New York, 6 February 2022
Female genital mutilation is an abhorrent human rights violation that causes profound and permanent harm to women and girls around the world.
Every year, over 4 million girls are at risk of this extreme form of violence. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on health services and put even more girls in jeopardy.
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UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and partners are rushing life-saving aid to more than 20,000 refugees after they fled clashes in Ethiopia’s Benishangul Gumuz region, bordering Sudan and South Sudan.
Insecurity in Burkina Faso, particularly in the region bordering Côte d’Ivoire, is pushing more people to seek safety both within and outside the country, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Friday.
The qualities of fair play and solidarity that characterize the Olympics must shine throughout the games and beyond, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message to the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, on Friday.
Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have stepped up their presence in the area around a camp for displaced people in Ituri province following a deadly attack this week, the United Nations said on Thursday.
The grinding conflict in eastern Ukraine is increasingly affecting the mental health of boys and girls, causing nightmares, social isolation and panic attacks, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.
New York, 4 February 2022
On the International Day of Human Fraternity, we reflect on the importance of cultural and religious understanding, and mutual respect.
I am grateful to religious leaders across the world who are joining hands to promote dialogue and interfaith harmony.
...Following an attack by United States Special Forces in northwestern Syria that culminated in the death of the leader of the ISIL terrorist network, the deputy UN Spokesperson on Thursday expressed concern over reported civilian casualties, but welcomed any move contributing to the group’s defeat.
At least 50 people, including women and children, were killed in an attack on Tuesday night at a site for internally displaced people in Savo, Ituri Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN said on Wednesday.
Following reports on Wednesday of civilian casualties during airstrikes on the Iraqi city of Ninewa, the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMI) reiterated that Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity “must be respected at all times”.
Minister Haavisto (Finland)
Minister Çavuşoğlu (Turkey)
First, thank you to Finland and Turkey for hosting today’s event and for your leadership as co-chairs of the Group of Friends. I am delighted to join you to reflect on the past decade of focused attention on mediation.
Since 2001, the General Assembly has, through its four resolutions on mediation, provided the United Nations and other mediation actors with a strong normative and practical framework. These resolutions represent a collective recognition by Member States of the primacy of political solutions, and of the criticality of inclusive approaches to ending conflict.
Over the years, we have seen significant advances in the field of mediation. But we also have seen the complexity of the international, regional, and local environments within which we engage also grow.
While the number of conflicts around the world has increased, the number of peace processes or agreements has not kept pace. Meanwhile, human suffering has endured and expanded.
Geopolitical divisions, and the increased regionalization and fragmentation of conflicts, have challenged our traditional tools of conflict resolution.
A perceived failure of governance exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising scepticism about the multilateral system, have undermined trust and collaboration.
Technological disruption – including malicious use of social media and the rise in hate speech – fuels conflict and further complicates the work of mediators.
Libya aptly illustrates the challenges of bringing peace to a conflict where external actors are involved. But it also illustrates the benefits of an agreed international position – such as we saw in the Berlin Process - for talks to proceed at a national level.
The UN-brokered intra-Libyan dialogue did successfully reach agreement on a nationwide ceasefire and political roadmap – although, as you know, the latter is now under great pressure.
Greater unity amongst major powers and regional actors is still needed in a number of other processes – notably Syria and Yemen.
Ministers, Excellencies,
The UN’s partnerships with Member States, regional and subregional organisations, and civil society are vital to our collective efforts and effectiveness. When the UN and its partners speak with one voice, we are better able to encourage conflict parties to pursue a negotiated solution.
In Africa, for example, where we have acted jointly with the African Union and regional economic communities, we have seen real impact.
In Somalia last April, after the decision to delay elections led to clashes in Mogadishu, joint efforts by the UN, AU, IGAD and EU helped to prevent further escalation and encouraged a resumption of dialogue.
