Central Emergency Response Fund, Food And Agriculture Organization - Food Prices, Ethiopia & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

very, very good quiz today. Very good quiz. You see, Chris, now I got your attention. Now you're awake. No. Two quizzes, two countries paid. All right. Anybody coming down the corridor? All right, it's okay. It's today, Friday. Yes. That's it. All right, good afternoon. I will start off with Money and humanitarian needs. I think as we tell you almost every day from this podium, we tell you about the impact that the lack of funding is having on aid operations around the globe. Today, to keep our vital work going, we've released $160 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support lifesaving assistance in 12 of the world's most underfunded humanitarian crises across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle This allocation is part of a wider push to reach 87 million people, 87 million people facing the most severe humanitarian crises this year. Tom Fletcher, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that today's new funding will help us get aid to people who might otherwise be left behind. But he stressed that money alone won't get us there. He called for leaders to exercise political will to open access, to remove obstacles, and to help us people whose lives are on the line. Of the new allocations, $150 million will support lifesaving responses in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, Mali, Niger, the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen. Five of the crises, and that includes Afghanistan, the OPT, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen, are among the 10 places where Mr. Fletcher has called for urgent diplomatic action to secure humanitarian access to unlock assistance for 11 million of the 87 million people prioritized to support -- prioritized for support this year. The allocation also includes $10 million to address the urgent needs of people with disabilities in the 12 crises and make humanitarian assistance more accessible and to make it also more inclusive. Food prices have climbed again, but I think we all know that. Our colleagues at the Food and Agriculture Organization say the benchmark index for the world food commodity prices rose in September, driven by higher sugar, cereal, and vegetable oil prices. The FAO price index averaged 136 points last month, up from 1.5% in August and 5.8% from just a year ago. Sugar showed the sharpest rise with 6.1% to its highest level since April of 2025 as global supplies are expected to tighten. Cereal prices were also up 5.1% on the month and wheat reached its highest level since August of 2023, largely because of logistical constraints in the Black Sea region. Maize hit a three-year high as supplies tighten and uncertainty continued over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Turning to Ethiopia, as I've been telling you, our partners are continuing to work to secure safe and sustained access for humanitarians to scale up lifesaving assistance wherever conditions permit. In the Afar region, our partners are mobilizing food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, hygiene, and emergency shelter assistance. A government-led assessment of nine priority Our latest districts released yesterday identified a number of humanitarian needs among people uprooted by conflict in Amhar region or humanitarian partners will today begin providing food assistance to over 80,000 internally displaced people in the district of Rayakobo in the town of Sekota following improved humanitarian access there. And in Yemen. Our humanitarian colleagues on the ground report that escalating conflict continues to drive up humanitarian needs and force more people from their homes, including people fleeing across the country's borders. The escalation in Taiz is putting additional pressure on relief efforts, as you can well imagine. It's disrupting the movement of people, it's disrupting the movement of humanitarian supplies, and it is limiting access to essential services. The office of Hans Grunberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, received deeply troubling reports of casualties, damage to infrastructure, and road closures that are preventing people from leaving the area in their search for safety. Against these concerning developments, Mr. Grunberg remains in close contact with the government of Yemen, with Houthis, as he urges them to take steps to urgently contain the situation and ensure freedom of movement for civilians. The fighting, as you know, has also forced people to flee across into Djibouti. Since the start of September, UNHCR tells us that some 3,800 people have arrived in Djibouti from Yemen, while another 150 managed to make it to Somalia. In Djibouti, UNHCR is supporting the authorities with refugee registration, while the agency and its partners are also working on protection. UN agencies and partners there are also providing hot meals, water, health care, and nutrition support. We continue to monitor the situation, and OCHA colleagues are assessing the humanitarian impact. At the same time, we're working with authorities and partners to respond to lifesaving needs wherever they may be. And turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues there tell us that escalating violence in the province of Ituri is also disrupting humanitarian operations, cutting off people from receiving aid, and also hampering the fight against Ebola. At least five humanitarian organizations have suspended or scaled back operations, limiting access to food, health care, nutrition services, cash assistance, water, and sanitation. Some 10,000 people or or at risk of losing access to urgently needed assistance. Another 50,000 internally displaced