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This Week in DPPA: 18 - 24 June 2022

This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world. 
 
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo completes her visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Following her visit to North Macedonia, Under-Secretary-General (USG) Rosemary DiCarlo was in Bosnia and Herzegovina this week. On 20 June, she met, among other leaders, Presidency Chairman Šefik Džaferović, and Presidency Members Milorad Dodik, and Željko Komšić in Sarajevo. She also met with representatives of civic political parties, and women leaders from civil society. Participating at the Oslo Forum on 21 June, USG DiCarlo stressed the need to review the European security architecture in light of the war in Ukraine. 

Security Council

Continued engagement and dialogue remain the only way forward in Afghanistan

Ramiz Alakbarov, the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), briefed the Security Council on 23 June. He described the difficulties that Afghans are facing – the human rights situation, economic crisis, the ongoing humanitarian emergency, and the need for continued engagement with the de facto authorities. “UNAMA will remain a vocal and visible voice for safeguarding the rights of the people of Afghanistan”, he assured.  

Read full remarks here  

UN News on the briefing here 

Lebanon

UN reiterates support to empower newly elected female Members of Parliament

On 24 June, Special Coordinator of the Secretary-General for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, together with Danish Ambassador in Lebanon Merete Juhl, co-hosted a working session with elected female Members of Parliament (MPs) and representatives of 17 member states. They exchanged views on women’s rights, political participation, and the role of female MPs in shaping the future of their country. “Advancing the common agenda on women, peace and security in Lebanon is a national priority that should be supported by all Lebanese,” the Special Coordinator said. She also renewed her commitment to support the female MPs and agreed to meet regularly to assess opportunities and challenges affecting their legislative priorities. 

Libya

Leaders of the House of Representatives and the High State Council to meet under UN auspices in Geneva

Stephanie Williams, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General for Libya, announced on 23 June that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Agila Saleh, and the President of the High State Council, Khaled Al-Mishri, have agreed to a meeting under UN auspices on 28 and 29 June at the UN Office at Geneva. The meeting will be to discuss the draft constitutional framework for elections, in light of the outcome of the consultations of the Joint Committee last week in Cairo, Egypt. 

Central Africa

Hate Speech Forum in Kinshasa 

This week, the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) co-organized a forum with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to develop a draft regional strategy and action plan to prevent and combat hate speech in Central Africa.  The meeting gathered communications professionals, as well as media regulators and civil society from countries in the ECCAS.  

Read more here 

Northeast Asia

Ulaanbaatar Dialogue discusses Youth and Peace and Security 

The United Nations co-organized a session on Youth, Peace and Security at the 7th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue in Mongolia on 23 June, as part of the joint efforts to support regional youth engagement on security issues. “Youth are the engines of the future,” USG DiCarlo noted in her video message. “The visions, insights and solutions offered by young people will be paramount as Northeast Asian countries”, she said.  

Full video message here 

Central Asia

UNRCCA co-hosts high-level event on the role of women parliamentarians  

The UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), jointly with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), co-hosted the high–level forum on “The Role of Central Asian States’ Women Parliamentarians in the Implementation of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) National Action Plans” from 22 to 23 June in Istanbul, Türkiye. Noting the joint efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorism, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA Natalia Gherman underscored the role of women parliamentarians and civil society leaders in implementation of national strategies and plans related to PCVE. 

Read more here 

Colombia

Historic transitional justice hearing with leaders of the former FARC-EP guerrilla

The UN Verification Mission accompanied public hearings on crimes committed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP) held from 21 to 23 June in Bogotá. With several victims participating in the hearings, the former FARC-EP leaders recognized their responsibility regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity. They apologized to the victims and reaffirmed their commitment to contribute and participate in the search for people considered missing. 

Peacebuilding

PBC Ambassadorial-level meeting on the Peacebuilding activities

On 24 June, Elizabeth Spehar, the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Peacebuilding Support (PBSO), briefed the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on the activities of the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The Secretary-General’s report ‘Our Common Agenda’ continues to place PBF and the wider Peacebuilding architecture at the heart of the Secretary-General’s vision for the UN. ASG Spehar highlighted the robust performance of the Fund, meeting high demands, while funding remains inadequate and insufficiently predictable. If not adequately addressed, she said, the funding gap would force PBF to curtail its planned support for this year. ASG Spehar also updated the Commission on the performance of the Fund’s priority windows, which include encouraging women and youth inclusion, facilitating UN Transitions, and enhancing cross-border approaches. The largest amount of Fund’s support remains focused on Sub-Sahara Africa, followed by Central and South America, Europe and Central Asia, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa. The Fund’s growth, as foreseen in its 2020-24 Strategy, has been impacted due to the shortfall in resources. 

Quarterly Peacebuilding Fund Group of Friends meeting

The quarterly Group of Friends meeting of the Peacebuilding Fund took place on 23 June, co-chaired by the United Kingdom and Sweden. Alice Shackelford, the UN Resident Coordinator in Honduras, highlighted the Fund’s role in supporting national peacebuilding priorities. Since 2018, the PBF has invested around USD $13 million in Honduras. Strategic use of the PBF’s investments in Honduras helped bring the UN Country Team together to contribute to violence prevention in last year's election. Brian Willians, the Chief of Financing for Peacebuilding in PBSO, updated the partners on fund status and programmatic priorities for 2022. He noted the Fund’s investments on facilitating the gradual drawdown of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the projects under development in eastern states in Sudan. Cross-border programmes continue to be a priority, for example working in the border regions of Benin and Niger, where risks of spreading extremist violence are growing. In the Great Lakes region, the PBF is supporting UN agencies to help with regional reintegration challenges, in line with Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Huang Xia’s work. For 2022, the Fund still requires $145.3 million in additional contributions to meet its $275 million target. Preparations are ongoing for the midterm review of the PBF strategy 2020-24.

Aswan Forum on sustainable peace and development

On 21 and 22 June, ASG Spehar attended the 3rd Aswan Forum on sustainable peace and development in Cairo, Egypt. The Forum focused on “Africa in an Era of Cascading Risks and Climate Vulnerability: Pathways for a Peaceful, Resilient, and Sustainable Continent." Speaking as a panelist, ASG Spehar spoke on the linkages between climate, peace and security, and DPPA's support, as well as how financing for peace and development can be more sustainable, predictable and contribute to long-term resilience. ASG Spehar also had bilateral meetings with the Minister for Peacebuilding of South Sudan, Stephen Par Kuol, and counterparts in the African Union (AU) and the League of Arab States (LAS), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Foreign Ministry of Egypt, and the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding.

Next Week

On Monday, 27 June, the Security Council will hear a briefing on the situation in Libya. On Wednesday, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Geir O. Pedersen will brief the Council on Syria. On Thursday, 30 June, the Council will discuss non-proliferation.

 

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