The UN has been forced to essentially halt all aid operations across Sudan due to the continuing fighting between rival militaries, but humanitarians who have re-located to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast are determined to return to Khartoum “as quickly as possible”, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator said on Thursday.
One year after the General Assembly adopted its so-called “veto initiative”, Member States met on Wednesday to discuss how it could contribute to a more efficient and impact-oriented UN.
Survivors of one of the world’s worst ever nuclear accidents at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine on 26 April 1986 have been reflecting on the events of that fateful day 37 years ago, as current employees consider the challenges of working at the plant which was seized by Russian troops following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The UN’s Special Representative for Sudan has called on the rival military factions which have plunged the country into chaos during 11 days of fighting to “fully adhere” to the agreed 72-hour ceasefire amid increasing concern at reports of inter-communal violence and attacks in the West Darfur region.
The rapidly deteriorating security situation in Haiti demands that the country remains at the centre of international attention and action, newly appointed UN Special Representative Maria Isabel Salvador said on Wednesday in her first briefing to the Security Council.
The on-going power struggle between Sudan’s top generals not only puts the future of the country at risk, but threatens to “detonate across borders”, fuelling widespread suffering that could go on for years, warned the UN chief on Tuesday.
The current trajectory of escalating unrest between Israelis and Palestinians is neither sustainable nor inevitable, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Tuesday, delivering his latest report.
The United Nations will continue to deliver desperately needed relief for the Sudanese people, amid soaring needs, acute shortages of essentials and fast-rising prices, UN humanitarians pledged on Tuesday.
Authorities in Burkina Faso must conduct a full and independent investigation into the recent killing of scores of civilians in a village near the border with Mali, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
The world’s multilateral system is under greater strain than at any time since the creation of the United Nations, requiring swift action to “do better, faster” in using the UN Charter and existing tools to forge greater security and prosperity for all, the Secretary-General told the Security Council on Monday, which marks the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.
The UN Secretary-General on Monday welcomed the temporary relocation of hundreds of staff members and their families from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, amid the continuing intense fighting between rival military factions which has now entered its second week.
New York, 22 April 2023
On International Mother Earth Day, we reflect on humanity’s most important relationship — our relationship with the natural world.
From the air we breathe to the water we drink to the soil that grows our food – humanity’s health depends on the health of Mother Earth.
Yet we seem hellbent on destruction.
Our actions are laying waste to forests,...
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan issued a strong statement on Friday calling on both sides in the military power struggle to “implement humanitarian pauses” allowing civilians and aid workers to access essential supplies.
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The study draws on a review of publicly available literature and over 20 interviews conducted with UNAMI, members of the UN Country Team, researchers, and civil society organizations. To situate the effects of climate change in the Iraqi context, the study analyzes factors determining the exposure and vulnerability of the State and communities, including conflict history, capacity and resources of public institutions, patterns of human mobility, and levels of gender equality.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday appealed for warring parties in Sudan to observe a ceasefire for at least three days so that civilians trapped in conflict zones can seek medical treatment, food and other essential supplies. His call to silence the guns during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of Ramadan, followed a virtual meeting on the crisis, convened by the African Union (AU).
UN humanitarians have reached nearly two million Ukrainians whose lives have been impacted by Russia’s ongoing invasion with multi-purpose cash assistance in just the first three months of 2023, the UN Spokesperson said on Wednesday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres continues efforts towards ensuring an end to the hostilities in Sudan, his Spokesperson said on Wednesday, amid reports of a new ceasefire between warring military factions and refugees fleeing the country across the border into Chad.
After months of fighting and rising tensions across the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the region is enjoying “a fragile lull”, including an improvement in relations between the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda, the Security Council heard on Wednesday.
Food insecurity and malnutrition in West and Central Africa are on track to reach a 10-year high by June as the crisis expands to coastal countries, UN agencies warned on Tuesday, citing latest data.
Against the backdrop of a fragile human rights landscape, a “new dynamic” of cooperation among Libyan leaders provides much-needed momentum as the country prepares for elections later this year, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council on Tuesday.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Tuesday called for an immediate end to the hostilities in Sudan and pleaded for the opposing sides in the military power struggle to return to the negotiating table, as reports emerged of a proposed 24-hour pause in the fighting, due to start at 1800 local time.
As the UN marks 75 years of its special political missions, Politically Speaking talks with the Secretary-General’s Representatives and Envoys about their current work and how they view the future of diplomacy for peace.
Ahead of his latest briefing to the Security Council, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg discussed the importance of coherent...
