COVID-19
Peacebuilding - Interview with the Resident Coordinator in The Gambia
In the “Building Peace during the Pandemic” video series, Seraphine Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator in The Gambia, spoke with Marc-André Franche, Chief, Financing for Peacebuilding Branch, Peacebuilding Support Office, DPPA. The Gambia is currently in a democratic transition and has embarked on a strong reform process including transitional justice and a constitutional review process supported by the UN. Ms. Wakana highlights how the UN used new technology to help the people and communities impacted by the pandemic. The UN worked together with the government to keep the courts operational during COVID-19 through virtual courts. The UN also helped the returnees and migrants reintegrate peacefully within communities. These migrants are now working as actors of peace and raising awareness to help communities comply with COVID-19 measures.
Watch here
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and its impact, please visit:
WHO website
UN coronavirus website
Security Council
Syria Envoy calls for immediate nationwide ceasefire to combat COVID-19
Syria Envoy Geir O. Pedersen, speaking to the Security Council on 19 August, called for a complete, immediate nationwide ceasefire in the country to enable an all-out effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. “I remain acutely conscious of the deep suffering of the Syrian people, who in this decade experienced death, injury, displacement, destruction, detention, torture, terror, indignities, instability, de-development and destitution on a massive scale – and who are now also grappling with COVID-19 and economic collapse,” Mr. Pedersen said.
Read his full briefing here
Read more in UN News
Swan: "Progress in Somalia requires a long-term commitment to governance, justice, respect for human rights"
James Swan, Special Representative and Head of UNSOM, on 20 August briefed the Council on the situation in Somalia. “We hope the new Government and Prime Minister – once appointed – will continue and indeed accelerate Somalia’s reform agenda for national development,” he said. “We remain mindful that progress in Somalia requires a long-term commitment to governance, justice, respect for human rights, and inclusion of women, youth, and minorities to build the nation,” the Special Representative concluded.
Read his full briefing here
Read more in UN News
Multi-Year Appeal
New quarterly report
DPPA has released its second Quarterly Report under the Multi-Year Appeal (MYA) covering activities from 1 April to 30 June. The quarterly report reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on our operations at UN Headquarters and in the field. This new report is packed with examples and shows that DPPA has adapted its operations and tools in order to continue providing support to Member States and partners. Our Special Envoys and Representatives are engaging with conflict parties, including through virtual platforms, to encourage conflict actors to move towards ceasefires and amplify the Secretary-General’s appeal made on 23 March. While the priorities and commitments outlined in DPPA’s Strategic Plan remain unchanged, our activities under the Multi-Year Appeal are constantly re-assessed to respond to the changing needs on the ground. As the competition for resources continues to intensify, the MYA is indispensable in helping DPPA carry out its work.
Read the report here
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World Humanitarian Day
Iraq
“With serious humanitarian needs having re-emerged in the country in recent years, I wish to give special recognition today to the humanitarian staff working across the country to assist the 4.1 million Iraqis currently in need of assistance. I thank them for their dedication and service, especially in the face of the operational difficulties imposed by COVID-19,” Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, said in a statement on World Humanitarian Day on 19 August. This day was designated in memory of the 19 August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello.
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African Union
“Today, on World Humanitarian Day, let’s celebrate and support the work of our humanitarian heroes, medical professional, first responders and aid workers, many of whom have been in the frontline of the fights against the pandemic, saving lives and supporting others. Thank you so much,” Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative and Head of UNOAU, tweeted on 19 August.
Colombia
Former combatants approve assessments for humanitarian demining
Seventeen former combatants of the civilian humanitarian demining organization HUMANICEMOS DH received certification to assist in the identification of the first areas to be the subject of humanitarian demining in Montañita, Caquetá, southern Colombia. The certification event took place on 15 August, an achievement that is part of the project "Reintegration of former combatants through mine action," financed in its second phase by the European Union through the European Trust Fund for Peace, with technical assistance from UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Colombia. This achievement shows concrete progress towards the reparation of victims, the reconstruction of territories, and peace contributions by former combatants. The UN Verification Mission in Colombia accompanies the reintegration process and the security guarantees for former FARC-EP combatants in the country.
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Great Lakes
Event to explore ways of ensuring women’s effective participation in peacebuilding
The Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes convened a virtual meeting on 20 August to explore ways of ensuring women’s effective participation in peacebuilding efforts in the region. The meeting was the third of its kind in a series of roundtable consultations on Women, Peace and Security that started in July of this year. In his statement at the meeting, Special Envoy Huang Xia noted that the year 2020 marks several significant anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, and the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action for gender equality. These events, he said, “should serve as a compass to reflect and act together to preserve and increase the gains in the promotion of women's rights.”
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