Reports and Policy Documents

Qatar 

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Security Council

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Afghanistan

Bayman youth meet to discuss social cohesion  
Youth activists in Afghanistan’s central highlands province of Bamyan gathered at a UN-backed symposium to strategize on ways to promote social cohesion in the interest of advancing peace, locally and nationally, on 15 December. Some 40 young activists from seven districts across Bamyan attended the event, organized by UNAMA’s Bamyan regional office, to exchange ideas on factors hindering the participation of young people in Afghanistan’s social, political and economic life and to chart out possible next steps to maximize their engagement in promoting a culture of peace.
Read more on UNAMA’s website 

Protecting Human Rights in Afghanistan spotlighted at Kunduz university symposium Participants at a UN-backed seminar at Kunduz University on 19 December underscored the crucial importance of human rights for peace and stability, and highlighted the special role of young people as constructive agents of change in promoting and protecting rights. The university event was the final in a series of seminars facilitated by UNAMA’s Kunduz regional office to enable faculty and students to discuss international and national principles related to human rights provisions, with a specific focus on Afghanistan. In the wide-ranging panel discussion in the final seminar, with more than 100 students from six faculties in attendance, participants noted that the seminars have contributed not only to enhancing student interest in human rights but also to generating support for a new Human Rights and Peace Centre as a step to institutionalizing the first-ever Master’s Degree in Human Rights in Afghanistan.
Read more on UNAMA’s website  

Central Asia

Annual meeting with Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian states  
The ninth annual Meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian states, convened by UNRCCA, took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 14 December. The meeting brought together the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. As part of the C5+1 format established by UNRCCA in December 2017, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan also took part in the discussion devoted to the cooperation between Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Read more on UNRCCA’s website 
 

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Libya

Women activists trained on the integration of a gender perspective in the Universal Periodic Review
In collaboration with OHCHR, UNSMIL completed a three-day training on the integration of gender perspective in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Process on 17 December. The training benefited 15 geographically diverse women activists working on issues related to gender equality, combatting gender-based violence and promoting human rights. It further aimed to maximize knowledge among participants of gender sensitive analyses, monitoring, and how to best formulate tailor made and specific action-oriented recommendations to address gender related human rights violations. On the last day participants conceptualized a robust advocacy and outreach campaign strategy to build up momentum for the upcoming UPR cycle review of Libya’s human rights record due to take place under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council in May 2020.
Read more on UNSMIL’s website
 

Somalia

Delegations of AU, EU, IGAD and UN hold consultations with stakeholders in Kismayo and Garowe  
On the third stop of a series of consultations in Somalia’s Federal Member States, a senior delegation of some of the country’s international partners visited Jubaland’s capital Kismayo on 17 December, where it held meetings on how the country can implement the national priorities it has set for the coming year. “We are here to engage with a range of stakeholders, and to hear their views on how key national priorities can be achieved in 2020. These include preparations for ‘one-person, one-vote’ elections, finalization of the Federal Constitution, continued progress towards debt relief, and the fight against Al-Shabaab,” James Swan, Special Representative and Head of UNSOM, said on behalf of the delegation.
Read more on UNSOM’s website  

The delegation visited Puntland’s capital Garowe on 18 December, the final stop of their visits to seek stakeholders’ views on how key national priorities can be realized next year. The delegation met with Puntland’s President Said Abdullahi Deni, and other political and social actors in the state, such as cabinet ministers and civil society representatives. “These consultations have been an opportunity to hear directly from stakeholders on how Somalia’s national priorities can be achieved, and challenges overcome,” James Swan said.
Read more on UNSOM’s website  

 

Colombia

Former combatants and victims of the conflict join in song for reconciliationVictims of the armed conflict and former FARC, ELN, and AUC combatants sang together with the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra on 17 December during a "Reconciliation Concert" organized by the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, Explora Park, and the orchestra. "The fundamental objective of today's world is to obtain peace, and we know that the power of music is one of the tools for peacebuilding and reconciliation. I believe that citizens must support in-depth peacebuilding in Colombia", was the message of Karla Gabriela Samayoa Recari, Deputy Head of the UN Verification Mission. The artists were responding to a call from the Colombian Government through the Reintegration and Normalization Agency and the Victims’ Unit.
For more information, contact us 

Business roundtable between ex-combatants and businessmen in Meta
In Villavicencio city on 17 December, ex-combatants and businessmen from the department of Meta met at a business roundtable to discuss commercial ideas. The ex-combatants presented 15 projects to the business sector, related to livestock, agriculture and tourism. The businessmen provided advice and recommendations to the new entrepreneurs so they could maximize productivity and profitability. The event was organized by the Reintegration and Normalization Agency, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, UNDP and IOM.
For more information, contact us 

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Montserrat 

Decolonization Committee visits Montserrat
The Special Committee on Decolonization, also known as the C-24, is wrapping up a visit to the Caribbean island of Montserrat, which is under United Kingdom administration. Montserrat is on the UN’s list of 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories. The mission, which also included meetings in Antigua and Barbuda, is led by Grenada, the Chair of the C-24, alongside representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. The C-24 is mandated to undertake at least one visiting mission per year to a Non-Self-Governing Territory. In Montserrat, the delegation paid particular attention to the impact of the volcanic eruptions that have hit the island since 1995, forcing thousands of people to evacuate mostly to Antigua and Barbuda and the United Kingdom, or to resettle in the north of the island. Upon their return to New York, the delegation will present its findings in a public report. For more information on the mission and DPPA’s work on decolonization, visit the Decolonization Unit’s new website: https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en

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