Bienvenidos a las Naciones Unidas

Reports and Policy Documents

2019

  • 19 Ago 2019

    “If I ever come face-to-face with a Boko Haram fighter and if I have strength and a knife in my hand, I will cut his throat and spill his blood! Because, it makes me sick whenever I remember the suffering I went through.”

  • 19 Ago 2019
  • 19 Ago 2019

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday congratulated the people of Sudan after the military council and civilian opposition alliance agreed earlier in the day on a power-sharing accord.

  • 19 Ago 2019

    A summary of evaluations and lessons-learned studies related to the work of the Department carried out in 2017 and 2018. In the spirit of transparency, the Department has decided to systematically disseminate summaries of all its self-evaluations and lessons-learned studies, if sharing of full reports is not feasible.

  • 19 Ago 2019

    Our main stories today: Women celebrated on World Humanitarian Day; Afghanistan bloodshed mars 100 years of independence; Brazil’s ‘exemplary’ response to Venezuelans; UN urges Yemen’s warring parties to down weapons; and UN expert calls for Mali reconciliation efforts.

  • 19 Ago 2019

    The appointment of Sri Lankan Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the country’s army is deeply troubling, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement released on Monday, adding that the military leader had been given the role despite “serious allegations of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law against him and his troops during the war”.

  • 19 Ago 2019

    Reconciliation initiatives in central Mali, to bring together local leaders and end ongoing violence, have been welcomed by the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, Alioune Tine, who said on Monday that they should be supported “in whatever way possible.”

  • 19 Ago 2019

    Afghanistan is at a “crucial moment” in its history as it marks 100 years of independence, the head of the UN Mission there said on Monday, following a series of terror attacks in recent days.

  • 19 Ago 2019
  • 19 Ago 2019

    World Humanitarian Day honors aid workers around the world who risk their own lives to help save and improve the lives of others.

    This year, we pay special tribute to women humanitarians and the huge difference they make...

  • 18 Ago 2019

    KABUL - On behalf of the United Nations in Afghanistan, I wish to congratulate all Afghans as they celebrate 100 years of their country’s independence.

    The United...

  • 18 Ago 2019

    The work of women humanitarians makes a “huge difference” to the lives of millions of women, men and children in urgent need, the United Nations chief said in his message for World Humanitarian Day.

  • 18 Ago 2019

    NEW YORK - The Secretary-General strongly condemns the horrific 17 August terrorist attack on a wedding ceremony in Kabul, claiming the lives of 63 people and injuring over 180.

    The Secretary-General expresses his...

  • 18 Ago 2019

    KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns last night’s Kabul attack that initial reports indicate killed scores of civilians and injured many more, among them women and...

  • 17 Ago 2019

    Following two consecutive LNA-claimed airstrikes on Zuwara Airport in Western Libya, on 15 and 16 August, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) today dispatched an assessment mission to the airport. After...

  • 17 Ago 2019

    To mark the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism this coming Wednesday, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa to interview people who have personal stories to tell about how terrorism has shattered their lives.

  • 16 Ago 2019

    The Security Council met to consider the volatile situation surrounding Kashmir on Friday, addressing the issue directly within the UN body dedicated to resolving matters of international peace and security, for the first time since 1965. 

  • 16 Ago 2019

    Two months since hundreds of thousands of people fled violence in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians warned on Friday that armed militia continue to make their safe return impossible. 

  • 15 Ago 2019

    The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) deplores the ever-increasing and systemic attacks on airports in western Libya, including Zuwara and Mitiga.  These attacks have...

  • 15 Ago 2019

    Mogadishu - Senior representatives of the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations (UN) travelled to Kismayo today to engage with...

  • 15 Ago 2019

    Mogadishu - Senior representatives of the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations (UN) travelled to Kismayo today to engage with...

  • 15 Ago 2019

    An attack in the south of Syria’s restive Idlib province that led to the deaths of a paramedic, an ambulance driver and a rescue worker, were added to the grim total on Thursday of more than 500 civilian fatalities documented in the country by the United Nations, over the past three and a half months alone.

  • 15 Ago 2019

    To mark next week’s International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa earlier in the year, to interview people who have personal stories to tell about how terrorism has shattered their lives.

