This Week in DPPA: 19 - 25 March 2022

Security Council

Briefing the Security Council on 25 March, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo recalled the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s launch of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on 24 March. She underlined that this was a flagrant breach of the DPRK’s own 2018 moratorium and a clear violation of relevant Security Council resolution, and that the launch risked triggering a significant escalation of tensions in the region and beyond. She also reiterated the importance of addressing humanitarian imperatives in the DPRK. The United Nations remains committed to working with all parties for sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, she added.

Full remarks to the Security Council here

Geir O. Pedersen, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, briefed the Security Council on 24 March on the Seventh Session of the Syrian-led, Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee, which convened this week in Geneva. He said that committee members have discussed draft constitutional texts on four titles of constitutional principles: 1) basics of governance; 2) state identity; 3) state symbols; and 4) regulation and functions of public authorities. He reported that the deliberations have not been easy, but he had appealed to the members to make serious attempts to begin to narrow the differences. He added that there is a clear need for progress towards a political solution in line with Security Council resolution 2254. The Constitutional Committee concluded on 25 March with substantive issues still need to be bridged. 

Full remarks to the Security Council here

Statement by the Special Envoy at the conclusion of the 7^th session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee

Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on 22 March on continued settlement activity by Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territory, as requested by Security Council resolution 2334. He said that settlement expansion continues to fuel violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, further entrenching the occupation, undermining the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, independent statehood, and eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous and viable Palestinian State. The Special Coordinator also noted the forthcoming Ramadan, Pesach and Easter observances and said that this should be a time of peaceful reflection, prayer and celebration for all religions. “Leaders on all sides have a critical role to play to ensure there are no provocations,” he stressed.  

Full remarks to the Security Council

Afghanistan

Deborah Lyons, on 25 March met with the de facto authorities in Doha regarding the recent Taliban’s decision on girls’ education. On 24 March, she sent an official letter to de facto Minister for Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi, expressing deep concern on behalf of the UN family in Afghanistan at the decision of the Taliban leadership to further suspend access to education for girls above grade six. She strongly raised the issue of education in all interactions and continued to make clear public comments about the UN's great concern about the issue of girls' education and the exclusion of 100,000s of girls.

Iraq

On 22 March, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Human Rights Office, in cooperation with the Iraqi Network for Social Media, organized a roundtable on digital rights and digital security in Baghdad. This provided for the first time a platform for dialogue among Iraqi authorities, private companies and civil society representatives, outlining issues encountered by all sides in relation to cybersecurity. Participants proposed concrete next steps on how to tackle the issue of security in the online space, including the establishment of coordination mechanisms, internet policies and the adoption of relevant laws.

Read more here

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, the UNAMI Human Rights Office, in cooperation with the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, organized a short-film screening and roundtable discussion in Basra to promote tolerance, inclusion and respect for diversity in line with this year’s global theme of ‘Voices for action against racism’.

Read more here

UNAMI held joint workshops with Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission this week in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region. The thematic workshops will cover technical areas, such as public outreach, operations, procurement and logistics IT, training and procedures and security. Around 200 participants gathered and reviewed experiences during the 2021 Council of Representatives elections and discuss lessons, challenges and recommendations for further improving Iraq’s electoral process. 

Read more here

Yemen

The Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, concluded on 24 March the third week of bilateral consultations with Yemeni stakeholders in Jordan, in Amman. Participants emphasized the importance of regional and international support for ensuring the success of any future political process. They highlighted the need to address humanitarian and economic issues that could help alleviate the suffering of all Yemenis, including addressing marginalization, the release of detainees, and the re-opening of airports, seaports and roads across Yemen, opening humanitarian corridors, supporting the national economy, the equitable distribution of resources, and unifying monetary policy countrywide. 

Read more here

Lebanon

Joanna Wronecka, Special Coordinator for Lebanon, visited the Palestine refugee camp of Burj Barajneh on 24 March, accompanied by UNRWA. She met with representatives of Palestinian factions in the camp and with refugee families. She also visited the UNRWA health clinic, the Women’s Programs Association and refugee shelters in the camp. Communities representatives in the camp, refugee families and youth she met in Burj Barjaneh shared how the crisis impacted them and noted that the limited job opportunities are not allowing them to develop mechanisms to cope with poverty. The Special Coordinator reiterated the urgent need to step up additional international funding for the UNRWA’s 2022 Emergency Appeal.

