Marking the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Minsk II agreement, the UN political chief told the Security Council on Tuesday, that along with the Minsk Protocol and the Minsk memorandum, it remains “the only agreed framework” for a negotiated, peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Talks to end fighting in Libya have resumed in Geneva, where UN negotiator Ghassan Salamé said that ongoing clashes must end for there to be a chance for progress.
Thank you, Madame President,
On 17 February, five years ago, this Council endorsed, in resolution 2202, the “Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”.
Today, 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, the Trilateral Contact Group, and the OSCE to find a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and called for a revitalisation of these efforts.
Madame President,
I last briefed this Council on Ukraine on 16 July 2019.
A number of important developments since then have given rise to hope for long-elusive progress in implementation of the Minsk provisions, including its key security and political aspects.
Most notably, on 9 December, and after a three-year hiatus, the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine met in Paris under the so-called Normandy Format. The Normandy Four meeting called for “immediate measures to stabilize the situation in the conflict area; measures to implement the political provisions of the Minsk agreements; and follow up steps”.
The leaders committed to “a full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire,” strengthened by the implementation of all necessary ceasefire support measures. They also committed to supporting the development and implementation of “an updated demining plan” and to support an agreement within the Trilateral Contact Group on three additional disengagement areas, with the aim of disengaging forces and equipment.
They encouraged the Trilateral Contact Group to facilitate the release and exchange of conflict-related detainees and committed to supporting an agreement within the Group, on new crossing points along the line of contact, based primarily on humanitarian criteria.
Critically, the participants recalled that the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission should have safe and secure access throughout Ukraine in order to fully implement its mandate.
The leaders in Paris further referred to the so-called “special status” for Certain Areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions, as well as the so-called “Steinmeier formula”, which was accepted by the sides earlier.
The Secretary-General publicly welcomed the outcomes of the meeting and called on all concerned to redouble their efforts to build on recent progress towards a resolution of the conflict. He also reiterated his full support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
I used the opportunity of my first visit to Ukraine from 12 to 13 December 2019 to reiterate the Secretary-General’s support for the ongoing peace efforts and for the critical reforms in Ukraine. My interlocutors were clear in their desire to see tangible progress in the negotiations.
Many of those I met stressed the need for greater involvement of women in the ongoing peace efforts. I also heard about the need to improve the humanitarian situation for ordinary people living along the contact line and to invest greater attention and political will in strengthening, enabling and supporting various dialogue initiatives that could contribute to ensuring sustainable peace.
Madame President,
We are pleased that the Paris summit was followed by a large-scale exchange of prisoners and progress on discussions on additional disengagement areas. However, these initial encouraging signs remain limited and easily reversible.
Today’s disturbing reports of major ceasefire violations across the contact line near Zolote, including alleged use of heavy weapons, are deeply disturbing and a stark reminder that in the absence of sustained political will, there is a very real risk of backsliding and further violence.
You will hear shortly from the newly appointed 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 critical that we support their important efforts.
At this pivotal time, I hope this Council will encourage all stakeholders to do their utmost to ensure sustained positive momentum in the negotiations and display the political will and flexibility to reach agreement on the key steps forward and focus on the implementation of agreed commitments, including first and foremost commitment to a durable ceasefire.
Despite some steps taken to mitigate its impact on civilians, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to claim lives, cause injuries, severely restrict freedom of movement, and negatively impact basic human rights, including the rights to housing, health, education and an adequate standard of living.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has regularly reported on the human rights situation and on violations. The Mission’s latest quarterly report is dated 12 December 2019.
In 2019, OHCHR recorded 167 civilian casualties (27 killed and 140 injured): 63% caused by shelling and small arms and light weapons fire, and 35% by mines and explosive remnants of war. This reflects a 40% decrease compared with 2018 and the lowest annual civilian casualty figures for the entire conflict period. While this decrease is a welcome development, we note that a permanent and comprehensive silencing of weapons, the best way to eliminate civilian casualties, is still not within reach.
The United Nations is particularly concerned about people living along the contact line, who remain the most vulnerable. Civilians are paying the highest price in this crisis. 3.4 million people - including the elderly, the disabled and children - require humanitarian assistance and protection services.
