New York
Launch of DPPA’s Multi-Year Appeal and Strategic Plan 2020-2022
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo launched DPPA’s new Multi-Year Appeal (MYA) and Strategic Plan for 2020-2022 in New York on 5 February. Over 50 Member State supporters attended the launch event, with many announcing pledges. “Thanks to your generous contributions, the Multi-Year Appeal has achieved constant growth over the last several years,” Ms. DiCarlo said. The MYA is DPPA’s primary extra-budgetary funding instrument. The appeal, which is aligned with the Strategic Plan, seeks $135 million for three years. Member States contributions under the appeal, which come above what they pay to the UN regular budget, help DPPA carry out work to prevent and resolve conflict; build resilience in countries; strengthen partnerships for prevention, and achieve a learning, innovative working culture.
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Gender Advisers workshop
DPPA held its third Gender Advisers Workshop this week in New York. Fifteen gender advisers and gender focal points from special political missions took part. In a meeting with Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo on 3 February, the gender advisers discussed their successes in the field, but also some of the challenges they face, as well as the support needed to strengthen implementation of the women, peace and security agenda. With the international community set to mark the 20th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) later this year, there was agreement on the need to build visibility, political will and investment for increased women’s participation in conflict prevention and peacemaking. The workshop was followed by a retreat of peace and security gender advisers, convened jointly by UN Women, DPPA and the Department of Peace Operations. Discussions focused on how to further enhance cooperation between the three entities and identify common priorities during 2020.
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Security Council
Closed consultations on Myanmar
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, briefed the Security Council, in closed consultations, on the situation in Myanmar on 4 February.
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Pedersen: Situation in northwest Syria causing “unacceptable human suffering”
Together with Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen briefed the Security Council on the situation in northwest Syria on 6 February. Mr. Pedersen outlined the scale of the military operations in the region, which include airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Idlib de-escalation zone by the Syrian Government; clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces, and attacks by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terror group and armed opposition groups. He said that the situation is causing unacceptable human suffering which must stop now. “There is an urgent need for a sustained ceasefire and immediate unfettered humanitarian access to the civilian population,” Mr. Pedersen concluded.
Read his full remarks here
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African Union
2020 African Union Summit
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo traveled to Addis Ababa on 6 February to accompany Secretary-General António Guterres during the 2020 African Union Summit. The Summit is taking place between 9 and 10 February. “The African Union is an indispensable partner on peace and security in the continent,” the Under-Secretary-General said before leaving New York. Afterwards, Ms. DiCarlo will travel to Khartoum, Sudan, to discuss UN support to the country’s extraordinary transition.
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Burundi
High-level visit to Bujumbura
Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita and Ambassador Jürg Lauber, Chair of the Burundi Configuration at the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), wrapped up a weeklong visit to Bujumbura on 7 February. The visit came amid preparations for the country’s general elections in May this year. Ambassador Lauber and Assistant Secretary-General Keita held discussions with senior government officials, diplomats, and UN agency chiefs in Bujumbura. They also met with political and religious leaders, as well as representatives of civil society. Ms. Keita further met separately with First Lady Denise Bucumi Nkurunziza to follow up on developments since the 2nd International Women’s Conference held in Bujumbura in October last year.
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Gulf of Guinea
Joint mission to Cameroon and Angola
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative and Head of UNOWAS, and François Louncény Fall, Special Representative and Head of UNOCA, visited Cameroon and Angola on 4 and 5 February, respectively. Maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea was on the agenda, and the two Special Representatives discussed regional efforts to fight maritime insecurity, including piracy, with local counterparts. In Yaoundé, they met with Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo and Narciso Fastudo Junior, Director a. I. of the Interregional Coordination Center (ICC). In Luanda, they met with Minster of External Relations Manuel Domingos to discuss Angola’s regional efforts to fight maritime insecurity.
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Libya
Salamé: “Progress has been made”
Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL, briefed the press on the meeting of the 5+5 Libyan Joint Commission on 6 February. The parties in the Libya conflict have met in Geneva, Switzerland, this week, after months of conflict in the suburbs of Tripoli. The UN-led talks in Geneva form part of a renewed international push for peace in Libya. “Progress has been made on many important issues and we have before us a significant number of points of convergence,” Mr. Salamé said.
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Somalia
Public consultations to review Somalia’s provisional constitution
The first public consultation to review Somalia’s provisional constitution concluded in the capital Mogadishu on 3 February. More than 100 representatives of youth, women, elders and persons with disabilities attended the meeting, eager to have their views included in the final constituting. The consultation meeting was part of an ongoing nationwide outreach campaign, organized by the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs with the support from UNSOM. The campaign will cover all the federal member states of Somalia and will enable citizens to contribute to the constitution-making process.
Read more on UNSOM’s website
Peacebuilding Fund promotes joined up approaches in Somalia
UN entities implementing initiatives funded by the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) visited Baidoa, the capital of South West State of Somalia, on 4 and 5 February to explore new opportunities for cooperation. UNSOM, together with IOM, UNFPA, UN-Habitat, UNICEF and WHO, held discussions with regional authorities and civil society on the rollout of new PBF-funded initiatives, past experiences, and future priorities. Trip participants visited a newly constructed reintegration centre for women formerly associated with Al-Shabaab, funded by the Government of Germany following an initial investment by the PBF, as well as the Baidoa mental health hospital – one of only three mental health centres in a country where more than one third of the population suffers a spectrum of mental health problems following decades of conflict and humanitarian crises. A new PBF-funded pilot initiative will break new ground in understanding how mental health impacts prospects for post-conflict recovery and reconciliation.
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West Africa
Heads of UN Peace Missions meet in Dakar
At the invitation of Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative and Head of UNOWAS, the Heads of UN Missions in West Africa held their 35th High-level Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on 4 February. Discussions focused on the political, socio-economic and security situation and trends in West Africa and the Sahel and their impact on neighboring regions, including the Central African region.
Read more on UNOWAS’ website
Bolivia
Personal Envoy: UN “will do everything possible” to support upcoming elections
Jean Arnault, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General to Bolivia, welcomed on 3 February the official start of campaigning for the 3 May general elections. “The United Nations will do everything possible to support the country's efforts towards a credible, transparent and inclusive election,” Mr. Arnault said. The UN will provide technical assistance to the electoral body, with help from partners like the European Union.
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Colombia
President of Colombia visits development projects in Caquetá
Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez arrived in the southern department of Caquetá on 6 February to evaluate the implementation of development programmes that seek to transform the territories most affected by violence and poverty. Projects related to coffee, cocoa, cheese, and chili are being developed in the region; communal meeting rooms are under construction, and schools and rural roads are being improved. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative and Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, and Eamon Gilmore, EU Special Envoy for the Peace Process in Colombia, accompanied the President. "The development programmes with a territorial focus symbolize the entry of the State into conflict-affected areas and are the way to stabilize the territories and consolidate peace," Mr. Massieu said during the visit.
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Afghanistan
Community leaders strategize on human rights
The important role of community leaders in promoting and protecting human rights was the focus of a UNAMA-backed event in Afghanistan’s southeast province of Ghazni on 5 February. Some 40 religious' scholars, women’s rights activists, journalists and other community leaders gathered for the daylong symposium to discuss how civil society can more effectively empower their communities by increasing awareness of human rights and putting in place better mechanisms to protect those rights.
Read more on UNAMA’s website
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