UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday condemned the “horrors” committed against civilians in Ukraine as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it feared the worst in devastated areas of the country's east and south.
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday condemned the “horrors” committed against civilians in Ukraine as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it feared the worst in devastated areas of the country's east and south.
New York, 22 April 2022
Today is International Mother Earth Day.
It is a chance to reflect on how humanity has been treating our planet.
The truth is, we have been poor custodians of our fragile home.
Today, the Earth is facing a triple planetary crisis.
Climate disruption.
Nature and biodiversity loss.
Pollution and waste.
This triple crisis is threatening the well-being and survival of millions of people...
Disarmament research agency UNIDIR called on Thursday for more women to take their rightful place in international security discussions – a move that’s been warmly welcomed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.
Although the overall security situation in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan has remained calm, the “trust deficit” between the two main communities continues to be a great concern, UN Peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday.
Over the past two months, Ukraine has seen “suffering, devastation, and destruction on a massive scale”, the UN Crisis Coordinator for the country told journalists on Thursday, and echoed the Secretary-General in saying, “we must stop the bloodshed and destruction”.
Mister President,
Distinguished Council Members,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Security Council for the first time in my new capacity as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. This briefing concerns progress in the implementation of Resolution 2046, which relates to outstanding bilateral issues between the Sudan and South Sudan and the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
This briefing is taking place in a context marked by uncertainty and yet unresolved internal difficulties following the coup in the Sudan on 25 October 2021, which did not make it possible to plan any meetings of the joint mechanisms between Sudan and South Sudan that were intended for the beginning of 2022. With the removal of the civilian government in Khartoum that had been engaging its counterpart in Juba, the momentum towards the resolution of outstanding issues was suddenly dropped and the countries will have to start reviewing them afresh, though in my recent visit to the Sudan and South Sudan, the Chairman of the Sovereign Council – General Burhan and his Deputy – General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo informed me that preparations were ongoing to engage their South Sudanese counterparts on these matters, which has been confirmed by the authorities I met here in South Sudan. As mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report, the reporting period also witnessed significant violence last week between the Ngok Dinka and the Misseriya in Abyei. If anything, it reminds us of the need to focus on settling the final status of Abyei.
In South Sudan, President Kiir made appointments to the command structure of the Necessary Unified Forces on 12 April that will pave the way for the graduation and redeployment of forces that had completed their training as part of a new national army. This followed an agreement on 3 April between the President, the First Vice-President Riek Machar, and the Fifth Vice-President Abdelbagi, as commanders-in-chief of the three-armed parties of the 2018 Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS). The development was the outcome of Sudanese mediation efforts led by the Chairperson of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, General Burhan and his Deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. As a result, tension between President Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar which was also manifested on the ground by fighting between their troops in Upper Nile and Unity states and the surrounding of Machar’s residence in Juba by the military and National Security personnel on 27 March this year has been dissipated.
An obvious casualty of the coup in Sudan was the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM), one of the rare mechanisms bringing the two countries together to review outstanding political and security issues. Its last meeting of 8-9 September 2021 in Juba had scheduled the next meeting for Khartoum in the second week of January 2022. Not only did the meeting not hold but action has not been taken on the other decisions reached at the Juba sitting. Regarding the call for the two countries to withdraw their forces from the Abyei box by 31 December 2021, the Senior Leadership I met in Sudan insists that they have withdrawn all their forces and called on South Sudan to do the same for them to re-activate meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC). This assertion by the Government of Sudan is challenged by the Government of South Sudan. The lack of progress on South Sudan’s commitment made at the JPSM to mediate between the communities in Aweil towards re-activation of the three dormant Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism locations is also of concern. No new date has been fixed for the next JPSM meeting; I was however pleased to hear that the parties are in contact regarding the organization of an AJOC meeting soon.
Thanks to the easing of restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to travel to both countries not only to introduce myself to the national authorities but also to engage with them in person. In Khartoum, I met with the Chairman and Deputy Chair of the Sovereign Council, the Acting Minister of Defence and the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs from 17-19 April. And since 19 April, I have been in Juba, from where I am addressing you, and had fruitful discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defence and the Minister for East African Affairs and Deputy Head of the Abyei committee. Unfortunately, I was unable to meet President Kiir, who is not in the country at the moment.
