With war ramping up across the Middle East on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for the violence to end now.
With war ramping up across the Middle East on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for the violence to end now.
Diplomats have been highlighting Security Council resolution 1701 in official meetings and in the corridors over the busy High-Level Week at UN Headquarters.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine condemned a deadly Russian strike in Kherson on Tuesday morning and underscored the need to protect civilians caught in the war, which is entering its 30th month.
The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants, as Israel launched what it described as a “limited” ground incursion into Southern Lebanon.
UN humanitarians launched a $426 million appeal for Lebanon on Tuesday to support one million people uprooted by widespread Israeli shelling amid what Israel has described as a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation into Lebanon, across the UN-patrolled line of separation.
I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation.
This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.
Beirut, Lebanon
1 October 2024
What we feared has materialized. With strikes throughout Lebanon, including in the heart of Beirut, and incursions across the Blue Line, violence is spiraling to dangerous heights.
Every rocket and missile fired, every bomb dropped and every ground raid conducted pull the parties further from the vision set out in Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and the conditions needed for the safe return of civilians on...
UN humanitarians on Monday warned of the potentially dire consequences that could arise from disruption to the flow of food imports into Yemen following Israeli strikes on the crucial Red Sea port of Hudaydah.
Mobilization at the national, regional and international level are needed to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the face of continued violence in the east, trafficking of natural resources, and other challenges, the UN Security Council heard on Monday.
The UN Security Council on Monday re-authorized the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti for 12 months.
More than one million people across Lebanon have been uprooted by ongoing and deadly Israeli airstrikes across the country, including one reported early Monday morning in a residential area of central Beirut, adding to fears of a full-scale invasion.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern on Saturday over the dramatic escalation of events in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, in the past 24 hours.
The top UN aid official in Ukraine has condemned Russian attacks in the northeastern city of Sumy on Saturday which damaged a hospital and killed and injured several people.
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The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours.
This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war.
He urges the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities. He also...
The UN Security Council debated the current situation on the ground in war-torn Gaza on Friday, where Israeli strikes have killed more than 41,500 Palestinians amid mass displacement and stymied humanitarian efforts as Israel continues hampering the entry of lifesaving aid. UN News app users can catch up with our live coverage here.
Women and girls in the midst of the brutal conflict between rival militaries in Sudan are being disproportionately impacted, including 5.8 million who are now displaced, according to an alert released by UN Women on Friday.
At least 11 schools being used as shelters by internally displaced Gazans have been hit so far this month, with nearly 100 deaths reported, said UN aid coordination office, OCHA, on Friday.
The sudden and massive escalation between Israel and the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon has created widespread fear that even worse is to come, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
Remarks for Ms. Rosemary A. DiCarlo,
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Peacebuilding Commission Ministerial-Level Meeting
New York, 26 September 2024
Mr. Chair, Mr Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, President Türk,
Excellencies, distinguished guests,
I am honored to address you today on how the United Nations can further strengthen its peacebuilding work following the adoption of the Pact for the Future.
The Pact aims to reinvigorate “global action to ensure the future we want and to effectively respond to current and future challenges”. In our fraught times, it represents an important achievement.
Indeed, over the last decade armed conflict has surged. Global division and tensions have grown. Cooperation on matters of peace and security has diminished. It is urgent to mend the ties that bind us, to rebuild trust, and recommit to address the monumental challenges before us together.
With the Pact, the global community is pledging to do just that. And, importantly for our work, the Pact places strong emphasis on prevention and peacebuilding, and on their link to sustainable development.
The 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review is an opportunity to further develop and operationalize the political commitments that Member States have made in this regard in the Pact.
The Review aims, of course, at enhancing the UN’s peacebuilding efforts and their impact in conflict-affected societies. It also serves as a platform for deliberation on recommendations in A New Agenda for Peace.
Mr. Chair,
Allow me to briefly highlight five areas where the 2025 Review can help translate into reality the Pact’s objective to bring a more strategic approach and coherence to peacebuilding efforts, particularly through the work of the Peacebuilding Commission.
First, the Commission could further support national prevention and peacebuilding strategies by providing a platform for sharing experiences, by highlighting how various countries address the root causes and drivers of violence and conflict within their societies.
The Commission can also provide political accompaniment, solidarity and visibility for a Member State’s peacebuilding and prevention efforts.
