UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

2 September 2025

Earthquake in Afghanistan

Alessandra Vellucci for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), read a statement attributable to the spokesperson of the Secretary-General on Afghanistan, which stated that the Secretary-General was deeply saddened by the devastating loss of life caused by Sunday's earthquake in Afghanistan's eastern province. Initial reports indicated that more than 800 people had been killed and many more were injured. Figures were expected to rise as search and rescue teams reached affected communities located in remote and mountainous locations. The United Nations and partners in Afghanistan were coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs, provide emergency assistance and stood ready to mobilise additional support. An emergency appeal had been developed by the United Nations, and an initial five million dollars from the UN Emergency Fund (CERF) had been released.

Indrika Ratwatte, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, speaking from Kabul, said the epicentre of the magnitude six earthquake that struck Afghanistan was in the Nangarhar province, but four other provinces were also impacted. More than 800 people had died and over 2,000 were injured with these numbers expected to increase. Afghanistan had also experienced devastating earthquakes in 2022 and 2023. Due to the challenging topography of this current earthquake, the number of impacted individuals could be in the hundreds of thousands. These areas were extremely mountainous, and the earthquake had caused land and rockslides, which limited access and posed a challenge to emergency deployment. Twenty emergency assessment teams, including 15 mobile teams had already been deployed. The biggest challenge was to reach these remote areas with damaged roads; three helicopters had been deployed by the Government to evacuate the injured. Immediate needs included: emergency shelter, non-food items, food assistance, and important medical assistance, such as intravenous fluids, saline and bandages.

Psychosocial support for those who had lost loved ones was important. Additionally, the disposal of bodies and removal of livestock carcasses was vital to avoid waterborne diseases. This was a crisis within a crisis; just this year, over 1.7 million Afghans had returned from Iran and Pakistan, the drought in the country had impacted 70 percent of the population, and finally the devastating funding cuts in international assistance had resulted in the closure of hundreds of facilities. The earthquake came at a time where vulnerable communities would be exposed to additional vulnerabilities. Mr. Ratwatte appealed for international support and solidarity to assist the Afghan population at this dire time. As of today, the UN Afghanistan humanitarian response plan was funded at just 28 percent. The international community needed to show solidarity with the people of Afghanistan; they could not be forgotten. This was a race against time.

Babar Baloch, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said that following Sunday’s devastating earthquake, UNHCR, with humanitarian partners, had rushed to the worst hit areas to provide essential relief items. These included tents, blankets and solar lamps which had been pre-positioned from UNHCR. The Agency was also exploring the option of bringing more relief from other places in the region and from global stockpiles. UNHCR were particularly concerned for women and children affected by the earthquake, who would be among the worst hit. This could be complicated further by a shortage of female humanitarian staff to respond to their specific needs. UNHCR were working with partners to ensure people with special needs were identified and received the required support.

Mr. Baloch also said that communities in Afghanistan had already been struggling to integrate, 2.5 million Afghans who had returned or been forced to return from Pakistan and Iran this year. Since April, over 478,000 Afghans had returned from Pakistan, around 337,000 of whom passed through the Torkham border crossing, close to the epicentre of the earthquake. Some 24 per cent of returnees from Pakistan had gone to the Nangarhar Province, one of the hardest hit by the earthquake. UNHCR joined the appeals to the donor community globally to urgently support the people of Afghanistan with the required relief effort.

The full statement can be viewed here.

Joy Singhal, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Acting Head of Delegation for Afghanistan, speaking from Kabul, said Afghanistan had been in crisis for the past several years and had faced multiple earthquakes. The Afghanistan Red Crescent was already on the ground and within an hour, was engaged in trying to help those affected. Unfortunately, due to the extremely difficult terrain, the IFRC would not be able to reach some people who needed assistance. Volunteers had to walk between five and six hours to reach those who were wounded and then bring them back into the city centre. Hospitals were extremely overwhelmed. The IFRC had supplies in Kabul which could be dispatched quickly, however it was a challenge to reach the most remote areas. This could become a protracted crisis for the next few months.

Mr. Singhal shared a story about a boy who was the sole survivor of the recent earthquake, from his entire family. There were many such families affected similarly by this disaster. He said that Afghanistan had been grappling with serious a crisis in the last few years; the Government did not have enough resources to cover the humanitarian needs of its population. There needed to be additional resources to support the crisis immediately. Afghanistan should not be forgotten, and these communities should be kept in mind in the coming months. What was required to prevent these crises in the future, was a sustained support from humanitarian and development actors for a long duration of time. Because the Afghanistan Red Crescent were a local actor, they were the first responders on the ground.