Mister President,
From these discussions, I have understood that bilateral relations between the Sudan and South Sudan are good. The two countries have continued to engage in high-level visits on each other’s territory. Although President Kiir’s last visit to Khartoum was in 2018, Sudanese leaders have continued to visit Juba. On 17 March, General Burhan was in Juba to address the tensions between President Kiir and First Vice-President Machar, on account of their disagreement over the sharing of positions within the leadership structure of the future national army. The proposal submitted on 18 March, as Chairperson of IGAD, was welcomed by President Kiir. For its part, South Sudan continued to follow up on the implementation by the Sudanese parties of the Juba Peace Agreement which it mediated. President Kiir’s Security Adviser, Tut Gatluak, and other senior South Sudanese ministers shuttled between Juba and Khartoum throughout the reporting period to facilitate a solution between the military and civilian components of the transitional government and prevent the collapse of the agreement.
Although President Kiir and General Burhan did not dwell on the issue of Abyei, they agreed to focus cooperation on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, starting with an approach to peace through the development of ‘unitized’ oil fields, including in the Abyei area. Pending details to be worked out by the respective foreign ministries of what ‘unitization’ entails, the hope is that the proposed approach to peace may be a starting point not only for addressing the recurrent violence in the Abyei area but also towards the settlement of the final status of Abyei.
Khartoum also continued to play a positive role in seeking peaceful means to resolve intra-party problems experienced by the South Sudanese parties. On 16 January, it hosted the signing of an agreement between the break-away faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) known as the Kitgwang Declaration and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Government (SPLM-in-Government). Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual and his deputy, Gen. Johnson Olony, signed for the Kitgwang Declaration, while Mr. Tut Gatluak signed for the SPLM-in-Government. The agreement provides for amnesty for the Kitgwang faction, the recommitment of the parties to the ceasefire agreement under the Khartoum Declaration of 2018, and the establishment of a coordination office in Juba.
In the same spirit, South Sudan continued to exert efforts to convince Abdel Wahid Al Nur, leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), to join the Sudanese peace process. So far, the efforts have not paid off. On 10 March, Minni Minawi, leader of the other faction of the SLM/A and Governor of Darfur State, visited Juba, ostensibly to meet with Al Nur. The meeting failed to take place, as Al Nur accused Minawi of supporting the coup of 25 October. While recommitting to its unilateral cessation of hostilities, SLM/A-Al Nur has reiterated its refusal to join the Juba-mediated peace process for Sudan and renewed its call for an all-inclusive Sudanese initiative that would comprehensively address Sudan’s multiple problems.
Mister President, Members of Council
Let me now turn to developments concerning the Two Areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. I note with regret that efforts deployed by the South Sudan mediation committee to facilitate the resumption of negotiations between the Government of Sudan and the Al Hilu SPLM-North faction have not been successful. You will recall that the talks between them were suspended on 15 June 2021 for two weeks to allow the parties time to consult their constituencies on the outstanding issues. The SPLM-North Al Hilu condemned the military coup and called on its members to support the anti-coup demonstrations. Meanwhile, the Malik Agar faction of the SPLM-North, which was one of the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement with the Government of Sudan, has remained within the transitional institutions despite the arrest, imprisonment, and subsequent release of its deputy chairperson, Yassir Aman, by the military in the aftermath of the coup.
Clearly, the coup has had a negative effect on progress on the bilateral initiatives which the two countries had started deepening and which they are now trying to re-boot. It is however gratifying that, while each of them is grappling with its internal conflict, they continue to complement one another in the search for peace, and to build on the progress achieved so far. They both emphasise the need to scale up humanitarian assistance to displaced and vulnerable communities. They both recognise the need for peace on their territories and in the region, which should enable them to foster cooperation as they entertain good neighbourly relations. My Office will continue to engage with the authorities of both countries and, as appropriate, with key regional actors, including the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to encourage them to defuse tensions, advance the implementation of all cooperation agreements and consolidate their improved bilateral relations. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my predecessor, SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga for the commitment he demonstrated to his role and to peace and security in the region.
