By adopting resolution 2785, the Council renewed the authorization of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), reaffirming support for a Haitian-led solution to the island nation’s overlapping crises.

The decision comes as armed gangs maintain their grip on most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, with over 1.3 million people displaced and more than 4,000 killed in the first half of 2025 alone, according to UN figures.

Conditions have deteriorated dramatically amid growing food insecurity and the erosion of public institutions. Of particular concern is the safety of women and girls, with a sharp rise in reports of sexual violence since the start of the year – including rape, gang rape, and sexual enslavement.

Time is running out

The Security Council also “expressed its intention to consider, without delay” the recommendations by the Secretary-General on possible future roles for the UN in sustaining security and stability in Haiti.

In February, António Guterres presented the Council with a range of options.

“Each new wave of criminal attacks against the communities and institutions of Haiti is a distressing sign that time is running out,” the UN chief said in a letter.

He urged Member States to support the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which the Council authorized in October 2023 to assist Haiti’s national police in tackling gang violence and restoring order. He also emphasized that international efforts to improve security must be matched by national progress toward resolving the political crisis.

Several Council members voiced willingness to engage on the Secretary-General’s proposals. The Chinese representative, for instance, said Beijing was open to working with others to chart a constructive way forward.

“With regard to how to improve the situation in Haiti, including how to respond to the Secretary-General’s recommendations, we are ready to have candid communication with all parties, explore viable solutions and seek the broadest possible consensus,” said Geng Shuang, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the UN.

Mission critical

The Council’s action was welcomed by Haiti’s Ambassador, who underscored the political and security stakes ahead of a critical 2026 transition timeline.

“This extension should help Haitian authorities undertake a real, genuine political dialogue, to strengthen good governance, bolster security and bring about justice and promote human rights,” said Pierre Ericq Pierre, Permanent Representative to the UN.

He also expressed his Government’s expectation that the UN mission will support implementation of the national roadmap, including constitutional reforms and elections.

Emphasizing national ownership, he added: “BINUH must work as part of a holistic plan to support Haitian authorities in confronting the grave crisis shaking the country to its core.”

The United States, which led negotiations on the resolution alongside Panama, stressed the urgency of political progress and called on international partners to increase support.

“Less than one year remains on the Transitional Presidential Council’s planned roadmap for the restoration of democratic institutions,” said Ambassador Dorothy Shea, acting representative.

“Supporting the security of elections and the participation of all sectors of society is key to sustainable political progress in Haiti. Without BINUH, realizing the vision of a stronger, more resilient society would be less likely.”

New mission leadership

Council members also welcomed Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu, appointed as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of BINUH, succeeding María Isabel Salvador.

Mr. Ruiz Massieu, who currently leads the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, brings decades of diplomatic and political experience, including in peace negotiations and institution-building.

The UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) – a special political mission – was established in 2019 to advise and support Haitian authorities on political dialogue, justice, human rights and governance.

It succeeded a series of UN peacekeeping and political missions on the island, dating back to 1993, including the large-scale MINUSTAH operation, which wrapped up in 2017 after 13 years.

Abdou Abarry, UN Special Representative for Central Africa, told ambassadors in the Security Council that disasters and extreme weather events displaced more than three million people in the region this year alone.

This has worsened an already fragile socio-economic situation and underscored the need for stronger climate action.

Climate and humanitarian crises

“The Congo Basin forest, the ‘second green lung’ of the planet, which absorbs 1 to 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually and plays a strategic role in global climate regulation, was recognised as critical at COP29,” Mr. Abarry stated.

However, international climate financing remains inadequate, with less than 15 per cent of commitments fulfilled.

Humanitarian conditions are also deteriorating, driven by population displacements and emerging health threats such as Mpox, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Urging the international community for greater efforts in this regard, he warned that the current pace of assistance was not sufficient to meet the “staggering needs”.

