The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN INFORMATION SERVICE GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
17 April 2026
Lebanon-Israel ceasefire
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), read the following statement:
“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and commends the role of the United States in facilitating the ceasefire. He reaffirms the support of the United Nations to all efforts to end hostilities and alleviate the suffering of communities on both sides of the Blue Line. The Secretary-General hopes that this ceasefire will pave the way for negotiations and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) towards a long-term solution to the conflict. He urges all actors to fully respect the ceasefire and to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, at all times. The Secretary-General further hopes that this agreement will contribute to ongoing efforts toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.”
Impact of the Gaza war on women and girls
Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action at UN Women in Geneva, stated that a new analysis was showing how the war had affected women and girls in Gaza. Six months after the ceasefire in Gaza, women and girls continued to face severe and persistent risks, as humanitarian needs remain critical and recovery conditions remain fragile. A new analysis published by UN Women showed that more than 38,000 women and girls — including over 22,000 women and 16,000 girls — had been killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, representing an average of 47 women and girls killed per day. Women and girls accounted for a proportion of deaths much higher than ever before in Gaza. Despite the ceasefire announced in October 2025, reports indicated that killings of women and girls had persisted in recent months, underscoring that the threats to their lives remain ongoing. The report, The Cost of the War in Gaza on Women and Girls, also highlighted that nearly 11,000 women and girls had sustained injuries resulting in lifelong disabilities. The actual number of casualties was likely higher, as many bodies remained trapped under rubble, while the collapse of health information systems had significantly constrained the documentation of deaths and injuries. Nearly one million women and girls had been displaced, many of them repeatedly. Intensive damage to infrastructure had made it impossible for women and girls to access health care and other life-saving services.
UN Women called for the ceasefire to be respected, with full compliance with its terms, respect for international law, strengthened accountability, and the protection of women and girls alongside unimpeded humanitarian assistance at scale. Women and girls had to be at the centre of response and recovery, and meaningful participation in peacebuilding and reconstruction. UN Women remained on the ground in Gaza partnering with women-led and women's rights organizations, providing funding, coordination, and technical support, said Ms. Calltorp.
The full press release is available here.
Answering questions from the media, Ms. Calltorp explained that there was an almost complete lack of services for women in Gaza, including sexual and reproductive rights, and access to sanitary pads.
2025 – the deadliest year for maritime movements of Rohingya refugees
Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that in 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees had been reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record for maritime movements in South and South‑East Asia. More than 6,500 Rohingya had attempted perilous sea crossings that year, with one in seven reported missing or dead – the highest mortality rate worldwide of any major route for refugee and migrant sea journeys. In recent years, over half of those attempting these crossings had been women and children. The trend continued in 2026, with more than 2,800 Rohingya undertaking dangerous sea journeys between January and 13 April.
While most Rohingya refugees wished to return to Myanmar once conditions allowed for a voluntary, dignified and safe return, ongoing conflict, persecution and the absence of citizenship prospects left them with little hope. Meanwhile, severe funding shortfalls had significantly reduced humanitarian aid in Bangladesh, compounded by insecurity in the camps and limited access to education and livelihoods, pushing refugees towards dangerous onward movement. Mr. Baloch said that some 200,000 Rohingya refugees had taken dangerous sea journeys over the years, of whom over 5,000 had lost their lives in the Andaman Sea, many of them women and children.
UNHCR’s press release can be found here.
Mr. Baloch, responding to questions, said that the continued movement showed a sense of desperation among the displaced Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazaar and those who were still in Myanmar. What was particularly alarming was the rate at which the Rohingya were dying in the high seas. Speaking of funding cuts, Mr. Baloch said that over one million Rohingya refugees were generously hosted by Bangladesh, but the funding needed to support the host communities and the refugees was simply missing. For those trafficking refugees, human lives simply did not matter, said Mr. Baloch. No one would put their family on a risky boat if they were not desperate, he stressed. Once the sea journey started, many did not reach their desired destinations. Some ended up back in Bangladesh or Myanmar, while others were rescued on the high seas. UNHCR was appealing to all coastal states in the region to save those at risk and seeking safety. Some Rohingya had arrived to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, he said.
Announcements
Hanane Hafraoui, Programme Officer, Lead of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), informed that the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit 2026 would take place on 20-22 April, at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne. The Summit would convene government officials who developped building policies working alongside academics advancing research, private sector and AEC leaders implementing solutions, financiers mobilising investment, and civil society, bridging the gap between policy commitments and on-ground implementation. The Summit would focus on emerging markets and developing economies, where built environment growth would be greatest, driving action to transform the sector into a driver of environmental sustainability through holistic approaches that seamlessly integrate resilience and socio-economic factors. The three-day programme would feature high-level plenaries with government and industry leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America; the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate Technical Meeting advancing international cooperation on national climate commitments; academic showcases; and cross-disciplinary workshops.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that the Secretary-General was in The Hague to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice. He would deliver remarks at the event and hold a series of bilateral meetings.
She further said that the first meeting of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance would take place in Geneva on 6-7 July, along the AI for Good Summit. Ahead of that meeting, the two co-chairs of the Dialogue and the UN Special Envoy on Technology would be in Geneva next week and brief the media ahead of the regular press briefing, on 21 April at 10 am.
Alessandra Vellucci, speaking on behalf of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), informed that the 29th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers (NDM-UN29) would take place at the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG) from 22 to 24 April. This year’s meeting would explore the theme “One Humanity” through more than 40 sessions, including plenaries, side events and workshops. Over three days, meeting participants from more than 80 countries and territories would be able to engage with more than 800 mine action practitioners and National Directors from around the world. On 20 April, a morning briefing would be organized at CICG with the Directors of UN Mine Action and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining. On 23 April at noon, the Under-Secretary General for the Department of Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, would hold a press conference. Finally, on 24 April in the morning, there would be another briefing to address specific mine action programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, legacy contamination in the Solomon Islands, Sudan, and Ukraine.
Ms. Vellucci said that on 23 April at 10:30 am, Dario Liguti, Director of the Sustainable Energy Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), would hold a press conference on critical minerals – myths and realities.
Ms. Vellucci stated that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would conclude this morning its review of the report of Cyprus, while the Committee against Torture would begin on 21 April at 10 am its review of the report of Gabon.
Finally, on 20 April, the Chinese Language Day would be marked by an event at the Palais des Nations, at the Salle des Pas Perdus and in the Concordia Hall.
***
TOPICS
UN WOMEN Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action (PR)
· New UN Women data analysis on the impact of war in Gaza on women and girls, including its massive death toll
UNHCR Babar Baloch (PR)
· UNHCR: 2025 was deadliest year yet for maritime movements of Rohingya refugees
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNEP Gulnara Roll, Head of Sectoral Transition and Head of GlobalABC Secretariat, UNEP (Zoom)
· Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit 2026
UNIS on behalf of UNMAS
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