The recent resurgence of the M23 armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) constitutes a serious threat to peace, security and stability in the region, and urgent action towards curbing the violence is needed, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.
A young Cambodian woman says it is her dream to help remove all land mines from the south of Lebanon and improve living conditions for all people living under the threat of death or injury.
The Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID), UN Representative Cihan Sultanoğlu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Viorel Moșanu, and EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar are currently undertaking a round of consultations with all GID participants starting on 30 May. These consultations are primarily aimed at exchanging views on recent developments related to security and humanitarian issues on the ground and to permit the Co-Chairs to gain a comprehensive understanding of the positions of the participants. They will focus as well on the timing and modalities of the next GID round.
There is an “urgent need” to support the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) according to a local organization which works on the issue with the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO.
The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) and Amani Africa, invite you to a high-level panel discussion in commemoration of the...
The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) and Amani Africa, invite you to a high-level panel discussion in commemoration...
Women are often “placed second or even ignored” when they are employed as corrections officers in prisons and other detention centres, according to Téné Maimouna Zoungrana, an officer from Burkina Faso serving with the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
New York, 29 May 2022
Today, we honour the more than one million women and men who have served as United Nations peacekeepers since 1948.
We pay tribute to the nearly 4,200 heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace.
And we are reminded of an age-old truth: peace can never be taken for granted.
...“I am deeply concerned about the spiraling cycle of violence that has taken too many Palestinian and Israeli lives in recent weeks.
As we approach 29 May, I call upon all sides to exercise maximum restraint and make wise decisions to avoid another violent conflict that will only claim more lives. The message of the international community is clear to avoid such an escalation.
I...
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Israelis and Palestinians must push beyond the paradigm of managing the conflict and move towards resolving it, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Thursday, as he expressed particular concern that dynamics in the occupied West Bank could spiral out of control “at any time”.
Despite UN efforts, political, economic and security deadlock continues in Libya, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council on Thursday, adding that human rights there have also deteriorated.
Madam President
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Security Council on the latest developments in Libya.
Since my last briefing to the Council on 19 April, the deadlock on the political, security and economic fronts has persisted, despite the best efforts of the United Nations to facilitate agreement among Libyan actors. Also, the human rights situation has deteriorated.
We are concerned that the protracted political impasse is having an increasingly negative impact on security, as shown by the clashes in Tripoli last week.
Madam President,
Special Adviser Williams convened a second round of consultations of the Joint Committee of the House of Representatives and High State Council in Cairo from 15 - 20 May. The two delegations met in a positive and constructive atmosphere and reviewed the 2017 Constitutional Draft.
The delegations reached agreement on 137 of 197 articles in the following areas: the form and nature of the state; basic rights and freedoms, including women rights; the structure and powers of a bicameral Parliament; and some of the prerogatives of the President and Prime Minister.
The progress achieved during this second round of talks is commendable. Members have agreed to reconvene in Cairo beginning on 11 June under UN auspices and hosted by the Government of Egypt.
The objective of this third and final round is to reach consensus on outstanding issues to finalize the constitutional arrangements for the holding of national elections on the earliest possible date. In the interim, the delegations have pledged to continue consultations with their respective Chambers.
Meanwhile, national and international stakeholders are expressing concern over the continued impasse in the executive.
Special Adviser Williams has continued to engage with Mr. Dbeibah and Mr. Bashagha to encourage dialogue. She is urging them to avoid provocative acts or negative rhetoric to keep the country from plunging back into conflict.
The Special Adviser has also held meetings with members of the Presidency Council, who expressed their intention to continue working on a national reconciliation process with support from the African Union and the United Nations.
UNSMIL and UNDP are providing technical expertise on the draft law on national reconciliation and transitional justice. In addition, they are helping with the development of a national online platform to gather civil society proposals for national reconciliation.
Madam President,
While the ceasefire reached in 2020 continues to hold, the security situation remains fragile.
In the early hours of 17 May, Mr. Bashagha entered Tripoli, backed by armed groups. Clashes in and around the city with armed groups supporting Mr. Dbeibah ensued, lasting for several hours. The fighting left one armed group member dead, a policeman injured and several buildings damaged.
