UN Jan 13th, 2026: Warning of Deepening Crises in Ukraine, Sudan as Press Corps Grills Secretariat on Iran, UNRWA

By ATN News Team

UNHQ, New York: The United Nations on Tuesday issued fresh warnings about worsening humanitarian emergencies from Ukraine to Sudan to Gaza, as the daily press briefing became a forum for intense questioning on Iran’s crackdown, escalating U.S.-Iran rhetoric, and Israel’s accusations against UNRWA.

Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric opened with grim updates: a $2.3 billion humanitarian appeal for Ukraine as the war nears its fifth year, alarming reports of civilian killings and catastrophic malnutrition in Sudan, and harsh winter storms compounding suffering in Gaza. But the tone of the briefing hardened once questions began, with journalists pressing the Secretariat for verifiable casualty figures, concrete diplomatic steps, and clarity on what the U.N. can — and cannot — do.

Ukraine: “crisis within an existing crisis”

The U.N. and humanitarian partners launched a 2026 plan seeking $2.3 billion to assist more than 4 million people in Ukraine, with nearly 11 million estimated to need help this year. Dujarric described widespread disruptions to electricity and heating during extreme cold — “a crisis within an existing crisis” — and said some areas in and around Kyiv were without heating as temperatures fell to minus 15 Celsius.

He said overnight attacks injured civilians and damaged residential buildings and facilities, including offices of several U.N. organizations in Odesa. The situation remains most severe in frontline areas and along the northern border, where shelling and destruction of civilian infrastructure continue, and where access to Russian-occupied territories is “extremely limited.”

The briefing followed a Security Council session in which senior U.N. political and humanitarian officials described large-scale Russian aerial assaults on critical civilian infrastructure and urged Council members to move beyond “statements of concern” toward action that reduces civilian harm.

Sudan: civilians killed, malnutrition “far exceeding” emergency thresholds

In Sudan, Dujarric said U.N. humanitarian officials were alarmed by intensified fighting and civilian deaths. Local reports cited at least 19 civilians killed in a ground assault in North Darfur and another 10 killed in a drone attack in Sennar State.

The violence is also driving displacement: the International Organization for Migration estimated more than 8,000 people fled villages in North Darfur, with some crossing into Chad.

More alarming were nutrition figures in North Darfur. UNICEF and partners found acute malnutrition rates far above emergency thresholds, including a reported 53% rate in Um Baru — a level that signals a collapse of basic survival conditions for children.

Dujarric also announced that U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk would visit Sudan from Jan. 14 to 18, including meetings with authorities, civil society and displaced communities, followed by two press conferences on Jan. 18.

Gaza: winter storms, collapsing buildings and restricted supplies

In Gaza, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, began a three-day visit as winter weather pounded makeshift shelters. Dujarric said hundreds of tents were damaged or blown away, and OCHA reported cases of hypothermia — mainly among young children — and deaths from building collapses.

The U.N. and partners were distributing tents, tarpaulins, blankets, warm clothes and hygiene supplies, but Dujarric said needs still outpaced available resources, with each storm “eroding hard-won gains.” He renewed calls for lifting restrictions on critical supplies and equipment needed to reinforce shelters and clear debris.

UNIFIL: “disturbingly common” attacks on peacekeepers

Dujarric also highlighted new UNIFIL reports from southern Lebanon, warning that attacks on clearly identifiable U.N. personnel are becoming “disturbingly common” and violate Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL described flare mortars striking a U.N. position near Yaroun and Israeli tanks moving further into Lebanon, with one firing shells that landed about 150 meters from peacekeepers. No injuries were reported.

Press corps pushes hard on Iran: numbers, mandates, and Trump’s rhetoric

The most combative exchanges centered on Iran.

Journalists demanded to know how the U.N. was estimating protest-related deaths when even U.N. officials in Geneva had acknowledged limits on verification. Dujarric said the U.N. had seen “credible press reports” and cited remarks attributed to senior Iranian officials referring to “close to 2,000,” while acknowledging that “the exact number is hard to get at.” Still, he said, “an unacceptable number of people have been killed.”

Reporters pressed for stronger action: direct calls by the Secretary-General to Iranian leaders, emergency Security Council engagement, and even an international investigation. Dujarric said Guterres has repeatedly raised Iran’s human rights situation in conversations with Iranian officials and would share details once he could confirm contacts. On investigations, he stressed that any U.N.-led probe would require a mandate from a legislative body.

The questioning also highlighted the widening geopolitical context: multiple journalists cited President Donald Trump’s public encouragement to Iranians to keep protesting and “take over,” and asked whether the U.N. viewed that as incitement. Dujarric avoided judging Trump’s statements directly, repeatedly returning to the U.N.’s line: protect the right to peaceful protest and push for diplomacy, not escalation. He confirmed there had been “no contact with President Trump” on the crisis.

The day ended with a last-minute attempt to draw the U.N. into a breaking-news scenario: a reporter cited a Reuters report suggesting possible U.S. strikes on Iran within 24 hours. Dujarric refused to comment on unconfirmed reports but reiterated concern over “military-like rhetoric.”

UNRWA dispute: Israel’s claims meet U.N. legal framing

Another flashpoint was Israel’s criticism of Guterres over a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on proposed Knesset amendments affecting UNRWA. A journalist cited Israel’s U.N. ambassador accusing the Secretary-General of defending an agency “marked by terrorism” and asked about the status of internal investigations.

Dujarric pushed back on the framing, noting that UNRWA itself had disclosed concerns about staff accused of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks and that the Secretary-General’s letter was not a threat but a reminder of Israel’s obligations and the U.N.’s rights under conventions on privileges and immunities. He said the option of referring disputes to the International Court of Justice exists under the convention but indicated no immediate move toward that step.

The mood: a briefing room turning prosecutorial

The Jan. 13 briefing exposed a press corps that is no longer content with broad condemnations and cautious process language. Reporters came armed with casualty claims, legal questions, and geopolitical triggers — pushing the Secretariat to define its evidence, its leverage and its limits.

Dujarric, for his part, held the line: concern, calls for restraint, and a constant reminder that the U.N. can advocate and convene, but it cannot investigate or intervene without mandates — and it cannot speak with certainty where verification is constrained.

In a week dominated by talk of diplomacy and “political horizons,” the briefing room offered a harsher reality: the U.N. is being asked, more aggressively than before, to prove not just that it cares — but that it can still act.