Electoral and political developments

Mr. Abarry also informed Security Council members of July’s legislative elections in Rwanda. Looking ahead, he said the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) is closely monitoring preparations for several elections in the region.

Among them, Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon and the Central African Republic (CAR) are scheduled to go to polls next year, and Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe in 2026.

Countries such as Chad, Cameroon, São Tomé and Príncipe, Gabon and CAR, have sought electoral assistance from the United Nations, reflecting trust in the Organization, Mr. Abarry said.

Regional peace and security

He also highlighted the need for continued efforts to address insurgencies in the Lake Chad Basin, particularly attacks by Boko Haram affiliates.

In this regard, a joint UN mission recently advocated for bolstering the Multinational Joint Task Force, which plays a key role in regional security, he added.

Alongside, nations in Central African continue to resolve disputes peacefully, he continued, with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea referring their border dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

High-level dialogues are also ongoing between Chad and CAR regarding border security, he added.

Looking to 2025

Looking ahead, Mr. Abarry outlined key priorities for the region, including enhanced international funding for climate resilience, humanitarian assistance and peace initiatives.

The UNOCA, for its part, plans to support these efforts, focusing on strengthening regional stability and addressing humanitarian challenges.

In February 2025, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), in collaboration with UNOCA, will hold a summit to tackle climate and humanitarian issues.

Concluding his address, Mr. Abarry expressed hope for peace, justice, and prosperity in 2025, guided by a “revitalised multilateralism aligned with the ideals of the UN Charter and the Pact for the Future.”

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have raised the alarm over worsening hunger, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks in the world’s youngest nation.

WFP warned that the food situation in South Sudan has reached critical levels, with more than half of the population already facing “crisis-level” hunger – classified as at least IPC3 on the five point global food insecurity scale.

Exacerbating the situation is that the UN food agency has no funds to preposition supplies for next year, as it also faces challenges accessing communities in need due to seasonal road closures and prohibitive costs associated with airlifting aid.

“WFP currently has no food supplies in South Sudan to preposition for next year’s humanitarian response,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP acting Country Director for South Sudan.

He added that the country’s limited road networks are impassable for much of the year, particularly in regions with the highest levels of food insecurity.

“Airdrops are always last resort for WFP. Every dollar spent on planes is a dollar not spent on food for hungry people. But there is a simple solution: get food to communities by road before they are cut off by heavy rain and flooding.”

Complicating factors

The country’s hunger crisis is compounded by several factors, including high food prices, economic instability, ongoing conflict, and an influx of refugees from neighbouring Sudan, where conflict between Government troops and a powerful rival militia is also escalating.

Severe floods have not only destroyed crops but also displaced entire communities, leaving them dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive.

WFP’s current resources have only managed to reach 38 per cent of those in need during 2024’s lean season, with most recipients receiving half-rations.

Cholera outbreak

In addition to the food crisis, South Sudan is grappling with a cholera outbreak in Renk county, a key entry point for refugees and returnees fleeing conflict in Sudan. As of late October, health authorities have reported 50 suspected cholera cases, with six confirmed, among refugees, returnees, and the local community.

The outbreak is fuelled by overcrowded living conditions and limited access to clean water and sanitation which threatens to spread as the flood-displaced population grows.

In response to the outbreak, South Sudanese health authorities, supported by WHO, have activated a cholera task force to coordinate containment efforts. It also established two treatment units, a 10-bed facility at Renk Civil Hospital and a smaller one at Wunthou, a key entry point.

WHO has also deployed rapid response teams consisting of state coordinators, epidemiologists, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) experts, and infection prevention specialists. It also delivered 12 metric tons of emergency health kits to Renk, sufficient to treat 74,000 people, including cholera-specific supplies.

“WHO is committed to supporting the South Sudanese Ministry of Health in enhancing disease surveillance, improving response coordination, and ensuring the availability of medical supplies,” said Dr. Karamagi.

