Over the next 10 years, the world could well be transformed by potentially lethal new technologies, climate disruptions and disruption caused by expanding cities, the UN peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Monday, outlining the adaptations required to keep the Organization’s flagship enterprise fit-for-purpose as it confronts daunting new security threats.
New York, 15 September 2020
As the world confronts COVID-19, democracy is crucial in ensuring the free flow of information, participation in decision-making and accountability for the response to the pandemic. Yet since the beginning of the crisis, we have seen the emergency used in a range of countries to restrict democratic processes and civic space. This is especially dangerous in places where democracy’s roots are shallow and...
New York, 15 September 2020
I am pleased to join you for the closing of the 74th session of the General Assembly -- a session like no other in the past 75 years.
The last seven months have been extremely difficult for the people we serve, and for many of us, personally and professionally.
The...
New York, 15 September 2020
It is a pleasure to be with you again for the opening of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Let me begin by warmly congratulating His Excellency Ambassador Volkan Bozkir of Turkey on his election as General Assembly President. Mr. President, you can fully count on our support and our committed partnership in this common work.
...The first ever direct talks between Afghan Government representatives and the Taliban which began on Saturday, present “a major opportunity” to finally realise the “long-held aspirations” of the people, for a peaceful future, the UN chief has said.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday expressed deep concern over the continued use of force against peaceful protestors in Belarus and detention of those exercising their legitimate democratic rights.
A proposed new anti-terrorism law in Switzerland could set a dangerous precedent for the suppression of political dissent worldwide, a group of five independent UN human rights experts warned on Friday.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
COVID-19Interview with the Resident Coordinator in Gabon
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and its impact, please visit:
Security CouncilMeeting on cooperation between Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the United Nations
DiCarlo warns against the erosion of trust in public institutions due to COVID-19
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Colombia
Risaralda department establishes a reintegration board for former FARC combatants
The UN Verification Mission in Colombia on 8 September participated in the establishment ceremony of the Risaralda Departmental Reintegration Board, which aims to coordinate efforts in favor of cultural transformation for reconciliation, coexistence, and non-stigmatization of FARC-EP former combatants. This body will follow up on social plans and programs intended to help people in the reintegration process, their families, and local communities. The Governor's Office committed to managing resources to support the productive projects of the former combatants based in the community of Santa Cecilia. The UN Mission, together with representatives of the group of former combatants, the Governor's Office of Risaralda, the Mayor's Office of Pereira city, and the Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN) will be active members of the Board.
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The Security Council on Thursday demanded a halt to attacks on schools, together with students and teachers in conflict zones around the world, in a presidential statement coinciding with the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
Until outstanding issues related to Syria’s initial declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile and programme are resolved, the international community cannot have full confidence that its activities have ended, the UN’s top disarmament expert told the Security Council on Thursday.
New York, 11 September 2020
I thank the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council for convening this joint briefing on my Report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace – focusing on the 2020 review of the peacebuilding architecture.
I thank Member States for engaging actively and helping shape this critical outcome. Despite the extraordinary conditions imposed on us...
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend economies and societies, while also threatening to erode trust in public institutions and democracy, it is critical that people everywhere continue to pursue peace.
Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister Minh. And thank you to Vietnam and ASEAN for organizing today’s dialogue and bringing dedicated attention to the critical issue of women’s participation in peace and security.
Twenty years on from the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), we have made significant progress in anchoring the understanding of the full and equal participation of women in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding as crucial to achieving sustainable peace.
For ASEAN Member States, the commitment to women’s leadership in peacemaking is a long-standing one. As far back as 1973, a woman minister was one of three Vietnamese signatories to the Paris Peace Accords ending the war in Vietnam.
In 2014, three of the five Government signatories to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro were women. This included the Chair of the Philippines negotiating team, whose signature represented the first time a woman was the chief signatory of a peace agreement on behalf of a major party. I am happy to call her, Miriam Coronel Ferrer, a colleague. Miriam is a member of the UN’s Standby team of Senior Mediation Advisers.
