New York, 21 November 2022
Every year, 1.3 million people die in road accidents and 50 million more are injured. This is the leading cause of death for children and young people.
One of the best ways to remember and honour the victims is by doing our part to make roads safer around the world.
Road traffic crashes are linked to development. Nine...
<p>Prisoners of war on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine have told UN human rights investigators that they have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment while held captive. </p>
<p>Efforts continue to get political leaders in Libya to overcome their differences so that long-awaited presidential and parliamentary elections can finally take place, the Security Council heard on Tuesday. </p>
<p>The UN human rights office, OHCHR, <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2022/11/iran-call-immediat... target="_blank">called on Tuesday</a> for the immediate release of thousands of Iranian citizens who have been detained after peacefully demonstrating against the Government following the death of Mahsa Amini for breaking strict hijab rules two months ago.</p>
<p>From peacekeeping to peacebuilding, Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix reaffirmed to the Security Council on Monday, the vital role that UN police officers play across the conflict prevention spectrum. </p>
<p>Essential supplies have been delivered to thousands of people in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson for the first time since Russia’s invasion of 24 February, UN humanitarians announced on Monday.</p>
<p>A steep rise in civilian casualties across Somalia, largely at the hands of Al-Shabaab militants, has exacerbated an already grim human rights and humanitarian situation there, said the UN human rights chief on Monday.</p>
<p>The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution that calls for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine, as ambassadors met to resume their emergency special session devoted to the conflict. </p>
<p>Young people from some of the most vulnerable and violent gang-controlled neighbourhoods of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince have been talking about the power of getting together to share experiences and engage in sporting and entrepreneurial activities.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>At a time when geopolitical divides threaten to spark new conflicts and make older ones harder to resolve, the global economy cannot afford to be split into two opposing camps, UN Secretary-General </span>António Guterres <span>said at a press conference in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, on Saturday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>At a time when geopolitical divides threaten to spark new conflicts and make older ones harder to resolve, the global economy cannot afford to be split into two opposing camps, UN Secretary-General </span>António Guterres <span>said at a press conference in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, on Saturday.</span></p>
<p>Young people from some of the most vulnerable and violent gang-controlled neighbourhoods of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince have been talking about the power of getting together to share experiences and engage in sporting and entrepreneurial activities.</p>
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<p>A UN Human Rights Council-appointed probe into alleged rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, and Israel, wrapped up a week of public hearings in Geneva on Friday that included testimony on the killing of veteran US-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. </p>
She Stands For Peace | Season 3-Episode 10 | Out Now! Click here to listen: https://unoau.unmissions.org/podcast-series-she-stands-peace
<p>The United Nations and humanitarian partners are continuing to reach growing numbers of people impacted by the war on the ground with life-saving assistance, a UN spokesperson told journalists on Thursday.</p>
<p>Two-thirds of Afghans are going hungry, with girls' education subject to “random edicts” of the Taliban, while crime and terrorism are thriving once more buoyed by a large spike in opium production, <a href="https://www.un.org/pga/77/2022/11/10/general-assembly-plenary-meeting-on... the</a> President of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.</p>
<p>The growth of terrorism is a major threat to international peace and security, currently felt most keenly in Africa, the deputy UN chief told the Security Council on Thursday. </p>
This brief report, prepared by the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), compiles the recommendations for SSTC for peacebuilding and sustaining peace gathered during the UN DPPA – UNDP joint side event organized on 13 September 2022, “South-South and triangular cooperation for sustainable development and sustaining peace”, at the margins of the 11th Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo 2022).
<p>Global events over the past year have had a substantial impact on the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi said on Wednesday, as countries met to debate its latest report. </p>
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<p>Addressing the Security Council from Libyan soil for the first time ever, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor acknowledged that while challenges abound, justice for the Libyan people is not “Mission Impossible”.</p>
On 20 July 2023, Secretary-General António Guterres presented his Policy Brief on A New Agenda for Peace. It outlines his vision for multilateral efforts for peace and security, based on international law, for a world in transition. It is the main peace and security input from the Secretary-General for Member States consideration ahead of the Summit of the Future.
A New Agenda for Peace was prepared against a particularly difficult global peace and security landscape. The document is clear-eyed about the magnitude of today’s challenges and realistic about potential solutions. It is the Secretary-General’s vision for how to strengthen multilateral action for peace in a world in transition.
A New Agenda for Peace reflects on today’s peace and security threats – including the changing conflict landscape; persistent violence outside of conflict environments; the potential weaponization of new technologies; rising inequalities; shrinking civic space; and the climate emergency – and emphasizes how violations of the UN Charter and a pushback against human rights, in particular women’s rights, represent a significant normative challenge.
