Late Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad, was named on Tuesday as the recipient of United Nations Peacekeeping’s highest award, for exceptional courage, serving in Mali, which will be presented on Thursday at UN Headquarters in New York.
Late Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad, was named on Tuesday as the recipient of United Nations Peacekeeping’s highest award, for exceptional courage, serving in Mali, which will be presented on Thursday at UN Headquarters in New York.
The recent conclusion of the electoral process in Somalia offers a long-awaited opportunity to make progress on other urgent national priorities, the UN Special Representative for the county told the Security Council on Monday.
While digital technologies have offered “boundless opportunities” for sustainable development, education and inclusion, the UN political chief warned on Monday that there is also a clear downside.
Madam President,
Digital technologies have profoundly transformed every facet of our societies. They offer boundless opportunities – for sustainable development; for education; for inclusion.
Social media, for example, has transformed human rights and humanitarian advocacy, making it possible to mobilize people around the world quickly and efficiently around issues requiring urgent attention.
They have also created fresh possibilities for our peace and security work. Technological developments have improved our ability to detect crises, to better pre-position our humanitarian stocks, and to design data-driven peacebuilding programming.
We are using digital technologies in our work in conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peacebuilding. Allow me to share a few examples.
Digital tools strengthen our information-gathering and early-warning capacity. In Yemen, the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) has used various mapping, GIS and satellite technology tools to enhance its monitoring of the ceasefire in the Governorate.
They have increased our preparedness to understand, analyze and respond to crises that may have a digital dimension, and to address digital risks. We have, for example, worked with partners to build an e-learning platform on digital risk management.
New technologies can be beneficial in support of political processes, particularly to promote inclusion. In various peace negotiations, we have used artificial intelligence-assisted digital dialogues to reach out to thousands of interlocutors, to hear their views and priorities. This has been a particularly useful way to reach traditionally excluded groups, including women.
In Libya, the UN Mission held five digital dialogues, each with over 1,000 participants. This effort increased the legitimacy of the process, as different communities saw that their voices could be heard.
In Yemen, through digital consultations the Special Envoy engaged hundreds of women from different governorates, which provided deeper insight on the gender dimensions of the war.
The use of digital technologies also can improve the safety and security of our peacekeepers and civilian staff on the ground. The launch of the Strategy for the Digital Transformation of Peacekeeping presents an essential step towards this goal, and towards more effective mandate implementation – increasing early warning capacities.
Finally, with these tools we are able to visualize information and convey data-rich analysis to support the Security Council’s decision making. Our recent virtual reality presentation to the Security Council on Colombia shows how we can bring our work on the ground to the attention of this body in new ways.
Madam President,
The benefits of digital technologies for the maintenance of international peace and security are manifold. However, advances in technology have also created significant new risks and can affect conflict dynamics for the worse.
There are several areas of concern.
The number of State- and non-State- sponsored incidents of malicious use of digital technologies for political or military ends has nearly quadrupled since 2015, according to some estimates. Of specific concern is activity targeting infrastructure that provides essential public services, such as health and humanitarian agencies.
Meanwhile, lethal autonomous weapons raise questions regarding human accountability for the use of force.
The Secretary-General has made clear, machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant, and should be prohibited by international law.
Also, non-state actors are becoming increasingly adept at using low-cost and widely available digital technologies to pursue their agendas. Groups such as ISIL and Al-Qaida remain active on social media, using platforms and messaging applications to share information and communicate with followers for the purposes of recruitment, planning and fundraising.
And the increasing availability of digital payment methods such as cryptocurrencies brings additional challenges.
Further, digital technologies have raised major human rights concerns, from artificial intelligence systems that may be discriminatory to the widespread availability of surveillance technologies that can be deployed to target communities or individuals.
We are also concerned about the increasing use of internet shutdowns, including in situations of active conflict, which deprive communities of their means of communication, work, and political participation.
In Myanmar, for example, internet and mobile shutdowns have grown in number and duration since the military coup on 1 February 2021, particularly in areas of military operations.
