“While the major aftershocks have passed, or have mostly passed, women in affected areas are facing a long-term disaster without more urgent assistance,” said Susan Ferguson, UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan.

One woman rescuer supported by the UN agency described “scrambling” along the sides of mountains, “dodging falling rocks every time there was an aftershock”, Ms. Ferguson told journalists in Geneva. “Another woman who joined these teams, again with our support, said there was no other channel for women to share their needs and concerns, as they are restricted from speaking to men.”

Fleeing with nothing

In the more than two weeks since a shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, rescuers have battled extremely challenging terrain – often on foot – to reach the most remote communities in Kunar province. 

At least 2,200 people were killed as houses built on steep hillsides collapsed on top of each other when the quake happened at around midnight on 31 August.

After meeting women survivors living in a basic tent in Chawkay district in central Kunar province, Ms. Ferguson said it was clear that they would soon need sturdier shelter, as temperatures start to drop.

“These women had fled their village in the middle of the night when the earthquake struck, walking for hours to find temporary shelter,” she said. 

“They told me they’d lost their relatives, many still buried in the rubble. They lost their homes; they lost their livelihoods and their source of income. As one woman said to me, ‘now we have nothing.’’’ 

Ban on female workers

The humanitarian response to the disaster has been hampered by the Taliban leadership’s ban on Afghan women staff members and contractors from entering UN compounds in the capital, Kabul, effective since 5 September.

“The ban is impacting us because our women staff are not allowed to come to the office to work,” the UN Women representative said. 

“However, women staff and women in the humanitarian response are still able to operate in the earthquake-affected sites. And this is really essential and has been recognised actually as essential.”

Women and girls accounted for more than half of those killed and injured in the disaster. They also make up 60 per cent of those still missing, while many survivors live in tents or out in the open, as witnessed by UN Women assessment teams. 

Cultural chasm

Providing healthcare to survivors of the tragedy remains a priority – as does finding enough women to do this work, in line with culturally accepted practices. “What I heard from health workers and from some women was that there was a particular area in the earthquake-affected zone where there were cultural norms that meant that women themselves didn’t want men to touch them and that men also didn’t want to touch women as they were trying to rescue them,” Ms. Ferguson explained.

Destruction of basic infrastructure has heightened the threat of violence against women and girls as they are forced to walk further in search of a bathroom, or gather water, exposing them to the risk of violence and landmines.

“In everyday life, in this cultural context, these women already face an uphill battle every day to survive and support their families,” Ms. Ferguson said. “Now, in the disruption and chaos following the earthquake, these women will find it exponentially harder to feed their children and find a safe place to stay.”

Satellite images have revealed that more than 649,000 tonnes of debris – equivalent to 40,500 truckloads – still need to be cleared. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) which analysed the data at least 23,000 people may have been forced from their homes. 

The appeal comes a day after “armed individuals” robbed four UNICEF trucks carrying desperately needed Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

The incident occurred outside its compound in Gaza City, where an Israeli military offensive is escalating.

Nearly 3,000 children impacted

“The individuals commandeered the drivers at gun point and diverted the RUTF before releasing the drivers and trucks,” the agency said in a statement.

“This theft has denied at least 2,700 severely and acutely malnourished children of life-saving RUTF – vital supplies at a time when famine has been declared in the north of Gaza and the ongoing military operation is creating further displacement and adding to the devastating impact on children.”

UNICEF urged all in Gaza to respect and protect humanitarian aid and uphold international humanitarian law.

“Children are bearing the heaviest burden,” the statement said. 

“Ultimately, a sustainable ceasefire is essential to create an environment where such incidents no longer occur, and aid can reach those who need it most – safely, quickly, and effectively.”

Looting remains a critical obstacle to humanitarian aid delivery in the Gaza Strip, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his media briefing from Headquarters in New York.

He said UNICEF was forced to cancel a mission to the Kerem Shalom border crossing to pick up supplies for the third consecutive day “due to the high risk of looting on the route that was cleared by the Israeli authorities for us to use.”

Families fleeing south

As the offensive in Gaza City intensifies, the influx of people fleeing to the south is putting even more stress on already overstretched services.

“People are arriving deep into the night, many of them walking for long hours without food, without water and without shelter,” he said.

“The coastal Al Rashid Road remains extremely congested as vehicles, donkey carts, tuk-tuks and people on foot make their way south amid the escalating attacks.”

