Several civilians were killed and nearly 30 injured, including children, according to local authorities. Houses in seven regions, as well as in the capital kyiv, were damaged.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) noted “tragic reports” of one child killed and three children injured in kyiv, Vyshhorod and Zhytomyr.

“Children face another difficult and terrifying winter: young people’s lives are threatened. Heating, electricity and water are interrupted”, UNICEF tweeted, calling for an end to the attacks.

Critical infrastructure affected

Drone strikes damaged more than 120 residential buildings in the Odessa region, OCHA said. Key infrastructure in energy, ports and transport, notably in the port city of Reni, near the border with Romania, was also affected.

The strikes have left more than 10,000 customers without power, while critical facilities are operating on backup power.

Further north, the strikes damaged energy facilities in Novhorod-Siverskyi, a town in the Chernihiv region, and Shostka, in the Sumy region.

Parts of Shostka, already badly hit by previous attacks, found themselves once again without electricity or heating.

Power outages during winter

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry also reported large-scale power outages in Khmelnytskyi, Rivne and Ternopil regions, with disruptions recorded in six additional regions.

“With the onset of the cold season, it is the most vulnerable who need support the most. This violence must stop. Civilians must be protected,” OCHA said separately in a tweet.

Nearly four years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Humanitarian support for thousands of people

Over the past 11 months, the UN and its humanitarian partners have provided emergency assistance to more than 430,000 people across the country following the strikes.

This support includes essential medical supplies, health services and cash assistance – primarily in frontline areas. At the same time, needs are increasing in previously less affected areas as attacks increase.

OCHA reported that an inter-agency convoy delivered eight tonnes of humanitarian aid to the community of Novoraiske in the Kherson region on Tuesday.

Items provided included medical and hygiene supplies, charging stations, children’s clothing and mattresses.

Novoraiske is home to some 1,900 people, including more than 200 children. Several places do not have access to water, gas or electricity due to continued hostilities, OCHA said.

“Despite the intensification of diplomatic efforts during the second half of 2025, there has been no agreement on the path forward regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” concluded the head of UN diplomacy, Rosemary DiCarlo.

Ms. DiCarlo – the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding – reminded the Council that the best option for the international community is a negotiated settlement that would ensure a peaceful Iranian nuclear program and provide sanctions relief.

At the heart of the divide between Security Council Members disagree over the legitimacy of holding meetings related to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran signed the agreement alongside the five permanent members of the Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States – as well as Germany and the European Union (EU).

First post-snapback meeting

Tuesday’s meeting was the first to take place since France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the so-called “snapback mechanism” (reimposition of sanctions against Iran), citing “significant non-fulfillment” of their commitments under the plan.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France and other members of the Security Council have argued that the resolution that led to the nuclear deal remains in force and that the Council should therefore continue to meet to discuss the issue of nuclear nonproliferation.

“Iran’s failure to comply with its international obligations related to its nuclear program constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security,” said Jay Dharmadhikari, France’s deputy permanent representative to the UN. He added that, if increased to military enrichment levels, the Iranian stockpile “would be sufficient to produce 10 nuclear explosive devices.”

Iran: “No mandate” for discussions on non-proliferation at the Security Council

Russia’s delegate, Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia, took aim at the Slovenian presidency of the Council, regretting that it had not “found the courage to impartially respect your obligation not to act at the request of those who insisted on holding a Security Council meeting on a non-existent agenda item.”

“The JCPOA committee no longer exists,” he added. “Therefore, the EU is no longer the coordinator and therefore should not be allowed to inform the UN Security Council.”

Speaking on behalf of Iran, Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani insisted that Resolution 2231 (2015) expired on October 18, 2025 and therefore “ceased to have any legal effect or operational mandate.” It concluded that there was “no mandate for the Secretary-General to submit a report and no mandate for the Council to discuss it.”

Today, he said, the Council is witnessing a “calculated distortion” of the resolution and a “deliberate spread of disinformation” about Iran’s nuclear program.

European Union representative, deputy head of delegation Hedda Samson, speaking as an observer, took a different view. “The return of sanctions and nuclear restrictions should not mean the end of diplomacy, quite the contrary,” she stressed, calling on Iran to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) withIAEA) with up-to-date and verifiable declarations on the quantity and location of nuclear materials and related activities.

However, the humanitarian response has been unable to meet needs due to continued restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, the UN aid coordination office said. OCHA said Tuesday.

This includes restrictions on the entry of supplies, such as new materials needed for the maintenance and repair of sewer systems.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to improve water purification capacity at the Al Bassa desalination plant in Deir Al-Balah by transferring specialized equipment to the facility, according to humanitarian partners, while the installation of the Al Manshia desalination plant in Gaza City has begun.

Violence and displacement in the West Bank

OCHA also provided an update on the situation in the West Bank, where ongoing operations by Israeli forces and settler violence continue to put Palestinians at risk and increase humanitarian needs.

Six Palestinians – including four children – have been killed in the past two weeks, five of them by Israeli forces and one by an Israeli settler. Three Israelis were injured by Palestinians during the same period.