Children at risk

Children under five are especially vulnerable in South Sudan’s growing crisis, facing high levels of malnutrition and limited access to basic services.

UNICEF recently screened 1,800 under-fives for malnutrition at entry points in Greater Bahr el Ghazal, finding 485 malnourished, including 150 severely malnourished.

In response, UNICEF has been providing essential clean water services to an estimated 40,000 people in flood-affected areas, helping reduce waterborne disease risks.

Additionally, the agency supported the enrolment of over 3,000 returnee and refugee children into local schools in Renk, Kodok and Malakal, while 216 children attend basic English classes at the Renk Transit Centre, an effort aimed at supporting the integration of displaced children into host communities.

Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar outlined how the UN agency has been supporting Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, including following the wave of electronic device explosions this week.

Hundreds of pagers across the country simultaneously detonated on Tuesday, while walkie-talkies and even some solar panels blew up the following day.  The attacks reportedly targeted the Hezbollah militant group, killing civilians, including children.

Region ‘on the brink of a castrophe’

Speaking at the regular briefing for correspondents in New York, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called for “maximum restraint” by all parties to the conflict. 

“We are very concerned at the heightened escalation across the Blue Line including the deadly strike we saw in Beirut today”, he added.

“We also urge the parties to immediately return to the cessation of hostilities…The region is on the brink of a catastrophe.”

An ‘unprecedented’ crisis

Dr. Abukakar told UN News that as of Thursday evening, the Ministry of Health had recorded 37 deaths and more than 3,000 wounded.  

WHO has been assisting Lebanon’s hospitals to prepare for mass casualty events given the unrest in the region.

He described the past few days as “unprecedented”, both for the country and the health system, “because in one time on September 17, from almost 3:30 up to 4 o’clock, almost 3,000 injured patients were rushed to hospitals, and the hospitals were not prepared enough, actually, to handle simultaneously that number of cases.”

Support and supplies

Following the explosions, WHO supported the Ministry of Health “to properly coordinate with the hospitals so at least there is a proper referral system,” he said.

“We work with the emergency operation rooms to ensure that there’s a proper coordination within the hospitals where patients can be referred from one hospital to another hospital.”

Teams also dispensed and distributed supplies hospitals would need to manage cases, in addition to supporting the Lebanese Red Cross with proper supplies and testing kits for blood transfusions.

WHO also provided other support, including for mental healthcare services for health workers, patients and families, and to allow essential health services to continue.

Crisis upon crisis

The crisis is the latest challenge for Lebanon, where the health system has been severely impacted in recent years. 

Dr. Abubkar said first there was the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the devastating August 2020 explosion at the port in the capital, Beirut. The blast killed more than 200 people and caused millions in damage. 

Lebanon is also in the midst of financial turmoil, he added, and experiencing spillover from the war in Gaza which erupted last October after Hamas-led attacks on Israel.  Many hospitals have been managing trauma-related cases due to cross-border violence.

“Before the recent event that happened on 17 September there were almost 2,700 wounded patients and also about 550 deaths due to the conflict,” he noted.

WHO is also scaling up operations in southern Lebanon, where mobile clinics operated by partners offer immunization services, primary healthcare and nutritional support to people displaced by the fighting.

Preparing for mass casualty events

Dr. Abubakar said WHO and Lebanon’s Ministry of Health have invested heavily in preparedness of hospitals and health facilities, including advance training on trauma management, which proved valuable following the wave of explosions earlier this week.

“We propositioned supplies. We did a number of simulation exercises for this kind of a mass casualty event. I think some of those hospitals, actually, were prepared in a sense where at least they should expect this kind of a mass casualty event,” he said.

He praised the health authorities for their “tremendous effort” on coordination, whereby hospitals that were overwhelmed or “saturated” could transfer patients to other locations.

“In total, over 100 hospitals have received wounded patients,” he said. “And you can imagine now, in a country as small as Lebanon, which has five million people, when there’s so much injured people to be received within a very short period, how the health system will feel.”

