This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
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USG DiCarlo visits Moscow
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Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. DiCarlo visited Moscow from 15 to 16 June. The visit is the latest by the Under-Secretary-General to the capital of a permanent member of the Security Council. She held consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin and met with the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Mr. Karasin. In her meetings, she reiterated the UN’s clear, consistent and principled position regarding the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
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Special Envoy Grundberg and Head of UNHMA brief Security Council on situation in Yemen
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On 12 June, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Hans Grundberg and Head of UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) Major General (retired) Michael Beary briefed the Security Council in a closed session. Maj. Gen Beary provided an update on the activities of the Mission, including ceasefire monitoring and continuous efforts to maintain the civilian nature of the ports. Both briefers reiterated to the Council of their commitment to furthering the UN's collective efforts toward stability and peace in Yemen.
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Special Committee opens substantive session
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On 12 June, the Special Committee on Decolonization opened its 2023 substantive session. Josiane Ambiehl, Chief of the Decolonization Unit, shared DPPA’s contribution to the dissemination of information on decolonization as mandated by the General Assembly. Notable among these is an increase of 68 per cent in views of the website of the United Nations and Decolonization, the addition of a new section entitled, “Women in Territories: Highlights”, as well as the translation of the messages of the Secretary-General to the regional seminars from 2005-2022 in the six UN official languages. The substantive session of the Committee will last for two weeks until 23 June.
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Last RENAMO military base closes
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On 15 June, the last remaining RENAMO (Mozambique National Resistance) military base closed. The closure is part of the Accord for Peace and National Reconciliation, signed in 2019. Over 350 former combatants, including 100 women, were disarmed and demobilized. They will join almost 5,000 former combatants who have already passed through the DDR process. “While the closure of the Vunduzi base marks the end of one phase of the peace process, we remain committed and focused on supporting DDR beneficiaries in their reintegration,” affirmed the Personal Envoy during the ceremony presided over by President Filipe Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade.
Read more here
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Queen Letizia of Spain visits peace initiatives in Yotoco
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On 14 June, Queen Letizia Ortiz of Spain visited the La Esperanza coffee farm in Yotoco, in the department of Valle del Cauca. The UN Verification Mission in Colombia accompanied the visit, along with members of different cooperatives of the National Coffee Table. Queen Letizia spoke with former combatants, members of the community and organizations who shared their experience of economic reintegration and reconciliation. The group also visited a coffee cultivation and processing centre, which is currently serving 32 cooperatives with nearly 1,200 former combatants.
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A path for restorative justice
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On June 15, the Mayor's Office of Bogotá and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) presented the book The TOAR Route: A Path for Restorative Justice in Transitional Justice. The book shares a jointly designed participative methodology applied in three neighborhoods in Bogotá. The pilot initiative was implemented in Usme, a rural area of the capital, where victims, former combatants, and local community members led a dialogue process to promote restorative measures and reconciliation. At the event, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia was recognized for its support to this initiative.
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Special Coordinator Wronecka urges political leadership to end vacuum and elect new President
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Following a 12th inconclusive electoral session in the Lebanese parliament on 14 June, Special Coordinator Joanna Wronecka held a round of meetings with representatives of different blocs and parties in Parliament to underline the need for urgent steps to ensure the election of a President in the interest of Lebanon and its people. She noted that the prolonged vacuum undermines Lebanon’s democratic practices and further delays long overdue reforms and solutions needed to steer the country back to a path of recovery. The Special Coordinator also led a joint statement by the International Support Group for Lebanon that urged the political leadership and Lebanese Members of Parliament to assume their responsibilities and prioritize the national interest by electing a new President.
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Special Coordinator visits Qatar
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Special Coordinator Wronecka visited Qatar this week as part of her consultations with regional stakeholders to discuss the situation in Lebanon. She met in Doha with Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammad. They had a fruitful exchange on supporting Lebanon’s political and economic stability for the interest of the Lebanese people and prosperity of the country.
