This Week in DPPA: 26 February - 4 March 2022

Security Council

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council during an emergency meeting on Ukraine on 4 March. The session was convened in the wake of fighting at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine. DiCarlo called military operations around nuclear sites “not only unacceptable but highly irresponsible”. Welcoming the reported agreement between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators during a second round of talks in Belarus a day earlier, she voiced hope that a full and unconditional ceasefire could be quickly agreed and enacted. “The fighting in Ukraine must stop. And it must stop now." Earlier on 2 March, the General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine. 

Briefing the Security Council on 2 March, Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), stressed the need to address the country’s critical economic situation. “It is imperative that we not find ourselves six months from now in the situation we faced six months ago: with millions of Afghans facing another winter of starvation and the only tool at our disposal being expensive and unsustainable humanitarian handouts."  

Myanmar

On 4 March, Ireland and Mexico, co-chairs of the Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security, convened Council members to discuss Myanmar. UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer briefed on the situation for women and girls since the coup in February 2021, and on the continued activism of the women of Myanmar. 

Iraq

Both Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Deputy Special Representative for Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance Ingibjörg Sólrún-Gísladóttir were in Erbil this week. On 28 February, Sólrún-Gísladóttir was received in Erbil by Fawzi Hariri, Chief of Staff to the Kurdistan Region Presidency, and Falah Mustafa, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Kurdistan Region President. Discussions focused on political developments in the country and the region in addition to preparations for the forthcoming Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections. The Deputy Special Representative also met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Head of Electoral Office, Khasraw Gorran, to discuss key issues related to the Kurdistan Region elections planned for October 2022. On 2 March, Hennis-Plasschaert met in Erbil with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani. They discussed the current political situation in the Region and in Iraq, including Baghdad-Erbil relations and the formation of the new government. 

The same day, Deputy Special Representative Sólrún-Gísladóttir, met in Sulaymaniyah with a group of women’s rights activists. Among other issues, they discussed efforts to address gender-based violence and women’s political participation. Later that day, she also held meetings with Rizgar Hama, Head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Electoral Bureau and Shaswar Abdulwahid, Head of New Generation Movement. Discussions focused on key issues related to the forthcoming Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections. 

Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMI and UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, was in Mosul on 28 February to visit the site of the al Nouri mosque and the restoration of surrounding heritage houses in old Mosul, implemented by UNESCO Iraq. She also visited a Mosul hospital, where the UN Mine Action Services (UNMAS) has successfully demined, and the University of Mosul and library rehabilitated by UNDP Iraq.  

Sudan

UNITAMS Report on the consultations on political process 

The UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission (UNITAMS) on 28 February issued a new report on the political process underway to break the political impasse that began with last October’s coup. This follows the Mission’s launch of a political process, consulting with more than 800 people representing many different groups. The Mission hopes the new report will help to design the next stage of the process. It stressed that the outcome can only be Sudanese-made and Sudanese-owned. 

Read more here 

Lebanon

Joanna Wronecka, the Special Coordinator of the Secretary-General for Lebanon, met on 3 March with representatives of political parties to discuss the role of women in Lebanon’s political scene. The discussion revealed challenges women face, such as limited access to finance and patriarchal cultural norms that prevent communities from seeing women as prospective political leaders. The participants agreed that temporary special measures, such as quotas, including quotas for women at parties’ leadership ranks and on parties’ electoral lists, could have a significant impact that would allow more women to access decision-making positions in Lebanon’s political institutions. The event is part of broader UN efforts to promote women’s political participation and leadership. 

Yemen

Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, met on 1 March with Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He briefed the President on his latest efforts and next steps in initiating structured bilateral consultations with multiple Yemeni stakeholders. He also met with senior Saudi officials, the P5 Ambassadors (China, France, Russian Federation, the UK, the US), and the United States Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking to discuss recent developments and explore options to reach a sustainable resolution to the conflict as well as achieve immediate de-escalation. 

