The members of the Security Council expressed their strong concern at the 25 April declaration of the Southern Transitional Council (STC). They reaffirmed their strong commitment to Yemen’s unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and called for expediting implementation of the Riyadh Agreement. They expressed concern that the STC actions could distract from the efforts of Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to secure a nationwide...
In northeast Nigeria, where armed conflict has forced millions from their homes, the UN’s migration agency, IOM, is supporting the construction of quarantine shelters, as the region braces for an outbreak of COVID-19 which, it warns, would have ‘devastating consequences’ for those who have been displaced.
Mr. President,
1. Last month, you, the members of the Security Council, “called on all parties to ensure a sustained period of calm throughout the country and reaffirmed the need for the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254”. This signal from the Council was timely, following the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate global ceasefire, and my appeal for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and an all-out effort to combat COVID-19. Let me appeal to you to preserve this common purpose.
2. I strongly believe that Syria needs a ceasefire arrangement that results in sustained calm and is nationwide in scope – one that does not see new assaults across lines of contact, and enables Syrians to access equipment and resources necessary to combat COVID-19. We cannot afford hostilities which would surely lead to another surge in displaced vulnerable communities – something that we witnessed in horror only two months ago. We could not afford this scenario before the pandemic; the price could only be higher now.
Mr. President,
3. This past month, I have maintained active channels with the Syrian parties. I have also spoken with foreign ministers and senior officials from a range of key players, including Russia, Turkey and Iran – whose foreign ministers recently conferred virtually; the United States; the European Union and many European states; and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and several Arab ministers. I have appreciated the engagement of all with my efforts to facilitate progress on the political track and to sustain ceasefire arrangements. I will be continuing active engagement with these and other interlocutors in the days and weeks ahead.
Mr. President,
4. I welcome the fact that there has been significant calm in many areas of Syria – especially relative to the apexes of violence of previous years. We have not witnessed all-out offensives nor further displacements since early March. Russian-Turkish arrangements have taken hold in the northwest, and I do see a positive difference on the ground, including compared with previous arrangements. The level of incidents is low.
5. Six Russian-Turkish joint patrols have taken place. They have been challenged -- but there have been responses to those challenges too.
6. I appeal to all relevant parties to address internationally proscribed terrorist groups in a cooperative and targeted manner, so as not to compromise the existing calm and the
COVID-19 response, and so as to ensure full respect of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians.
7. I also note that the different ceasefire arrangements between Russia, Turkey and the US in the northeast also continue to broadly hold.
8. But, Mr. President, this is an uneasy and fragile calm in both northwest and northeast Syria. And there is the constant risk of escalation in Syria.
9. Just yesterday, a bomb in a market in Afrin reportedly killed more than 40 people. Security conditions in southern Syria are concerning. A worrying resurgence by ISIL in desert areas in central and eastern Syria has continued. I am also concerned about reports of Israeli airstrikes in rural Homs and Damascus, the most recent of which was reported this past Monday.
Mr. President,
10. The Syrian Government has continued to take increasingly significant steps to combat COVID-19. So have the Syrian Opposition Coalition-and other de facto authorities in areas outside government control. International donors have pledged and provided financial and material support. Under-Secretary-General Mark Lowcock will brief you this afternoon on the UN family’s efforts to help build capacity to test and treat COVID19 in Syria. 11. While testing remains limited, the officially reported COVID-19 caseload in Syria is comparatively low: 42 reported cases in areas controlled by the Syrian Government; 1 reported case in the northeast; and no reported cases in the northwest. Mr. President, we all hope that these low numbers will continue – but as in all countries, the risk of a major COVID-19 outbreak in Syria is there. The trend lines in the coming weeks will be very important. So will a ramping up of testing and treatment capacity in all parts of Syria, along with information sharing between all parties.
12. Syria faces many challenges that can hamstring a response to the pandemic. Syria also lacks sufficient health professionals, medical equipment and supplies. The healthcare system is degraded in some areas and destroyed in others, following nine years of armed conflict. You all saw the recent findings of the Secretary-General’s Board of Inquiry, a terrible reminder of what has happened in this conflict.
13. Let me reiterate the need for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access, using all modalities, including scaled-up cross line and cross border access is important.
