KABUL - Media interested to follow the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, 27-28 November 2018, will be able to view all proceedings through a live webcast at http://webtv.un....
KABUL - Media interested to follow the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, 27-28 November 2018, will be able to view all proceedings through a live webcast at http://webtv.un....
Mr. President,
The conflict continues, and rages on. We see Hodeidah as the center of gravity of the war. And for this reason, we deeply welcome recent reports of the reduction of violence on Hodeidah fronts.
And we need it to last.
I am extremely grateful to all leaders and others who have called for a cessation of hostilities. There must be no temptation to restart that battle. As the mediator in this conflict, I strongly believe that nothing should be allowed to impede the chance of dialogue and negotiation.
This Council has consistently called on all the parties to avoid any humanitarian catastrophe. And Secretary-General Guterres recently reminded us of our fears in that regard, the other day. But the situation in Hodeidah is fragile and unstable. We need to take urgent action. As you recall, we made some progress over the summer to reach a negotiated handover of the port of Hodeidah to the United Nations. I plan to visit Hodeidah next week along with my colleague Lise Grande, not least to revisit a UN supervisory role for the port and to draw attention to the continued need for a pause.
I am encouraged by the recent calls from all parties, the Government of Yemen in particular, and Ansar Allah, in addition to the Coalition, for the UN to step forward at this time on this issue. Let us build on this rather than retreat.
Mr. President,
With increased international attention has come a renewed commitment from the Yemeni parties to work on a political solution. I welcome President Hadi’s announcement to move swiftly to a political solution. And I know from my contacts in Sana’a that Ansar Allah is also committed to this. And with this in mind, I intend to reconvene the parties shortly – and to do so in Sweden. I thank the Swedish government, through the representative of Sweden present here, for their offer to host the consultations. I believe we are close to resolving the preparatory issues that will allow to make this happen. I am grateful to the Coalition for agreeing our proposed logistical arrangements, and to the Coalition and Oman for their agreement to facilitate the medical evacuation of some injured Yemenis out of Sana’a.
This is a crucial moment for Yemen. I have received firm assurances from the leadership of the Yemeni parties; the government of Yemen and Ansar Allah, that they are committed to attending these consultations. I believe they are genuine and I expect them to continue in that way, and to appear for these consultations, and indeed so do the Yemeni people, who are desperate for a political solution to a war in which they are the main victims.
Mr. President,
I have spent the last two months seeking support from the parties for an updated version of the Framework for Negotiations that I briefed you in this Council on 18 June, where I believed you orally on the elements of such a framework. The Framework is based upon the three references, SCR 2216, as well as the progress made particularly in Kuwait, and I repeat again, as I have done in previous meetings of this council, gratitude to the Government of Kuwait for hosting those talks in 2016. After careful listening to the parties over the last few months, I am confident that this framework is in line with both the requirements of this Council, and the new realities of the conflict in Yemen. The Framework, however, is my vision. But its ideas are not mine alone. Every conversation, every negotiation which has gone before has, I hope, become the basis for this document. I have, as you would imagine, shared it with the parties, for their views, and ultimately, I hope, their acceptance, just as a basis for negotiation, and not to negotiate the text itself. That would be the matter that would bring the parties together in the coming weeks and months. And when the parties have had the opportunity to brief me on their views on that Framework, I would like to put it in front of this Council, and seek your endorsement, so that we can use it as a basis for the upcoming consultations on substance, and to agree a roadmap, ideally in the next round of consultations, towards a Transitional Agreement.
This Framework establishes the principles and parameters for UN-led, inclusive Yemeni negotiations to end the war, and restart a political transition process. It includes a set of interim security and political arrangements, including mechanisms, sequencing and guarantees for implementation. It is a very broad document, as it only intends to be a basis for detailed negotiations. But I do believe that the arrangements outlined and referred to, will allow for an end to the fighting inside of Yemen, the return of Yemen's friendly relations with neighboring states and the restoring of state institutions.
And I believe that this Framework reflects, in fact and in words, the resolutions of this Council, and in no way derogates from them. My task is to fashion a road towards principled compromise, which allows the people of Yemen to live again in peace, and to set out a political solution that is available, and as I said before, it is there for taking.
