The peace dividend from last year’s ceasefire in South Sudan is palpable, but political elites need to follow the example set by local communities on the ground if lasting progress is to be achieved, said the top UN official in the country on Tuesday.
“Week after week, month after month, year after year”, the Security Council has been briefed on Syria’s humanitarian suffering, and on Tuesday, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator once again described “the latest horror facing civilians”, pleading for greater humanitarian access.
The Security Council on Monday approved a resolution to create a UN “Integrated Office” in Haiti, designed to support the country’s government in strengthening political stability and good governance. The Office, named BINUH, will replace the 15-year long peacekeeping mission, MINUJUSTH, on October 16.
The United Nations has long engaged in efforts to bring peace and stability to Sudan, which has been marked by decades of political instability and armed conflicts.
Following the independence of South Sudan in July 2011, the Secretary General appointed a Special Envoy for the Sudan and South Sudan to continue to play a good offices role on behalf of the Secretary-General to support the establishment and maintenance of good and peaceful neighbourly relations between Sudan and South Sudan. Since its establishment, the Special Envoy has worked closely together with and in support of the efforts by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) in assisting the parties to reach a negotiated settlement to residual Comprehensive Peace Agreement and post-secession issues.
A key step in this process has been the signing by Sudan and South Sudan on 27 September 2012 of nine cooperation framework agreements, including agreements on oil, security, nationals, post service benefits, trade, banking, border issues, and economic matters. Since the outbreak of violence in South Sudan in December 2013, the Special Envoy also supported efforts by the region to resolve the crisis in South Sudan, which led to the signing by the belligerent parties of the "Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan". Furthermore, under the leadership of the AUHIP, the Special Envoy has engaged Sudanese stakeholders in efforts to promote the holding of an inclusive and credible National Dialogue in Sudan, and has supported talks on a cessation of hostilities in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
There is a need for “genuine regional dialogue” to address rising tensions in the Gulf, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday, calling on Secretary-General António Guterres “to play a role” in bringing countries to the table.
The looting and destruction of UN food relief agency premises and property in Sudan, has prompted the UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and UN Country Team, to condemn the assault as a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Millions of children around the world are being denied a “safe place to learn”, due to ongoing conflicts according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
Thousands of suspected foreign ISIL terrorist fighters and their families who are being held in detention in Syria and Iraq, must be treated fairly by their captors and taken back by their home countries, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday.
The assassination of the chief of staff of the Ethiopian army and killing of a regional governor in what the Government has described as a regional coup attempt, has been condemned by the UN Secretary-General.
More than 80 per cent of schools in the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon are closed, as the security situation and living conditions continue to deteriorate due to the three-year conflict between the Government and armed groups, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, reported on Friday.
Cracking down on Catholic Church activities, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of Orthodox and Christian congregation members in Eritrea, prompted a call from a UN independent rights expert on Friday for the Government to respect citizens' freedom of religion and to “release those who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs”.
This Week in DPPA aims to keep you abreast of developments and events on the agenda of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, at UN HQ and in the field, and especially those that sometimes "fly under the radar".
Security CouncilYemen envoy urges de-escalation The latest report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security was the backdrop for the briefing. The Secretary-General calls in the report for direct talks between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban and stresses that “the United Nations stands ready to assist with efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict.” Somalia, MauritiusASG Keita visits Somalia and Mauritius
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Central AfricaHuman rights workshop for Gabonese police |
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Acts of violence against civilians, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure in Idlib are “deplorable”, the United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis said on Friday, condemning them “in the strongest terms”.
Acts of violence against civilians, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure in Idlib are “deplorable”, the United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis said on Friday, condemning them “in the strongest terms”.
Although the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR), armed groups and civil society representatives are all taking part in the process that followed the signing of a deal signed in February, civilians continue to suffer daily acts of violence, the top UN official in the country told the Security Council on Thursday.
The Security Council on Thursday adopted its first-ever resolution calling on UN Member States and warring parties to protect persons with disabilities in conflict situations and to ensure they have access to justice, basic services and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
Developments in the Middle East cannot be divorced from Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territory and settlement-building, or Hamas’ hold over Gaza and its militant activity, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council on Thursday, warning that these actions “collectively erode the prospects of a two-State solution”.
The presidential election scheduled for 28 September will be a “key moment to reaffirm the legitimacy of Afghanistan’s democratic political structure”, the United Nations mission chief in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The UN Security Council must “seize this moment” presented by the current turmoil in Sudan, to provide justice at long last for the victims of violence in Darfur, and those who have suffered at the hands of the brutal military crackdown earlier this month.
Sexual violence in conflict is a “threat to our collective security” and a “stain on our common humanity”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, on Wednesday.
