9642ND MEETING (AM)

SC/15714

31 May 2024

Security Council Extends Mandate of Iraq Assistance Mission for Final 19 Months to Complete Liquidation Phase, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2732 (2024)

The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today for a final 19 month-period until 31 December 2025, after which UNAMI will cease all work and operations except with respect to any remaining liquidation of the Mission.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2732 (2024) (to be issued as document S/RES/2732(2024)), the Council requested that the Secretary-General prepare, in consultation with the Government of Iraq, a transition and liquidation plan to be completed by 31 December for UNAMI to start the transfer of its tasks, as well as the orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of its personnel and assets, including identification of an end date for liquidation activities in the country.

The 15-member organ also called on Iraq’s Government to cooperate fully with the UN during UNAMI’s transition, drawdown and liquidation. Further, it commended the Government’s efforts to settle internal issues in Iraq and to make progress towards achieving the milestones set out in the Government’s programme and priorities, including the holding of Iraqi Council of Representatives and Iraqi Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections in due course and other priorities set forth in the resolution.

Taking the floor following the adoption, the representative of the United States, the penholder on Iraq, said:  “It is particularly important that the mandate recognizes the role that UNAMI can play in providing technical support for elections, promoting and protecting human rights and facilitating engagement between Iraq and Kuwait to resolve outstanding issues.”  Noting Iraq’s dramatic change in recent years and the consequent need to realign the Mission, he said:  “Iraq and UNAMI have much to be proud of.”  Council members will continue to monitor further progress towards achieving important milestones in the Secretary-General’s forthcoming reports and recommendations, he added.

The Russian Federation’s delegate said most important is that the United States, as file penholder, has taken into account Iraq’s priorities.  The Mission’s mandate will be limited to assisting national efforts in areas that Baghdad considers most important.  In the 20 years since it was established, UNAMI has fully realized its potential to help restore Iraqi statehood, and now the people of Iraq are ready to assume full responsibility for the country’s political future, she said, voicing firm support for the country’s sovereignty and opposition to any interference in its internal affairs.

The representative of the United Kingdom also highlighted UNAMI’s significant contribution to Iraq over the past 20 years.  She welcomed that the adopted resolution prioritizes support for electoral assistance, women’s political participation and human rights during the transition period. Additionally, it allows progress on Kuwaiti missing persons to be realized during the transition, she said.

The representative of China expressed hope that the Secretary-General will prepare a practical transition plan in consultation with Iraq’s Government so that the Mission can complete its withdrawal in a phased, safe, orderly and timely manner.  Echoing other delegations, he encouraged UNAMI to communicate closely with Iraq’s Government to ensure a smooth transition and bring its work to a conclusion.

“A new chapter is opening now for Iraq,” said the representative of France.  The liquidation must be done in close coordination between Iraq and the UN team, she emphasized, encouraging Iraq to coordinate with the team to ensure a fluid transition. The Council must continue to pay great attention to the issue of missing Kuwaiti people and property, including Kuwait’s national archives, which is an important part of UNAMI’s work, as provided for in resolution 2107 (2013), she added.

The representative of Guyana, speaking also on behalf of Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, said the resolution charts a new course for the United Nations’ presence and engagement in Iraq as it continues on its path of recovery, reconstruction and democratic consolidation.  Their delegations will continue to encourage regional dialogue and cooperation to support Iraq’s long-term stability and prosperity.  “The constructive engagement from all Council members has been vital in reaching this unanimous decision and paves the way for its effective implementation,” she concluded.

https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15714.doc.htm

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UN refugee chief urges Security Council to ‘step up’ for millions displaced by war

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

 

Security Council Hears Briefing by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

30 May 2024

Peace and Security

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Thursday called on the Security Council to prevent millions more people from being displaced by war, violence and persecution.

Filippo Grandi said the number currently stands at 114 million. “Next month we will update this figure. It will be higher,” he added.

Mr. Grandi recalled his last briefing to ambassadors seven months ago, when he shared his views on several crises around the globe.

Non-compliance with international law

He said the situation has not changed, and has even grown worse, because warring parties do not comply with international humanitarian law.

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“Parties to conflicts — increasingly, everywhere, almost all of them — have stopped respecting the basic rules of war, and sometimes even pretending to do so,” he said.

“Civilians are killed in growing numbers; rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons of war; civilian infrastructure gets hit and destroyed; humanitarian workers become targets.”