To effectively address these threats, A New Agenda for Peace encourages Member States to move beyond the current logic of competition and find avenues for cooperation and collective action to pursue shared interests.
The vision offered in A New Agenda for Peace is grounded in three principles – trust, solidarity, and universality. It reiterates some basic principles for international cooperation: the centrality of the UN Charter, diplomacy, the need to rebuild mechanisms to manage disputes and improve trust among major powers, regional frameworks, and the centrality of national action, for example. It outlines an extensive and ambitious set of recommendations that recognize the inter-linked nature of many of the challenges we face.
Resolution A/RES/76/6 adopted by the General Assembly on 15 November 2021 followed up on “Our Common Agenda” and requested the Secretary-General to inform Member States and to engage in broad and inclusive consultations with them, all parts of the United Nations system and other relevant partners on his proposals in the report for follow-up action to accelerate the full and timely implementation of the above-mentioned agreed frameworks in a comprehensive and integrated manner, and to provide regular updates to Member States.
In the informal thematic consultations organized by the President of the General Assembly on “Our Common Agenda” in February and March 2022, the United Nations system was invited to develop a ‘New Agenda for Peace’ in close consultation with Member States, and in collaboration with all relevant partners, as part of the preparations for the Summit of the Future.
Austria | Belgium | Brazil | China - EN ZH | Croatia | Colombia | Cuba - ES EN | Finland | France - EN FR | Georgia | Greece | India | Iran
Ireland | Japan | Kenya | Mexico | Morocco | Netherlands | Norway | Pakistan | Portugal | Qatar | Republic of Korea
Russian Federation - EN RU | Senegal | Switzerland | Syria | Thailand | Ukraine | United Kingdom
G7 | Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations | Group of Friends of Responsibility to Protect
African Union | Collective Security Treaty Organization | Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia | European Union | International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (IDPS) - EN FR | INTERPOL | League of Arab States | North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) | Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) | Organization of American States (OAS) | Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
The Secretariat invites Civil Society Organizations to share their views, priorities and potential recommendations for a “New Agenda for Peace.” The written submission can be sent to Interdepartmental Team of the New Agenda for Peace at NewAgendaforPeace@un.org.
List of organizations who provided written submissions:
Disclaimer: The United Nations does not guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of information from non-UN sources. The submission of written contributions by civil society actors included in this list does not imply endorsement by the UN.
International Labour Organization (ILO) | International Organization for Migration (IOM) | UN Alliance of Civilizations | UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
UN Development Programme (UNDP) | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) | UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) | UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) | UN Women
<p>The top UN disarmament official told the Security Council on Monday that “gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies” identified in Syria’s declaration over its use of chemical weapons, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (<a href="https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons-convention">CWC</a>). “cannot be considered accurate and complete”. </p>
<p><span><span>The lives of thousands of children in overcrowded, unsanitary camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are seriously at risk, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday.</span></span></p>
Introductory Remarks by Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on the occasion of the briefing to the Fourth Committee on “Comprehensive Review of Special Political Missions”
4 November 2022, 3:00pm
Mr. Chair [H.E. Mr. Mohamed Al Hassan (Oman)],
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Let me start by congratulating you, Mr. Chair, and the members of the Bureau, on your election. I wish the Fourth Committee a fruitful session.
Let me also thank Finland and Mexico for their leadership on this agenda item.
I am pleased to be joined by Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support. His department is an invaluable partner, providing critical support to special political missions.
And it is my pleasure to introduce today the tenth report of the Secretary-General on this item.
Mr. Chair,
During the General Debate in September, global leaders expressed concern about the deteriorating international peace and security environment. They noted that multiple major challenges are rapidly converging — more complex conflicts, rising inequalities, climate change, technological disruption, terrorism, the rocky recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and skyrocketing food and oil prices.
Meanwhile, the ability of Member States to take collective action to address these interlocking challenges is being undermined by renewed geostrategic competition at levels we have not seen in decades.
It is clear that the world is at an inflection point – and that Member States need to work together to navigate this uncertain moment.
Two years ago, the UN75 Declaration echoed these concerns. It underscored that “multilateralism is not an option but a necessity as we build back better for a more equal, more resilient, and more sustainable world.”
The UN75 Declaration dedicated particular attention to promoting peace and preventing conflict. It noted that the “diplomatic toolbox of the Charter” should be used to its full potential, including preventive diplomacy and mediation. It called on the Secretary-General to enhance it.