Read more here

Western Sahara

Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, met on 21 March with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares in Brussels. In the context of the recent announcement by Spain on their relations with Morocco, the Personal Envoy took note of Foreign Minister Albares’ support for a UN-facilitated process on Western Sahara aimed at a mutually acceptable solution, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2602 (2021). 

Central Africa

François Louncény Fall, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), concluded on 24 March a four-day farewell visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, where he met with Prime Minister Francisco Pascual Obama Asue and Minister of Foreign Affairs Simeón Oyono Esono Angue. The meeting was an opportunity to take stock of achievements made by the country. Fall saluted Equatorial Guinea’s contribution to subregional efforts for peace, stability and further regional integration, and called for strengthened cooperation with regional partners on maritime insecurity issues. “Regarding the upcoming 2022 legislative elections and 2023 presidential elections, I commended the commitment of the ruling party to increase women´s participation on its electoral lists by 35 per cent, and advocated for the enactment of the decision to facilitate a harmonized practice by all political parties,” Fall noted. He also met with representatives of the diplomatic community and UN Country Team, bidding farewell in view of the end of his mandate with UNOCA on 31 May 2022. 

Colombia

On 23 March, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming organized the online forum Women, Peace, Power, focusing on the challenges faced by women as photographers and storytellers in conflict and post-conflict settings and roles in advancing peace. One of the participants was Samy Velásquez, a former FARC-EP combatant who is currently taking part in the reintegration process in Colombia. After the signing of the Peace Agreement, Samy began a career in photography. Now, she is documenting critical moments of the Peace Agreement's implementation. "Without women, peace is not possible. Our support is necessary to make policies and correct the problems we have had in our country. The Peace Agreement has opened doors for many of us," she said. Samy shared the floor with women photographers from South Sudan, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Climate Security

DPPA, in collaboration with the UN Climate Security Mechanism, held on 25 March a side event to the 66th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) "Inclusive, gender responsive and climate informed conflict prevention and peacebuilding: opportunities and lessons from UN field presences and civil society in the Horn of Africa." Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee opened the discussion, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Kiki Ghebo of UNSOM and Special Representative and Head of UNMISS took part as panelist, among others. The event explored the connection between gender equality, climate change, and peace and security, with focus on Somalia and South Sudan. It also offered an arena to discuss opportunities for integrated and sustainable solutions for peace in the Horn of Africa region. 

DPPA’s Policy and Mediation Division released two more modules on 23 March of the online course “Climate Change, Peace and Security: Understanding climate-related security risks through an integrated lens”, jointly developed by UNEP, UNDP, UN Women, UN Climate Change Learning Partnership and Adelphi, an independent think tank on climate, environment and development. It unpacks the interlinkages between climate change and peace and security while introducing a special focus on assessing the ways gender norms and other factors of social identity shape how people from different backgrounds experience and respond to climate-related security risks.

Read more information and access the course here

Innovation

The Secretary-General Awards honour and recognize the achievements and innovative initiatives of UN Secretariat staff members and teams. This year, DPPA’s Innovation Cell is nominated for the Award. Established in response to the Secretary-General’s call to accelerate innovative methods and strategic foresight, DPPA’s Innovation Cell explores new technologies, tools and practices in conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding. The call to vote is open and staff members are invited to vote for the nominees here. 

Peacebuilding

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On 22 March, Peacebuilding Commission Vice-Chair and Permanent Representative of Dominican Republic José Blanco chaired a meeting on the Sahel with the participation of the UN Development Coordinator for the Sahel, FAO, IOM, UNOWAS, the G5 Sahel Executive-Secretary, EU Special Representative to the Sahel, AU Permanent Observer, and representatives of the African Development Bank and civil society from Mali and Niger. The meeting drew attention to climate-related peace and development challenges and underscored the need for effective mechanisms governing access to natural resources across the region. The Commission recognized ongoing UN efforts under UNISS and its support plan, including integrating climate change risk analysis into national sustainable development cooperation frameworks and conducting regional climate security risk assessments with ECOWAS and ECCAS. Participants called for strengthened partnerships in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation and increased financing for women and youth-led initiatives that aim to address climate related security risks. 

Next Week