Responding to questions from the media, Indrika Ratwatte, Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said the resilience of all concerned in the response had been stretched and was at breaking point. The authorities had been trying to respond in their own way. Compared to the previous earthquake in Herat, the affected area was extremely mountainous with high altitude, and was very remote, meaning there were serious challenges in terms of access and connectivity. Herat’s flat topography meant landslides were not a challenge at that time, as they were now. Currently, the United Nations were trying to repair mobile connectivity, as there was currently zero connectivity with some communities. The first 24 to 72 hours were crucial. It was too early to provide the total estimated count of those affected. However, if it were modelled based on what happened before, there was no question that the casualty rate would be exponential. The structures which had collapsed were made of mud walls with wooden roofs; the roofs had fallen on people while they were sleeping, resulting in their deaths.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Ratwatte said 22.5 million people were in need of assistance in Afghanistan, representing more than half the population. There were systemic humanitarian challenges which needed to be met, and the appeal was underfunded. Reserve stocks had been emptied following the massive floods last year. The UN had reached out to neighbouring countries and those further afield and there was a response being mounted, which included sending food and airlifts, from the European Union and Indian Government, among others. However, there were not enough essential items on the ground. There needed to be a major, urgent step up from the international community to respond to this crisis.

Responding to another question, Mr. Ratwatte said the UN were coordinating closely with the authorities to respond to needs quickly, to ascertain what had been committed by member States and the private sector, and to conduct an assessment based on the resources needed, as well as supporting the recovery phase into the coming winter months.

Responding to questions, Babar Baloch, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said before the tragedy struck Afghanistan, UNHCR were concerned about the number of Afghans returning to Afghanistan. More than half of the 2.4 million returnees were deportations. UNHCR had been in touch with authorities in Pakistan and had offered support to the 1.4 million registered refugees in the country.

In response to a question from the media, Jens Laerke, for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the total appeal for Afghanistan stood at a requested 2.4 billion dollars for 2025, out of which only 28 percent was funded,. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) had released five million dollars in response to the crisis yesterday. The next step would be an emergency appeal which would be presented soon.

Landslide in Sudan

Responding to another question, regarding the landslide in Sudan which was reported to have killed around 1,000 people, Jens Laerke, for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said OCHA were trying to verify the figures and hoped to produce a flash update today which would be distributed to the media.

Myanmar report points to worsening crisis amid escalation in Rakhine

Jeremy Laurence, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said a report published on Tuesday by the UN Human Rights Office said the worsening crisis in Myanmar, particularly Rakhine State, provided a stark reminder of the atrocities committed by the military in 2017, pointing to increased killings, torture, razing of villages, and mass forced displacement. Since the escalation of hostilities in Rakhine, hundreds of thousands more people had been displaced. The United Nations estimated around 150,000 Rohingya had fled to Bangladesh since November 2023, joining nearly one million already taking refuge there. “Videos and pictures show death, destruction and desperation, distressingly similar to images that we already saw during the 2017 atrocities committed by the military against the Rohingya,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. The High Commissioner reiterated his previous calls for a full referral of the Myanmar situation to the International Criminal Court by the Security Council.

The report, which covered the 14 months up until 31 May 2025, examined in detail four incidents involving grave violations, including the targeting of civilian’s homes, villages, schools and camps for displaced people. In one of the incidents, on 12 May 2025, an airstrike struck a school killing 24 civilians, including 16 girls, six boys, and two female teachers. Sources indicated that the military had regularly targeted public administration sites, including schools, with the effect of instilling fear in the public. The report stated that even after declaring a unilateral ceasefire following the earthquake in March 2025, the military reportedly launched over 550 attacks, and killed over 480 people, on top of the nearly 4,000 deaths from the earthquake itself. The High Commissioner implored Member States to support international efforts to hold those responsible for violations of international law to account.

The full statement is available here.

James Rodehaver, Head of the Myanmar Team, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), speaking from Bangkok, said since the report had been written, the situation had continued to worsen; particularly due to the growth of ground operations throughout the country by the military, designed to consolidate its control in strategic areas, prior to the elections announced to start in late December this year. The situation was particularly bad in Rakhine State as detailed by the report. The ongoing restrictions imposed in the country, especially in communication, made the verification of data in some instances very difficult. This was noted in the report.

Responding to questions, Mr. Rodehaver said there were estimated to be around 200,000 still left in communities in Rakhine State. Since the fighting renewed in November 2023, numbers had dwindled significantly, with around a third of Rohingya having fled abroad or to other locations within the country.

In response to an additional question, Mr. Rodehaver said the military had gained momentum, both on the ground and politically. Since the earthquake, they had used tactics which involved launching persistent airstrikes and artillery barges, followed by troop deployment on the ground, to press their advantage to armed groups, who were hurting due to dwindling humanitarian assistance. Some of the military’s foreign allies had applied pressure to expedite the elections announced by the military. The military was also credited for its role in the earthquake response, having leveraged political momentum to bolster its legitimacy—an impact visible on the ground.

