Out now! Season 2 | Episode 12 | She Stands For Peace | Click here: https://unoau.unmissions.org/podcast-series-she-stands-peace
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres on Monday condemned the “ongoing military coup” in Sudan, saying Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and all other officials, “must be released immediately.” In a statement, he called for the "immediate reconstitution" of the Government, which is due to guide Sudan through to democratic elections.
UN, ECCAS and their partners mobilized against hate speech in Central Africa
Douala, 25 October 2021 - From 26 to 29 October 2021, Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, will host a regional forum to raise awareness and build the capacity of media practitioners to prevent and combat hate speech in Central Africa. The event is organized by the United...
“Today, the Israeli authorities announced tenders for the construction of more than 1,300 housing units in the occupied West Bank.
I am deeply concerned by continued Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. I reiterate that all settlements are illegal under international law, remain a substantial obstacle to peace, and must cease immediately...
New York, 24 October 2021
Seventy-six years ago, the United Nations was created as a vehicle of hope for a world emerging from the shadow of catastrophic conflict.
Today, the women and men of the UN carry this hope forward around the globe.
COVID-19, conflicts, hunger, poverty and the climate emergency remind us that our world is...
A UN humanitarian aid flight destined for the capital of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, was forced to return to Addis Ababa due to airstrikes on Friday, raising “serious concerns” for the safety of staff working on the ground, said the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement.
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Thank you, Foreign Minister Mangoush, for the initiative of convening this international conference. That it takes place in Libya’s capital is a testament to the progress that Libya has achieved. It is my pleasure to represent the Secretary-General at this meeting,
Excellencies,
The UN has actively worked towards facilitating the Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political, security and economic dialogues, with the support of the international community in the context of the Berlin process.
These dialogues must continue in order to sustain the momentum and ensure the full implementation of the Political Roadmap adopted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). We urge all Libyan parties to exert every effort to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on 24 December 2021, as called for by the Roadmap and UN Security Council Resolutions 2570 and 2571.
On the political front, dialogue is needed to promote unity and support for the electoral process among all political actors. There is a need for compromise on a way forward. We commend the Presidential Council for its efforts to promote such dialogue. We call on all Libyan parties and institutions to refrain from any action that could undermine the electoral process or acceptance of its results.
The holding of timely, free and fair elections is critical to break the cycle of perennial political transitions, to return to political legitimacy and to put an end to foreign interference. The Libyan people want elections, and they want them now.
I urge all Member States and regional organizations to consider sending observation teams, in coordination with relevant Libyan authorities and institutions, to help ensure the credibility of the electoral process and acceptability of the results.
I also urge Libya’s leaders and institutions to ensure meaningful participation of women in the process and to ensure that women occupy at least 30 per cent of the seats in the new legislature.
The United Nations will continue providing technical assistance for the holding of elections in accordance with its mandate.
Excellencies,
For a long time, Libya was governed by parallel institutions in the West and the East. Thanks to the work of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, reunification of the country’s institutions was started.
We must not allow the approach of elections to reignite divisions.
The UN will continue supporting all efforts aimed at consolidating the progress achieved to date, including a unified government and a reunified and functioning House of Representatives.
Together with the African Union, we are also committed to supporting the Libyan authorities, including the High National Reconciliation Commission, in advancing rights-based reconciliation.
Excellencies,
I commend the 5+5 Joint Military Commission for their unity of purpose on the security track, the JMC serves as an example for other national actors and institutions. Their Action Plan for the gradual, balanced, sequenced and synchronized withdrawal of all mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces is but the latest achievement of the 5+5.
The United Nations is ready to assist in consolidating international consensus to support the JMC in the implementation of the withdrawal plan.
Close coordination with Libya’s neighbours will be paramount to ensure that the plan is successful and that the withdrawal does not negatively impact the security situation in the region and the Sahel.
Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes and Security Sector Reform (SSR) will be needed to accompany this process. These efforts must be supported by the international community.
I am pleased to report that, in line with the request of the Libyan authorities and the mandate from the Security Council, the first group of UN monitors to support the Libyan-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism are arriving today. They will work in concert with the Libyan monitors assigned by the JMC.
Finally, the UN is extremely concerned with the dire situation of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers in Tripoli who remain in arbitrary detention or are living on the streets as a result of forced evictions and destruction of their homes by security forces in early October.
We welcome the Government’s announcement allowing the resumption of voluntary humanitarian evacuation and return flights from Libya for thousands of migrants and asylum seekers and call for the release from detention of the most vulnerable people and those with legal status.
We again offer our support to work with Libyan authorities to strengthen migration governance and border control in line with international law and obligations and in cooperation with international partners, notably the AU, LAS and EU.
Madame Minister,
Let me reassure you of the full commitment and continued support of the Secretary-General and the United Nations to Libya at this critical stage.
Thank you.
The process of drafting a new constitution for Syria has been “a big disappointment” UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen concluded on Friday. Following the end of discussions in Geneva, a consensus on how to move forward was not achieved, he added.
