Speaking to journalists at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Shoko Arakaki, director of humanitarian affairs at the United Nations reproductive health agency (UNFPA), said essential services have been severely disrupted, while incidents of conflict-related rape and sexual violence increased by a third compared to last year.

“Congolese women and girls endure enormous suffering, but never lose hope,” she said, adding that even before the latest escalation of conflict, three women were dying every hour from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth in the country.

During her visit to the capital Kinshasa and Goma, in the east of the country, Ms. Arakaki was able to see first-hand the harsh realities faced by women and girls. She met midwives who continue to give birth in extremely difficult conditions and listened to mothers who had lost everything.

Neglected humanitarian crises

“Women and girls are also raped, exploited and abused in camps, in transit and within their own communities,” she said.

Often described as one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises, the DRC continues to face alarming levels of gender-based violence. According to recent reports, incidents of sexual exploitation, abuse and coercion are widespread – particularly in crowded IDP camps where protection and security measures remain limited.

The crisis is further exacerbated by chronic hunger and lack of livelihoods for displaced and host communities.

Across the DRC, demand for emergency assistance is increasing sharply, with 27 million people expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2025. Without a solution to the ongoing conflict in the eastern provinces, the humanitarian and displacement situation is expected to further deteriorate.

Survivors of multiple rapes

Ms. Arakaki said she met a 14-year-old girl who had survived multiple rapes and was recovering from surgery at a UNFPA-supported hospital, while maintaining her dream of returning to school.

UNFPA currently provides essential health services to women and girls in the DRC, targeting 1.4 million people. The agency is urgently calling for increased funding to provide lifesaving reproductive care to those who need it most, including medical treatment and psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based violence.

The agency also urged all parties to the conflict to respect their legal obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure – including health facilities – and to ensure the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to where it is needed.

Nearly 500 million hectares (ha), the equivalent of around 750 million football fields, have been lost since 1990.

However, deforestation has slowed in all regions of the world over the past decade, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Deforestation refers to the loss of forest or its conversion to other uses, such as urban use or wastelands.

Every year for ten years, the planet has lost around 10.9 million hectares. of forest. This rate represents an improvement compared to the 13.6 million hectares lost each year during the previous period and the 17.6 million before that.

Who monitors the forests?

This encouraging trend was revealed Tuesday in the latest FAO forest assessment. reportwhich is published every five years.

It provides comprehensive analysis of global and regional forest trends using data collected through remote sensing – an advanced process using imagery and satellites – and national reports.

Thanks to international agreements focused on combating climate change, such as Paris Agreementthe UN promotes a collective approach to environmental protection.

Assessments such as the FAO Forests Report check whether countries are on track with the UN treaties and frameworks they have signed up to.

Qu Dongyu, director general of the agency, said the data produced by these assessments serves many purposes “from informing the global community about the state of forests and their changes, to supporting decisions, policies and investments related to forests and the ecosystem services they provide.”

How are forests preserved?

A fifth of the world’s forests are in legally established protected areas. 251 million ha of additional protected forest since 1990 – according to the evaluation. Asia has the highest share among all regions, with 26 percent forest covered.

Beyond protection orders, more than half of all forests are managed. This means that land is used either to produce wood, fiber and bioenergy, for soil and water protection and biodiversity conservation, or for tourism, among other uses. In Europe, 94 percent of forests are managed.

If forests are managed, who owns them? Since 2020, 71 percent of the world’s forests are state-owned. In North and Central America, indigenous peoples and local communities owned 41.6 million hectares of forest.

Fires, insects, diseases

Last year, the FAO related the increasing risk of wildfires and pests linked to climate change.

Fires remain a widespread threat, affecting an average of 261 million hectares of land each year, almost half of which is forested.

In 2020, an additional 41 million hectares of forest were damaged by insects, diseases and severe weather.

Contributing to forest monitoring and protection efforts, a Forest lodge will promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development at the upcoming UN COP30 climate conference next month in Brazil.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), returns took place between November 2024 and September 2025, as families returned to Khartoum from across Sudan, seeking to rebuild their lives after months of displacement.

“The scale of the return to Khartoum is both a sign of resilience and a warning,said Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General of Operations, who recently visited the country.

“I met people returning to a town still scarred by conflict, where homes are damaged and basic services barely function.»

The agency said Khartoum still hosts some 3.77 million displaced people, meaning current returns represent only a quarter of the state’s uprooted people.

