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November 20, 2025 Climate and environment

Time is running out for the climate negotiations in Belém, Brazil. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in their speeches at the Climate Change Conference (COP30) taking place there, voiced the same message: the entire world is watching, and it is no longer possible to postpone compromises.

Amid reports that the two sides are unable to agree on a number of key issues, both leaders urged delegates to act decisively to phase out fossil fuels and increase funding for climate change adaptation measures.

Guterres: 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold is a 'red line'

Speaking at a press conference, Guterres called on countries to "follow the science and put people before profit." He emphasized the need to triple adaptation funding and ensure real emissions reductions.

"Ministers and negotiators must show leadership, courage and goodwill," he said, noting that the 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming threshold set out in the Paris climate agreement remains "the only red line that cannot be renegotiated."

According to him, the final agreement in Belém must address both the lack of resources for adaptation and the critical need to reduce rapidly growing emissions. For millions of people, adaptation is "the difference between planting a crop or going hungry, between preserving ancestral land or losing it forever."

The UN chief reiterated that the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources must be fair and consistent.

Fire at KS-30

A few hours after the Secretary-General's press conference, a fire broke out at the Angar Conference Center, where COP30 is taking place. The tense negotiations were briefly interrupted.

Security services assisted with the evacuation. The fire was quickly brought under control, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Lula: "We must start thinking about life without fossil fuels"

Brazilian President Lula said any energy transition plan "must be taken seriously."

"We don't want to impose anything on anyone, and we don't intend to set deadlines. Each country must determine for itself what it can do, within its own time and capabilities," Lula said.

"If fossil fuels become the main source of emissions, we must think about how to live without them—and how to chart that path. And I say this with absolute confidence as the leader of a country that possesses oil and produces five million barrels a day," he added.

Lula emphasized Brazil's active use of ethanol and biodiesel and called on oil and mining companies to contribute to the fight against climate change. He called on multilateral banks to stop charging "exorbitant interest rates" to African states and the poorest countries in Latin America, proposing that some of this debt be redirected toward investment.

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November 20, 2025 UN

The top news of the day at the UN and around the world: the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, talks between Cypriot leaders, the alarming scale of gender-based violence in Haiti, and the Secretary-General's press conference at the UN Climate Change Conference.

Security Council of Ukraine

With strong condemnation of the escalation of the war on the territory of Ukraine and its consequences for the civilian population at a meeting of the Security Council Kaeko Goto, Acting Head of the Division for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas at the UN Department of Political Affairs, spoke on Thursday. She emphasized that currently, "no region of Ukraine is safe." The UN expresses concern about the "alarming increase in civilian casualties." From January to October 2025, the number has already exceeded the total for the entire previous year.

Cypriot leaders

On Thursday, Nikos Christodoulides, the leader of the Greek Cypriot community, held his first meeting with Tufan Erhürman as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. It was facilitated by Hassim Diagne, head of the UN Mission in Cyprus. The Secretary-General's Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, also participated in the meeting virtually. The UN noted that the talks were held in a constructive atmosphere. The parties agreed to meet with Holguín in December and confirmed their commitment to working toward holding the next informal meeting on Cyprus in an expanded format, to be convened by the UN chief.

Violence in Haiti

Levels of gender-based violence in Haiti remain extremely high, and women and girls affected are not receiving the support they need due to instability, access restrictions, and funding shortages, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. From January to September, more than 7,400 cases of gender-based violence were recorded—an average of 27 incidents per day. More than half of these violations were sexual violence, of which nearly two-thirds were gang rapes. Without increased humanitarian funding, 780,000 women and girls in Haiti risk being left without critical assistance.

Climate Conference

Speaking to reporters at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on countries to put the interests of people above profits, emphasizing the need to triple funding for adaptation to the climate crisis and ensure measures to reduce emissions. He warned that the final agreement at COP30 must simultaneously address the shortfall in adaptation funding and the need to reduce rapidly growing emissions. For millions of people, the Secretary-General noted, adaptation is the only chance to avoid hunger and forced displacement.

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November 20, 2025 Healthcare

Around 28.6 per cent of women and girls over 15 years of age experience physical or sexual violence at least once in their lives, yet health care for victims in most countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region remains fragmented and limited.

This is stated in a new report from the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Healthcare systems in countries in the region, which includes Europe and Central Asia, do not provide even the basic set of services recommended by WHO.

Crisis situation

European Bureau Director Hans Kluge noted the crisis nature of the situation: “The problem of violence against women and girls has reached crisis levels, and our health systems are often the first and only point of contact for victims.”

"Our data show that political commitments to protect the health and well-being of women and girls and to end gender-based violence do not translate into safe and accessible health care," he said.

Kluge called on politicians to move from declarations to real action and implement a full range of services in countries in the region, including assistance for women who have survived rape and safe abortions.

Key findings of the report

An analysis of 53 Member States in the WHO European Region revealed significant gaps. Only 7 countries (13 percent) provide safe abortion services. Emergency contraception and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV are offered in 17 countries (32 percent).

