In the first quarter of 2020, the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan fell by nearly a third from the same period a year earlier, representing the lowest first quarter figure since 2012, according to a UN report released on Monday.
In the first quarter of 2020, the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan fell by nearly a third from the same period a year earlier, representing the lowest first quarter figure since 2012, according to a UN report released on Monday.
The needs of Yemen’s people should be put first, ahead of actions that risk escalating the already dire situation inside the war-shattered country, UN Special Envoy for the war-weary country, Martin Griffiths, said on Monday.
UNITED NATIONS
I welcome this opportunity to present my first report on youth, peace and security.
Since this report was issued, our world has been shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Young people are feeling the impact acutely, from lost jobs to family stress, mental health and other hardships.
...Even amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries must do more to harness the talents of young people to address the crisis and its aftermath, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Monday during a videoconference meeting to review the five years since its adoption of a landmark resolution on youth, peace and security.
The “exceptional circumstances” of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the peace process in Sudan as well as the drawing down of the United Nations mission there, the head of UN peacekeeping updated the Security Council on Friday.
Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to brief the Security Council on the way forward for the United Nations engagement in Sudan.
Six months after the establishment of the Transition, Sudan continues to face significant challenges.
Sudan’s political fragility has been brought into focus with recent protests by elements affiliated with the former regime, as well as by security incidents like the mid-January protest of former intelligence operatives that led to violent confrontations in Khartoum. USG Lacroix has already mentioned the assassination attempt against Prime Minister Hamdok.
The humanitarian situation in the country remains worrisome. The number of people who need humanitarian assistance across Sudan increased from about 8 million to 9.3 million by the end of 2019. Needs are largely driven by a deepening economic crisis.
Structural flaws in Sudan’s economy have driven up the rate of inflation and hampered Sudan’s ability to import needed commodities. This has directly affected Sudan’s population, with people facing long lines for bread and petrol due to shortages of wheat and fuel. Last week, Prime Minister Hamdok warned that the transition could collapse without quick economic support.
With the risk of a wider spread of COVID-19 in Sudan, the economic challenges could worsen. The Secretary-General has encouraged the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to show flexibility in granting Sudan exceptional access to financial instruments established to assist developing countries respond to the challenges of COVID-19.
The situation in Sudan is clearly dire and the need for support is real and urgent. Prime Minister Hamdok has written twice to the Secretary-General to ask for the establishment of a political and peacebuilding mission that would support Sudanese efforts to overcome specific challenges. When I visited Khartoum in February, the Prime Minister and key stakeholders in the country, including civil society groups, conveyed a similar request to me.
As a response to these requests, Mr. Nicholas Haysom, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Sudan, was deployed to Khartoum in early March and has been working tirelessly to provide political support and to advocate with major international partners the need to generate as much assistance as possible for Sudan as soon as possible.
In parallel, we have been working on planning the future Mission. In the Special Report submitted on 12 March to the Security Council, the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission recommended the establishment of a follow-on presence with a Sudan-wide mandate. The mission’s objective would be to support Sudan in successfully completing its transition. It would provide an effective response to the support needs outlined by Prime Minister Hamdok in his two letters to the Secretary-General. These include:
The protection of civilians is also an area of focus. We believe that it requires a comprehensive approach in order to be effective in the long-term. Therefore, it will be an integral part of our peacebuilding efforts in Sudan. It is crucial that we work closely with Sudanese authorities and that we assist them in discharging their protection responsibility.
Besides seeking an integration of the Mission and the UN Country Team under a single leadership, we envisage a future UN presence that is lean, effective and innovative in employing and coordinating resources across the United Nations system. Gender equality and the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda, will be a strong cross-cutting priority.
Mr. President,
Given the urgent need to establish as soon as possible a presence on the ground to support the transition, USG Lacroix and I have instructed a team of UN colleagues to lead a multi-disciplinary inter-agency planning exercise over the coming weeks. This team will develop a framework for the future UN presence in Sudan, based on the guiding principles contained in the Special Report. We have also conveyed to the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security an invitation for the African Union to join the planning exercise as a key partner.
As our team has been unable to travel to Sudan because of restrictions imposed following the outbreak of COVID-19, we decided to launch the planning exercise of the future Mission from New York, with members of the team convening in virtual format from their respective locations, including New York, Khartoum, Addis and elsewhere. The team is expected to physically deploy to Sudan as soon as the situation allows in order to refine and validate the outcome of the planning exercise with key Sudanese stakeholders including the Transitional Government of Sudan, civil society organizations, political parties, women and youth groups.
