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This Week in DPPA: 24 - 30 April 2021

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

 
Cyprus talks in Geneva

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo joined Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the informal 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus issue from 27 to 29 April in Geneva.

Commenting on the outcome on Twitter, the Under-Secretary-General said the UN’s efforts to bring Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots together in search for sufficient common ground to allow for formal talks would continue..

Transcript of the Secretary-General’s media encounter after the discussions here

 
ASG Jenča speaks at SDG-16 conference

Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča participated on 28 April in a virtual panel on “Enhancing Resilience to Shocks and Crises: Lessons-Learned From the Pandemic” at the SDG-16 conference co-organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and the Government of Italy. Assistant Secretary-General Jenča spoke about drivers of conflict that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, and highlighted DPPA’s efforts to build resilience, strengthen social cohesion and promote more peaceful, just and inclusive societies to ward off violent conflict. 

More information on the Conference here

Security Council

Onanga-Anyanga briefs Council on progress achieved since the Juba Peace Agreement

The Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, told the Security Council on 26 April about the progress that has been achieved on resolving the conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. “Juba has continued to provide support and, in most cases, mediate between Sudan and its remaining armed movements with the aim of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement that can help end Sudan’s multiple armed conflicts”, he said, adding that “to the extent possible, progress achieved so far on resolving the conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, and the improvement of bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan, should be shielded from risks of deterioration of the regional environment.”

Full briefing to the Security Council here

 
Pedersen stresses the fundamental importance of full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access

Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy for Syria, briefed the Security Council on 28 April with concerns over the recent escalation in north-western Syria, including strikes on an UN-supported hospital in western Aleppo, and on the Syrian-Turkish border where UN cross-border humanitarian deliveries take place. He warned that, despite more than a year of relative calm by Syrian standards, this month was a reminder of the potential for the situation to further disintegrate or rapidly deteriorate. He further stressed that “if this highly internationalized conflict is to move towards resolution, we need a more constructive and comprehensive international diplomacy on Syria to try to unlock progress step for step.”

Full briefing to the Security Council here

Libya

Kubiš continues local and international engagement on the Libyan peace process

Special Envoy Ján Kubiš briefed the Security Council members on 28 April for an informal Interactive Dialogue (IID) on Libya together with UNSMIL Coordinator Raisedon Zenenga. Over the past week, he met with Libyan interlocutors and officials, including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, to advance the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) Roadmap, leading up to the holding of national elections on 24 December 2021. He was received on 27 April by the Joint Military Commission at its Headquarters in Sirte. They discussed how to advance the full implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement signed in Geneva on 23 October 2020.

Read more here

Colombia

Former combatants committed to reconciliation in Tolima

the UN Verification Mission supported a field activity on 24 April to identify possible unexploded ordnance sites on a farm in Tolima, south-central Colombia, an area once dominated by the former FARC-EP guerrillas. The activity was part of a humanitarian de-mining project, in which 14 former combatants participated with leaders representing the Pijao indigenous community and the owner of the farm where the activity took place. The activity demonstrates the commitment of the former combatants to the Peace Agreement and the Colombian people's willingness to reconcile. This exercise was financed with DPPA extra-budgetary funds.

Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa envoy holds biannual meeting on regional prevention

The Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (OSE-HoA) convened on 28 April the Biannual Meeting on Implementation of the Comprehensive Regional Prevention Strategy for the Horn of Africa. The five-year strategy (2019-2023) aims to encourage action and coherence within the Secretariat and among agencies, funds and programmes working in the Horn of Africa. It also seeks to galvanize consensus on how the UN can contribute to a prosperous, stable and peaceful region. Chaired by Special Envoy Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the event was held virtually and attended by over 50 participants from across various agencies, funds and programmes and Resident Coordinator Offices. Participants provided an update on the implementation of the Strategy and reflected on the way forward. Ahead of the plenary meeting, three parallel thematic breakout sessions were held on 27 April, allowing for in-depth brainstorming on issues related to the implementation of the Strategy.

Iraq

Human Rights Office visits Thi Qar Governorate

On 27 April, a delegation led by Danielle Bell, Chief of UNAMI Human Rights Office, visited Nasiriyah in Thi Qar Governorate. During the visit, she met with the newly appointed Governorh, Ahmad Ghani Al-Khafaji, and held separate meetings with the Commander of Sumer Operations Command, the Thi Qar Chief of Police, the Chief Judge of the Nasiriyah Court of Appeal, the head of the IHCHR-Thi Qar, as well as with a group of activists and human rights defenders. During these meetings, she discussed the current human rights situation in NasiriyaUh, focusing on the measures being taken by the authorities to provide accountability and redress for demonstrations-related human rights violations and to ensure the right to freedom of assembly and expression is fully protected.

Yemen

Special Envoy concludes his trip to Egypt

Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy for Yemen, concluded a two-day visit to Egypt on 26 April. He met with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Same eh Shoukry, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmad Abu Al Gheit, as well as a number of representatives of Yemeni political parties, tribal sheikhs, women, civil society and journalists. He briefed the Egyptian Foreign Minister and the Secretary-General of the Arab League on ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Yemen, alleviate the humanitarian situation and revive an inclusive political process to resolve the conflict. In his meetings with representatives of Yemeni civil society, women, political parties and journalists, he stressed the need for the attack on Marib to stop and warned of the dire humanitarian consequences of its continuation, as well as the risks to the prospects of the peace process. He also met virtually with the Yemeni Speaker of Parliament, Sultan Barakani.

Read more here

Central Asia

UNRCCA moderates international conference on disarmament

On 27 April, the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) moderated the international conference “Ensuring peace, stability and security: strengthening international and regional cooperation in the field of disarmament”, which was organized by the Government of Turkmenistan and the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). Senior officials representing relevant UN entities, and other international and regional organizations, as well as Member States, took part in the conference. The conference also included a youth segment withUNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy graduates, Young Turkmen Sustainable Development Goal Ambassadors and CTBTO Youth Group representatives.

Read more here

Next Week

China will take over the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May.

 

 

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