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USG DiCarlo travels to Ethiopia
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Under-Secretary-General (USG) Rosemary DiCarlo accompanied Secretary-General António Guterres to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the sixth session of the African Union-United Nations annual conference. On 30 November, in her meeting with African Union member states and partners, USG DiCarlo reaffirmed the UN’s continued support to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia in its efforts to transfer full security responsibility to the Government of Somalia.
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Conflict in the occupied West Bank and Israel reaches boiling point, says Special Coordinator Wennesland
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Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on 28 November. He reported that high levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months - including attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, increased use of arms, and settler-related violence - have caused grave human suffering. "After decades of persistent violence, illegal settlement expansion, dormant negotiations and deepening occupation, the conflict is again reaching a boiling point," he said.
Read his full remarks here
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Special Envoy Pedersen briefs Security Council on escalatory dynamics taking place in Syria
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Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, briefed the Security Council on 29 November. Warning of the dangers of military escalation in Syria, he said: “I am troubled by the thought of a major military operation resuming after three years of relative calm. I fear what this would mean for Syrian civilians, and also for wider regional security.” He called on all parties to reject the path of deeper suffering and instability, and instead find ways to cooperate towards a more constructive way forward.
Read his full remarks here
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Special Coordinator Wronecka reports urgency of prioritizing the election of a new President to end the political vacuum in Lebanon
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The Security Council met on 29 November to discuss the implementation of Resolution 1701. Briefing the Council members in closed consultations, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, commended Lebanon and Israel for putting an end to their maritime boundary dispute and establishing a permanent maritime boundary on 27 October. While welcoming this progress, she said more needed to be done internally in Lebanon to address a multitude of accumulating political and socio-economic crises. She noted in particular the urgency of prioritizing the election of a new President to end the political vacuum in Lebanon and the formation of a fully functional government.
Read more here
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Mozambique continues its process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration
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In a statement on 1 December, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Mozambique Mirko Manzoni commended the continued collaboration and commitment to dialogue demonstrated by the Government and Renamo in the ongoing implementation of the Maputo Accord for Peace and National Reconciliation. The Personal Envoy also called on both parties and all stakeholders to remain focused and to do their part in advancing definitive peace in Mozambique. He reiterated the UN’s commitment to support the remaining combatants on their reintegration journey.
Read full statement here
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UNOCA and UNOWAS Joint interregional visit on farmer-pastoralist dynamics in West and Central Africa
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From 24-26 November, the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the Office of the Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel (OSCDS), carried out a joint inter-regional visit to Cotonou, Benin, to discuss farmer-herder dynamics in West and Central Africa. Representatives of Beninese herders' associations, as well as the Mayor of Banikoara and the Prefect of Borgou, briefed on the existing opportunities and challenges of implementing sedentarization policies at the local level. They noted efforts to strengthen social cohesion, the need for economic support to improve productivity, as well as increased efforts to support education for the younger generation.
Read more here
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Special Representatives and Envoys discuss UN engagement in Central Africa
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UNOCA organized a high-level meeting of Special Representatives (SRSG) and Envoys of the Secretary-General working in Central Africa from 30 November to 1 December in Luanda, Angola. The meeting was attended by SRSG for Central Africa and Head of UNOCA Abdou Abarry; SRSG for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) Bintou Keita; SRSG for the Central African Republic and Head of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) Valentine Rugwabiza; and Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia. The meeting allowed for in-depth reflection on the paths to follow for a coherent and concerted response by the United Nations to common challenges. In addition, “Women, peace and security”, “Youth, peace and security” and on the issue of natural resources were also discussed as possible areas of synergy.
Read more here
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General Assembly adopts draft resolution on the Division for Palestinian Rights
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On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November), the General Assembly adopted on 1 December a draft resolution on the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat. The Assembly acknowledges that the Secretariat continues to make a constructive and positive contribution to raising international awareness of the question of Palestine and of the urgency of a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine in all its aspects on the basis of international law and United Nations resolutions. The resolution requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Division with the necessary resources to effectively carry out its programme of work, in consultation with the Committee and under its guidance.