Thank you, Mister President
The determination to Leave No One Behind (LNOB) is inscribed at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, which member states unanimously adopted in 2015. This assessment aims to identify LNOB groups in Kenya, generate insights into the factors that contribute to their marginalization and understand the intersectional risks and vulnerabilities that impact the lives of those most left behind or at risk of being left behind.
Pristina and Belgrade must engage more actively in dialogue facilitated by the European Union (EU), the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Three weeks have passed since some 500 people were allegedly summarily executed in Moura, a village in central Mali – and UN investigators have yet to be granted access, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Wednesday.
In efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Secretary-General António Guterres has written separate letters to the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to request meetings with them in their respective capitals, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
The top UN humanitarian official in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Wednesday underlined the need for safe access to vulnerable people following two recent attacks against aid organizations operating in the south of the country.
“I am deeply concerned about the trajectory of events over the past couple of weeks in Israel and the occupied West Bank that have resulted in many civilians killed and injured. Particularly worrying are the heightened tensions we have witnessed in Jerusalem in recent days, in the Old City and in and around the Holy Sites during a period of holy days for Muslims, Jews...
The United Nations has condemned the deadly bomb blasts at two educational institutions in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, which killed at least six people and wounded nearly 20 others.
This year, Orthodox Holy Week is being observed under a “cloud of a war” that totally negates the Easter message of unity, the UN chief said on Tuesday, calling for a four-day humanitarian pause in Ukraine.
Amidst devastating Russian shelling and attacks on health care facilities and personnel, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday that they continue to mobilize inside Ukraine in an effort to help the country’s most vulnerable people.
Invading Russian forces have almost completely destroyed Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine. Former resident Alina Beskrovna recalled to UN News, a month-long ordeal sheltering in a basement there as she witnessed fierce fighting and obliteration, before her eventual escape.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine to allow delivery of life-saving aid as well as evacuations, his spokesperson said on Monday.
The United Nations commended on Monday a new signed Action Plan to safeguard children affected by armed conflict in Yemen.
Senior UN officials, including the Secretary-General, António Guterres, have expressed concern over a spate of violent incidents at the al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, an important religious site for both Muslims and Jews.
I am deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Jerusalem during these holy days.
The provocations on the Holy Esplanade must stop now. I call on political, religious and community leaders on all sides to help calm the situation, avoid spreading inflammatory rhetoric and speak up against those seeking to escalate the situation. Allowing tensions to spiral further...
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A UN brokered two-month renewable truce between the warring parties in Yemen is holding, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Thursday, providing “light at the end of the tunnel”, and the possibility of a lasting peace.
More than 870,000 people who fled abroad since the Russian invasion on 24 February, have now returned to Ukraine, UN humanitarians said in their latest emergency update, amid concerns about deteriorating food security inside the country.
Women’s rights are human rights, and universal in times of war and peace, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday, urging ambassadors to ensure accountability for conflict-related sexual violence.
Colombia’s dynamic peace process – which saw fresh strides with the holding of a largely peaceful parliamentary election last month – will succeed or fail based on efforts to halt the deadly violence faced by former combatants, social leaders and human rights defenders, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, welcomed the setting up of a new Heads of State and Government Group to get the world back on track to reduce premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart and lung disease, by a third – in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - and promote mental health and well-being.
Although safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations are available, the pandemic is still far from over, and countries affected by conflict are in danger of being left behind, the UN Security Council heard on Monday.
Increasing reports of sexual violence and human trafficking in Ukraine - allegedly committed against women and children in the context of massive displacement and the ongoing Russian invasion - are raising “all the red flags” about a potential protection crisis, the head of the UN’s gender agency warned the Security Council on Monday.