Following mediation by local actors and outreach by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission, Mr. Bashagha was escorted out of Tripoli.
While fighting has ceased, the situation remains tense. Tripoli-based armed groups supporting either Mr. Dbeibah or Mr. Bashagha remain in a state of high alert.
On a positive note, I am pleased to report that on 23-24 May, the eastern and western delegations of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission met in Spain for the first time since the eastern delegation suspended its activities at the end of February.
On the margins of the DDR meeting on Libya hosted by the Spanish Government, Special Advisor Williams met with the 5+5 Joint Military Commission discussed the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement and expressed their readiness to resume their activities upon returning to Libya
Madam President,
As reported during my last briefing, the reluctance of the Government of National Unity to pay the Libyan National Army’s salaries for the first quarter of 2022 led elements affiliated with the LNA to close several oil fields and ports, cutting the country’s daily oil output in half.
Following Special Adviser Williams’ intercession with the GNU, the outstanding salaries were paid. Oil production, however, has yet to return to normal.
On 11 May, Mr. Dbeibah confirmed that he would authorize regular monthly payments for LNA salaries. We hope that this contentious and recurring issue has now been resolved.
Meanwhile, the Economic Working Group of the Berlin Process has been crafting a revenue management mechanism to overcome the disagreement over the control and use of public funds.
The mechanism would consist of a short-term financing facility to fund the National Oil Corporation and other specific priorities, including salaries, subsidies, essential government operations and expenditures. This mechanism could ease competition for resources and improve accountability.
Efforts also continue towards the reunification of the Central Bank of Libya, with the help of independent experts. The Bank’s Governor and Deputy Governor held the third steering committee meeting on the Bank’s reunification and reform in Istanbul on 24 April. They will meet again in September to review progress and activate the Board of Directors.
Madam President,
The human rights situation in Libya remains a source of great concern.
In the first week of May, Libyan security agencies launched a new wave of arrests of young people for alleged crimes against “Libyan culture and values”.
Security agencies were accused of posting on social media a so-called video “confession” and photos of those arrested. This was seen as a form of intimidation during the preliminary stages of investigation.
Restrictions persist on the work of civil society organisations, including women’s rights groups, accused of violating quote “the principles and values of Libyan society” end quote.
We remain concerned by the continued detention on these grounds of nine civil society and social activists who had peacefully exercised their right to freedom of expression. Some of the nine have been in detention for six months.
On 10 May, Special Adviser Williams travelled to Tarhouna, where she visited the sites of mass graves and met with families of victims who disappeared between 2012 and 2020. The perpetrators of these horrific crimes have yet to be brought to justice.
The situation of people internally displaced in Libya, including those displaced because of forced evictions, remains highly precarious. To cite just one instance, on 3 May, 477 displaced Tawergha families, totalling over 2,000 individuals, were forcibly evicted from two camps in Tripoli.
Equally worrying are the continued campaigns by the authorities of mass arrests and detention of undocumented foreign nationals and migrants in urban settings in the western region.
As of 8 May, 1,717 persons were detained in centres run by the Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration. Some 5,000 other migrants and refugees are being arbitrarily detained in inhumane conditions in both regular and unofficial detention centers.
Madam President,
It is imperative that the ceasefire in Libya be maintained, calm preserved and any steps that could result in renewed violence be avoided. We must urge all parties to uphold their commitment to the peaceful resolution of political differences through dialogue and negotiations.
It is also critical that Libyan political and security actors look beyond their personal interests and continue to engage constructively in the upcoming Cairo talks in support of the electoral/constitutional track. This is the only way to fulfil the aspirations of the Libyan people to select their representatives through the ballot box.
The United Nations will spare no effort to support the Libyan people in building a noble and peaceful country, including through the continued provision of good offices and mediation.
Madam President,
The Security Council has been at Libya’s side on its journey out of conflict and towards peace and stability. The path has not always been smooth. But Council support and attention have proved invaluable in keeping a political process alive.
