January 5, 2026 | 12:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of Facebook accounts (account one [archive], account two, and account three) and Twitter accounts spread claims that the United Nations (UN) had declared the Sumatra disaster an international disaster at the end of December 2025. Tempo found this content spread across several accounts, including account one, account two, and account three.
The post shows a meeting that is claimed to be the moment when the UN announced its decision. The narrative accuses the UN of taking this step because the Indonesian government was reluctant to declare a national disaster emergency over the disaster that occurred at the end of November 2025.
Is it true that the UN has declared the disaster in Sumatra an international disaster?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content using reverse image search, comparing the narrative with credible media reports, and analyzing it with AI detection tools. The result: the UN did not declare the Sumatra disaster an international disaster.
Visual 1
First, Tempo verified the image showing a man in a blue suit in the video using reverse image search. The search results showed that the man was the President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis. The recording showed Dennis reading the results of the vote on Resolution A/ES-10/L.27 on the protection of civilians and the enforcement of legal and humanitarian obligations in December 2023.
The UN YouTube channel broadcast the original video at the end of December 2023. The UN document states that the resolution aims to protect Palestinian and Israeli civilians amid military aggression. The session passed the resolution through a vote with 153 countries in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions.
The UN General Assembly meeting discussed the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The UN urged all parties to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and to release hostages unconditionally.
The UN General Assembly video is not related to the disaster in Sumatra. The events depicted in the video took place long before the disaster in Sumatra occurred.
Visual 2
Image from a second account showing participants in a meeting, also from the same forum. The original context of the image is a video of the UN hearing for Resolution A/ES-10/L.27, at the end of December 2023. The event was held before the flash floods in Sumatra at the end of November 2025.
Visual 3
Meanwhile, the visual claimed to be the UN meeting room shows conditions that differ from the original. Tribunnews actually used this imitation image as an illustration for a news article on September 23, 2025.
Analysis using the AI Or Not AI detection tool concluded that there is a 62 percent probability that the content is AI-generated. The Image Whisperer detection tool also reached a similar conclusion.
No Declaration of the Sumatra Disaster as an International Disaster
The Indonesian government has declared the Sumatra disaster a provincial-level disaster until January 1, 2026. The authorities have also closed the door to international aid.
Indonesian legislation does not recognize the status of international disasters. The levels of disaster emergency status only cover the city, provincial, and national levels.
The UN also does not have the authority to declare a disaster in a country an international disaster. A Tempo report states that the main tasks of the UN focus on five areas, including maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, distributing humanitarian aid, supporting sustainable development and climate action, and upholding international law.
Nevertheless, the UN Representative Office in Indonesia continues to monitor the situation in areas affected by floods and landslides in Sumatra. They stated that they are actively involved with the Indonesian government in overseeing the emergency response in the three affected provinces.
“In the field, the UN has supported the Indonesian government's efforts through technical assistance in accordance with the mandate of ongoing programs in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra,” read the official statement from the UN Representative Office in Indonesia to the media on Monday, December 15, 2025.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's verification concludes that the narrative claiming that the UN has declared the Sumatra flash floods an international disaster is false.
TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM
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