Gaza conflict

Mr. Grandi noted that because of these violations, civilians have no other choice but to flee in terror.

“What has happened in Gaza since the Hamas attacks last 7 October, and throughout the Israeli offensive, is a case in point,” he continued.

The UN refugee chief added his voice to those who have been urging the Council to pursue an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, the full resumption of humanitarian aid, and a return to a real peace process.

Against ‘forced exodus’

While upholding the universal right to seek asylum, he said that “in this case, there is also — and especially — the international legal obligation of an occupying power not to force the civilian population to flee the territory it occupies.” 

He warned against “another forced exodus of Palestinians”, saying this “will only create one more intractable problem and make a solution to this decades-long conflict impossible to find."

Unresolved crises worldwide

Mr. Grandi told the Council that the war in Gaza must also serve as a call not to forget other unresolved crises, such as the conflict in Syria. 

Some 5.6 million Syrians are now living as refugees in neighbouring countries, such as Lebanon, which have been hosting Palestine refugees for generations.

Turning to Myanmar, he said the situation in Rakhine state is especially worrying. 

Renewed fighting between the armed forces and the Arakan Army ethnic armed group which has displaced different ethnic communities, with the mainly Muslim Rohingya community caught between the parties.

Meanwhile, the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the most dangerous place on earth for women and children.

He listed factors such as intractable ethnic problems, the plunder of resources by numerous actors, including States, and the constant disrespect of displacement camps by armed men.

Touching on Ukraine, he said “international humanitarian law gets violated every day”, including attacks on the power network, homes and other civilian infrastructure.

Mr. Grandi said the blatant disregard of international humanitarian law also makes peace much more difficult to attain. He cited the example of Sudan, where rival military forces have been fighting for more than a year.

“For both sides, disregarding all sense of humanity and consideration for their own people, the solution remains essentially a military one,” he said.

‘It is not too late’

Expressing frustration, the UN refugee chief appealed for action from the Security Council.

“Last year I called on you to use your voice – not your voices. But this Council’s cacophony has meant that you have instead continued to preside over a broader cacophony of chaos around the world,” he said.

While noting that tens of thousands have been killed in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the DRC, Myanmar and elsewhere, he emphasized that “it is not too late to step up help for the millions who have been forcibly displaced to return home voluntarily, in safety and with dignity.”

He added that “It is not too late to try and save countless millions more from the scourge of war.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150471

 

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Top UN officials urge comprehensive approach to Syria’s protracted crisis

© UNOCHA/Ali Haj Suleiman

 

A family flees a village on the frontlines in the Ariha district, northwest Syria, a frequent target for shelling. (file)

30 May 2024

Peace and Security

Syria remains plagued by a severe and complex security and humanitarian situation, against a backdrop of broader political impasse, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Thursday, underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach that involves all key stakeholders.

Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis, noting that 16.7 million people now require humanitarian assistance – the highest number since the conflict began 13 years ago.  

He stressed that the situation is deteriorating year by year, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing protection crisis, as children continue to be killed and women and girls face increasing levels of sexual and gender-based violence.

Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths briefing the Security on the humanitarian situation in Syria.

In addition, an unstable economic situation is compounding suffering and perpetuating instability. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the cost of living has more than doubled over the past year, and there are no signs of improvement in the near future.

“More than seven million people remain displaced within Syria, with millions more living as refugees in neighboring countries,” Mr. Griffiths said.

He underscored the need for sustained humanitarian access through both cross-border and crossline operations.

Welcoming the recent extension granted by the Syrian government for use of the Bab al-Salam border crossing, the UN relief chief highlighted the need for more long-term commitments based on needs rather than set time periods

Security concerns

Geir O. Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, described the political impasse as deeply entrenched, with no clear political path to implement UN Security Council resolution 2254, which outlined a roadmap for Syria’s political transition.  

He warned of the risks of prolonged division and despair, which threaten not only Syrians but the broader international community.

“A dizzying array of local and international actors and listed terrorist groups remain engaged in conflict, inside and over Syrian territory, across multiple theatres,” Mr. Pedersen said.

He detailed ongoing clashes across the north of the country and security tensions within areas of control, complicated by the fallout of the war in Gaza, including Israeli airstrikes inside Syria, and rocket and drone attacks from Syrian territory towards the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan and Israel.

