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Reports and Policy Documents

2018

  • 11 5月 2018

    UN Special Coordinator Mladenov’s in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (11 May 2018)

    Thank you very...

  • 7 5月 2018

    High Level International Conference "Countering Terrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism" in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (May 2018)

    DUSHANBE,...

  • 7 5月 2018

         

  • 6 5月 2018

    On 7 May 2018, Nairobi, Kenya - Special Envoy Djinnit convened the first OSESG-GL partners’ briefing of the year 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya.  In attendance were...

  • 2 5月 2018

    “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chose to use his speech at the opening of the Palestinian National Council to repeat some of the most contemptuous anti-Semitic slurs, including the suggestion that the social behavior of Jews was the cause for the Holocaust.

    Such statements are unacceptable, deeply disturbing and do not serve the interests of the Palestinian people or peace in the Middle East.

    Denying the historic and religious connection of the Jewish people...

  • 30 4月 2018

    Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator...

  • 26 4月 2018

    Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, briefs the Security...

  • 26 4月 2018

    The sixth meeting of the Special Representatives and Envoys of the UN Secretary-General, Regional Directors and Resident Coordinators of...

  • 25 4月 2018

    On 25 April 2018, the 55th meeting of the joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) chaired by the United Nations was held in Gali town with the participation of Georgian, Russian, Abkhaz and EUMM (European Union Monitoring Mission) representatives.

    The overall security situation on the ground, since the previous IPRM meeting, which took place on 21 March 2018, was assessed as calm and stable without major incidents reported. The Chair commended this achievement, attributing it to the joint efforts of all participants. In relation to this assessment, the importance and exemplary use of the hotline was emphasized. Participants were once again encouraged to continue using this effective tool for prevention of and response to incidents, for addressing humanitarian issues as well as for information-exchange purposes on other matters.

    According to the agenda, participants followed up on the matters discussed at previous meetings. They also discussed in detail new agenda points, in particular several detentions for the alleged crossing at undesignated locations in the recent period. Information was shared on the investigations into two cases of previously committed serious crimes. The issue of the 6 April 2018 flight of two helicopters in close vicinity of the line of control was discussed in detail. In this context, the attention of the participants was drawn to the voluntary provision of advance notice on sensitive activities in order to avoid suspicion and misperceptions.

    The 55th IPRM meeting took place in a constructive and business-like atmosphere.

    It was agreed to hold the next meeting on 18 May 2018.

  • 25 4月 2018

    Photo caption: UN representatives in Central Africa during their fifth annual meeting held from 23 to 24 March 2017 in Libreville. Photo UNOCA/Norbert N. Ouendji Archives...

  • 24 4月 2018

    Participating in the launch of the Follow-up Mechanism for the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework agreement, Said Djinnit, UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region (2nd from left) with AU, ICGLR and Rwandan representatives (...

  • 23 4月 2018

    12th OECD forum, Paris, 17-19 April 2018 (Photo Hervé Cortinat)

    Paris, 20 April 2018 – The United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit,...
  • 21 4月 2018

    Let’s meet for reconciliation - 140 victims and 25 former FARC and AUC combatants met at the coliseum in the Municipality of Remedios, northeast of Antioquia to make progress in building territorial peace, coexistence and prevention of...

  • 20 4月 2018

    New York, 20 April 2018. The Secretary-General condemns the kidnapping and killing of three media workers, confirmed on...

  • 20 4月 2018

    19 April 2018 - The members of the Security Council reiterated their full and unanimous support for the peace process in Colombia and shared the assessment of the Secretary-General set out in his 29 March...

  • 17 4月 2018

    UN Photo Manuel Elias 

    Mr. President,

    I took up my assignment as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen. It began on 11 March. I approached this with...

  • 16 4月 2018

    The training workshop of the National Police Forces (FPN) of Gabon on "organized crime" was officially opened on Monday 16 April 2018 at the Ministry of Interior,...

  • 14 4月 2018

    The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - West Africa Regional Office (OHCHR-WARO), the...

  • 13 4月 2018

    Photo caption: Pastoralism, seen as "a way of life based essentially on livestock breeding, especially small ruminants, cattle and camels", is characterized, among other things, by the strategic mobility of animals - to ensure...

  • 13 4月 2018
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  • 11 4月 2018
  • 11 4月 2018

    Africa

     

    Americas

     

    Asia and Pacific

    • UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) (1999)
    • UN Political Office in Bougainville (UNPOB) (1998 - 2003)
    • UN Observer Mission in Bougainville (UNOMB) (2004 - 2005)
    • UN Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) (2005 - 2006)
    • UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) (2007 - 2010)

     

    Europe

     

    Middle East and West Asia

    • UN Special Mission in Afghanistan (UNSMA) (1993 - 2001)
    • UN Tajikistan Office of Peacebuilding (UNTOP) (2000 - 2007)
    • UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) (2005 - 2009)
    • UN Commission of Inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (2009 - 2010)
    • OPCW-UN Joint Mission in Syria (2013 - 2014)
  • 11 4月 2018

    The United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) is a Special Political Mission with a regional mandate to help prevent conflict and sustain peace in Central Africa, with due attention to the principles of the UN Charter, including human rights and gender dimensions. UNOCA provides good offices and other assistance to support preventive diplomacy and mediation in situations of tension or potential conflict, particularly in countries facing electoral or institutional crises or violent conflicts. It also works closely with UN entities on the ground, governments, civil society, regional and sub-regional organizations, notably the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), to help strengthen regional capacity,promote good governance and advocate for measures to address cross-border challenges such as arms trafficking, organized crime and maritime insecurity, as well as persistent and emerging threats to peace and security, including those related to hate speech, the impact of climate change and the continued presence of armed groups in the subregion and of terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel region. These include the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

     

    UNOCA’s mandate also includes the strengthening of the coherence and coordination in the work of the United Nations in the subregion on peace and security. In this regard, the Security Council stresses, among other things, the importance of interactions with Resident Coordinators and United Nations country teams. Improved collaboration and coordination with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) is also highlighted. The aim is to strengthen the action carried out by United Nations entities, regional and international efforts to address cross-cutting and cross-border challenges to peace and security. In addition, UNOCA mobilizes, at the sub-regional level, support for the peace process in the Central African Republic, in close cooperation with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic.