And it can help tailor support for the country, with potential contributions of the broader UN system, international financial institutions, regional organizations and the private sector. Key to this enhanced role for the PBC will be adequate logistical and substantive support.
Second, the advisory role of the Commission to the Security Council regarding countries in transition could be more action-oriented, as elaborated in the founding resolutions of the Commission. The Pact underscores this vital support role.
The Commission’s mandate and activities could further complement and enhance the work of the Council, sustaining peacebuilding gains and continuing valuable accompaniment.
A good example of this action-oriented approach is the Commission’s efforts to helping ensure a smooth transition in Liberia as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was closing. The Commission and key partners advised Liberian officials on their peacebuilding plan, identifying financial and capacity gaps.
Third, the Commission should continue to champion inclusive approaches to peacebuilding. I commend the Commission for being the only intergovernmental body with a gender strategy and a youth action plan, and for continuing to advocate for the full and meaningful participation of women and youth in peacebuilding.
Regarding Colombia, for example, the Commission has been active in highlighting the important role of Colombian women in the implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace.
The upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary of resolution 1325 is an opportunity to showcase the Commission’s added value in supporting women peacebuilders.
In line with commitments in its Gender Action Plan, we can collectively advance implementation – by increasing the number of women peacebuilders briefing the Commission and supporting, in all relevant PBC meetings, the inclusion of gender analysis.
Engagement with civil society is especially relevant here. The Commission’s exchange with more than seventy civil society representatives from around the world during the CSO-UN Dialogue on Peacebuilding was an important step in broadening the conversation on peacebuilding.
We look forward to continuing to engage with new constituencies during the next Dialogue in December of this year.
Fourth, let me underline the importance of the role of partnerships.
The Secretary-General has stressed the need for robust partnerships with regional organizations to address complex peacebuilding and prevention challenges.
The Commission’s recent decision to formalize its engagement with the African Union is a positive step towards a stronger collaboration with Africa. We hope to see the Commission partner with other regional and sub-regional organizations.
Further, the Pact for the Future reinforces the call for multilateral development banks to better address global challenges, which includes implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
Regional development banks have an increasingly important role to play in this regard. Several have recently adopted tailored strategies in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
For example, the African Development Bank has set up the Transition Support Facility, a financing mechanism that has disbursed more than $5 billion to date in member countries in transition or affected by fragility. The PBC should be encouraged to build stronger and more systematic linkages with these institutions.
Excellencies,
My fifth, and final point, is a call for us to recommit to adequate, predictable and sustained financing for peacebuilding.
The landmark General Assembly resolution on Financing for Peacebuilding (A/RES/76/305) emphasizes the need to close the critical peacebuilding funding gap.
While the achievement of assessed contributions for the Peacebuilding Fund is commendable and has been welcomed in the Pact, we need more financing to reverse the backsliding in investments in prevention and peacebuilding.
The upcoming Review will provide an excellent occasion to further explore and operationalize various elements of this resolution.
Mr. Chair, Excellencies,
The Pact for the Future provides a comprehensive framework for advancing our peacebuilding agenda. We cannot miss this opportunity. We look forward to working with all of you in turning these commitments into reality.
Thank you.
The call for a more inclusive and representative Security Council resonated loud and clear at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, as African leaders demanded global powers address the longstanding inequity in the Council’s composition.
The UN agency that supports Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is the only “outpost of hope” left in the hellscape that is Gaza, the UN Secretary-General told a high-level ministerial meeting on Thursday in New York.
World leaders, senior government officials and civil society representatives joined forces at UN Headquarters on Thursday to reaffirm commitment to nuclear disarmament as a global priority.
A new humanitarian crisis is unfolding at Lebanon’s border with Syria as thousands of people flee Israeli shelling linked to the war in Gaza, UN humanitarians said on Thursday, just as Israel premier Benyamin Netanyahu arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly.
Excellencies,
Distinguished speakers,
Today’s discussion has shown that the pursuit of peace and international cooperation is not a hopeless goal.
It is tempting to despair or be cynical, amid the level of divisions in today’s world.
However, as leaders gather in New York this week, this Summit reminds us that Member States overwhelmingly want the multilateral system to be effective and fair.
They know that the challenges we face – from the climate emergency and the weaponization of new technologies to deadlier and more complex conflicts – can only be addressed through international cooperation.
I would like to make three observations on what our priorities going forward should be:
First, a recommitment to diplomacy.