Today, a coordinated and constructive effort is required to prevent further polarization and end the political stalemate. At a time of aggravated global turmoil, Council and international unity on the need for peace in Libya is especially important. It is what Libyans deserve. It is what the world needs.
Thank you.
The United Nations paid tribute to the men and women serving under its flag in some of the most dangerous places in the world during a ceremony in New York on Thursday to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
Every day, United Nations peacekeepers work to protect millions of vulnerable people in increasingly dangerous places in the world’s most fragile political contexts.
The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry said on Thursday that not extending current cross-border aid to Syria along the remaining route, would be a “failure of the highest order”. The warning to the Security Council comes as humanitarian needs throughout Syria are at their highest, since the start of the devastating 11-year war.
Conflict continues to inflict “widespread civilian death and injury” a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday, outlining the “grim reality” for those caught up in the crossfire of war.
The attempted destruction of Ukraine’s historic culture by invading Russian forces, will have a devastating impact on the pace of recovery in the post-war era, an independent UN human rights expert warned on Wednesday.
Governments must take greater action to ensure school remains a safe place for boys and girls, the head of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said on Wednesday, following the latest deadly school shooting in the United States.
New York, 25 May 2022
Africa is a home for hope. On Africa Day, we celebrate the enormous promise and potential of this diverse and dynamic continent.
The prospects on the horizon are bright – from Africa’s growing and vibrant youth population, to initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Decade of Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion, and the African Union’s...
Time is short for Sudan to reach a solution to its protracted political crisis, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Tuesday, warning that if the impasse is not urgently overcome, the consequences will be felt beyond national borders, impacting a whole generation.
For the first time ever, a Zimbabwean peacekeeper will receive the prestigious 2021 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, the UN Peacekeeping Office announced on Tuesday.
For the first time, a Zimbabwean peacekeeper has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2021 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, UN Peacekeeping announced on Tuesday.
Late Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad, was named on Tuesday as the recipient of United Nations Peacekeeping’s highest award, for exceptional courage, serving in Mali, which will be presented on Thursday at UN Headquarters in New York.
The recent conclusion of the electoral process in Somalia offers a long-awaited opportunity to make progress on other urgent national priorities, the UN Special Representative for the county told the Security Council on Monday.
While digital technologies have offered “boundless opportunities” for sustainable development, education and inclusion, the UN political chief warned on Monday that there is also a clear downside.
Madam President,
Digital technologies have profoundly transformed every facet of our societies. They offer boundless opportunities – for sustainable development; for education; for inclusion.
Social media, for example, has transformed human rights and humanitarian advocacy, making it possible to mobilize people around the world quickly and efficiently around issues requiring urgent attention.
They have also created fresh possibilities for our peace and security work. Technological developments have improved our ability to detect crises, to better pre-position our humanitarian stocks, and to design data-driven peacebuilding programming.
We are using digital technologies in our work in conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peacebuilding. Allow me to share a few examples.
Digital tools strengthen our information-gathering and early-warning capacity. In Yemen, the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) has used various mapping, GIS and satellite technology tools to enhance its monitoring of the ceasefire in the Governorate.
They have increased our preparedness to understand, analyze and respond to crises that may have a digital dimension, and to address digital risks. We have, for example, worked with partners to build an e-learning platform on digital risk management.
New technologies can be beneficial in support of political processes, particularly to promote inclusion. In various peace negotiations, we have used artificial intelligence-assisted digital dialogues to reach out to thousands of interlocutors, to hear their views and priorities. This has been a particularly useful way to reach traditionally excluded groups, including women.
In Libya, the UN Mission held five digital dialogues, each with over 1,000 participants. This effort increased the legitimacy of the process, as different communities saw that their voices could be heard.
In Yemen, through digital consultations the Special Envoy engaged hundreds of women from different governorates, which provided deeper insight on the gender dimensions of the war.
The use of digital technologies also can improve the safety and security of our peacekeepers and civilian staff on the ground. The launch of the Strategy for the Digital Transformation of Peacekeeping presents an essential step towards this goal, and towards more effective mandate implementation – increasing early warning capacities.
