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How does a Security Council resolution get adopted?
Armed conflict puts children at an increased risk of grave violations while their risk of being trafficked similarly increases, including in transitional periods, a new UN study has revealed.
Peacekeepers positioned along the “Blue Line” of separation between Israel and Lebanon remain committed to their mandate, and will remain in place until conditions allow, the UN’s peacekeeping chief said on Thursday.
The UN-designated human rights expert on Sudan has called for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with their allied militias, to take immediate steps to protect civilians in greater Khartoum amid escalating violence and alarming reports of summary executions.
People in Lebanon uprooted by Israeli airstrikes including in central Beirut have described being forced to flee “total destruction”, amid fresh reports of Hezbollah projectile attacks into Israel and close-quarter clashes along the UN-patrolled line of separation between the two countries.
Russian shelling has hit another apartment block in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv, UN aid teams said on Thursday.
The global peace and security environment remained critical in the first half of 2024. The work of diplomacy led by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) continued patiently, painstakingly, often discreetly, in large part thanks to the contributions its partners channel through the Multi-Year Appeal (MYA). Our experience is that relatively modest investments in conflict prevention and sustaining peace yield measurable dividends, in the short, medium and long term.
Despite the significant peace and security challenges facing Africa, there are reasons to be hopeful, the head of the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU) told ambassadors at the Security Council on Wednesday, urging their continued focus on the continent.
A breakdown in law and order and a wider humanitarian emergency across Haiti have displaced more than 700,000 people – one in two of them children – the UN migration office, IOM, said on Wednesday.
Hours after Iran fired a reported 200 missiles at Israel in response to Israeli military incursions in southern Lebanon raising fears of a wider Middle East escalation, UN human rights chief Volker Türk insisted on Wednesday that “peace must prevail” in the Middle East, while UN Member States meeting in Geneva reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and beyond.
Security Council members met in emergency session on Tuesday morning in New York with the Middle East on the brink of all-out war. App users can reprise our live coverage here.
Madame President, Excellencies,
The raging fires in the Middle East are fast becoming an inferno.
Exactly one week ago, I briefed the Security Council about the alarming situation in Lebanon.
Since then, things have gone from bad to much, much worse.
As I told the Council last week, the Blue Line has seen tensions for years. But since October, exchanges of fire have expanded in scope, depth, and intensity.
...With war ramping up across the Middle East on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for the violence to end now.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine condemned a deadly Russian strike in Kherson on Tuesday morning and underscored the need to protect civilians caught in the war, which is entering its 30th month.
Diplomats have been highlighting Security Council resolution 1701 in official meetings and in the corridors over the busy High-Level Week at UN Headquarters.
A former combatant fighting for the rights of her people on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines has been talking about how she has swapped her combat fatigues for jilbabs [outer garment] and her life in the jungle for a more peaceful rural community.
The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants, as Israel launched what it described as a “limited” ground incursion into Southern Lebanon.
UN humanitarians launched a $426 million appeal for Lebanon on Tuesday to support one million people uprooted by widespread Israeli shelling amid what Israel has described as a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation into Lebanon, across the UN-patrolled line of separation.
Beirut, Lebanon
1 October 2024
What we feared has materialized. With strikes throughout Lebanon, including in the heart of Beirut, and incursions across the Blue Line, violence is spiraling to dangerous heights.
Every rocket and missile fired, every bomb dropped and every ground raid conducted pull the parties further from the vision set out in Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and the conditions needed for the safe return of civilians on...
I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation.
This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.
The UN Security Council on Monday re-authorized the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti for 12 months.
Mobilization at the national, regional and international level are needed to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the face of continued violence in the east, trafficking of natural resources, and other challenges, the UN Security Council heard on Monday.
More than one million people across Lebanon have been uprooted by ongoing and deadly Israeli airstrikes across the country, including one reported early Monday morning in a residential area of central Beirut, adding to fears of a full-scale invasion.
UN humanitarians on Monday warned of the potentially dire consequences that could arise from disruption to the flow of food imports into Yemen following Israeli strikes on the crucial Red Sea port of Hudaydah.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern on Saturday over the dramatic escalation of events in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, in the past 24 hours.
The top UN aid official in Ukraine has condemned Russian attacks in the northeastern city of Sumy on Saturday which damaged a hospital and killed and injured several people.
