UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the launch of the final phase in the political process towards restoring a civilian-led transition in Sudan, more than one year after the military coup, his Spokesperson said on Monday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the launch of the final phase in the political process towards restoring a civilian-led transition in Sudan, more than one year after the military coup, his Spokesperson said on Monday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres responded to the storming on Brazil’s Congress by insisting that it would not shake the country’s strong democratic foundations.
Trucks transporting food, medicine and other desperately needed aid into northwestern Syria from Türkiye, will continue their lifesaving journeys for another six months following a vote in the UN Security Council on Monday.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso to ensure that their investigation into the killing of at least 28 people at the end of December will hold those responsible to account, regardless of their position or rank.
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Mister President,
Thank you for inviting me to address the Council on recent developments in occupied East Jerusalem. At the outset, please allow me this opportunity to welcome Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland as the new elected members of the Security Council.
...ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL KHALED KHIARI’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL
ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
New York, 5 January 2023
Mister President,
Thank you for inviting me to address the Council on recent developments in occupied East Jerusalem. At the outset, please allow me this opportunity to welcome Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland as the new elected members of the Security Council.
Mister President,
I would like to note that Special Coordinator Wennesland will provide his regular and full briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on the 18th of January.
We are, however, concerned about the events of this past week in Jerusalem and the broader ongoing tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank.
On 3 January, Israel’s new Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir conducted a visit, accompanied by heavy security detail, to the Holy Sites in Jerusalem. The visit was the first to the site by an Israeli minister since 2017.
While the visit was not accompanied or followed by violence, it is seen as particularly inflammatory given Mr. Ben Gvir’s past advocacy for changes to the status quo.
The visit was sharply condemned by the Palestinian Authority, many others across the region and the international community as a provocation that risked sparking further bloodshed. Many also warned against any changes to the status quo at the Holy Sites.
Following the visit, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and other senior Israeli officials emphasized that the Government is committed to upholding the status quo and that the visit did not represent a deviation from it.
Mister President,
As we have seen numerous times in the past, the situation at Jerusalem’s Holy Sites is deeply fragile, and any incident or tension there can spill over and cause violence throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in Israel and elsewhere in the region.
With that reality in mind, I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for all parties to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around the Holy Sites, and for all to uphold the status quo, in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Over the past several days, the United Nations has remained in close contact with relevant parties to de-escalate the situation, and these engagements will continue in the coming days and weeks.
At this sensitive moment, all efforts to lower tensions should be encouraged, while provocations, inflammatory steps, unilateral actions and threats of violence must be categorically rejected.
Leaders on all sides have a responsibility to lower the flames and create the conditions for calm.
The United Nations remains ready to assist and support these efforts.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The United Nations remains ready to support efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East exacerbated this week by the visit of Israel’s new National Security Minister to a disputed holy site in Jerusalem, the Security Council heard during an emergency session on Thursday.
Any use of chemical weapons anywhere is simply “unacceptable”, the deputy head of the UN Disarmament Affairs office (UNODA) told the Security Council on Thursday, briefing on efforts to eliminate the scourge from the battlefields and towns of Syria.
In Ukraine, the country’s farmers and smallholders urgently need more support to avoid a food crisis, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Wednesday, as it announced a $15.5 million initiative to help them.
The New Year holiday period witnessed a fresh surge of deadly attacks by Russian forces in Ukraine, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists on Tuesday.
The agreement between the Colombian Government and the five largest remaining armed groups there provides “renewed hope for comprehensive peace” into the new year, said the UN chief in a statement released by his Spokesperson late on Sunday.
Read here the latest UNSOM Quarterly Newsletter.
The MYA recorded positive results in 2022. The present report shows how effective operational deployments and engagement with the right partners and actors can make a difference, all at relatively low cost. The MYA is an indispensable part of this approach, critically augmenting our capacities. The confidence that donors have shown in our work, and the urgency of current needs, informs our ambitious 2023-2026 Appeal for $170 million. We count on our traditional donors and welcome new contributors for 2023 and beyond.