The conflict has transformed many families into single-headed households. As reported by UN agencies, women, who lead nearly 70 per cent of households on both sides of the contact line, face particularly daunting challenges as a result of continued hostilities and volatility along the contact line. Many of them lack a social network, income, access to housing, and opportunities for employment and professional development. Female-headed households often have no access to social benefits or psychological support.
Humanitarian access, the protection of civilians and civilian assets are everyday challenges. Water, education and health infrastructure continued to be severely impacted by the conflict, reducing access to those facilities for civilians living there. In 2019, there were 50 incidents damaging education facilities – a 200 per-cent increase from 2018. Eighty-eight incidents targeted water infrastructure located near or on the contact line.
Attacks on civilian infrastructure must stop.
Madame President,
The United Nations and its partners provide assistance in accordance with the universally recognized principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. As they seek to reach the most vulnerable civilians, humanitarian organizations require unimpeded and sustained access.
Since 2014, the United Nations and its partners have been able to reach an estimated one million people annually with life-saving aid due to the generous contributions of donors. However, this constitutes less than one-third of the total people in need.
With the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan severely underfunded, the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan will require $158 million, aiming to reach two million people.
Madame President,
As I heard first-hand during my December visit to Ukraine, this conflict continues to exact an unacceptable humanitarian toll on the Ukrainian population. It destabilizes overall peace and security in Ukraine, but also potentially in the region as a whole. The recent positive momentum and stated commitment by the Normandy Four and the Trilateral Contact Group participants to address the conflict with renewed impetus and sense of urgency need our encouragement and full support.
This must be followed by action in order to restore trust and enable tangible improvements in the precarious humanitarian situation along the contact line. The much-need and long-awaited peace in eastern Ukraine can be achieved, if there is sufficient political will, good faith negotiations and concrete support for efforts to silence the guns.
Thank you, Madame President.
A recent escalation in fighting between warring parties in Yemen contradicts their stated desire to peacefully end nearly five years of conflict, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday.
The United Nations Secretary-General has extended his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in an attack on a village in north-west Cameroon.
More than two years after the defeat of ISIL in Iraq, some children in areas formerly controlled by the terrorist group still cannot access school or get the necessary documentation required for enrollment, a UN report published on Monday finds.
The crisis in north-west Syria has reached a “horrifying new level”, the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief warned on Monday.
DPPA issued its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, which comes at a challenging moment, as multiple threats to global peace and security are converging. The Plan provides a framework to guide the Department’s work for the next four years in conflict resolution, prevention, management, peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Together with the New Agenda for Peace being developed in follow-up to the Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda, the Strategic Plan will guide us in the years ahead.
The goals and strategic objectives of the Plan reflect the progress made by the Department in recent years. We will continue to balance crisis response and diplomacy with longer-term prevention and peacebuilding engagement, prioritizing our impact in the field.
The new Plan further articulates our lead role in devising and coordinating political strategy across the UN system.
The Plan retains a risk-reduction model that refuses the binary approach of “success” and “failure” and instead examines the extent to which DPPA has contributed to a diminishment in the risks of violence across a wide range of settings and timeframes, and in conjunction with other actors.
DPPA’s Strategic Plan is based on the following Theory of Change:
If DPPA deploys the full range of its resources based on cross-cutting analysis, in collaboration with others within the UN system and in partnerships with regional, national, and local stakeholders, drawing on an internal culture shaped by a commitment to learning and innovation, it will contribute to the prevention and resolution of violent conflict and to sustainable peace.
Divisional work plans bring the Strategic Plan to life. Divisions use the work plans to translate the medium-term objectives of the Plan into annual priorities. As a key management tool, divisional work plans are used as a basis for regular reporting on how the Department is performing against the goals set out in the Strategic Plan.
The implementation of the Plan will also be contingent on extra-budgetary resources. The DPPA Strategic Plan 2023-2026 is accompanied by a new Multi-Year Appeal, calling for $170 million over the next four years.
