“As part of these efforts, the UN and its partners are unloading more essential supplies at crossing points around Gaza every day,” it said. said.

On Monday, humanitarian workers unloaded nearly 4,000 pallets of aid at two border crossings: Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and Zikim, in the north.

Food, water and other supplies

About 65 percent of the pallets contained food supplies, while 12 percent contained shelter items. Another 12 percent were water, sanitation and hygiene items, and 7 percent were health and nutrition products.

The UN also tried on Tuesday to coordinate five humanitarian movements with the Israeli authorities. While three of them were facilitated, one was initially approved but never received permission to proceed, and another was canceled by organizers.

“As a result, teams were able to redeploy their personnel and carry out part of the planned collection of food and medical supplies at the Kerem Shalom crossing point, alongside other missions in areas where coordination with Israeli authorities was not necessary. » OCHA said.

Winter kits for children

On the educational front, partners have distributed more than 2,000 winterization kits to children aged 12 to 14, as well as deployed and distributed 58 specialized tents in 16 learning centers.

The move aims to expand classroom space and is expected to accommodate nearly 25,000 children.

Other partners working in mine action continue to inspect key areas for possible explosion hazards. In this regard, two assessments intended to support the removal of rubble in Deir al Balah and Gaza City were carried out on Monday.

© Agricultural Development Association – PARC

Olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank, October 2025.

West Bank: Farming families need support

Meanwhile, more than 72,000 families in the West Bank who farm or raise animals are in urgent need of emergency aid, according to a survey by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

It appears that about 90 percent of farming families have recently lost their income, mainly due to a sharp decline in crop and livestock production and sales.

FAO stressed that it was essential to support farmers and herders in the West Bank to produce food, support livestock and avoid a bigger crisis.

“Farming families urgently need assistance – in cash and in kind – to mitigate the impacts of widespread settler violence, a deepening economic crisis and near-pervasive loss of income. » said Rein Paulsen, Director of the FAO Office for Emergencies and Resilience.

Conflicts, rising costs and other challenges

Agriculture remains a vital lifeline in the West Bank. Of the approximately 700,000 families living there, around 115,000 depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, highlighting the importance of the sector for food security and income.

THE Data in Emergency Survey (DIEM) also reveals the growing pressures facing farm families. Nearly 9 in 10 households, or around 100,000, have recently experienced at least one acute “shock,” such as conflict and violence, rising costs of living, and job loss.

Other challenges they face include limited access to water, movement restrictions and land access constraints, and high fuel and transport costs.

The survey was carried out between July and August, this is the second time it has been carried out this year.

Ambassadors briefing Tuesday, UN Under-Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said that the US military presence and operations off the coast of Venezuela have grown since the last Council meeting discussed the issue in Octoberwhich further increases tensions.

The United States has described its expanded military deployment as part of what it calls a “non-international armed conflict” against cartels and drug trafficking, Mr. Khiari said.

“President Donald Trump said he would use ‘the full power of the United States to take on and eradicate these drug cartels, wherever they operate.'”

The Venezuelan government, including its permanent representative to the UN, has called the actions taken by the United States “a serious threat to international peace and security,” Khiari continued.

In a December 16 letter addressed to the President of the Council, Caracas accused Washington of violating “the principle prohibiting the threat or use of force in international relations.”

Strikes on suspected drug ships

U.S. strikes on ships allegedly carrying drugs in the southern Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific continue, Khiari said, citing U.S. officials who reported that 105 people had been killed in such strikes since September 2.

The exact locations were not disclosed, with U.S. officials saying they occurred in “international waters” or within the U.S. Southern Command area of ​​responsibility.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that the airstrikes violated international human rights law, Khiari added, emphasizing that the fight against drug trafficking is a matter of policing governed by strict limits on the use of lethal force.

Tensions continue to rise

Mr. Khiari further informed the Council that the United States has designated the Cartel de los Soles a “foreign terrorist organization” and declared Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety,” leading many international airlines to suspend flights.

Washington also announced that it has since seized oil tankers, imposed new sanctions and ordered what President Trump described as “a total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil shipments.

Venezuela, in turn, denounced these actions as a “unilateral naval blockade” and a violation of international law, and in recent days its navy has reportedly begun escorting oil tankers.

Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefs members of the Security Council.

Dialogue, the only viable path

Mr. Khiari reiterated the position of the United Nations on the need for all Member States to respect international law, particularly the United Nations Charterand exercise restraint and ease tensions to preserve regional stability.

The Secretary-General stands ready to support all diplomatic engagement efforts, he added, including through his good offices, if requested by both parties.