14. As part of the global efforts, the Secretary-General has appealed for the waiver of sanctions that can undermine the capacity of the country to ensure access to food, essential health supplies and COVID-19 medical support to respond to the pandemic. This has been affirmed in direct information to the Syrian government. The United Nations, and I personally, have directly engaged concerned States so that all humanitarian exemptions to sanctions remain available and are fully utilized to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. I note the positive response of different countries to the United Nations on this aspect.
15. Turning to the economic situation, after nine years of conflict and a wide range of factors and measures, Syria faces extremely grave economic conditions. We have recently seen price increases and shortages among other further worsening trends. The measures rightly taken by the authorities to combat COVID-19 in Syria have – as in all countries – also had an economic impact too.
16. I have long urged the parties to move to large-scale and unilateral releases of detainees and abductees and more meaningful actions on missing persons. The pandemic makes this humanitarian imperative more urgent than ever. I continue to urge the Syrian Government and all other Syrian parties to follow the lead of other governments around the world in releasing detainees. We really need to see this happening as part of all the efforts to stem the spread of the virus in Syria.
17. The need for an all-out effort to combat COVID-19 in Syria was conveyed to me on Monday in consultations with civil society actors in all different parts of Syria via our Civil Society Support Room, which included many medical NGOs and other grass-roots organisations. They are doing all they can to raise awareness and support local communities. They reflected the diversity of the challenges faced in the various parts of the country, and a common belief that more can and needs to be done to support the efforts underway.
18. The Women’s Advisory Board has been convening virtually every week since the risk of a COVID-19 crisis emerged. I spoke with them yesterday. They expressed support for a sustained ceasefire throughout the country, and support for medical staff and provision of food, medicine, medical supplies and equipment to access all regions of Syria, without delay or impediment. They emphasised that women are at the forefront of communitybased initiatives to raise awareness and prevent the spread of COVID-19, and explained how they are carrying additional caregiving responsibilities at home due to the movement restrictions. They also noted heightened risks of domestic violence in isolation settings – and fears of potential marginalization of women as COVID-19 response gradually pushes some to more traditional roles. They stressed that nothing should come in the way of the furtherance of the political process in accordance with resolution 2254.
19. In that regard, I briefed you last month that the agenda for a next session of the Constitutional Committee had been agreed between the co-chairs. It will be important to build on this with a substantive discussion during a next round. The co-chairs have been clear in their dealings with me that agreement during a next session on national foundations and principles is not a precondition to moving to other items in subsequent sessions. I remain in regular contact with them on how to resume the meetings in Geneva as soon as the situation allows – and I have been in touch with the civil society members of the committee and will further that too. We continue to explore whether any preparatory work can take place in the meantime. I urge all members to be seriously preparing for renewed work.
Mr. President,
20. I reiterate my appeal for a nationwide ceasefire and an all-out effort to ensure that Syrians across the country will have access to the equipment and resources needed to combat and treat COVID-19. I stand ready to work with the government and the opposition and all relevant players on the ground, as well as key countries with weight and influence. I see every possibility for relevant players to come together in a common effort to support sustained calm and scaling up of the response to the pandemic. This is the only responsible path.
21. And I believe it is the path that also could pave the way for progress on the broader political process to implement Security Council resolution 2254. We all agree: there is no military solution to the Syria crisis. We must act on our common humanity, help build trust and confidence including via reciprocal measures, and begin to move towards a political settlement that can meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and fully restore Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Early signs are that the COVID-19 virus poses a greater direct health risk to men, and particularly older men. But the pandemic is exposing and exploiting inequalities of all kinds, including gender inequality. In the long term, its impact on women’s health, rights and freedoms could harm us all.
Women are already suffering the deadly impact of lockdowns and quarantines. These restrictions are...
Syria desperately needs a nationwide ceasefire to enable its war-weary citizens to access the equipment and resources necessary to combat COVID-19, the UN’s top envoy for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Mr. President,
Thank you for the opportunity to, once more, brief the Security Council on progress in the implementation of Resolution 2046 which concerns outstanding bilateral issues between Sudan and South Sudan and the conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
This briefing is taking place at a time when the world community is facing a deadly global pandemic in the form of COVID-19. In Sudan and South Sudan, the COVID-19 pandemic has wide-ranging health, human and socio-economic implications compounded by plummeting oil prices, a desert locust invasion and climatic vagaries. Allow me to echo the multiple calls of the Secretary-General in favor of the countries of the region, including those on today’s agenda, in view of the unfolding dire socio-economic impact that affect them. I am particularly worried by the exponential increase in a number of COVID-19 related deaths in Sudan. Urgent external support will be needed to help both countries offset these unprecedented challenges. The pandemic will also likely have a negative effect on the peace processes in the two countries, including by significantly slowing down engagements. My office is currently coordinating a UN-wide technical support to enable IGAD Secretariat to formulate a regional strategy and develop an action plan in response to the pandemic pursuant to the decisions of the IGAD virtual Summit meeting of 30 March chaired by Prime Minister Abdallah Handok.