  • 15 Ago 2019

    Since the beginning of the offensive on Tripoli in early April, more than 37 attacks have been registered against health workers and facilities, including hospitals, field hospitals and civilian and military ambulances. These deplorable attacks which impacted at least 19 ambulances and 19 hospitals, have resulted in 11 deaths, and injuries to more than 33 persons, although the actual number may be significantly higher.

     

    In late July, airstrikes conducted by the...

  • 15 Ago 2019

    the United Nations Integrated Office for Peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau, UNIOGBIS, through its Combatting Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime component (CDTOC), conducted a criminal investigation...

  • 14 Ago 2019

    Our main stories today cover: Scaled-up assistance for Venezuelans; Ebola vaccinations for Burundi health workers; reports of civilian deaths following an Afghan-sponsored security operation; agrochemical spray probe urged in Paraguay; Libya violence abates during truce, and disarmament conference’s first woman chief urges Governments to “overcome their differences”.  

  • 14 Ago 2019

    A UN call for a humanitarian truce over this week’s Eid al-Adha religious holiday led to a “palpable reduction” of violence around the embattled capital of Tripoli, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement released on Wednesday.

  • 14 Ago 2019

    What is the difference between a migrant and a refugee? What are the reasons that motivate a person to leave his/her country? Journalists and journalism students participated on Tuesday 13 August in a seminar on Media and...

  • 14 Ago 2019

    To mark the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, on 21 August, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa earlier this year, to interview people who have personal stories to tell, about how terrorism has shattered their lives.

  • 14 Ago 2019

     

    In answers to questions asked about the situation in Yemen, the Spokesman said the following:

     

    We are closely following the developments on the ground in Aden. We are particularly concerned by the impact of the...

  • 14 Ago 2019

    Tripoli, 14 August 2019 - Following the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) call upon the parties on 8 August to express their commitment to a humanitarian truce on the occasion of Eid al-...

  • 13 Ago 2019

    Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been ‘limiting brutality’ for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; ‘Race against time” for migrants in Mediterranean

  • 13 Ago 2019

    Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been ‘limiting brutality’ for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; ‘Race against time” for migrants in Mediterranean

  • 13 Ago 2019

    In commemorating the 70th anniversary of the landmark Geneva Conventions, the president of the United Nations Security Council hailed the “significant body of law”, describing it as playing “a vital role in limiting brutality of armed conflicts”.

  • 13 Ago 2019

    Voicing great concern over a sharp increase in the killing and maiming of children in Mali due to ongoing fighting and instability, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners on Tuesday, called on all warring parties to stop attacks and “keep them out of harm’s way”.

  • 13 Ago 2019

    After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned “any form” of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to “express their views in a peaceful way”.

  • 13 Ago 2019

    After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned “any form” of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to “express their views in a peaceful way”.

  • 13 Ago 2019

    AYBAK - Participants at a UN-backed event in Afghanistan’s north committed to advocate for the rights of children and to raise awareness to protect them against abuse during the armed conflict.

    More than one...

  • 11 Ago 2019

    Mogadishu – The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, extends his heartfelt greetings to the Somali people as they celebrate Eid al-Adha.

    “Somalis are coming together to...

  • 10 Ago 2019

    Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned a car bomb attack in front of a shopping mall in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which left three UN workers dead, and three others injured, with dozens of civilians also wounded. 

  • 10 Ago 2019

    Mr. President, Members of the Council,

    I begin with the tragic news of the car bomb explosion that took place in Benghazi today.  There were a number of casualties, including UN staff working and living in Benghazi.  We are now in a position to confirm that three UN staff members were among the fatalities, and three others were injured and are now being treated.  Scores of Libyans are also among the injured.

    This horrific attack came at a time when people in Benghazi were preparing for the Eid al-Adha holiday, in an area supposedly under full security control of General Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces.  It serves to highlight the continued danger of terrorism across the country, and the limits of effective security control in the absence of one government and one military and police force working across the country. It also confirms that this latest bout of hostilities is creating a vacuum easily exploited by radical elements that strive on chaos and violence. The UN does not intend to evacuate from Libya.  For the foreseeable future our place remains alongside the Libyan people, like our brave colleagues who gave their lives today.  

     

    Mr. President.  