More recently, women negotiators [such as Ja Nan Lahtaw] have been facilitating talks in Myanmar. Women leaders have been heading governments and ministries across the region, and just last month, under Indonesia’s Presidency, the Security Council adopted the first dedicated resolution on Women and Peacekeeping. This is an issue Foreign Minister Retno has been critical in championing.
At the same time, ASEAN has been making important strides to formalize its women, peace and security architecture. This includes: adopting the first ‘Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN’ in 2017; launching the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry in 2018, and convening the first ASEAN Symposium on Women, Peace and Security in 2019 – an event which featured Noeleen Heyzer, a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation.
In this work, the UN has been a steadfast partner. From co-organizing with ASEAN the groundbreaking 2017 Track 1.5 regional dialogue on the critical role of women in preventing violent extremism, to providing bilateral support through the Peacebuilding Fund to projects such as those underway in Myanmar aimed at strengthening the capacity of women mediators and overcoming barriers to women’s participation in conflict resolution.
Each of these initiatives is vital to our collective efforts to operationalize the women, peace and security agenda. But as we take stock today of our global progress, we must be clear-eyed: far more remains to be done.
Power politics, entrenched patriarchal attitudes, unequal social structures and resource exploitation and diversion have held back progress in implementing Security Council resolution 1325.
So, too, has the lack of mainstreaming of gender analysis in policy making, inadequate support to women’s meaningful participation, and duplication of efforts arising from weak strategic partnerships.
Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted how fragile the progress we have made actually is. Existing gender inequalities in conflict-affected countries have been exacerbated, and women are at risk of further marginalization from education, economic and political life.
As we look ahead to the next 20 years of the women, peace and security agenda, and to the efforts needed to realize a world of sustainable peace, development and equality for all, we must focus on implementation.
It is vital that we all use our political will and leverage to press for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women – from political decision-making to peacemaking, from pandemic response to peacebuilding.
We need to build governance structures that ensure gender analysis is integrated from the outset and informs all our policy making.
We should bring the weight of national legislative processes to provide legal protections for women’s rights.
We must pursue electoral reforms to facilitate women’s safe political participation as candidates and voters.
We need to allocate adequate, predictable and sustained financing to support our efforts.
And we must work in close cooperation with our strategic partners including regional organizations and women’s civil society, to achieve the vision laid out in resolution 1325 for just, equal and peaceful societies.
As we face a historic public health crisis, economic uncertainty and complex peace and security challenges, the importance of strategic and complementary partnerships to achieving the women, peace and security agenda could not be clearer.
To this end, the adoption of the second ASEAN-UN Plan of Action later this year is a prime example of such partnerships in action.
Under the current Plan of Action, ASEAN and the UN are working to mainstream gender-inclusive conflict prevention through the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry, to promote the role of women in peacebuilding and preventing vio lent extremism, and support ASEAN’s deployment of women peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping missions.
The new Plan of Action will build on this existing close cooperation to strengthen the role of women in governance through a proposed ASEAN-UN electoral observation training and by exploring ways to support women in politics through the ASEAN Inter-Government Parliamentary Assembly.
Excellencies,
The women, peace and security agenda will require long-term and sustained political will, effort and investment – particularly from Member States.
Attitudes and resources need to be shifted, and the wider public’s understanding of the importance of women’s participation expanded. Implementing the women, peace and security agenda is, and needs to be seen as fundamental to achieving sustainable peace, security and development for all.
The UN looks forward to continuing its close partnership with ASEAN on women, peace and security, and to working together to ensure that over the next 20 years, women achieve their equal and rightful place in shaping the decisions and priorities of their communities and countries.
Thank you.
New York, 9 September 2020
Thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,
I am pleased to join Professor [Petteri] Taalas of the World Meteorological Organization for this launch of United in Science 2020, a multi-agency compilation of the latest climate science.
Professor Taalas will walk through some of the details but let me say a few...
New York, 9 September 2020
I am pleased to join you for the first observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
I thank the State of Qatar, UNESCO, UNICEF and the Education Above All Foundation for organizing this high-level event.
Education is a fundamental human right.
...The United Nations has strongly condemned the attack, on Wednesday, in Kabul, targeting the official convoy of Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh.