Mr. President,
Since my last report to the Council in October 2019, I have had opportunities to engage with authorities in Sudan and South Sudan, as well as with regional actors. My joint visit with Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix to Abyei last February in the aftermath of the tragic Kolom incident was part of these efforts. Undeniably, both countries have been consolidating their improved relations, notably by the constructive roles played in each other’s peace process. In this regard, South Sudan has continued to host and facilitate the Sudanese peace process under the aegis of President Salva Kiir. Conversely, the Government of Sudan’s mediation contributed to the compromise between President Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar that led to the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity on 12 March 2020. These commendable efforts do not in any way diminish the tremendous diplomatic push by other regional actors, including by South Africa.
Furthermore, having inherited the South Sudan file as new IGAD Chairperson at a time when the opposition and the incumbent government were deadlocked on the number and boundaries of states, Prime Minister Hamdok, alongside his co-guarantor President Museveni of Uganda, is credited for having helped resolve the issue by encouraging President Kiir on the sidelines of the AU summit in early February to return South Sudan to 10 states. Prime Minister Hamdok thereafter congratulated the South Sudanese leader on “the courageous decision” he took on 15 February, which espoused the IGAD position. Demonstrating the changed spirit of the relationship between the two countries, President Kiir strongly condemned the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Hamdok in Khartoum on 9 March. In the same vein, while guaranteeing the security of Dr. Machar in Khartoum, Sudan ensured that General Hemedti accompanied him to and from Juba for consultations, including during his face-to-face meetings with President Kiir between September 2019 and February 2020.
The strength of the improved relations between the two countries was put to the test by two sad developments. The first was a deadly armed attack perpetrated by Misseriya herdsmen in the Kolom locality of Abyei on 22 January against a community of Ngok Dinka, and the second was the sudden death by natural cause on 25 March in Juba of the Sudanese Minister of Defence, late General Gamal al-Din Omar, after jointly chairing the meeting of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) with his South Sudanese counterpart. Admittedly, the emphasis put by both parties to deepen their cooperation and to support each other’s stability and peace is very commendable.
Mister President,
In Sudan, where Prime Minister Hamdok is leading a challenging transition, his attention is largely directed at defusing tensions and finding consensus between political players in Khartoum, including on issues resulting from the increasingly dire economic situation. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is also seeking to deliver on his commitment to peace through negotiations with the armed movements. In this regard, the recent statement by General al-Burhan, the President of the Sovereign Council, on the unity of the leadership of the transition is very encouraging. In South Sudan, President Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar are striving to re-establish a partnership that has twice shown its limits, while doing everything possible to overcome the political stalemate on the sharing of states and allocation of governors.
Otherwise, cooperation in oil management between the two countries has continued to remain strong. After a decision to extend the agreement on oil beyond its December 2019 deadline to March 2022, South Sudan has been steadily making payments relating to the Transitional Financial Arrangement by providing Sudan with 28,000 barrels of oil per day. Out of the initial amount due of $3.02 billion, South Sudan now owes approximately $500 million and will continue to use the facilities based in Sudan and export its oil through Port Sudan against payment of a fixed processing, transit and transportation fee. The effect of the drastic fall in oil prices this month on this cooperation has yet to become clear.
Mister President,
As most Sudanese armed opposition movements settled for President Kiir’s facilitation of their negotiations with Khartoum, and with the possibility of moving them to a third country ruled out, the talks resumed in Juba in January and are ongoing. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 the talks have proceeded in a virtual format. Prime Minister Hamdok remains open to discuss all issues and the root causes of Sudan’s many conflicts in the hope of reaching an agreement that unites all Sudanese. Encouragingly, opposition movements have also re-stated their irreversible determination to achieve peace.
