The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
29 April 2025
Situation in the occupied Palestinian territories
Juliette Touma, for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), speaking from Amman, shared the latest statement by UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, in which he addressed the issue of detained and abused UNRWA staff. Since the start of the war in October 2023, over 50 UNRWA staff, among whom teachers, doctors and social workers, had been detained and abused. They had been treated in the most shocking and inhumane way. They reported being beaten up and used as human shields; they had been subjected to sleep deprivation, humiliation, threats of harm to them and their families, and attacks by dogs. Many had been subjected to forced confessions. Justice for those serving as humanitarians was not an option; it was an obligation, stressed Mr. Lazzarini in his statement.
Speaking of the ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice, Ms. Touma said that UNRWA welcomed the process. UNRWA and other agencies continued to be present in the occupied Palestinian territories, where they would need to continue their work until there was a viable solution for the Palestinian people. The Knesset law against UNRWA was impacting the Agency’s ability to fulfill its mandate, which had been entrusted to it by the UN General Assembly. Israeli officials were now banned from communicating and coordinating with UNRWA, which impeded aid delivery. International UNRWA staff, for example, had not received Israeli visas and consequently they could not enter the occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip, said Ms. Touma. Hundreds of children could lose access to education if several UNRWA schools in east Jerusalem were forced to close. Israel, as the occupying power, had an obligation to provide such services if UNRWA’s activities were to cease. Close to 300 UNRWA staff had been confirmed as killed since the start of the war.
In Gaza, it was almost two months since the beginning of the total siege on 2 March. Medical and food supplies, as well as fuel, were all blocked from entering the Strip, which was threatening the lives and survival of civilians in Gaza, who were also suffering a heavy bombardment. This siege was already four times longer than the initial siege, at the onset of the war. Hunger and desperation were spreading as food and medicine distribution was banned. UNRWA’s Commissioner-General had described the situation as man-made starvation. Ms. Touma stressed that UNRWA was ready to bring in supplies, which were waiting in 500 trucks, many of them just outside Gaza. As soon as the siege was lifted, those much-needed supplies could be brought in. UNRWA echoed the call by the UN Secretary-General for an immediate ceasefire and release of all hostages held in Gaza, as well as for the lifting of the siege and an unobstructed humanitarian access to all people in need. Ms. Touma reminded that almost half of the people in the Gaza Strip were children under the age of 15.
Responding to questions from the media, Ms. Touma explained that UNRWA did a so-called direct-service delivery of aid: they used UNRWA trucks with UNRWA drivers, through UNRWA warehouses. UNRWA vehicles were then used for further distributions to the displaced people by UNRWA staff through UNRWA shelters, explained Ms. Touma. On another question, Ms. Touma said that the siege on Gaza was a silent killer of the most vulnerable. Multiple-member families were resorting to sharing a single can of beans, and the diet children were receiving was far from either nutritious or diverse, adversely impacting their growth and development. Local crops were either not available or sold at very high prices unaffordable to most people. Since the start of the year, some 10,000 acute malnutrition cases had been identified among children of Gaza, added Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service.
Close to 300 UNRWA staff had been killed so far, reiterated Ms. Touma responding to a question. Some of them had been killed with their whole families, others in the line of duty. Even community kitchens were now running out of supplies and were likely to close down. Before the war, Gaza had needed some 500 trucks of supplies every single day, reminded Ms. Touma. Many people had been displaced multiple times, and the entire population was now believed to be dependent on humanitarian aid.
Regarding the financial situation, Ms. Touma said that the cash flow was managed monthly, and there was very little long-term visibility. Currently, there was no funding from the USA, and Sweden had decided to stop funding UNRWA in December 2024, while the Netherlands was reducing its support in 2025 (from EUR 19 million to 15 million), and it would continue to do so for several years to come. In parallel, income from private sources - individuals, foundations, and high value donors - had reached an unprecedented USD 232 million total contribution between 7 October 2023 and end of March 2025. Finally, answering a question, Ms. Touma said that the situation in Rafah was very dire: 97 percent of the area was under forced displacement orders, affecting 150,000 people. Those evacuation orders also adversely affected distribution of aid. Rafah was nothing like the city it used to be; it was obliterated in many ways and in every direction one could only see destruction.