Finally, with these tools we are able to visualize information and convey data-rich analysis to support the Security Council’s decision making. Our recent virtual reality presentation to the Security Council on Colombia shows how we can bring our work on the ground to the attention of this body in new ways.
Madam President,
The benefits of digital technologies for the maintenance of international peace and security are manifold. However, advances in technology have also created significant new risks and can affect conflict dynamics for the worse.
There are several areas of concern.
The number of State- and non-State- sponsored incidents of malicious use of digital technologies for political or military ends has nearly quadrupled since 2015, according to some estimates. Of specific concern is activity targeting infrastructure that provides essential public services, such as health and humanitarian agencies.
Meanwhile, lethal autonomous weapons raise questions regarding human accountability for the use of force.
The Secretary-General has made clear, machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant, and should be prohibited by international law.
Also, non-state actors are becoming increasingly adept at using low-cost and widely available digital technologies to pursue their agendas. Groups such as ISIL and Al-Qaida remain active on social media, using platforms and messaging applications to share information and communicate with followers for the purposes of recruitment, planning and fundraising.
And the increasing availability of digital payment methods such as cryptocurrencies brings additional challenges.
Further, digital technologies have raised major human rights concerns, from artificial intelligence systems that may be discriminatory to the widespread availability of surveillance technologies that can be deployed to target communities or individuals.
We are also concerned about the increasing use of internet shutdowns, including in situations of active conflict, which deprive communities of their means of communication, work, and political participation.
In Myanmar, for example, internet and mobile shutdowns have grown in number and duration since the military coup on 1 February 2021, particularly in areas of military operations.
Social media can fuel polarization and, at times, violence. The misuse of social media – and the sometimes limited or not fully adequate response of social media companies – is enabling the spread of disinformation, radicalization, racism, and misogyny.
This can heighten tensions, and in some instances exacerbate conflict. In Ethiopia, as the fighting escalated, there was an alarming rise in social media posts spreading inflammatory rhetoric, with some going as far as inciting ethnic violence, as recognized by the Security Council in its press statement of 5 November 2021.
We have seen how online disinformation and hate speech can result in offline harm – including violence.
We know that disinformation can hinder the ability of our missions to implement their mandates, by exacerbating falsehoods and fueling polarization.
We are undertaking a number of actions to mitigate these risks, driven by the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action on Hate Speech and initiatives such as Verified.
In Iraq, for example, after reports of increased on-line harassment of women candidates in last year’s election, UNAMI partnered with civil society organizations to monitor hate-speech, issue public reports and strengthen voter education.
Madam President,
We must fully embrace the opportunities offered by digital technologies to advance peace. But to do this, we must also mitigate the risks that such technologies pose, and promote their responsible use by all actors.
Through the General Assembly, Member States have made important progress in establishing a normative framework to ensure responsible behavior in cyberspace.
Member States are also cooperating to develop and apply a range of confidence building measures to prevent conflicts, avoid misperceptions and misunderstandings, and reduce tensions.
However, more must be done to advance, elaborate and implement this emerging normative framework.
In his report on “Our Common Agenda”, the Secretary-General called for a Global Digital Compact that would outline shared principles for an “open, free and secure digital future for all”.
Together with other aspects of Our Common Agenda, such as the New Agenda for Peace and the proposed Code of Conduct for Integrity in Public Information, we have a critical opportunity to build consensus on how digital technologies can be used for the good of people and the planet, while addressing their risks.
But collective action by Member States remains essential towards this goal.
Thank you, Madam President.
New York, 22 May 2022
To achieve a sustainable future for all, we need to act urgently to protect biodiversity, the web of life that connects and supports us all. We must end our senseless and destructive war against nature. The rate of species loss is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average of the past 10 million years – and accelerating.
Biodiversity is...
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With a scorching summer fast approaching, food prices rising and access to water and electricity limited in many parts of Syria, donors must make good on $4.3 billion in humanitarian pledges committed at last week’s Brussels funding conference, the UN’s senior humanitarian official told the Security Council on Friday.
“When war is waged, people go hungry,” Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday during a debate on conflict and food security chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
A record 59.1 million people were displaced within their homelands last year, or four million more than in 2020, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, citing the latest Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID).
