Transcript of UN Secretary-General's Virtual Press Encounter on COVID-19 Crisis
We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations — one that is spreading human suffering, infecting the global economy and upending people’s lives.
A global recession – perhaps of record dimensions – is a near certainty.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has...
The United Nations will soon launch a campaign highlighting the personal connections of individuals with religious sites as part of its efforts to protect places of worship around the world.
Nearly 94 tonnes of emergency aid has been airlifted into Chad to support thousands of people who have fled ongoing violence in Sudan’s West Darfur state, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Friday.
Authorities in South Sudan must address intercommunal violence if the nation is to achieve lasting peace, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday, in response to a recent escalation in fighting in the east and central parts of the country.
A senior United Nations official has welcomed the move by lawmakers in the Central African Republic (CAR) to criminalize child recruitment.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
COVID-19We are open for business
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SomaliaConstitutional review consultations in Galmudug
AfghanistanNowruz celebrations in Afghanistan IraqSpecial Representative visits Kurdistan SyriaAnniversary of the conflict in Syria
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Women who had been displaced by fighting in South Sudan are sowing seeds of peace, with support from the UN mission in the country, UNMISS.
A United Nations peacekeeper from Burundi was killed on Sunday while attempting to stop an armed militant attack in the Central African Republic (CAR), according to a statement released by the UN Mission in the country, MINUSCA.
TIRANA / BRUSSELS / GENEVA. After carefully reviewing circumstances related to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID), UN Representative Cihan Sultanoglu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus Rudolf Michalka, and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar have today decided to postpone the 51st GID round, which was due to take place on 31 March -1 April 2020.
The Co-Chairs will take every effort to closely keep contact and engage with all participants using available tools to adequately address pertinent security and humanitarian related issues, among others, on the GID agenda.
The Co-Chairs will closely follow developments related to COVID-19 and consider next steps in organizing the 51st round in due course.
Syria marks a grim milestone this weekend as the tenth year of war begins, prompting the UN Special Envoy to take stock of the incomprehensible scale of suffering there, noting that with nearly a million newly displaced in Idlib, “the tragedy is deepening”.
Following the unveiling of a new unity cabinet in South Sudan on Thursday, the UN Secretary-General has commended the “spirit of compromise and collaboration” shown by President Salva Kiir and rival-turned-top deputy, Riek Machar, on what has been a rocky road towards forging lasting peace.
Although a fragile ceasefire agreed in northwest Syria is still holding, UN humanitarians on Friday warned of dire conditions for hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by conflict, now in its tenth year.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
Security CouncilWomen must be at the centre of the response against terrorism and violent extremism in Africa
Griffiths: Yemen is at a critical juncture IraqSpecial Representative meets President of Iraq YemenSpecial Envoy visits Marib in northern Yemen
GuineaSpecial Representative calls on Guineans to prioritize dialogue
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LibyaUN Secretary-General designates Acting Special Representative for Libya
SomaliaBreaking down barriers to youth employment in Baidoa
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
Yemen is at a “critical juncture”, the UN Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Thursday. Speaking via video-link, Martin Griffiths said that the combatants will either move towards de-escalation or greater violence, which would make “the path to the negotiating table more arduous”.
The UN mission in Iraq has called for ‘maximum restraint’ following a deadly attack on foreign forces serving under the United States-led coalition against the militant group ISIL.
UN agencies have underscored their commitment to continue supporting civilians affected by the war in Syria, which this month enters its tenth year. The Secretary-General issued a statement on Thursday, declaring that "we cannot allow the tenth year to result in the same carnage, the same flouting of human rights and international humanitarian law."
The UN Security Council on Wednesday called for greater international support to African countries in their continued fight against terrorism and violent extremism, particularly in parts of the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin region and the Horn of Africa.
Daily fighting in Myanmar, widespread internet blackouts and reporting restrictions, indicate that the shift to more democratic rule is “sliding away”, a senior UN-appointed independent rights investigator said on Wednesday.
Thank you, Mr. President,
I commend the Peoples’ Republic of China for organizing this important meeting.
Today, Africa is moving forward with its own agenda of progress, peace and prosperity. Across the continent, countries are growing and addressing complex structural challenges, in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Civil society, communities and governments are working together as never before.
The United Nations is fully committed to supporting these efforts, and important progress has already been made in implementing the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, and the AU-UN Framework on Implementation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.
However, the continent continues to face vulnerabilities that threaten its peace and security, hinder its economic development and undermine human rights and the rule of law.
Mr. President,
Among those threats is that of terrorism and violent extremism, which continues to grow in various parts of the continent, despite our efforts to prevent and counter it at the national, regional and international levels.
Al-Shabaab continues to pose the most persistent threat to security in Somalia and East Africa despite the intensified military operations against it in recent years.
