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Since the escalation of conflict in 2015, severe acute malnutrition is among its highest levels in Yemen, threating the lives of half of the country’s children under the age of five, four UN agencies warned on Friday.
Humanitarians are learning more about the dire situation of children in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where fighting continues between Government troops and regional forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The UN deputy human rights chief and the independent expert on Myanmar have called for targeted sanctions against the leaders of what they both described as the coup that took place in the country last week, as the Human Rights Council met in special session on Friday to discuss the ongoing crisis.
“I welcome the recent meeting of the Palestinian national factions under the auspices of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The meeting marks an important advancement towards the holding of elections and Palestinian national unity. I acknowledge the leadership demonstrated by Egypt in helping to advance this step forward.
I also take note of the statement issued by the League of Arab States in support of the two-State...
More children could be pushed into the joining armed forces and armed groups due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, senior United Nations and European Union (EU) officials said on International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, observed on Thursday.
New York, 12 February 2021
Chun Jie Kuai Le! [春节快乐！Happy Lunar New Year!]
I send my best wishes to everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year.
This year is the Year of the Ox – the same sign as the year of my birth.
The ox symbolizes energy, strength, and courage.
These qualities are what the world...
Although a ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine has led to a significant decrease in civilian casualties, the overall situation remains fragile unless progress is made on the security and political fronts, the UN’s political affairs chief told the Security Council on Thursday.
Thank you, Madam President,
I last briefed this Council on the situation in Ukraine nearly one year ago, on 18 February 2020.
At that time, I and many in this Council expressed cautious optimism about the renewed peace efforts in Eastern Ukraine following the 9 December 2019 Normandy Format Summit.
The conclusions the leaders of France, Germany, the Russian Federation and Ukraine endorsed in Paris outlined a series of steps to stabilize the situation on the ground, including through confidence-building measures and a sustained ceasefire.
The leaders also agreed to support efforts, both in the Normandy Four and the Trilateral Contact Group, to make progress on the key security and political provisions of the Minsk agreements.
The Trilateral Contact Group agreed to an indefinite ceasefire that came into force on 27 July 2020. The Secretary-General welcomed this development, which was consistent with his earlier appeal for a global ceasefire.
Since then, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has reported a significant decrease in civilian casualties from exchange of fire.
Another encouraging development is the release and exchange of conflict-related detainees.
These are welcome developments. But as we have seen in recent weeks, without progress on the related security and political tracks, the overall situation remains fragile.
Indeed, despite numerous pledges, the sides have made little significant progress on implementing the other agreed political and security provisions.
And, while there is relative calm, the humanitarian situation has not improved.
On the contrary, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the difficult socio-economic conditions of civilians in conflict-affected areas, including through the further tightening of already severe restrictions on freedom of movement across the contact line.
It has also worsened access-related issues for the UN, as well as shortages of medicine, equipment and medical personnel, particularly in non-government-controlled areas.
Over 3.4 million people are still in need of sustained humanitarian assistance. More than half of those in need are women, and 40 per cent are elderly.
The United Nations and our partners are particularly concerned about vulnerable groups living along the contact line.
Almost ten months after the contact line was closed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the conflict-affected population continues to pay a heavy price. Pensioners residing in areas beyond Government control and registered as internally displaced persons face worsened economic conditions and added health risks. Since March 2020, they have been unable to retrieve their government pensions.
Before the onset of COVID-19, people crossed the contact line an average of 1.2 million times each month, for social, health and other services and to maintain family ties.
Currently, only two of the five entry/exit crossing points have been partially reopened. As a result, the average monthly crossings have dropped to only 36,000.
In a positive development, two centers providing a wide range of services opened on the government-controlled side of the contact line, with more expected to open at all crossing points this year.
Madam President,
Despite the ceasefire, periodic shelling and small-arms fire continue to damage or destroy homes, hospitals, schools, roads, and water systems. In 2020, around 60 incidents affected the supply of clean water and sanitation in eastern Ukraine. Mines and unexploded ordinances continue to claim lives.
Humanitarian access remains a significant challenge for the UN and other international humanitarian actors operating across the contact line.
On the government-controlled side, reinstating expedited procedures for clearance of imported COVID-19 related humanitarian supplies is critical.
In non-government-controlled areas, humanitarian access has been limited since 2015 and has been severely restricted since the advent of COVID-19.
The UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and the team on the ground are working to resolve these issues to enable effective delivery of humanitarian assistance to the those in need.
We urge all actors with influence to help lift undue restrictions on freedom of movement across the contact line and secure the opening of additional exit and entry crossing points.
More than 120 humanitarian partners aim to assist 1.9 million people under the new Humanitarian Response Plan, which prioritizes life-saving assistance, basic services and protection needs.
The United Nations seeks US$168 million to provide help to all areas in need.
Madam President,
The UN is actively engaged in a range of other critical areas through the work of the UN Country Team on the ground.
This includes providing medicine, personal protective equipment (PPE), and sharing expertise with medical professionals dealing with the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later this month Ukraine should receive the first delivery of vaccines from the COVAX facility.
Further, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine continues its critical protection, monitoring, reporting and advocacy work on both sides of the contact line.
