“We need an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, USG DiCarlo tells Security Council 

On 4 September, Under-Secretary General (USG) Rosemary DiCarlo addressed the Council on the "heartbreaking news" that six Israeli hostages had been killed earlier this week in Gaza. “We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale up of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” she said. Meanwhile, Israeli military operations continued, with the number of fatalities increasing daily. At the same time, Hamas and other armed groups were launching rockets towards populations centres in Israel. She added that “with every passing day, we get further away from the objective of ending the occupation and achieving a viable two-State solution.”

ASG Jenča briefs Council on situation in Venezuela

On 5 September, Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Miroslav Jenča briefed the Council during a closed meeting on the situation in Venezuela following the 28 July presidential election. The meeting was called by Council member Ecuador. The Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations, José Javier De La Gasca, addressed the media following the meeting (see his remarks here).

Secretary-General appoints new UNAMA DSRSG for political issues

On 3 September, Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Georgette Gagnon of Canada as Deputy Special Representative (DSRSG) for political issues for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Since 2021, Gagnon has served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country.

SRSG Imnadze attends anti-terrorism conference in Uzbekistan

The Special Representative to the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Central Asia and Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) Kaha Imnadze visited Uzbekistan on 3-5 September to attend the 10th International Conference of The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO RATS) and the 2nd Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Conference on combating terrorism and extremism. In his remarks, Imnadze highlighted the importance of counter-terrorism efforts in Central Asia. He also met met with key Uzbek senior government officials to discuss challenges to regional peace and security, the prevention of terrorism and violent extremism and transboundary water management.

SRSG Abarry attends OIC Council of Ministers in Cameroon

The Head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), Abdou Abarry, represented the UN Secretary-General at the 50th Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that took place in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 29-30 August on the theme: “Development of intra-OIC transport and communication infrastructure: a key tool in the fight against poverty and insecurity”. Abarry met with Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and discussed the political and security situation at the national and regional levels. The Special Representative also met with the Chadian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson, Koulamallah Abderaman.

DSRSG Cordone attends "Islam is Life" conference in Karbala Governorate

On 31 August, the DSRSG for Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance and Officer-in-Charge of UNAMI, Claudio Cordone, addressed the "Islam is Life" Fifth International Conference, which convened in Karbala Governorate. The DSRSG spoke about the role of the United Nations in the protection and promotion of human rights globally He also welcomed Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani’s initiative to develop a national strategy to counter hate speech, while respecting freedom of expression.

UNAMI holds workshop on human rights

From 2-5 September, UNAMI’s Human Rights Office, in coordination with the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) and the Human Rights Directorate of the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC), organized a four-day workshop on human rights. Twenty-six staff from the PMF Human Rights Directorate attended the workshop, which provided participants with an introduction to international human rights and humanitarian law, national and international human rights mechanisms and human rights in counter terrorism. 

Regional Forum of Women of the Great Lakes region held in Bujumbura, Burundi

On 22-23 August, the UN, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held a regional forum of women of the African Great Lakes region in Bujumbara, Burundi.The objective of the meeting was to reflect on women and the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and to exchange ideas and good practices to promote the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

SRSG Carlos Ruiz Massieu discusses peace at Cúcuta Book Festival

This week, SRSG and Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia Carlos Ruiz Massieu attended the 20th Book Festival of Cúcuta. The SRSG took part in a discussion on the international community and its role in the construction of peace in Colombia, together with journalist Yolanda Ruiz. Additionally, the Mission set up a stand for attendees to share information on the Final Peace Agreement.

unoau_au_cps.jpeg.jpeg From 27 to 29 August, SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyang attended the AU Member State Consultation on the Common African Position on Climate, Peace, and Security (CAP-CPS) and delivered opening remarks.

Next Week

From 8-11 September, USG DiCarlo will visit Libya. 

On 12 September, the Security Council will hold briefings on the situation in the Middle East in the morning and on Yemen in the afternoon.