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This Week in DPPA: 16 - 22 November 2019


 

16 - 22 November 2019

This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.

New York

Peacebuilding Commission discusses Youth, Peace and Security
A Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) meeting on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) in New York on 18 November discussed the implementation of Security Council resolution 2250 (2015) on youth in decision-making and resolution 2419 (2018) on the role of youth in conflict resolution and prevention; ways of enhancing the PBC’s contribution to the implementation of the youth, peace and security agenda, and  possible PBC contributions to the April 2020 Security Council Open Debate on YPS.
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Security Council

Salamé: “I am determined to see the end of this debilitating conflict" 
Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Libya on 18 November. Seven and a half months into the conflict in Libya, Mr. Salamé warned about outside interference fueling fighting in the country. Spare parts for fighter aircrafts, tanks, bullets and precision missiles are being shipped into the country to propel rival party supporters in their fighting, he said, and foreign mercenaries are used to fill manpower gaps. Despite this, he added, he is “determined to see the end of this debilitating conflict."
Read his full remarks here
Read more in UN News

 

Open debate on the role of reconciliation
The Security Council held an open debate on how the UN can better support reconciliation to prevent the recurrence of conflict and advance sustainable peace and security on 19 November. In his remarks, Secretary-General António Guterres said that: “Reconciliation helps to repair fractures caused by an absence of trust between state and people, when institutions and individuals acknowledge their role in past crimes, and both victims and perpetrators muster the courage to face the truth. It is a process through which societies can move from a divided past to a shared future.”
Read his full remarks here
Read more in UN News

 

Situation in the Sahel “of serious concern”
The Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Bintou Keita, briefed the Security Council on the G5 Sahel Joint Force on 20 November. “The situation in the Sahel is of serious concern and urgent action is needed,” she told Council members. The security situation in the region has worsened over the past six months, with a surge in militancy against security forces and civilians. “The Joint Force alone cannot secure the Sahel. More needs to be done to prevent further deterioration of the situation,” Ms. Keita said.
Read her full remarks her
Read more in UN News

 

Mladenov: “Israeli settlement activities are a flagrant violation under international law”
The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on 20 November. In his briefing, Mr. Mladenov regretted the announcement made by the United States on 18 October that it no longer views settlements as inconsistent with international law. “Israeli settlement activities are a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” he stated.
Read his full remarks here
Read more in UN News

 

Political consensus needed in Somalia to achieve ambitious agenda for 2020
The Special Representative and Head of UNSOM, James Swan, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Somalia on 21 November. Next year, Somalia is scheduled to hold its first one-person, one-vote election since 1969.  “Political dynamics in Somalia are increasingly driven by a focus on the 2020 election. I wish to underscore the critical importance of Parliament passing the electoral code and adopting amendments to the political parties’ law before the end of December,” Mr. Swan said. “Any delay in this timeline puts the 2020 electoral calendar at risk”.
Read his full remarks her
Read more in UN News

 

Momentum to reach a political settlement in Yemen
Special Envoy Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council on the situation in Yemen on 22 November. He recalled that during his previous briefing to the Council in August, he had called for decisive action to seize the opportunities available for peace. “And since then, the momentum to reach a political settlement in Yemen has been building,” he said this morning. Parties are now working together, including on the situation in the south of the country, de-escalation of hostilities and the economic crisis. The leaders of Yemen need to “reach an agreement on the political and security arrangements to end the fighting, and we will be there to help them do so,” Mr. Griffiths concluded.
Read his full remarks here
Read more in UN News


 

 

 

Syrian Constitutional Committee a “sign of hope”
Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen briefed the Security Council on the situation in Syria on 22 November. He summed up the first meeting of the Constitutional Committee as challenging, adding that the Committee has agreed to meet again in Geneva next week. “This launch was a sign of hope for the Syrian people, and a chance for the Syrian parties to begin a direct dialogue that they lead and own on the future of a broken country,” he told the Council.  
Read his full remarks here

 

Central Asia

High-level forum on sustainable development in Kyrgyzstan
The Special Representative and Head of UNRCCA, Natalia Gherman, represented the  Secretary-General at a high-level forum entitled, “Accelerating Reforms for Sustainable Development”, jointly organized by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Development Partners’ Coordination Council in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 19 November. In her opening remarks, the Special Representative welcomed the commitment of the Kyrgyz Republic to the 2030 Agenda through mainstreaming the SDGs in its national Sustainable Development Strategy. She also highlighted the importance of an inclusive dialogue and mobilized partnership of the donor community and all sectors of society in Kyrgyzstan on various aspects of the country’s development agenda and expressed the UN’s full support to the process of comprehensive reforms being implemented in Kyrgyzstan.
Read more on UNRCCA’s website

 

Yemen

Meeting with President Hadi
Special Envoy Martin Griffiths met with Yemen President Adb-Rabbo Mansour Hadi on 19 November. Mr. Griffiths commended the President’s leadership in reaching an agreement with the Southern Transitional Council. He also expressed his hope for the President to build on the momentum to resume the political process in Yemen.
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Burundi

OSESG Burundi bids Special Envoy Michel Kafando farewell
“Stay mobilised, engaged and continue in the same élan,” outgoing Special Envoy Michel Kafando exhorted staff of his office in Burundi at a farewell townhall meeting on 21 November 2019. The former Burkinabe president, who leaves office at the end of the month, has for some two and a half years coordinated UN assistance to the Inter-Burundi Dialogue, an initiative of the East African Community to resolve lingering political tensions dating back to the elections of 2015. “Mediating peace is a delicate and progressive enterprise in which we all step in at some point to contribute our bit,” he reminded staff of OSESG-Burundi, adding that he will continue to follow developments in the country with keen interest.
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Somalia

UN supported Tech Summit attracts thousands  
“The United Nations is proud, once again, to support the Mogadishu Tech Summit and we look forward to supporting Somalia’s progress together,” Special Representative James Swan said in a video message for the opening of the second Mogadishu Tech Summit on 19 November. The Summit is a vital platform for youth-led and tech-enabled solutions for Somalia, supported by the UN. When the Summit closed on 21 November, more than 5,000 people had attended.
Watch the video message here
Read more about the Summit on UNSOM’s website

 

Colombia

Bread and chili for peace
The Medellin Regional Team of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia visited the Reintegration Area of Santa Lucía in Ituango, Antioquia Department on 18 November. Here, ex-FARC combatants work on collective and individual projects that allow them to advance in their reintegration. While 25 women, with the support of the University of Antioquia, joined a group called “Amaranta” to learn how to bake bread for local consumption; others, like Pompilio Hoyos, works on an individual productive project of chili peppers. "I've already planted 3,500 bushes, and I'm getting 150 kilos every two weeks," Hoyos said. His goal now is to market the product in Colombia.
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