Security Council
DiCarlo: “Crucial necessity of dialogue and diplomacy in [Middle East] region”
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East on 21 January. She briefed on the latest protest in Lebanon and developments related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the latter, she said that: “In the absence of progress towards an agreement that will resolve all final status issues, the United Nations continues to focus its efforts on establishing an environment conducive to the return to the negotiations. Recent regional events have once again brought to fore the crucial necessity of dialogue and diplomacy in the region.”
Read her full statement here
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Still “long way to go” in Libya, Secretary-General says
Secretary-General António Guterres briefed the Security Council, in closed consultations, on the outcomes of the Berlin Conference on Libya. At a press encounter following the meeting, that took place on 21 January, the Secretary-General said that it is still a long way to go in Libya, and that the Berlin Conference was just the beginning. “We need to move to a ceasefire, and from the ceasefire, we need to move to a real political process and we are not yet there. And so this meeting of the Security Council is very important and the pressure that the international community over the parties to the conflict and those that have an influence on them, to make sure that this roadmap is implemented, that we have the truce transformed into a ceasefire and a true political process. The pressure of the international community is essential. The role of the Security Council is essential,” he said.
Read more here
European Union
ASG Jenča visits European capitals for consultations
On a five-day mission to Europe from 20 to 25 January, Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča visited Paris, Brussels and Budapest. He met with French, Belgian, and Hungarian senior government officials and representatives of EU and NATO and discussed recent developments in the European Union and its neighborhood as well as cooperation with the United Nations. Meeting with EU Commissioners in Brussels, ASG Jenča expressed the United Nations’ readiness to engage with the new leadership of the European Union.
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Afghanistan
Provincial authorities and media forge ties to improve access to information
In a bid to improve access to information, the provincial government and media in the northern province of Samangan have forged closer ties. More than 30 journalists and government officials, including the provincial deputy governor, participated in a one-day workshop on 19 January to discuss ways to improve the free flow of information to the public. The UNAMA backed meeting agreed to replicate a model recently adopted in the Balkh province, with designated press focal points in departments and creating a joint-WhatsApp group with the local media.
Read more on UNAMA’s website
Journalist safety discussed in Kabul
“The vibrant and pluralistic media in Afghanistan is a success story to be championed and defended. Ensuring reporters can work without threats or violence is vital. If media freedom is challenged, society as a whole suffers,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, Special Representative and Head of UNAMA, said at roundtable meeting on the safety of Afghan journalists on 20 January. The meeting, that was held in Kabul, was organized by the Afghan Journalist Safety Committee and UNESCO and chaired by Second Vice President Sarwar Danish.
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Iraq
Special Representative visits Qatar
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, was received in Doha, State of Qatar, by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on 18 January. They discussed issues of mutual concern, emphasizing the importance of dialogue to de-escalate regional tensions. Photo: Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar.
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Colombia
Tourist expedition guided by ex-combatants
36 international visitors tested the 'Marquetalia Route,' on 18 January as part of a tourism initiative by former FARC combatants in the mountains of Southern Tolima. This is one of the regions where the conflict began half a century ago. Visitors from 22 countries, including Germany, Spain, United States, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and United Kingdom, and representatives from Traveled Century Club, Most Traveled People, and Nomad Mania, some of the most important extreme travel clubs in the world, participated. Representatives from the travel clubs shared their experiences and knowledge on extreme routes and hiking with the former combatants and the local indigenous community. The initiative was supported by the Reintegration and Normalization Agency, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, the Mayor of Planadas, the Association of Ecological Producers of Planadas, and the public force.
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New York
High-level meeting on the Peacebuilding Fund
An Ambassador level meeting of the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund was held in New York on 22 January, hosted by Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden and Karen Pierce, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, co-chairs of the Friends of the Fund. Marc-André Franche, Chief, Financing for PBF, presented the review of the Fund Performance along with the PBF Strategic Plan 2017-2019 in the context of UN reforms. Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Oscar Fernandez-Taranco discussed priorities under the new Investment Plan 2020-24. “The Fund has proven its effectiveness, its relevance and is now in a position to drive peacebuilding investments which will save us all millions in response costs,” he said. The permanent representatives also provided feedback on the priorities identified under the draft Investment Plan 2020-24.
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