The UN chief paid tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict on Saturday, who has died, aged 95, after standing down as head of the Catholic Church nearly a decade ago, due to ill health.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
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New York, 31 December 2022
Every New Year is a moment of rebirth.
We sweep out the ashes of the old year and prepare for a brighter day.
In 2022, millions of people around the world literally swept out ashes.
From Ukraine to...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine creating global upheaval, and war, conflict, and unrest blighting all parts of the world in 2022. The UN stressed the importance of international dialogue, and announced plans for a new peace agenda.
After a year of brutal warfare from Afghanistan to Ukraine, forcing record numbers to flee their homes, the world needs peace in 2023 “more than ever”, said the UN Secretary-General, in his New Year message.
The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) together with international partners, have called for the immediate end to mounting violence in the Greater Pibor area by armed youth from Jonglei state. News reports say at least 57 have died since early on Sunday, with more than a dozen injured.
As temperatures across Ukraine have plummeted below zero and are expected to drop even more, the UN migration agency is stepping up efforts to help displaced and war-affected people cope with the cold weather.
New York, 27 December 2022
Three years ago this month, the virus that causes COVID-19 was first detected.
The costs have been catastrophic. Millions of lives have been lost, and hundreds of millions of people have fallen ill. Economies were shattered, health systems were stretched, and trillions of dollars were lost. Progress...
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed his confidence in Barbara Manzi, the most senior UN official in Burkina Faso, who was ordered to leave the country by the government on Friday.
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Humanitarian needs in Syria have reached their worst levels since conflict began nearly 12 years ago, the Security Council heard on Wednesday.
Now is not the time for the world to turn away from Haiti, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on Wednesday, calling for international solidarity and support as the country continues to confront gang violence, political instability and a deadly cholera outbreak.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL MIROSLAV JENČA’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL SESSION
REQUESTED BY ARMENIA
New York, 20 December 2022
Madam President,
Esteemed members of the Council,
I thank you for convening this meeting and for providing the opportunity to brief you on the developments in the South Caucasus, specifically the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Since my last briefing on 15 September, the situation has remained fragile with the sides regularly trading accusation of ceasefire violation. Nevertheless, despite these sporadic incidents, a glimmer of hope for progress in the ongoing diplomatic efforts has appeared following the renewed violence of mid-September.
We have indeed witnessed several high-level diplomatic initiatives in recent months.
In early October, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan met in Prague in the margins of the first European Political Community meeting at the invitation of the President of the French Republic and the President of the European Council. The meeting resulted in an agreement to deploy the European Union Monitoring Capacity in Armenia, whose mandate ended yesterday. In this regard, we note the reports that a possible longer term EU mission in Armenia is being envisaged, with the ultimate goal of contributing to sustainable peace in the region.
In late October, the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders met again in Sochi, hosted by the President of the Russian Federation where they had agreed inter alia to refrain from the use of force or threatening force.
In addition to leader-level talks, several meetings at the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister levels took place in recent months. For instance, the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers met in New York under the auspices of the US Secretary of State in September. The sides have also been discussing in various forums elements for possible negotiated settlement, including the critical issues of border delimitation and demarcation within the framework of mutual recognition of their territorial integrity and sovereignty.
We commend all these ongoing engagements and mediation efforts and encourage their close coordination to ensure maximum effectiveness.
In addition to the mission by the European Union, agreed by both sides, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as well as the Collective Security Treaty Organization, at the request of Armenia, also deployed technical missions to Armenia.
The Secretary-General for his part during his bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia and Foreign Minister Bayramov of Azerbaijan, on the margins of the 77th General Assembly High-Level week, urged progress towards a peaceful settlement. He repeated this message during last week’s meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan.
The United Nations will continue to remain in close contact with all relevant actors and the concerned parties and stands ready to support the ongoing peace efforts, as needed.
At the invitation of the host governments, the UN Country Teams in Armenia and Azerbaijan also continue to undertake various inter-agency needs and programmatic assessments, including to accessible conflict-impacted areas, as needed.