Read more here 

Libya

Stephanie Williams, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, was in Tripoli this week continuing her good offices and mediation efforts. In a statement issued on 2 March, the Secretary-General expressed concern at the ongoing situation in Libya, especially after the 1 March vote in the Libyan House of Representatives. He stressed the need to fulfill the aspirations of the more than 2.8 million Libyans who have registered to vote to choose their leaders through credible, transparent and inclusive elections on the basis of a sound constitutional and legal framework. He also reiterated the importance of preserving the unity and the hard-won stability achieved since the signing of the Libyan ceasefire agreement in October of 2020. 

Read more here 

West Africa and the Sahel

Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), concluded on 28 February a two-day joint mission to Guinea with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The mission aimed to assess the ongoing transition process and “reiterate the solidarity of the international community with the legitimate aspirations of the people of Guinea for a stable and inclusive society.” During the mission, Annadif stressed that transition periods are not intended to solve all the difficulties faced by a country, but to lay the foundations that would gradually allow the implementation of appropriate solutions. 

Read more here 

Somalia

James Swan, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), met on 2 March with Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia Demeke Mekonnen Hassen to discuss how regional and international partners can best support Somalia's security transition and in ensuring a credible outcome to the Somali electoral process. He also met with the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, as part of his consultations on regional developments in Ethiopia. They discussed the importance of Somalia’s election, the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) transition and strengthening the AU-UN partnership.  

Colombia

The UN Verification Mission in Colombia, in partnership with Comfama, inaugurated on 28 February the exhibition "The Path to Peace: 5 years of the Agreement." The exhibit looks at the events and places that have marked the country’s journey from the signing of the Agreement to the ongoing reconciliation processes in the territories. The exhibition traveled through Santa Marta, Comuna 13 and the Museo Casa de la Memoria. It will be on display for three more months now in the Comfama facilities in Medellín City. 

Peacebuilding

The Peacebuilding Commission approved on 4 March its programme of work for 2022. Building on relevant recommendations of the Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda, the programme includes seven areas of action that aim to ensure impactful engagements of the Peacebuilding Commission: Greater focus on results and national ownership; continuing emphasis on inclusivity through closer engagements with local actors, including civil society, private sector, women and young peacebuilders; sustained attention to UN coherence; more effective partnerships with regional organizations and international financial institutions; improved bridging and advisory role; advocacy for peacebuilding financing; and more emphasis on accountability. Thirteen countries and five regions in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands were included into the 2022 programme of work. The Commission tasked DPPA’s Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) to keep track of results and bring relevant progress reports to the Commission’s attention, including on the implementation of its gender strategy action plan as well as its strategic plan for youth and peacebuilding. 

The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) introduced this week its newest Community-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (CBM&E) initiative, a mutual accountability system that is designed to amplify the voices of beneficiary communities by engaging them meaningfully in peacebuilding M&E processes. A Practice Note that provides step-by-step guidance on rolling out a CBM&E process at country level will be published later this year.  

Learn more about the initiative in the CBM&E Background Note here 

The Report of the Peacebuilding Commission on its fifteenth session (A/76/678–S/2022/89) was issued on 3 March. It summarizes the Commission’s engagements in 13 countries and regions and its efforts to advance nine global policy agendas. It details progress in a number of areas, including in the promotion of inclusive approaches to peacebuilding, with 38% of the total number of briefers representing national and local actors, and an increase in the participation rate of civil society from 51% in 2020 to 63% in 2021, and of the private sector from 19% in 2020 to nearly 30% in 2021. The report describes significant efforts to empower women and youth, with the participation rate of women peacebuilders increased to 74% and of young peacebuilders to almost 50% in 2021. It confirms a record number of submissions (39) to other intergovernmental bodies and peacebuilding fora, proving the Commission’s valuable advisory and bridging role. It also summarizes efforts to forge partnerships with regional organizations and international financial institutions, including its first-time engagements with the World Trade Organization and the G7+. Special Representatives, Special Envoys and Deputy Special Representatives comprised nearly one-third of all UN briefers and the percentage of Resident Coordinators/Humanitarian Coordinators/Resident Representatives who briefed the Commission increased from 3.6% in 2020 to 17.6% in 2021, which indicates that the Commission is an increasingly important platform for development-focused discussions for conflict-affected countries and regions. 

Next Week