The UN chief on Saturday said he was taking note of the announcement that Sudan has agreed to normalize relations with Israel, expressing hope that further cooperation will advance international peace and prosperity.
The UN chief on Saturday said he was taking note of the announcement that Sudan has agreed to normalize relations with Israel, expressing hope that further cooperation will advance international peace and prosperity.
New York, 24 October 2020
Dear friends,
The 75th anniversary of the United Nations falls in the middle of a global pandemic. Our founding mission is more critical than ever.
To promote human dignity.
Protect human rights.
Respect international law.
And save humanity from war.
When the pandemic hit, I called for a global ceasefire.
In our world today, we have one common enemy: COVID-19.
Now...
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
LibyaGuterres: Ceasefire agreement “a fundamental step toward peace and stability in Libya”
GhanaPre-electoral visit to Ghana
ColombiaWomen in Colombia promote reconciliation and peacebuilding
Central AsiaRegional training course on cyber security Iraq“Iraqi Youth: Pioneers for Dialogue and Stability” virtual workshop held in Misan
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Women, Peace and SecurityHigh-level event on women, peace and security in Colombia
DecolonizationLaunch of animation video
Security CouncilSpecial Envoy commends the continued strengthening of the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan
PeacebuildingInterview on the impact of COVID-19 in Burundi
The Work of PeaceVirtual exhibit |
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
When Member States signed the United Nations Charter 75 years ago, it was to prevent more existential conflicts and save succeeding generations from a third world war. Conflict prevention is part of the Organization’s DNA and remains a central priority today, a guiding principle behind the UN Secretary-General’s current call for a global ceasefire during the coronavirus pandemic.
Warring parties in Libya on Friday agreed an historic ceasefire, which was hailed by the head of the UN Support Mission in the country (UNSMIL), who led the mediation, as a courageous act that can help secure a “a better, safer, and more peaceful future for all the Libyan people”.
Despite the strengthening of the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan, little progress has been made regarding the disputed Abyei region, the head of UN Peacekeeping told the Security Council on Thursday.
Madame President,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Security Council on progress in the implementation of Resolution 2046, which concerns outstanding bilateral issues between Sudan and South Sudan and the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
The global coronavirus pandemic has continued to impact health, human and socio-economic developments in Sudan and South Sudan. With the closure of airspaces and land borders and the continuous enforcement of other restrictive measures to contain the spread of the virus, even our in-person engagements with the authorities were severely limited. Nevertheless, thanks to virtual communication, I was able to engage substantively with a significant number of high-level officials in the two countries and the region.
The drastic preventive measures applied by IGAD countries at the start of the pandemic appear to have been successful in weakening the spread of COVID-19 in the region. The focus of the response has now shifted to economic recovery and restoring people’s livelihoods. With the reopening of airports, I was able to visit Sudan from 13 to 16 October. I held very fruitful consultations with government officials, including Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, the Chairperson of the Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Irrigation, the Chairman of the opposition NUP party, the Deputy Chairman of the SPLA/M-North, the chief negotiator of the Justice and Equality Movement, and the Peace Commissioner. A projected visit to South Sudan could not take place before this briefing. I was nevertheless able to speak with Minister Deng Alor, who is responsible for the Abyei file in South Sudan.
I am happy to report that the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan continues to strengthen. It is in this context that, at the beginning of September, Sudan and South Sudan agreed to review all their 2012 Cooperation Agreements with immediate effect. Following a September 2 meeting, South Sudan dispatched a high-level mission to Khartoum on September 6 to initiate bilateral discussions, including on Abyei. While neither party disclosed the outcomes, there was an understanding that further talks on Abyei would take place alternately in both countries. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the pivotal role that UNISFA continues to play in maintaining stability in Abyei under very challenging circumstances.
The flagship event during the reporting period was the signing in Juba of a peace agreement on October 3 between the Government of Sudan, the Sudanese Revolutionary Front alliance and the Sudan Liberation Army-Minni Minnawi faction. The agreement was the culmination of a peace process launched in Juba in October 2019 under the auspices of President Kiir, who is also its guarantor, alongside President Idriss Deby of Chad. Among other things, the agreement covers key region-specific and national issues related to governance, security arrangements, land ownership, transitional justice and the return of displaced persons.
During my visit to Khartoum, I gathered that there is a strong will for making the Juba agreement a real success. There is commitment and a clear political will to accelerate the implementation process and demonstrate to the non-signatory movements of Abdel Aziz Al Hilu and Abdel Wahid Al Nour that peace is the only way forward for a prosperous, stable and just Sudan that caters for all its people.
