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From 20 to 25 March, UNOAU attended a workshop organized by AU PSO Department (PSOD). The purpose of the workshop was to develop an African Standby Force (ASF) Generic Formed Police Unit Pre-deployment training (FPU-PDT) package. The FPU-PDT package is aimed to ensure standardized training by Member States who pledged FPU as part of the ASF Police Pledged Standby Capabilities. The workshop was attended by representatives of PSOD, the Institute for...
The human rights situation in Ukraine as Russia continues its military campaign following last year’s full-scale invasion, remains dire, according to a new report released on Friday by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) covering the six months to the end of January.
Without urgent action, millions in Yemen could face ever greater risks of hunger and malnourishment, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday.
Renewed diplomatic attention on Syria, and the suffering of its people following the recent deadly earthquake, create new obligations and opportunities to forge lasting peace, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Thursday.
Remarks by Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo,
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Joint AU-UN High-level meeting on ATMIS financing
New York, 22 March 2023
Opening Remarks
Excellencies,
I am honoured to welcome you to the second meeting on financing of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
It is also my privilege to be joined by His Excellency, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb. Bankole, and His Excellency, Hussein Sheikh Ali, National Security Adviser of Somalia.
We are meeting today to draw attention to the funding challenges ATMIS continues to face and to ask for your support.
In recent years, Somalia has made tremendous progress on the political, security and development fronts.
These advances have been made possible by the effort and commitment of the Somali authorities and the support provided by AMISOM, ATMIS’ predecessor, and international partners.
Since its establishment a year ago, ATMIS has continued this supremely important work, including by liberating population centres and providing an enabling environment for political processes to take place
ATMIS has also made quantifiable progress in implementing the Somali transition plan and reviewing the National Security Architecture.
The handover of the ATMIS Maslah camp to the Somali National Army in mid-January was an important step in the transition from ATMIS to Somali forces.
In parallel, the Government continues efforts to generate forces that will gradually assume security responsibilities.
I would also like to highlight the advances made in recent months in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
The Government is countering the group through a three-pronged approach: financial, military and ideological.
Somali security forces –reinforced by clan militias and supported by ATMIS – have carried out successful operations in Galmudug and Hirshabelle, successfully recovering territories from Al-Shabaab. The United Nations and partners are supporting stabilization efforts in the recovered areas to ensure gains are consolidated.
As we look to safeguard the progress made it is undeniable that we are before a difficult reality. The lack of funding for ATMIS and adequate resourcing for the security transition pose a key challenge.
The Mission’s financial gap continues to widen, requiring urgent international attention . At the same time, contributions to the United Nations-operated Somali security forces Trust Fund are stubbornly low.
As you know, the funding model for AMISOM has always been complex. It is comprised of assessed contributions for the logistical support provided by UNSOS and salaries and stipends for troops and civilian staff provided by partners, most notably the European Union.
Despite initial generous donor support, contributions have significantly declined, leaving the mission in a dire financial situation.
Excellencies,
I cannot emphasize enough that the current funding situation poses a significant risk to the security transition and could reverse the hard-won gains if not urgently resolved.
Our proposition is straightforward: It is urgent to ensure predictable, sustainable and multi-year funding for ATMIS and adequate resourcing for the Somali security transition.
Our common objective - the full handover of security responsibilities to Somali security forces and institutions by the end of 2024 – depends on it.
Let me close by paying tribute to AMISOM, ATMIS and Somali security forces. Without their tremendous sacrifices, many of the gains achieved today would have not been possible.
I thank you again for joining us again today and urge you to support further this important endeavor.
The UN political affairs chief has underlined the critical need to ensure funding for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), warning that a shortfall could threaten plans to transfer security to the national forces by the end of next year.
With the converging Ramadan, Easter and Passover holidays now beginning, Israelis and Palestinians must urgently crystalize agreements reached at several recent diplomatic meetings – the first of their kind in nearly a decade – the senior UN official for Middle East peace told the Security Council on Wednesday, while warning of escalating violence and inflammatory rhetoric on both sides.
“Across identities and differences… over countries and continents… it is not hard to choose peace.” These lines are from a new poem created to mark the 75th anniversary of UN peacekeeping operations.
A specialized force must be deployed to urgently help Haitian authorities tackle a tsunami of gang violence, as rapes, sniper killings, and kidnappings become daily threats, the spokesperson for the UN rights chief said on Tuesday.
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION/DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR
EUROPE, CENTRAL ASIA AND THE AMERICAS FOR
DEPARTMENTS FOR POLITICAL AND PEACEBUILDING AFFAIRS
AND PEACE OPERATIONS MIROSLAV JENČA
New York, 20 March 2023
Mr. President,
According to its official news agency, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted what it described as an intercontinental ballistic missile launching drill on 16 March. The DPRK announced that the ballistic missile – which it designated as Hwasong-17 - flew a distance of 1,000 km and to an altitude of 6,045 km.
The DPRK also launched a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday (local time). The DPRK characterised this launch as being part of a quote “drill simulating a nuclear counterattack” end quote. This was the fourth event in eleven days in which the DPRK carried out launches using ballistic missile technology. The DPRK has conducted a total of 14 launches of such systems in 2023.