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL KHALED KHIARI’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION/DPRK
New York, 17 April 2023
Mr. President,
According to its official news agency, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched what it described as a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on 13 April. The DPRK said that it test-fired the ballistic missile – which it designated as Hwasong-18 – to confirm quote “the performance of the high-thrust solid-fuel engines for multi-stage missiles” end quote.
It is the DPRK’s first launch of a long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile. Solid-propellant missiles do not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch. They can thus be launched more quickly than liquid-propellant missiles. This also means that it may be more difficult to detect the preparation of a launch in a timely manner.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch of yet another long-range ballistic missile by the DPRK.
The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on the DPRK to immediately desist from taking any further destabilising actions, to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, and to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. President,
The DPRK Foreign Ministry and Central Military Commission, the latter on 10 April, have warned of so-called “countermeasures” in response to military exercises in the region. Earlier today, the Marshal of the Korean People's Army issued a statement opposing today’s meeting of the Council.
The DPRK continues to implement its five-year military development plan unveiled during the 8th Party Congress in January 2021. That plan provided for the development of specific capabilities, many involving the DPRK pursuing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.
The DPRK claims to be hitting significant milestones on its five-year plan, including since our last briefing on 20 March.
For example, the plan included developing a new solid propellant intercontinental-range ballistic missile. The DPRK reportedly achieved this with the launch on 13 April.
That plan also provided for the development of multiple warheads; tactical nuclear weapons; a military reconnaissance satellite; new unmanned aerial systems; and a “hypersonic gliding flight warhead”.
In line with its five-year plan, the DPRK greatly increased its missile launch activities in 2022 and 2023, including more than 80 launches using ballistic missile technology. The DPRK characterised these launches as involving systems with nuclear weapon roles, including so-called “tactical” nuclear weapons. Most of the systems it tested are capable of striking countries in the immediate region. The systems it tested on 13 April, 16 March and 18 February, as well as on two occasions last year, are capable of reaching most points on the Earth.
The DPRK did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications for any of these launches. Despite the DPRK claiming otherwise, unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Mr. President,
Key peace and security issues, such as the Korean Peninsula, must be an area for cooperation. We welcome the Security Council’s commitment, as expressed in resolution 2397 (2017), to a peaceful, comprehensive, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the importance the Council has placed on working to reduce tensions. Diplomacy – not isolation - is the only way forward.
The lack of unity and action in the Security Council does little to slow the negative trajectory on the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK is unconstrained, and other parties are compelled to focus on military deterrence.
As the Council considers its options, there are several practical steps that could reduce tensions, reverse the dangerous dynamic, and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.
First, the DPRK needs to take immediate steps to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This should include the DPRK refraining from carrying out further launches using ballistic missile technology or nuclear tests.
Second, the DPRK to resume communication channels, including military to military. The DPRK has been unresponsive to daily routine calls via inter-Korean communication lines since 7 April. It is critical to avoid an unintended escalation.
Third, reducing confrontational rhetoric will help to lower political tensions and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.
Mr. President,
Separately, I wish to highlight once more our concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The United Nations is ready to assist the DPRK in addressing medical and other basic needs of vulnerable populations. We welcome the return of diplomats from one Member State to Pyongyang on 27 March. We reiterate our call on the DPRK to allow the unimpeded entry of international staff, including the Resident Coordinator, and of humanitarian supplies, to enable a timely and effective response.
Mr. President, let me close by stressing again that the unity of the Security Council on the DPRK is essential to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse. The primary responsibility for international peace and security rests with this Council.
The Secretariat is your partner in this effort. We remain in close contact with all key parties, including the DPRK, and are ready to seize opportunities whenever the conditions are right to make a difference. As we speak, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, is on a visit to Northeast Asia. The Secretary-General’s good offices and our convening power are always available.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Security Council Press Statement on Colombia - SC/15259
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by...
An expired truce still delivering positive results, and a recent mass prisoner exchange, are signs of hope in Yemen, but more work remains to end the war between the Saudi coalition-backed Government and Houthi rebels, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Monday.
Clashes intensified across Sudan on Monday, as top UN officials urged rival military factions to protect civilians and respect the country’s international obligations.
Unity of the Security Council is “essential” to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse on the Korean Peninsula, Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said on Monday, briefing on the latest developments following Pyongyang’s first-ever launch of a solid-fuel ballistic missile days ago.
Haiti’s population is being held hostage to brutality and gang violence, according to a report from the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), which contains harrowing testimony from a country seemingly in freefall.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily halted all operations, as a result of the fighting between rival military groups in Sudan, which led to the deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday. The UN Secretary-General has called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