In Côte d’Ivoire, coordinated messaging as part of preventive multi-track diplomacy by the UN, AU and ECOWAS helped to de-escalate tensions around the October 2020 presidential elections.
Across the globe, we seek similar partnerships.
The Core Group in Haiti, for example, chaired by the UN Special Representative and comprising several Member States, the EU, and the Organization of American States, has played a critical facilitation role in helping to manage crises over the years.
At a more technical level, my Department has supported Member States and Resident Coordinators on dialogue and inclusive consultation mechanisms, including around elections in Honduras, Bolivia and Ecuador.
In December 2021, our Innovation Cell, together with the Resident Coordinator, worked with Bolivia’s Vice-Presidency to engage some 200 Bolivians in digital consultations on trust-building and on participants’ hopes for the country’s future.
In Mozambique, we provide technical support to local-level interfaith peacebuilding efforts as part of our partnerships with civil society and private peacemaking organizations.
Ministers, Excellencies,
Let me turn to one of our most significant priorities to effective mediation: the issue of inclusion.
Over recent years, there has been a clear – and welcome – increase in understanding and expectation around women’s meaningful participation, as well as that of youth and other traditionally marginalized groups. At the same time, power politics and entrenched patriarchal attitudes have continued to stymie our work.
Indeed, operating in the context of a global backlash against women’s rights, including shrinking civic space and targeted attacks against women peacebuilders, has added new complexity to the work of mediators in securing inclusive processes.
Nevertheless, recognizing that inclusion is a strategic imperative to the success of mediation, we have taken several steps to integrate it into our work:
First, the Secretary-General has led in appointing women leaders. In late 2020, these efforts led to gender parity being achieved across all Heads and Deputy Heads of UN Peace Operations.
Second, we have pursued innovative direct participation models, such as independent and civil society delegations that prioritize women’s participation, as we saw in the Libya Political Dialogue Forum and Syria Constitutional Committee.
And in Sudan, the UN Mission successfully advocated for gender observers to participate in peace talks.
Third, all our Envoys are engaging in regular consultations with women’s groups. In places like Iraq, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen, we have created women’s advisory boards to ensure that their perspectives inform our work. In Libya, Yemen and other contexts, digital platforms have been used to expand our engagement with hard-to-reach communities.
Fourth, we support local women peacemakers, including through partnerships with civil society and women mediator networks. In 2020, for example, we supported several FemWise deployments.
Finally, recognizing that young women – who so often are at the head of peace movements – face additional barriers to their political participation, we have scaled up the Peacebuilding Fund’s Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative – from $2.7 million in 2016 to a record $51.5 million in 2021.
Ministers, Excellencies,
Looking ahead, our mediation practices will inform and be informed by the New Agenda for Peace, which the Secretary-General has committed to developing as part of Our Common Agenda. Here we have several challenging issues to address:
First, we need to consider how we adapt to the polarised geopolitical environment and build the international support that mediation efforts need to bear fruit. If we cannot ensure consistent regional and international unity, how can we forge alignment in specific peace processes?
Second, seizing opportunity requires us to be ready to support a broad range of mediation activities. The Security Council will, of course, mandate new peace efforts, and the Secretary-General and his representatives will continue to offer good offices.
But we must also be ready to quickly and flexibly lend our support to promising initiatives by individual Member States – such as Norway’s efforts in Venezuela– and by regional organisations, ad-hoc coalitions of states, and local mediation actors.
This Group of Friends will be a vital platform as we identify and tailor support to these formats for mediation and in the efforts to ensure unity of action across them.
Finally, we must continue to prepare for new threats and adapt to the changing environment in which conflicts take place.
In his remarks to the General Assembly on his priorities for 2022, the Secretary-General warned of a five-alarm global fire, where the climate crisis, lawlessness in digital space, and lack of peace and security are amongst the most pressing concerns of the day.
In DPPA we have already been preparing for this reality, focusing efforts to ensure climate security and digital technologies form part of our conflict prevention efforts, and to better understand the opportunities and challenges they bring to peace – as drivers of conflict, and as entry points for collaboration, and inclusion.
