UN humanitarians have reached nearly two million Ukrainians whose lives have been impacted by Russia’s ongoing invasion with multi-purpose cash assistance in just the first three months of 2023, the UN Spokesperson said on Wednesday.
UN humanitarians have reached nearly two million Ukrainians whose lives have been impacted by Russia’s ongoing invasion with multi-purpose cash assistance in just the first three months of 2023, the UN Spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Food insecurity and malnutrition in West and Central Africa are on track to reach a 10-year high by June as the crisis expands to coastal countries, UN agencies warned on Tuesday, citing latest data.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Tuesday called for an immediate end to the hostilities in Sudan and pleaded for the opposing sides in the military power struggle to return to the negotiating table, as reports emerged of a proposed 24-hour pause in the fighting, due to start at 1800 local time.
Against the backdrop of a fragile human rights landscape, a “new dynamic” of cooperation among Libyan leaders provides much-needed momentum as the country prepares for elections later this year, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council on Tuesday.
As the UN marks 75 years of its special political missions, Politically Speaking talks with the Secretary-General’s Representatives and Envoys about their current work and how they view the future of diplomacy for peace.
Ahead of his latest briefing to the Security Council, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg discussed the importance of coherent...
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL KHALED KHIARI’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION/DPRK
New York, 17 April 2023
Mr. President,
According to its official news agency, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched what it described as a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on 13 April. The DPRK said that it test-fired the ballistic missile – which it designated as Hwasong-18 – to confirm quote “the performance of the high-thrust solid-fuel engines for multi-stage missiles” end quote.
It is the DPRK’s first launch of a long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile. Solid-propellant missiles do not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch. They can thus be launched more quickly than liquid-propellant missiles. This also means that it may be more difficult to detect the preparation of a launch in a timely manner.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch of yet another long-range ballistic missile by the DPRK.
The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on the DPRK to immediately desist from taking any further destabilising actions, to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, and to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. President,
The DPRK Foreign Ministry and Central Military Commission, the latter on 10 April, have warned of so-called “countermeasures” in response to military exercises in the region. Earlier today, the Marshal of the Korean People's Army issued a statement opposing today’s meeting of the Council.
The DPRK continues to implement its five-year military development plan unveiled during the 8th Party Congress in January 2021. That plan provided for the development of specific capabilities, many involving the DPRK pursuing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.
The DPRK claims to be hitting significant milestones on its five-year plan, including since our last briefing on 20 March.
For example, the plan included developing a new solid propellant intercontinental-range ballistic missile. The DPRK reportedly achieved this with the launch on 13 April.
That plan also provided for the development of multiple warheads; tactical nuclear weapons; a military reconnaissance satellite; new unmanned aerial systems; and a “hypersonic gliding flight warhead”.
In line with its five-year plan, the DPRK greatly increased its missile launch activities in 2022 and 2023, including more than 80 launches using ballistic missile technology. The DPRK characterised these launches as involving systems with nuclear weapon roles, including so-called “tactical” nuclear weapons. Most of the systems it tested are capable of striking countries in the immediate region. The systems it tested on 13 April, 16 March and 18 February, as well as on two occasions last year, are capable of reaching most points on the Earth.
The DPRK did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications for any of these launches. Despite the DPRK claiming otherwise, unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Mr. President,
Key peace and security issues, such as the Korean Peninsula, must be an area for cooperation. We welcome the Security Council’s commitment, as expressed in resolution 2397 (2017), to a peaceful, comprehensive, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the importance the Council has placed on working to reduce tensions. Diplomacy – not isolation - is the only way forward.
The lack of unity and action in the Security Council does little to slow the negative trajectory on the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK is unconstrained, and other parties are compelled to focus on military deterrence.
As the Council considers its options, there are several practical steps that could reduce tensions, reverse the dangerous dynamic, and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.
First, the DPRK needs to take immediate steps to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This should include the DPRK refraining from carrying out further launches using ballistic missile technology or nuclear tests.
Second, the DPRK to resume communication channels, including military to military. The DPRK has been unresponsive to daily routine calls via inter-Korean communication lines since 7 April. It is critical to avoid an unintended escalation.
Third, reducing confrontational rhetoric will help to lower political tensions and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.
Mr. President,
Separately, I wish to highlight once more our concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The United Nations is ready to assist the DPRK in addressing medical and other basic needs of vulnerable populations. We welcome the return of diplomats from one Member State to Pyongyang on 27 March. We reiterate our call on the DPRK to allow the unimpeded entry of international staff, including the Resident Coordinator, and of humanitarian supplies, to enable a timely and effective response.