While in Khartoum, I was also able to meet with the deputy chief mediator for the Juba process, Dr Dhieu Mathok of South Sudan. He expressed optimism that the core demands of the SPLM-North faction under Abdel Aziz Al Hilu are being considered for resolution. Building on Prime Minister Hamdok’s peace efforts and the signing in Addis Ababa with Al Hilu of a Joint Declaration subsequently endorsed by the High Council of Peace in Sudan, informal workshops to flesh out the details of the issues of secularism, the status of the SPLA during the transition, self-determination in case the peace agreement is not honoured and the terms for a national Constitutional Conference to endorse these provisions will start soon in Juba, I’m told next week, between the Government of Sudan and Al Hilu. Further, during my meetings in Khartoum, the Chairperson of the Sovereign Council, the Prime Minister, members of the negotiation team, the Peace Commissioner, the leadership of the Forces of Freedom and Change, and the South Sudanese mediators all vowed to spare no effort to bring onboard the Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Abdel Wahid Al Nour, to ensure a fully comprehensive agreement.
One immediate effect of the Juba Agreement will be the reactivation of the Four Freedoms between Sudan and South Sudan, namely freedom of residence, freedom of movement, freedom to undertake an economic activity, and freedom to own and dispose of property. This will enable citizens to move, conduct business, settle and transfer or own assets in either country freely, or with minimal transaction costs. The Sudanese Minister of Defence pledged that Sudan would meet its commitment to open the border crossing points on 27 October, and I’m told as we speak Madame President that the two Ministers of Defence are meeting in Khartoum. Measures taken to open the dry port in Kosti and to re-launch commercial river transport operations and other crossing points would allow for the free movement of goods and services. They would also enable Sudan to accelerate trade with South Sudan and compete on this market with other neighbouring countries. In the meantime, the African Union has indicated its intention to convene the Joint Border Commission soon and has encouraged both countries to resume high-level meetings such as the Joint Security Commission (JSC) and the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM).
Madame President,
In his address at the agreement-signing ceremony on October 3, President Kiir reiterated that he accepted to mediate the conflict also because he was aware that peace in Sudan will have a positive bearing on South Sudan’s security. As the countries now strengthen their relationships, they are no longer likely to pursue activities that undermine each other’s stability. On the contrary, I am aware that, building on the Rome peace efforts led by the Sant’Egidio community, Sudan is currently embarking on an attempt to mediate between General Thomas Cirillo of the National Salvation Front (NAS) and the Government of South Sudan. Authorities in both countries are confident that all outstanding bilateral issues between their countries, including Abyei and resolution of the situation in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states, will benefit from the friendly relationships and the mutual trust they are now enjoying.
Meanwhile, the two countries have continued to develop fruitful cooperation in oil. On 28 September, they signed a protocol to resume oil production in the Unity and Toma South fields, with 15,000 barrels per day (bpd) expected to be produced very soon. The deal includes details on the transfer of crude oil to Sudan for its domestic use. In return, Sudan will provide technical support. Before the agreement, South Sudan was providing 30,000 bpd of crude oil to Sudan. The deal is in line with South Sudan’s plan to return to its pre-conflict production level of 350,000 bpd from its current 150,000 bpd.
To conclude, Madame President, the warm relationships which I have outlined above between Sudan and South Sudan also provide an opportunity for the international community indeed an opportunity to strengthen further its engagements with both countries as they still grapple with their internal challenges, which have always constrained their bilateral relations.
In South Sudan, the implementation of the peace agreement remains deadlocked on several substantive issues on which the parties may need some support to move forward.
For its part, Sudan has embarked on the right path and demonstrated the political will to resolve its multiple conflicts. Now, more than ever before, it also needs our collective support to overcome some of the obstacles that are likely to hinder a smooth transition and the implementation of the peace process. It is in this context Madame President that we welcome the announcement by the United States government on 20 October to initiate the removal of Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
Madame President, nowhere is such support more vital than on the economic front to both advance much-needed reforms and meet the basic needs of the population. I left Khartoum last Friday with mixed feelings. Hopeful in the unprecedented drive for peace and deeply concerned by the sight of endless fuel and bread queues. Without concrete peace dividends, the legitimate aspirations for freedom and shared prosperity of the Sudanese people may be jeopardised.
My Office will continue to engage with the authorities of both countries and, as appropriate, with key regional actors, including the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to encourage further progress on the implementation of all cooperation agreements and the peace processes in both countries.