    There are other significant developments today in Libya.  It is a positive development that both Prime Minister Serraj and the General Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces have agreed to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General’s 29 July call for a truce for the period of Eid al Adha to begin this evening.  I can only hope that both sides will genuinely abide, in good faith, to their public commitment. Senseless and absurd violence needs to stop. 

    We have made it clear, on several occasions, in front of this same audience, that no party can emerge as the winner from the current conflict. Today is clear evidence that there are already many losers – the majority of whom are innocent Libyan civilians.  This message has resonated both with Libyans directly party to the conflict and to those international and regional stakeholders in Libya, who have seen that after more than four months of conflict there is no quick military win capable of resolving the complex situation on the ground.  Terrorism cannot be effectively fought under the circumstances on the ground.  The tragedy of illegal migration cannot be adequately addressed.  And Libya’s substantial economic potential cannot be realised for the benefit of the Libyan people, or as a stabilising influence in the region and beyond.  

    In the days leading up to the truce, UNSMIL worked hard to build confidence between the parties. Proposed immediate humanitarian measures including the exchange of prisoners, the exchange of mortal remains and visits to prisoners or phone calls can rebuild contacts and lower tensions to enable the truce to take place.  We urge the parties to seize this opportunity. This is the first step in returning to a political process.  It is essential that this truce is deepened and strengthened through these important confidence-building measures and that the parties move quickly forward to an international meeting to re-commit to a roadmap to transition the country from conflict back to the peaceful, democratic process.  Consistent with the Special Representative’s initiative, such a meeting would then be followed by a meeting of Libyans themselves.  

    This Council’s statement, supporting the call for a truce, was certainly an important element in demonstrating the renewed unity of the international community and its faith in the Special Representative and commitment to his three-point initiative to end the conflict.  The public and private support of key member states has also played a considerable role in building the credibility and necessity for the truce that is now about to start.

     

    Mr. President,

    The situation on the ground necessitates a truce across the country. The continued brutal descent of southern Libya into chaos and inter-communal feuds is a disturbing harbinger of what may ensue should the wider conflict persist. Simmering inter-communal tensions between Tebu and Ahali groups in Murzuq, exacerbated by countrywide political polarization, took a turn for the worse.  On 4 August, three LNA airstrikes against Tebu elements, including a number of civilians, resulted in approximately 45 fatalities.Murzuq suffers from the same environment as much of Libya: an absence of state institutions manifested in an absence of services, an almost total lack of governance, a lack of impartial security forces and an absence of hope. 

    It is a tragedy that so many have died in a town where there are deep-rooted grievances, that in the current circumstances risk taking on a national dimension.  It is essential that the intra-communal violence in Murzuq not spread to other towns in the South.  I therefore ask the Council to express its emphatic support to ensure that the truce takes place not only in areas under the clear control of specific security forces but also in areas where there is no clear security actor.  

    The United Nations family has been active in trying to address the urgent humanitarian priorities in Murzuq, through the provision of safe passage for the injured, and through emergency supplies of food, shelter and medicine.  

     

    Mr. President,

    I would like to conclude by raising an issue that the Special Representative and many member states have been following closely: the fate of abducted lawmaker Siham Sergawa.  Ms. Sergewa was abducted from her home in Benghazi on 17 July and has not been heard from since.  This unacceptable attack on a female lawmaker constitutes a serious crime against women and the prospect for women playing a role in political life in Libya.  We are grateful to those member states that have continued to follow the case closely and reiterate our demand that authorities in Benghazi assume their responsibility and find those responsible for this cowardly abduction of a female parliamentarian in front of her family.

    Thank you, Mr. President.

  • 10 Ago 2019

    10 August 2019 - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) welcomes the agreement by concerned parties to the principle of humanitarian...

  • 10 Ago 2019

    10 August 2019 - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ghassan Salame condemns in the strongest possible terms the explosion that took place today, 10 August, in front of a shopping mall in the eastern city of Benghazi, which resulted in a number of civilian casualties, including UN staff.  The Special Representative announces with a heavy heart the death of two UN staff members and several others injured. The...

  • 10 Ago 2019

    Following its call for a humanitarian truce on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) received a response from the Government of National Accord declaring its agreement to the truce...

  • 9 Ago 2019

    Leaders of the Greek and Turkish parts of the divided island of Cyprus have agreed to meet with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in order to “plan the way forward”, and improve the daily lives of all Cypriots, a statement from the UN Mission in Cyprus, declared on Friday.