     

    UNOCA was established through an exchange of letters completed in August 2010 between the United Nations Secretary-General and the Security Council, and was inaugurated in March 2011 in Libreville, Gabon. Its mandate was renewed for another three-year period (1 September 2021-31 August 2024) in August 2021. The Office is currently headed by the Secretary-General's Special Representative Abdou Abarry (Niger). 

     

    Since May 2011, the Office is also the Secretariat to the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC), which meets twice a year at the Ministerial level to assess the state of the geopolitical and security situation in the sub-region and to report on disarmament and arms limitation programs as well as on initiatives aimed at promoting peace, including through confidence-building mea­sures.

     

    UNOCA is the third regional political office attached to the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA). Along with the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA), these regional offices have demonstrated the value of preventive diplomacy and other assistance in helping regions to manage shared problems, crises and tensions peacefully.

     

     

    Supporting regional multidimensional response to the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin region

    As mandated by the Security Council, UNOCA works jointly with UNOWAS to support regional efforts aimed at addressing the crisis related to the activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Lake Chad Basin region. This includes regularly monitoring, analyzing and reporting on developments on the ground to inform the Security Council of the evolution of the crisis and maintain the latter high on the agenda of the international community.

     

    UNOCA supports the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram-affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin led by the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the African Union. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNOCA is a member of the Regional Strategy’s Steering Committee while UNOCA also co-chairs the Governance Cluster of the Regional Strategy’s Regional Task Force. Jointly with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa supports resource mobilization efforts for the implementation of the Regional Strategy and promotes greater cooperation between the affected States through joint high-level engagement, including their joint visits to Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.  

     

  • 11 4月 2018

    Said Djinnit, Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, briefs the Security Council on the situation in the Great Lakes region. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

    The...

  • 11 4月 2018

    The members of the Security Council met on 10 April 2018 to discuss the situation in the Great lakes region, five years after the signature of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region. They were briefed by Mr Said Djinnit, Special envoy of the Secretary General for the Great Lakes, and Amb. Raymond Serge BALE, permanent representative of the Republic of Congo, as chair of the PSC Framework Regional Oversight...

  • 10 4月 2018

    Photo caption: Participants at the meeting in Libreville discuss several topics, including those related to the root and immediate causes of violence between farmers and herders in Central Africa. Photo UNOCA/Norbert...

  • 10 4月 2018

    The 49th edition of INTERFACE, the quarterly newsletter of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), provides...

  • 10 4月 2018

    Photo caption: The joint summit scheduled for July 2018 marks an important step in the implementation of a decision taken at the extraordinary session of the...

  • 10 4月 2018

    The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) has been supporting regional efforts to help resolve Burundi’s political crisis since civil unrest erupted in April 2015 in Bujumbura in connection with the candidacy of President Pierre Nkurunziza. The violence that followed an attempted coup d’etat in May 2015 saw hundreds killed, thousands internally displaced, and some 420,000 flee to neighboring countries. Since then, Burundi has been trying to find a peaceful solution to the political crisis through the Inter-Burundian Dialogue, which is led by the region and supported by the United Nations, while the country is also preparing for the 2020 elections.

     

    As mandated by Security Council resolutions 2248 (2015)2279 (2016) and 2303 (2016), the Secretary-General appointed on 5 May 2017 former President of Burkina Faso, Michel Kafando as his Special Envoy to provide assistance to the efforts of the East African Community (EAC) for political dialogue among all Burundians as well as to lead and coordinate the UN political efforts to promote peace and sustainable development in Burundi. The Special Envoy’s team in Bujumbura has been working with the EAC and the African Union as part of a Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) to facilitate and support the process, previously under the leadership of Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, Jamal Benomar. Special Envoy Kafando completed his assignment on 30 November 2019 and the Secretary-General has yet to appoint a replacement. The Office of the Special Envoy in Bujumbura is currently under the leadership and management of DPPA-Department of Peace Operations (DPO).  

     

    Progress since the end of civil war in the 1990s

    As mandated in Security Council resolution 2137 (2014), the UN Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) deployed 72 election observers across the country to report on the 2015 elections. They concluded that while the vote was adequate in conduct, the overall environment was “not conducive” to a free and credible process. MENUB concluded its mandate on 18 November 2015.

     

    In the decade before the 2015 elections the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB) supported the country in its efforts to build itself out of decades of civil war through reconciliation, equitable economic growth, and effective institutions.

     

    In 2010 the UN provided electoral support to five elections, from the communal to the national level. One result was a record representation of women in public office -- over a third of elected officials and almost half of the government ministers.

     

    In 2005 the UN Operations in Burundi (ONUB) organized the 2005 election in the context of the country emerging from conflict. The former Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, was a member of a strategic consultative committee which aimed to assess key aspects of international community assistance to the process. The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) availed resources for the production of 1,000,000 identity cards. The UN Development Program (UNDP) was also a member of key electoral technical committees and supported fund mobilization. The elections came off successfully under the watchful presence of BINUB’s blue helmets.

     

    Despite ongoing difficulties, Burundi has taken important strides forward since its civil war in the 1990s. The peace accord signed in Arusha, Tanzania in 2000, envisioned a new constitution, which was adopted on 18 March 2005 with an alternating presidency and ethnically balanced institutions designed to blunt the potential for conflict. A new constitution has been proposed by the government and will face referendum in May 2018.