Special Envoy Geir Pedersen briefing the Security Council on the political and security dynamics.

“If these dynamics simply continue, we will inevitably see even more civilian suffering. And we could also see major escalations and further instability radiating across the region,” he warned, also reiterating the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Regional de-escalation efforts starting with a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is absolutely essential,” he stressed.

Piecemeal approach will not work

Mr. Pedersen further emphasised the need for a comprehensive political solution, involving the Syrian government, opposition, civil society, and key international actors such as Iran, Russia, Türkiye, the United States, Arab and European nations, and the Security Council.

“No actor on its own can solve the crisis, and none of the existing diplomatic groupings can either. Constructive international diplomacy with the contribution of all is the only way forwards,” he stressed.

At the same time, Constitutional Committee meetings must be resumed and concrete confidence-building measures undertaken to stabilize the situation.

“Many understand that the situation in Syria is dangerous, that the current piecemeal approach will not suffice to stem the tide, and that a strategy of containment and alleviation will not stabilize the dangerous and unpredictable situation in Syria – just as it hasn’t elsewhere in the region,” he said.

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150446

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Amid ongoing Israeli incursions into Gaza, aid facilities shut ‘one after another’

Amid ongoing Israeli incursions into Gaza, aid facilities shut ‘one after another’

UN News/Ziad Taleb

 

Conditions at Al Mawasi camp in southwest Gaza remain unsuitable for the hundreds of thousands of Gazans uprooted by the latest escalation of violence in nearby Rafah and elsewhere across the Gaza Strip.

30 May 2024

Peace and Security

With no let up in reported street battles and Israeli bombardment across Gaza on Thursday, UN humanitarians warned that the flow of vital lifesaving aid into the enclave has fallen by more than two thirds since the Israeli military stepped up its campaign in Rafah and seized the key aid conduit.

“Humanitarian facilities in Rafah are forced to close one after another…The flow of humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza, already insufficient to meet the soaring needs, has dropped by 67 per cent since 7 May,” reported the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, amid reports that kitchens, clinics and hospitals are shutting down.

Until Israeli troops seized and closed the Rafah border crossing in the very south of the Strip, it had been the key entry point for food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza as well as the route for sick and wounded people to leave for treatment.

Powerless to help against famine threat

Echoing those concerns, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that there was little the agency "can currently do in Rafah, with stocks very low and mobility severely restricted”. 

According to WFP, the West Erez crossing in northern Gaza “is functional, but not reliable”. Gate 96 further south and the Erez crossing are also “inaccessible” and access is so “constrained” to southern parts of Gaza that it risks causing the same catastrophic levels of hunger witnessed in the north.

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Tactical gain 

The development comes as the Israeli military said that it had secured “tactical control” of a narrow 13 kilometre (eight mile) stretch of land between Gaza and Egypt.

In a statement on Wednesday, an Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson reportedly claimed that rocket launchers had been used to attack Israel from the Philadelphi Corridor. 

A senior Israeli official also reportedly told national radio Wednesday that fighting in Gaza could be expected to last until the end of the year, at least.

Dire humanitarian situation

After nearly eight months of war, the entire population of Gaza of 2.2 million people is almost exclusively dependent on humanitarian assistance, including food.

Although desperately needed supplies have been delivered on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Abu Salem, or Kerem Shalom, crossing located close to Rafah, UN humanitarians have repeatedly stressed that it is not safe to fetch them amid ongoing hostilities, impassable roads, unexploded weapons, fuel shortages and delays at checkpoints.

“Adults and children are beyond exhausted from constant displacement, hunger, and fear,” WFP said in its latest situation update. “They are desperate for the war to end, as are humanitarian workers on the ground, who are largely displaced and dispersed along with the people they are meant to serve."

Aid officials have frequently reiterated the responsibility of Israel as the occupying power to ensure that aid reaches those who need it, in line with international humanitarian law.

The UN food agency meanwhile confirmed that lifesaving aid relief and fuel from Egypt had crossed into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. 

“This is an important step, but we need sustained access. We need all border crossings and crossing points within Gaza to be open,” it said, adding that although some commercial goods had reached the enclave, “people cannot afford the high prices".

"We need more aid to enter through the south because people need dietary diversity, access to healthcare and water.” 

In its latest update, the UN food agency said that in the north, aid teams are distributing food parcels, wheat flour, hot meals and supporting bakeries.  