DPPA’s Strategic Plan is accompanied by a Results Framework to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of the Department’s performance in the period 2023-2026. The Results Framework not only allows tracking of results but also supports horizontal coherent planning across all DPPA divisions. It articulates the core work of the Department in 21 Outcomes. The Department will report on a six-monthly basis against the 51 quantitative indicators of the Framework. These indicators monitor the performance of the Department vis-à-vis targets which will be updated on a yearly basis.
In addition to internal monitoring, DPPA also tracks recommendations stemming from evaluations and audits from several external oversight bodies such as the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), and the UN Board of Auditors.
Central to the Secretary-General’s reforms is enhanced effectiveness of mandate delivery, improved transparency and strengthened accountability for results. The reform places emphasis on senior management leadership to strengthen the UN’s accountability mechanisms, support results-based management and build a strong culture of self-evaluation. To that end, DPPA is committed to ensure that results-based management and self-evaluations are embedded in our work.
For accountability and learning purposes, the Department conducts several evaluative exercises such as After-Action Reviews, Lessons Learned studies and self-evaluations. All evaluations and lessons learned studies are conducted as per the Department’s annual Learning and Evaluation Plan.
We provide timely responses to queries and contribute to audits and evaluations from internal and external oversight bodies, such as the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the UN Board of Auditors.
As a member of the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG), the Department adheres to its norms and standards. In spirit of transparency, the Department will be systematically disseminating executive summaries of its self-evaluations and lessons learned studies, if sharing of full reports is not feasible. The Department also commits to tracking the implementation of all of the recommendations stemming from its self-evaluations.
A DPPA-DPO joint Peace and Security Pillar Guidance Development and Learning Steering Committee (GLDSC) serves as the governing mechanism to implement DPPA’s evaluation policies, review priorities for evaluation exercises and monitor implementation of recommendations emanating from self-evaluations in DPPA.
Delegates representing the parties to the conflict in Yemen agreed on a detailed plan to complete the first official large-scale exchange of prisoners since the beginning of the conflict. This is a step towards the fulfillment of the parties’ commitment to the phased release of all conflict-related detainees according to the Stockholm Agreement. At the conclusion of a seven-day meeting today, Sunday, the parties decided to immediately begin with...
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
East AfricaDPPA Chief attends African Union Summit and visits Sudan
Ms. DiCarlo continued on to Khartoum, Sudan, for meetings to discuss the Sudanese transition to democracy. She met with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on 12 February, and with women and youth groups that were instrumental in triggering the Sudanese transition. “The economic and social challenges at hand are enormous. Sudan requires urgent international support,” Ms. DiCarlo said via Twitter after the visit.
Security CouncilGuterres: ”This is a time for dialogue, for reconciliation, for reason”
|
|
“The people of Guinea-Bissau deserve a clear and positive closure” Rosine Sori-Coulibaly, Special Representative and Head of UNIOGBIS, briefed the Security Council on 14 February on the situation in Guinea-Bissau and the activities of UNIOGBIS in the country (S/2020/105). Guinea-Bissau held Presidential elections last year, but a new President has not been sworn in yet due to controversies about the result. “The people of Guinea-Bissau deserve a clear and positive closure of this process so that they can see the light of hope for the future of their children,” Ms. Souri-Coulibaly said. Watch her briefing here Read more in UN News New YorkMeeting on youth, peace and security
SomaliaSomalia and the UN sign accord to strengthen efforts to preserve culture and improve education
West AfricaWorkshop on the resolution of farmer-herder conflicts in Abuja
|
Subscribe to This Week in DPPA by clicking here: Sign Up Now
Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
Political discord in Guinea-Bissau could hamper the first-ever peaceful transfer of power to a democratically elected leader, the top UN official in the West African country told the Security Council on Friday.
Urgently-needed aid deliveries to embattled civilians in north-west Syria have started again after a day-long break in distributions caused by escalating hostilities, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Following a visit to the Central African Republic, a UN independent expert said that everyone must take all measures necessary to effectively implement the peace agreement that was signed in Bangui a year ago.
For countries to move forward after conflict or mass atrocities, suffering must be acknowledged and justice served, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Security Council on Thursday.
In an era of rapid media evolution, radio still has the power to bring people together and provide communities with vital news and information, the UN Secretary-General has said.