     

     

  • 10 4月 2018

    Mine Action day exhibition at AU Headquarters

    ‘Currently 179 life-saving Mine Action projects are taking place in 22 countries, many of which are in Africa’, Colonel Nurudeen Azeez, Head of...

  • 5 4月 2018

    The Secretary-General takes note of the announcement by the National Electoral Commission on 4 April of the final results of the presidential run-off election in Sierra Leone. He congratulates Mr....

  • 5 4月 2018

    Statement by United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process,Nickolay Mladenov, on the situation in GazaJerusalem, 5 April 2018

    “I am following with concern the continuing preparations and rhetoric for this Friday’s ‘Great Return March’ in Gaza.

    Israeli forces should exercise maximum restraint and Palestinians should avoid friction at the Gaza fence.

    Demonstrations and protests must be allowed...

  • 3 4月 2018

    3 April 2018

    Excellencies,

    Distinguished guests,

    Ladies and gentlemen,

     

    Thank you all for being here today to show your solidarity with the women, men, girls and boys of Yemen.

    And I want to thank my co-chairs, the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland, for hosting this conference for the second year and for their continued humanitarian commitment.

    Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

    As the conflict enters its...

  • 1 4月 2018

    Sana’a International Airport, 31 March 2018 -  I just completed my first visit to Sana’a as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.  This trip follows a visit to Riyadh where I met with the...

  • 31 3月 2018

    DPA’s mission is to help prevent and reduce violent conflicts and sustain peace through inclusive political solutions. The Department’s Theory of Change recognizes that a multitude of actors and variables affect achievement of the Department’s mandate. Therefore, deep and effective partnerships, within the United Nations system and outside it, are required to address root or immediate causes that lead to violent conflict. As conflict is complex and its dynamics are embedded in societal, economic, legal and political systems, conflict prevention and management require a non-linear and cyclical approach.

  • 31 3月 2018

    DPA’s Strategic Plan is also accompanied by a Results Framework to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of DPA’s performance in the period 2016-2019. A biennial Results Framework with the expected accomplishments and indicators was defined for the first two years (2016-2017). Following a mid-term review, the second (2018-2019) biennial Results Framework was developed for the remaining two years of the Strategic Plan.

    The objectives of the Results Framework are to: 1) Operationalize the priorities of the Strategic Plan (SP) into concrete and achievable results; 2) Support integrated planning across Divisions of the Department; 3) Support better and more regular monitoring and reporting of achievements; 4) Form the basis for the Annual Work Plans (AWPs) of the Divisions and Offices of the Department.

  • 30 3月 2018
    Mr. President,
    Members of the Security Council,
     
    As you know, today’s Great Return March near the Gaza fence has unfortunately resulted in violence. Based on the information at our disposal, around 30,000 people participated in and around the march at various locations in Gaza. Soon after the demonstration started, the situation deteriorated in several locations. Late afternoon local time the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza confirmed that at least fifteen Palestinians had been killed, and more than 1,000 had been injured, including by tear gas suffocation.
     
    Several of the casualties were reportedly the result of live ammunition used by the Israeli Security Forces during the march, but also following armed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, including the shelling of a Hamas observation point. Reports indicate that most of the demonstrators stayed well away from the border fence and did not engage in violence.
     
    However, there are also reports that some protestors engaged in stone-throwing and violent behavior, some reportedly carrying weapons.
     
    According to Israeli Security Forces’ reports, militants tried to get through the fence in an attempt to plant explosives. Palestinians reportedly also sent a nine year old girl across the fence, but Israeli troops were able to send her safely back. Hamas leaders reportedly also were present at some of the gatherings.
     
    Prior to the march, Israel had increased its forces along the border, deploying snipers, special units and drones, and sent out warnings that it would act to prevent any breach of the border fence or violation of Israel’s sovereignty. Violence also broke out in the West Bank with an estimated 900 Palestinians demonstrating, mostly in central West Bank cities such as Ramallah and Hebron. According to the Red Crescent, 27 Palestinians were wounded during clashes near Nablus.
     
     
    Mr. President,
     
    In his Security Council briefing earlier this week, Special Coordinator Mladenov noted the developing Palestinian plans for today’s march and called on all to exercise restraint and to take the necessary steps to avoid violent escalation. In statements to the media he reiterated these calls and emphasized the need to ensure that civilians, particularly children, should not be put in harms way.
     
    UNSCO has also engaged with the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian factions, particularly in Gaza, to reinforce the same message. In order to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel, the UN Department for Safety and Security issued repeated security advisories to all staff. Throughout the day, UNSCO has been in contact with both Palestinian and Israeli security forces and will continue do so, as more demonstrations are expected throughout the next six weeks. There is fear that the situation might deteriorate in these next days.
     
    We will continue to underline that it is imperative that civilians, in particular children, not be targeted and that all actors refrain from putting children at risk at any time. Israel must uphold its responsibilities under international human rights law and humanitarian law. Lethal force should only be used as a last resort, with any resulting fatalities properly investigated by the authorities. We will therefore also continue to urge Israeli security forces to exercise maximum restraint to avoid casualties.
     
     
    Mr. President,
     
    The developments in Gaza today are again a painful reminder of the consequences of a missing peace between Israel and Palestine and the need to step up our efforts in support of a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
     
    As the Secretary-General and the Special Coordinator have repeatedly reminded this Council, the UN strongly urges Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to take concrete measures that will reverse the current course of the conflict and advance the goal of a just and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution.
     
    Thank you.
  • 29 3月 2018

    Rosemary A. DiCarlo

    Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Rosemary DiCarlo of the United States, President of...