The erosion of trust in public institutions, unequal access to health care and tensions around delicate peace negotiations, are among the risks amplified by COVID-19, which if not mitigated, could push more countries into violence, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The war in Yemen continues to ravage the country and its people, senior UN-appointed rights investigators said on Wednesday, in a call for an international probe into suspected war crimes, and sanctions against the perpetrators.
Education is a fundamental human right and an essential driver for peace and development, yet armed attacks targeting teachers, students and education facilities are on the rise, with some 11,000 incidents reported between 2015 and 2019, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan
The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) has announced the winners of its contest for young people across Central Asia and Afghanistan, “Youth Voices from Central Asia – UN75 and Regional Peace and Security.” The winners are as follows:
Dulat Abdisamat, 20, from Taraz, Zhambyl Province, Kazakhstan Umut Asylbekova, 20, from Talas, Kyrgyzstan...
Mr. President,
Thank you for the opportunity to update the Security Council on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peace and security.
It is sobering to realize that the risks the Secretary-General identified to this Council on 2 July are manifesting in a number of countries across the world.
But we are also witnessing resilience, innovation and inclusive political action to mitigate the impact of some of them.
Conscious that my briefing will be complemented by those of my colleagues to follow, I would like to begin by highlighting three heightened risks.
The first is the erosion of trust in public institutions. This was obviously a problem before the pandemic, and it is not specific to conflict situations. However, such erosion increases fragility and has the potential to drive instability in settings where people perceive authorities have not addressed the pandemic effectively or have not been transparent about its impact. Reports of corruption related to COVID-19 responses are accentuating this trend.
Mr. President,
The second risk relates to the aggravation of certain human rights challenges during the pandemic, which in turn can fuel conflict.
We are witnessing increased discrimination, including in access to health services.
Gender-based violence, particularly in the home, surged around the world as COVID-19 lockdowns became necessary. Many of the economic costs of the pandemic are also disproportionately affecting women, who are overrepresented in some of the sectors hardest hit by shutdowns and ensuing layoffs and cuts.
There are also growing limitations being placed on the media, civic space and freedom of expression.
Social media platforms are used to spread disinformation about the pandemic. And there has been a rise in stigma and hate speech, especially against migrants and foreigners.
To help counter the spread of false and harmful information, the Secretary-General launched the “Verified” initiative to increase the volume and reach of trusted, accurate information surrounding the crisis.
Mr. President,
The third risk is to political and peace processes.
We continue to see tensions surrounding decisions to postpone elections or to proceed with a vote – even with mitigation measures.
These decisions are best made following broad consultation across the political spectrum, including with health authorities. As the UN Focal Point for Electoral Assistance, I have ensured that, together with UNDP, we have clear guidance on the operational aspects of holding elections in times of COVID-19.
More broadly, to date, and contrary to our expectations, we have not observed a significant change in the dynamics of a number of ongoing armed conflicts as a result of COVID-19. Some situations have deteriorated since the onset of the pandemic, but this is largely due to other drivers.
Nevertheless, as we have seen in the Sahel, the risk remains that parties to conflict -- including terrorist and violent extremist groups -- use the uncertainty created by the pandemic to press their advantage.
And as we consider the compound and overlapping health, socio-economic, political and humanitarian aspects of the pandemic, we cannot but be concerned for the future. In the short term, the pandemic could also potentially derail fragile peace processes and conflict prevention initiatives due to restrictions on travel and in-person contacts.
Our own ability to support political processes has been limited by such restrictions. With many of our engagements moving online, we have had to develop our digital skills and work even harder to nurture the trust and willingness to compromise that are at the heart of preventive diplomacy and mediation.
Mr. President,
Let me now turn to the status of the global ceasefire call.
The Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire on 23 March aimed to help create better conditions for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid and open up space for diplomacy.
The initial response was encouraging. A number of temporary truces were announced – from Colombia to Ukraine, and from Philippines to Cameroon. However, many expired without extensions, resulting in little improvement on the ground.
In response to the call, our special representatives, envoys and mediators stepped up efforts to advance political and peace discussions in a number of regions.