Ministers, Excellencies, Friends,
The support from this Group of Friends to our work over the past decade has been invaluable. As we move forward and further develop our mediation practices, we look forward to continuing our collaboration.
I thank you.
The launch of a possible intermediate-range ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) drew condemnation from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday.
Following a verdict in the case of the brutal murder of two its experts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) nearly five years ago, the UN on Tuesday urged authorities to uphold their moratorium on the death penalty.
The United Nations’ Secretary-General on Tuesday made the “strongest possible appeal” for all parties in Ethiopia to immediately end the fighting in Tigray and other areas, in the spirit of the General Assembly’s Olympic Truce which began just a few days ago.
Season 2 | Episode 22 Available | She Stands For Peace | Click here: https://unoau.unmissions.org/podcast-series-she-stands-peace
One year on from Myanmar’s military coup, violence and brutality has only intensified, but “a window of opportunity” does exist, “to build upon a unique unity across religious, ethnic, and communal lines”, the UN’s top envoy for the country said on Monday.
The Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is taking advantage of a new initiative, to become the first UN peacekeeping mission to provide gender-sensitive housing and invest in better working conditions for women peacekeepers serving there.
Following weeks of heightened tensions around Ukraine, with reports that Russia has been deploying more than 100,000 troops and heavy weapons close to its border, the United Nations’ Security Council held its first meeting to discuss ways of de-escalating the crisis on Monday.
Madam President,
The United Nations is closely following the ongoing diplomatic discussions on the future of European peace and security architecture between representatives of the Russian Federation, the United States, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union, and the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe,. We hope the outcome of these talks will strengthen peace and security in Europe, including for Ukraine.
Madam President,
Although not an active participant in these exchanges, in all his contacts, the Secretary-General has unequivocally supported the ongoing diplomatic efforts at all levels. Still, we remain greatly concerned that, even as these efforts continue, tensions keep escalating amid a dangerous military build-up in the heart of Europe.
It is reported that over 100,000 troops and heavy weaponry from the Russian Federation are positioned along border with Ukraine. Unspecified numbers of Russian troops and weaponry are also reportedly being deployed to Belarus ahead of large-scale joint military exercises in February on the borders with Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States.
NATO members are also reportedly planning additional deployments in Eastern European member states, and NATO has advised that 8,500 troops are now on high alert.
Accusations and recriminations among the various actors involved in the ongoing discussions have created uncertainty and apprehension for many that a military confrontation is impending.
Madam President,
The Secretary-General has made clear that there can be no alternative to diplomacy and dialogue to deal with the complex \ and long-standing security concerns and threat perceptions that have been raised.
He has expressed his strong belief that there should not be any military intervention in this context and that diplomacy should prevail. He has been equally explicit that any such intervention by one country in another would be against international law and the United Nations Charter. His expectation is that we all contribute to avoiding confrontation and to creating conditions for a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.
We, therefore, welcome the steps taken so far by all involved to maintain dialogue. We urge and expect all actors to build on these efforts and to remain focused on pursuing diplomatic solutions by engaging in good faith.
We further urge all actors to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions to maximize the chance for diplomacy to succeed. Achieving mutual understanding and lasting, mutually acceptable arrangements is the best way to safeguard regional and international peace and security in the interest of all.
Madam President,
Let me repeat the full commitment of the United Nations to the sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions.
It is important, especially at this time, for the international community to intensify its support for the efforts of the Normandy Four and of the OSCE-led Trilateral Contact Group to ensure the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, endorsed by this Council in its resolution 2202.
We welcome the recent meeting of the Normandy Four Advisers in Paris and their agreement to reconvene shortly in Berlin as another sign that diplomacy can work. We commend these efforts and those of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.
