USG Rosemary DiCarlo’s statement for the
UNGA 78 High-level event on
‘Global Solidarity with Afghan Women and Girls’
Co-hosted by Ireland and Women’s Forum on Afghanistan
New York, 19 September 2023
I welcome and thank you for the opportunity to join you today at this timely high-level event on the rights of Afghan women and girls.
Two years since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan is facing unprecedented challenges: one of the world’s largest and most severe humanitarian crisis, acute discrimination against Afghan women and girls, a collapse of the human rights situation, and dire economic conditions.
Despite early pledges, the Taliban authorities have yet to take concrete steps to comply with international normative frameworks regarding human rights, representative and inclusive governance, and international collective security.
The governance system imposed by the Taliban leaves little space for the realization of a range of civil and political rights. Dissent is effectively silenced.
Our special political mission, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), has documented arbitrary arrests and detention of journalists, media workers and activists, many of them women. It has also reported disproportionate use of force by the de facto security forces against women-led peaceful demonstrations. There have been restrictions on the registration of civil society organizations and recently a ban on political parties. The Mission has also documented extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detentions of officials of the former Republic in violation of the general amnesty.
Economic, social and cultural rights are equally under assault, undermined especially by the violation of the fundamental principles of non-discrimination and gender equality. Women and girls remain banned from pursuing education beyond grade sixth and confined to their households. Employment opportunities are also severely restricted, which not only violates the fundamental rights of Afghan women, but negatively impacts the country’s prospects for development.
Indeed, marginalizing over half the country’s participation from economic, social, and political life is not only wrong, but it also undermines the Taliban’s stated objective of economic self-reliance. Afghanistan cannot develop without the economic, political and intellectual contributions of over half of its population. Any progress on the Sustainable Development Goals will depend on the inclusion of women as beneficiaries and contributors in all sectors.
Consultations conducted by UNAMA and UNWOMEN in the country revealed the cumulative, dire impact of the current situation on the lives and health of Afghan women. Most worryingly, there has been a marked increase in exposure to domestic violence.
In particular, conditions for Afghan women are so severe that, according to some experts, they may be considered as persecution on gender grounds, which may amount to a crime against humanity. Afghanistan is State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and several international human rights treaties, and the de facto authorities have to comply with their obligations to protect and fulfil the human rights of all Afghans.
The Spotlight Initiative, which is Chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General, continues to support community dialogues and trainings on preventing violence against women and early marriage. It is paramount to build support for these and other such initiatives that address protection needs.
Colleagues, friends,
We face a dilemma today. The Taliban leadership have made it increasingly difficult for the international community to engage in Afghanistan, imposing or tightening restrictions that go against the fundamental principles of the United Nations and its Charter. Yet, this is when the Afghan people, especially women and girls, need our support the most.
In all interactions with the de facto authorities, our Mission advocates for women’s and girls’ rights, including the right to work, the right to education and freedom of movement.
Today’s meeting is an important opportunity to hear directly from Afghan women. I say to Afghan women here today and those following the discussions remotely that we really do value your insights about how the UN – and the international community – can best advocate for women’s fundamental rights and promote your political participation. The international community must all act as one in supporting you.
I look forward to the discussion, and to ensuring that our collective actions support you in the best way possible.
Thank you.
In war-torn Sudan, more than 1,200 children under five have died in camps in the space of four months from a combination of measles and malnutrition, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
The President of Türkiye showcased his country as an active partner on both the regional and global levels¸ and called for reform of the international institutions, during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
USG Rosemary DiCarlo’s statement for the
“Peace Day Effort: An Effort for Middle East Peace”
on the margins of UNGA78 High Level Week
New York, 18 September 2023
His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan, [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]
Secretary-General Aboul Gheit [the League of Arab States],
High Representative Borrell [European Union]
Minister Safadi [Jordan]
Minister Shoukry [Egypt]
Excellencies,
I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the League of Arab States, and the European Union, in cooperation with Egypt and Jordan, for convening today’s meeting on our efforts to reinvigorate the Middle East Peace Process and help forge a path forward toward a viable two-State solution.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured too long. It is the longest standing issue on the United Nations peace and security agenda, despite many collective efforts throughout the years. But we cannot give up.
Today’s meeting – a Peace Day Effort – is testament to the international community’s continued engagement and investment in helping end the occupation and resolve this conflict.
We have an opportunity today to hear about possible steps to build on existing initiatives, particularly the Arab Peace Initiative. There is no doubt that the potential peace dividend is vast – for Palestinians, for Israelis, and for the broader region. We must galvanize our collective efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.
Excellencies,
As we look to the future, we must also address pressing, immediate concerns.
The situation on the ground is bleak. We are alarmed by the intensification of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel. This year alone, 190 Palestinians and 30 Israelis have been killed. This is a level of violence not seen in decades.
Unilateral actions, including Israel’s relentless settlement expansion and demolitions, the Palestinian divide, and the growing incitement to violence and hateful rhetoric on both sides, continue to undermine our collective efforts for a viable two-State solution.
We urgently need the parties to take constructive steps – supported by the international community – to de-escalate tensions, end the cycle of violence, and re-establish a political horizon. Political leadership is required to this end.
The UN continues its intensive engagement with all parties to address both the immediate crises and work toward meaningful political solutions that advance our shared goal.
The acute financial and institutional challenges facing the Palestinian Authority need to be addressed. Immediate financial support is crucial to help stabilize basic service delivery to millions of Palestinians and to strengthen Palestinian institutions so they can better engage on the way forward.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees in the region. It continues to face critical funding shortfalls. Sustained financial support to UNRWA is an essential part of our collective efforts to prevent further deterioration of the situation on the ground.