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The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours.
This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war.
He urges the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities. He also...
At least 11 schools being used as shelters by internally displaced Gazans have been hit so far this month, with nearly 100 deaths reported, said UN aid coordination office, OCHA, on Friday.
The sudden and massive escalation between Israel and the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon has created widespread fear that even worse is to come, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
Women and girls in the midst of the brutal conflict between rival militaries in Sudan are being disproportionately impacted, including 5.8 million who are now displaced, according to an alert released by UN Women on Friday.
The UN Security Council debated the current situation on the ground in war-torn Gaza on Friday, where Israeli strikes have killed more than 41,500 Palestinians amid mass displacement and stymied humanitarian efforts as Israel continues hampering the entry of lifesaving aid. UN News app users can catch up with our live coverage here.
Remarks for Ms. Rosemary A. DiCarlo,
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Peacebuilding Commission Ministerial-Level Meeting
New York, 26 September 2024
Mr. Chair, Mr Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, President Türk,
Excellencies, distinguished guests,
I am honored to address you today on how the United Nations can further strengthen its peacebuilding work following the adoption of the Pact for the Future.
The Pact aims to reinvigorate “global action to ensure the future we want and to effectively respond to current and future challenges”. In our fraught times, it represents an important achievement.
Indeed, over the last decade armed conflict has surged. Global division and tensions have grown. Cooperation on matters of peace and security has diminished. It is urgent to mend the ties that bind us, to rebuild trust, and recommit to address the monumental challenges before us together.
With the Pact, the global community is pledging to do just that. And, importantly for our work, the Pact places strong emphasis on prevention and peacebuilding, and on their link to sustainable development.
The 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review is an opportunity to further develop and operationalize the political commitments that Member States have made in this regard in the Pact.
The Review aims, of course, at enhancing the UN’s peacebuilding efforts and their impact in conflict-affected societies. It also serves as a platform for deliberation on recommendations in A New Agenda for Peace.
Mr. Chair,
Allow me to briefly highlight five areas where the 2025 Review can help translate into reality the Pact’s objective to bring a more strategic approach and coherence to peacebuilding efforts, particularly through the work of the Peacebuilding Commission.
First, the Commission could further support national prevention and peacebuilding strategies by providing a platform for sharing experiences, by highlighting how various countries address the root causes and drivers of violence and conflict within their societies.
The Commission can also provide political accompaniment, solidarity and visibility for a Member State’s peacebuilding and prevention efforts.
And it can help tailor support for the country, with potential contributions of the broader UN system, international financial institutions, regional organizations and the private sector. Key to this enhanced role for the PBC will be adequate logistical and substantive support.
Second, the advisory role of the Commission to the Security Council regarding countries in transition could be more action-oriented, as elaborated in the founding resolutions of the Commission. The Pact underscores this vital support role.
The Commission’s mandate and activities could further complement and enhance the work of the Council, sustaining peacebuilding gains and continuing valuable accompaniment.
A good example of this action-oriented approach is the Commission’s efforts to helping ensure a smooth transition in Liberia as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was closing. The Commission and key partners advised Liberian officials on their peacebuilding plan, identifying financial and capacity gaps.
Third, the Commission should continue to champion inclusive approaches to peacebuilding. I commend the Commission for being the only intergovernmental body with a gender strategy and a youth action plan, and for continuing to advocate for the full and meaningful participation of women and youth in peacebuilding.
Regarding Colombia, for example, the Commission has been active in highlighting the important role of Colombian women in the implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace.
The upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary of resolution 1325 is an opportunity to showcase the Commission’s added value in supporting women peacebuilders.
In line with commitments in its Gender Action Plan, we can collectively advance implementation – by increasing the number of women peacebuilders briefing the Commission and supporting, in all relevant PBC meetings, the inclusion of gender analysis.
Engagement with civil society is especially relevant here. The Commission’s exchange with more than seventy civil society representatives from around the world during the CSO-UN Dialogue on Peacebuilding was an important step in broadening the conversation on peacebuilding.
We look forward to continuing to engage with new constituencies during the next Dialogue in December of this year.
Fourth, let me underline the importance of the role of partnerships.
The Secretary-General has stressed the need for robust partnerships with regional organizations to address complex peacebuilding and prevention challenges.