At the same time, OCHA also expressed deep concern over the ongoing population displacements across the West Bank, with more than 100 Palestinians uprooted due to demolitions.

This includes 50 people – including 21 children – displaced Monday in a single Israeli demolition of a four-story building in the Silwan neighborhood due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.

Millions of people in Syria need humanitarian aid

Humanitarian needs remain severe across Syria, with 16.5 million people – almost two-thirds of the population – still in need of assistance, according to OCHA.

The country continues its political transition after the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.

Contamination from explosive ordnance remains a major threat, OCHA said. Last month, 21 people were killed and more than 60 injured, half of them children.

In addition, some 2.5 million children are still out of school and 40 percent of schools are not functioning.

Since January, the UN and its partners have provided humanitarian assistance to more than three million people every month.

OCHA and its partners continue to coordinate with authorities and monitor developments in the city of Aleppo, where a ceasefire agreement was reached Monday evening following recent hostilities.

The fighting was linked to tensions linked to the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), mainly Kurds, into the armed forces.

The fighting led to the bombing of several neighborhoods, causing further displacement. Two civilians were killed and several others injured, according to health authorities

Burundi: Lawyers penalized for cooperating with the UN, according to a committee

A committee appointed by the UN Human Rights Council warned that Burundi had acted in violation of the Convention against Torture.

THE United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAR) announced his decision Tuesday after reviewing the case of four lawyers who were sanctioned for collaborating with the Committee in 2016 during its assessment of the country’s compliance with the Convention.

They had contributed to a joint civil society report submitted to the Committee, and three of them traveled to Geneva for the review process.

The lawyers said they participated in peaceful protests in 2015 to oppose then-President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term, which they considered unconstitutional.

The protests were violently repressed by authorities, with security forces targeting demonstrators and political dissidents. The lawyers publicly condemned the violent crackdown and, amid the crackdown, fled Burundi and went into exile out of fear for their safety.

In violation of international law

The Committee said the State party had refused to participate in the second half of a planned two-day session to object to the Committee’s use of information submitted by civil society. The same day, the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, officially requested the lawyers’ disbarment.

The experts considered that Burundi’s actions constituted a violation of the Convention against Torture, and in particular Article 13 which states that complainants are protected against intimidation.

“The Committee reiterated that all States have an obligation to refrain from intimidation or retaliation against individuals who seek to cooperate with the Committee,” said Member Todd Buchwald.

Ten experts sit on the Committee, which receives its mandate from the Human Rights Council.

They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.

Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that the military-controlled vote takes place against a backdrop of intensifying violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests, leaving no space for free or meaningful participation.

“These elections are clearly taking place in an environment of violence and repression,“, Mr. Türk said in a statement.There are no conditions for the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly.»

The first phase of voting, scheduled for December 28, is organized by Myanmar’s military authorities, more than four years after their takeover in a 2021 coupdissolved the main political parties and imprisoned thousands of opponents. Key figures, including former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, remain imprisoned.

The crisis has since degenerated into widespread armed conflict, mass displacement and economic collapse, further aggravated by devastating earthquakes in March 2025 which has worsened humanitarian suffering in large parts of the country.

Criminalized dissent

According to at the UN human rights office, OHCHRdozens of people have recently been arrested under a new “election protection law” for expressing dissent. Some received extremely harsh sentences, including three young people from Hlaingthaya township in Yangon who were jailed for between 42 and 49 years for hanging anti-election posters.

Prominent cultural figures have also been targeted. Director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut and comedian Ohn Daing were each sentenced to seven years in prison for “undermining public trust” after criticizing a pro-election propaganda film.

For displaced communities, the pressure is even more acute. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights received reports from displaced people in some areas, including the Mandalay region, who said they had been warned that their homes would be seized – or that airstrikes would continue – if they did not return to vote.

“Forcing displaced people to undertake dangerous and involuntary returns is a violation of human rights,“, said Mr. Türk.

Threats from armed groups

At the same time, armed groups opposed to the army have made their own threats.

In mid-November, nine female teachers traveling for electoral training in the Mon region were reportedly kidnapped and released with warnings not to participate. In Yangon, the self-proclaimed “Yangon Army” bombed local government offices involved in election preparations, injuring election workers and vowing to continue attacking election organizers.

The UN also raised concerns about the introduction of electronic-only voting combined with extensive surveillance, including artificial intelligence and biometric tracking, warning that such measures could further erode trust in the process and enable repression.

© ONUCHA/Siegfried Modola

A camp for displaced people in Kayah State, eastern Myanmar. (archive photo)

Pressing for peace

Speaking separately at UN headquarters, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop recently completed her third visit to Myanmar, where she met again with General Min Aung Hlaing.

Mr. Dujarric said Ms. Bishop continues to highlight the urgent need to end the violence to enable humanitarian response and recoveryand to keep Myanmar on the global agenda while working towards an inclusive and peaceful Myanmar-led solution.

Ms. Bishop also informed the Security Council during a closed-door meeting Monday about the situation.

Fears of greater instability

U.N. officials have repeatedly warned that the vote risks further instability rather than restoring democracy.

In October, the Secretary-General warned that elections organized under current conditions risk “further exclusion and instability”.