An estimated 2.7 million more people could return home if conditions improve.

In Sudan, 2.6 million return movements were recorded during the same period, including 523,844 people crossing national borders – mainly from Egypt, South Sudan and Libya.

Insulated stability pockets

Despite isolated pockets of stability, IOM warned that the humanitarian situation remained dire.

“Everywhere in Sudan, cholera, dengue and malaria are spreadingmaking it even more urgent to invest in clean water, healthcare and other essential services so people can truly start anew,” Ms Daniels said.

Many returnees live in damaged homes or collective centers, with little access to clean water, health care or protection. Just over half live in rural areas and almost half are children.

Thousands of people trapped in El Fasher

The crisis has been particularly severe in El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur, where more than a million people have fled since the start of the war between government military forces and rival RSF militias in April 2023.

Thousands of people remain trapped by indiscriminate bombings, sexual violence and targeted ethnic attacks, and there are reports of civilians resorting to animal food to survive.

Recent IOM field reports indicate that more than 13,000 people were newly displaced in North Darfur and West Kordofan between October 15 and 20, as insecurity intensifies. UN teams are monitoring the situation and assisting affected communities.

Displaced families from the town of Tawila received help Monday after walking for days to escape violence in El Fasher. However, access remains difficult.

“We and our partners continue to scale up our response efforts where access allows,» declared Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN, during a press briefing in New York.

Silencing the guns

Sudan’s civil war pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the once-allied Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who turned guns on each other in April 2023. The fighting has displaced more than ten million people, destroyed large parts of Khartoum and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

IOM said it continues to work with partners to provide life-saving assistance and strengthen data collection to guide relief efforts. He reiterated the call to the warring parties to “silence the guns, end the suffering and find lasting solutions for the Sudanese people.”

“The Sudanese people have demonstrated remarkable strength and a deep desire to rebuild their lives once peace is restored,“, the agency said. “Their determination is remarkable, but life remains incredibly fragile.»

Ajith Sunghay said on Tuesday that “Settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency, with the acquiescence, support and, in many cases, participation of Israeli security forces. – and always with complete impunity.

During the first half of 2025 alone, there were 757 settler attacks causing casualties or material damage – a 13 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

“Two weeks into the 2025 harvest, we have already witnessed serious attacks by armed settlers against Palestinian men, women, children and foreign solidarity activists,” he added.

Lost crops, destroyed land

According to OHCHR According to the data, 96,000 dunums (approximately 9,600 hectares) of olive groves were not harvested in 2023, resulting in more than $10 million in losses for Palestinian farmers – a trend that has continued until 2024.

“Direct land destruction is also intensifying“, Sunghay said. “The settlers burned groves, sawed down olive trees and destroyed houses and agricultural infrastructure.”

He highlighted the broader toll of the occupation, noting that since October 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, while thousands of people have been displaced by attacks, movement restrictions and house demolitions.

“Livelihood and lineage”

“Here, the olive tree is never just a tree,” reflects Sunghay. “It is a livelihood and a lineage, a resilience and an economy, and a historical vein that connects Palestinians to the land. »

He said that up to 100,000 families depend on the olive harvest for their livelihood, describing it as “the economic backbone of rural Palestinian communities.”

OHCHR, he said, is working with partners to strengthen monitoring, provide legal assistance and maintain a protective presence for farmers and landowners.

Mr. Sunghay warned that the rise in settler violence is occurring “in the context of a accelerated Israeli land grab”, with officials “openly declaring their intention to annex the entire West Bank.”

He reiterated that Israel “has a legal obligation to end the occupation and reverse the annexation,” and urged member states to “exert maximum pressure to protect civilians, end and reverse these policies, and ensure that those responsible for decades of violations are held accountable.”

“And yes,” he concludes, “it starts with olives. »

The head of UNFCCC called on Tuesday for funding to “flow in now” as delegates prepare to travel to the Brazilian city of Belém next month for what is seen as a crucial summit to turn pledges into action.

There is little doubt about whether or not countries should prepare for a changing and more unpredictable climate: extreme weather events such as devastating wildfires, catastrophic droughts and apocalyptic floods are making life increasingly difficult in all parts of the world (or even, as people in Pacific island states are sink). findimpossible).

There are many examples of effective measures countries can take to adapt to this new normal, from high sea walls and cyclone warning systems to floating homes and planting drought-resistant crops.

