Qatar
“We need to reimagine a new global order with justice and accountability at its core”
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo visited Qatar to attend the Doha Forum between 14 and 15 December. The Forum is a global platform for dialogue, bringing together leaders in policy to build innovative and action driven networks. During a panel titled, “The United Nations at 75: A Time for Renewal and Innovation”, she said the world needed to reimagine a new global order with justice and accountability at its core. While in Doha, Ms. DiCarlo also held bilateral talks, including with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. In a meeting with Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khare, she emphasized the UN’s support to the upcoming elections in the country. With Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Sharif, she discussed Iran’s HOPE initiative to reduce tensions in the Middle East. For more information, contact us
Security Council
West Africa and the Sahel “shaken by unprecedented violence”
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), briefed the Security Council on inter-communal violence and terrorism in West Africa on 16 December. He told the Council that the region has been “shaken by unprecedented violence” in recent months. “Curbing the financial and supply corridors used by armed groups, and the links with illegal trade, requires international cooperation; targeted sanctions and other measures recommended by Panels of Experts, are relevant for leverage,” Mr. Ibn Chambas said.
Read his full statement here
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Peace will be the issue of paramount importance to the new administration in Afghanistan
Tadamichi Yamamoto, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), briefed the Council on the situation in Afghanistan on 16 December. He provided an update on developments since voting took place in late September. "When the election is completed with credibility, it will become a milestone in the history of establishing a representative political system of the country”. Mr. Yamamoto explained that preliminary results are yet to be announced as stakeholders want to ensure the electoral process was as transparent and credible as possible. “Whatever the outcome of the presidential election may be, peace will be the issue of paramount importance to the new administration," he said.
Read his full statement here
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Israeli-Palestinian conflict in “fragile phase”
Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov briefed the Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 2334 (2016) on 18 December. The resolution concerns the Israeli settlements in “Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem”. “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in a fragile phase with the occupation deepening, political uncertainty prevailing, and volatile regional dynamics threatening to further de-stabilize the situation,” Mr. Mladenov told the Council.
Read his full statement here
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Briefing on the Iran nuclear deal
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation and resolution 2231 on 19 December. The resolution backed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed by China, France, Russia, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Iran in July 2015. “Certain actions taken by the United States, since its withdrawal from the Plan, are contrary to the goals of the Plan. The re-imposition of its national sanctions lifted under the Plan, as well as its decision not to extend waivers for the trade in oil with Iran and certain non-proliferation projects, may also impede the ability of Iran and other Member States to implement the Plan and 2231,” Ms. DiCarlo said. She added that since July: “Iran has surpassed JCPOA-stipulated limits on its uranium enrichment level, as well as limits on its stockpiles of heavy water and low-enriched uranium.”
Read her full statement here
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Pedersen: “The Constitutional Committee needs to be nurtured, and genuinely supported if it is to succeed”
Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen briefed the Security Council on the situation in Syria on 20 December. He updated the Council on the work of the Constitutional Committee. “The Constitutional Committee needs to be nurtured, and genuinely supported if it is to succeed. This is the responsibility of the Syrian parties. International stakeholders, too, have a supporting role to play. I know I can count on the support of this Council in that regard,” Mr. Pedersen said.
Read his full statement here
Afghanistan
Bayman youth meet to discuss social cohesion
Youth activists in Afghanistan’s central highlands province of Bamyan gathered at a UN-backed symposium to strategize on ways to promote social cohesion in the interest of advancing peace, locally and nationally, on 15 December. Some 40 young activists from seven districts across Bamyan attended the event, organized by UNAMA’s Bamyan regional office, to exchange ideas on factors hindering the participation of young people in Afghanistan’s social, political and economic life and to chart out possible next steps to maximize their engagement in promoting a culture of peace.
Read more on UNAMA’s website
Protecting Human Rights in Afghanistan spotlighted at Kunduz university symposium Participants at a UN-backed seminar at Kunduz University on 19 December underscored the crucial importance of human rights for peace and stability, and highlighted the special role of young people as constructive agents of change in promoting and protecting rights. The university event was the final in a series of seminars facilitated by UNAMA’s Kunduz regional office to enable faculty and students to discuss international and national principles related to human rights provisions, with a specific focus on Afghanistan. In the wide-ranging panel discussion in the final seminar, with more than 100 students from six faculties in attendance, participants noted that the seminars have contributed not only to enhancing student interest in human rights but also to generating support for a new Human Rights and Peace Centre as a step to institutionalizing the first-ever Master’s Degree in Human Rights in Afghanistan.