  • 28 3月 2018

    The 43rd round of the Geneva International Discussions has just concluded. In Working Group I, the participants reviewed the security situation on the ground. While the overall security situation was assessed as relatively calm and stable, the Co-Chairs reiterated their strong concern over the tragic death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in February 2018. They emphasised the need to address properly this and similar cases to avoid repetition and raising tensions. In this context, the Co-Chairs stressed the need to avoid impunity and called for a thorough investigation into the case and for cooperation among relevant stakeholders, including in the framework of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism.

    Despite intensive engagement by all participants, it did not prove possible to finalise the draft joint statement on non-use of force. The Co-Chairs will continue their consultations in this regard. In Working Group II, the participants extensively discussed the humanitarian aspects of the Tatunashvili case, which also impacted on the rest of the deliberations. In addition, they exchanged views on missing persons, environmental challenges and how they affect livelihoods, obstacles to freedom of movement for the local population, healthcare, documentation and education. Unfortunately, it was again impossible to complete discussion of all agenda items given long-standing divergent approaches to the issue of IDPs/refugees. The participants agreed to hold the next round in June 2018.

  • 27 3月 2018
  • 21 3月 2018

    21 марта 2018 г., 54-aя встреча совместного Механизма по Предотвращению и Реагированию на Инциденты (МПРИ) была проведена в Гали под председательством Организации Объединённых Наций, с участием грузинских, российских, абхазских и МНЕС (Миссия Наблюдателей Европейского Союза) представителей.

    В своем вступительном заявлении Председатель выразил надежду, что встреча будет такой же конструктивной как и предыдущие встречи, и пройдет в атмосфере взаимоуважения и понимании позиций друг друга.

    В то время как участники оценили общую ситуацию на местах в области безопасности как спокойную и стабильную, была выражена обеспокоенность в отношении недавних задержаний за “незаконные пересечения”. В этой связи, были обсуждены три случая. Председатель призвал участников предпринять все усилия к тому, чтобы избежать ненужных задержаний и представить местному населению соответствующую информацию о правилах и практике относительно пересечений, как было согласовано на предыдущих встречах МПРИ.

    Случай об убийстве невооруженного грузинского гражданского лица, в мае 2016 г., в бывшей точке пересечения, был также поднят.

    Председатель поблагодарил участников за их положительный обмен мнениями по пунктам повестки дня и настоятельно призвал их к сотрудничеству для сохранения спокойной и стабильной ситуации на местах. Встреча прошла в конструктивной атмосфере.

    Было принято решение провести следующую встречу 25 апреля 2018 г.  

     

    Press Release in English

  • 21 3月 2018

    On 21 March 2018, the 54th meeting of the joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Gali under the United Nations chairmanship, with the participation of Georgian, Russian, Abkhaz and EUMM (European Union Monitoring Mission) representatives. 

    In his opening remarks the Chair expressed hope that the meeting would be as constructive as the  previous ones and would take place in the atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding of each other’s positions.

    While the participants assessed the overall security situation on the ground as calm and stable, concerns were expressed about recent detentions for “illegal crossings”.  In this context, three cases were discussed. The Chair called upon the participants to do their utmost to avoid unnecessary detentions and provide the local population with relevant information on the rules and practices regarding crossings, as agreed at previous IPRM meetings.

    The murder case of an unarmed Georgian civilian, in May 2016, at a former crossing point was also raised.

    The Chair thanked the participants for their positive exchange of views on the agenda points and urged them to cooperate in order to keep the situation on the ground calm and stable. The meeting was held in a constructive atmosphere. 

    It was agreed to have the next meeting on 25 April 2018.

  • 17 3月 2018

    Photo caption: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNOCA, Mr. François Louncény Fall, and the Secretary-General of ECCAS, Mr. Ahmad...

  • 16 3月 2018

    Mr President and Dear Karel,

    I am joining you by VTC from Brussels because I had very minor eye surgery on my right eye which had been affected in many missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, and it was useful to do so.   The only consequence of it was that I am not allowed to fly until Sunday. My apologies for doing it from Brussels, that is why I am here with VTC. The good thing is that I have two eyes and I can speak and work. That is why we have been constantly, round-the-clock, in spite of this minor local surgery, in touch with the Secretary-General and my colleagues in the field and with all those with influence, because of the events (some of which are very worrisome) that have been taking place in the last few days.

    On 7 March, I briefed you in consultations on the status of the implementation of resolution 2401. At the time, I said that there had not been a sustained ceasefire and there had not been enough humanitarian access at that stage. On 12 March, the Secretary-General himself orally reported to this Council on the implementation of resolution 2401, including UN efforts to create those conditions by using its own good offices and his own teams, including ourselves. The Secretary-General also underscored that it is incumbent on the parties and all those with influence - in this Council, in Astana, in the broader ISSG - to act on the resolution, throughout Syria, without delay.

    Let me update, with your permission, on where we stand on these matters, since the Secretary-General made a comprehensive report – and on the very day after the sad anniversary of the beginning of this conflict. We are entering the eighth year. In everything we are doing in this horrific conflict, our compass, and I know you feel the same, has been, is and should be the Syrian people, wherever they are, who are telling us they are fed up with this conflict and the way civilians are being affected in the cross-fighting.  So whatever we do these days and whatever we suggest, including our current facilitation role, is constantly framed by the urgent need of the ordinary civilians – women, children and men.

