Making Gaza safe again from unexploded bombs could take 14 years, UN demining experts said on Friday.
Bassem Al-Habal carried a large bag of flour provided by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, inside one of the shelters in the city of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, part of his daily journey to find food and water for his family while overcoming displacement, bombardment and the challenges of being deaf and mute in a war zone.
Following the installation of a transitional council in Haiti, seven countries officially notified the UN Secretary-General on Friday of their intention to contribute personnel to the Security Council-backed support mission for the crisis-wracked Caribbean nation.
A UN office investigating Israeli accusations that 12 staff members from UN Palestine relief agency UNRWA were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks has closed one of the cases because Israel had not provided any supporting evidence, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday.
Escalating violence in Sudan’s North Darfur state has left dozens dead and people trapped in El Fasher city, which is home to around 800,000 people, many displaced due to fighting.
As deadly attacks in Ukraine continue, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that the number of children killed so far this year has increased by nearly 40 per cent compared to 2023.
The international community must take immediate action to end the wave of sexual violence being carried out against women and girls in Sudan, two senior UN officials said on Thursday.
The war in Gaza continues to cast a dark shadow over the wider Middle East region, in particular Syria where a series of strikes and attacks are exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Thursday.
Unexpected blistering temperatures across Gaza have added to the daily misery faced by the enclave’s people and sparked new fears of disease outbreaks amid a lack of sufficient clean water and waste disposal, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.
On 25 April 1974, military officers overthrew the nearly 50-year dictatorship in Portugal in a largely peaceful coup known as the Carnation Revolution.
The international community must take immediate action to end the wave of sexual violence being carried out against women and girls in Sudan, two senior UN officials said on Thursday.
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Friends,
Welcome to the Annual Donor meeting of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. Thank you for being here and for your support of DPPA’s work.
Fittingly, today is International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace – a day that really highlights our work, and the challenges we face.
When we met just over a year ago, the world was still reeling from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Two weeks after that meeting, armed conflict exploded in the Sudan, sending the country spiraling.
Today, we are more than six months into a devastating Israeli military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October. And we are seeing the growing regional ramifications of this conflict across the Middle East.
These wars are destroying lives and compromising the future of millions of people – and they are far from the only ones. Violent conflict has proliferated markedly in the last decade, accelerated by an erosion of – if not an outright assault on - international norms and growing geopolitical competition and division.
I’ll be blunt: This is the most dangerous period in global relations since the end of the Cold War, perhaps even since the end of the Second World War.
The UN’s prevention work and our efforts to foster trust, cooperation and solidarity through diplomacy has never been more important. Similarly, the role of DPPA in accomplishing these tasks is critical.
This is work that we plainly cannot do without your support. Work that, though often painstaking, arduous and discreet, makes a difference, even if it rarely makes the headlines.
Let me also be blunt on another aspect. These are difficult times politically – but also financially. DPPA has been deeply affected by the liquidity situation and the resultant measures and constraints affecting regular budget resources and activities.
We know this is a difficult time for many of you. Some of our partners have cut back. Others have told us that they will not be able to maintain their support at the same level as in previous years.
We understand the constraints you face. But I can also assure you that the return on your investment is worth it. We are not a costly operation. Conflict prevention saves lives – and it is cost-effective.
Nothing saves as much on humanitarian aid, refugee assistance, the costly consequences of conflict as resolving or averting it in the first place.
Friends,
Today, I want to share with you some of the progress we made in 2023. We will also endeavour to respond to your questions and concerns.
And I hope that we will leave here today with an even stronger shared commitment to do all we can to advance peace and security globally – and to leverage the cost-effectiveness of conflict resolution and conflict prevention.
As you know, we are currently in the thick of preparations for the Summit of the Future in September. In 2023, the Secretary-General tasked DPPA as the lead penholder for his policy brief on “A New Agenda for Peace.” The New Agenda outlines his vision for how Member States can advance shared interests and strengthen multilateral action for peace.
