The UN human rights office (OHCHR) expressed alarm on Friday over reports that in Sudan, women and girls are being abducted, chained and held in “inhuman, degrading slave-like conditions” in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur.
Political negotiations to get aid into Gaza have yielded results but much more is needed, including humanitarian ceasefires to ensure safe delivery of food, fuel and other essentials, senior UN officials said on Friday in a briefing to Member States in New York.
More funding is urgently needed for lifesaving aid in Gaza while concern is deepening over high numbers of civilians killed since the beginning of the crisis and human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Myanmar witnessed a sharp escalation in fighting between the military and opposition groups this week fuelling a surge in new displacements, the UN humanitarian wing has said.
Russia has bombarded more than 100 Ukrainian towns across nearly half of its regions in the past two days according to the Ukrainian Government, many near the frontlines.
Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas
Miroslav Jenča’s Remarks at the General Assembly Fourth Committee session on
Comprehensive Review of Special Political Missions
New York, 2 November 2023
Madam Chair [Ambassador Mathur Joyini (South Africa)],
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
It is a pleasure to introduce, on behalf of the Secretary-General, his eleventh report on “Overall policy matters pertaining to special political missions”.
I am honoured to be joined by my colleague, Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, whose Department is critical in enabling our special political missions to fulfil their mandates.
I would like to express my appreciation to the delegations of Finland and Mexico for their leadership on this agenda item and their close cooperation with the Secretariat and my Department.
We are also grateful to Member States for their participation in the event we held last month to mark the 75th anniversary of special political missions.
Excellencies,
Our world is one of heightened uncertainty, volatility, and rapid transformation.
Conflicts have grown exponentially, creating massive humanitarian disasters that are testing our collective capacities to respond. Military expenditures are soaring while funding for humanitarian aid, peacemaking and peacebuilding shrinks.
We are also facing a series of transnational threats, including the impact of the climate crisis and the potential for the weaponization of new technologies and domains.
And yet, just as collective action is needed most, the world is growing more divided. Tensions between major powers are perilously high. And the mechanisms that once maintained global stability are under severe strain.
It was this crying need for more unity, dialogue and cooperation that was the driving force behind the Secretary-General’s policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace.
The policy brief is stark in its analysis: the post-Cold War period is behind us, and the world is transitioning toward a new order, with high levels of geopolitical tension and low levels of trust. A New Agenda for Peace offers the Secretary-General’s vision for how Member States can work together to rebuild trust, enhance solidarity, and revitalize multilateral action for peace.
We are grateful for the active engagement of Member States in consultations we held to inform the drafting of this policy brief. And we are heartened that its analysis, principles and call for more diplomacy and peacemaking have been welcomed.
Distinguished delegates,
A major recommendation for A New Agenda for Peace is the overwhelming needs to prevent conflict, mediate and resolve conflicts and build peace. The report before this Committee details how special political missions are just that.
From Libya and Somalia to Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Special Envoys and Representatives of the Secretary-General are supporting political processes and working to pave the way for peace and reconciliation.
In the Middle East, Special Coordinator Wennesland is working tirelessly with all sides to de-escalate the situation in Gaza. All our envoys in the region are trying to prevent further regionalization of the conflict.
In Colombia, the UN Verification Mission has made a critical contribution to the implementation of the 2016 Final Agreement, supporting reintegration of former combatants, security guarantees, comprehensive rural reform, and transitional justice and reconciliation. The mission also facilitated the resumption of peace talks between the National Liberation Army or ELN, which resulted in a six-month ceasefire agreement. At the request of the parties, the Security Council has expanded the Mission's mandate to include monitoring and verifying the implementation of this ceasefire.
In the Great Lakes region, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General has undertaken a series of good offices missions to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, an integral effort to support regional peace.
Special political missions are also working in a variety of settings to explore and pilot new technologies, tools and practices in conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding.
Excellencies,
I would like to highlight three of the thematic issues addressed in this year’s report of the Secretary-General.
The first is Women, Peace, and Security.
Last week marked the 23rd anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). This was an occasion to recognize that we have come a long way in increasing the participation of women in peace and political processes in the last two decades. But women, who are disproportionally affected by conflicts and violence, are still too often excluded from the peace table and transition efforts.