Twenty countries (38 percent) offer sexually transmitted infection prevention services and conduct psycho-emotional assessments for those affected. And 23 countries (43 percent) provide referrals to psychological and psychiatric care.

Furthermore, in almost a third of the region's countries, health workers are still required to report cases of domestic violence or intimate partner violence to law enforcement without the consent of adult victims. The WHO strongly recommends abandoning this practice, as it violates confidentiality and often deters women from seeking help.

The report also highlights positive trends. Seventy-five percent of countries have implemented training for health workers to respond to violence, and 68 percent have included first aid for victims in their standard service package.

However, a lack of resources and political will hinders the implementation of the full range of WHO recommendations.

Measures recommended by WHO

The organization calls on states to make the full range of services recommended by WHO mandatory, particularly in terms of emergency care for women after rape, and to remove barriers, including eliminating mandatory police notification without the consent of victims.

It is also important to change the attitude of society towards victims, the WHO notes.

"Such a simple phrase as 'I believe you and am here to help' can make a significant difference in the healing process," said WHO specialist and report author Melanie Hyde.

The Spanish experience and the stories of the victims

The WHO report was presented today in Madrid. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García outlined the country's efforts to strengthen the role of primary health care as a key link in identifying cases of violence and supporting survivors.

A survivor of violence from the United Kingdom also spoke at the Madrid event. She emphasized the importance of a healthcare system focused on the rights and real needs of survivors: "I believe I have the right to be safe, to be heard, to be respected, and to have responses tailored to my real needs."

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November 20, 2025 Peace and security

Kaeko Goto, Acting Head of the Division for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas at the UN Department of Political Affairs, spoke at a Security Council meeting on Thursday with strong condemnation of the escalation of the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the civilian population.

According to Goto, Ukrainian civilians continue to "bear the brunt of the Russian Federation's intensifying air campaign." She noted that strikes on energy infrastructure have caused "massive and prolonged power outages in most regions of the country, leaving millions without heat, water, and public transportation as temperatures plunge."

According to her, hospitals, residential buildings, railways, schools, cultural sites, diplomatic institutions, and even kindergartens are being hit.

Tragedy in Ternopil

Goto emphasized that currently, "no region of Ukraine is safe." She cited the November 19 attack as an example: "Just yesterday, at least 26 people, including three children, were reportedly killed in a Russian drone and missile strike on the western city of Ternopil. Dozens more, including children, were reportedly injured. Many remain buried under rubble."

The attack was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the war, the UN spokeswoman added.

Rising death toll

The UN expresses concern about the "alarming increase in civilian casualties." From January to October 2025, the number has already exceeded the total for the entire previous year. In Kyiv, the number of dead and wounded in the first ten months was almost four times higher than for the entire year 2024.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 14,534 Ukrainian civilians, including 745 children, have been killed since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Another 38,472 people, including 2,375 children, have been injured.

Strikes against Russia

Goto noted that the war is increasingly affecting the population of the Russian Federation. According to Russian authorities, in 2025, Ukrainian drone strikes killed 392 people, including 22 children, in Russia and in the areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia. The UN is unable to confirm this information, Goto noted.

Nuclear safety

Goto's speech focused on nuclear safety risks. She recalled that on September 23, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant "lost external power for the tenth time since February 2022." After a month-long outage, the plant was reconnected to the grid on October 23 thanks to repairs carried out under a localized ceasefire brokered by the IAEA.

"Any nuclear incident would have unimaginable consequences not only for Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but also far beyond their borders. Such a risk must be prevented at all costs," Goto stated.

A Call for Peace

In closing her speech, Kaeko Goto emphasized that nearly four years after the war began, as the number of attacks and casualties mount, calls for an immediate and complete ceasefire become even more important.

Goto reiterated the UN Secretary-General's call for a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as the first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace.

The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating.

Speaking on behalf of Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the impact of the war on civilians was becoming increasingly devastating.

According to her, approximately 1,500 people remain without access to water and medical care in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, while 3,000 residents in Lyman are beyond the reach of humanitarian aid. This year alone, the World Health Organization has recorded over 500 attacks on medical facilities, including the strike on the children's hospital in Kherson.

Vosornou emphasized: "International humanitarian law requires that all feasible measures be taken to prevent and minimize harm to civilians. Indiscriminate attacks… are strictly prohibited. These fundamental rules must be respected."

According to the UN, 3.7 million people remain displaced within Ukraine, and nearly six million are refugees abroad. From January to September, the UN and its partners provided assistance to more than 4.2 million people, but access to many frontline areas and occupied territories remains extremely limited.

Concluding her speech, Vosornu praised the resilience of Ukrainians: "Teachers teach in underground shelters, doctors operate in the absence of electricity, and volunteers risk their lives delivering aid along mined roads. But resilience is no substitute for protection, safety, dignity, and respect for international law."

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