Mr. President, let me close by stressing again that the unity of the Security Council on the DPRK is essential to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse. The primary responsibility for international peace and security rests with this Council.
The Secretariat is your partner in this effort. We remain in close contact with all key parties, including the DPRK, and are ready to seize opportunities whenever the conditions are right to make a difference. As we speak, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, is on a visit to Northeast Asia. The Secretary-General’s good offices and our convening power are always available.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Security Council Press Statement on Colombia - SC/15259
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by...
Unity of the Security Council is “essential” to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse on the Korean Peninsula, Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said on Monday, briefing on the latest developments following Pyongyang’s first-ever launch of a solid-fuel ballistic missile days ago.
Clashes intensified across Sudan on Monday, as top UN officials urged rival military factions to protect civilians and respect the country’s international obligations.
An expired truce still delivering positive results, and a recent mass prisoner exchange, are signs of hope in Yemen, but more work remains to end the war between the Saudi coalition-backed Government and Houthi rebels, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Monday.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily halted all operations, as a result of the fighting between rival military groups in Sudan, which led to the deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday. The UN Secretary-General has called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Haiti’s population is being held hostage to brutality and gang violence, according to a report from the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), which contains harrowing testimony from a country seemingly in freefall.
Following an outbreak of armed fighting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Saturday, the head of the UN Mission in the country has issued a statement strongly condemning the violence, and other senior officials are voicing concern.
Immaculée Songa survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, but her husband and two daughters, as well as many relatives and friends, were killed. At the launch of a UN exhibition commemorating the horrific event and other notorious mass killings, she shared her story with UN News.
Immaculée Songa survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, but her husband and two daughters, as well as many relatives and friends, were killed. At the launch of a UN exhibition commemorating the horrific event and other notorious mass killings, she shared her story with UN News.
Following reports of armed fighting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the head of the UN Mission in the country, issued statements on Saturday strongly condemning the violence, as other senior officials voiced concerns.
|
Hate speech is an alarm bell – the louder it rings, the greater the threat of genocide, the UN chief said on Friday as the General Assembly commemorated the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Nearly a decade after Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from their dormitory in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, 96 remain in captivity, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said on Friday.
Hate speech is an alarm bell – the louder it rings, the greater the threat of genocide, the UN chief said on Friday as the General Assembly commemorated the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
At a time of terrible divisions in the world, leaders from multiple faiths joined together at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday to observe a moment of prayer for peace.
The UN and partners are appealing for $720 million to support more than three million people in Haiti, where gangs, hunger, and cholera have plunged nearly half the population into humanitarian need.
The international community must take immediate action to stop Israel’s forced evictions and displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem as part of Israel’s annexation and “de-Palestinianization” of the city, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Thursday.
Fully implementing the agreement that ended five decades of conflict in Colombia and promoting dialogue with armed groups to reduce violence are critical to consolidate peace in the country, UN Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu told the Security Council on Thursday.
UN chief António Guterres on Wednesday reaffirmed the world body’s commitment to supporting the Horn of Africa country as it continues on its path to establishing lasting peace and stability.
The security situation in Mali remains quite volatile, marked by pockets of terrorist violence, with devastating consequences for civilians, the top UN official there said on Wednesday.
Continuing his tradition of carrying out solidarity visits to Muslim countries during the Holy Month of Ramadan, the United Nations chief today landed in Somalia, where he underlined the need for international engagement to alleviate the country’s dire humanitarian situation and aid with state-building efforts.
The United Nations has denounced deadly airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Armed Forces which reportedly killed at least 100 people in an opposition stronghold in the northwest on Tuesday.
Secretary-General António Guterres has underscored the importance of implementing the Peace Agreement in Colombia, and advancing dialogue, in his latest quarterly report on the UN Mission in the country, published on Monday.
Implementing the many global tools aimed at controlling the trade and transfer of weapons – ranging from tracing instruments, to export rules, to safe storage guidelines and beyond – is crucial to prevent arms from falling into the wrong hands, the UN’s senior disarmament official told the Security Council on Monday.
Talks between Saudi and Omani delegations with officials from the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen’s capital Sana’a over the weekend, were described as “a welcome step towards the de-escalation in tensions”, by the UN Spokesperson on Monday.