Thank you for your kind attention.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is conducting a pre-electoral visit to Ghana.
During his visit, from 21 to 29 October, the Special Representative will engage and consult with relevant stakeholders to promote peaceful, transparent, credible and inclusive general elections scheduled for 7 December 2020. He will also participate in a number of events...
The top UN official in Kosovo, briefing the Security Council on Wednesday, called for solidarity as its new Government grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and a host of other challenges.
At a time of global challenge and uncertainty, partnership between the United Nations and regional bodies remains indispensable, the UN Secretary-General told foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday said he was closely following recent developments across Nigeria, in the wake of reports that protesters had been shot dead and wounded, and called for “an end to reported police brutality and abuses.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic sparking a “communications emergency” caused by false information disseminated on social media, the UN Secretary-General is encouraging people everywhere to take a breath before sharing content online.
Given the complex and multifaceted challenges in the Persian Gulf region, the UN chief told the Security Council on Tuesday that it is important to reflect more deeply on how everyone, particularly the Council itself, can “work in unison to promote peace and security”.
The Colombian peace process and its 2016 Final Peace Agreement are widely held to be an international model for gender-sensitivity and the inclusion of women’s rights. The United Nations played an active role, along with others in the international community, first in encouraging and advising key actors to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda during the peace negotiations (2012-2016) and then through the establishment of two consecutive special political missions (SPMs) in Colombia to verify specific provisions of the Agreement.
Thank you.
Let me join in thanking everyone for being here today.
I too would like to acknowledge Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, and his team, for their work in supporting today’s event.
And I would like to extend my warm regards to the distinguished panelists joining us from Bogota representing the Government of Colombia, the FARC, and Colombian women’s organizations.
Your presence together is evidence of the level of solidarity developed among women throughout the Colombian peace process. Together, Colombians achieved what is widely regarded as an international benchmark for women’s participation and gender-sensitive peace agreements and processes.
And thank you so much, Marcie Mersky, for undertaking the comprehensive study that we are launching today.
Twenty years since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325, the important work of UN Special Political Missions in advancing the women, peace and security agenda is deservedly receiving much attention.
Much of our work is focused on advancing women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in conflict prevention and peacemaking. But the work to build sustainable peace does not end the day an agreement is signed. Rather, the signing marks the beginning of long and exacting efforts to translate commitments on paper into transformative and lasting change.
In this regard, the experiences of our Special Political Missions in Colombia offer unique and valuable lessons that are already informing our approach to inclusive peacemaking around the world.
The study that we launch today zeroes in on the specific contributions, challenges and lessons for UN missions in supporting gender-sensitive verification and implementation. I would like to highlight a few key lessons that have emerged:
First, leadership. The experience in Colombia – committed and accountable Mission leadership, internal policies to mainstream gender across its work, and the achievement of gender parity among civilian staff – has been critical in developing a mission culture that supports women’s inclusion.
Similar efforts are now being pursued in other contexts, including in Yemen and Afghanistan, where the meaningful participation of women in peace processes is extremely challenging, but remains a priority for our Mission leadership.
Second, civil society. From the early stages of talks, women from civil society were a driving force in achieving inclusive participation, securing gender provisions and, now, implementing the Colombian Peace Agreement, including by serving on dedicated technical bodies.
The Mission’s verification work, which has focused on ceasefire monitoring and disarmament, the reintegration of ex-combatants and post-conflict security guarantees, has been immeasurably strengthened by its regular consultations with women’s civil society, both at the SRSG’s level and through strong grassroots relationships with field offices.
Such experiences are exactly why all DPPA field missions consult regularly with women’s groups, and why in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the Special Envoys have established advisory boards to ensure that women’s voices are heard.
Third, expertise. The Colombia experience highlights the importance of dedicated gender expertise being deployed early to set a foundation for inclusion in the work of the mission. This lesson is why in Sudan, a Senior Gender Adviser is being deployed as part of the first tranche of staff for the new UNITAMS mission.
Additional initiatives in Colombia to expand the reach of gender expertise through internal trainings and networks of gender focal points in Mission field offices are models we are seeing in our missions in Afghanistan, Somalia and within DPPA.
Fourth, partnerships. The partnerships established between the Mission, UN Country Team, Colombian Government, Member States, former combatants and women’s civil society have been critical in supporting the holistic implementation of the women, peace and security agenda, including through resourcing, capacity-building, and awareness of key issues and developments.