Mr. President,
A mediator’s principal task is to bring the parties together to resolve their differences through dialogue and compromise rather than combat and conflict. This is what I hope we will soon, as we move forward.
We are doing all that we can to achieve these goals. But as I said, in April, in this chamber: events of war can always take peace off the table. We must not let that happen now.
We are working very hard to finalize the logistical arrangements. I will go to Sana’a next week for this purpose. I shall meet the Ansar Allah leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, with whom I have had detailed discussions in previous months, about the need for engagement, consultations, and ultimately negotiations. It will be useful for me to hear again his leadership on these matters. I will also be happy to travel myself, if necessary, with their delegation to the consultations, if that is needed.
Mr. President,
For a political settlement to be sustainable it must be inclusive, and it is a requirement of the resolutions affecting this conflict. And it must enjoy the support of the Yemeni people. I am fortunate to have the support of the Yemeni women advisory group, which not only came with us to Geneva, but is providing specific ideas on tactics and strategies as we move forward towards consultations.
We are also looking at using technology to strengthen inclusivity to provide an interactive platform for these voices which cannot travel, for the voices of those in Yemen, to be heard as we gather the parties around the table. In the 21st century, physical presence is not the only way to strengthen inclusion.
The Southern question is always on our minds. We are currently enjoying a period of calm, but the threat of violence, destabilization and instability is ever present. I have spent a lot of time listening to southern groups and exploring ways to address their concerns. Ultimately, the just resolution of the southern issue should be achieved, in my view, during the transitional period. It should meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of Yemen, and ensure that they enjoy the benefits of good governance.
Southern actors will clearly have a crucial role in safeguarding the outcomes of the peace process we are working on now and it is vital to secure their buy-in. It is my responsibility however to alert you that that there is unfinished business in the south of Yemen.
Mr. President,
I would like to take the opportunity to announce to members of this Council that we are about to conclude an agreement between the parties on the exchange of prisoners and detainees, it may well be the first signed agreement between the parties in this conflict. We made great progress. President Hadi was the first to urge us to focus on this, and I also had the support of Abdel Malek Al Houthi when I first met him. I welcome the commitment of all parties who have engaged in good faith; the Coalition, the Government of Yemen, and Ansar Allah. It is an important humanitarian gesture and a timely message of hope to the Yemeni people. I had hoped that we would have been able to announce the formalization of this agreement today, but I am sure it will happen in the coming days.
I strongly believe that the parties need to get together without condition, under our auspices, to jointly address the dire economic situation in Yemen including the rapid deterioration of the Yemeni Rial – a key contributing aspect of famine. It is useful to note, and important to give credit to the Government of Yemen, that the depreciation of the Rial which was alarming, has now flattened out. This should not be a matter subject to political consideration when the victims are the Yemeni people. This is not indeed a confidence-building measures. It is a moral responsibility and obligation of the parties to the Yemeni people. I am planning to convene soon a meeting of the Central Bank of Yemen, to be facilitated by the IMF, to agree on an action plan which would allow the Central Bank of Yemen to discharge its responsibilities across the country and for all the people of Yemen.
Finally, Mr. President,
We must seize this positive international momentum on Yemen. Attention to Yemen is a great asset, as is the unity of this Council.
I strongly believe that this is an opportunity at a crucial moment to pursue a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement to the conflict.
Yemen can no longer afford to be referred as a forgotten war.
What I would ask you to consider, Mr. President, is that all our efforts should be directed towards at least two things. Firstly; the humanitarian priority, that Marc and David will refer to in a minute, which is the most important priority to the people of Yemen. And secondly; let us hope that there will be no acts which prevent the convening of the parties for consultations, in Sweden, in the coming weeks. This is an opportunity which has long been awaited by the people of Yemen. It is an opportunity which this council has long asked of the parties. I think we are almost there. We need to focus to make sure that nothing disrupts the path to that meeting.
The following Security Council press statement was issued on 10 November 2018 by Council President Ma Zhaoxu (China):
...