The Commission’s recent decision to formalize its engagement with the African Union is a positive step towards a stronger collaboration with Africa. We hope to see the Commission partner with other regional and sub-regional organizations.
Further, the Pact for the Future reinforces the call for multilateral development banks to better address global challenges, which includes implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
Regional development banks have an increasingly important role to play in this regard. Several have recently adopted tailored strategies in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
For example, the African Development Bank has set up the Transition Support Facility, a financing mechanism that has disbursed more than $5 billion to date in member countries in transition or affected by fragility. The PBC should be encouraged to build stronger and more systematic linkages with these institutions.
Excellencies,
My fifth, and final point, is a call for us to recommit to adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding.
The landmark General Assembly resolution on Financing for Peacebuilding (A/RES/76/305) emphasizes the need to close the critical peacebuilding funding gap.
While the achievement of assessed contributions for the Peacebuilding Fund is commendable and has been welcomed in the Pact, we need more financing to reverse the backsliding in investments in prevention and peacebuilding.
The upcoming Review will provide an excellent occasion to further explore and operationalize various elements of this resolution.
Mr. Chair, Excellencies,
The Pact for the Future provides a comprehensive framework for advancing our peacebuilding agenda. We cannot miss this opportunity. We look forward to working with all of you in turning these commitments into reality.
Thank you.
The UN agency that supports Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is the only “outpost of hope” left in the hellscape that is Gaza, the UN Secretary-General told a high-level ministerial meeting on Thursday in New York.
The call for a more inclusive and representative Security Council resonated loud and clear at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, as African leaders demanded global powers address the longstanding inequity in the Council’s composition.
World leaders, senior government officials and civil society representatives joined forces at UN Headquarters on Thursday to reaffirm commitment to nuclear disarmament as a global priority.
A new humanitarian crisis is unfolding at Lebanon’s border with Syria as thousands of people flee Israeli shelling linked to the war in Gaza, UN humanitarians said on Thursday, just as Israel premier Benyamin Netanyahu arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly.
Excellencies,
Distinguished speakers,
Today’s discussion has shown that the pursuit of peace and international cooperation is not a hopeless goal.
It is tempting to despair or be cynical, amid the level of divisions in today’s world.
However, as leaders gather in New York this week, this Summit reminds us that Member States overwhelmingly want the multilateral system to be effective and fair.
They know that the challenges we face – from the climate emergency and the weaponization of new technologies to deadlier and more complex conflicts – can only be addressed through international cooperation.
I would like to make three observations on what our priorities going forward should be:
First, a recommitment to diplomacy.
Diplomacy is the essence of multilateral cooperation. If we want to overcome divisions, we need to boost diplomacy.
This requires investing in mechanisms that keep channels open, defuse tensions, and bring different viewpoints together – especially across divides and amongst countries that disagree and dispute.
I welcome the strong language around diplomacy, including on the good offices role of the Secretary-General, in the Pact for the Future.
Recommitting to diplomacy is a political choice: to resort to dialogue instead of arms, negotiation instead of coercion, and persuasion instead of imposition.
Indeed, peace instead of war.
It might be politically difficult and unpopular to do so at times, but it is the only decision that pays off in the long term.
Second, we must invest – politically and financially – in prevention.
The evidence is clear: prevention saves lives. It safeguards development gains. It is cost-effective. But it remains chronically underprioritized.
A New Agenda for Peace made a strong case for a paradigm shift on prevention, with a focus on universality and national ownership.
I am pleased that many of these ideas have found support in the Pact for the Future, and we look forward to working with Member States to carry this agenda forward.
Finally, we must ensure that the multilateral system, and the collective security system in particular, work for everyone.
Unless the benefits of international cooperation become more tangible and equitable, we won’t have global buy-in to tackle our common challenges.
The Pact for the Future points to key priorities to upgrade the different institutions at the heart of the multilateral system, including the Security Council.
We must now ensure that the principles the Member States have agreed on in the Pact can form the basis for real reform.
Excellencies,
The United Nations was born out of a shared commitment to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
You may have noticed the key words there – shared commitment.
The United Nations is shaped fundamentally by the willingness – that is, the commitment – of its Member States to cooperate.
As the Secretary-General said in A New Agenda for Peace: if war is a choice, peace can be too.
Thank you.