Mr. President,
We should do everything we can to support the transition and the Sudanese people in addressing the existing challenges. I trust we all share this sense of urgency and collective responsibility to enable the success of the truly historic transition in Sudan. The Secretary-General attaches utmost importance to this endeavor and looks forward to working closely with the Security Council to make that happen.
I thank you, Mr. President.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
COVID-19Geneva International Discussions
Gabon – Donations from UN staff to help families in Libreville Colombia - During the pandemic, hope is sown in Carrizal Former FARC combatants from Carrizal, Remedios (Antioquia) planted 10,000 native trees on 22 April. On this year’s International Mother Earth Day, all attention was focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is another profound emergency: the planetary environmental crisis. People in the process of reintegration are also advancing in an environmental protection plan that involves the community and victims of the conflict. This is possible thanks to the accompaniment of several universities (Uniciencia, Universidad Nacional, Universidad de Antioquia), local authorities, the Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN), public forces, social organizations, and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia. For more Information, contact us
West Africa and the Sahel - Peacebuilding Commission meeting
Security CouncilHuang Xia: “Determined and united, we will defeat COVID-19"
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Special Coordinator encouraged by cooperation to fight COVID-19
DiCarlo: “We should do everything we can to support the transition and the Sudanese people”
Talking PreventionThis first edition of the Talking Prevention series, focusing on DPPA’s innovation work, took place via video conference on 24 April. DPPA's newly established Innovation Cell gave an overview of ongoing projects and areas of technology partnerships and the Mediation Support Unit briefed on its deepening engagement with the applicability of digital tools to its work. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, innovative and digital approaches to prevention, mediation and peacebuilding have become even more relevant. The new context has made direct interaction, including traditional shuttle diplomacy with conflict parties and peace constituencies, difficult. This puts new technologies for safe and comprehensive dialogue at the forefront of diplomacy and mediation. DPPA has been working on a series of tools, including digital focus groups and social media mining to support its work, while also developing its knowledge of both the possibilities and limitations of digital communication in peace process engagement.
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
The senior UN official in Kosovo is stressing that strong leadership and political unity are needed now more than ever, as local leaders and their international partners wage war on the “enormous challenge” posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Informal workers who live day to day urgently need cash support from their governments to survive the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the UN labour agency said on Friday.
An upsurge in military action against armed groups in West Africa’s vast Sahel and Lake Chad regions has prompted the United Nations refugee agency to call on all warring parties to protect people caught up in the violence.
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating opportunities for cooperation that Israelis and Palestinians must embrace to sustain Middle East peace efforts and bring an end to decades of conflict, the United Nations’ top envoy in the region said on Thursday.
I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone in Yemen, at the start of the Holy month of Ramadan.
To the people of Yemen: I wish Ramadan brings you its gifts of peace, reconciliation and joy. I hope you will continue to raise your voices to demand peace and to defend your right to a better future.
To the parties to the conflict, I say: be guided by the spirit of the Holy month and put an end to the suffering of your people. Put...
Mister President,
Members of the Security Council,
I brief you today as the Middle East continues to confront the monumental challenge of containing the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 23 March, the Secretary-General launched an appeal for an immediate global ceasefire. On 11 April, my fellow Envoys to the Middle East and I echoed the Secretary-General’s call and restated our firm commitment to preventive diplomacy, to assisting all efforts to respond to the health...
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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MESSAGE ON THE BEGINNING OF RAMADAN
I extend my warmest wishes as millions of Muslims around the world begin observing the holy month of Ramadan.
This will, of course, be a very different Ramadan. Many community...
In Libya, ongoing heavy fighting has raised concerns yet further, about the likely devastating impact of the new coronavirus on people there, particularly those repeatedly forced to flee violence.
Mogadishu – Today, the United Nations and partners in Somalia launched the Somalia COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan (CPRP) to address the immediate humanitarian impact and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
“The impact of COVID-19 is bound to be devastating,” said Mr. Adam Abdelmoula, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. “The priority now is to avert large-...
Sweeping preventative measures seem to be curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the Great Lakes region of Africa, but the economic impact of the global pandemic threatens hard-won gains made along the long road back to peace and stability, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the region said on Wednesday.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I would like to thank the co-sponsors for convening this meeting on climate and security risks, particularly on Earth Day.