Madam President,
Regrettably, despite these promising diplomatic engagements, the tensions, both on the Armenia-Azerbaijani border and around areas under the control of the Russian peacekeeping forces have not abated as hoped, with various incidents being reported.
In a latest sign of escalating tensions, on 12 December, reports have emerged of protests near a Russian peacekeeping post on the Lachin road. This road is a vital artery for the people living in the area. It has been reported that these protests were against what they claim is the illegal exploitation of mineral resources and its environmental impact on surrounding area.
The United Nations, which is neither present in the Lachin corridor, nor in the areas under the mandate of the Russian peacekeepers, is not in a position to verify or confirm these various claims and allegations.
We understand that, as we meet, the protests continue.
Over the past days, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have written to the Secretary-General and to the Security Council regarding these recent events, alleging violations of agreed commitments by the other side and challenging each-others’ claims. Both offered widely differing account of the developments and of the situation.
Both sides have accused the other of violating the 9 November 2020 Trilateral Statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russia Federation.
Media reports and statements from the Russian peacekeepers in the area indicated that some humanitarian and medical goods and supplies have been able to get through.
It is imperative that the population, particularly those in need be allowed to travel freely and be provided access to basic services. We welcome in this regard the commitment of Russian peacekeeping forces to facilitate and ensure the safe passage through the corridor.
Madam President,
In his 14 December statement, the Secretary-General noted that he was following with concern the ongoing developments around the Lachin corridor.
The Secretary-General urged the sides to de-escalate tensions and to ensure freedom and security of movement along the corridor, in line with the previously reached agreements.
The Secretary-General also reiterated his support to the ongoing mediation efforts in the region.
The UN Country Teams in both Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to maintain open channels with the authorities and stand prepared to respond to emerging humanitarian needs, if requested and as conditions allow.
Madam President,
As we have seen time and time again, most recently this past September, the potential human toll from the resumption of conflict could be considerable. Any renewed conflict would not only impact the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also likely the wider South Caucasus region and beyond. The international community must not let this happen.
The parties must abide by their obligation to fully implement the Trilateral statement on the ceasefire of 9 November 2020 and the subsequent agreed statements and commitments and to redouble their diplomatic efforts to achieve a negotiated lasting peaceful settlement, before it is too late.
Thank you.
Despite their differing positions, dialogue between the Taliban authorities and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) must continue for the sake of the country’s people, the top UN official there told the Security Council on Tuesday.
A $1.5 million grant to the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, announced on Tuesday, is designed to enable a more inclusive environment for women blue helmets serving in the country, while also improving living conditions.
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL ROSEMARY A. DICARLO’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION (IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION 2231 (2015))
New York, 19 December 2022
Thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity to brief the Council on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and resolution 2231 (2015).
The agreement on the Plan and its endorsement by the Council demonstrated a unity of purpose among its participants. Both the Plan and the resolution support our common objectives of nuclear non-proliferation and regional security, in a manner that delivers tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people.
Back in June, I expressed to this Council the hope that diplomacy would prevail. Unfortunately, despite the tireless efforts of participants to the Plan and the United States since April 2021 to resolve remaining differences, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have yet to return to full and effective implementation of the Plan.
Six months later, the space for diplomacy appears to be rapidly shrinking.
Regrettably, since the Council last met on this issue, the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported on the intention of Iran to install new centrifuges at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant and to produce more uranium enriched up to 60% at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
While the Agency has not been able to verify the stockpile of enriched uranium in the country, it estimates that Iran has now a total enriched uranium stockpile of more than eighteen times the allowable amount under the JCPOA. This includes worrying quantities of uranium enriched to 20% and 60%.
The Agency re-iterated that Iran’s decision to cease implementation of its JCPOA nuclear-related commitments has seriously affected its safeguards activities.
Further, the Agency reported that the decision of Iran to “remove all of the Agency’s equipment…for surveillance and monitoring activities in relation to the JCPOA has also had detrimental implications for the Agency’s ability to provide assurance of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.”