Social media can fuel polarization and, at times, violence. The misuse of social media – and the sometimes limited or not fully adequate response of social media companies – is enabling the spread of disinformation, radicalization, racism, and misogyny.
This can heighten tensions, and in some instances exacerbate conflict. In Ethiopia, as the fighting escalated, there was an alarming rise in social media posts spreading inflammatory rhetoric, with some going as far as inciting ethnic violence, as recognized by the Security Council in its press statement of 5 November 2021.
We have seen how online disinformation and hate speech can result in offline harm – including violence.
We know that disinformation can hinder the ability of our missions to implement their mandates, by exacerbating falsehoods and fueling polarization.
We are undertaking a number of actions to mitigate these risks, driven by the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action on Hate Speech and initiatives such as Verified.
In Iraq, for example, after reports of increased on-line harassment of women candidates in last year’s election, UNAMI partnered with civil society organizations to monitor hate-speech, issue public reports and strengthen voter education.
Madam President,
We must fully embrace the opportunities offered by digital technologies to advance peace. But to do this, we must also mitigate the risks that such technologies pose, and promote their responsible use by all actors.
Through the General Assembly, Member States have made important progress in establishing a normative framework to ensure responsible behavior in cyberspace.
Member States are also cooperating to develop and apply a range of confidence building measures to prevent conflicts, avoid misperceptions and misunderstandings, and reduce tensions.
However, more must be done to advance, elaborate and implement this emerging normative framework.
In his report on “Our Common Agenda”, the Secretary-General called for a Global Digital Compact that would outline shared principles for an “open, free and secure digital future for all”.
Together with other aspects of Our Common Agenda, such as the New Agenda for Peace and the proposed Code of Conduct for Integrity in Public Information, we have a critical opportunity to build consensus on how digital technologies can be used for the good of people and the planet, while addressing their risks.
But collective action by Member States remains essential towards this goal.
Thank you, Madam President.
New York, 22 May 2022
To achieve a sustainable future for all, we need to act urgently to protect biodiversity, the web of life that connects and supports us all. We must end our senseless and destructive war against nature. The rate of species loss is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average of the past 10 million years – and accelerating.
Biodiversity is...
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With a scorching summer fast approaching, food prices rising and access to water and electricity limited in many parts of Syria, donors must make good on $4.3 billion in humanitarian pledges committed at last week’s Brussels funding conference, the UN’s senior humanitarian official told the Security Council on Friday.
“When war is waged, people go hungry,” Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday during a debate on conflict and food security chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
A record 59.1 million people were displaced within their homelands last year, or four million more than in 2020, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, citing the latest Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID).
Mali’s decision on 15 May to withdraw from the G5-Sahel group and its Joint Force is “unfortunate” and “regrettable”, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday, as she urged countries in the region to redouble efforts to protect human rights, amid protracted political and security crises.
The top United Nations official in Iraq made an urgent appeal on Tuesday for the prompt formation of a new Government that meets the aspirations of that country’s people.
The top United Nations official in Iraq made an urgent appeal on Tuesday for the prompt formation of a new Government that meets the aspirations of that country’s people.
A surge in violence fuelled by heavily armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, prompted the UN rights chief on Tuesday to express her deep concern over its severe impact on human rights across the Caribbean nation.
New York, 18 May 2022
Today’s State of the Climate report is a dismal litany of humanity’s failure to tackle climate disruption.
Sea level rise, ocean heat, greenhouse gas concentrations, and ocean acidification – set alarming new records in 2021.
Global mean sea level increased at more than double the previous rate and is mainly due to accelerating loss of ice mass.
Ocean warming also shows...
The UN Secretary-General has called for Lebanon’s political leaders to swiftly form an inclusive government in the wake of parliamentary elections on Sunday, that can help the crisis-wracked nation implement reforms to put the country “on the path to recovery”.
New York,17 May 2022
On this World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, we focus on digital technologies for older people and healthy ageing.
From building smarter cities to combatting age-based discrimination at the workplace, ensuring financial inclusion, safeguarding independence, and supporting millions of...