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has commanded much of our attention of late. However, we cannot let up on our efforts to address the climate emergency – another global phenomenon with far-reaching implications, including on peace and security.
The recent report by the World Meteorological Organization on the State of the Global Climate underlines the magnitude of the challenge. We have the highest concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in three million years and ocean levels are at record highs. The last decade was the hottest on record. These effects have impact not just on the natural world but on the daily lives of people, communities and nations. They often hit hardest in already fragile contexts.
While climate change is rarely the main driver of conflict, it multiplies existing risks and exacerbates factors that we know can lead to insecurity. The manifestation of these linkages is highly specific to context.
In Sudan, for instance, the convergence of climatic pressures on agriculture and pastoralism with ethno-political factors contributed to the escalation of violence in Darfur and made the conflict harder to resolve. In Syria and Iraq, Da’esh exploited increasing competition over natural resources and weaponized water by controlling access and diverting rivers. In Central America and the Caribbean, the destruction wrought by extreme weather events has devastated critical infrastructure and displaced populations, and in some places, has been linked to a spike in crime rates.
The risk of a vicious cycle of climate disaster and insecurity is real. It is no coincidence that among the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change according to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative, half are also dealing with violent conflict.
Excellencies,
The Secretary-General has repeatedly warned that the far-reaching effects of climate change are a danger to peace.
We have seen how climate change undermines our core objectives of conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
In Somalia, for instance, climate stressors are a leading cause of large-scale displacement, which reduces the coping capacity of communities and undermines livelihoods. This in turn lowers the opportunity cost of negative coping strategies, such as recruitment into terrorist or criminal groups, and hampers efforts to build peace.
Climate security is about re-examining our underlying assumptions of prevention and sustaining peace, understanding how climate change affects our mandates and working with partners to find innovative solutions.
I would like to highlight four areas of focus for the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs as we address climate-related security risks.
1) We are strengthening our capacity for integrated risk analysis.
Climate-related security risks are the product of interactions between climate stressors and pre-existing socio-economic, political and demographic factors. Successful prevention and response strategies depend on an understanding of the context. We must be careful to avoid blanket assertions and template approaches.
Consider the Lake Chad Basin, where a complex web of environmental degradation, socio-economic marginalization and intercommunal tensions has eroded the resilience of 45 million people and created a multidimensional crisis.
To further our understanding of climate risks, DPPA has launched a joint initiative with the UN Development Programme and the UN Environment Programme – called the Climate Security Mechanism. With the aim of building capacity and strengthening partnerships, the mechanism has developed guidance to promote the systematic analysis of climate-related security risks and support response.
I want to stress that gender sensitivity forms a critical part of our analysis. Women often carry a disproportionate burden as inequalities and discrimination increase their vulnerability and undermine their coping capacity. At the same time, as providers of water, food and fuel for cooking, women often possess unique knowledge that may allow them to protect livelihoods. They bring a different perspective to the climate security discourse.
2) We are integrating a climate lens into our efforts at mediation and preventive diplomacy.
As climate change affects resource availability and forces large-scale socio-economic and political transitions, the motivations and calculations of conflict actors may change. Partnering closely with national and regional actors, where possible, we are working to ensure our peacemaking and mediation strategies take these effects into account.
In West Africa and the Sahel, where climate change exacerbates competition over natural resources, our regional office – UNOWAS – leads UN efforts to find peaceful solutions to the increasingly deadly conflicts between pastoral and farming communities. Working with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), it has identified good practices for local conflict prevention and dispute resolution that factor in climate trends, promote inclusivity, strengthen intercommunal consultation committees, and conduct targeted advocacy.
3) We are investing in peacebuilding programmes to help strengthen the resilience of States and communities to cope with climate-related security risks.
Integrated peacebuilding and climate adaptation programming can reduce vulnerabilities and increase resilience, charting a path of escape from the vicious cycles of climate disaster and conflict.
We count on women and youth as partners and leaders in this regard. As climate change alters traditional gender roles, power relations and livelihood patterns, new entry points for engaging women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding emerge.
For example, where environmental degradation forces men to migrate seasonally in search of livelihood options, women often assume greater responsibility in households and communities.
In the cross-border area of Mali and Niger, for instance, the Peacebuilding Fund aims to reduce conflicts related to natural resources through strengthening the active participation of women in decision-making processes and supporting their economic empowerment.
4) We are committed to working with and learning from our partners.