We can no longer exclude half of humanity from international peace and security matters, the UN chief told the Security Council on Thursday, emphasizing the need to fully address the challenges and gaps that continue to prevent women having an equal say.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Africa’s Great Lakes region on Wednesday, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Huang Xia, told ambassadors that the countries concerned now stand “at a crossroads”.
Four children – three boys and a girl - were killed on Monday morning while travelling to school in northwest Syria, along with a teacher, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
State security forces in South Sudan have been responsible for imposing new and potentially arbitrary restrictions against the country’s most prominent civil society leaders, issuing “credible” death threats that have undermined peace efforts, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Wednesday.
The UN Country Team in Myanmar remains “deeply concerned over the humanitarian impact” of the country’s ongoing crises stemming largely from the military coup in February, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Political stagnation is “fuelling tensions, instability and a deepening sense of hopelessness”, the top UN official working towards peace in the Middle East warned the Security Council on Tuesday.
Another “shameful milestone” has been reached in the conflict in Yemen with 10,000 children killed or maimed since fighting started in March 2015, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
Statement of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon on Women’s Representation in Politics
19 October 2021
The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Ms. Joanna Wronecka encourages the discussion in Parliament of a gender quota in the upcoming elections. Women’s representation in politics is critical for an...
The United Nations has received alarming reports of aerial attacks in the residential areas of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, on Monday morning local time.
The announcement last week of a unilateral ceasefire in the Central African Republic is among recent positive steps in the country, the top UN official there told the Security Council on Monday, urging continued support for peace and reconciliation efforts.
As part of the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2349 (2017), the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for Central and for Africa for West Africa and the Sahel, François Louncény FALL and Mahamat Saleh ANNADIF, will undertake from 18 to 22 October 2021, a joint high-level mission to Cameroon and Chad.
This mission is the first leg on a tour of the Lake Chad Basin countries...
FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES LOUNCENY FALL AND MAHAMAT ANNADIF BEGIN A JOINT HIGH-LEVEL VISIT TO CAMEROON AND CHAD
Dakar - Libreville, 18 October 2021 - As part of the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2349 (2017), the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General...
The process of drafting a new constitution for Syria will begin this week, the UN Special Envoy for the country, Geir Pedersen, said on Sunday at a press conference in Geneva.
New York, 17 October 2021
Poverty is a moral indictment of our times.
For the first time in two decades, extreme poverty is on the rise.
Last year, around 120 million people fell into poverty as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on economies and societies.
A lopsided recovery is further deepening inequalities...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the declaration of a unilateral ceasefire in the Central African Republic (CAR), his spokesperson said in a statement issued on Saturday.
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The United Nations has condemned the deadly suicide bombing during Friday prayers at the largest Shia mosque in the city of Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, which killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens more.
Tensions over vehicle licence plates and anti-smuggling operations, between authorities in Kosovo and Serbia, in recent weeks, may contribute to unravelling “steady but fragile progress made in rebuilding trust among communities” in Kosovo and Serbia.
New York, 15 October 2021
World Food Day is not only a reminder of the importance of food to every person on the planet — it is a call to action to achieve food security around the world.
Today, almost 40 per cent of humanity — three billion people — cannot afford a healthy diet.
Hunger is on the rise.
So too are undernourishment...
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate end to violence in Lebanon following deadly sectarian violence in the capital, Beirut, surrounding the on-going investigation into the August 2020 blasts in the port area.
A comprehensive negotiated political settlement is needed to end the violence in Yemen “once and for all”, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Thursday.
Statement of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon on Today’s Developments
14 October, 2021
DPPA initiated an independent Mid-Term Review of its 2020-22 Strategic Plan to assess its progress towards achieving the goals outlined in the Plan and the extent to which the Plan has been central to its planning processes. The review puts forth ten recommendations covering areas related to strategic planning, results framework and funding instruments associated with DPPA. These recommendations will inform both the implementation of the current Plan and the development of DPPA’s new Plan.
The 54th round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place on 12 and 13 October 2021, with requisite COVID-19 pandemic measures in place. The GID process continues to serve as the primary venue in which the consequences of conflict are addressed as mandated by the six-point ceasefire agreement of 2008.
The elements of “Comprehensive / human dimensions of security” were once again discussed at an information session in which participants exchanged views on the fears, wants and dignities of conflict-affected populations in a facilitated discussion.
Participants met in the GID’s two working groups, focused on security and humanitarian issues. The overall security situation on the ground was assessed as relatively stable, although participants brought attention to a number of outstanding issues, including ongoing detentions, unresolved missing persons cases, restrictions on freedom of movement and travel abroad, response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and specific security concerns. Discussions once again paid particular attention to the core agenda item of non-use of force and international security arrangements.
The Co-Chairs acknowledged the continued functioning of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Ergneti, including co-operative efforts over the summer on issues of water use, and emphasized the need to resume regular meetings of the Gali IPRM without further delay. The Co-Chairs welcomed the lifting of restrictions at the Enguri bridge and Saberio-Pakhulani crossing points and called for freedom of movement to be fully restored, in particular at the Odzisi crossing point.
Despite constructive engagement on a variety of humanitarian issues, a discussion on the core issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees could not take place due to a walkout by some participants, which disrupted the round.