We must address the structural inequalities that are denying women the opportunity, representation, legal protections, physical autonomy, safety and security on- and off-line. Education and healthcare are exacerbated in conflict contexts.
Dismantling structural gender inequalities and incorporating women’s voices and contributions is not only a matter of equity and right, but a powerful means to expand the ownership of peace and political processes.
Special political missions have been instrumental in advocating for increased participation of women in these areas.
In Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria, our missions enabled women’s participation in negotiating delegations.
In Afghanistan, our mission is doing its utmost to stop and reverse an attack on basic rights of women in the society.
UNAMA and UN Women regularly consult Afghan women’s groups and activists across the country and persist in presenting their concerns to the de facto authorities and raising individual cases of arbitrary arrest and detention. This essential work will continue.
The Second area is on Youth, Peace and Security.
Meaningful youth engagement is crucial for the achievement of sustainable development, human rights, and gender equality, and peace and security.
Special political missions are actively reviewing and adapting their approaches to better harness the positive potential of young people in building peaceful, prosperous, and just societies.
In Central Asia, the UNRCCA is working to enhance youth participation in initiatives promoting human rights, combatting the climate crisis, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
In Libya, UNSMIL regularly engages with youth representatives on ways to build consensus regarding the legal framework for national elections.
In Somalia, UNSOM conducted discussions with young men and women in the Federal Member States to reinforce the role in democratization at the provincial or subnational level.
The third thematic area is supporting Member States in building sustainable peace.
In collaboration with UN country teams, special political missions continue to support the implementation of inclusive and nationally led peacebuilding priorities.
During the reporting period, the Peacebuilding Fund approved $37.4 million for projects in Colombia, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan – all countries hosting special political missions.
These projects supported reconciliation initiatives and the participation of women and youth in public life and political transitions.
Special political missions also implement the peacebuilding agenda at the regional level.
In Central Africa, UNOCA works closely with the subregional organization, ECCAS, to address the growing risk of violence fuelled by disinformation and hate speech. In July, UNOCA helped organize a regional forum on the Draft Regional Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Hate Speech in Central Africa.
In the Horn of Africa, the Special Envoy has established a Climate, Peace, and Security Hub to support IGAD's efforts to address the impacts of climate change on peace and security in the sub-region. The new Hub will coordinate the UN system at the regional level and incorporate climate considerations into mediation and preventive diplomacy.
Madam Chair,
Since the early years of the United Nations, Member States have relied on special political missions to address a wide range of complex threats to international peace and security. The good offices role of the Secretary-General, carried out by his envoys and representatives, have taken on greater urgency as we survey the deteriorating peace and security landscape around us.
With your support, I am confident that special political missions can and will play a crucial role in carrying forward multilateral diplomacy for peace and operationalizing Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations.
Our missions will also be ready to play their part in implementing measures to bolster cooperation agreed on by Member States at the Summit of the Future in September next year.
In conclusion, Madam Chair, I would like to express my Department’s appreciation to all Member States for their continued engagement on this agenda item and strong support for special political missions. We remain grateful in particular to those countries that are hosting special political missions.
I wish also to extend a tribute to the United Nations personnel serving in special political missions, who often work under immensely challenging conditions.
I look forward to a rich discussion.
Thank you.
The number of people killed in Gaza is nearing the 9,000 mark amid mounting concerns over the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on a densely-populated refugee camp near Gaza City, while a key hospital has stopped operations and UN humanitarians are unable to deliver aid to the north as the ground war intensifies.
Russia on Thursday announced it was revoking its ratification of the UN-backed Comprehensive Nuclear Test Bank Treaty (CTBT), after the Russian Duma passed legislation last month.
New data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has revealed a worrying rise in violence against journalists during election periods, and usually at the hands of law enforcement agents.
UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed Egypt’s decision on Wednesday to accept dozens of the most critically sick and injured from the stricken Gaza Strip for treatment.
More than 820 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been displaced amid settler violence and increased movement restrictions since the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October and the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza, the UN relief wing said on Wednesday.
UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed Egypt’s decision on Wednesday to accept dozens of the most critically sick and injured from the stricken Gaza Strip for treatment. Meanwhile, the UN relief chief has said a "step change" is needed in what has now become "a global crisis."
UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed Egypt’s decision on Wednesday to accept dozens of the most critically sick and injured from the stricken Gaza Strip for treatment. Meanwhile, the UN relief chief has said a "step change" is needed in what has now become "a global crisis."
Standing in the sacred grounds of Lumbini, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday delivered a heartfelt message, urging the world to take inspiration from the teachings of Lord Buddha and make a commitment to peace and compassion, as crises mount.
The UN chief on Tuesday said levels of aid allowed into the stricken Gaza Strip are “completely inadequate” to meet the rising needs of civilians trapped there amidst the intensifying fighting.
As the world’s attention focuses on the unfolding emergency in the Gaza Strip, a senior UN aid official on Tuesday urged the Security Council not to overlook the equally “brutal and far-reaching” crisis in Ukraine.
Gaza has become a “graveyard” for children with thousands now killed under Israeli bombardment, while more than a million face dire shortages of essentials and a lifetime of trauma ahead, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Monday warned that civilians there are facing the “terrifying” prospect of a potential wider escalation given the uptick in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the UN Security Council is set to meet on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground incursions. We will have the live coverage of the meeting here as soon as proceedings are underway.
UPDATED: With the Israel-Palestine crisis in its fourth week, UN aid teams on Monday highlighted the mounting pressure on north Gaza hospitals where patients and health workers remain, amid reports of expanded Israeli ground operations.
Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the UN Security Council met in emergency session again on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground incursions.
Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the UN Security Council met in emergency session again on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground incursions.
The United Nations has welcomed the resumption of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to end the months-long conflict between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary force which lefts scores dead and sent the northeast African country spiraling into humanitarian crisis.
The crisis sparked by the Hamas terrorist attack and ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip is a "political and humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions” said the UN’s independent human rights expert for the Occupied Palestinian Territory this week.
Relief agencies warned on Sunday that civil order is starting to break down in Gaza after thousands of desperate people stormed UN-operated warehouses and other aid distribution centres in the ravaged enclave, taking wheat flour, hygiene supplies and other basic survival goods.
The United Nations on Saturday ramped up appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after another night of ground incursions and intense bombardment by Israeli forces left healthcare facilities without electricity and civilians across the ravaged enclave virtually “cut off from the outside world”.
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The UN’s top human rights official issued a new appeal on Friday for an end to the Israel-Palestine crisis and the release of all hostages, amid rising civilian deaths and reports that children's names have been written on their arms so that they can be identified in case they die in the rubble.
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted a major resolution on the Gaza crisis, calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.”
Humanitarian operations continue to deliver life-saving assistance in Ukraine, amid ongoing attacks across the country, the UN said on Friday.
As the UN’s 193 Member States meet on how to address the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis, we took a look at how the current rarely convened General Assembly emergency special session came about, what it means and why it matters.
As much needed aid starts to trickle into besieged Gaza, a war over facts is ratcheting up as conflicting narratives about the situation on the ground are being fuelled by social media.
With the humanitarian system in Gaza on the verge of "total collapse", UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday again appealed for greater aid access to the besieged enclave, where “misery is growing by the minute.”
The world cannot forget about Syria, the Head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the country has said, while also highlighting how the war there is connected to the conflict raging in the Middle East.
Much of the damage caused by the destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam in June is “irreversible”, with likely changes to the environment that impact ecosystems and human health.
Progress has been made in advancing a 2019 peace agreement in the Central African Republic (CAR) but the support of the international community is still vital, the UN Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza told the Security Council on Thursday.
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday morning held an emergency special session on the Israel-Palestine crisis, amid continuing deadlock in the Security Council and with conditions in the besieged enclave of Gaza growing more dire by the hour.
Day 19 of the Gaza conflict comes on the heels of the deadliest 24 hours so far amid hospitals shutting down, while UN humanitarians reiterated urgent calls on Thursday for all civilians to be protected and hostages released.
