Internally displaced people in Haiti face violence. Top news of the day | Thursday: Ukraine, Cyprus, Haiti, COP-30 UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, negotiations between Cypriot leaders, the alarming scale of gender-based violence in Haiti, the Secretary General’s press conference at the UN Climate Conference.
Security Council on Ukraine
The acting head of the Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Division of the UN Department of Political Affairs, Kayeko Goto, strongly condemned the escalation of the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the civilian population at a Security Council meeting on Thursday. She emphasized that now “not a single region of Ukraine is safe.” The UN expresses concern at the “alarming increase in civilian casualties.” From January to October 2025, their number has already exceeded the figures for the entire last year.
Cypriot leaders
Thursday marked the first meeting between Nikos Christodoulides, leader of the Greek community of Cyprus, and Tufan Erhurman as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriots. It was held with the assistance of the head of the UN mission in Cyprus, Hassim Diagne. The Secretary-General’s Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, also participated in the meeting – in a virtual format. The negotiations took place in a constructive atmosphere, the UN noted. The parties agreed to a joint meeting with Holguin in December and confirmed their readiness to work towards holding the next informal meeting on Cyprus in an expanded format, which will be convened by the UN chief. instability, access restrictions and lack of funding. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns about this. From January to September, more than 7,400 cases of gender-based violence were reported – an average of 27 incidents per day. More than half of the violations are cases of sexual violence, of which almost two-thirds are gang rape. Without expanded humanitarian funding, 780,000 women and girls in Haiti risk being left without critical assistance.
Climate Conference
Speaking to reporters on At the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to put people before profits, emphasizing the need to triple funding for adaptation to the climate crisis and ensure action to reduce emissions. He warned that the final agreement at COP 30 must take into account both the lack of funds for adaptation and the need to reduce rapidly rising emissions. For millions of people, the Secretary General noted, adaptation is the only chance to avoid hunger and forced displacement.