Insecurity continues to plague Central Africa, the UN envoy for the region told the Security Council on Wednesday, highlighting concern for cross-border violence.
Insecurity continues to plague Central Africa, the UN envoy for the region told the Security Council on Wednesday, highlighting concern for cross-border violence.
During the crisis and violent incidents that followed the general elections of October 2019 in Bolivia, the Secretary-General sent a Personal Envoy to the country to engage with all national actors and offer UN support to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis, including through credible and inclusive elections. The Personal Envoy joined facilitation efforts by the Episcopal Conference of Bolivia, the European Union and Spain in a dialogue among the main political actors that resulted in the de-escalation of the crisis. Under the facilitators’ auspices, on 22 November 2019, the main parties reached an agreement in which they requested the UN system to undertake peace consolidation activities “to help protect life; contain and prevent violence; ensure respect for human rights; promote dialogue; and guarantee the holding as soon as possible of a transparent, credible and inclusive electoral process”.
The dire shortage of food, water, fuel and cash in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia is seriously affecting people there, including aid workers, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, citing its humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
International support for Sudan is critical as the country continues on the path to democratic transition, amid challenges that include political disagreements, economic decline, and the COVID-19 pandemic, UN political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday.
Mr. President,
Thank you for this opportunity to brief the Security Council today on the situation in Sudan.
Since my last briefing in September, Sudan has made progress in its democratic transition. The Juba Peace Agreement between the Transitional Government, the Sudan Revolutionary Front and the Sudan Liberation Army – Minni Minawi faction was signed on 3 October and was enshrined in the Constitutional Document on 2 November.
The amended Constitutional Document extends the transitional period to 39 months from the date of signature of the Juba Peace Agreement. It expands the membership of the Sovereign Council from 11 to 14 members; provides for the signatories to select 25 per cent of ministerial portfolios and 75 seats out of 300 of the Transitional Legislative Council. It also provides for the establishment of the Council of Partners during this period and further exempts representatives of the signatories from the ban on running for office in elections that will follow the transitional period.
The formation of the Transitional Legislative Council has now been postponed until 31 December. All political stakeholders will need to engage in constructive consultations to ensure the creation of an inclusive and representative body that reflects the diversity of Sudan’s social and political landscape and includes significant representation of women.
Despite the progress observed, political forces are increasingly fragmented. Disagreements have surfaced particularly over the mandate and functions of the Council of Partners that was established on 1 December. Key political stakeholders expressed concern that the nominally advisory and coordination body may have been given additional powers that would undermine those of other transitional institutions.
While initially supportive, the Council of Ministers and the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) subsequently rejected the suggested authority of the Council of Partners and its current composition and deplored the lack of women and youth representation.
The Council of Ministers also called for the swift formation of the Transitional Legislative Council, emphasizing its exclusive power of oversight and accountability, and its role in guiding the transitional period.
I hope that consensus can be found to ensure the functioning of clearly defined transitional institutions that are inclusive and effective. I also echo the Transitional Government’s call for the swift formation of the legislative body as per the Constitutional Document.
Let me note that while the transitional authorities have committed to the promotion of gender equality, women remain underrepresented in transitional structures. The Cabinet includes three women out of 18 ministers and the Council of Partners has only one female representative. I welcome efforts by women’s organizations to develop a common agenda in promoting the inclusion of women. The equal right to political participation and representation of women in decision-making at all levels of the transition is an integral part of democratization. I commend the Transitional Government’s efforts on legal reforms that promote gender equality.
Mr. President,
The dire economic situation continues to cast a dark and long shadow over all these efforts. COVID-19 restrictions, including the five-month shutdown to prevent its spread, resulted in a severe decline in economic activity, and a loss of approximately 42 per cent of State revenues.
Given Sudan’s arrears, the country has been unable to avail of debt relief. The increased spending on emergency health programmes, coupled with a decline in public revenues, has led to a budget deficit of approximately USD 250 million per month. Rampant inflation and exchange rate fluctuations are negatively impacting the amounts of funding for programme delivery. The inflation rate also increased to 229 per cent in October, negatively affecting UN agencies’ and partners’ operations.