Furthermore, despite Israel’s announcement allowing use of Salah Ad Din Road, “partners report that the road is impassable for travel by vehicles, as the route requires repairs.”

Moreover, Israeli authorities announced on Friday that the 48-hour window to use the road is now closed, meaning Al Rashid is the only route available for civilians who want to leave the north.

Needs are high

Meanwhile, the UN and partners continue their response efforts in the face of the extremely challenging circumstances and ongoing insecurity. 

On Thursday, an interagency mission led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) carried out an assessment in multiple areas of Khan Younis where displaced people have recently arrived. 

“The assessment noted high levels of need among the displaced families, especially for shelter, for food, for water, for medical care and for every essential part of survival,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Deadly crossing attack

In related developments, he said UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the deadly attack on Thursday at the King Hussein Bridge, the Allenby crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.

Two Israelis were killed by a Jordanian driver of an aid truck that was headed into Gaza.

The Secretary-General underscored the imperative of safeguarding the humanitarian and impartial nature of relief efforts.

He also called on all parties “to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, including through all available crossing and routes.” 

Images from the site of the strike show mangled metal roofing that used to provide cover for worshippers; it comes as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – or RSF – continue their push to take control of El Fasher, as they battle forces of the military government.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, issued a statement saying she was gravely alarmed by the strike in the besieged capital of North Darfur state.

Call for accountability

“International humanitarian law demands the protection of mosques and the civilians worshipping in them,” she said.

“It is also a war crime to intentionally direct attacks against buildings dedicated to religion. This attack, reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces, must be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.”

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reiterated the longstanding call for “an immediate cessation of fire in and around El Fasher,” adding that humanitarian access access for “personnel and supplies must be facilitated in order for us to reach those in need.”

Civilian deaths mount

In a related development, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned that there’s been a sharp rise in civilian killings, including summary executions, along with growing ethnic violence in Sudan.

Several major offensives have been particularly deadly, including an April attack by the RSF on besieged El Fasher and elsewhere in North Darfur that left at least 527 dead, and airstrikes in March by the Sudanese Armed Forces on Tora market in North Darfur that killed at least 350 civilians, including 13 members of one family.

The situation in El Fasher is dire and worsening, said OHCHR’s Li Fung, who said reports continue of civilians being killed, abducted or subjected to sexual violence while fleeing the city.

“There are no safe exit routes out of the city, and civilians are trapped in a situation of impossible choices: stay in El Fasher, and risk bombardment, starvation, and atrocities if the RSF overrun the city; or flee, and face the risk of summary execution, sexual violence, and abduction.”

The Sudan war began in April 2023 when the peaceful transition to civilian rule broke down and fighting erupted between the former allies-turned deadly rivals.

Since then, not a single ceasefire has been acted on by either of the warring parties, noted UN partner, the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC.

Call for diplomacy in New York

It issued an appeal to world leaders preparing to gather at the UN in New York for the UN General Assembly starting next week to agree on ways to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, who are facing famine and a massive humanitarian disaster.

ICRC Regional Director for Africa Patrick Youssef urged “a coalition of States” to work on “alternatives or incentives” to warfare including the creation of safe humanitarian corridors.

In the last two years, more than 20 Sudanese Red Crescent workers have been killed, reflecting “the dire situation of humanitarians trying to cross every frontline in Sudan,” Mr. Youssef told journalists in Geneva.

The Secretary-General’s annual report, released on Thursday ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly’s yearly high-level session, offers a sobering yet resolute account of the Organization’s efforts in the face of mounting challenges.

Mr. Guterres highlighted the resilience of UN personnel, committed to delivering hope and help to those in need despite operating under difficult circumstances.  “The present report demonstrates that despite enormously trying times – indeed, precisely because of them – we can and must keep pushing for the better world that we know is within reach,” he said.

Together with partners, the UN coordinated a $50 billion appeal for the humanitarian needs of 198 million people. “In 2024, the United Nations helped to mobilize $25 billion of the $50 billion funding target, enabling life-saving humanitarian assistance to reach 116 million people in urgent need across 77 countries and territories.”

This enabled life-saving programmes in the Horn of Africa, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen and regions affected by natural disasters like earthquakes in Vanuatu, drought in Southern and Eastern Africa and floods in South-East Asia.