“Dialogue is the only viable path to lasting peace and preventing further instability and human suffering,” Mr. Khiari said.

Council members call for restraint

In the debate that followed, Security Council Members and participating countries have expressed concern about the situation, and many have warned of an escalation that could destabilize the region.

Michael Imran Kanu, Sierra Leone’s ambassador, said the UN Charter’s rules on the use of force are “essential to international stability” and aim to prevent escalation, miscalculation and illegal wars of choice.

French Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Jay Dharmadhikari stressed that efforts to combat drug trafficking must be carried out in accordance with international law. Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Panama’s ambassador, urged all states to cooperate using “relevant international instruments” and called for respect for the United Nations Charter.

Regional participants expressed contrasting views, with some expressing solidarity with Venezuela in the face of external pressure: “Their fight is our fight,” said Jaime Hermida Castillo, Nicaragua’s ambassador. Others, however, warned that the Venezuelan people suffer as a “direct consequence” of the government, “and not as external or third factors,” according to Miguel Ricardo Candia Ibarra, Paraguay’s representative.

The United States commits to eradicating cartels

US Ambassador Michael Waltz stressed that his country would eradicate drug cartels, “which have operated with impunity in our hemisphere for far too long”.

Sanctions will be applied to the greatest extent possible to “deprive [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro on the resources he uses to finance the Cartel [de los Soles]”.

This, he added, includes profits from the sale of oil, as these enable “his fraudulent claim to power and his narcoterrorist activities”.

Stressing that the “illegitimate Maduro regime” poses an “extraordinary threat to the peace and stability of our hemisphere,” Waltz said the United States “will do everything in its power to protect our hemisphere, our borders and the American people.”

Venezuela says US is looking for oil

“The United States seems destined by Providence to infest Latin America with misery in the name of freedom,” said Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s ambassador, quoting Simón Bolívar, a 19th-century Latin American independence leader and statesman.

Stressing that it is not his country – but the current US government – ​​that poses a threat, he added: “It is not drugs, it is not security, it is not freedom – it is oil, it is mines, it is land. »

Mr. Moncada demanded that the Security Council condemn the ongoing aggression and ensure that the United States withdraws its military.

“The world knows that if the scale of armed attacks continues, we will exercise, with determination, our inalienable right of self-defense,” he said.

Click here to additional coverage of the meeting coverage of UN meetings.

The global forest products sector saw a recovery in 2024 after a sharp decline the previous year, according to a new study. report published Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

FAO statistics cover 77 product categories, 27 product groups and more than 245 countries and territories. The report presents recent trends in trade data for each of the major forest product groups.

What are the main trends?

Global international trade in wood and paper products regained momentumwith modest growth recorded in most major product groups, according to FAO.

• This recovery comes after an overall decline of 14 percent in trade in wood and paper products in 2023.
• Industrial roundwood extractions, which refer to the total volume of wood harvested for non-energy purposes, increased by 2 percent in 2024, although their global trade declined by 1 percent.
• Global production of sawn timber such as boards, beams and other manufactured wood products remained virtually unchanged but varied by region. The sawn timber trade generally recorded no change compared to 2023.
• Wood-based panels increased for the second year in a row. Global production increased by 5 percent.
• Wood pulp production rose 3 percent to 189 million tonnes, while international trade rose 2 percent to a record 73 million tonnes.
• Wood pellets have experienced extraordinary growth in recent decades, driven primarily by bioenergy targets in Europe, the Republic of Korea and Japan. After a slight decline in 2023, global production returned to 48 million tonnes in 2024, i.e. the 2022 level.

Why it matters

Different types of trees can be used for housing, shelter, heating, food, medicine and even textiles or buildings.

“Forests support millions of livelihoods around the world, and this number is set to increase as they provide more economic opportunities in a growing range of industries, including sustainable timber production,” said FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu.

Promoting the sustainable use of forests is also part of Sustainable Development Goal 15, a vision that countries have agreed on.

When used sustainably, forests support life. Another recently published report FAO’s forest resources assessment showed that the net loss of forest area has been reduced by more than half since the 1990s and that more than 90 percent of forests are regenerating naturally.

On the eve of the elections of December 28, Secretary-General António Guterres called on all Central Africans to participate peacefully in the vote and urged the authorities to ensure that the elections take place “in a peaceful, orderly, inclusive and credible manner”. according to a statement published Wednesday by its spokesperson.

He also called on all political actors and stakeholders to refrain from any actions that could incite violence or undermine confidence in the process, stressing the importance of safeguarding the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the electoral period.