Mr. President,
19 December will mark the second anniversary of the revolution in Sudan. Demonstrations continue to occur intermittently across the country because of the economic crisis, demands for government reform and rejection of the amendments to the Constitutional Document. Some have been accompanied by loss of life and injuries.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the humanitarian needs, also driven by severe flooding, intercommunal violence and prolonged displacement. In recent weeks, over 48,000 people have fled the Ethiopian conflict in the Tigray region and have sought refuge in Sudan. This has put an additional strain on the Sudanese authorities.
In the IMF Staff-Monitored Program, signed in September, the Transitional Government agreed to implement the removal of subsidies and implement macro-economic reforms. This has caused serious hardships for the population in the short-term.
It is critical that the international community continue supporting Sudan’s economic recovery through funding of the basic income cash transfer programme known as the “Family Support Programme,” intended to mitigate the social impact of the transitional Government’s economic reform agenda.
I welcome once again the intention of the United States to rescind Sudan’s designation as a State sponsor of terrorism, a change that will facilitate the country’s access to critical international financial assistance. I also welcome the commitment of President Emmanuel Macron of France to hold an international economic conference in Paris next year in support of Sudan.
Mr. President,
After a thorough planning process involving the UN system, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, UNITAMS, began to deploy to Khartoum in October.
The team is now continuing its consultations with transitional authorities regarding priorities for this time-bound mission.
The Transitional Government has underscored the need for UNITAMS to have a light footprint, and this is how the mission has been configured. The mission will focus on the four objectives outlined in Resolution 2524: assist the political transition; support peace processes; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and the rule of law; and support the mobilization of economic, development and humanitarian assistance. It will provide good offices, technical support and capacity building, and will leverage the work of the United Nations country team.
UNITAMS is headquartered in Khartoum but will establish field offices in Darfur, the Two Areas and eastern Sudan. Let me stress that UNITAMS will be a fully integrated mission, and the mission staff and the UN Country Team are now developing an Integrated Strategic Framework and coordination structures to maximize UN support and effectiveness. Our goal is for UNITAMS, together with the Country Team, to begin delivering against all the mission’s strategic objectives by 1 January 2021.
As the Mission establishes itself, we count on the Transitional Government’s continued support.
Mr. President,
UNITAMS is also working closely with UNAMID, in anticipation of its drawdown. The protection of civilians remains a concern, especially for women and children who face a multitude of risks in areas still under the control of armed groups. Protection of civilians will be the responsibility of the Transitional Government, but UNITAMS will provide support and help to create a protective environment for vulnerable populations.
I welcome the steps the government has taken to address this issue, including through the formulation of a National Plan for Civilian Protection and the announcement that 12,000 members of a protection force will be deployed in Darfur. National and local authorities have made a strong commitment to ensure basic security and protection across Sudan. UNITAMS will support the Transitional Government by helping to create a protective environment.
UNAMID and UNITAMS joint teams are conducting assessment visits focused on the protection of civilians to ensure that lessons learned from UNAMID are sustained. UNITAMS will have child protection advisors, women’s protection advisers, human rights officers and police trainers to support the Transitional Governments’ efforts.
However, effective protection of civilians will only be achieved through Sudan’s own efforts.
Key to the efforts to protect civilians will be the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement. The agreement is a major step towards ending years of conflict in the country, addressing the root causes, and building a sustainable peace.
Mr. President,
Sudan is at a critical juncture. It can move forward decisively in its transition, but that progress can still be derailed by the many challenges it faces. It is incumbent on all of us to support Sudan in its efforts to achieve democratic governance, economic prosperity and an inclusive society for all Sudanese.
Thank you.
The UN Secretary-General said on Monday it was “essential to quickly restore the rule of law” in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, where Government forces and those loyal to the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have been engaged in fighting for more than a month.