In the brief the Secretary-General stresses his commitment to enhance his Good Offices to prevent and mediate conflicts as well as the importance of addressing drivers of conflict. Conflict prevention is a central theme.
DPPA widely consulted Member States and other stakeholders for our analysis and recommendations with the support of the Multi-Year Appeal.
Such consultations and engagement, and translating them into analysis and policy recommendations, are a foundation of our work. They are also vital for the Secretary-General’s Special Representatives and Special Envoys, who rely on the MYA for many of their diplomatic efforts.
In a few minutes, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Hanna Tetteh, will share with you how the MYA supports her ongoing efforts in the Horn of Africa.
Indeed, the MYA supports a broad range of activities including political and peace processes:
These examples underscore the increasing demand for our services and expertise. Each crisis presents unique challenges. Your contributions make possible the tailored responses such challenges require.
Colleagues,
In 2023, we again balanced crisis response with non-crisis prevention efforts. This is always a challenge, but one that is more pronounced the more crises there are – and when we have to make do with limited resources.
DPPA led 53 electoral missions to Member States, demonstrating our commitment to supporting democratic processes globally.
We dedicated $8.2 million, or 19 per cent of the MYA budget, to Women, Peace, and Security initiatives. This surpasses our target [18 per cent] and demonstrates a firm commitment to inclusive political and peacemaking efforts.
Through our MYA-funded Innovation Cell, we used AI technology to promote participation in peace and political initiatives, notably enhancing the inclusion of youth.
In Bolivia and Guinea, for example, we engaged youth in meaningful consultations in the context of political transitions. Our virtual reality films about Lebanon and Chad provided viewers with insights into local challenges.
We also provided essential real-time support to combat disinformation and hate speech across various field presences.
For example, we helped UNAMI with social media monitoring ahead of municipal elections in December and enhanced analytical support for UNOCA, UNOWAS, UNSCOL and the Verification Mission in Colombia.
Our work on climate, peace, and security relies also entirely on voluntary contributions through the MYA. In 2023, we enhanced our capacity to address climate-related security risks in the field.
We successfully deployed climate, peace, and security advisors to our special political missions across West Africa and the Sahel [UNOWAS], Central Africa [UNOCA], the Horn of Africa [OSE-Horn of Africa], Somalia [UNSOM], and Iraq [UNAMI].
Additional deployments are planned for this year [e.g. UNAMA]. By doing so, we are advancing from general policy work to concrete, operational engagement on the ground – where it matters.
As always, over the past year, we also continued to emphasize and deepen our partnerships with regional and sub-regional organizations.
For many years, we have maintained liaison presences that have enabled collaboration and partnership with such organizations, across the globe. However, some of these critical collaborations are now at risk of being downsized or closed due to funding constraints.
But while the world is confronting more and more crises, in 2023, we achieved only 76 per cent of our annual funding target of $41 million. We gratefully received a total amount of $31.1 million from 31 donors. The resultant 24 per cent funding gap, equivalent to $9.9 million, highlights the critical need for sustained and enhanced support.
For this cycle of our Multi-Year Appeal from 2023 to 2026, we are seeking to raise a total of $170 million. Our immediate goal for 2024 is $42 million. This funding enables us to do things, concretely and operationally. It also enables us to maintain our work on key thematic areas of engagement, be it the women, peace and security agenda; climate, peace and security; our mediation support; and innovation.
Excellencies, colleagues,
Allow me to conclude very simply by expressing my sincere gratitude and that of our colleagues in the field and here at HQ for your indispensable support.
We know you face many appeals for contributions, and that the current funding environment is difficult. That you have consistently shown up to bolster our efforts, over and above what you already contribute to the UN budget, is deeply appreciated. And we hope, very much, that you can continue to do so.
I would now like to give the floor to Special Envoy Hanna Tetteh.
Hanna is joining us from Addis Ababa and will be speaking about the impact of extra-budgetary contributions on her work.
Thank you.
Dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6 million people last year - the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened - heightening growing fears of famine and “widespread death” from Gaza to Sudan and beyond, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.
Russia used its veto to quash a draft resolution aimed at keeping weapons out of outer space.
The UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, launched a $1.2 billion appeal on Wednesday to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip and to respond to needs in the West Bank as violence there increases.
For over 75 years, the United Nations special political missions have been promoting peace, preventing violence and working to end conflicts. We joined these efforts in 2007, by the initiatives of the five Central Asian states, when the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia opened its doors in Ashgabat with the mission to liaise with the Governments of the region on issues relevant to preventive diplomacy.
...The head of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, on Tuesday reiterated that he welcomed the recommendations of a much-awaited report on its efforts to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they arise.
The UN acknowledges assurances from the South Sudanese government that the recent imposition of taxes on fuel and supply trucks does not apply to the Organization. Still, concerns remain regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid efforts in the region since some of the UN’s fuel and supply trucks are being held at many depots and the border.
The UN verified 3,688 cases of rape and other sexual violence committed in war in 2023, a “dramatic increase” of 50 per cent over the previous year, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
The General Assembly on Tuesday debated veto power in the Security Council on the eve of the second anniversary of a special measure adopted to monitor its use, following on the heels of the United States vetoing Palestine’s bid last week for full UN membership.
Disturbing reports continue to emerge about mass graves in Gaza in which Palestinian victims were reportedly found stripped naked with their hands tied, prompting renewed concerns about possible war crimes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
Meaningful action to prevent the use of explosive weapons in populated areas could reduce the number of child casualties in conflicts by nearly half, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday.
UN chief António Guterres issued an appeal on Monday to “actively support” the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, adding that he accepted the final findings of an independent probe into the organization, launched amid serious unconfirmed allegations of UNRWA collusion with Hamas fighters and as part of efforts to assess whether the agency was doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality.
As gang violence increases in Haiti, the international community must continue to stand in solidarity with the population, the UN Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Monday.
The UN Middle East envoy has expressed concern about increased levels of violence in the West Bank, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York on Monday.
UN chief António Guterres issued an appeal on Monday to “actively support” the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, adding that he accepted the final findings of an independent probe into the organisation, launched amid serious unconfirmed allegations of UNRWA collusion with Hamas fighters and as part of efforts to assess whether the agency was doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality.
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Madam President,
Thank you for the opportunity to address the Council. It is crucial to keep the spotlight on the need to bring an immediate end to the war ravaging the Sudan and its people.
The conflict started just over a year ago when an outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces brutally interrupted the political transition.
Since then, the Sudanese people have endured unbearable suffering. Both parties have failed to protect civilians. Over 14,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands wounded.
My colleague from OCHA, Director Edem Worsornu, will expand on the humanitarian situation and needs, but I would like to cite just three appalling figures: half the country’s population - 25 million people - need lifesaving assistance, while more than 8.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including 1.8 million refugees.
Allegations of atrocities abound. There are reports of widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; of the recruitment of children by parties to the conflict; and of extensive use of torture and prolonged arbitrary detention by both parties.
Thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and other essential civilian infrastructure have been destroyed. The war has wrecked large swathes of the country’s productive sectors, crippling the economy.
Meanwhile, many media outlets and civil society organizations have been closed, while hundreds of human rights defenders and journalists have been forced to seek refuge abroad.
In short, this is a crisis of epic proportions. It is also wholly manmade.
The warring parties have ignored repeated calls to cease their hostilities, including from this Council. Instead, they have stepped up preparations for further fighting, with both the SAF and the RSF continuing their campaigns to recruit civilians.
The conflict started in Khartoum but has since engulfed large parts of the country. And it continues to spread.
In Darfur, recent reports indicate a possible imminent RSF attack on El Fasher, raising the specter of a new front in the conflict.
Already, clashes between the RSF and SAF-aligned members of the Joint Protection Forces have erupted in Mellit, a strategic town to the north of El Fasher.