Likewise, United Nations agencies in Ukraine are committed to continue delivering on their mandates, in accordance with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence. Safe, unimpeded humanitarian access must be respected, under any circumstances, to provide support to the 2.9 million people in need of assistance, with the majority in non-government-controlled areas. In this regard, I encourage Member States to contribute to the Humanitarian Response plan. Further, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine continues to document civilian casualties in the conflict area.
Madam President,
No one is watching the current diplomatic efforts more than the people of Ukraine. They have endured a conflict that has taken over 14,000 lives since 2014 and that tragically is still far from resolution. It is painfully obvious that any new escalation in or around Ukraine would mean more needless killing and destruction. Whatever one’s position regarding the current situation or the status quo in eastern Ukraine, this should be inconceivable. The fact that it is not should give us pause. The principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and multiple other commitments to safeguard regional and international peace and security are crystal clear. Any escalation or new conflict would deal another serious blow to the architecture so painstakingly built up over the last 75 years to maintain international peace and security, just when we need it most.
Once again, I would like to stress the Secretary-General’s appeal to all concerned to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions and continue on the diplomatic path. The United Nations stands ready to support all efforts to that end.
Thank you, Madam President.
As Myanmar nears the first anniversary of the military coup that saw the arrest of national icon Aung San Suu Kyi and her civilian government dissolved, the UN chief said on Sunday that he stands in “solidarity with the people”, and for a return to an inclusive, democratic society.
Chun Jie Kuai Le!
Happy Lunar New Year.
I am pleased to send you my warmest greetings as we begin the Year of the Tiger.
The tiger denotes strength, vitality, courage, tenacity, and boldness.
These are qualities we need as we face the unprecedented challenges of the day.
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The UN Mission in Colombia was the target of an attack on Thursday, when three vehicles that were part of a joint expedition travelling through a remote area, were approached by armed individuals, although nobody was ultimately injured during the incident.
A UN envoy will travel to Burkina Faso over the weekend on a “good offices mission” in the wake of the military coup last Sunday.
Airstrikes last week by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen that hit a detention facility in the northern city of Sa’ada, killed some 91 people and injured dozens more, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, citing preliminary figures.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet appealed on Friday for the international community to intensify pressure on Myanmar’s military to stop its campaign of violence against citizens, and to insist on the prompt return to civilian rule, almost one year after seizing power in a coup.
New York, 28 January 2022
In a few days, our human family will come together in Beijing for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The top athletes from around the world have a date with history, in a spirit of mutual understanding, hard work and fair play.
This spirit inspires us all.
The...
The UN and its partners need to reach more Syrians with immediate life-saving aid, the UN relief chief warned the Security Council on Thursday, calling for expanded access and more funds to sustain humanitarian operations, as the country struggles with an uptick in violence, deepening economic crisis, and a winter storm that has left a ‘trail of destruction’ in its wake.
With no shifts in the frontlines in almost two years, the UN Special Envoy for Syria warnedt he Security Council about “a strategic stalemate” in the nearly 11-year-old war.
With Afghanistan “hanging by a thread” six months after the Taliban takeover, the world cannot abandon the country now – for the sake of its people and overall global security, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.
New York, 27 January 2022
Today we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who perished in the Holocaust, the Roma and Sinti, and the countless other victims of its unprecedented horror and calculated cruelty.
The Holocaust defined the United Nations.
...People everywhere must stand firm against hate, amid rising antisemitism and other forms of religious bigotry, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.
Violence in Yemen continues to escalate, raising casualties and spilling across the war-torn country’s borders, the Special Envoy for the country and the Humanitarian Coordinator warned on Tuesday.
Opening a Security Council debate on how to protect civilians caught up in urban conflict,the UN Secretary-General on Tuesday said that more than 50 million people are currently impacted by fighting inside towns and cities.
Opening a Security Council debate on how to protect civilians caught up in urban conflict,the UN Secretary-General on Tuesday said that more than 50 million people are currently impacted by fighting inside towns and cities.