Diplomacy is the essence of multilateral cooperation. If we want to overcome divisions, we need to boost diplomacy.
This requires investing in mechanisms that keep channels open, defuse tensions, and bring different viewpoints together – especially across divides and amongst countries that disagree and dispute.
I welcome the strong language around diplomacy, including on the good offices role of the Secretary-General, in the Pact for the Future.
Recommitting to diplomacy is a political choice: to resort to dialogue instead of arms, negotiation instead of coercion, and persuasion instead of imposition.
Indeed, peace instead of war.
It might be politically difficult and unpopular to do so at times, but it is the only decision that pays off in the long term.
Second, we must invest – politically and financially – in prevention.
The evidence is clear: prevention saves lives. It safeguards development gains. It is cost-effective. But it remains chronically underprioritized.
A New Agenda for Peace made a strong case for a paradigm shift on prevention, with a focus on universality and national ownership.
I am pleased that many of these ideas have found support in the Pact for the Future, and we look forward to working with Member States to carry this agenda forward.
Finally, we must ensure that the multilateral system, and the collective security system in particular, work for everyone.
Unless the benefits of international cooperation become more tangible and equitable, we won’t have global buy-in to tackle our common challenges.
The Pact for the Future points to key priorities to upgrade the different institutions at the heart of the multilateral system, including the Security Council.
We must now ensure that the principles the Member States have agreed on in the Pact can form the basis for real reform.
Excellencies,
The United Nations was born out of a shared commitment to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
You may have noticed the key words there – shared commitment.
The United Nations is shaped fundamentally by the willingness – that is, the commitment – of its Member States to cooperate.
As the Secretary-General said in A New Agenda for Peace: if war is a choice, peace can be too.
Thank you.
Distinguished guests,
Dear friends and colleagues,
Good morning, first of all, welcome to the United Nations, which today hosts our session ‘A Peaceful Future for All’.
I am delighted that you came to New York – many of you from far away – to participate in the Action Days. Your presence here shows how much you are invested in more peaceful future.
We have a truly diverse group of speakers today, ranging from former Heads of State and Government to grassroots organizers from around the world. Despite their very different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: they have been on the frontlines of the work to bring peace to their nations, regions or communities.
I am looking forward to hearing how their different perspectives complement each other. I am certain that we all will be able to draw practical lessons on how we can jointly boost our work for peace.
Now, we are about to start with Act 1, ‘A More Equal World’. These sessions envision a world in which we recognize each other as equal partners for the future, no matter our race, sex, identity, religion or age. The eminent journalist Razia Iqbal will guide us through these discussions as moderator.
We will open with an intergenerational dialogue for peace. Young peacebuilders – like many of you in this audience – and former Presidents will discuss how to rebuild trust: Trust in the power of dialogue, trust in diplomacy to resolve conflicts, and trust in each other.
Next will be a discussion on ‘Dismantling Patriarchal Power Structures’. This is based on a simple idea: as long as gendered dynamics, power inequalities hold back half of our societies, peace will remain elusive. We will hear from people from different walks of life what these power structures mean in practice. But we will also learn how we can overcome them to create a more just, fair, equal, and inclusive future.
Colleagues,
It is serendipitous that today’s discussions fall on the International Day of Peace – a time to reflect on the tragic toll of violent conflict, and on what we can do to stop war.
With today’s event, we aim to put the accent on doing, and not talking. We want to put a spotlight on individuals who are taking action for peace. I know they will inspire us. In these difficult times, we need to celebrate those who persevere and show us, in ways big and small, that peace is possible.
And now, we will hear the voices of some of our young peacebuilding partners from around the world, and then it is my pleasure to hand over to our fantastic moderator and panel.
Thank you.
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New York, 21 September 2024
Everywhere we look, peace is under attack.
From Gaza, to Sudan, to Ukraine and beyond we see:
Civilians in the firing line;
Homes blown apart;
Traumatised, terrified populations who have lost everything – and sometimes everyone.
...Under-Secretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo’s
Briefing to the Security Council
on the situation in Lebanon
20 September 2024
Mister President,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Council on the situation in Lebanon and the region, including the most recent alarming developments.
For nearly a year, Hizbullah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces have exchanged fire across the Blue Line on an almost daily basis. These exchanges have been in repeated breach of the cessation of hostilities and in violation of resolution 1701.
