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Sudan and South Sudan continue to complement one another in the search for peace
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Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Hanna Tetteh on 21 April briefed the Council regarding the implementation of Resolution 2046 on outstanding bilateral issues between Sudan and South Sudan and the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. “Clearly, the coup has had a negative effect on progress on the bilateral initiatives which the two countries had started deepening and which they are now trying to re-boot,” Tetteh said. “It is however gratifying that, while each of them is grappling with its internal conflict, they continue to complement one another in the search for peace, and to build on the progress achieved so far.”
Full remarks to the Council here
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Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council in closed consultations on Libya on 19 April, providing updates on the work of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the efforts by Special Adviser Stephanie Williams.
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Full participation of women and girls needed to consolidate peace and stability in Haiti
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Women judges and lawyers gathered at the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) on 19 April to discuss the challenges of the judicial system and propose ways to enable justice to be the independent and effective institution the population expects it to be. The following day, BINUH issued a statement calling for the Haitian government, political parties, all sectors of national life, as well as the international community, to listen to the voices of Haitian women and girls, and to take all measures to guarantee and protect their full participation in the process of consolidating peace and stability in Haiti, as well as in creating a more just and equal society.
Read full statement in French
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Deputy Special Representative engages with media and Chairman of Afghan Senate
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During a meeting on 17 April with Chairman of the Afghan Senate Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Mette Knudsen discussed representative governance and the need for dialogue at all levels. On 18 April, she visited the 1TV News Afghanistan complex in Kabul and heard moving stories of hardship and determination from journalists in the face of multiple challenges. “Any act to muzzle free press must end and the international community must stay firm in supporting Afghan press,” she said in a tweet issued after the meeting.
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Roundtable on Women, Peace and Security in Central Asia held in Kazakhstan
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In Kazakhstan on 21 April, Special Representative and Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) Natalia Gherman participated in a round table on Women, Peace and Security in Central Asia organized by the Lower House of the Kazakh Parliament. Members of Parliament, Government ministers, representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic community participated in the discussion. Gherman highlighted the progress made by Central Asian countries in the adoption of legislation ensuring gender equality and women's participation, including in government and law enforcement structures. In this context she also underscored the role of the Central Asian Women Leaders’ Caucus in promoting gender-oriented policies and programmes in the region.
Read more here
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Concern over deteriorating security situation in Jerusalem
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Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, voiced concern on 15 April over the deteriorating security situation in Jerusalem. He called on political, religious and community leaders on all sides to help calm the situation, avoid spreading inflammatory rhetoric and speak up against those seeking to escalate the situation. On 19 April, the Special Coordinator in a closed session briefed the Security Council. Following his consultations with the Council, he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed the UN’s continued efforts to reduce tensions. Wennesland reiterated the need for the status quo at Holy Sites to be upheld and respected. He called on all sides to avoid any inflammatory rhetoric or provocative actions that could escalate the situation.
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Special Envoy visits Riyadh to discuss Truce
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During a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg met on 17 April with Yemen’s Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, Ahmed A. BinMubarak. They discussed the urgent need to make progress towards opening roads in Taiz and to resume commercial flights to and from Sana’a airport in line with the Truce agreement. On 18 April, the Special Envoy met with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al Alimi. They discussed the implementation of the Truce agreement and agreed on the importance of building on the Truce towards reaching a negotiated political solution to the conflict.
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Head of Hudaydah Mission meets with Gulf Cooperation Council
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Also in Riyadh this week, Michael Beary, Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) met with Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on 21 April. Beary commended the GCC for its pivotal role in organizing the intra-Yemeni consultations held under its auspices earlier this month. He expressed UNMHA’s keenness to engage in the wider UN-GCC collaboration towards the shared objective of bringing peace and stability to the people of Hudaydah and Yemen.
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Special Representative receives HeForShe award
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On 20 April, François Louncény Fall, Special Representative and Head of the Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), received from Oulimata Sarr, Regional Director of UN Women for West and Central Africa, the #HeforShe award in recognition of his contribution to women's participation in political and peace processes in Central Africa.
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Meeting with candidates for Libyan parliamentary elections
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The Officer-in-Charge/Mission Coordinator of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Raisedon Zenenga, received on 17 April at the Mission’s headquarters in Tripoli a group of candidates for Libya’s parliamentary elections. The candidates emphasized the importance to focus all efforts on holding the elections as soon as possible and the need for the Libyan High National Election Commission (HNEC) to release the candidate list for the elections. They expressed concern over the current political deadlock and urged UNSMIL to include both presidential and parliamentary candidates in the consultations to facilitate a pathway to early elections. Zenenga assured the delegation that UNSMIL and Special Adviser for Libya Stephanie Williams are prioritizing elections as the only way out of the current political impasse and stressed the importance to respect the wishes of Libyan voters and candidates.
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Libyan Constitutional Track Committee concludes meetings in Cairo
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The Libyan Constitutional Track Committee, comprising the House of Representatives and Higher Council of State, concluded its meetings on 18 April in Cairo, Egypt, under the auspices of the United Nations. Special Adviser Stephanie Williams in a statement said the consultations that took place over the course of one week between the committee members were held “in a climate of consensus.” They agreed on the internal regulations governing the work of the Committee and to meet after Eid al-Fitr to continue the consultations. This round of consultations on the Libyan constitutional track was held within the context of the UN initiative launched in early March with the aim of moving forward a constitutional and legislative framework for presidential and parliamentary elections.
Read more here
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Special Representative discusses upcoming parliamentary elections in Somalia
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As Somalia’s political focus turns to electing parliamentary leaders, UN Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) James Swan met on 17 April with candidates Abdullahi Aden Ahmed, Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur and Sharif Mohamed Abdalla Hussein, in the running for the post of Speaker of the House of the People, to learn about their objectives for this key role, including their legislative priorities. On 22 April, he met with Somali Goodwill Ambassadors to help secure the 30% women quota for the 11th Parliamentary election and other women leaders and discussed the importance of women’s inclusion in seats still to be elected and supporting their full participation in Somalia's decision-making processes, including in Parliament and government.
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UN pledges support following market fire in Hargeisa
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On a visit to Hargeisa, Somaliland, on 18 April, UN Resident Coordinator for Somalia Adam Abdelmoula pledged UN support for efforts to rebuild the Waheen marketplace which was recently destroyed in a blaze. “I am here primarily to reassure our partners in the government of Somaliland, civil society, the business community and all those affected, that the UN is here, and we are in this together,” he said while visiting the ruins of the marketplace. Located in central Hargeisa and spread out over five square kilometres, the Waheen marketplace was the largest market in Somaliland. It played a vital role in the local economy, with an estimated 5,000 businesses present, drawing sellers and shoppers from the city and surrounding communities. Mr. Abdelmoula’s visit followed a week-long visit by a team of UN technical experts, who worked with the Somaliland authorities and the fire response committee, to assess the immediate, medium- and long-term support needed to help those affected by the blaze.
Read more here
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What is the Shape of Innovation? Exhibition at UN headquarters
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To celebrate World Creativity and Innovation Day on 21 April, DPPA and the creative firm Altimeter mounted an exhibition – entitled “What is the Shape of Innovation?” – at UN headquarters. The exhibition, in the lobby of the Secretariat building, featured a collection of one-of-a-kind, handmade objects that invited participants to explore how artifacts can translate meaning and facilitate conversation. Visitors could reflect on the texture of resilience, the weight of dialogue, or the movement of diplomacy, for example. In a series of workshops the same day, staff members explored how we can use objects to encourage imagination and advance peace initiatives.
More information on DPPA’s innovation work available on futuringpeace.org.
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