Read more on UNAMA’s website
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Central Asia
Annual meeting with Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian states
The ninth annual Meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian states, convened by UNRCCA, took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 14 December. The meeting brought together the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. As part of the C5+1 format established by UNRCCA in December 2017, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan also took part in the discussion devoted to the cooperation between Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Read more on UNRCCA’s website
Capacity-building workshop and meeting of Central Asian water experts in Ashgabat
UNRCCA convened a regional capacity-building workshop in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 17-18 December dedicated to water cooperation in the Central Asian region. The event was attended by the representatives of the ministries and state agencies of the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan, international and partner organizations as well as international experts. Special Representative Natalia Gherman welcomed the participants and praised efforts made by Central Asian states in strengthening regional cooperation in the sphere of transboundary water management. She pointed out that water and environmental issues continued to be key factors in terms of full and sustainable economic and social development in the region of Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Read more on UNRCCA’s website
Libya
Women activists trained on the integration of a gender perspective in the Universal Periodic Review
In collaboration with OHCHR, UNSMIL completed a three-day training on the integration of gender perspective in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Process on 17 December. The training benefited 15 geographically diverse women activists working on issues related to gender equality, combatting gender-based violence and promoting human rights. It further aimed to maximize knowledge among participants of gender sensitive analyses, monitoring, and how to best formulate tailor made and specific action-oriented recommendations to address gender related human rights violations. On the last day participants conceptualized a robust advocacy and outreach campaign strategy to build up momentum for the upcoming UPR cycle review of Libya’s human rights record due to take place under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council in May 2020.
Read more on UNSMIL’s website
Somalia
Delegations of AU, EU, IGAD and UN hold consultations with stakeholders in Kismayo and Garowe
On the third stop of a series of consultations in Somalia’s Federal Member States, a senior delegation of some of the country’s international partners visited Jubaland’s capital Kismayo on 17 December, where it held meetings on how the country can implement the national priorities it has set for the coming year. “We are here to engage with a range of stakeholders, and to hear their views on how key national priorities can be achieved in 2020. These include preparations for ‘one-person, one-vote’ elections, finalization of the Federal Constitution, continued progress towards debt relief, and the fight against Al-Shabaab,” James Swan, Special Representative and Head of UNSOM, said on behalf of the delegation.
Read more on UNSOM’s website
The delegation visited Puntland’s capital Garowe on 18 December, the final stop of their visits to seek stakeholders’ views on how key national priorities can be realized next year. The delegation met with Puntland’s President Said Abdullahi Deni, and other political and social actors in the state, such as cabinet ministers and civil society representatives. “These consultations have been an opportunity to hear directly from stakeholders on how Somalia’s national priorities can be achieved, and challenges overcome,” James Swan said.
Read more on UNSOM’s website
Colombia
Former combatants and victims of the conflict join in song for reconciliationVictims of the armed conflict and former FARC, ELN, and AUC combatants sang together with the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra on 17 December during a "Reconciliation Concert" organized by the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, Explora Park, and the orchestra. "The fundamental objective of today's world is to obtain peace, and we know that the power of music is one of the tools for peacebuilding and reconciliation. I believe that citizens must support in-depth peacebuilding in Colombia", was the message of Karla Gabriela Samayoa Recari, Deputy Head of the UN Verification Mission. The artists were responding to a call from the Colombian Government through the Reintegration and Normalization Agency and the Victims’ Unit.
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Business roundtable between ex-combatants and businessmen in Meta
In Villavicencio city on 17 December, ex-combatants and businessmen from the department of Meta met at a business roundtable to discuss commercial ideas. The ex-combatants presented 15 projects to the business sector, related to livestock, agriculture and tourism. The businessmen provided advice and recommendations to the new entrepreneurs so they could maximize productivity and profitability. The event was organized by the Reintegration and Normalization Agency, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, UNDP and IOM.
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Decolonization Committee visits Montserrat
The Special Committee on Decolonization, also known as the C-24, is wrapping up a visit to the Caribbean island of Montserrat, which is under United Kingdom administration. Montserrat is on the UN’s list of 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories. The mission, which also included meetings in Antigua and Barbuda, is led by Grenada, the Chair of the C-24, alongside representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. The C-24 is mandated to undertake at least one visiting mission per year to a Non-Self-Governing Territory. In Montserrat, the delegation paid particular attention to the impact of the volcanic eruptions that have hit the island since 1995, forcing thousands of people to evacuate mostly to Antigua and Barbuda and the United Kingdom, or to resettle in the north of the island. Upon their return to New York, the delegation will present its findings in a public report. For more information on the mission and DPPA’s work on decolonization, visit the Decolonization Unit’s new website: https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en
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