New York, 17 May 2022
Around the world, millions of LGBTIQ+ people continue to face injustice, simply for who they are, or whom they love.
I am deeply concerned by continued violence, criminalization, hate speech and harassment against LGBTIQ+ people, and by new attempts to further exclude them from education, employment, healthcare, sports, and housing.
...Investigators probing allegations of war crimes in the Ukraine conflict must work closely together and in compliance with international standards of forensic best practice, the UN expert on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions said on Monday.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, on Monday welcomed the resumption of commercial flights from the capital city’s main airport after six years, as a potential game changer for citizens needing lifesaving medical treatment.
The United Nations in Somalia welcomed the conclusion of the country’s presidential election held on Sunday, praising the “positive” nature of the electoral process and peaceful transfer of power.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday appealed for greater harmony one day after 10 people were killed, and three wounded, in a racist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday appealed for greater commitment to harmony and diversity one day after 10 people were killed, and three wounded, in a racist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
New York, 16 May 2022
I send my warmest wishes to all celebrating the Day of Vesak.
For millions of Buddhists around the world, May’s full moon represents a sacred occasion honouring the birth, enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha.
This year, Vesak arrives at a moment of multiplying crises – from an unequal recovery from COVID-...
A group of former combatants with the FARC rebel group in Colombia have been reflecting on five years of peace and community building in a locality called Tierra Grata, which translates as “pleasant land”
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Amid new claims by Moscow of a covert biological weapons programme in Ukraine, the Director of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) affirmed on Friday that the UN is not aware of any such programme and has neither the mandate nor the technical operational capacity to investigate it - a message first delivered to the Security Council on 11 and 18 March, by High Representative Izumi Nakamitsu.
Mr. Chair,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to be here today on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. And I thank the Polish Chairpersonship-in-Office for this invitation.
In line with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, regional organizations like the OSCE are crucial partners in preventing and resolving conflict and sustaining peace.
Our shared commitment to preventive diplomacy, mediation, peacebuilding and the women and peace and security agenda informs the longstanding partnership between our organizations.
Today, the war in Ukraine vividly illustrates the need for strong European and international peace and security mechanisms. Indeed, the role of the OSCE to promote dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding has never been more important.
The brutal conflict in Ukraine is now the largest in Europe since the end of the Second World War.
Two weeks ago, I accompanied the Secretary-General on his visit to Moscow and Kyiv. The Secretary-General’s message to the leaders of the two countries was clear: Russia’s invasion is a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations. It must end.
That is also the view of the UN General Assembly, which has unequivocally reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
The Assembly has demanded that the Russian Federation immediately end its invasion and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces.
During his visit, the Secretary-General focused on ways the UN could expand support for the people of Ukraine, save lives, reduce suffering and help find the path of peace. In Bucha, Irpin and Borodyanka, he saw first-hand the devastation and human cost of this senseless war.
As a result of his engagement, the United Nations, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross and with support from Ukrainian and Russian authorities, successfully evacuated more than 600 civilians from Mariupol and surrounding areas, including from the Azovstal plant, over the last 10 days.
But civilians in Ukraine continue to pay an unbearable price for this war.
As of 11 May, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 7,326 civilian casualties in the country: 3,541 killed and 3,785 injured. The actual figures are certainly considerably higher.
Most of the civilian casualties have been caused by explosive weapons with a wide impact area used in populated areas. According to information gathered by OHCHR, while such incidents can be attributed to both parties to the conflict, most of these casualties appear attributable to the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 6,029,705 refugees have fled Ukraine, while 8,029,000 have been internally displaced since 24 February. This amounts to nearly one third of the population (Total number of displaced people is 14,058,705 which is approximately 33.8% of the population of 41.4 million).
The United Nations and our humanitarian partners continue to expand relief operations and have now reached more than 5.4 million people across the country with assistance since the war started. More than 4.7 million people have received food aid, and nearly 1.5 million people have accessed critical health care.