In central areas, WFP is prioritising hot meals to reach more people with fewer resources. It noted that faster assistance is now possible thanks to a recently introduced self-registration tool that allows people to update their location.

Just four bakeries now operate in Gaza City, and one recently opened in Jabalia, providing bread in the north. Out of the 17 bakeries WFP operates in Gaza, only 11 are functioning owing to the lack of fuel and other essentials.    

In Rafah the healthcare situation remains perilous, with only one hospital still functional, the World Health Organization said, referring to Al Emirati Maternity Hospital. This compares with three partially functional hospitals earlier this month. "An Najjar Hospital was evacuated on 7 May and Al Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah ceased operations on 27 May," WHO said, following reports quoting the hospital’s director that this happened after two medical staff were killed when the hospital’s gate was hit. 

Other aid operations that have closed this week in Rafah reportedly include a field hospital and kitchen run by UN partners the Palestinian Red Crescent and World Central Kitchen.   

Al Mawasi strike

To date, at least 36,171 Palestinians have been killed and 81,420 injured in Gaza, OCHA said, citing Gazan health authorities, since Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on 7 October prompted intense Israeli bombardment across the enclave. 

“Mass casualties” were also reported on Tuesday after an unconfirmed airstrike on a site for forcibly displaced people in the coastal Al Mawasi area, southwest of Rafah. The UN aid office cited the Gazan ministry of health, which reported 21 fatalities and 21 injuries.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150411

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Sudan: ‘Noose of war’ tightens on civilians in El Fasher, UN official warns

Sudan: ‘Noose of war’ tightens on civilians in El Fasher, UN official warns

© UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani

 

Children walking to their shelter at an IDP camp near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, Sudan (file).

30 May 2024

Humanitarian Aid

 The top UN aid official in Sudan warned on Thursday that “the noose of war is tightening its stranglehold” on civilians in El Fasher, expressing her profound distress at the dire humanitarian situation there. 

Fighting between the Sudanese army and rival military the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been battling for more than year, recently intensified in the North Darfur city. 

Civilians are under attack from all sides and the news of reported casualties and human rights abuses are appalling, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami said in a statement. 

‘Deeply worrying reports’ 

“Families, including children and elderly people, are being prevented from leaving the city as they search for safety,” she said.

“We are receiving deeply worrying reports that medical facilities, displacement camps and critical civilian infrastructure have been targeted by parties to the conflict.” 

Ms. Nkweta-Salami added that many parts of El Fasher have been left without electricity or water and a growing proportion of the population has limited access to food, healthcare and other basic necessities and essential services. 

Appeal to the parties 

“After more than a year of brutal conflict, families have exhausted their scarce resources and their resilience is being eroded with each day of violence,” she said. 

The top UN aid official in the country stressed that all parties must avoid using explosive weapons in populated areas and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

“Wars have rules that must be respected by all, no matter what,” she said.  

Conflict displaces millions 

Meanwhile, the war has displaced more than seven million people inside Sudan, more than half of them children, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Wednesday, citing data from the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This is in addition to the estimated two million who have fled to neighbouring countries since the conflict erupted in April 2023. 

The UN and partners continue to step up efforts to respond to rising hunger and food insecurity in Sudan.  Some 18 million people across the country are going hungry and five million are on the brink of famine. 

Food on the move 

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 1,200 metric tonnes of food supplies for some 116,000 people are being transported across the Darfur region and nearing final destinations in Central Darfur and 12 locations across South Darfur, including displacement camps in Nyala.  

The supplies are from a WFP convoy that crossed into Sudan from Chad last week. 

Food distributions are also ongoing for 135,000 people in South Kordofan state as WFP reiterated that aid must safely reach vulnerable communities.

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Старейшины предупреждают, что неудачи политического руководства рискуют коллапсом международного порядка