Special political missions are a vital part of this toolbox. Through their work in preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, and peacebuilding, they play an important role in helping Member States prevent conflict and build sustainable peace. Their diversity and flexibility have allowed us to design different types of responses to many of the peace and security challenges we face today.
From Myanmar to Syria, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, our missions are working with conflict parties and regional stakeholders to advance complex peace processes.
Allow me to share a few examples:
In Yemen, through intense diplomatic efforts, the Special Envoy helped broker a nationwide truce that was in effect for six months, leading to a significant reduction in violence and civilian casualties.
Despite the lack of agreement between the parties in early October on renewing the truce, there are no reports of a return to open hostilities, even if the situation remains tense. Urging the parties to continue to exercise maximum restraint, the Special Envoy has continued his shuttle diplomacy with the parties to find a way forward to achieve an extended and expanded truce.
In Somalia, Libya and elsewhere, our missions are supporting national authorities in managing political transitions and electoral processes.
In Iraq, UNAMI provided enhanced electoral assistance to the parliamentary elections in October 2021. The mission deployed 150 United Nations international electoral experts and approximately 550 national support personnel to all Governorates and provided support to strengthen the electoral administration and processes.
Following the election, the mission conducted non-stop engagements with all the parties to overcome the political stalemate, from participating in dialogue initiatives and meeting with many stakeholders to preparing roadmaps and conducting shuttle diplomacy in various forms.
Our missions also work hand-in-hand with host governments in the aftermath of conflict in order to help build sustainable peace.
In Colombia, the United Nations Verification Mission is working closely with the parties to the 2016 Agreement to build confidence and consolidate inclusive, lasting peace in the country. The Mission is supporting multiple peacebuilding initiatives, notably on reintegration, security guarantees, and transitional justice and reconciliation, in close coordination with the UN Country Team.
This has allowed the Mission to make important contributions to the nationally-led peace consolidation process, for instance by helping promote the sustainable reintegration of over 13,000 former combatants.
Mr. Chair,
This tenth report by the Secretary-General covered a spectrum of policy issues. For today’s discussion, I would like to highlight the following two examples.
First, the women, peace, and security agenda.
Despite our commitments to promote women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace and political processes, we are still falling far short when it comes to implementation. Special political missions are playing an essential role in translating commitments into concrete outcomes.
In line with Security Council resolution 2493 (2019), we are convening high-level strategy meetings to help promote women’s participation in peace processes. So far, we have organized such meetings for the Geneva International Discussions, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
In Libya UNSMIL advocated at all levels for the inclusion of women in political processes and decision-making bodies. Following engagement from the Mission, the House of Representatives and the High State Council agreed to endorse a 25 percent quota for women to be applied to all future electoral processes.
Since arriving in Libya to take up his functions in mid-October, SRSG Bathily has engaged with women activists and political candidates to seek their views on how to further achieve progress in inclusive intra-Libyan talks.
In Sudan, UNITAMS facilitated country-wide consultations, which resulted in the establishment of a Women’s Rights Group to amplify the voices of Sudanese women. This group is now positioned to participate in the next phase of political talks in Sudan, and bring women’s perspectives to all priority agenda items under discussion.
Second, promoting a regional approach to peace and security.
Strengthening United Nations partnerships with regional and subregional organizations is integral to the Secretary-General’s vision for a networked and inclusive multilateralism. It is also critical for our conflict-prevention and peacemaking work, both nationally and regionally.
Our three regional offices [UNOWAS, UNOCA and UNRCCA] and two regional envoys [Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region] have regional mandates.
They serve as forward platforms for preventive diplomacy in their regions, helping Member States address cross-border and cross-regional issues such as countering terrorism and managing shared natural resources. They also have helped institutionalize our strategic partnership with regional and subregional organizations.
Nowhere is this partnership more visible than in Africa, where we celebrate an important milestone this year: the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the African Union.
We are also celebrating this year the 20th anniversary of the creation of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
Since its establishment in 2002, UNOWAS has developed a deeply connected partnership with Economic Commission Of West African States (ECOWAS) that has proved essential for peace and stability in the West Africa and the Sahel. An example of the value of this partnership is the joint engagement of UNOWAS and ECOWAS in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
Together, the two organizations have advocated for the swift return to constitutional order in countries that experienced military coups, called for inclusive political dialogue and consensus building ahead of key elections, and engaged with political actors and other stakeholders to defuse tensions following contested electoral outcomes.
Mr. Chair,
In order to address the current complex global environment , the Secretary-General, in his report on “Our Common Agenda,” committed to preparing a New Agenda for Peace. This document will offer a robust vision for strengthening our work in prevention, peacemaking, and peacebuilding – which lies at the heart of the mandates of special political missions.