After what has reportedly been weeks of diplomatic negotiation, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on Wednesday aimed at stemming rising violence across Libya, demanding the warring parties commit to “a lasting ceasefire” according to terms agreed by military representatives from both sides at recent talks in Geneva.
Over the past few years, ISIL and Al-Qaida terrorist fighters have posed an “unprecedented threat to international peace and security”, the UN counter-terrorism chief said on Wednesday in Vienna, at the close of a joint UN- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) regional conference on addressing challenges posed by terrorists who have gone to fight overseas.
The Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains an international public health concern, experts meeting in Geneva concluded on Wednesday.
Ongoing hostilities in Libya have left numerous cities severely “re-contaminated” with unexploded ordnance, threatening schools, universities and hospitals, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Wednesday.
On the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need to integrate child protection into peace processes during a high-level Security Council briefing on Wednesday.
Rising tensions and instability across the globe, particularly in the Middle East, underscore the need to resolve the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General.
Your Excellency, Foreign Minister Goffin, President of the Security Council,
Your Excellency, President Mahmoud Abbas,
Members of the Security Council,
On 28 January, the United States presented its vision for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which it proposed as a basis...
Attacks on health facilities in Yemen’s Marib province, East of the capital Sana’a, have left some 15,000 people – many of them displaced from other parts of the country – with severely limited options for medical care, the UN said on Monday.
Government ministers and other high-level representatives from more than 140 countries, on Monday adopted a new declaration to enhance global nuclear security and counter the threat of nuclear terrorism.
The challenges facing African nations are “complex, multi-faceted and far-reaching" but a “collective, comprehensive and coordinated” response by the global community will build on the momentum that already exists to help the continent thrive, the UN chief told the African Union Summit on Sunday.
The first round of UN-brokered talks between military representatives in Geneva aimed at forging a lasting ceasefire between Libyan Government and main opposition forces, has concluded without full agreement, despite reaching consensus in many areas.
GENEVA, 08 February 2020 - The first round of talks of the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), which had started on Monday 3 February 2020, concluded this afternoon at the Palais des Nations (Geneva) in the presence of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Dr. Ghassan Salamé.
The Commission constitutes one of the three intra-Libyan tracks UNSMIL is organizing, along with the economic...
The UN chief on Saturday called on the international community to recognize the need for African counter-terrorism operations, backed by the UN Security Council, to tackle the growing threat of extremist violence across the continent, and “predictable funding, guaranteed by compulsory contributions”.
The sentencing of 28 militia members on Friday in the Central African Republic (CAR) for an array of violent crimes, including the murder of civilians as well as 10 UN peacekeepers, has been hailed as a major step forward in the fight against impunity there.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
New YorkLaunch of DPPA’s Multi-Year Appeal and Strategic Plan 2020-2022
Gender Advisers workshop
Security CouncilClosed consultations on Myanmar
African Union2020 African Union Summit
|
|
Libya Salamé: “Progress has been made”
SomaliaPublic consultations to review Somalia’s provisional constitution
West Africa Heads of UN Peace Missions meet in Dakar
Bolivia Personal Envoy: UN “will do everything possible” to support upcoming elections
ColombiaPresident of Colombia visits development projects in Caquetá
AfghanistanCommunity leaders strategize on human rights
|
Subscribe to This Week in DPPA by clicking here: Sign Up Now
Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
Despite the loss of its last stronghold in Syria and the death of its leader, ISIL “remains at the centre of the transnational terrorism threat”, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Friday.
Mr. President,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief on the alarming situation in north-west Syria, which has further escalated since last week’s briefings. Heavy strikes from both air and ground are causing massive waves of civilian displacement and major loss of civilian life. We are witnessing the humanitarian catastrophe that the Secretary-General has warned of, and which the Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock will brief you about, very shortly. This is causing totally unacceptable human suffering -- and endangering international peace and security. And yet it can -- and therefore must -- stop now.
On 12 January, Russia and Turkey announced that they agreed on a fresh ceasefire for the north-west. Yet heavy clashes and mutual shelling continued despite the ceasefire. Two days later, airstrikes by the Syrian government and their allies resumed. Syrian Government forces have since launched a ground offensive in southeastern areas of the Idlib de-escalation zone. They have made significant advances, most recently establishing control over the major town of Maarat al-Numan, whose population had fled from earlier attacks. Maarat al Numan lies on the strategic M5 highway and pro-Government forces have continued to push north, reaching the city of Saraqeb, the junction of the M4 and M5 highways and close to Idlib city.