Hate speech has long been recognized as a precursor to atrocity crimes, including genocide, from Rwanda to Bosnia to Cambodia, as Secretary-General António Guterres recalled at the launch of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech in 2019. The role Radio Télévision Libre Mille Collines played in fueling the mass killings in Rwanda in 1994, for example, is well documented. But digital technology and social media have exponentially boosted the destructive power of hate speech. In Myanmar, a campaign of hate speech that included language dehumanizing the Rohingya, has been linked to the commission of grave human rights violations in the country in 2017.
Taking their cue from the Secretary-General — who stressed at the launch of the strategy that hate speech is a menace to democratic values, social stability and peace to be confronted at every turn — the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and Peace Operations (DPO) developed a joint roadmap to monitor and analyze hate speech trends and their implications in conflict or crisis settings, harness internal and external expertise, and engage with the private sector, particularly technology companies. DPPA and DPO also aim to boost their support to field presences, particularly considering that many Special Political Missions and peacekeeping operations lack adequate capacities to respond to this complex and far-reaching phenomenon. Field missions as well as many Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs) in Resident Coordinators’ Offices (RCOs) are at the forefront of implementing activities with national and international partners to counter hate speech.
“Given the prominence of social media today, it’s clear we must find ways to better understand and engage with social media companies,” Alexandra Fong, Chief of Policy and Guidance in DPPA’s Policy and Mediation Division, said.
In the case of Myanmar, an independent international fact-finding mission discussed with Facebook how to curtail the spread of hate speech and deter incitement to violence in the country. Facebook, which had been identified as the biggest platform for hate speech in Myanmar, went on to remove the pages of several individuals and organizations, including that of the Commander-in-Chief, and shut down the official pages of the Arakan Army, the Kachin Independence Army, the Myanmar Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, which were identified as “dangerous organizations”, in an effort to “reduce the likelihood that Facebook will be used to facilitate offline harm”.
UN presences around the globe have been working with social media companies in innovative ways to help address hate speech. Here’s a snapshot of that work in Iraq and Libya:
United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)
The peace process in Libya has, at various stages, been negatively impacted by propaganda operations. In recent years, such operations have relied extensively on social media, particularly Facebook. UNSMIL assessed that to address this challenge traditional communication strategies would not be enough. In this regard, the Mission opened a direct line of communication and collaboration with Facebook, the most used social media platform in Libya, with around 5.5 million active accounts and pages for a population of 7 million people. “The more we move forward with the peace process, the more we would see misleading campaigns and hatred narratives on social media,” said Jean El Alam, UNSMIL Spokesperson.
The immediate focus was to work with Facebook to swiftly address hate speech campaigns, especially against women participating in the peace process and negotiations. UNSMIL’s Public Information Office, together with the Human Rights Service in the Mission, and Facebook held workshops that brought together decision-makers in media outlets, bloggers, social media influencers, civil society representatives and other activists. The main objective was to introduce them to Facebook’s community standards and to human rights guidelines in relation to hate speech and freedom of speech. Participants in the UNSMIL workshops agreed on a unified Code of Conduct.
“After the first series of workshops, more than 100 Libyan media personnel, bloggers, academics, political figures, writers and opinion leaders, issued public statements denouncing the use of hate speech, incitement and mis- and disinformation,” El Alam said.
Human Rights Office of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI)
Following the launch of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, UNAMI developed its own Plan of Action and commenced its implementation in early 2020. UNAMI’s Human Rights Office joined the Trusted Partnership Agreement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to engage with social media companies, which offers a platform to refer any hate speech content or incitement to violence for removal.
In the context of the demonstrations in Iraq in 2020, protesters and activists using social media frequently received threats and were confronted with hate-speech content. UNAMI carried out advocacy to encourage efforts to remove harmful content.
In 2021, UNAMI’s Human Rights Office commenced the implementation of a digital security and digital rights project aimed at providing protection for human rights activists from online threats. UNAMI has so far provided digital security training to more than 175 civil society activists.
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The United Nations Strategy defines hate speech as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behavior, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other identity factor”. The Plan of Action aims to address the root causes of hate speech and to help Member States respond to its impact on societies.