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attacks of 9 November 2018, which killed and injured innocent Somalis.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Somalia. The members of the Security Council wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
The members of the Security Council commended the swift...
Click on the following link to view the report:
The Libyan National Conference Process - Final Report...The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, reiterated in an interview with Al Hurra TV that the political solution is the only way to end the war in Yemen. He stressed that he is working to overcome all obstacles to be able to call for a new round of consultations before the end of this year, adding that the parties have repeatedly expressed their desire to return to the negotiations table.
...The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, stressed the importance of ongoing Track II efforts, as complementary to official negotiations in Yemen, indicating that it is crucial to work on peace-building in Yemen, in parallel to official diplomatic efforts, known as Track I, to end the war. He added that “the real work in Yemen starts the day after we reach a political deal. We should all work to prepare for that day.”...
Mr. Chairman, [Ambassador Dee‑Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., Permanent Representative of Liberia],
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the Secretary-General, I am pleased to address the Fourth Committee on his sixth report entitled “Overall policy matters pertaining to special political missions”. We deeply appreciate the Committee’s continued support on this important issue.
I would like to thank Finland and Mexico as co-facilitators of this item for their leadership and engagement. I also thank all Member States once again for the very constructive interactive dialogue that we had last July focusing on special political missions and conflict prevention.
Today’s debate is another opportunity to exchange views on a range of key policy matters relating to special political missions, some of the challenges they face, and how we can continue to improve their effectiveness.
Mr. Chairman,
As requested by the General Assembly resolution 72/89, this year’s report of the Secretary-General contains detailed information regarding the Secretariat’s efforts to improve expertise and effectiveness, transparency, accountability as well as geographical representation, gender perspective, and women’s equal participation.
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to first address one of the key policy issues addressed in the report: conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
The changing nature of conflict today calls for inclusive, integrated, and innovative approaches. In this regard, the Secretary-General has placed prevention at the centre of everything the United Nations does.
To achieve this objective, special political missions remain one of our most important instruments to operationalize preventive diplomacy, assist in conflict resolution, and support longer-term efforts to sustain peace.
In Iraq, the engagement of UNAMI contributed to the normalization of relations between the Federal Government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil following recent tensions. In Somalia, UNSOM is supporting the Federal Government in implementing its Roadmap on Inclusive Politics, which aims to create a conducive environment for the elections in 2020-21.
In Myanmar, the new Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, who started her work in May 2018, has been working closely with the authorities to help resolve the Rohingya crisis.
And in Syria and Yemen, our Special Envoys continue their efforts to resume political processes to end protracted conflicts that have produced devastating humanitarian implications.
Our three regional offices in West Africa, Central Africa and Central Asia continue to serve as forward platforms for preventive diplomacy, working closely with Member States, regional organizations, and civil society. UNOCA [UN Regional Office for Central Africa] and UNOWAS [UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel] are together supporting regional efforts to address the impact of violence carried out by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram. In Central Asia, UNRCCA [United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia] continues to engage regional stakeholders on shared water and energy resources and supports the reinforcement of national and regional capacities for dialogue and conflict prevention.
Second, I would like to address the issue of gender and geographic diversity in special political missions.
One of the greatest strengths of the United Nations is its diversity; the broad representation of men and women from the global United Nations membership. The Secretary-General continues to be committed to promoting and improving the representation of women, including in special political missions. Women now comprise 44 per cent of serving and designated heads and deputy heads of our field-based special political missions. This has increased by 16 per cent over the past year. We will continue to bolster our efforts to implement the Secretary-General’s system-wide strategy on gender parity. Similarly, improving geographical diversity will remain our priority.
Third, I would like to emphasize the importance of regional partnerships.
The Secretary-General is committed to building meaningful partnerships for prevention, and strong partnerships with regional and sub-regional organizations are essential elements for the success of SPMs.
At the strategic level, the Secretary-General has personally worked to enhance and expand new forms of collaboration with regional partners. In June, he convened a high-level interactive dialogue with a number of regional and other organizations active in the realm of international peace and security. This meeting resulted in renewed commitment to promote multilateralism. Participants also agreed to take concrete actions to further advance their cooperation, particularly at the field level.