The DPRK greatly increased its missile launch activities in 2022, including approximately 70 launches using ballistic missile technology. The DPRK characterised these launches as involving systems with nuclear weapon roles, including so-called “tactical” nuclear weapons. Most of the systems it tested are capable of striking countries in the immediate region. The systems it tested on 16 March and 18 February, as well as on two occasions last year, are capable of reaching most points on the Earth.
The DPRK again did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications. Unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch of yet another ballistic missile of intercontinental range by the DPRK, as well as its other launches using ballistic missile technology.
The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on the DPRK to immediately desist from taking any further destabilising actions, to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, and to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. President,
The DPRK is actively pursuing its nuclear weapons programme. In September 2022, the DPRK approved a new law which set out conditions in which it could use nuclear weapons, including pre-emptively in certain circumstances. This nuclear doctrine was reiterated in the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea (Rodong Sinmun) on 17 March.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on 6 March that the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site quote “remains prepared to support a nuclear test” end quote. The IAEA has continued to observe activity at the site. It has also observed construction activities at the Yongbyon nuclear facilities as well as indications that the 5-megawatt nuclear reactor was operating.
A seventh nuclear test would be a flagrant violation of Security Council resolutions and undermine the international norm against nuclear testing. The Secretary-General remains firmly committed to achieving the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.
Mr. President,
As per our earlier briefings to this Council, the DPRK continues to implement its five-year military plan unveiled during the 8th Party Congress in January 2021. That plan provided for development of new solid propellant intercontinental-range ballistic missiles; multiple warheads; better warheads; tactical nuclear weapons; a military reconnaissance satellite; new unmanned aerial systems; a 15,000 km-range intercontinental ballistic missile; and a “hypersonic gliding flight warhead”.
Mr. President,
The DPRK has clearly stated its intention to continue pursuing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions. The situation on the Korean Peninsula continues to head in the wrong direction. Tensions continue to increase, with no off-ramps in sight.
The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned over the divisions that have prevented the international community from acting on this matter, as well as on other threats to peace and security around the world.
The Korean Peninsula must be an area for cooperation. Today’s meeting provides an opportunity to discuss practical measures for achieving a peaceful, comprehensive, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. President,
As previously stated, as the Council considers its options, there are several practical measures that could reduce tensions.
First, the DPRK needs to take immediate steps to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This should include the DPRK refraining from carrying out further launches using ballistic missile technology or nuclear tests.
Second, communication channels must be enhanced, particularly military to military. Reducing confrontational rhetoric will help to lower political tensions and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.
Mr. President,
Separately, I wish to highlight once more our concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The United Nations is ready to assist the DPRK in addressing medical and other basic needs of vulnerable populations. We reiterate our call on the DPRK to allow the unimpeded entry of international staff, including the Resident Coordinator, and of humanitarian supplies, to enable a timely and effective response.
Mr. President,
Let me close by reiterating that the unity of the Security Council on the DPRK is essential to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse. The primary responsibility for international peace and security rests with this Council. The Secretariat is your partner in this effort.
Thank you, Mr. President.
A Japanese initiative to colourize photos of Hiroshima survivors, taken before the war, has been hailed by the UN as a way to breathe new life into conversations about peace, and a world without nuclear weapons.
The parties to a watershed political agreement in Sudan – signed in December 2022 – have launched a fresh round of consultations on key challenges facing the country, the senior UN official in Khartoum told the Security Council on Monday, citing several important breakthroughs that have already emerged from that process.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen announced on Monday the planned release of 887 conflict-related detainees from all sides along with other gains after concluding 10 days of negotiations to address the devastating eight-year-old conflict.
Raising alarms that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is heading in the “wrong direction”, a senior UN official appealed to the UN Security Council for unity on Monday, following a spate of missile launches in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Humanitarians have strongly condemned the latest deadly assault on aid workers in South Sudan, urging the Government to step up security and bring those responsible to justice.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-brokered deal aimed at supplying markets with food and fertilizer amid global shortages and rising prices, exacerbated by the Ukraine war, was extended on Saturday, the day it was due to expire.
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The UN chief condemned on Friday the latest ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), calling on Pyongyang to resume dialogue leading towards sustainable peace and a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula.
Violence against civilians in South Sudan rose by two per cent during 2022, according to the latest annual report on Violence Affecting Civilians from the UN peacekeeping mission there, UNMISS.
Children are increasingly caught up in armed conflict in the climate-affected, food insecure central Sahel region, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
The war in Ukraine has had very significant implications for global food insecurity, the top UN humanitarian official told the Security Council on Friday, underscoring the critical need to extend landmark agreements to export grain and fertilizer from the region.
NEW YORK - UN Security Council today unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution 2678 (2023) extending the...
Russian forces in Ukraine faced fresh accusations of war crimes on Thursday as UN-appointed independent human rights investigators released the latest findings of their ongoing probe.
The world’s new security sector reform plan can achieve even further progress by developing the first-ever global study on women in defence, trimming reporting periods, and galvanizing Member States’ support, the UN’s top Rule of Law and Security Institutions official said on Thursday.
The UN Security Council on Thursday adopted a presidential statement calling on the international community to support ongoing efforts to forge a lasting peace in Libya.
Violence resulting from the brutal military coup is continuing inside Myanmar on an “alarming scale” the UN Special Envoy told a meeting of the General Assembly on Thursday.
Three senior UN officials underscored the need for a political solution to end the war in Syria, in statements marking the 12th anniversary of the conflict on Wednesday.