САН-ПАУЛУ, 29 мая 2024 г.( с некоторыми изменениями) Старейшины предупреждают, что неудачи политического руководства рискуют коллапсом международного порядка Утверждение: Мир стоит на краю пропасти. Основы международного права и многостороннего сотрудничества находятся под серьезной угрозой краха из-за кумулятивных неудач политического руководства. Мы переживаем самый опасный момент со времен Второй мировой войны. Организация Объединенных Наций и другие институты, созданные для обеспечения стабильности и подотчетности, обеспечиваемых верховенством закона, подвергаются атакам. Растущая атмосфера безнаказанности государств и лидеров, которые не проявляют никакого уважения к принципам, на которых они были основаны, может привести нас к точке невозврата. Принципы Устава ООН рискуют быть подчинены агрессивному национализму и соперничеству великих держав. Это не отвечает долгосрочным интересам ни одного государства, учитывая экзистенциальные угрозы человечеству, с которыми можно справиться только посредством глобального сотрудничества в рамках согласованных правил. Международное право должно применяться универсально. Ни одна страна не стоит выше закона. Но двойные стандарты, демонстрируемые некоторыми государствами, особенно самыми могущественными, ослабляют доверие к глобальным институтам, призванным поддерживать верховенство закона. Мы выступаем против любых попыток делигитимизировать эту работу, а также против угроз карательных мер и санкций в отношении прокурора МУС или других должностных лиц. Верховенство права должно применяться последовательно. Двойные стандарты позволяют автократам представлять универсальные ценности прав человека и международного права, закрепленные в Уставе ООН, как западные конструкции.Но Они служат интересам каждой страны. Распад международного порядка можно увидеть в распространении конфликтов, игнорируемых мировыми лидерами и средствами массовой информации, затрагивающих 2 миллиарда человек в таких странах, как Мьянма, Судан, Демократическая Республика Конго и Гаити. Неспособность на прошлой неделе согласовать новый договор по пандемиям для одобрения Всемирной ассамблеей здравоохранения является еще одним примером слабого руководства. Ученые ясно понимают, что мы рискуем еще одной смертельной пандемией. Мир не усвоил уроки COVID-19. Нам срочно необходимо, чтобы лидеры напрямую включились в процесс заключения глобального соглашения о подготовке к таким пандемиям, их предотвращении и реагировании на них, чтобы в следующий раз мир мог лучше справиться с ситуацией. В преддверии жизненно важных переговоров о будущем мирового климата и биоразнообразия страны должны быть уверены в том, что, когда они заключат соглашения друг с другом, эти обязательства будут выполнены. Сейчас настало время лидерам быть честными со своими людьми. Непредсказуемость и нестабильность, которые возникают, когда верховенство закона не гарантировано, угрожают безопасности всех стран. В год многочисленных выборов граждане также обязаны мудро голосовать, выбирая лидеров, которые смотрят на защиту своих интересов более долгосрочно, и отвергая популистов, которые используют страхи и способствуют разногласиям ради краткосрочной выгоды. Завершая заседание совета директоров в Бразилии, мы надеемся, что руководство страны воспользуется возможностями, предоставленными ноябрьским саммитом G20 и крупной климатической конференцией (COP30) в 2025 году, для работы с другими странами над восстановлением доверия к многосторонней системе и доверие, которое лежит в основе этого. Чтобы отойти от пропасти, в которой мы находимся, те, кто находится у власти, должны продемонстрировать долгосрочное лидерство, чтобы построить лучший мир для нынешнего и будущих поколений. Но время на укрепление институтов, которые сделают возможным необходимое для этого сотрудничество, истекает. КОНЕЦ Запросы СМИ Уильям Френч, руководитель отдела коммуникаций Т: +44 7795 693 903 media@theElders.org Подпишитесь на получение пресс-релизов The Elders О Старейшинах Старейшины — независимые мировые лидеры, работающие во имя мира, справедливости, прав человека и устойчивого развития планеты. Группа была основана Нельсоном Манделой в 2007 году. Старейшины - Пан Ги Мун (заместитель председателя) , Гро Харлем Брундтланд , Хелен Кларк , Элбегдорж Цахия , Зейд Раад аль-Хусейн , Хина Джилани , Денис Муквеге , Эллен Джонсон-Серлиф , Граса Машел (заместитель председателя) , Хуан Мануэль Сантос , Мэри Робинсон (председатель) и Эрнесто Седильо . Лахдар Брахими , Фернандо Энрике Кардосо, Джимми Картер и Рикардо Лагос являются почетными старейшинами. Десмонд Туту (1931–2021) и Кофи Аннан (1938–2018) были членами-основателями The Elders и занимали посты председателей с 2007 по 2013 год и с 2013 по 2018 год соответственно. Эла Бхатт (1933–2022) и Мартти Ахтисаари (1937–2023) были членами The Elders с 2007 по 2016 год и с 2009 по 2018 год соответственно.