Support Lebanon now

Asked if he had any message, Dr. Abubakar underlined the need to respect international humanitarian law and to protect healthcare workers and civilians, as well as health facilities.

He also urged greater support for Lebanon, stressing the need for more resources to respond to the ongoing crisis “but also the worst-case scenario”.

“I’m appealing to the international community that we need more resources to help to support those who have been injured, those who have been affected, the displaced people, in the current conflict,” he said. 

Chad hosts more than 1.1 million refugees, many escaping violence in Sudan, where rival militaries have been fighting since April 2023. At the same time, the war has also triggered colossal suffering within Sudan’s borders.

“The humanitarian task that we have in Sudan has been very big,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said. “It has been one that we have been consistently supporting the government to try to address the crisis. The suffering of the people in this country is one of the worst crises in the world today.”

Hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan have been affected by heavy rains and flash floods since June.

Ms. Mohammed met officials in Chad and announced $5 million allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as part of a rapid response towards supporting flood recovery efforts, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters on Friday.

Region in crisis

Chad and neighbouring Sudan have been grappling with multiple crises. That includes the ongoing Sudanese war and recent floods affecting 960,000 people in Chad and 310,000 in Sudan, according to UN agencies.

Discussions between the UN deputy chief and local authorities in Chad centred on the complex challenges facing the country, including regional dynamics and key risks, and highlighted “the urgent need for global solidarity”, the UN Spokesperson said.

Reaffirming the UN’s commitment, Ms. Mohammed called for “maximum solidarity and resources” to ensure the humanitarian response fulfills its mandate and supports the people of the region, urging parties “to invest more in saving lives and livelihoods”.

‘Vital lifeline for aid delivery’

While in Chad, Ms. Mohammed observed the humanitarian corridor operation at the newly opened Adré crossing point into Sudan and engaged with refugee representatives, women, youth and community leaders, welcoming the recent opening as “a positive step” towards providing lifesaving aid in Sudan.

“This crossing is a vital lifeline for aid delivery to millions in Sudan and must remain open and accessible to facilitate large-scale humanitarian assistance while ensuring the safety of aid workers,” according to the UN Spokesperson.

Shuttered for one year, this humanitarian corridor will allow UN agencies to scale up assistance to 14 areas facing famine in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazirah.

United Nations/Daniel Getachew

Un Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (right) visits Adré, Chad, at the border crossing with Sudan.

‘We need resources now’

The UN deputy chief underlined the critical importance of keeping the border crossing permanently open.

The Adré crossing is the most effective and shortest route to deliver humanitarian assistance into Sudan – and particularly the Darfur region – at the scale and speed required to respond to the immense hunger crisis.

“What we have to do is to match the openings of these borders with the aid that goes in, and that means resources,” she insisted, “and so we need those resources, and we need them now.”

The UN $2.7 billion appeal is only 41 per cent funded.

Sudan: War, displacement and hunger

Across the border, in Sudan, food security experts recently declared that the war has pushed parts of North Darfur state into famine, particularly the Zamzam camp, where more than half a million displaced people are sheltering.

The suffering of the people in this country is one of the worst crises in the world today

About 25.6 million people – over half of the population of Sudan – face acute hunger, including more than 755,000 people on the brink of famine and an estimated 10.7 million people are now internally displaced, according to UN agencies.

When visiting Sudan earlier this week, Ms. Mohammed met with the country’s President and cabinet members, who agreed that the Jeddah peace process must be implemented swiftly. She emphasised that “there is consensus there, and there is no reason why that cannot be moved forward.”

However, the discussion largely focussed on the humanitarian agenda and “the urgency of this”, she told reporters at a press conference in Port Sudan on Thursday.

She said efforts are addressing the Sudanese Government’s legitimate concerns and setting up procedures that “would ensure this aid gets to people where it’s meant.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed visits the UNICEF-supported e-learning centre at site for displaced people at Abdullah Naji in Port Sudan.