people are at the road site, are now facing at risk if not -- if they cannot receive the aid they need. The violence is also hindering the Ebola response, disrupting community engagements and surveillance, and delaying the transport of lab samples as well as patients. As of September 30th, the national Ebola authorities had reported nearly 8,300 confirmed cases of Ebola and more than 4,000 deaths, with transmission remaining active in several provinces in the DRC. Once again, we need a safe, sustained, unhindered humanitarian access, as well as continued international support for Ebola response and lifesaving humanitarian operations. And just to flag that in South Sudan, The head of our mission there, Anita Kikigebeho, met with President Salva Kiir. During their discussions, they reiterated the need for inclusive dialogue, consensus-building, and improved security environment to ensure the elections are conducted peacefully, conducted inclusively, and conducted credibly. And in Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that as a result of this week's deadly attack in the commune of Gromon in Artibonite Department, which we told you about, which we condemn clearly, as a result of those attacks, several local and international humanitarian partners have temporarily suspended activities and staff movement in the area, disrupting the delivery of lifesaving assistance. Nearly 90,000 people in Gromon were expected to receive humanitarian assistance this year some 30,000 reached by the end of June. Continued insecurity is now delaying planned assistance for tens of thousands of people. Once again, and here as well, we need safe, rapid, and unhindered access for humanitarian colleagues so they can reach whoever needs it, wherever they may be. And also on Haiti, in Geneva this morning, Volker Turk, our High Commissioner for Human rights called for stronger action to stop the illicit flow of weapons, tackle impunity, and reinforce the rule of law in Haiti. He also stressed the need to address the corruption, poverty, and inequality that allows gangs to prey on children, vulnerable communities. We need all eyes on Haiti and sustained international support, he said. And from Ukraine, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that another wave of attacks has caused civilian casualties and damage across the country. A dozen civilians were killed and nearly 80 injured, according to local authorities. Homes, energy infrastructure, and a bridge in Kyiv were damaged, while power supplies were disrupted in six regions in Ukraine. Our humanitarian partners have mobilized shelter, psychosocial assistance for families affected by the attacks. Meanwhile, humanitarian access is becoming increasingly difficult in Ukraine. Between July and August, OCHA reports 86 access incidents, including drones and missile attacks, across nine regions, as well as in the city of Kyiv. This represents an increase of 26 percent compared with the period between May and June, and is the highest number since monitoring began in March of 2022. And just want to flag the report by UNHCR that warned today that nearly 6 million refugee children were out of school worldwide in 2025, as deepening funding cuts threaten to shut millions more out of classrooms and reverse years of progress in refugee education. UNHCR's latest annual education report estimates that 44% of the world's 13.1 million school-age refugee children were out of school last year. But there was progress in higher education. refugee tertiary enrollment reached a record 11 percent in 2025, up from 9 percent in 2024, with more than 450,000 refugees enrolled for higher education for the first time. That's the highest number to date. Much more is available online. Senior personnel appointments share with you today. Secretary General is appointing Ramiz Alipkarov of Azerbaijan as his new Assistant Secretary General for Safety and Security in the Department of Safety and Security. Dr. Alakbarov will assume his functions in January of next year. He succeeds Unaisi Vuniwaka of Fiji upon the completion of her term in office in December of this year. The Secretary-General expresses his utmost gratitude to Ms. Vuniwaka for her committed service to the United Nations. And we congratulate our friend, Dr. Ramiz Al-Abkara, for his appointment. You know him well. He is currently the Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the UN in the occupied Palestinian territory. And he brings with him 30 years of extensive experience in the field of leadership, strategic planning, policymaking, development, humanitarian response. He's also served in leadership positions in Ethiopia as well as Afghanistan. Today may not seem like it, but it is the International Day of Nonviolence, which also marks the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. In his message, the Secretary-General says Gandhi showed that the best way to counter injustice is not to mirror the cruelty and violence of oppression, but to use dialogue and nonviolence to create lasting change. He calls on us to show courage, empathy, dignity, and shared humanity that Gandhi exemplified throughout his life. Today, rather on Sunday, we mark the start of World Space Week, which runs through October 10th. Those two dates are the anniversary of the launch of Sputnik back in 1957, which was, you know, the first human-made satellite, and of the Outer Space Treaty entering into force exactly a decade later. Finally, Chris, you may want to pay some attention, quiz today. The first country has a giant clock tower that features the world's largest clock face, and it also has a very tall fountain which shoots water as high as 1,000 feet into the air. Chris, wow, wow, wow, wow. Sorry? I had you at clock tower, yes. And do you know the name of that clock tower?