Fighting in El Fasher could unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur. It would also further impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance in an area already on the brink of famine.
Beyond Darfur, greater Khartoum continues to be the epicenter of fighting between the SAF and the RSF. Galvanized by recent gains, the SAF has intensified aerial raids in Khartoum, the Kordofan regions and parts of Darfur.
Since April, clashes between the SAF and the RSF also escalated in and around Gezira.
Madam President,
All warring parties must uphold their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law and adhere to the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further bloodshed.
But if the parties have been able to sustain their confrontation, it is in no small part thanks to the material support they receive from outside the Sudan. These external actors continue to flout the sanctions regime imposed by the Council to support a political settlement, thereby fueling the conflict. This is illegal, it is immoral and it must stop.
At this critical moment, in addition to global support for aid, we need to redouble our efforts to achieve peace in the Sudan.
Over the past four months, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, has tirelessly engaged with a broad variety of national, regional, and international stakeholders to promote the coordination of mediation initiatives.
Just yesterday, Mr. Lamamra briefed the African Union Peace and Security Council. Today, we look forward to hearing from the Chairperson of the African Union High Level Panel – Dr. Mohammad Chambas.
The United Nations stands ready to redouble efforts with our multilateral partners – including the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority for Development, the League of Arab States and key Member States and partners –to help bring about a durable cessation of hostilities and an inclusive and effective international mediation.
Madam President,
The Jeddah platform provides a promising vehicle for dialogue between the warring parties to achieve an agreement on a ceasefire and related transitional security arrangements.
We hope that it will be reconvened in the coming weeks.
A renewed push for peace also means continuing our work on Sudan’s democratic transition – by supporting and empowering civilians — including women’s rights groups and young people.
We salute the efforts of the African Union and the European Union to support Sudanese civilians in coordinating a common position on an inclusive political transition in the Sudan.
And we congratulate France, Germany, and the European Union for hosting the recent Paris Conference on Sudan and welcome its outcomes, including the overwhelming support for humanitarian efforts. The Conference emphasised the need for unity of purpose and action among peace initiatives on the Sudan.
To this end, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy has proposed the convening of an inclusive meeting to develop a comprehensive mediation and peace-making strategy.
Madam President,
We must build on the momentum of the Paris conference to boost our efforts to help end the fighting and return the Sudan to a path towards inclusive democracy and recovery.
This is a shared responsibility.
We must spare no effort in supporting the Sudanese people in their aspirations for a peaceful and secure future.
Thank you.
The year-long ongoing war in Sudan is “a crisis of epic proportions” and the world must rethink the way it supports the Sudanese people amid rampant atrocities against civilians and no end in sight, top UN and African Union officials warned the Security Council on Friday.
A new oral vaccine for cholera has been given the green light for manufacture by the UN health agency allowing for the massive scale-up of lifesaving immunisation in the world’s most vulnerable communities.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is “a stark reminder” of the challenges to multilateralism and remains the top priority of UN partner the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Security Council heard on Friday.
The UN’s top human rights official on Friday raised alarm over the escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state between junta and opposition forces amid reports of the military regime forcing members of the minority Muslim Rohingya community to join their ranks.
Following reports of alleged Israeli strikes inside Iran near a nuclear power station early Friday, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a new appeal to all parties to “stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East”.
This reporting period covers the inaugural year of the Department’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2026, and demonstrates how DPPA was able to respond to new and protracted crises –together with our partners – amidst an ever more complex international peace and security environment. In 2023, the MYA secured $31.1 million, falling short of the $41 million target by 24 per cent. Despite strong ongoing support from our current and new donors, this deficit impacted the MYA portfolio.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk this week met survivors of massacres in eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who told him they are desperate for peace.
UN independent human rights experts on Thursday raised alarm over the “systematic destruction” of the Palestinian education system in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s military operation continues unabated.
Recent escalations in the Middle East make it even more important to support efforts towards lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk this week met survivors of massacres in eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who told him they are desperate for peace.