Unabating violence, destruction and a downward sprial in overall conditions for the desperate people trapped in north-western Syria’s Idlib were in the spotlight as the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Tuesday that “we are faced with a humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes”.
Mr. President,
Since I last briefed the Council a month ago, violence in Northwest Syria continues unabated as parties on the ground try to advance militarily.
Our unflagging efforts to mediate a political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people cannot move forward in an environment of open conflict. Our efforts will stall if Russia and Turkey cannot uphold their ceasefire agreement. Our efforts will suffer if this Security Council, as well as the Astana Group and the Small Group—many of whom sit around this table today—cannot find a way to work together in common support of the Special Envoy’s efforts to implement resolution 2254.
The UN understands very well the positions of the guarantors of the Idlib Memorandum, an agreement which until a few months ago had delivered relative calm to the people of Idlib. For Russia, the presence of Security Council-designated Hayat Tahrir al Sham, or HTS, in the de-escalation area is not tolerable. For Turkey, time is required to effectively isolate and address HTS’s most hardline fighters.
As the Secretary-General said a few hours ago: “The situation in Idlib is especially dangerous” and “Yet again, civilians are paying a horrific price.”
Airstrikes continue; barrel bomb use and cluster munitions, exchanges of mortar and artillery fire are ongoing, resulting in civilian casualties and massive displacement. Population centers and civilian infrastructure including schools and medical facilities have been attacked, mostly inside the de-escalation area.
It is imperative that we address HTS without triggering the humanitarian catastrophe that we see unfolding before our eyes, with hundreds of thousands on the move, being pushed closer to Turkey’s border.
Mr. President,
Despite all this violence, the frontlines have hardly shifted, suggesting a stalemate. But if so, it is plainly turning out to be a bloody and quite pointless stalemate with devastating humanitarian consequences that far outstrip any damage done to HTS.
Undoubtedly, the situation in Idlib is complex. But, as we have repeatedly said, counter-terrorism cannot overtake obligations under international law to protect civilians and the obligation to strictly observe the principles of distinction and proportionality. The problem posed by HTS will need to be dealt with in a more effective and sustainable way, one where civilians do not pay the price. That can only begin with the restoration of calm.
The Secretary-General, the Special Envoy and I have been pressing for the need for a solution in Idlib in all of our engagements at all levels.
We welcome Russia and Turkey’s continued efforts to contain the violence, most recently in their working group meeting on 16-17 June. However, if a solution is not found, then the consequences will be unimaginable – and not just in humanitarian terms. Let us remember the international players involved and the potential for escalation.
Over the weekend, Turkey announced that one of its observation posts had been shelled by government forces “intentionally” and that it “retaliated” with heavy weapons. This was the second such incident in less than a week that impacted a Turkish observation post—defensive positions meant to maintain the lines agreed in the September Memorandum. Today, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem assured that Syria did not want to see an armed confrontation between its forces and Turkey. These close military exchanges underscore how Idlib is not just a humanitarian issue—it also poses a grave risk to regional security.
As we look to the upcoming G20 meeting where world leaders who can contain this conflict will be present, we stress the need for diplomacy to produce an outcome in Idlib that can create the necessary conditions for the political process to advance. We call on international stakeholders—in particular, the Russian Federation and Turkey, as guarantors of the September 2018 Memorandum of Understanding on Idlib—to exert the efforts needed to end the violence and restore calm. All that is required is the political will.
As the Secretary-General stated today “there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. It was clear at the start and it remains clear more than eight years later: the solution is political.”
The Syrian people have paid a high price for the failures of the international community to end this war. More than half the population is displaced and in need, more than five million refugees are uncertain of when it will be safe to return, hundreds of thousands have paid with their lives, tens of thousands detained, missing, tortured. Are we really asking them to pay more? We must collectively work together to ensure the answer to that question is no.
Thank you, Mr. President.
This Tuesday, top stories include: the UN’s war on hate speech; a surge in ethnic violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the ‘invisible pandemic’ of antimicrobial resistance; UN peacekeeping Commanders’ meeting at the Security Council; and a new campaign to encourage healthy and sustainable food choices.
More than 300,000 people have been forced to flee resurgent inter-ethnic violence in north-east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just this month, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.
To start this week, we cover: food aid diversions in Yemen; 9.7 billion of people on earth by 2050; Law of the Sea Convention; World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought; triple suicide bombing in Nigeria; and a solar power plant for health care in Gaza.
To start this week, we cover: food aid diversions in Yemen; 9.7 billion of people on earth by 2050; Law of the Sea Convention; World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought; triple suicide bombing in Nigeria; and a solar power plant for health care in Gaza.
Food continues to be taken “from the mouths of hungry little boys and little girls” in many areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels, warned the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday, who said the agency would be forced to suspend some food assistance within days, unless agreements are finally honoured.