I commend Jordan and Sweden for once again co-hosting the ministerial meeting in support of UNRWA later this week, which I hope will help address the Agency’s immediate and long-term funding challenges.
Excellencies,
There is no substitute for a legitimate political process to resolve the core issues driving this conflict. Through incremental but tangible steps, we can steadily create the conditions necessary for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
I am hopeful that today’s meeting will help further our shared goal of supporting Israelis and Palestinians to end the occupation and resolve this conflict in line with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and bilateral agreements.
Only then can we achieve our long-sought and commonly agreed goal of two States – Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable, and sovereign Palestinian State – living side by side in peace and security, within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as their shared capital.
Thank you.
The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict and end the occupation
A newly published United Nations report sets forth immediate steps and a way forward towards reversing the dangerous deterioration of the situation on the ground, the fragility of the...
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As South Sudan prepares to hold its first-ever elections in December, resolving critical outstanding issues requires political will for compromise, the UN envoy to the country said on Friday.
Societies must engage meaningfully with young people and empower them with the skills and education they need as the standard bearers of democratic principles, Secretary-General António Guterres said, commemorating the International Day of Democracy, on Friday.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday joined with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to underline the critical importance of preserving the dignity of the dead in the wake of recent natural disasters in Libya and Morocco.
Today “peace is under assault” across communities, countries and regions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, underscoring the need for global solidarity and mutual trust.
With tens of millions of children heading back to school in recent weeks, for some, the return to class has them fearing for their lives.
In a world grappling with increasingly complex crises ranging from poverty and inequality to the climate emergency, the United Nations remains at the forefront of the global response, determined to set humanity on a path to peace and prosperity, Secretary-General António Guterres has said.
The UN Secretary-General had a clear message on Wednesday to world leaders arriving in New York next week: “This is not a time for posturing or positioning.”
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Methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries is surging, according to a report published on Sunday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
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ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL MIROSLAV JENČA’S REMARKS
TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
UKRAINE
New York, 8 September 2023
Mr. President,
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – launched in violation of the UN Charter and of international law – continues to inflict large scale suffering on the people of Ukraine as they face daily, intensifying attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Since February 2022, the Office of the High-Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 26,717 civilian casualties: 9,511 killed and 17,206 injured. At least 549 children have been killed and 1,166 more children have been injured.
In a latest illustration of the suffering that Russia’s invasion inflicts on civilians across the country, just two days ago, a daylight missile attack hit a crowded market in Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, reportedly killing 16 people, including a child, and injuring dozens of others.
On the same day, a Russian drone attack on the Danube port of Izmail in the Odesa region reportedly killed one person and damaged agricultural and port facilities according to local officials.
The continuing, relentless attacks, targeting Ukraine’s grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube river ports, after Russia decided not to extend the Black Sea Initiative, risk having far-reaching consequences for global food security.
Attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including objects necessary for food production and distribution, are prohibited under international law.
Mr. President,
We are now approaching the one-year anniversary of the illegal attempt by the Russian Federation to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, through the organization of illegal so-called “referendums” in these regions in late September 2022. I wish to reiterate that the United Nations remains fully committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.
This clear principled position of the United Nations, underpinned by the UN Charter and by international law, was unambiguously reaffirmed on 12 October 2022, when the UN General Assembly, with an overwhelming majority – 143 Member States having voted for, 5 against and 35 abstained – adopted the resolution A-ES/11/4. The resolution condemned “the organization by the Russian Federation of illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine” and declared that these actions “have no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alteration of the status of these regions of Ukraine”.
Similarly, in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 68/262, adopted on 27 March 2014, Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, remains invalid and unrecognized by the international community. As underlined by the Secretary-General, “any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the principles of the Charter and international law.”
In this regard, we are concerned over reports of Russian Federation holding so-called elections in areas of Ukraine currently under temporary military control of the Russian Federation.
These so-called elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine have no legal grounds.
We also recall that, as the occupying Power, the Russian Federation is obligated under international humanitarian law to respect, unless absolutely prevented, the laws of Ukraine in force in the areas that it occupies.
We continue to condemn any actions that could further escalate or deteriorate the situation. We remain concerned about the humanitarian needs and the human rights situation in, and the lack of access to, the areas of Ukraine currently under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation.
Mr. President,
Last year, the Secretary-General warned that the decision by Russia to go forward with its attempt to illegally annex Ukrainian territory would further jeopardize the prospects for peace.
Regrettably, one year later, amidst continuing intense fighting and unacceptable attacks against Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, these latest illegal attempts to organize new so-called electoral processes in the occupied areas of Ukraine further undermine the prospects for peace.
As the Secretary-General has repeatedly stated, now more than ever, we need just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly. The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
Thank you.
The so-called elections held by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine “have no legal grounds”, a senior political affairs official said on Friday, reiterating UN’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Violence against children in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has descended to a new low, amid reports that months old twins were found abandoned with explosives strapped to them.
Amid rising geopolitical tension, Southeast Asia is fulfilling a “vital role in building bridges of understanding” worldwide said the UN chief on Thursday.
The head of peace operations on Thursday underscored the need for stronger, more consistent and unified support from Member States for the UN to achieve its key peacekeeping goals.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended law enforcement agencies around the world on Thursday stressing that more women in policing will “build a safer future for everyone.”
The top UN humanitarian official in Ukraine on Wednesday strongly condemned Russian attacks, including on a busy market in the town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, that reportedly caused dozens of civilian deaths and injuries, including children.