At the same time, UN operations in 2024 came at a heartbreaking human cost. It was the deadliest year on record for UN staff and humanitarian workers, with 373 aid workers killed. The vast majority of those casualties were personnel from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), working in Gaza under extreme and dangerous conditions.

In launching the report, the Secretary-General paid tribute to their sacrifice, reaffirming the UN’s unwavering commitment to standing with the world’s most vulnerable.

Peace and security core to UN’s mission

Diplomacy for peace remained core to the Organization’s work amid escalating global challenges to peace and security. Despite rising threats, the UN’s diplomatic efforts continued to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians daily and advance peace processes.

During the political transition in Syria, the UN engaged stakeholders in line with Security Council resolution 2254 – which in 2015 endorsed a road map for a peace process in the country – to de-escalate violence protect civilians and prevent regional spillover. 

Meanwhile, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank and the broader region, the UN closely engaged all parties to end violence, enhance humanitarian access and sustain assistance to affected populations.

In Lebanon the UN supported de-escalation and a resumption of a cessation of hostilities in line with our mandate under Security Council resolution 1701, enabling people to return to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.

The UN also facilitated peace talks, supported state-building efforts and helped to protect civilians globally, including in the Sudan. The Organization’s efforts to help promote a peaceful coexistence in Abyei, saw a decline in intercommunal violence.

The Peacebuilding Fund allocated over $116 million to support national peace plans in 32 countries and territories, with a focus on gender equality. Partnerships with regional organizations, like the African Union, further bolstered conflict prevention.

A renewed vision for the future

The 2024 Summit of the Future marked a historic turning point for multilateralism. World leaders adopted the Pact for the Future, a landmark agreement to revitalize international cooperation and deliver solutions for people and planet.

The Pact calls for stronger diplomacy and conflict prevention, reforms to the global financial system, urgent climate action, and accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also commits to more representative and effective global governance, including reforms to the Security Council and greater voice for developing countries.

The Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations were adopted as annexes to the Pact, underscoring its breadth and ambition. The Compact advances a vision for a safe, open and inclusive digital future, committing Member States to close digital divides, promote universal digital public infrastructure, and strengthen governance of data and artificial intelligence.

The Declaration, meanwhile, represents the first global agreement to systematically account for the rights and interests of tomorrow’s citizens in today’s decisions, embedding foresight in policymaking and paving the way for long-term, sustainable action.

Together, these outcomes form the foundation of a generational renewal of multilateralism. As Secretary-General Guterres underscored: “By addressing the pressing issues of our time, the United Nations is paving the way for a more equitable and sustainable future, ensuring that digital technologies are harnessed for the benefit of all humanity.”

Participants gather for the opening of the Summit of the Future, with Youth Lead for the Future as the opening Action Day theme.

Human rights and sustainable development

The United Nations continues to be guided by the vision that human rights are a driving force for solutions to the many global challenges we face, and are the foundation for peace, justice and sustainable development. In 2024, the Organization advanced initiatives to eliminate violence against women and girls, empower rural and marginalized communities, and ensure women’s participation in peace and constitutional processes.

Human rights were also woven into responses to conflict, migration, climate change and digital governance, helping to strengthen protection, accountability and inclusion across the Organization’s work.

At the same time, sustainable development and climate action remained central. The UN supported 170 countries in implementing their nationally determined contributions to reduce emissions and provided targeted assistance for low-carbon transitions in developing States.

The Organization also pressed for reforms to the global financial system to close the widening SDG financing gap, ensuring that the most vulnerable countries have a fair chance to deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda.

A commitment to staff is a commitment to humanity

The Secretary-General highlighted the commitment of UN personnel working under extraordinary risk. He voiced alarm at the erosion of humanitarian norms, condemning deliberate attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools and aid workers, which undermine international law and the values of the UN Charter.

Despite record dangers, staff carried forward their mission with courage and resilience.

“The present report demonstrates that despite enormously trying times – indeed, precisely because of them – we can and must keep pushing for the better world that we know is within reach. We will renew our efforts to achieve peace, foster sustainable development and defend and uphold human rights, for all of humanity,” said Mr. Guterres.

Together, these strands embody the spirit of an Organization striving not only to confront today’s crises but to uphold rights, deliver development, and serve people everywhere with integrity and compassion.