In Yemen, we are actively discussing with the parties a draft Joint Declaration, which includes provisions on a nation-wide ceasefire, economic and humanitarian measures, and the resumption of the political process. In Libya, we are working toward a ceasefire agreement and the resumption of intra-Libyan political talks.
In both contexts, we have combined shuttle diplomacy and the use of digital technologies. We convened meetings of the Joint Military Commission in Libya online and have conducted large-scale virtual consultations with over 500 Yemenis regarding their views on the requisits for peace.
As far as possible and safe, we are taking calculated risks to move processes forward.
On 24 August, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria convened the Constitutional Committee for its third session in Geneva. Extensive precautions were taken to enable the meeting to take place. Even with such precautions, meetings were temporarily suspended due to the positive COVID-19 test results of four participants. The session resumed following further testing and advice from medical authorities.
Planning for the new United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) commenced virtually to avoid delays due to COVID-related restrictions. The planning team then visited Sudan to continue consultations with the government and other key stakeholders to ensure that UNITAMS can start delivering on its objectives by January 2021. We anticipate deploying an advance team of the mission within weeks.
Mr. President,
The Security Council’s backing for the ceasefire call in resolution 2532 is significant. Leadership from the Council and the support of Member States with leverage are essential if we are to change the calculations of conflict parties, open the space for dialogue, and end these wars.
I will now briefly turn to how we have adapted operations in the midst of the pandemic.
First, we have created a joined-up support structure for our missions. The DPPA-DPO-DOS Field Support Group on COVID-19 has been working to strengthen UN risk management systems and to protect our personnel and their capacity to continue critical operations. The well-being of our staff members is of utmost importance.
Second, our missions are strongly committed to aid host countries in their COVID response.
In Cyprus, we facilitated the work of the bi-communal Technical Committee on Health, as part of our good offices support.
In the aftermath of the 4 August explosion in Beirut, UNSCOL has been leading coordination of UN support to Lebanon, including its response to a marked increase in COVID-19 cases after the explosion.
In Somalia, UNSOM provided prefabricated buildings to be used for isolation facilities, and with WHO, a testing laboratory in Mogadishu.
In Colombia, the United Nations Verification Mission delivered food and biosafety kits to ex-combatants and other communities.
The Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Special Representative for Central Africa provided support to IGAD and ECCAS, in the development of regional COVID-19 response strategies.
And the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund has also rapidly responded to adapt country-level programming to support the peacebuilding and prevention dimensions of the pandemic.
Mr. President,
The focus of the Security Council – and resolution 2532 – is rightly on situations of armed conflict.
But let me conclude by underlining the risks the wide-reaching impacts of COVID-19 hold for other situations as well, and highlight the magnitude of the challenge of conflict prevention before us.
To mitigate COVID-related risks in situations of armed conflict and prevent the possible deterioration of other situations into instability and violence, the collective and individual engagement of members of this Council is indispensable.
As the Secretary-General has stated, addressing COVID-19 requires coordination, unity and solidarity. The better the global response to the pandemic, the better our prospects for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts around the world. The Security Council’s decisive engagement in follow up to the ceasefire call will be essential.
In conclusion, I wish to pay tribute to our staff in the field during these difficult times, especially those who have lost their lives to COVID-19. I would also like to recognize the exceptional service of healthcare workers, which has allowed us to continue delivering on the promise of peace amidst this pandemic.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Monsieur le Président,
Distingués membres du Conseil,
Je vous remercie de l’opportunité de m’adresser au Conseil de sécurité au sujet de la coopération entre l’Organisation des Nations Unies (ONU) et les organisations régionales et sous-régionales, et du rôle dans ce cadre de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OiF).
Le moment est particulièrement opportun pour se pencher sur le partenariat avec l’OiF puisque nos deux organisations célèbrent cette année des anniversaires importants : cinquante ans pour l’OiF, et soixante-quinze ans pour l’ONU.