ISIL and Al-Qaida affiliates are collaborating with each other to undertake increasingly sophisticated attacks in West Africa, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
ISIL also continues to operate in Libya despite recent setbacks, and it is restructuring and empowering its affiliates in Eastern, Southern and Central Africa.
In the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, Boko Haram and its splinter faction the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, continue to terrorize local populations and attack security forces.
I would like to take this opportunity to remember the tens of thousands of African victims of terrorism, and to express my solidarity with the affected governments and people. Terrorism causes deep, lasting scars, and victims and survivors need not only protection but a chance to heal through justice and support for rebuilding their lives.
We know that women bear a disproportionate burden of this violence, including through sexual slavery. Just as misogyny is at the heart of so many terrorist groups’ strategies, so must women be at the centre of our responses.
Mr. President,
The High-Level regional conference on preventing and countering violent extremism, which the United Nations co-organized with the Government of Kenya in Nairobi last July has reinvigorated our common efforts to understand and address terrorism in Africa.
As the Secretary-General has stated, we cannot address terrorism without addressing underlying factors. The threat of terrorism is often a consequence of development, humanitarian, human rights and security challenges that terrorist groups seek to exploit. Security and military solutions are thus not sufficient.
We must address poverty, weak governance, intercommunal tensions, gender inequality, youth unemployment, illicit activities such as trafficking in weapons and people, and the use of new technologies and social media to recruit, inflame and incite.
We also need to better understand the specific threat and priority needs of each country and sub-region. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution; comprehensive and inclusive “all-of-government” and “all-of-society” approaches are essential.
As terrorism has no borders, preventing and combatting it requires strong multilateral cooperation. The United Nations remains committed to bringing Member States together to share counter-terrorism best practices, expertise and resources.
The United Nations is working closely with African organizations and Member States to promote a comprehensive and balanced implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
We supported the development of regional counter-terrorism strategies in the Sahel, Central and Southern Africa, and we are supporting the implementation of the strategy adopted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development for the Horn of Africa and Tanzania.
Further to requests from Member States, we are supporting African-led and African-owned initiatives in priority thematic areas, including protecting vulnerable targets; countering terrorists’ travel; developing coordination mechanisms for law enforcement; enhancing the capacity of Member States to investigate and prevent cyber-attacks; engaging with parliamentarians to implement relevant counter-terrorism obligations; and promoting south-south cooperation and respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Mr. President,
We cannot overemphasize the importance of support to the G-5 Sahel Force, which can play a critical role in combating terrorism, especially in the three border areas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The Pau Summit of January, convened by President Emmanuel Macron, put forward an enhanced and focused strategy that could significantly reduce the terrorist threat. I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for the international community to provide strong support for the efforts of the G5 Sahel.
Mr. President
Terrorism is an evolving and pervasive multi-dimensional threat.
I encourage Member States and other partners to take advantage of the upcoming review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism week, to strengthen our efforts and partnerships.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday afternoon welcoming recent steps towards ending the conflict in Afghanistan. All 15 members supported the resolution, tabled by the United States, which endorses a joint US-Afghan declaration on peace and an agreement signed between Washington and the Taliban.
There can be no sustainable peace in Afghanistan if women are not at the negotiating table, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ambassadors and activists at UN Headquarters on Tuesday.
Over the past two years, more than 100,000 people in Nicaragua have sought asylum abroad, reportedly fleeing persecution and human rights abuses, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.
Iran’s nuclear capabilities moved back into the international spotlight on Monday as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it had concerns about possible “undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities” in unregistered locations there.
Sudan’s Prime Minister survived a reported assassination attempt in the capital Khartoum on Monday, tweeting after the incident that he was “safe and in good shape”.
Despite constraints imposed by the new coronavirus disease, activists for gender equality gathered at UN Headquarters on Monday for the latest session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), to reinforce the message that women’s rights are human rights.
Thank you, Mr. President and greetings to you and to the people of Baidoa and of South West State. This is my fourth visit to Baidoa since arriving in Somalia last June. I have had a full day programme here, and as always, am grateful for the very warm reception by President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed and by the people of South West State.
My visit today focused on children and youth, as well as women’s empowerment.
Accompanied by the UNICEF Representative in Somalia...
The global number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has surpassed 100,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Saturday.
The United Nations has underscored its solidarity with Afghanistan following a deadly attack in the capital, Kabul, on Friday.
Marib, 7 March 2020 – The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, concluded today a one-day visit to Marib, northern Yemen.
Mr. Griffiths met during his visit with local government officials, tribal chiefs, civil society including women and youth groups and internally displaced Yemenis.
“I came here today to listen to the people of Marib and their concerns and make sure that...
In a visit to northern Yemen on Saturday, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths repeated his call for an immediate freeze on military activities and for warring parties to work towards a de-escalation in fighting.