    Further meetings have taken place between the Russian Federation and Jaish al-Islam, in the last few days, on the outskirts of Douma – the northernmost of the three opposition-controlled enclaves in Eastern Ghouta. As a result of this engagement, a tenuous, fragile ceasefire between the Government, the Russian military and Jaish al Islam forces has continued to largely hold, for 6 days now, and we hope it will continue so, notwithstanding engagement between government forces and Jaish al-Islam in other areas outside of Douma, such as the village of Reihan.  The ceasefire was effective and implemented with Jaish al-Islam in Douma, but not beyond that. But this is only one part of Eastern Ghouta. It is not being replicated in the rest of Eastern Ghouta or elsewhere and it is extremely fragile. As we are talking, I understand, at this very moment, some delicate meetings are taking place regarding the follow-up to this arrangement regarding Douma. Let us hope that this ceasefire holds, because it is at least one good news among very bad news.

    The UN has been proactively offering its own good offices, but efforts to facilitate meaningful contacts between the Russian Federation and Failaq al-Rahman or Ahrar al-Sham have not yet produced results. These are the dominant forces in the two other enclaves of Eastern Ghouta, in Harasta and around Kafr Batna/Ain Terma/Irbin/Zamalka/Jobar respectively. In those two other areas we have not seen any ceasefire to speak of. Rather, we have seen Government forces and their allies pursue a concerted escalation against these two enclaves, with rapid ground offensives, accompanied by shelling and airstrikes. Reports are just coming in a public market in Kafr Batna having been hit - we need to verify this of course because they are fresh reports - with numerous civilian casualties. And we have also seen continuous outgoing shelling from these areas of Eastern Ghouta inside civilian areas of Damascus. We are also hearing from people inside Eastern Ghouta asking the UN, this Council, and members states with influence to pressure AOGs to let civilians to leave and to pressure all parties for a ceasefire and protection for those who do not want to leave and want to stay.  The bottom line is too many civilians are suffering, too many have died in that area.

    But let me first say: it need not be this way. Negotiations in Douma in the last few days do show that there is a way to create the conditions to advance the implementation of your resolution 2401. The UN therefore stands ready to offer its own good offices, as we have done so far, to all parties, to facilitate further engagement of this kind, so as to make a concrete contribution to the realisation of resolution 2401, in all areas of Eastern Ghouta. What the UN is not ready is to facilitate ultimatums from any side to the other one. Rather, what the UN is ready to, is facilitate discussion, facilitate ceasefire, facilitate evacuations.

    Meanwhile, violence has escalated across many other parts of Syria, where there is no ceasefire to speak of. In Afrin, Turkish Government forces and their armed allies continue to take ground rapidly. We have also received reports of shelling on besieged Fouah and Kefraya, these two villages which have been for a long time besieged by opposition. And there have been airstrikes in Idlib, a new armed opposition offensive in Hama, and clashes and airstrikes in Daraa in southern Syria. Well, if this is a de-escalation moment, you better try to convince me that this is exactly a de-escalation. All what we are seeing on the map looks actually the opposite: escalation. Let me re-emphasise: resolution 2401 cannot be applied piecemeal. It is not a menu à-la-carte. It applies to all non-Security Council-listed terrorist groups, across all of Syria. Let me also re-emphasise, and I quote from the Secretary-General, that: “even efforts to combat terrorist groups identified by this Council do not supersede these obligations” under international law.

    On the humanitarian side, I am sure you will be having opportunity to hear a briefing from Mark Lowcock, but meanwhile, since I have this opportunity today, let me give some elements of information. On the humanitarian front, on 13 March, the UN observed the evacuation of 147 civilians (among them 10 critical medical cases), finally, mostly women and children from Douma to the Dweir collective shelter in Rural Damascus. On 15 March - and this was the outcome of discussions and meetings between Russian military and Jaish al-Islam, facilitated by the UN - United Nations colleagues also delivered a convoy of food assistance to Douma for 26,100 people in need. Additional medical cases were evacuated. These, let us be honest and admit it, positive efforts, which are long overdue, are welcome but they are still limited. These civilians need much, much more, including medical and health supplies, the restoration of water, commercial access and freedom of movement. You must have seen a report where Peter Maurer was meeting some of the people in Eastern Ghouta who were asking just water. Humanitarian colleagues who entered into these areas spoke of having seen hunger, dire want, poverty, haggard faces and despair all around, and even for experience people like my own and humanitarian colleagues it was an unsustainable situation, where people are, literally, at the tip of collapse. And that is in few kilometres, 20 minutes of drive from Damascus.

    And let me be clear: this is only in Douma, an area where we have seen a few days of ceasefire and some positive movement on humanitarian access. Can you imagine elsewhere? In the other two enclaves of Eastern Ghouta, further south, we have seen no ceasefire to speak of and, to borrow the words of the Secretary General, people are still living in a “hell on earth”: scores killed and the injured unattended because health workers could not reach them due to relentless airstrikes. We have seen fresh allegations of the use of incendiary weapons in these areas, urban areas, and the targeting of medical facilities since 12 March, as well as fresh and disturbing allegation of chlorine use in the area; as the Secretary-General said, we cannot independently verify these allegations but we also cannot nor should ignore them. We have also received reports of thousands displaced – some moving further into Eastern Ghouta and many others exiting en masse, in large groups, – as a result of Syrian Government advances in Hammouriyeh and in Saqba. Evacuations not observed by the UN staff are also reported to have taken place, including from Misraba and other areas.   The UN was not present to observe these evacuations so is unable to know the precise number.

    We urge all parties that any evacuations must take place in accordance with the highest protection standards under international humanitarian and human rights law. Whether civilians choose to stay or leave, they must be protected against attack and have access to the essentials to survive. Evacuations must be safe, voluntary and to a place of their choosing. The UN stands ready to provide assistance to people in need, both those who wants to stay and those who want to leave.

    We are also highly concerned at the situation for civilians across all of Syria.  This means:  those being displaced as well as the almost 3 million in besieged and hard-to-reach areas and those caught up in escalations in Idlib, Hama, Aleppo and Daraa. Resolution 2401 demands to “all parties to immediately lift the sieges of populated areas”.  We have not seen this as you know.