Aujourd’hui, nous travaillons, ensemble avec l’OiF, pour la promotion de la paix et de la sécurité internationales, notamment à travers l’alerte précoce et la prévention des conflits, et le maintien et la consolidation de la paix. Nous sommes aussi partenaires dans la promotion du développement durable, de la bonne gouvernance, de la démocratie, de l’Etat de droit, des droits humains et de l’inclusion des femmes et des jeunes.
Notre partenariat est ancré au plus haut niveau, telle que le démontre la présente session du Conseil de Sécurité et l’adoption régulière par l’Assemblée générale de résolutions sur la coopération entre les Nations Unies et l’OiF, dont la dernière remonte au 15 avril 2019. Enfin, les contacts entre le Secrétaire général des Nations Unies et la Secrétaire générale de l´OiF, Madame Louise Mushikiwabo sont réguliers. Les interactions du Secrétaire général et le Secrétariat avec le Groupe des ambassadeurs francophones sont tout aussi fréquentes.
Monsieur le Président,
Distingués membres du Conseil,
Permettez-moi de mettre ici l’emphase sur les domaines de notre collaboration en matière de paix et sécurité. Notre coopération étant riche et multiforme, et le temps imparti pour cette présentation limité, les exemples que je citerai sont simplement illustratifs et non pas exhaustifs.
En premier lieu, je tiens à saluer le travail conjoint des Nations Unies et de l’OiF dans les domaines de l’alerte précoce et de la prévention des conflits, ainsi que dans l’assistance électorale et l’observation des processus electoraux. Récemment, les Nations Unies et l´OiF ont coopéré dans ces domaines au Benin, au Burkina Faso, au Cameroun, aux Comores, au Gabon, en Guinée, au Madagascar, en République centrafricaine (RCA), en République démocratique du Congo (RDC). La réunion quadripartite sur le Cameroun entre le Secretariat des Nations Unies, l’OiF, le Commonwealth et l’Union africaine, tenue le 20 juillet dernier, est un exemple de coopération élargie en matière d’alerte précoce et de prévention. Toujours en matière de prévention, l’OiF un rôle important dans la mise en place du Réseau francophone de prévention de la radicalisation et de l’extrémisme violent pouvant conduire au terrorisme (FrancoPREV) pour mobiliser les compétences francophones sur cette question d’actualité internationale. C’est un apport considérable, en particulier dans le Sahel.
La prévention des conflits repose aussi sur la promotion de sociétés pleinement inclusives, notamment des femmes et des jeunes. C’est un domaine essentiel de la collaboration entre les Nations Unies et l’OiF. En, effet, il nous faut redoubler nos efforts pour promouvoir l´implication des femmes et des jeunes dans la prévention, la gestion et le règlement des conflits, ainsi que dans les processus électoraux. Cet engagement s´inscrit dans la mise en œuvre de la résolution 1325, qui fête son vingtième anniversaire cette année. Il s’inscrit aussi dans le sillon de la résolution 2250 sur la jeunesse, la paix et la sécurité. La nécessité impérieuse de la juste inclusion des femmes et des jeunes dans tous les aspects de la vie de la société et de la communauté internationale est une évidence inéluctable. En effet, ne serait-ce que dans le monde francophone, qui compte quelque 274 millions de locuteurs et locutrices à travers 54 Etats, les femmes représentent, bien évidemment, la moitié de la population, et jeunes de moins de 30 ans -- la majorité. Notre partenariat avec l’OiF pour la mise en œuvre de la Stratégie pour la parité du personnel en uniforme des Nations Unies, adoptée en janvier 2019, visant au renforcement des effectifs féminins francophones en uniforme, est une modeste contribution dans cet effort.