The UN is also working with women and youth civil society leaders engaged in local peace and dialogue initiatives to promote national unity.
Critical work with more than a million people internally displaced as a result of the conflict also continues. This is particularly important in light of the increased socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable.
Guided by the Ukraine-UN Partnership Framework for 2018-2022 and the sustainable peace and development agenda, the UN in Ukraine will continue to support efforts to strengthen social cohesion and recovery with focus on Eastern Ukraine.
Madam President,
Until a sustainable political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine is found, the situation on the ground will remain fragile.
The fact that the ceasefire has largely held up and that discussions continue in the established formats is no reason for complacency. Nor is it a substitute for meaningful progress. The risk of backsliding is real if negotiations become deadlocked.
We, therefore, are deeply concerned by the increase in security incidents in several hotspots along the contact line in recent months. This dangerous trend needs to be quickly reversed.
Madam President,
On 17 February 2015, this Council endorsed, in resolution 2202, the “Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”.
As we have said before, the “Package of Measures”, together with the “Minsk Protocol” and the “Minsk Memorandum”, remain the only agreed framework for a negotiated, peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The Secretary-General has consistently expressed the strong backing of the United Nations for the lead role of the Normandy Four and the OSCE-facilitated Trilateral Contact Group in finding a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Today, I reiterate our support for these mechanisms.
The Council will hear shortly from the Special Representative of the OSCE’s Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine, Ambassador Heidi Grau, on the latest discussions in the Trilateral Contact Group, as well as from the Chief Monitor of the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission, Ambassador Halit Cevik, on the overall security situation on the ground. It is essential that we support their crtitical efforts.
Importantly, the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission should have safe and secure access throughout Ukraine in order to fully implement its mandate.
Madam President,
Ukraine will mark this year the 30th anniversary of its independence. We reiterate our full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
As the Secretary-General has consistently affirmed, the United Nations stands with the people of Ukraine in their search for sustainable peace.
Thank you, Madam President.
New York, 11 February 2021
Advancing gender equality in science and technology is essential for building a better future.
We have seen this yet again in the fight against COVID-19.
Women, who represent 70 per cent of all healthcare workers, have been among those most affected by the pandemic and among those leading the response to it.
...The threat to international peace and security posed by ISIL terrorist fighters is “on the rise again”, the UN counter-terrorism chief told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Some 20 UN peacekeepers serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, were injured on Wednesday, after their temporary base came under attack in the restive central region of the country.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar on Wednesday said that security forces in the country must “stand down before there are more casualties” among protesters, amid reports of use of lethal force against those demonstrating against last week’s military takeover.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on the new interim leadership of Libya to swiftly form an inclusive Government and make necessary preparations for December’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria said there had to be “constructive international diplomacy” if the peace process is to move forward in any way, appearing before the Security Council behind closed doors on Tuesday.
The United Nations in Myanmar has voiced strong concerns over Tuesday’s reported use of force by security forces against demonstrators protesting the military takeover and arrests of elected leaders and politicians.
UN agencies have received approval from the Ethiopian Government for 25 international staff to provide humanitarian assistance inside the country’s conflict-torn Tigray region, the UN Spokesperson said on Monday.
“An unknown number” of foreign nationals have died while being detained in squalid camps in Syria’s northeast, senior UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Monday.
Amman, 7 February 2021 - The Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths has begun today a two-day visit to Iran where he is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other Iranian officials.
The visit is part of the Special Envoy’s diplomatic efforts to support a negotiated political solution to the conflict in Yemen that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people. The Special Envoy’s immediate priority...
The US announcement revoking the previous administration's terrorist designation of Yemen’s Houthi movement, formally known as Ansar Allah, will provide “profound relief” to millions in the country, who depend on international assistance and imports for their survival, the UN Spokesperson said on Saturday.
The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on Saturday called on the security forces in Myanmar to ensure that people’s right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and that demonstrations are not subjected to reprisals.
The 74-members of the UN-led Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) have selected an interim Prime Minister and President of its new executive council, marking what the UN Special Representative called another “historic moment” on the road to unification of the war-torn country and national elections in December.
New York, 6 February, 2021
Female Genital Mutilation is a terrible human rights violation that affects the health and wellbeing of millions of women and girls around the world.
Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the numbers of girls at risk of this horrific practice. Lockdowns and school closures have left girls highly vulnerable to harm...
The UN on Friday told journalists that it welcomed the decision by the United States “to strengthen it’s diplomatic engagement” and support efforts led by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, to ends years of conflict there.
The UN renewed appeals on Friday for humanitarian access to all areas of Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region to help people displaced fighting, forcing the most desperate to eat leaves to survive.
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I was very honoured to preside over the beginning of this year’s first meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
My congratulations to the Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, and other members of the Bureau, on your election.
Excellencies,
The unresolved question of Palestine underlines the continued...
The UN Security Council issued a press statement on Thursday expressing “deep concern” over the military takeover in Myanmar, calling for the immediate release of the country’s elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and President Win Myint.
UN Says Killing of Lokman Slim is a Loss for Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon
4 February 2021
Najat Rochdi, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, today expressed her shock and sadness over the assassination of Lebanese activist and publicist Lokman Slim. Ms....