Cash interventions – a priority in our response - have increased, covering 550,000 people since 24 February. More than 230,000 children have received support to continue their education, and 370,000 displaced people have received protection services, including assistance at border crossing points and psychological support.
In response to the UN’s humanitarian Flash Appeals, donors have made available $1 billion out of $2.25 billion requested through the end of August.
Excellencies,
OHCHR has received credible reports alleging violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Some of these violations may amount to war crimes.
Further, OHCHR has documented mistreatment of prisoners of war by both Ukrainian and Russian forces.
There have been frequent attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools, residential buildings and hospitals. As of 7 May, the World Health Organization verified at least 75 persons killed in more than 190 attacks on Ukrainian health care since 24 February.
The United Nations supports efforts to investigate alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
The OSCE responded quickly to these allegations, establishing a mission of experts through the Moscow Mechanism.
The Human Rights Council established on 4 May the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. It is mandated to investigate, collect and verify evidence, and to identify, where possible, those individuals and entities responsible for violations.
And the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, based in Ukraine, has been actively recording and reporting on these allegations.
We are also heartened to see that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is undertaking efforts to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice.
Ensuring accountability for violations will be a long and arduous task. But it must be done.
Let me note that earlier this week, the Secretary-General visited Moldova on a mission of solidarity and gratitude. Moldova has opened its borders and homes to nearly half a million Ukrainian refugees.
Allow me to express the UN’s appreciation to the OSCE participating States who have welcomed all those fleeing the violence in Ukraine.
Excellencies,
The prevailing military logic has so far squeezed out genuine diplomacy. But the stakes are too high – in terms of human life and regional and global security – to abandon the search for a peaceful resolution.
We appreciate the role of Turkey and other OSCE members for their support for dialogue.
The UN Security Council recently declared its unanimous backing for the Secretary-General's efforts in the search for a peaceful solution. The United Nations stands ready to support all diplomatic initiatives to help bring an end to the crisis.
Excellencies,
The war in Ukraine has already had serious implications on the European security architecture. We are concerned by the potential impact on longstanding confidence-building measures, arms control treaties and other frameworks designed to sustain regional security.
Beyond Europe, the war has triggered global concern regarding a range of issues, from food and energy security to economic stability.
The food security crisis threatens to hit the most vulnerable countries the hardest. This dire prospect led the Secretary-General to establish the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance. The Group is mobilizing UN agencies, multilateral development banks and other international institutions to help countries face these challenges. We hope to count on your full support in this important work.
Excellencies,
The United Nations has consistently supported the work of the OSCE in Ukraine, especially the Special Monitoring Mission and the Trilateral Contact Group. Similarly, we continue to back other OSCE-led mediation processes, such as the Minsk Group for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the 5+2 Transnistrian Settlement process, as well as the Geneva International Discussions on Georgia.
These frameworks for dialogue and understanding contributed to general stability. This is thanks to the commitments of all relevant participants.
But we have also seen in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh how protracted conflicts have the potential to relapse into open hostilities despite such mechanisms.
We have a collective interest in ensuring that these critical mechanisms continue functioning to avoid new vacuums in areas prone to tensions.
It is also why the United Nations is fully supportive of the important work of the OSCE field offices, from the Western Balkans to Central Asia, where our cooperation serves to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in ways that strengthen national cohesion and resilience.
Excellencies,
The OSCE has historically played an instrumental role in promoting peace, stability and democracy in the region since its establishment. But, as we have seen, Europe is not immune to escalating tension and violence.
It is in our common interest to see an OSCE that is adequately equipped to continue meeting present and future challenges.
In that context, we take good note of the efforts by the Polish Chairpersonship-in-Office to initiate a Renewed European Security Dialogue.
We encourage all participating States to remain committed to the principles and frameworks of the OSCE as well as constructive dialogue on European security, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.
The United Nations supports all efforts to restore mutual trust and respect among regional stakeholders, which is essential to preserving the continent from new conflict and the world from further instability.
Thank you.
