Yemen/Regional Cooperation
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo visits Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan
This week, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, traveled to Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia, and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In Riyadh, she met H.E. Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, President of the Republic of Yemen. They discussed the work of the Special Envoy for Yemen, Mr. Martin Griffiths and the way forward for implementing the Stockholm Agreement, as well as the prospects for returning to dialogue to reach a political solution to the wider conflict in Yemen.
In Bishkek, the USG attended a retreat for UN Resident Coordinators convened by the Special Representative and Head of UNRCCA, Natalia Gherman. USG DiCarlo also met Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan, and Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of Kyrgyzstan. She also attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit while in Bishkek.
New York
Conflict prevention and mediation among ‘most important tools’ to reduce human suffering, Secretary-General Guterres tells Security Council
Speaking before the Security Council on 12 June, Secretary-General António Guterres said conflict prevention and mediation were two of the most important tools at the global community’s disposal to reduce human suffering. Mr. Guterres was joined by former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Irish President Mary Robinson, both members of The Elders, a group of independent global leaders working for peace and human rights. When the Council can cooperate and speak with a strong common voice, its decisions can have a decisive impact, Mr. Ban said.
Read the full story on UN News website
Human rights situation in Burundi remains worrying, Security Council told
Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Burundi on 14 June. The human rights situation remains worrying in view of many violations of fundamental civic and political freedoms, he told the Council. Mr. Fernandez-Taranco also said that the Special Envoy for Burundi, Michel Kafando, would continue to engage with stakeholders in the region. Read the full statement here
Guinea-Bissau
Civil society groups demand an end to parliamentary crisis
David McLachlan-Karr, Deputy Special Representative and UN Resident Coordinator in Guinea-Bissau, met on 10 June with women activists calling for peaceful resolution to the parliamentary crisis in the country. Civil society groups in Guinea-Bissau are demanding the appointment of a Prime Minister and a date for presidential elections.
Central Africa
Strategic review of UNOCA’s mandate
A team conducting a strategic review of UNOCA’s mandate and activities travelled to Brazzaville, Congo, from 8 - 11 June then to Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 11 - 14 June for consultations with national authorities and other stakeholders and partners. The mission was led by Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, former SRSG for West Africa. The strategic review was requested by the Security Council (presidential statement issued on 10 August 2018) with a view to evaluating areas of improvement, in particular concerning the coherence of UN activities in countries under UNOCA’s mandate, or new or refocused priorities. The Council expressed its intention to consider conclusions and recommendations of the review by 31 August 2019.
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Middle East
Heads of political and peacebuilding missions meet in Jerusalem
Heads of UN political and peacekeeping missions in the Middle East met in Jerusalem on 13 June to discuss common challenges and how to confront them. The meeting was convened by Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and Major General Kristin Lund, Force Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Jan Kubiš, Special Coordinator for Lebanon, represented UNSCOL. The meeting focused on preventive diplomacy, de-escalation and seeking pathways to sustainable peace.
Afghanistan
Civilian population in Afghanistan must be protected from harm – UNAMA
Against the sobering backdrop of the ongoing intense conflict across Afghanistan, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a statement on Sunday indicating it remains troubled that civilians are being killed in high numbers and urged all parties to the conflict to meet their obligations to protect civilians from harm. UNAMA found that anti-government elements deliberately and knowingly targeted civilians throughout Ramadan. The attacks by anti-government elements mainly used improvised explosive devices and caused more than 100 civilian casualties in Kabul alone. Read the full statement on UNAMA’s website.
Afghan women’s full participation essential to ongoing peace process, says UN envoy
Women have a fundamental role to play in the ongoing peace process, which must be inclusive for the peace that emerges to be truly sustainable, said the UN’s top envoy to Afghanistan during a human rights symposium on 11 June in the country’s northeast province of Kunduz. The symposium, organized by Kunduz University and UNAMA’s regional office in the provincial capital, drew more than 300 participants. “Your presence here today symbolizes your interest and commitment in preventing further conflict, in building peace, and in ensuring that the rights of all, women and men, are respected, promoted and fulfilled,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA. Read the full story on UNAMA’s website.
Colombia
Young political party representatives visit reintegration area
Youth representatives of six political parties (Partido Liberal, Centro Democrático, Partido Conservador, Alianza Verde, Colombia Humana, and FARC) visited the Reintegration Area of Monterredondo in Miranda, Cauca, last week. The young leaders spoke with former FARC combatants about their reintegration process and visited the area’s Rural Alternative School (ERA), where local community and ex-combatants carry out various agricultural projects. The UN Verification Mission in Colombia supported the visit within the framework of its Youth, Peace, and Security strategy.
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