Historic vote

Sunday’s elections will be of unprecedented scale, combining four ballots – presidential, legislative, regional and municipal – across the country. Municipal elections, in particular, have not taken place in the Central African Republic (CAR) since 1988 and are a key provision of the 2019 Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation.

The Secretary-General described their conduct as “a historic step in the peace process” and a crucial step towards the consolidation of decentralization and the extension of state authority beyond the capital.

A complex landscape

The Central African Republic has long struggled with armed violence, weak institutions and limited state presence beyond the capital Bangui.

Despite the 2019 agreement, insecurity persists in parts of the country, while conflict, fragility of services and extreme weather conditions continue to fuel a humanitarian crisis, with more than two million people in need of assistance and almost a million displaced within the country or abroad.

Vast, sparsely populated and landlocked, the CAR is bordered by six countries and crisscrossed by dense forests, rivers and long, often impassable roads. Outside of Bangui, many communities are only accessible by plane or multi-day trips.

UN support for the electoral process

Mr. Guterres acknowledged the efforts of national authorities in preparing for the vote and highlighted the role of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. MINUSCAsupporting the process, in coordination with other UN agencies.

In recent weeks, MINUSCA mobilized significant logistical and security support to deploy electoral materials across the country.including in remote and difficult to access areas.

The mission transported ballot papers, indelible ink, electoral lists and other sensitive documents from Bangui to nearly 4,000 voting centers housing around 6,700 polling stations across the country.

A MINUSCA convoy transporting electoral kits to voting centers in the Central African Republic in preparation for the December 28, 2025 vote.

MINUSCA deployed all aircraft and helicopters in its fleet to transport electoral materials and staff, escorted secure ground convoys, and provided temporary storage facilities for sensitive materials in coordination with the National Electoral Authority (NEA).

He also supported civic education and voter awareness campaigns.notably on the prevention of electoral violence and the promotion of a code of conduct for political actors.

More than 2.39 million registered voters – including more than 1.14 million women – are expected to vote.

In 2021, after the Taliban took power, Nila Ibrahimi and her family fled Afghanistan. A staunch rights advocate since the age of thirteen, when she led a viral campaign that successfully overturned a government ban banning Afghan girls over the age of 12 from singing in public, she knew she risked being targeted by the new regime.

After spending time in hiding, she now lives in Canada, but she hasn’t given up on her activism. From her new home, she launched HerStory, an organization dedicated to documenting the experiences of girls in Afghanistan and across the diaspora.

“I do my best to tell the stories of girls who weren’t allowed to go to school. I was able to graduate but my friends are still stuck in time in ninth grade. It’s emotional labor, but I think if it motivates just one person to do something, then I think I’ve done enough.”

Active partners in peace

Ms. Ibrahimi was speaking to UN News at an event on December 15 to mark the tenth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 2250, which formally recognizes young people as active partners in the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security.

Around half of the world’s population is under the age of 30, making them the generation most concerned about our common future. However, they are often excluded from the spaces where solutions to our most intractable problems are shaped.

Since the adoption of the resolution, the UN has supported a multitude of initiatives implementing the recommendations it contains. For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia and Honduras developed National and local action plans for Youth, Peace and Security (YPS); The African Union organized the first African continent-wide dialogue on the YPS, which culminated with the Bujumbura Declaration; and 11 countries, from Africa to the Middle East, Asia and Europe, have so far adopted YPS action plans aligned with Resolution 2250.

Afghanistan, still governed by the Taliban, is not one of them. However, Ms. Ibrahimi, who has often felt like she is plowing a lonely furrow, remains fearless and determined to continue the fight for women’s rights.

“At the conference, it really struck me to be in the same room with people I would never have had the opportunity to meet and learn about how they implemented strategies to empower young people in their countries,” she reflects. “Just being in their presence was a great privilege and an opportunity to not only speak about my own story and elevate the voices of Afghan women, but also to learn from others.”

Let’s act now for peace

The events of December 15 culminated with a Peace Circle bringing together Ms. Ibrahimi, several other young leaders, as well as senior UN officials, diplomats and academics. The Peace Circles were born from a major UN initiativeas part of the flagship Act Now campaign. These are informal dialogues on peace-related topics, which can range from topics as broad as education, gender equality, climate and technology. At least half of participants must be under 30, with a focus on young people who are often not at the table and new to UN spaces.

The Act Now for Peace campaign runs until September 2026, and discussions held in Peace Circles will directly feed into a number of UN projects, including the UN Secretary-General’s independent study on the contributions of young people to peace and a Global Youth Manifesto for Peace.

Find detailed information on how to create a peace circle here.