The top UN official in the Middle East has urged Israel to halt all settlement activity following the latest approval given to new construction in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, announced on Thursday.
The United Nations continues to explore all options to reach civilians affected by Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine, deputy humanitarian affairs chief Joyce Msuya said in an update to the Security Council on Thursday.
“I condemn today's decision by Israeli authorities to advance plans for over 4000 housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank. These include the retroactive approval of two illegal outposts and a park.
Continued settlement expansion further entrenches the occupation, encroaches upon Palestinian land and natural resources, and hampers the free movement of the Palestinian population.
...Amidst rising tensions, a months-long political stalemate and increasing speculation about yet another conflict in Europe, the international community must stand firm behind a peaceful, unified Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country’s UN envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday.
,Madam President, Members of the Security Council
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – DPRK – has intensified the pace of its launches using ballistic missile technology. Indeed, it has launched more missiles in the past five months than in the prior two years combined.
On 4 May, the DPRK launched a missile using ballistic missile technology which covered a range of 470 km and reached an apogee of 780 km. It was launched from the Sunan area near Pyongyang. The DPRK launched a ballistic missile of possible intercontinental range from the same location on 24 March. The DPRK launched another missile on 7 May, possibly from a submarine, which reportedly covered a range of 600 km and reached an apogee of 60 km. The DPRK did not issue public information on any launch, nor did it issue airspace or maritime safety notifications.
Madam President, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the DPRK’s continued development of missiles using ballistic missile technology. Such actions are clear violations of relevant Security Council resolutions and contribute to increasing tensions in the region and beyond.
It should be recalled that the Security Council, in resolution 2397 (2017), reaffirmed its decisions that the DPRK shall not conduct any further launches using ballistic missile technology.
Madam President, there have been other troubling developments since our last briefing on 25 March.
On 16 April, the DPRK carried out its first launch of a system it characterised as intended for use in quote “tactical nuclear operations”. The system in question covered a range of 110 km. Developing such systems was among the core defence development tasks for the 2021 to 2025 period set forth during the 8th Party Congress of the Korean Workers’ Party in January 2021.
The DPRK leader also made statements on 25 April and again on 30 April that Pyongyang could pre-emptively use its nuclear weapons. Statements of this nature are deeply concerning.
Finally, there are indications of resumed construction activities at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which was declared shut down in 2018.
Madam President, these developments all relate to the DPRK’s continuing pursuit of its nuclear programme. While some States continue to rely on nuclear weapons in their security policies, nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to humanity. Their existence heightens the risk of unintended escalation or miscalculation. We must strengthen our efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
We have consistently conveyed our concerns to the DPRK. The DPRK, by continuing to pursue its nuclear weapons programme, including its development of missiles using ballistic missile technology, however, continues to defy the repeated demands of the Council to cease such activities.
Madam President, the Secretary-General reaffirms his commitment to working with all parties for sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
He urges the DPRK to comply with the decisions of the Council, reset the course to dialogue and build on previous diplomatic efforts.
Further, the United Nations welcomes and encourages the regular contact and cooperation among the key parties regarding the Korean Peninsula. We commend the parties for their willingness to engage in dialogue with the DPRK without preconditions.
Madam President, the Secretary-General reiterates the importance of addressing the critical humanitarian needs of people in the DPRK.
The United Nations remains engaged and stands ready, along with its humanitarian partners, to assist people in need in the DPRK, whose vulnerability has likely increased since the pandemic outbreak and border closures in 2020.
We reiterate our call for the entry of international staff, including the United Nations Resident Coordinator, and the unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies, to allow for a timely and effective response.
We also acknowledge the work of Member States toward resolving the banking channel for humanitarian operations and emphasise the growing urgency for its conclusion.
Madam 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 avoid a negative action-reaction cycle.
Thank you.
The world is facing “multiple and interlinked global crises,” the UN chief told journalists in Austria on Wednesday during a joint press conference with Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
The world is facing “multiple and interlinked global crises,” the UN chief told journalists in Austria on Wednesday during a joint press conference with Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