  • 9 Ago 2019

    Youths from the local community and the FARC collective in Cesar established a cultural training school to reconciliation between ex-combatants and their neighboring community.

    ...
  • 9 Ago 2019


     

    3 - 9 August 2019

    This Week in DPPA aims to keep you abreast of developments and events on the agenda of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, at UN HQ and in the field, and especially those that sometimes "fly under the radar".

    Security Council

    DiCarlo: "Parties must fulfill their obligations under international law, to unilaterally release all arbitrarily detained or abducted"
    Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the UN Security Council on detainees and missing persons in Syria on 7 August. "While the UN is not able to verify, reports suggest that more than 100,000 people have so far been detained, abducted, disappeared or went missing, largely, but not only, by the Syrian Government,” she stated. DiCarlo called on the parties to unilaterally release all arbitrarily detained or abducted persons and reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
    Read her full statement here
    Read more in UN News


    Security Council hears updates on peace and security in Africa, Georgia and Syria
    Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita briefed the Security Council on 8 August in closed session on peace and security in Africa. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed on Georgia the same day. Syria was on the Council’s agenda on 9 August, in yet another closed session, with a briefing from Mohamed Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

     

    New York

    Indigenous languages and conflict prevention
    The Americas Division of the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) organized a seminar on indigenous languages and conflict prevention on 9 August, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Guest speakers Mathura Bikash Tripura, from Bangladesh, and Luis Enrique Lopez, from Peru, told the audience that conflicts involving indigenous communities, the private sector and governments have often resulted from tensions over the management of natural resources and access to land. Even if indigenous communities speak a mainstream language, mediators who speak indigenous languages and translators also trained as cultural mediators have been instrumental in building trust and understanding among parties at odds. There is a need to re-design initiatives preserving indigenous languages to target both indigenous and non-indigenous communities to ensure a holistic approach to multiculturalism, they stressed.
    For more information, please contact DPPA

     

    Afghanistan

    Nangarhar educators strategize on ways to improve women’s rights
    An event organized by UNAMA’s Jalalabad office brought together 35 female educators from girls’ schools in the eastern province of Nangarhar. During the discussion, participants underscored the need for more public awareness on gender equality, the rights of women and the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law. Investing in public education on women’s rights is crucial in order to eliminate violence against women and girls, participants said.
    Read the full story on UNAMA’s website

     

    Provincial leaders in Afghanistan’s northeast rally behind national peace efforts
    Participants at a series of UN-backed events in Afghanistan’s northeast say they support national peace efforts but only if they are fully inclusive, representing all segments of Afghan society, female and male alike, to ensure a lasting outcome. At one of the recent events, some 90 leaders from the provinces of Kunduz and Takhar came together to throw their weight behind ongoing peace efforts aimed at finding a political settlement to the Afghan conflict. Participants not only strategized about the best way forward to ensure a sustainable peace but also expressed optimism about the prospects for a breakthrough.
    Read the full story on UNAMA’s website

     

    Central Asia

    Workshop on effective border security and management as a means of countering terrorism in the region
    Senior government officials responsible for border security and management, counter-terrorism and intelligence matters of all Central Asian states, Afghanistan and Mongolia met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 6-8 August to enhance understanding and knowledge of good practices for effective border security and management as a means of countering terrorism in the region. The three-day training workshop was jointly organized by the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. Experts from a number of UN entities and regional organizations shared their knowledge and experience with the participants.  
    Read the full story on UNRCCA’s website

     

    Iraq

    SRSG visits Sinjar to commemorate atrocities against the Yazidi community
    Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert met survivors and local officials in Sinjar on 3-4 August. Her visit, on the fifth anniversary of ISIL’s atrocities against the Yazidis, was to highlight the plight of the stricken community and to call for urgent action to improve their lives and enable those who have fled to return home. “It is high time that the survivors, whose bravery we salute, be given the opportunity to return home and rebuild their lives in safety and dignity,“ she stated.
    Read more on UNAMI’s Facebook page

     