‘Crisis around famine’

“We have impending crisis around famine,” Ms. Mohammed said. “We are not getting medical supplies in where there are health crises. But, more importantly, we have to remember the suffering of the people, and we are here to do this with the Government of Sudan.”

Ms. Mohammed met with displaced persons, the UN team as well as with a number of government officials.

“What we have done is to sit down with the humanitarian aid commission, and then we have had discussions on how, first of all, not to stop any of the aid that is available right now going in,” she explained.

Reversing the situation will require the international community and donors to increase the funding of UN and non-governmental organization (NGO) relief operations, the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said in its latest advocacy note.

Growing hunger and needs

Months of violence have led to a deterioration of Haiti’s humanitarian crisis. Displacement has tripled in the last year in Haiti as gang violence continues to rock the Caribbean-island nation, with nearly 600,000 people on the run.

“The indiscriminate violence of armed groups and the near collapse of basic services have plunged Haiti into a humanitarian crisis unprecedented since 2010,” OCHA reported, referring to the devasting earthquake that struck the nation 14 years ago.

Following the spiralling security situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and Artibonite in the north in February, the number of displaced persons has soared by 60 per cent, the report showed, using the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) data tracking matrix for Haiti.

Collapsing basic services

The violence continues to target civilian infrastructure, with only 24 per cent of hospitals remaining operational, OCHA reported. The insecurity has also left 1.5 million children shut out of classrooms.

Half of the 578,000 displaced people, desperately fleeing the capital in search of safety, had made their way south, where the vast majority are staying with already economically vulnerable host families.

However, basic social services, such as education, health and water, hygiene and sanitation, already insufficient to meet the needs of the local population, have been severely strained, OCHA reported.

Forced deportations

Meanwhile, forced repatriations of Haitians from countries in the region is continuing.

Indeed, deportations of Haitian nationals even increased, particularly from April onwards, when incidents of violence were at their peak, OCHA reported.

In the first seven months of the year, nearly 100,000 people were deported from countries in the region to Haiti, according to data from IOM.

‘Wave of violence’

The violent clashes between gangs and the authorities have also persisted, even as the Multinational Security Support Force arrived in late June to help Haitian police address the ongoing crisis.

“This wave of violence continues to have humanitarian consequences on the populations of the affected neighbourhoods and localities, but also in areas far from the capital which have become host lands for hundreds of thousands of people,” OCHA stated in the report.

Almost 300,000 malnutrition cases have been documented, and five million people, about 50 per cent of Haiti’s population, face heightened food insecurity, according to a report earlier this year by a global monitoring group, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

Fears the crisis will spread

There are fears that the epicentre of the current humanitarian crisis will gradually shift to an increasing number of areas previously spared by insecurity, according to OCHA.

At the same time, the current hurricane season is expected to be active and could cause an additional shockwave on the daily lives of Haitians.

Haiti is bracing for between four and seven major storms in the months to come.

Calls to fill funding gaps

Additional financial resources are urgently needed to meet the increased needs of the Haitian population affected by this multidimensional crisis, OCHA said in its report.

Without additional funds, OCHA fears that these crises will continue.

Humanitarian concerns abound that food insecurity will continue to spread, hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children will face the risk of recruitment by armed groups and experience “lost years”, growing up without the skills needed for their future and survival, and that half a million vulnerable children and victims of protection incidents will be deprived of mental health services and psychosocial support, according to OCHA.

“While humanitarian assistance is a lifeline for many, it is only part of the solution,” the UN agency said.

“The government, political and development actors must work together to find lasting solutions to Haiti’s structural challenges,” OCHA said, echoing a call made last month by a joint UN-European Union mission to the country.

Eight months into the year, Haiti’s 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan is 33 per cent funded, having received $162.5 million out of $674 million.