U.N. updates on Ukraine convoys, Cuba energy crisis, Venezuela water emergency and logistics strains

At the U.N. briefing, Farhan summarized multiple humanitarian responses underway worldwide. In Ukraine, the U.N. and partners ran six convoys to frontline areas in Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson, reaching about 4,000 people with food, hygiene kits, dignity items, generators and first aid.

Farhan described a deepening energy crisis in Cuba that has disrupted health care, waste collection, water deliveries and other essential services. He said more than 96,000 patients — including about 11,000 children — had surgeries postponed because of power shortages. The U.N. has a plan to deliver lifesaving aid to 2 million people in Cuba and appealed for $94 million; he said about one-quarter of that funding had been secured.

In Venezuela, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $2 million from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund for response after an earthquake-triggered landslide collapsed a major water tunnel in Sucre, leaving nearly 640,000 people without reliable clean water; an additional $1 million from a U.N.-managed humanitarian fund was also allocated and partners have reached about 11,000 people across 32 communities with water purification tablets and sanitation kits.

Farhan also discussed UNHCR logistics challenges stemming from the Middle East crisis: transport and freight disruptions have forced rerouting and increased reliance on overland trucking, with freight rates rising nearly 18% and global transport capacity falling. He said UNHCR maintains continuity of lifesaving assistance through seven global stockpiles and country-level warehouses.