    The situation in Afrin is particularly worrying, according to my own colleagues: we have received reports of tens of thousands of people displaced within Afrin and to nearby Tal Refaat and surrounding villages, Nubul and Zahra and other areas of Aleppo governorate.  The UN has also received reports of civilian casualties, some restrictions on movement for many of the large numbers of civilians seeking to leave the city of Afrin, with violence on the main exit road.  I urge all parties to ensure that those civilians seeking to leave Afrin be given safe passage.  Since 6 March, people in Afrin city have also reportedly suffered from severe water shortages again as the source of water to Afrin city has reportedly been damaged by fighting.

    Allow me to add a point of particular importance, and this came out through recent report:  Syrian women face specific threats, particularly in this moment of evacuation and end of a siege and of a battle, to their security in areas of conflict, including widespread sexual and gender based violence, which has been widely documented as well as voiced by women’s groups. Their protection and needs must be forefront in our own response.

    On a separate humanitarian issue, Mr President:  On 14 March, my technical team participated in the first session of the Working Group on detainees and missing people in Astana. We have pressed the Astana guarantors, on that occasion and before, to make progress on this crucial issue, which to us is one of the main reasons to attend Astana, because there is an issue which has been on the forefront of our concern, and we have offered to host a Standing Secretariat so that they can be keeping the detainees file moving between one meeting and other of the Working Group. The Guarantors so far simply agreed to consider our proposal about the Standing Secretariat in Geneva to follow up on detainee issue, but no final decision, even this time, was taken. We will intensify our contacts with them and the parties in order to accelerate the work of this important humanitarian issue.   We should remind ourselves that the issue of detainees and missing people was first raised in Astana one year ago and sadly we are not seeing any concrete progress so far.  We owe it to the Syrian families who have been waiting for too long to know the fate of their relatives on all sides. 

    Mr President, Members of the Security Council,

    Even though the logic of war is clearly still prevailing, what we have just seen and said, and resolution 2401 is not being implemented as it must be - as the Secretary-General said -, we refuse to lose hope to see Syria rising from the own ashes. Syrian people deserve to be helped. Syrian people are proud, they love their country. We need to help them go back to having a normal country. There too, it is with the people of Syria in mind and their legitimate aspirations for the long-term shape of their own country that we continue our political efforts, in spite what we see on the ground, for a sustainable settlement of the conflict.  And there too, the voice of women across Syria conveying their wish to play a meaningful role, like we are having with our own web of civil society, in the next stage of the political process must be heard. 

    My team and I have therefore continued to consult, in the context of the political process, widely and intensively on the formation of the constitutional committee in Geneva, in an effort to advance the full and complete implementation of resolution 2254, within the framework of the UN-facilitated political process in Geneva – and to this end seeking to leverage the momentum produced by the Sochi Final Declaration, which emphasized the fact we should have a constitutional committee in Geneva with an assistance of the UN. We take note of the statement of the Astana guarantors in their ministerial meeting today, in which they reaffirmed “the results of the Sochi Congress, especially to form the Constitutional Committee and to facilitate the beginning of its work in Geneva with the assistance of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria as soon as possible.”

    However, I have to be frank, I must report that at this stage, which is more than two weeks after one month since the Sochi Congress, we have not yet received the complete inputs on the pool of candidates for a constitutional committee developed in Sochi, from the three guarantors. It is my intention, in close consultations with all concerned, to look carefully at this pool when we receive it and at others as required and consistent with resolution 2254 to facilitate the establishment of the constitutional committee.  I must also report, once again, that there is still some serious homework to be done regarding the Syrian Government’s readiness to engage on implementing the Sochi Final Declaration and carrying forward a constitutional committee in Geneva. I have impressed this on the relevant guarantors repeatedly in recent weeks, just as I continue to make clear the readiness of the UN to engage the Government of Syria on this matter. We need them to be part of it. We need to have a comprehensive participation of all Syrian parties.

    In the meantime, we have been proactive in offering creative suggestions as to how to expedite the formation of that constitutional committee. We continue to assess various options on how to advance discussions on all four baskets of the political process in Geneva. In particular, it is clear that there must be more serious talks with the Government, opposition and all Syrian and international stakeholders on what is required to establish a secure, calm, neutral environment, as per resolution 2254, in which a constitutional process and UN-supervised presidential and parliamentary elections pursuant to a new constitution could viably take place. We remained determined to engage everyone.

    As I said in my last briefing a month ago, conflict is increasingly spilling even over Syria’s borders, or at least has the danger of doing so. This month we have further incidents of international potential and real confrontation within Syria, that we cannot independently verify but which concern us. This risk is precisely why we need urgent action on the political front. Syrians need to see some positive movement on the political process.

    On Monday I will be attending a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers here in Brussels - so I do not need to fly, and by Tuesday I should be allowed by doctors to take a flight which would bring me back to Geneva - at the invitation of High Representative Mogherini - and in the context of the preparatory efforts by the EU and the UN, in their own joint Ministerial Conference in Brussels at the end of April. I hope the Conference will provide a significant opportunity to further the international support to the Syrian people though humanitarian commitments.  I also hope that the gathering of an important number of Foreign Ministers in Brussels in that occasion, will also represent a chance to reinvigorate the collective efforts by the international community towards a sustainable peace through the UN-led peace process in Geneva within the framework of resolution 2254 and other relevant resolutions.

    Mr President, in conclusion, let me finishing by cautioning: we are witnessing developments of substantial gravity on the ground, we have to recognise, that demand action, and the world is worried and watching. I remain concerned that concrete matters that we have been trying to advance - resolution 2401, detainees and a constitutional committee – need to move faster and with more meaningful impact than has so far proven possible. And de-escalation needs to replace what we are watching at the moment – escalation. I will continue creatively and determinedly to seek to facilitate the overall political process. As the Secretary-General said on Monday, the ultimate goal is the Syrian people, and the ultimate goal is to “see a united, democratic Syria able to avoid fragmentation and sectarianism with its sovereignty and territorial integrity respected and to see a Syrian people able to freely decide their future and choose their political leadership.”