Deuxièmement, je salue le soutien important que les États membres de l’OiF apportent aux opérations de maintien de la paix, dans l’esprit du partenariat ancré dans l’initiative « Action pour le maintien de la paix » (A4P). Dans le A4P, l’OiF coparraine (est championne) du thème de la Performance et Responsabilité. Dans cet objectif, nous déployons des efforts conjoints avec l’OiF pour accroître le niveau d’effectifs francophones, civils et en uniforme, dans les opérations de maintien de la paix déployées dans des pays hôtes francophones, y compris à travers des formations en français. Nous encourageons les États membres de l’OiF à poursuivre leurs efforts de renforcement des capacités du personnel civil et en uniforme francophone, notamment pour leur permettre d’accéder à des postes de haut niveau dans les opérations de maintien de la paix, et au-delà. Enfin, nous partageons avec l’OiF l’appui fort que nous apportons au G5-Sahel, notamment à travers notre soutien pour le Programme d’Investissement Prioritaire du G5-Sahel et à la Force conjointe du G5-Sahel. La Force conjointe, en particulier, continue sa montée en puissance, et mérite de bénéficier d’un appui international renforcé.
Enfin, il importe de souligner le rôle important de l’OiF dans le domaine de la consolidation de la paix, en coopération avec diverses organisations qui jouent chacune un rôle aussi unique qu’essentiel. Je salue notamment la participation de l’OiF aux travaux de la Commission de consolidation de la paix consacrés au Burundi, à la Guinée, à la Guinée-Bissau et à la République centrafricaine, ainsi que dans des réunions ad hoc de la Commission sur d´autres pays francophone affectés par les conflits.
Dans tous nos domaines de partenariat avec l’OiF en matière de paix et de sécurité, nous appuyons et promouvons ensemble le multilinguisme. En effet, nous souscrivons à l’idée que la diversité, notamment linguistique, est l’une richesses du patrimoine culturel de l’Humanité. Par conséquent, nous œuvrons, ensemble, pour la célébrer et la protéger.
Monsieur le Président,
Distingués membres du Conseil,
La pandémie du COVID-19 a souligné la nécessité d'un multilatéralisme renforcé et renouvelé pour faire face aux défis de nos temps. La coopération au sein et entre organisations internationales est un des piliers du multilatéralisme. Le partenariat étroit entre les Nations Unies et l’OiF s’inscrit pleinement dans cette logique.
Dans ce cadre, permettez-moi de me réjouir de la présente visioconférence publique du Conseil de sécurité sur la coopération avec les organisations régionales et sous-régionales, et avec l’OiF en particulier.
Je vous remercie.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
COVID-19Interview with the Resident Coordinator in Guatemala For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and its impact, please visit:
Security CouncilWilliams: “Libya is indeed at a decisive turning point”
Women´s rights will be a central issue at intra-Afghan talks
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ColombiaVerification Mission in Colombia calls for "100 Messages of Peace"
LibyaSpecial Representative visits Egypt
SyriaPedersen: “Progress is happening” Special Envoy visits Russia
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We, the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID), reiterate our call for cooperation and dialogue, especially across conflict lines, during this global pandemic.
The GID format remains a crucial venue to address both security and humanitarian concerns, particularly for conflict-affected populations. We welcome the participants’ regular consultations with us during the pandemic, as well as the resumption of the regular meetings of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Ergneti. We encourage the resumption of the Gali IPRM.
However, at the same time, we are concerned that crossing points remain closed. While the pandemic situation requires due caution, some crossing points, such as the one at Odzisi, have been closed for over a year, predating COVID-19. Restrictions on freedom of movement complicate medical treatment, transportation, and communication, as well as access to livelihoods.
We expect all sides to increase their efforts to build trust and confidence, and work constructively with the Co-Chairs, as well as with international humanitarian and human rights organisations.
We look forward to making progress on core agenda items during the next GID round on 6-7 October 2020 in Geneva.
The UN’s top official in Afghanistan has warned that with the formal launch of direct peace negotiations imminent, near-record violence in the country is creating an atmosphere of mistrust that risks derailing long-sought talks between the Government and the Taliban.
The allegation that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by a Cold War-era nerve agent is “a matter of grave concern”, the head of the UN-backed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Thursday.
The top UN official in Libya urged the Security Council on Wednesday to press for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and a return to negotiations, following the call from rival political leaders for a ceasefire on 21 August.
The world has “entered a volatile and unstable new phase” in terms of the impact of COVID-19 on peace and security, the UN chief told a virtual meeting with world leaders on Wednesday.
The top UN official in the Middle East has hailed an agreement to reduce the latest tensions in and around Gaza amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