The Co-Chairs again called on all participants to increase efforts to build trust and confidence among them and to address all elements of comprehensive security.
The participants agreed to hold their next meeting in Geneva on 7 and 8 December 2021.
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is a pleasure for me to address this special meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission. I am pleased to welcome Ms. Sima Bahous, newly appointed Executive Director of UN Women, and I am looking forward to working together in advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
We last gathered a year ago to mark the 20th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325. A growing number of Member States have taken positive steps towards the objectives of the women, peace and security agenda since then. The work of women-led and women-focused organizations continues to inspire us. However, implementation gaps persist.
Slow progress in enhancing women’s role in peacebuilding and sustaining peace represents a major barrier to realizing the promise of the agenda. We have witnessed many political and peace processes that produced poor results because women were excluded from the negotiating table. This must change.
At the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), we are determined to continue to seize opportunities to promote women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace and political processes and support gender-sensitive peacemaking and peacebuilding.
I would like to emphasize four areas of our work that are particularly relevant to today’s discussion.
First, we are constantly improving gender analysis to guide our work. Almost all special political missions included language highlighting gender issues and women’s role in their reports submitted to the Security Council. Eighty-eight per cent of them included recommendations on women, peace and security, a target that has been increasing gradually from 63 per cent in 2017. We also track gender-sensitive analysis as part of DPPA’s Strategic Plan’s results framework. Members of the Peacebuilding Commission have a role to play in further strengthening gender analysis in substantive discussions and outcome documents of the Commission.
Second, we not only support efforts to expand special measures for women, such as quotas, but also focus on the quality of women’s participation in political and peace processes, and peacebuilding initiatives. From Colombia to Syria and Yemen, we are exploring new pathways for participation through digital inclusion strategies and virtual consultations and engagement. In Sudan, the UN has supported women's participation in the peace talks between the Government of Sudan and SPLM-N in Juba, and secured the presence of gender experts inside the negotiation room. In Central Asia, our Regional Centre (UNRCCA) recently launched the first-ever caucus of women political leaders in the region. This informal coalition works towards promoting the role of women in supporting regional peace and security as well as advancing sustainable development. In Niger, the Peacebuilding Fund has supported local peace structures across 60 villages, mostly led by women mediators, seeing the peaceful resolution of local conflicts between farmers and herders.
In this regard, I am encouraged to see that PBC’s gender strategy and action plan led to creating space for women to share their experiences and make recommendations on the way forward. The presence today of civil society and academia representatives is a clear demonstration of that commitment.
Third, we are doing more to connect the dots between women’s participation and protection needs. Conflict-related sexual violence is a major challenge that deserves our attention. Similarly, we must address other forms of widespread gender-based violence and discrimination that specifically target women political activists, peacebuilders, and human rights defenders, particularly in conflict-affected environments. This becomes even more crucial with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating the very issues the Women, Peace and Security agenda was designed to address.
It is timely that the Peacebuilding Fund’s Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative (GYPI) has recently allocated a total of $19.2 million to protect women and youth peacebuilders and human rights defenders. It is also aligned with the Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights.
Fourth, we are advocating for adequate, predictable, sustained funding for women’s political participation. The Peacebuilding Fund sets a powerful example: For the third consecutive year the Fund allocated 40% of its annual investment towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. DPPA’s Multi-Year Appeal also dedicates at least 17% of its funding to projects entirely devoted to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Today, we will hear stories that demonstrate the urgent need to make long term, flexible funds available to women peacebuilders. These examples are crucial as we prepare for the High-Level General Assembly Meeting on financing for peacebuilding next year.
Mr. Chairman,
We are alarmed over a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, especially for women and girls. The UN has been supporting Afghan institutions and civil society to enhance women’s meaningful participation in Afghanistan’s political life, including the peacebuilding agenda. In 2015, Afghanistan adopted its first National Action Plan to implement Security Council Resolution 1325. UN colleagues in Afghanistan have been intensively engaged in supporting this process.
We must protect these gains. Therefore, we will continue appealing to the de facto authorities to fulfill their obligations under international law, including human rights and humanitarian law. Women must be able to continue to move freely, work and study. Girls must have the right to effective access to all levels of education.
Mr. Chairman,
There are no quick fixes to entrenched power politics, patriarchal attitudes and unequal social structures. We know that much more needs to be done, and we are committed to doing our part in enhancing women’s meaningful participation in public life.
In doing so, we will be guided by the report of the Secretary-General on Our Common Agenda, which renews our commitment to placing women and girls at the center of UN activities.
We need more women leaders to sustain peace. I encourage you to continue to amplify the voices of women peacebuilders, and to support their efforts. I look forward to hearing from all of you how we can continue to work together to make that happen.
Thank you.
In 2020, an expanding cadre of 106 peace and development experts based in 64 countries, comprised of international and national Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs), UN Volunteers (UNVs) and secondees, as well as six Regional Programme Specialists, provide expertise to United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) and national partners in reinforcing local capacities for conflict prevention, dialogue and sustaining peace.