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Deputy Special Representative Isaczai discusses vocational training, climate action with government officials
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On 27 November, Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator (DSRSG/RC/HC) for Iraq Ghulam Isaczai visited Anbar Governorate, where he discussed the long-term support of returnees with local government officials. The DSRSG/RC/HC also visited the Vocational Training Centre in Ramadi. On 28 November, he took part in the launch of the Let's Talk Conference convened in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, which marked the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign. “Eradication of gender-based violence is a collective responsibility, and we call on everyone to respond to the alarm raised by women and girls and take firm actions to end the violence,” he said. In his meeting with Minister of Planning Mohammed Ali Tamim on 29 November, they discuss how to further strengthen coordination and support Iraq’s development priorities, including climate action, to achieve durable solutions.
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UNAMI Human Rights Office holds training sessions on storytelling and digital security
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As part of its support for youth human rights activists, the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) conducted a training session from 23-27 November aimed at developing and enhancing the advocacy skills of youth activists from Kirkuk. Sixteen participants from various communities were trained on a wide range of storytelling methodologies, including short digital film making, cartoon development and photography, which will support the promotion and protection of minority rights in their local community. From 25-26 November, the UNAMI Human Rights Office partnered with the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM), to provide practical training to a group of 35 human rights defenders, activists, journalists, bloggers, and lawyers on how to safely maneuver through cyberspace.
Learn more here
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Emerging Iraqi conceptual artists convey lived experiences and perceptions of human rights in Iraq
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This week, emerging young Iraqi artists participated in “Baghdad Walk”, a mobile group exhibition and a narrative art walk focusing on human rights, which was held in Baghdad’s historic al-Rasheed Street. The Embassy of the Netherlands in Iraq and Tarkib organized the project. The UNAMI Human Rights Office organized two interactive workshops for Tarkib in September and November, providing mentorship on the promotion of human rights through the visual arts.
Read more here
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UNRCCA offers a platform for constructive dialogue on transboundary water-energy cooperation and climate
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On 29-30 November, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) convened a meeting of national experts from the Central Asian states in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The meeting reviewed the existing legislative basis for regional water-energy cooperation in Central Asia. Participants also discussed the role of Afghanistan regarding cooperation in the Aral Sea Basin, as well as monitoring and early warning for the rivers of Amu Darya and Syr Darya.
Read more here
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Colombian Government hands over land to former combatants for agricultural project use
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On December 1, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia participated in the act of handing over a 1.3-hectare rural property to a project for former combatants and the community in Fusagasugá, a town 70 km south of the Colombian capital, in the center of the country. The Colombian Government, through the public entity of Special Assets Administration, delivered the property to a productive project of 26 former combatants and 10 people from the community who will cultivate and process "orellanas" (oyster mushrooms). This first installment marks progress in resolving the land issue, which has been one of the main barriers to productive projects and the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
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Podcast: "She Stands for Peace"
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New episode focuses on Peacebuilding in informal settlements in Africa
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Editar Adhiambo Ochieng is the Founder of the Feminist for Peace, Rights and Justice Centre. In this episode, she discusses the impact of women's civic and political participation, election violence, and peacebuilding in informal settlements.
Listen to the episode here
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Innovation Cell launches Sparrow 2.0 social media analysis reporting tool
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This week, DPPA’s Innovation Cell launched Sparrow 2.0, a social media data analytics tool developed for UN staff to enhance inclusive and multidimensional political analysis. Sparrow lets users create reports using a unified format and provides step-by-step guidance for conducting social media analysis. This initiative responds to the call in the Secretary-General’s Data Strategy to advance data analytics and internal data capacities across the UN. Since Sparrow's debut in 2021, more than 500 colleagues from DPPA-DPO have used it to produce over 2,000 social media analysis reports.
Read more here
Sign up for online training session here
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