Crucially, despite disagreements between the parties on issues such as secularism, autonomy and self-determination which have resulted in several extensions to the initial deadline for concluding the talks, significant progress has been achieved globally as evidenced, inter alia, by the renewed commitment to unilateral ceasefires by armed movements. At the behest of President Kiir, the South Sudanese lead mediator travelled occasionally to Khartoum to brief Sudanese authorities on progress in the peace process. The talks are now scheduled to end on 9 May, but it remains to be seen whether this deadline will be met under the current circumstances.
So far, the government has signed framework agreements with the SPLM-North (Agar) as well as with armed movements from Darfur and Eastern Sudan. The agreements address the key concerns pertaining to marginalization, lack of development and participation in governance institutions. However, they do not completely address the issue of separation between religion and the state which SPLM-North (Agar) sees as critical. The next negotiation phases will be concerned with security arrangements and participation in transitional institutions.
Negotiations with Darfuri armed movements delivered a major outcome as agreement was reached with the government on 11 February to establish a special court for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur and to seek justice through the ICC. Notwithstanding progress on the Darfur track, the absence from the talks of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) of Abdel Wahid Al-Nur is a source of grave concern.
Similarly, talks with SPLM-North (Al-Hilu) do not appear to have made any headway. Although present in Juba, Abdelaziz Al-Hilu has refused to engage with the government unless it agrees to a secular Sudan and self-determination for Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. The government’s position is that these issues should be addressed by the constitutional conference and not through the negotiations in Juba. A joint committee on reforms established on 6 April has been mandated to, inter alia, meet with Al-Hilu in a bid to break this impasse.
Mr. President,
Despite their support to each other, Sudan and South Sudan have had minimal bilateral engagements within the framework of their Cooperation Agreements but continued to focus on their internal conflicts. However, they have stopped accusing each other of supporting or hosting their respective rebels. Instead, they are mutually reinforcing each other’s efforts to end internal conflicts. While both countries are careful to avoid dealing with any points of conflict amid the challenges of their respective transitions and COVID-19, it is hoped that the rapprochement and consolidated relations will subsequently provide the incentive for them to address the outstanding issues under the Cooperation Agreements, including the situation in Abyei. In this regard, the announcement on 23 January by President Kiir and Gen. Hemetti of the establishment of a joint mechanism to protect civilians and the deployment of a disengagement force to the area, as well as the establishment of a committee to investigate the Kolom incident are all positive steps. It is hoped that these issues will feature on the agenda of the next Joint Political and Security Mechanism session in Khartoum, which was postponed to an unspecified date due to concerns over COVID-19 and the sudden death of the Sudanese defence minister in Juba.
Regarding the Two Areas, Prime Minister Hamdok’s visit to the locality on 9 January and his openness to discuss all issues have raised hope that conflict there may soon be a thing of the past. However, the wrangling between the two SPLM-North factions must cease and forward movement is required on the negotiation track involving the SPLM-North (Al-Hilu).
At my meeting with President Kiir on 17 January, I congratulated him on his mediation of the Sudanese peace process which was beginning to achieve concrete results and stressed the importance of sustained engagement with Sudanese authorities on various bilateral issues. The President agreed, and assured me that, once peace is achieved in both countries, they would be in a better position to discuss outstanding issues in view of a mutually beneficial relationship. The foreign minister advised that the two countries would also prioritize reconciliation in Abyei for now. Accordingly, during the meetings with Misseriya and Ngok Dinka communities in Abyei on 12-13 February in the company of USG Lacroix, I stressed on reconciliation and peaceful co-existence.
My Office will continue to engage with the authorities of both countries and, as appropriate, with all key regional actors, including the African Union and IGAD, to encourage them not only to consolidate peace and stability within their territories but to also advance the implementation of all biding cooperation agreements.
Thank you for your attention.
Sudan’s efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, are delaying the deployment of fresh United Nations police units in Abyei and the border regions between Sudan and South Sudan, the UN’s peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Tuesday
In response to questions on Yemen, the Spokesman had the following to say:
“The Secretary-General is following with concern the developments on the ground in southern Yemen. He urges all relevant stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that would further escalate the situation.
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Bogotá, 27 April 2020. On 23 March, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called for a global ceasefire and to put the armed conflict on lockdown to focus attention on the Covid-19 pandemic. In Colombia, the National Liberation Army (ELN) responded to that call and declared a unilateral active ceasefire for one month starting 1 April.
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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...