In Idlib city, there are already reports of deep fear and of civilians fleeing or preparing to flee. Aerial bombardment in support of the government’s offensive reportedly continues. Hostilities have also intensified on other fronts, especially in western Aleppo, where Government forces have advanced.
During the same period, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham -- a terrorist organization designated by this Council -- and armed opposition groups, launched several attacks and counterattacks along these fronts, including western Aleppo and al-Bab in northern Aleppo. There were reports of intensified shelling on civilian areas of western Aleppo and of civilian casualties. There are reports of weaponized drones being launched on Syrian and Russian military installations southwest of Idlib. The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that Russian military personnel have been killed.
Turkish forces and Syrian government forces have directly clashed inside Syria. On 3 February, Syrian Government artillery reportedly hit a Turkish observation post near Saraqeb. Seven Turkish soldiers were killed and several more injured, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense. We have since seen differing reports of dozens of Syrian government forces killed in Turkish strikes on Syrian Government positions.
Statements from Russian and Turkish leadership in recent days have shown deep differences between the sponsors of the Idlib de-escalation arrangements. Two days ago, the Secretary-General noted his “enormous concern” that the most recent developments constituted a “change in the nature of the conflict” and reiterated his strong appeal for a cessation of hostilities.
So far these calls have not been heeded. In the last two months, hundreds of civilians have been killed, more than half a million civilians have been displaced, and most are fleeing into ever-shrinking areas where they still hope to find relative safety. Further mass displacement seems inevitable if fighting continues.
We appear to have lost sight of the principle of proportionality. Let me be very clear and remind all parties that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including on healthcare and educational facilities, are unacceptable. All military operations -- including those against and by terrorist groups designated by the Security Council -- must respect the requirements of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects.
Mr. President,
Ordinary people in Idlib are conveying to me their grave fears for their lives and safety. They feel totally voiceless. Civil society actors inside Idlib, the best antidote and counterweight to radicalism, feel dismayed and abandoned. Syrian women have shared with me their fears of continued insecurity, including increased violence targeting women fleeing and living in displacement.
Idlib is the place that became a refuge for hundreds of thousands of civilians from other parts of Syria who fled violence. As a result, the population of the Idlib de-escalation area has now swollen to an estimated 3 million, the vast majority of whom are civilians.
Idlib is also the place that fighters and civilians who refused to “settle their status” earlier also sought refuge. And HTS and other Security Council-proscribed terrorist groups, including foreign fighters, are a major force in Idlib. Their presence and influence in the area is unacceptable and a major challenge – first and foremost to the civilian population of Idlib itself, and also in a wider sense for Syria and for regional and international security.
But we know from bitter experience that a continued all-out military approach will not solve this problem. And it will come at a completely unacceptable price. What we are now seeing creates the very real prospect of a bloody and protracted last stand on the Turkish border, with grave consequences for civilians -- and the risk of dispersal of foreign terrorist fighters and ongoing insurgency afterwards. We know that the continuation of the military approach will only entrench and further harden the deep international divisions over Syria and lead to more and more pressure – weakening prospects for a step-by-step dynamic to build trust and confidence. And the events of the last few days in which the armies of two UN member states – Syria and Turkey – have clashed inside Syria suggest the very real prospect of conflagration in the immediate region -- and far beyond too.
But we also know something else, Mr. President: we know that it is possible via agreement to stabilize parts of Syria and work on ways out. Idlib is a de-escalation area established by agreement in May 2017, and was the subject of a further Russian-Turkish stabilization memorandum in September 2018. These agreements do not have third party monitoring, and thus we are not in a position to comment on their terms or their observance.
But what we do know is that these agreements can enable prolonged periods of calm. So why can we not make this happen once again? This is the message that I have impressed in my meetings recently in Moscow and Damascus, and with high-level Turkish officials, and with the co-Chairs of the Humanitarian Task Force meeting today in Geneva. I will take this message to Tehran in the coming days, and I will continue to press on the most important actors their responsibility to take a different path.