    Thank you Mr. President and members of the Council.

  • 6 3月 2018

    The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) plays a central role in United Nations efforts to prevent deadly conflict and build sustainable peace around the world.

    DPPA monitors and assesses global political developments with an eye to detecting potential crises and devising effective responses. The Department provides support to the Secretary-General and his envoys in their peace initiatives, as well as to UN political missions around the world.

    DPPA is also an agile platform for crisis response, capable, with the assent of countries concerned, of rapidly deploying mediators and other peacemaking expertise worldwide and cooperating closely with regional organizations on the frontlines of conflicts.

    DPPA provides staff support to the UN Security Council, advises the UN Special Committee on Decolonization on the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories on the UN list through DPPA’s Decolonization Unit and services the Secretariat of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People through its Palestinian Rights Division. The Department also contributes directly to UN efforts to promote peace and prevent conflict by coordinating UN electoral assistance activities through its Electoral Assistance Division.

    The Department was established on 1 January 2019 following the reform of the United Nations peace and security infrastructure, which brought together the former Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office. DPA and the former Department of Peacekeeping Operations (now the Department of Peace Operations, or DPO) also merged their previously parallel regional divisions to create a single structure to provide more coherent political analysis and strategic advice in the service of prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding after conflict.

     

    Peacebuilding Support Office

    The Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) fosters international support for nationally-owned and led peacebuilding efforts. The Office assists the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), manages the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) on behalf of the Secretary-General, and works to enhance system-wide coherence and partnerships with UN and non-UN actors to back building and sustaining peace in relevant countries. PBSO was established in 2005.

     

    The Under-Secretary-General

    Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. DiCarlo heads DPPA. The Under-Secretary-General manages the department, advises the Secretary-General on matters affecting global peace and security, carries out high-level diplomatic missions and provides guidance to peace envoys and political missions in the field.

     

    Staff Worldwide

    In addition to its more than 500 personnel at UN headquarters in New York, DPPA draws from the work of political and peace-building missions under its supervision, which employ about 4,000 national and international staff in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. This field presence enriches DPPA’s political analysis and provides a forward platform for good-offices missions and other preventive initiatives. 

     

  • 6 3月 2018

    The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) plays a central role in United Nations efforts to prevent and resolve deadly conflict around the world. DPPA focuses primarily on five areas in international peace and security:

    • Ensuring sound analysis and early warning
    • Preventing conflict and engaging in peacemaking
    • Managing political crises and violent conflicts
    • Sustaining peace
    • Enhancing partnerships

    DPPA monitors and assesses global political developments with an eye to detecting potential crises before they erupt and devising effective responses. The Department provides support to the Secretary-General and his envoys, as well as to UN political missions deployed around the world to help defuse crises or promote lasting solutions to conflict.

    The Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) within DPPA fosters international support for nationally-owned and led peacebuilding efforts. 

    The Department also coordinates UN electoral assistance activities and provides staff support to the UN Security Council and two standing committees established by the General Assembly: on the rights of the Palestinian people and decolonization.

    In many ways, the United Nations and regional organizations have unique and complementary capacities that, when properly coordinated, can contribute decisively to the prevention and management of armed conflict. DPPA is in regular contact with its counterparts in regional organizations to ensure information-sharing and cooperation on regional or country-specific issues of mutual concern in its core work in conflict prevention, preventive diplomacy and mediation.

     

  • 2 3月 2018

    President Lajčák officially initated his two-day visit at UNOAU office where he received a briefing from the Chief of Staff

    H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of...

  • 1 3月 2018

    In carrying out its crucial functions, the United Nations Security Council relies on staff of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) for both substantive and secretariat support. DPPA provides similar staff support to two standing committees established by the General Assembly, concerning the Rights of the Palestinian People and Decolonization.

  • 28 2月 2018

    Mr. President, members of the Security Council, Thank you for this opportunity to brief the Security Council after the comprehensive report from the ERC, Mark Lowcock. In two weeks, we will mark the beginning of the eighth year of the Syrian conflict.  There are no words to express our frustration over the collective failure of the international community to end this war. But that frustration is nothing compared to the suffering and destruction visited ceaselessly upon the Syrian people. We are here again today because the brief respite you unanimously demanded only days ago in resolution 2401 has not materialized. The airstrikes, shelling, and ground offensives continue. There are even reports of yet another chlorine gas attack. What we need is implementation of 2401, and that is not happening.

    Nearly seven years since the peaceful protests in Deraa and the reaction that set in motion what would eventually become all-out war, we are still grasping for a political solution, which is the only way to end the bloodletting. The Secretary-General has called Eastern Ghouta a “hell on earth”. The UN will continue to work with Syrians and the international community to help bring about a durable political solution. We will also continue to demand that all the parties involved in the conflict respect international humanitarian law – the rules of war – and protect civilians. We will continue to demand the release of those who have been arbitrarily detained and the end of enforced disappearances. And we will continue to call forcefully for justice and accountability. Those responsible for the catalogue of horrors that mark daily life in Syria –chemical and terrorist attacks; torture and sexual violence; sieges; and attacks on hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure – must be held accountable. These outrages continue in large part because the perpetrators have so far enjoyed impunity.