In a further response, Mr. Rodehaver said the figure of 7,100 was the floor of the number of civilian fatalities which had occurred in the conflict. This was due to communication difficulties in areas where fighting was intense, resulting in small figures, when compared to figures received from these areas which could not be verified. The figure of 7,100 were verified in that a name could be placed to the body; they were reliable. However, these numbers just represented those deaths caused directly by the military and did not include those killed by armed groups, among other factors.

Cameroon: Restriction of civic space ahead of elections

Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said growing restrictions on civic and democratic space in Cameroon in the lead up to the presidential election in October raised fears about whether voters could freely express their will. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged the Government to take swift action to ensure an environment conducive to a free, transparent, inclusive and genuine election. Several gatherings had been banned amid rising restrictions on the activities of opposition political parties. On one occasion, a live television interview with a political figure was interrupted by security forces. These developments came following the suspension of three civil society organisations and the banning of two others in December last year. High Commissioner Türk also urged the Government to take meaningful steps to address rising hate speech, disinformation, and incitement to violence, both online and offline, in line with international human rights law.

The full statement can be viewed here.

Responding to a question regarding the interruption of the live broadcast, said this interview was conducted on STV on the 7^th of August with Dieudonné Yebga, who was one of 71 rejected presidential candidates. The interruption occurred at the eight-minute mark, and he was escorted out by a group of police.

The Situation of women in El Fasher, Sudan

Salvator Nkurunziza, UN Women Representative in Sudan, speaking from Port Sudan, said for more than 500 days, women and girls in El Fasher, North Darfur, had borne the brunt of a relentless siege. For the past three weeks, the United Nations had recorded at least 125 civilian deaths in the area, including summary executions, with the actual death toll likely higher. Since April 2023, more than 600,000 people had been displaced from El Fasher and its surrounding camps. Inside the city, women and girls were enduring famine-level conditions, as classified by the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC). With food stocks depleted and efforts by the United Nations and its partners to move in with supplies hampered by attacks, families were now surviving on animal feed and tree leaves. There had been repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets in North Darfur over recent months. More than forty-one health and educational facilities in the State had been destroyed, and supplies of medicine had been depleted. Since the conflict began, 1.79 million internally displaced people had been living in North Darfur State, more than half of them women and girls.

The violations against women and girls in El Fasher were mounting and must be recognized as grave breaches of international law. Conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, had been systematically deployed as a weapon of war. Starvation was also being used as a weapon of warfare in direct violation of international humanitarian law. Women-led organizations and women volunteers were the backbone of community survival. They urgently needed direct, sustained support to continue their work. UN Women condemned all violations against women and girls and joined the Secretary-General in calling for an immediate ceasefire in and around the El Fasher area. For the women and girls in El Fasher, every day was a matter of survival. The time to act was now.

The full statement can be viewed here.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), reminded the media of the statement distributed last Friday where the Secretary-General had expressed his alarm at the situation in El Fasher and called for an immediate ceasefire, while calling for the protection of civilians.

Appointment of National Honorary Ambassador for Gender Equality

Pernille Fenger, for the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Agency (UNFPA), said UNFPA India had proudly appointed Indian actress and entrepreneur Kriti Sanon as its National Honorary Ambassador for Gender Equality. With over 80 million social media followers she brought extraordinary reach in India and globally. Over the next two years Ms. Sanon would drive awareness campaigns, undertake field missions and engage with Governments and global leaders to advocate UNFPA’s mission towards gender equality.

New UNICEF spokesperson in Geneva

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), introduced the new United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson Ricardo Pires. Mr. Pires said he had been with the media team in New York for the last 2.5 years working closely on Gaza and Sudan and other humanitarian crisis affecting children. He had just begun his new assignment in Geneva working with James Elder as a deputy spokesperson. His email address was Rpires@unicef.org.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said the media had received a press release by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO). On Thursday, 4 September at 12 pm, there would be a press conference on the WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin 2024, with Lorenzo Labrador, WMO Scientific Officer.

On Wednesday, 3 September at 10:30 a.m. the UN Human Rights Council would hold a background briefing on the 60th regular session, with Ambassador Jürg Lauber, President of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Also on Wednesday, at 12:30pm, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) would present findings on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, State of Palestine, Finland, Kiribati, and Maldives, with several Committee members.

Ms. Vellucci also said the Conference on Disarmament was holding this morning at 10am a public plenary meeting, still under the presidency of Mexico.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would open next Monday at 10am its 78th session (8-26 September), during which it would review the reports of Russian Federation, Colombia, Chile, the Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

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