I am gravely concerned over the dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel. I deeply regret the loss of life. It is imperative that all sides urgently step back from the brink of another devastating conflict.
I call on Hamas and other Palestinian militants to cease the launching of rockets and incendiary kites and provocations along the fence. And Israel must exercise restraint to avoid further inflaming the situation.
I encourage all to engage...
Bogotá, 20 July 2018 - The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia and the United Nations System in Colombia celebrate the installation today of the Colombian Congress resulting from the most participative and peaceful legislative elections in decades.
The inclusion in the Senate and House of Representatives of the political party of the Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común - FARC -- 20 months after...
Reform of the United Nations peace and security architecture is therefore aimed at ensuring that we are stronger in prevention, more agile in mediation, and more effective in peacekeeping operations.
The complex peace and security challenges we face in Africa are such that neither the United Nations nor the African Union can address the challenges on their own. Partnership is therefore not a choice but a necessity.
The complex peace and security challenges we face in Africa are such that neither the United Nations nor the African Union can address the challenges on their own. Partnership is therefore not a choice but a necessity.
Tunis, 11 July 2018 - A group of internally displaced persons (IDPs), activists, civil society organizations members and some representatives of those displaced from Benghazi attended a two-day consultative meeting in Tunis to discuss the future dialogue process. UNSMIL and UNDP facilitated the consultations as part of the project “Towards National Reconciliation in Libya,” which acts in support of local dialogue processes and mediation efforts throughout Libya. The meeting was...
Welcome everyone and thank you very much for coming here.
As I’m sure you will all agree, over the last few months the situation in Gaza deteriorated rapidly. This was the combination of three factors:
First is the humanitarian factor. People’s life has become more difficult as people have limited money, the economy has collapsed, electricity and water are scarce.
We cannot stand idle when we see 2 million Palestinians in Gaza living in such terrible...
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today (Thursday) announced the appointment of Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Major General Del Col succeeds Major General Michael Beary of Ireland, who will complete his assignment on 7 August 2018. The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Beary for...
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). In 2021, the decision was made to start the accession process of Iran to the SCO as a full member, and Egypt, Qatar as well as Saudi Arabia became dialogue partners.
Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues, its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCO’s priorities also include regional development.
The SCO has been an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005. In April 2010, the UN and SCO Secretariats signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation. SCO Secretariat has also established partnerships with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in addition to its ongoing cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Office on Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), as well as UNRCCA (United Nations Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia) maintain regular contacts with the SCO officials. The cooperation activities focus on security developments in the region and key issues related to counterterrorism and prevention of violent extremism.
Since 2017, DPPA has deployed a Liaison Officer to the SCO in Beijing.
I am concerned by the consequences of Israel’s decision to temporarily suspend imports and exports with the exception of basic humanitarian supplies through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Humanitarian assistance is no substitute for commerce and trade. I urge the authorities to reverse this decision.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza should also do their part by maintaining...