Our SPMs engage in regular consultation and coordination with regional and sub-regional organizations.
For example, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan and South Sudan worked closely with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union to support the peace process between the two countries. This partnership contributed to the signing in September of the Revitalized Agreement to Resolve the Conflict in South Sudan. In the same period, our regional office in West Africa (UNOWAS), together with ECOWAS [Economic Community of West Africa] and the African Union Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL) mobilized regional organizations active in the Sahel to create synergies and coordinate efforts to better address the multifaceted challenges in this region.
Fourth, I would like to highlight the focus on women and youth in our activities.
Special political missions continued to integrate gender perspectives and to champion and support the effective participation of women in peace processes. They are also working closely to support national and regional efforts to implement the women, peace and security agenda.
In Colombia, an inclusive gender working group is playing a critical role in mainstreaming gender considerations in the verification of aspects of the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the former guerilla group (FARC-EP). Meanwhile, the Women’s Advisory Board to the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria is helping to ensure gender perspectives and women’s participation are taken into consideration throughout a complex political process.
And in the Great Lakes region, high-level solidarity missions by women leaders representing the UN, the African Network of Women in Conflict Prevention and Peace Mediation (FemWise) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region were deployed to a number of countries in the region to promote the participation of women in decision-making and peace processes.
In Afghanistan, UNAMA, in the context of its electoral assistance, has continued to support the Government promote gender equality and women’s participation. It is noteworthy that in the legislative elections held last month, one-third of voters were women.
In the same spirit, SPMs have been actively engaging youth in different aspects of their work. This includes political dialogue, as well as peace and reconciliation processes.
In Somalia, UNSOM [UN Assistance Mission in Somalia] has developed a Youth Strategy jointly with the UN Country Team and national authorities.
In Central Africa, UNOCA – in close cooperation with ECCAS, UNESCO, La Francophonie and the Government of Gabon – has been working with African youth groups to foster a culture of peace and fight radicalization.
Security Council resolutions 2250 (2015) and 2419 (2018) on youth peace and security and the recent United Nations Youth Strategy, launched in September by the Secretary-General, provide SPMs with further opportunities to harness the potential of young people as agents for peace.
Finally, I would like to raise the issue of security and safety.
As you know, many of our SPMs support complex peace processes in highly volatile and challenging security environments. A number of these environments are characterized by ongoing violent conflict as well as terrorist and criminal activity by non-state armed groups. In places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen, our staff face a considerable risk of becoming collateral victims, or even direct targets, in particular of extremist groups.
My Department is working closely with the Department of Safety and Security on risk management strategies and security mitigation measures. Such measures include the deployment of UN armed civilian personnel, deployment of military personnel on the ground as well as the deployment of guard units provided by Member States.
In particular, we are looking forward to the phased return of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to Tripoli and other parts of the country in 2019, security conditions permitting. This will allow us to provide more direct support for the implementation of the United Nations Action Plan for Libya and to complete the political transition.
We need continued support from Member States to ensure that the safety and security of our personnel is fully guaranteed.
Mr. Chairman,
In conclusion, I would like again to underscore the critical role played by special political missions in the maintenance of international peace and security.
The reforms endorsed by the General Assembly, particularly the restructuring of the peace and security pillar, will further strengthen the ability of the SPMs to deliver on their mandates.
The individual and collective cooperation and support of Member States and regional partners remain essential to the success of our SPMs. I am grateful to this Committee and the broader Membership for the continued support in that regard.
I would like also to take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to the United Nations personnel serving in special political missions, working under challenging conditions to advance the promise of the Charter. We greatly value and appreciate their commitment and dedication.
I look forward to hearing your views. Thank you.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, held a consultative meeting with a group of independent Yemeni figures, who represent a wide spectrum of the Yemeni society, to discuss the current situation in Yemen, and his endeavors to resume the political process. More than 30% of the Yemeni figures taking part in this meeting were women. This one-day meeting, which convened in Amman under Chatham House rules, is the second...