    Guinea-Bissau

    Communication course for Armed Forces
    The Senior Military Adviser of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea Bissau (UNIOGBIS) organized a two-week training course in crisis communication and social media management for the Guinean Armed Forces at the amura Military Headquarters in Bissau. Around 15 military press officers participated in the exercise, acquiring skills allowing them to interact with the media, give individual and collective interviews, draft statements and manage information in crisis situations as well as how to maintain a presence on social media platforms to broadcast messages in a transparent and ethical manner.
    Read more on UNIOGBIS’ website

     

    First Bissau-Guinean Soap Opera
    Around 50 experts in the fields of health, education, justice, peacebuilding and national reconciliation from the Government, civil society and UN agencies in Guinea-Bissau discussed on 5 August the different aspects of Bissau-Guinean life, culture and traditions to be included in the country’s first soap opera entitled “Sun and Sweat”. The soap opera project, aimed at behavior change and developing educational content for peacebuilding, is funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund, in the context of the Immediate Response Facility project in support of the media sector, coordinated by UNIOGBIS and managed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
    Read more on UNIOGBIS’ website

     

    Libya

    Ambassadors Conference in Turkey
    Special Representative Ghassan Salamé addressed the 11th Ambassadors Conference in Ankara, Turkey on 4 August.  In his address, he spoke about crisis management and conflict resolution. On the sidelines of the conference, he held a number of meetings on Libya, including with Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
    For more information, please contact DPPA

     

    Cyprus

    Meeting between Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders
    Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met on 9 August under the auspices of Special Representative and Deputy Special Adviser on Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar. The two leaders announced their readiness to hold a tripartite meeting with the Secretary-General after the UN General Assembly in September to plan the way forward.
    Read the full statement here.


     

    Colombia

    Coffee for peacebuilding and reconciliation
    The UN Verification Mission in Colombia, on 3 August, accompanied the launch of the «Third Agreement» coffee brand. Representatives of coffee growers, ex-combatants and the Nasa Wes'x indigenous community of Gaitania, Tolima Department, joined in a local pact to produce coffee as part of the peacebuilding process. «Third Agreement» coffee offers an opportunity for development, sustainability and support for the reconciliation process. This project not only aims to strengthen the process of socio-economic reintegration of ex-combatants but will also boost the economy of the local community.
    For more information, please contact DPPA

     

    Candidates for Governor of Arauca sign pact for peace and non-violence
    In the framework of the "World Cocoa Meeting: from Arauca for Peace" held on 5 August in the city of Arauca, three of the four candidates for the Governor seat of the Department signed the "Pact for Peace, Nonviolence, Ethics, and Electoral Transparency". The candidates committed themselves to include these agreements in their government programs. The meeting was supported by Colombia Transforma, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Electoral Observation Mission and the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia of the Organization of American States (MAPP-OEA), with the collaboration of the United Nations Verification Mission, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and the National University.
    For more information, please contact DPPA

     

    Central Africa

    New Issue of UNOCA Newsletter
    This week, the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) issued the latest issue of its quarterly newsletter “Interface”, which reviews the main activities of the office from April to June 2019.
    Read the magazine here (French).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • 9 Ago 2019

    Life-saving food aid distribution is set to resume to 850,000 people in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, following guarantees by Houthi opposition forces that the supplies will reach those who need them most, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.

  • 8 Ago 2019

    Thursday’s top stories: food security risk from climate crisis, fresh violence threat for millions of Syrians, UN chief urges “maximum restraint” in Jammu and Kashmir, calls for investigations into “brutal abduction” of Libyan politician.

  • 8 Ago 2019

    The League of Arab States (LAS) shares a common mission with the United Nations (UN):  promoting peace, security and stability by preventing conflict, resolving disputes and acting in a spirit of solidarity and unity. In doing so, the two organizations also work together to expand economic opportunity, advance respect for human rights and build political inclusion. 

    The UN and the LAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 1989, which was renewed in 2016 by concluding a Protocol of Amendment. In June 2019, the UN opened a Liaison Office to the League of Arab States in Cairo, the first such office to be funded through the regular budget. The UN and LAS secretariats and respective agencies, funds and programmes regularly hold general cooperation and sectoral meetings. as mandated by the General Assembly. The two organizations also continue to invest in building their engagement through capacity-building exercises and staff exchanges. The Security Council also has sought to strengthen interaction with the LAS, including by holding informal informal meetings between its members and the LAS.
     

    Resources

    • The Arab Strategy for Youth, Peace and Securitiy 2023-2028 - AR EN