    Mr. President,

    As the Secretary-General said earlier this week, “Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.” The UN acknowledges Russia’s announcement of a daily five-hour pause for Eastern Ghouta. And in addition to Mark Lowcock said quoting the ICRC, we respectfully remind all parties that resolution 2401 demands “sustained delivery of humanitarian aid” for a minimum of 30 consecutive days. The UN Secretariat and agencies are united, pulling in one direction, towards immediate and continuous cessation of hostilities that can be sustained beyond 30 days for unimpeded aid delivery.

    We also urgently need to get humanitarian aid and services in and the sick and critically wounded evacuated from besieged Eastern Ghouta and other locations. We are ready to deliver.

    The Secretary-General has repeatedly reminded parties of their absolute obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Earlier this month, Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock told this Council in no uncertain terms that this is an obligation, not a favor. The ERC has updated you on the humanitarian situation and, provided an update on the UN’s readiness to deliver aid and services, and the tireless efforts of humanitarians to reach all in need, wherever they are. But right now, we must address the particular need of those in besieged Eastern Ghouta.

    Mr. President, members of the Security Council,

    Resolution 2401 affirms that the cessation of hostilities shall not apply to military operations against ISIL, Al Qaeda, Al Nusra Front “and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al Qaeda or ISIL, and other terrorist groups, as designated by the Security Council.” This rightly maintains the parameters set out in resolution 2254.

    But there must be a frank assessment of what this means in relation to the humanitarian tragedy we are witnessing in Eastern Ghouta.

    First, we condemn all violations of international law by all parties, including shelling from Eastern Ghouta that has injured or killed civilians in Damascus. The scale of the government’s indiscriminate military attacks against Eastern Ghouta, an area with a civilian population of 400,000, cannot be justified on the basis of targeting Jabhat al Nusra fighters. Efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.

    Second, the UN has not seen any confirmation by the Government of Syria of its commitment to implement resolution 2401, though at the resolution’s adoption Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN said, “We bear the responsibility as a state for our citizens, and we have a right to counter terrorism.”

    Third, yesterday the head of the Syrian Negotiations Commission transmitted to the Secretary-General a letter on behalf of the three major non-state armed opposition groups—Jaish al Islam, Failaq al Rahman, and Ahrar al Sham—and civil groups in Eastern Ghouta regarding their full commitment to the implementation of resolution 2401. Specifically, they committed to ensuring the necessary environment for UN humanitarian access as well as “to expel all elements of Hay’at Tahrir al Sham, Jabhat al Nusra, and Al Qaida and all who belong to these groups from Eastern Ghouta.”

    Fourth, the UN has no independent verified reports that these three non-state armed opposition groups in Eastern Ghouta created a coordination center, as has been alleged, with Jabhat al Nusra. Nor has the UN seen any public announcement by these groups of such a center. Jaish al Islam has denied this claim. What the UN can verify is that non-state armed opposition groups in Eastern Ghouta, over the past 24 hours, have expressed their readiness in writing to evacuate Jabhat al Nusra fighters. Previous negotiations between these groups and key members of the ISSG humanitarian task force on this issue in Geneva and in Damascus have not resulted in success.

     

    Mr. President,

    Alleviating the tragic situation in Eastern Ghouta has this Council’s full attention. Yet, we cannot forget that resolution 2401 demands a cessation of hostilities throughout Syria. Violence continues in Afrin, Idlib, and in the east. You have heard about the humanitarian challenges and suffering of the people in these areas as well. I would just like to take this opportunity to emphasize that developments in these areas will undoubtedly render the situation in Syria even more complex. There will be no sustainable solution if the Council’s resolutions are not implemented. This will require that the parties step back from the brink and fulfill their obligations to end the fighting in Syria. And all our efforts will be in vain if there is no serious investment in a political solution. 

    Mr. President and members of the Security Council,

    As you know, resolution 2401 calls upon all Member States to use their influence with the parties to ensure implementation of the cessation of hostilities. The UN calls for a renewed commitment by all concerned Member States to seriously work to implement this cessation of hostilities. The UN also cautions against drawing the UN into monitoring exercises. This has been tried in the past without success – not for lack of trying, but in the absence of political will among Member States to underpin UN efforts. Member States, especially those working within the Astana and Amman arrangements, should use their resources and clear influence over the parties to ensure implementation of a sustained cessation of hostilities throughout Syria.

    Mr. President, members of the Security Council,

    The conflict in Syria continues to threaten regional and international stability because the warring parties believe there is a military solution. There is not.

    The UN remains convinced that a political solution is the only way forward. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is pressing forward on facilitating the establishment of a constitutional committee in Geneva, as part of the overall Intra-Syrian political process towards full implementation of resolution 2254, for which the UN requires the positive and constructive engagement of both negotiating delegations. Special Envoy de Mistura will need the full support of the Council and the international community as a whole if the UN’s efforts are to have a chance of reinvigorating a serious and meaningful political process. I trust that he will have that support.

    Thank you.

  • 27 2月 2018

    On 27 February 2018, the 53rd meeting of the joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Gali town under the chairmanship United Nations, with the participation of Georgian, Russian, Abkhaz and EUMM (European Union Monitoring Mission) representatives. The meeting took place in a business-like atmosphere.

    The participants welcomed the release of one long-term detainee in early February 2018. They assessed the overall security situation on the ground, since the previous IPRM meeting, as calm and stable, and commended the effective use of the hotline. In this context, the Chair urged all participants to continue sharing information between each other as appropriate.

    At the 53rd IPRM meeting participants followed up the May 2016 murder case of unarmed civilian. They also discussed issues related to freedom of movement of the local population and challenges, including the crossings of children to attend schools of their choice. The exchange of views on those issues was extensive.

    The participants also discussed a maritime incident, which reportedly took place on 28 January 2018, and exchanged opinions on how similar incidents could be prevented in the future. Furthermore, the timely activation of hotline on this incident and one case of fire was once again highly commended by the participants.

    It was agreed to hold the next meeting on 21 March 2018.