It's Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca.

I assume you have not been there. Oh, you have. Excellent. And the fountain is King Fahd's Fountain in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The second country has tree climbing lines The lions climb fig trees to rest and escape insects. Now, the other thing, the country is also associated with the Rolex, but not the watch, the street food, which is an egg omelet and vegetables rolled up inside a soft chapati flatbread. No. No. Mona, no?

Uganda.

Sorry? Islamabad, what were you saying? No, it is -- no, your colleagues were closer because it is in Africa. It is Uganda. So we thank our friends in Riyadh and Kampala for their full payments to the regular budget. Saudi Arabia paid $38,939,004, and Uganda paid $317,897. We thank them both for their payment to the regular budget. On that note.

It's a question about the execution of Christa Pike. asked to spare her life and the Bishop of Tennessee sent a letter to the governor Lee asking him to commute the sentence from the death penalty to life in prison, considering that the General Assembly has voted in several occasions for the moratorium of the death penalty. Does the UN have a comment and does the UN support--?

Our comment is that the death penalty should not exist. exist, right? States should not use the death penalty. We've been very open on that, whether it's in any country where it still exists, we should not have the death penalty, and the Secretary-General stands firmly against it. Yes, madam.

Thank you. First, on Afghanistan, you mentioned yesterday children killed by explosive ordnance, I think three children. Given that the UN has documented dozens of these incidents this year, is there a particular pattern you're seeing in where and how children are encountering explosive ordnance that could help target prevention efforts?

Well, Children are very vulnerable to unexploded ordnance because very often they can have the shape of a toy. The children may may not know what they these are. This is why we're so focused on educate, educating communities. We've done in Afghanistan, we've done it in Gaza, in a lot of places where there are unexploded ordnance. It is something that we. that our colleagues at UN Mine Action Service are very good at, but it is also something for which we need more funding. Okay, any other questions? Thank you. Oh, you had a question? No, if you have a question, ask it, please.

Thank you. Next week, the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced. So given the current global situation, what kind of person or organization does the Secretary-General hope will receive the prize?

We hope it is someone or an organization that deserves it wholeheartedly. Let me just read something into the record I was just given on Ethiopia, and that we are concerned by the rising tensions among countries in the Horn of Africa at a time when unity, when dialogue and when cooperation are so urgently needed to support peace and stability in the region. The Secretary-General calls on states to exercise restraint, to refrain from any action that would further inflame tensions, and commit to resolving their differences through dialogue. Thank you. No questions online. You may ask as many as you wish until I collapse.

Thank you so much. On education in Gaza, yesterday you also mentioned that UNRWA workshops are producing hundreds of desks and chairs each week for students. If you have the information on what are the biggest gaps that remain?

Well, I mean, the biggest gaps are big, right? And they're numerous. One of the many challenges for SOAS is the destruction of the existing education infrastructure. Schools were destroyed. A number of UNRWA schools are now being used as shelters, as family shelters, because people's homes were destroyed. So UNRWA set up a number of learning centers, which may be in schools, in what used to be schools, or in other places. But the challenges that we talk about almost every day in Gaza about rubble, rubbish, transportation, all of that make it that much harder for children to learn on top of the psychological toll that these children have to bear. Thank you. Enjoy the day. And see you not tomorrow. Have a good weekend!