Support for Afghan returnees
Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that an even deeper humanitarian crisis was looming in Afghanistan as tens of thousands of Afghans were being forced to return from neighbouring countries. UNHCR urgently sought USD 71 million to assist those arriving home in desperate conditions. In April, more than 251,000 Afghans had returned in adverse circumstances from Iran and Pakistan, including over 96,000 who had been deported. UNHCR continued to advocate with the Governments of Iran and Pakistan that returns to Afghanistan had to be voluntary, safe and dignified. Forcing or putting pressure on Afghans to return was unsustainable and could destabilize the region.
Mr. Baloch said that since 2023, more than 3.4 million Afghans had returned or been deported from Iran and Pakistan, including over 1.5 million in 2024 alone. Such mass returns had strained the capacity of many provinces in Afghanistan and exacerbated the risk of further internal displacement. UNHCR was working with partners like UNDP and IOM to support the growing number of returnees in Afghanistan. If UNHCR were to receive the required funds, those would allow our teams to provide crucial financial assistance for returnees to cover urgent needs, travel, access to services, livelihoods, and reintegration activities – with an emphasis on reaching women and girls. UNHCR would also enhance our reception capacity and centres to help returnees address protection needs and receive critical information.
Full statement is available here.
One month since the Myanmar earthquake
Nadia Khoury, Head of Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Myanmar, speaking from Yangon, said she had just returned from the areas worst affected by the 28 March earthquakes. The needs there continued to be immense. In just a few weeks, the monsoon season would start. The latest earthquake aftershocks, of 4.4 magnitude, had taken place just two days earlier, informed Ms. Khoury. IFRC was working with the Myanmar Red Cross Society and partners to reach affected people; 110,000 people had already received life-saving support this way. This disaster reemphasized the importance of local actors. Almost half of the IFRC team on the ground came from the Asia-Pacific region and more than half were women.
On the ground, IFRC specialists trained Myanmar Red Cross staff and volunteers on how to deal with the post-disaster challenges. The local response had been incredibly inspiring, with immense solidarity in line with humanitarian principles and helping the most vulnerable in accordance with their needs. The Myanmar Red Cross was now focusing on providing safe drinking water, primary health care, relief items such as tents and blankets, as well as cash distribution to families. An emergency appeal of CHF 100 million mostly focused on the recovery effort, which was now starting. Work was also being done on community infrastructure, including water, sanitation and education facilities. The sheer magnitude of the disaster meant that more international funding was needed. The current CHF 100 million appeal was only 15 percent funded, warned Ms. Khoury; with it, the IFRC aimed to reach 100,000 people in need. Ms. Khoury reminded that even before the earthquake, the Myanmar Red Cross had already been helping some of the most affected areas. Local volunteers had the trust, the knowledge and the reach to help the affected communities, said Ms. Khoury, but they needed sustained international support.
Announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, of the United Nations Information Service, on behalf of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), flagged that journalists had received a press release about the new UNDP report with data on the dramatic economic situation of Afghanistan, embargoed until Wednesday 30 April.
She said that on 1 May at 4:30 pm, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat would hold a hybrid press conference to present outcomes of the High-Level Ministerial Segment from the 2025 BRS Conventions Conference of the Parties (COPs). Speakers would include Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions; and Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme.
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that Dr. Tedros’s press conference for ACANU members would be held at the WHO on 1 May at 3 pm.
Ms. Vellucci informed that the Committee Against Torture would have this afternoon at 4 pm a public meeting devoted to the follow-up of Articles 19 and 22 of the Convention, and the question of reprisals.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was concluding this morning the review of Mauritius and would begin this afternoon the review of the Republic of Korea.
***
TOPICS
UNRWA Juliette Touma (From Amman)
- Update on the work of UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territory and the latest on the humanitarian situation in Gaza
UNHCR Babar Baloch (PR)
· As Afghans forced to return, UNHCR seeks support for humanitarian crisis
IFRC Hanna Copeland (PR) with Nadia Khoury, Head of Delegation in Myanmar (From Yangon)
· The Red Cross response to the earthquake, a month on.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua by the UN Group of Human Rights Experts
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ITU , UNHCR , WHO , WMO
YEMEN - UNHCR: Escalating conflict in Yemen could fuel more displacement, refugee movement
CLIMATE - WHO / WMO: Health and Climate impact of El Niño
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Mariana Katzarova discusses human rights in Russia as a UN Special Rapporteur.
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.