There is a critical need for State institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to provide more stability and safety for citizens facing multiple threats, the head of the UN mission there told the Security Council on Monday.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan
On 4 December 2020, His Excellency President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov endorsed the National Action Plan for 2021-2024 on the implementation of the Strategy of Turkmenistan to Prevent Violent Extremism and Counter Terrorism. The Plan was developed with the support of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the UN Counter-Terrorism Office - UN Counter-Terrorism Centre...
The Political Working Group (PWG) of the International Follow-up Committee on Libya (IFCL) held a meeting on 3 December 2020 to review the progress achieved thus far with regards the Libyan political track and consider how participants of the Berlin process can further support these efforts.
Following the discussion, the PWG Co-Chairs:
Welcomed the successful conclusion of...The United Nations-African Union (AU) partnership has yielded “significant results”, including at the country level, the UN chief told the Security Council on Friday.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the continuing ceasefire in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Friday, underlining that the Organization stands ready to provide humanitarian support to meet the needs of all civilians impacted by conflict.
New York, 5 December 2020
Every year on 5 December, the world observes International Volunteer Day.
This year, we are highlighting the important contributions of volunteers to the response to COVID-19.
Around the world, volunteers have been assisting vulnerable groups, correcting misinformation, educating children, providing essential services to the elderly...
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
Security CouncilGuterres: “I count on the African Union to help lead the way”
EthiopiaUN Envoy discusses the situation in Tigray with Deputy Prime Minister
SomaliaSomali Government and international partners meet to improve security and rule of law
BoliviaAssistant Secretary-General visits Bolivia
ColombiaActions for the prevention of violence against women
IraqMeetings to discuss national development
Northeast AsiaLooking ahead – Women and youth at the forefront of peace and security efforts in Northeast Asia |
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SyriaMeeting with the Women’s Advisory Board
Meeting of the Constitutional Committee concludes in Geneva
YemenMeeting with civil society representatives from Taiz
PeacebuildingPeacebuilding Commission meeting on Somalia
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
UN experts called on the Security Council on Thursday, along with the international community at large, to put an end to the “surreal and absurd dimension” of human rights violations engulfing war-torn Yemen, where abuses continue unchecked.
The 20,000 foreign fighters now in Libya represent “a serious crisis” and “a shocking violation of Libyan sovereignty”, UN Acting Special Representative Stephanie Williams said on Wednesday, during the latest meeting under the country’s political dialogue forum.
There is “a deep sense of worry about the grim realities” of life faced by those living in occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN chief said on Tuesday, pointing to the “diminishing prospects of resolving the conflict” with Israel, that has been with the UN since its creation 75 years ago.
Although the United Nations turned 75 this year, the milestone would be incomplete without recognition of the huge losses endured during the Second World War: the event which led to the creation of the global Organization, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told ambassadors attending a commemorative ceremony in the General Assembly Hall on Tuesday.
Child trafficking is rising in Mali, along with forced labour and forced recruitment by armed groups, due to conflict, insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.
Almost a quarter of a million people have died in Yemen’s war, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on its website on Tuesday, confirming the huge toll from a conflict that has ravaged Yemen’s economy and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The report examines MYA projects at a whole-portfolio level, while identifying specific areas for in-depth evaluation. The assessment analyses the relevance of the MYA testing, the logical connection between MYA projects and DPPA’s high level objectives; examines the effectiveness of the MYA portfolio of projects in delivering valued results; and considers questions of cost-efficiency, asking whether the MYA portfolio is applying funds in an efficient way to minimize costs. The assessment articulates a clear ‘value claim’ of the MYA for the first time, which will be helpful in future discussions with our divisions.
Undertaken by an independent consultant, the assessment concludes that the MYA has been able to deliver value-for-money at multiple levels, ensuring good use of resources.
New York, 2 December 2020
President Bollinger,
Dear friends,
I thank Columbia University for hosting this gathering — and I welcome those joining online around the world.
We meet in this unusual way as we enter the last month of this most unusual year.
We are facing a devastating...
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, appealed to Ethiopia on Tuesday for urgent access to 96,000 Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, saying the month-long conflict in Tigray had left them without vital supplies.
The United Nations Secretary-General has called for “renewed determination” to eliminate chemical weapons from the world.
