DPPA Chief in the Caucasus
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo embarks on visit to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is visiting the South Caucasus region from 24 to 30 October. From 25 to 26 October, she is representing the Secretary-General at the 18th NAM Summit of Heads of State and Government in Baku. Ms. DiCarlo will also hold bilateral consultations with Azerbaijani government officials, representatives of UN agencies and partner civil society organizations based in Azerbaijan, including youth groups, before continuing to Georgia and Armenia.
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New York
“Indispensable role of women must be seen […] as a peace and security priority,” Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo stresses
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo spoke at a high-level panel on ‘Advancing Women’s Political Participation in Post-Conflict Reconstruction,’ hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Permanent Missions of the United Arab Emirates and Germany on 21 October. “The indispensable role of women must be seen not only as a rights or equality issue, but as a peace and security priority,” Ms. DiCarlo said in her remarks. The event was held on the sidelines of the 2019 Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security.
Full remarks here
New Quarterly Progress Update of the Multi-Year Appeal launched
DPPA launched its Third Quarterly Report of the Multi-Year Appeal this week, which includes examples of DPPA’s achievements during this period. As of 30 September, the MYA was 59 per cent funded, with $17.7 million in contributions received out of the $30 million requested for 2019. During this quarter, DPPA also embarked on a consultative process to develop its first Strategic Plan since the restructuring of the UN peace and security pillar and other reforms. The new Strategic Plan will reflect the Department’s priorities and will be used to evaluate DPPA’s performance.
Read the report here
Security Council
Security Council Mission to Ethiopia and South Sudan
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir welcomed the members of the UN Security Council to Juba on 20 October. The delegation acknowledged that progress has been made since the signing of a peace deal in September last year, with a ceasefire significantly improving the security situation in the country. Council members continued to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, for their annual consultative meeting with the African Union Peace and Security Council.
Burundi
Bintou Keita urges mutual tolerance in build up to Burundi elections
Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, spoke at the opening of the 2nd International Women Leaders’ Conference in Bujumbura on 24 October, with several African First Ladies and women delegates from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania attending. Ms. Keita observed that the conference couldn’t be timelier, coming amid calls for Burundians to give peace a chance in the build-up to the country’s general elections coming up next year. Ms. Keita, who is visiting Burundi for the second time in as many months, is scheduled to hold discussions over the next three days with top government officials and members of the diplomatic community in Bujumbura.
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Central Africa
54th edition of UNOCA quarterly newsletter available
The 54th edition of INTERFACE (in French), the quarterly newsletter of UNOCA, is now available. It contains the main activities carried out by the Office in July, August and September 2019, including the good offices of the Special Representative in certain countries under his mandate as well as news from the Security Council, in particular the Presidential Statement issued after the strategic review of UNOCA, among others. The Newsletter also proposes a dossier on the celebration of the International Day of Peace, with several topics on the 6th edition of the Football Tournament of peace.
Gabon
First meeting of Defense Attachés in Gabon
UNOCA hosted, on 23 October, the first meeting of Accredited Defense Attachés in Gabon with Military Advisers of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). François Louncény Fall, Special Representative and Head of UNOCA, underlined during the opening ceremony that collaboration and exchange of information are critical in efforts to find common and concerted solutions to the security challenges the region faces. Participants, including Defense Attachés of China, Nigeria and Senegal, agreed to continue exploring ways and means to work in synergy with Military Advisers of ECCAS as well as with other relevant stakeholders to promote peace and security in Central Africa.
Read the full story (in French) here
Kenya
Peacebuilding Fund teams from 23 countries meet in Nairobi
UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) secretariats and focal points from 23 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya from 22 to 25 October to discuss the coordination, implementation, monitoring and visibility of PBF projects in over 40 countries around the globe. Around 50 participants -- including partners from the European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) – reviewed best practices and lessons learned and discussed emerging conflict prevention and peacebuilding trends.
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Sahel
Success in the Sahel relies on partnerships, Special Representative says
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative and Head of UNOWAS, chaired the 9th meeting of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) in Dakar, Senegal on 21 October. The objective of the meeting was to review ongoing UN initiatives and achievements in the region, and how the implementation of UNISS could be further strengthened to address the growing complexity of the situation in the Sahel. “The success of our intervention in the Sahel relies on the partnerships we build and the way we coordinate our efforts, internally and externally,” Mr. Ibn Chambas said.