Strikes and exchanges of fire have expanded in scope and intensity, and in some cases reached much deeper into Lebanese and Israeli territory. Over 100,000 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon. At least 60,000 have been displaced from northern Israel.
The exchanges of fire have caused numerous casualties, including among civilians, and significant damage to homes, civilian infrastructure, and agricultural land on both sides of the Blue Line.
The risk of further expansion of this cycle of violence is extremely serious and poses a grave threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel, and the whole region.
Mister President,
On the afternoon of 17 September, many communication devices, or “pagers” - primarily used by members of Hizbullah - exploded simultaneously across Lebanon. Similar explosions were also reported in Syria.
The following day, a second wave of explosions, smaller in scale but more lethal, was reported throughout the same areas of Lebanon. This time, the devices involved were two-way handheld radios reportedly used by Hizbullah.
Devices exploded in homes, cars, supermarkets, and streets. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health stated that 37 people were killed, including two children, and more than 3,400 people were injured in the successive explosions.
Medical professionals and hospitals are working around the clock to help the wounded. Lebanese society – old and young have been in profound shock and panic.
The Lebanese government has strongly denounced the attack, which it attributed to Israel. Caretaker Prime Minister Mikati said– I quote - “represented a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime”. End quote.
In a speech on 19 September, Hizbullah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, said in response to the attacks that “Israel exceeded all limits, laws and red lines” and he vowed “to exact a heavy price and a fair punishment.” He reiterated that the Lebanon front would only stop once the aggression on Gaza ended.
In a letter to the President of the Security Council on 18 September, the Islamic Republic of Iran blamed Israel for the explosions. Noting that its Ambassador to Lebanon was among those wounded, Iran stated that it – quote - “reserves its right under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond to such a heinous crime and violation.” End quote.
To date, the Government of Israel has made no official comment on these developments.
Mister President,
Since the explosions on 17 and 18 September, exchanges of fire across the Blue Line have continued, showing worrying signs of escalation.
The exchanges include some of the heaviest bombardment of southern Lebanon since 8 October 2023. Israeli aircraft have conducted a high number of air strikes and overflights, including breaking the sound barrier over Beirut on several occasions.
In addition, we are receiving initial reports about an Israeli air strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut hours ago, which Israel said targeted and killed a number of senior Hizbullah leaders.
The Lebanese health ministry said at least twelve people were killed and over 60 injured in the strike.
Meanwhile, heavy barrages of rocket, drone, artillery, and anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon have killed two IDF soldiers and wounded ten Israelis. UNIFIL is monitoring the situation closely.
On 16 September, Israel's Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, suggested that the center of gravity was moving north, including the transfer of military forces.
Speaking of the onset of a – quote - “new phase of war”, he suggested the only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes was through military action.
Reports from Israeli media indicate that Israel Defense Forces 98th Division was transferred from Gaza to the Northern Command, adding to concerns about the risk of further escalation on the horizon.
From Lebanon, the UN Special Coordinator Hennis-Plasschaert has been in constant contact with all concerned actors, including care taker Prime Minister Mikati, Foreign Minister Bou Habib, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and their offices, and other authorities. In her meetings, she has continued to push for a diplomatic solution and warned against further escalation.
She continues to underscore that military advances would not restore stability or enable displaced civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return home safely. She will travel to Israel early next week for consultations with relevant counterparts.
Mr. President,
In the current fragile regional context, the devastating war in Gaza continues. Nearly a year after the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October, Israeli military operations, including bombardment from the air and land, and armed exchanges with Hamas and other militants continue across the strip. The number of fatalities tragically keeps increasing. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, many of them children.
At the same time, the indiscriminate launching of rockets by Hamas and other armed groups toward population centres in Israel also continues.
I once again echo the words of the Secretary-General: we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Mister President,
The risk to security and stability, not only in Lebanon but also in the region, could not be clearer or graver. The Secretary-General has already expressed his deep alarm over these events.
I echo his sentiments and strongly urge all actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation. They must abide by their obligations under international law concerning the protection of civilians.
I also strongly urge Member States with influence over the parties to leverage it now.
As we approach a full year of near-daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line and bloodshed in Gaza, too many lives have been lost, too many people have been displaced, and too many livelihoods have been destroyed.
But if things continue as they are, we risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far.
It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay. The Secretary-General continues to urgently call on the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities.
Thank you, Mr. President.