Thank you, Mr. President,
The last Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine took place five months ago, on 29 May 2018. As I stated then, the UN has been consistent in its strong support for the lead role of the Normandy Four, the Trilateral Contact Group, the OSCE and other key actors to find a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas. The Secretary-General has also repeatedly called for revitalizing efforts in these negotiation formats and bilateral channels. We therefore welcome the Council’s Presidential Statement of 6 June, which encouraged all the parties to recommit to the peace process, recalled the centrality of the Minsk Agreements and urged scaled-up support for humanitarian efforts. We also note the 11 June meeting in the Normandy Format – the first at Ministerial level in over a year.
Despite these efforts, however, there has been little progress in talks to end the fighting. The conflict in eastern Ukraine, now in its fifth year, remains an active threat to international peace and security.
On the ground, continued and unpredictable escalations of hostilities aggravate the climate of insecurity and breed uncertainty about the parties’ intentions. As negotiations on different tracks continue to search for points of convergence, effective implementation of any agreements is still lacking.
It is noteworthy, nonetheless, that the incidence of violence this summer was the lowest of any equivalent period since the conflict broke out in 2014. The so-called “Harvest Ceasefire” and the “Back to School Ceasefire” - two recommitments to the ceasefire negotiated by the Trilateral Contact Group - were instrumental in reducing shelling and fire from small arms and light weapons, in turn resulting in the relatively low, although still tragic, figure of four civilian deaths between 1 June and 31 August. Clearly, with sufficient political will and genuine commitment to agreements, it is possible to stop the violence on the ground and drastically reduce the impact of the conflict on the civilian population.
Regrettably, however, over the last six weeks, ceasefire violations have again increased, and casualty levels have risen. In September alone, OHCHR recorded 20 conflict-related civilian casualties. More than half of the civilian casualties in September were the result of mines or explosive remnants of war.
The UN continues to call upon the parties to ensure the full and immediate implementation of the ceasefire agreements and exercise utmost restraint in order to protect the civilian population in the conflict-affected areas. The priority of the parties should be to, without delay, withdraw heavy weapons from populated areas, disengage forces and protect civilian infrastructure.
The UN is also following reports of increased tensions in the Sea of Azov, which negatively affects the overall atmosphere in the region. We underline the need to avoid any risk of escalation, provocation or miscalculation.
Mr. President,
The Minsk Agreements, endorsed by the Security Council in its resolution 2202 (2015), form the only agreed framework for a negotiated peace in eastern Ukraine.
Echoing the Security Council’s expectations, expressed through the PRST of 6 June, the UN calls for swift progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.
We welcome the most recent extension by the Ukrainian Parliament, on 4 October, of the law on special order regarding the local governance of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, consistent with Ukraine’s commitments under the Minsk Agreements.
Mr. President,
The UN urges all parties to avoid any unilateral steps that could deepen the divide or depart from of the spirit and letter of the Minsk Agreements.
On 7 September, the de-facto entities in Donetsk and Luhansk announced the holding of so-called “leadership” elections scheduled for 11 November. Despite Ukraine’s objections, media report that preparations are still going ahead. As we understand, two separate ballots in both Donetsk and Luhansk are reportedly being planned: one for the “Head of Republic” and one for the “People’s Councils”. These will reportedly be voted in for terms of five years.
I wish to recall that election-related matters are addressed in the Minsk Agreements as part of a comprehensive package and they are under consideration in the existing negotiating mechanisms. I therefore caution that any such measures, taken outside Ukraine’s constitutional and legal framework, would be incompatible with the Minsk Agreements.
Mr. President,
On this occasion, I wish to acknowledge the tireless work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission on the ground in the face of extremely challenging conditions. I reiterate our call for all to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of the monitors.
As you will hear from ASG Mueller, the human cost of the conflict for the people of Donbas continues to rise. The UN spares no efforts to fulfil its responsibilities in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the monitoring of human rights. It is essential, however, that this role is not politicized or instrumentalized by any side.
Mr. President,
It is time for renewed and constructive action by all concerned to overcome the apparent impasse in diplomatic negotiations.
The UN underlines the need to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. Once again, we urge all parties to display the necessary political will and to recommit to the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements to ensure the earliest possible end to the conflict and help bring about peace and stability to all of Ukraine.
Thank you.