Read more on UNOWAS website
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Somalia
On Somalia visit, UN Deputy Secretary-General calls for women’s integration in peace and development efforts
On a visit aiming to express solidarity with the women of Somalia, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, on 23 October, called for the full participation of women in the country’s peace, security and development efforts. “We urge everyone to come along on this new dawn to rightfully have the whole society to participate in a new era for Somalia,” she said. As part of a joint UN-African Union (AU) solidarity mission to the region, Ms. Mohammed visited Somalia together with Bineta Diop, the AU’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, and Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. During her visit, Ms. Mohammed met with the Prime Minister of Somalia, representatives and women leaders from civil society organizations; the Chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission and UN officials in the country.
Read the full story here
Afghanistan
Electoral process in Afghanistan conducted very well so far, Special Representative says
In a wide-ranging interview with TOLOnews, Tadamichi Yamamoto, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of UNAMA, stated that “This electoral process has been conducted very well so far.” He also stressed the importance of Afghan ownership and commended the work of the Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission in ensuring transparency and credibility.
Watch the interview here
Meaningful participation of Afghan women in peace efforts focus of ‘open days’ events
With a special focus in 2019 on the meaningful participation of women in peace efforts, this year’s nationwide ‘Global Open Days’ events commenced in Afghanistan with a UN-backed symposium in Kabul. The event, organized by UNAMA’s central regional office, is the first in a series of meetings scheduled to take place across the country in the coming weeks, bringing together hundreds of women with representatives from government offices, religious institutions, academia and civil society.
Full story here
Central Asia
Second Preventive Diplomacy Academy Workshop organized with Tajik and Afghan youth
The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) held its second cross-border workshop for young people, part of UNRCCA’s Preventive Diplomacy Academy, from 22 to 24 October in Khorog, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBOA), in Tajikistan. Youth from GBOA and other regions of Tajikistan and the neighboring Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan developed project ideas aimed at generating people-to-people contacts across the border. UNRCCA will support the implementation of two of these projects, one by Tajik and one by Afghan young people studying in Khorog.
Read the full story here
Iraq
Special Representative visits refugee camp
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative and Head of UNAMI, visited Bardarash camp in Dohuk on 23 October. The camp recently reopened to incoming refugees from Syria and currently hosts 7,038 people, with more and more refugees arriving daily. The Special Representative spoke with camp management about the services being provided, witnessed the registration process for incoming refugees, and listened to refugees’ concerns. Services in the camp are being provided by several humanitarian actors, including UNHCR.
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Myanmar
Urgency and opportunities ahead of Myanmar general elections in 2020
The Special Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on 23 October, highlighting the urgency and opportunities ahead of the 2020 general elections in the country. “It is high time for Myanmar’s affected communities to see from their government, concrete steps and genuine political will in building an inclusive and vibrant democracy,” Ms. Schraner Burgener said.
Read her full remarks here
Colombia
Social change and peacebuilding through film, reflection and memory
In Villavicencio, Meta, 250 people – representatives of the security forces, people in the reintegration process, students and social leaders – participated, on 19 October, in "Cinema for Healing", an initiative led by journalist Natalia Orozco that aims, through film, reflection and memory, to generate social change and peacebuilding. The documentary "The Silence of the Weapons" was among the films screened. The event ended with a discussion about the challenges of reconciliation three years after the signing of the peace agreement. The activity was organized by the UN Verification Mission in Colombia in coordination with the Uniminuto University.
For more information, please contact us
Candidates for Governor of Huila and mayors sign non-aggression pact
The UN Verification Mission in Colombia, on 21 October, accompanied the signing of the pact of non-aggression, political culture and coexistence between the candidates for Governor of Huila and the mayors of several municipalities in the department. The main objective of this agreement is to promote a political culture based on recognition and respect for the political opponent, promoting dialogue and moving away from language that promotes any form of discrimination, exclusion, persecution or stigmatization. Local elections in Colombia will be held on 27 October.
For more information, please contact us
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