Against this backdrop, we once again call on Iran to reverse the steps it has taken since July 2019 that are not consistent with its nuclear-related commitments under the Plan.
We also call on the United States to lift or waive its sanctions as outlined in the Plan, and to extend the waivers regarding the trade in oil with Iran.
Madam President,
It is also important for Iran to address concerns raised by participants in the Plan and by other Member States in relation to annex B of resolution 2231 (2015).
I will now turn to the restrictive measures set out in annex B, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s fourteenth report on resolution 2231 (S/2022/912).
First, on the nuclear-related provisions, no new proposals were submitted to the procurement channel in the last six months.
The Council, however, received eight notifications, submitted pursuant to paragraph 2 of annex B, for certain nuclear-related activities consistent with the Plan.
Second, regarding the ballistic missile-related provisions, France, Germany, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States provided information to the Secretary-General and the Council concerning two flight tests of space launch vehicles conducted by Iran in June and November of this year.
We also received information about a new ballistic missile unveiled by Iran in September of this year.
The information received reflects divergent views among those Member States as to whether those launches and other activities are inconsistent with the resolution.
Third, we examined information related to paragraph 4 of annex B.
This paragraph pertains to the supply, sale or transfer to or from Iran of all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology as set out in Council document S/2015/546. This document includes ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and other Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems with a range of 300 km or more.
In the reporting period, we conducted a visit to the United Kingdom, upon invitation of its authorities.
We examined cruise missile parts seized by the British Royal Navy in early 2022, in international waters south of Iran, and which were alleged to have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231.
We observed many similarities between these parts and other parts examined previously and that we assessed to be of Iranian origin. The latter include those parts seen in the debris of cruise missiles used by the Houthis against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between 2019 and 2022, and those seized by the United States in 2019.
We also observed manufacture date markings of August 2020 and June and November 2021 on three of the five jet engines examined.
Finally, we identified the manufacturers of several subcomponents, one of whom informed us that two pressure sensors were exported in early 2020. We continue to trace their complete supply chain.
In this reporting period, we also received letters from Ukraine, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States concerning alleged transfers of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, from Iran to the Russian Federation, in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 4 of annex B.
In their letters, the five countries also asked that an inspection be conducted.
The Permanent Representative of Iran denied that his country had supplied UAVs for use in the conflict in Ukraine; the Russian Federation also expressed its serious concerns regarding the requests of these Member States.
The Secretariat is examining the available information and any findings will be reported to the Council, as appropriate, in due course.
Finally, on the assets freeze provisions, we received information from Ukraine, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States alleging that some of the UAVs transferred by Iran to the Russian Federation were manufactured by an entity on the 2231 list and therefore transferred in a manner inconsistent with the relevant provisions of annex B.
The Secretariat is also examining the available information and will report back to the Council, as appropriate, in due course.
Madam President,
The Secretary-General remains convinced that lasting peace and security for all Member States depend on dialogue and cooperation. Restoring the JCPOA remains crucial: to assure the international community of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme and to allow Iran to reach its full economic potential.
We encourage all Parties and the United States to resume their efforts to resolve the outstanding issues lest the gains achieved by the Plan after years of painstaking efforts be completely lost.
In closing, I would like to thank His Excellency Mr. Fergal Mythen and his predecessor for their leadership throughout their tenure as Facilitator for resolution 2231, as well as the Coordinator of the Procurement Working Group of the Joint Commission for our continued cooperation.
Thank you, Madam President.
The UN chief said on Monday he was determined to make 2023 “a year for peace” and a “year for action”, highlighting the need for practical solutions to a raft of pressing problems facing all regions of the world.
More than 150 Palestinians and over 20 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel so far in 2022 - the highest number of deaths in years, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Monday.
No progress has been made on the implementation of a high profile 2015 Security Council resolution (2231), aimed at ensuring that Iran’s nuclear facilities be used only for peaceful purposes, in return for the lifting of sanctions, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council on Monday.
Secretary-General António Guterres “strongly condemns” an attack against a UN police patrol in northern Mali that claimed the lives of two Nigerian peacekeepers, according to his spokesperson.