And finally, financing. The UN’s experience in Colombia has shown the importance of dedicating resources to inclusive implementation. This is why financial contributions by donors are so vital, and why we are contributing over US$2 million under the Peacebuilding Fund’s Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative to catalytic projects with a focus on gender. These projects aim to empower young women in the territories, support their participation in public debate, and strengthen their leadership in peacebuilding.
DPPA’s extra-budgetary funds are also financing an additional 16 initiatives in Colombia to support the socio-economic reintegration of women former combatants. In one of them, former combatants are producing face masks as part of the efforts to help their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of course, the lessons learned in Colombia also point us to ways to improve implementation of gender-sensitive peace agreements in the future.
This includes looking comprehensively at the reintegration of women former combatants to address their security, education, and economic needs; introducing gender criteria in the selection of UN observers; and, critically, recognizing that a prevailing climate of insecurity can dampen women’s peace and political participation, and that addressing family, community, and sexual and gender-based violence must be a part of effective implementation efforts.
A lot has been achieved, but we also need to acknowledge that much remains to be done to ensure that the extensive gender provisions in the Agreement are fully implemented.
That means, among other things, stopping the ongoing killings, threats and violence against women social leaders, human rights defenders, and former combatants. The Secretary-General described these attacks as a ‘grave and unacceptable threat’ in his latest report to the Security Council.
It also means tackling social and structural impediments such as entrenched patriarchal attitudes, a lack of resources for gender work, and additional challenges posed by COVID-19 that are compounding existing gender inequalities.
We are proud of the roles our missions have played in Colombia. But we salute the courage and tenacity of Colombian women who have made all this happen. Our role was a supportive one.
I want to assure Colombia, especially the women of this wonderful country, of the continued support of the United Nations for your efforts to achieve the full implementation of the Peace Agreement and the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in public life.
I thank you once again.
Download the Lessons Learned Study "From Word to Action: The experience of the UN Special Political Missions in Colombia on women, peace and security (2016-2020)" here
Download the Executive Summary of the report here
Watch the event here
The world must act now to reverse the situation in Africa’s central Sahel region, where humanitarian needs are at “a breaking point”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a high-level conference on Tuesday to address the burgeoning crisis.
Unless access is urgently granted to humanitarian organizations, thousands in the Central Sahel will be “pushed into further destitution”, the UN emergency food relief agency warned on Monday.
New York, 20 October 2020
I wish everyone around the world a data-rich World Statistics Day!
Statistics are fundamental for evidence-based policymaking. Current, reliable, timely and trusted data help us to understand the changing world in which we live and to drive the transformations that are needed, leaving no one behind. The coronavirus pandemic has further elevated the importance of data...
The UN Secretary-General on Sunday condemned “all attacks on populated areas” in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh zone of conflict, as Armenia and Azerbaijan reportedly accused each other of violating the latest humanitarian ceasefire agreement.
On the eve of the presidential elections in Guinea, the UN Secretary-General has called on all national stakeholders to ensure that the polls are conducted in an inclusive and peaceful manner.
A surge in armed violence, coupled with the economic and social fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to worsening conditions for children in the Central Sahel, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.
New York, 17 October 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a double crisis for the world’s poorest people.
First, they have the highest risk of exposure to the virus, and least access to quality healthcare.
Second, recent estimates show the pandemic could push up to 115 million people into poverty...
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
Security CouncilHuang Xia: Encouraging progress in the Great Lakes region despite persisting challenges
Ruiz Massieu: Finding ways to curb violence is imperative to deliver on the promise of the Peace Agreement
Griffiths: Release of prisoners an “airlift of hope”
KyrgyzstanMeeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs
IraqVisit to family of late Yezidi spiritual leader
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LibyaConsultative meeting with Libyan Mayors as part of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum process
SomaliaSpecial Representative visits Baidoa Federal Government of Somalia and the UN sign new cooperation framework The Federal Government of Somalia and the UN on 15 October signed a new cooperation agreement which sets out how the country and the world body will work together over the next five years to achieve peace, stability and prosperity for all Somalis. “Since signing of the UN Strategic Framework in December 2017, Somalia has made remarkable progress in its journey towards consolidating peace and sustainable and inclusive development, with steadfast UN support,” Special Representative James Swan, said at the signing ceremony. Read more here Women, Peace and SecurityPanel discussion on inclusive mediation
PeacebuildingInterview with the Deputy Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) meeting on Sahel and UNISS
The Work of PeaceVirtual exhibit
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
Authorities in Mali are being urged to act swiftly to apprehend those responsible for two separate attacks on Thursday against peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in the country, MINUSMA.