However, all of this costs money. Lots of money. Estimates of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates this figure at between $160 billion and $340 billion – but only a tiny fraction of this amount actually goes to developing countries.

Livelihoods destroyed

On Tuesday, the UN Climate Change released a new report detailing the progress countries have made in their National Climate Adaptation Plans (NAPs). This confirms that the persistent funding gap risks derailing the plans many are trying to implement.

Speaking At the launch in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, Simon Stiell recalled that the climate crisis is destroying lives and livelihoods in all regions of the world, particularly in the most vulnerable countries, and that “adaptation is not optional; it is absolutely essential.”

The UN climate chief said adaptation would not only protect lives but also help empower communities and countries to thrive.

National adaptation plans, he said, are “the key to unlocking the epic transformative power of climate resilience investing.”

Operational plans

Aside from the funding challenge, progress is being made: 67 developing countries have submitted plans – including 23 least developed countries and 14 small island developing states – with an approach aimed at involving more women, youth, indigenous peoples, local communities and the private sector.

These efforts explain in detail what the priorities and needs are – and should, Mr. Stiell suggested, make it easier for investors and financial institutions to finance climate adaptation.

The report comes 19 days before the UN COP30 climate conference opens in the Amazon city of Belém, where adaptation and the financing gap will be a central issue for negotiators, aiming to mobilize $1.3 trillion in climate finance.

Looking ahead to the UN summit, Mr Stiell said it was a “key test of global solidarity” which must “connecting climate action to real lives around the worldto spread the vast benefits.

Abeer Etefa, Senior Regional Communications Officer for the World Food Program (PAM) told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that since the ceasefire took effect on October 11, the agency had been able to import more than 6,700 tons of food – enough for almost half a million people for two weeks.

“Daily deliveries continue and now average around 750 tonnes.“, Ms Etefa said. “This is much better than what we had before the ceasefire, but it is still well below our target, which is around 2,000 tonnes per day.”

The WFP spokesperson explained that unless all border crossing points can be used, achieving this goal is “almost impossible”.

Crossed objectives

Currently, only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings in the south are openand “severe destruction” hampers access from the south to the north – where famine was declared in August.

They are not very sure how long the ceasefire will last and what will happen next.

“We need Erez, we need Zikkim, we need these border crossing points to open,” insisted Ms. Etefa.

Reaching northern Gaza with large-scale convoys is a priority, she said.

“We have cleared the roads on a large scale to the north,” she added, removing debris from border crossing points to be able to connect Gaza City, where the situation is particularly dire.

“But we need these crossings to open to be able to accommodate large-scale convoys.”

Distribution objective

The agency has begun to restore its food distribution system, with a goal of extending assistance through 145 distribution points across the Gaza Strip. Some 26 distribution points have already been reestablished.

“The response was really massive,” Ms. Etefa said, describing people’s reactions to the food distributions. “People are showing up in large numbers, grateful for the efficient delivery of food aid.» as well as the “dignified manner” in which they can queue and quickly obtain their food rations.

The impact is significant, particularly for “the most vulnerable, women, female-headed households, the elderly,” she said.

Hedging bets

People are hopeful, but there is “cautious optimism” about how long current conditions will continue, Ms Etefa said. Those who receive food aid tend to eat only part of the rations and save the rest for emergencies.“because they are not very sure how long the ceasefire will last and what will happen next.”

“It is a fragile peace,” stressed Ms. Etefa.

Adding to the challenges, food prices in Gaza remain prohibitive and supplies are still not sufficient “to the level where they can be affordable”, Ms Etefa said. “There is still a huge problem of access… people can find food in the market, but it’s out of reach because it’s extremely expensive“, she warned.

Support for the hungry

WFP is supporting those most at risk of food insecurity through digital payments which have so far enabled some 140,000 people to purchase food in local markets, with the aim of doubling the program in the coming weeks.

The WFP spokesperson reiterated the agency’s calls for commercial supplies to enter the enclave and supplement the aid. “Humanitarian aid will not be the only solution to deal with severe malnutrition and have a complete food basket,” she explained.

Only full implementation of the ceasefire can allow the WFP to operate at the scale required for this crisis, Ms. Etefa stressed. “Maintaining the ceasefire is vital.

It’s really… the only way to save lives and fight famine in the north of Gaza,” she concluded.