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Special Representative Hennis-Plasschaert visits Al-Hol Camp in Syria
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On 12 June, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert participated in the event on Iraq’s vision on Al-Hol Camp in Syria. In her remarks, she spoke of the harsh reality of young children at a camp like Al-Hol. “These children never asked to be part of this mess. But the harsh reality is that they find themselves deprived of their rights. Also, they find themselves at risk of forced recruitment; of violent extremism becoming their ‘normal’,” she said, stressing that leaving the situation unaddressed is “simply not an option”.
Read full remarks here
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Special Representative meets with Iraqi political officials, reiterates UNAMI’s support for elections
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On 13 June, Special Representative Hennis-Plasschaert met in Baghdad with the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Iraqi National Project, Sheikh Jamal Al-Dhari. They discussed the situation in the country.
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On 15 June, she attended a meeting in Erbil hosted by the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Nechirvan Barzani, along with the Chairman and Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission. The SRSG expressed UNAMI's support to provide technical assistance in facilitating the elections. UNAMI electoral team, IHEC Board of Commissioners and the Kurdistan Regional Government presidency team continued discussions afterward.
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UNAMI Office of Electoral Assistance holds training session on managing voter registries and other electoral processes, hosts workshop on electoral participation
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Over a three-month period, the UNAMI Office of Electoral Assistance, in collaboration with UNOPS, organized a series of training for 43 staff of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). The goal of the training was to improve IHEC staff’s abilities in managing and enhancing the quality of the voter registry, as well as utilizing Geographic Information Systems for electoral maps. The workshops helped strengthen IHEC's capacity to handle electoral data and prepare them for future elections.
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On 12-13, June, the Office of Electoral Assistance also organized a capacity building workshop for civil society organizations in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, to further enhance electoral participation and foster a comprehensive understanding of the importance of election integrity. Attendees discussed the principles and obstacles surrounding election integrity, and explored the specific roles and responsibilities of civil society.
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UNAMI Human Rights Office holds workshop on combating violence against women
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The UNAMI Human Rights Office organized a workshop on 13 June that brought together key government officials from the Kurdistan Region-Iraq, including from the Directorate of Combating Violence against Women, and representatives from the police and the judiciary. Participants identified gaps that hinder the successful prosecution of criminal violence against women and deliberated on strategies on how to enhance coordination efforts among all relevant entities with the aim of ensuring accountability for perpetrators of such crimes.
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Peacebuilding Fund's strategic direction focuses on UN transition contexts, transitional justice, and local actors
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The 5th Annual Strategic Dialogue with the Peacebuilding Fund's (PBF) top 12 donors and other partners took place in Dublin this week with the participation of the Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Sean Fleming, and Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support (PBSO) Elizabeth Spehar. The dialogue focused on the strategic direction of the Fund in an evolving global peacebuilding context, with discussion around the role of Fund in UN transition contexts, in supporting national transitional justice processes, and reducing barriers for supporting local actors. Participants reaffirmed the Fund's priorities and recommended ways to improve its performance. The importance of capturing and communicating peacebuilding impact was highlighted.
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UN-CSO Dialogue Initiative on Peacebuilding
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The Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and a group of civil society organizations (CSOs) launched the UN-CSO Dialogue Initiative on Peacebuilding on 14 June. The initiative aims to foster collaboration and exchanges among diverse CSOs, in particular from the global south, and to act as a sounding board around peacebuilding and sustaining peace priorities and practices. The initiative is expected to produce actionable recommendations by civil society to inform peacebuilding policy and programmes of DPPA and the wider UN system. UN agencies, funds, and programs will also participate as key stakeholders. The initiative was welcomed by participating CSOs, who encouraged a more systematized approach between the UN and civil society on peacebuilding.
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On Monday, the Peacebuilding Commission will hold an Ambassadorial-level meeting on Indigenous Peoples, Peace and Reconciliation (Conference Room 1; 3pm New York time). On Friday, the Comission will meet to discuss the Sahel (Trusteeship Council Chamber; 10am New York time).
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On Monday, Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily will brief the Security Council on Libya. On Wednesday, the Council will discuss the situation in Afghanistan with a briefing by Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva. On Thursday, Special Representative Catriona Laing will brief on Somalia. On Friday, the Council will discuss Ukraine.
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
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