I do not pretend to have a magical solution for Idlib. But I am convinced that with a serious attempt at international cooperation a solution can be found, building on earlier agreements, but also augmenting them.
Mr. President
I appeal for an end to the hostilities. And I appeal to all for a serious international effort to cooperate on Idlib. It is a humanitarian imperative. It is the way to have effective counter-terrorism. It is in the interest of regional and international peace and security. And it is an essential foundation for a sustainable path out of the Syrian conflict which is now approaching its tenth year.
This Council recognized this when you unanimously agreed on Security Council resolution 2254, which stipulated a nationwide ceasefire alongside a cooperative approach to combatting terrorism, and for full respect of Syria’s sovereignty and a credible and inclusive UN-facilitated political process. This remains the only path to end this conflict. The major players and the Members of this Council need to put their full weight behind this logic.
Thank you, Mr President.
“Africa’s challenges can only be solved by African leadership. […] I commend the African Union for making Silencing the Guns such a prominent part of its work for 2020.”
Secretary-General António Guterres, 9 February 2020
“There is need for a hybrid conflict management mechanism that will take into consideration traditional/indigenous methods of interventions in search for a balanced solution between the centres and the peripheries, in order to preserve national unity with due respect for diversities.”
AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns in Africa H.E. Ramtane Lamamra, 10 February 2020
“[The Security Council] encourages the United Nations and the African Union to strengthen their efforts to coordinate their engagement in a mutually-supportive manner [and] expresses its readiness to support the implementation of the African Union Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by year 2020.”
Security Council resolution 2457 (2019)
In 2013, the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government pledged “not to bequeath the burden of conflict to the next generation of Africans and undertake to end all wars by 2020.” Silencing the Guns in Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of the AU’s Agenda 2063 that aims to achieve an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena, an agenda which is strongly linked with the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The AU Summit, held on 9 and 10 February 2020, adopted “Silencing the Guns: creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development” as this year's AU theme.
As part of the UN-AU partnership, the UN provides wide-ranging support to the AU Initiative. Coordinated by the UN Task Force on Silencing the Guns in Africa, the UN's contributions include, among other things:
The UN has also supported policy dialogue activities to advance the objectives of the Initiative, including through the UN Peacebuilding Commission, the first Africa Regional High-Level Conference on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (July 2019), and ministerial-level events. The UN is also assisting in the establishment of the AU Humanitarian Agency.
Plans are underway to contribute to the 2020 edition of the September “Africa Amnesty Month” for the surrender and collection of illicit small arms and light weapons, strengthen physical security and stockpile management in the Sahel, expand national capacity-building projects on counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism, and support AU efforts to integrate the protection of children in its mediation efforts.
DCO, DESA, DGC, DPPA, DOS, DPO, Human Security Unit, OCHA, OHCHR, OSAA, OSASG-P, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNOCT, UNODA, UN Democracy Fund, UN Environment, UN Global Compact, UN OHRLLS, UN Women, OSRSG CAAC, OSRSG SVC, WHO and the OEY. Field entities: UNECA, UNOAU, UNOCA and UNOWAS.
On 10 July 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya, the DPPA-DPO Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita, the AU Commission and the Government of Kenya convened jointly a dialogue with over 50 youth representatives from across the continent to discuss the role of African youth in Silencing the Guns.
In the face of persistent and comple x violent conflict and a rising backlash against women’s rights, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) is committed to keeping the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda at the core of its work.
Learning, transparency and accountability principles drive the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices in DPPA. The Department draws on both qualitative and quantitative
assessments to build a body of evidence for its work in conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
The Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in the Policy and Mediation Division of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) is the system-wide service provider on dialogue and mediation assistance providing comparative analysis, support in developing mediation strategies and direct operational and mediation assistance.
Providing electoral assistance to Member States is one of the key functions of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA).
Air and ground strikes in the region of Idlib, northwest Syria, are causing “massive waves of civilian displacement and major loss of civilian life”, causing unacceptable human suffering which must stop now, Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, told the Security Council on Thursday.
