step towards the US withdrawal was to receive an official letter from the US, after which the US would formally leave the organization in one-year time. Mr. Jašarević stressed that the WHO was continuing its life-saving work around the world, implementing its programme of work as mandated by its Member States. At the same time, the WHO was continuing with its work to become a more cost-effective organization. WHO was an evidence-based organization, looking into science and how that could best be translated into recommendations for ministries of health around the world. He emphasized that research was vital to provide the best possible guidance for public health policies.
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the world lived longer and healthier thanks to the work of the WHO. WHO was in places where others could not go, including Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan, and it was an indispensable part of the international humanitarian system.
Answering further questions, Kennedy Omondi, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that the IOM was analyzing the US executive orders regarding migration in order to ascertain the implications these would have on the IOM’s work. Shabia Mantoo, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that the UNHCR was also currently reviewing the orders before it could comment.
Ceasefire in Gaza
Responding to questions from the media, Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that at long last, more hostages in Gaza had been released, Palestinian women and minors had been freed from detention, and more aid was flowing in. This deal had to last, but nobody should underestimate the complexity of the challenges ahead, including massive amounts of rubble and unexploded ordnance. Hundreds of trucks had entered over the past two days, starting just minutes after the deal had entered into force. Hunger in Gaza was widespread, disease and injuries were rampant and deep psychological traumas were prevalent. Bringing food supplies in, reopening bakeries, rebuilding hospitals were just some of the priorities in Gaza now. A lot of population movement was underway in Gaza, said Mr. Laerke, and many people were returning to mountains of rubble rather than their pre-war homes. Over the last two days, there had been no reports of looting or attacks against health workers, while such incidents had been commonplace for months before. Simultaneous openings of the crossings in both the north and the south had allowed for the influx of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The dangers with unexploded ordnances were extremely high; UXOs could last for decades, and concerted efforts to clean it up were urgently needed. Mr. Laerke explained that the aid surge had been prepared for a long time. All aid that was coming in was screened, he said.
Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the WHO had a 60-day operational plan to restore and expand health services in Gaza. The focus was on restoring services as quickly as possible and particularly prioritizing maternal and childcare, as well as trauma care. Damages to health system needed to be thoroughly assessed. He reminded that 12,000 patients were still waiting for medical evacuations from Gaza; some 25,000 people had suffered life-changing injuries during the conflict. Those with chronical, life-threatening diseases also needed to be evacuated. A detailed, lengthy process for medical evacuations was in place, he explained. Mr. Jašarević also stressed the importance of supporting health workers in Gaza, so that they could feel capable and safe enough to return to their medical facilities.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), reiterated that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was indispensable for humanitarian work in Gaza. It was needed to support the international response to Gaza right now. Jens Laerke, for OCHA, said that UNRWA staff were now helping with aid distribution. Thousands of UNRWA staff had a historical presence in the area, connections with the local people and thorough understanding of the area. Some 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan depended on UNRWA for the provision of basic services. Tarik Jašarević, for the WHO, stressed the importance of UNRWA for health services in Gaza, which could not be matched or replaced by any other UN agency.
Syria
Answering a question, Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reiterated that all international human rights law and conventions ought to be upheld by the new Syrian authorities.
Also answering a question on the treatment of women, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), reminded of the recent statement by the Volker Türk, the first UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ever to visit Syria.
Announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that the UN Secretary-General was attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. On 22 January, he would deliver a special address on “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”, the theme of this year’s Forum. In his remarks, the Secretary-General was expected to highlight how, despite progress on many fronts, including technological leaps, many of our world’s problems were getting worse. He was expected to call on the leaders gathered in Davos to shift their collective efforts into overdrive and to improve collaboration to address two existential threats: the climate crisis and ungoverned artificial intelligence. The Secretary-General would hold a series of meeting with government and business leaders. After Davos, he would travel to the annual retreat with his special representatives.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child would conclude this afternoon its review of the report of Peru.
The Conference on Disarmament was holding this morning the first public plenary of its 2025 session, under the presidency of Italy, in line with the rotation on the alphabetical basis. The 2025 session was to be divided up into three successive parts, from 20 January to 28 March, from 12 May to 27 June, and from 28 July to 12 September.
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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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