Communities all over the world have for centuries effectively adapted to the changing environment in peaceful ways. Local knowledge provides a critical foundation for community-based adaptation and peacebuilding.
In parts of the world affected particularly hard by climate change, regional organizations often lead the charge against the negative consequences for peace and security.
The Pacific is on the front lines of climate change and in the Boe Declaration laid out a comprehensive framework to address the implications for regional security. The UN is supporting the Pacific Islands Forum and other partners to operationalize the Declaration and enhance regional capacity to address climate-related security risks.
Further, we welcome efforts by the African Union to integrate climate change into the African Peace and Security Architecture and look forward to continuing our collaboration on climate security in the context of the AU-UN Joint Task Force.
Excellencies,
Climate-related security risks already form part of reality for millions of people around the world. Science tells us that without decisive action, climate change will further accelerate, with compounding implications for peace and security.
The Covid-19 pandemic reminds us that we live in an interconnected world. The notion of a distant, isolated crisis is an illusion. Peace and security risks brought on by climate change in one part of the world could have broader implications beyond that region.
Knowing what we know, the need for our collective action is urgent.
Thank you.
New York, April 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency — but it is far more.
It is an economic crisis. A social crisis. And a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.
...A World Health Organization (WHO) worker has been killed while driving a vehicle carrying COVID-19 samples in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, the United Nations country office confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
New-York, 22 April 2020
On this International Mother Earth Day, all eyes are on the COVID-19 pandemic – the biggest test the world has faced since the Second World War.
We must work together to save lives, ease suffering and lessen the shattering economic and social consequences.
The impact of the coronavirus is both immediate and dreadful...
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, continues his meetings with Resident Coordinators of the United Nations System in the countries of the sub-region.
These meetings are part of the work of UNOWAS with regional and international partners to assess the impact of COVID-19, and effectively coordinate United Nations...
We, the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID), recalling our statement from 31 March, and in the spirit of the call of UN Secretary General Guterres, strongly urge all the GID participants to set aside differences and to refrain from actions that could lead to increased tension.
The focus should be on collaboration, for the good of all people in the region and against the common threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reported erection of signs along the South Ossetian dividing line today predictably contributes to a tense atmosphere on the ground and rids the local people of their livelihoods.
In the face of the current global challenge of COVID-19, requiring joint approaches and co-operation amongst all, we hereby repeat our call on all participants to avoid provocative measures and focus on improving the situation of the conflict-affected population.
New York – April 17, 2020. Members of the Security Council reiterated their full and unanimous support for the peace process in Colombia, and reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with Colombia to progress in implementation of the Final Peace Agreement. They welcomed both parties’ continued commitment to this end, and strongly supported complementary efforts by the United Nations Verification Mission and Country Team. They stressed the importance of the...
The head of the UN children’s fund UNICEF warned on Friday that 250 million children around the world living in the “waking nightmare” of conflict desperately need warring parties to stop fighting as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
Donor Support for DPPADPPA launched its Annual Report under the Multi-Year Appeal (MYA) this week. The report showcases how voluntary contributions made a difference in 2019, allowing the Department to be more operational and seize opportunities to prevent violence and defuse tensions in mission and non-mission settings such as Bolivia, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea-Bougainville, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen. For the fourth consecutive year, the MYA surpassed its resource mobilization target last year. Against $30 million requested in 2019 to cover its six priority areas, DPPA successfully mobilized $35.3 million in contributions from 30 donors (Appeal 118 per cent funded).Read more here COVID-19Middle East - Joint appeal to end hostilities
Mladenov: “If current trends continue, the damage to the Palestinian economy will be substantial” The Special Coordinator met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on 16 April and thanked him for his engagement with the UN during the pandemic. “Now is the time for all to reach across divides and help fight the common enemy. Israelis and Palestinians can and must work together to tackle the health, social and economic effects of COVID-19, Mr. Mladenov tweeted after the meeting. For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and its impact, please visit:
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Security CouncilRuiz Massieu: Coronavirus pandemic is having a profound impact on Colombia, and the peace process will undoubtedly feel its effects
Griffiths “An opportunity has emerged to bring peace to Yemen” Please see the Security Council website for an updated program of work.
AfghanistanVoices from Afghanistan heard in biggest-ever global conversation on world’s future
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to deepen suffering in Yemen, now is the time for rival parties to commit to ending their conflict, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on Thursday, during an informal meeting via videoconference.