Delivering on these commitments will require all of us to work together. DPPA , which is leading the preparation of this document, will engage closely with Member States to seek your views and priorities in this process.
Mr. Chair,
I would also like to highlight that May 2023 will mark the 75th anniversary of the deployment of the first United Nations special political mission in 1948 in the Middle East.
DPPA looks forward to working with Member States to commemorate this event and to reflect on the important and successful history of special political missions in advancing peace and dialogue throughout the history of the organization.
In conclusion, I would like to express my department’s appreciation to all Member States for their continued engagement on this agenda item and strong support of special political missions. In particular, I want to stress our gratitude to those countries that are hosting special political missions.
I also want to pay tribute to the dedicated and courageous United Nations personnel serving in special political missions deployed worldwide.
I look forward to a rich discussion. Thank you.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL KHALED KHIARI’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION/DPRK
New York, 4 November 2022
Mr. President, according to various government sources, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles and other types of systems on 2 and 3 November. The DPRK has yet to publicly provide details of these launches.
One of the missiles launched on 3 November was assessed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. It reportedly covered a range of 760 km, and reached an apogee of around 1,920 km, indicating that the launch may not have been successful. One of the DPRK ballistic missiles launched on 2 November reportedly impacted in waters in proximity of the territorial sea of the Republic of Korea.
Mr. President, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch of a ballistic missile of reported intercontinental range by the DPRK as well as the barrage of various missiles over recent days. He calls on the DPRK to immediately cease any further reckless acts and to comply fully with its international obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions.
Mr. President, it is troubling that the DPRK has consistently disregarded any consideration for international flight or maritime safety. While the DPRK National Aviation Administration stated on 8 October that its missile launch did not pose a risk to civil aviation or the region, aircraft operators are required to assess safety of their own flight operations. To meet this obligation, operators rely on coordination amongst air traffic services authorities, as well as the promulgation of timely information on hazards.
Mr. President, the Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the tension on the Korean Peninsula and the increase in confrontational rhetoric, including the DPRK’s messaging related to nuclear weapon use. This is the ninth time the Council has met to discuss the DPRK in 2022. Following our last briefing on 5 October, the DPRK claimed that its seven earlier missile launch events were all part of quote “tactical nuclear operation units” end quote.
While all concerned seek to avoid an unintended escalation, the spate of missile launches and military exercises contributes to a negative action-reaction cycle. To lower the risk of miscalculation and reduce tensions in the region, it is critical to immediately strengthen communication channels, including inter-Korean and military to military.
The Secretariat remains in close contact with all parties, including the DPRK. Given the potential risks associated with any military confrontation, in exercise of its primary responsibility, the Security Council needs to do all it can to prevent an escalation. Unity in the Security Council is critical. Security Council unity also creates an opportunity to seek off-ramps and sustained diplomatic engagement.
The Secretary‑General urges the DPRK to immediately return to the negotiating table. He also urges the key parties to resume their diplomatic efforts with a view to achieving sustainable peace and a complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. President, separately, the Secretary-General remains concerned over the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The United Nations system, in coordination with international and humanitarian partners, is ready to send staff and assistance to help the DPRK Government address medical and humanitarian needs, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. To allow for a timely and effective response, we reiterate our call for the unimpeded entry of international staff and humanitarian supplies.
Mr. President, let me close by reiterating that the unity of the Security Council in this matter is essential to ease tensions, overcome the diplomatic impasse and the negative action-reaction cycle.
Thank you.
<p>The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched “an unprecedented number” of cruise and ballistic missiles over the course of just 48 hours this week, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, told the Security Council in an emergency meeting on Friday.</p>
<p>The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide expressed grave concern on Thursday over a reported resurgence of ethnic clashes in the Blue Nile region of Sudan. </p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Amid continuing gang warfare and a vacuum of law and order, Haiti is “on the verge of an abyss” said the UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday, warning that any hope of a sustainable recovery requires “urgent and sustained action” to tackle the root causes of the overlapping crises afflicting the island nation.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>The UN on Thursday launched a new online course that provides wikiHow platform users with vital tips on how to stay safe from the dangerous misinformation and deliberate disinformation, that is increasingly populating social media platforms. </p>
<p>UN peace operations, which include peacekeeping and special political missions, “provide the space for political solutions” in some of the world’s most complex hotspots, Secretary-General António Guterres <a href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2022-11-03/secretary-gener... the Security Council</a> on Thursday. </p>