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В ЮАР началось голосование на всеобщих выборах

2024-05-29 16:58:16丨Russian.News.Cn

Йоханнесбург, 29 мая

 Граждане ЮАР в среду утром начали голосовать на всеобщих выборах 2024 года.

Ожидается, что более 27 млн избирателей проголосуют на более чем 23 тыс. избирательных участков по всей стране за кандидатов в депутаты Национальной ассамблеи и законодательных собраний провинций, сообщает Независимая избирательная комиссия /НИК/ ЮАР.

Нынешние всеобщие выборы -- седьмые по счету после падения режима апартеида в 1994 году.

Как отметили в НИК, результаты выборов будут объявлены в воскресенье. Затем новый состав Национальной ассамблеи изберет президента страны на предстоящие пять лет. 

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UNICEF reports surge in violence against children in Africa’s central Sahel

UNICEF reports surge in violence against children in Africa’s central Sahel

© UNICEF Niger/Islamane Abdou

 

Violence and insecurity has driven thousands of families from their homes in central Sahel. Pictured here, a displaced mother and her child who have sought shelter in Niger.

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29 May 2024Peace and Security

Violence against children in the central Sahel region of Africa surged dramatically in the last quarter of 2023, skyrocketing by 70 per cent over the previous three months, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Wednesday.

The agency revealed that in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, cases of recruitment and use of children in armed groups along with killings and maiming increased by more than 130 per cent between the two time periods.

Protect the vulnerable

Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF’s regional director for West and Central Asia, underscored the need to curb the distressing rise.

“Civilians need protection from all forms of violence. Communities caught up in fighting need protection. Far too many children are being affected by grave violations of their rights, including killings, abduction and recruitment by armed groups,” he said.

Ensuring the protection of children is critical, and the violent incidents in the central Sahel region must stop if children are to realise their basic rights to life under the international Convention on the Rights of the Child and the regional African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

“UNICEF calls on all involved in the ongoing crisis in central Sahel to put an end to all forms of violence, killing and abuse of children, in line with their obligations under international law,” Mr. Fagninou added.

Volatile situation

The security situation across central Sahel remains volatile, with frequent attacks on civilians against a backdrop of political tensions and rising humanitarian needs. Between February and April, over 1,180 security incidents were reported, which claimed the lives nearly 3,400 people.

Emblematic of the dire situation, several hundred people were reported killed in Burkina Faso, with reports that more than 220 civilians, including 56 children, were killed in attacks reportedly carried out by the military in two villages on a single day in late February.

Similarly in Mali, some 110 civilian men travelling on three buses between the towns of Bandiagara and Bankass were abducted by armed groups in mid-April. They are yet to be released.

Grave violations against children

UN Security Council resolution 1612, adopted in 2005, identified six grave violations against children: recruitment and use of child soldiers, killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, attacks against schools or hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access.

By highlighting these violations, the resolution sought to galvanise global efforts to protect children in conflict zones and mitigate the devastating impact of war on young lives.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150396

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Gaza: UN Middle East envoy reiterates call for ceasefire, hostage release agreement

UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist

 

Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. (file)

29 May 2024

Peace and Security

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process on Wednesday urgently called for an immediate return to negotiations, the release of hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military assault exacerbates human suffering amid rising regional tensions.

In a briefing to the Security Council, Tor Wennesland emphasized the urgent need for all sides to change course.

“We must reach an agreement to release the hostages and put in place an immediate ceasefire. There is absolutely no time to lose,” he said, emphasizing that halting the fighting is essential for a comprehensive humanitarian response.

In parallel, efforts to prevent deterioration must be linked to a long-term political strategy to ensure lasting success.

“We should be putting in place the framework for Gaza’s recovery and doing so in a way that tangibly moves us towards, rather than away from a long-term political resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Mr. Wennesland added.

No long-term Israeli military in Gaza

He reiterated key principles, including that there should be no long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza, while addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns especially in the wake of the attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023.

He stressed that Gaza must remain part of a future Palestinian State without any territorial reductions and unified with the West Bank under a recognized Palestinian government.

Dire situation, mounting tensions

The situation in Gaza remains dire, with over 36,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals killed since 7 October. The fate of 125 hostages held in Gaza remains elusive as an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release remains blocked.

Nearly two million Palestinians within the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes, many multiple times, and around 100,000 Israelis from their communities in the country’s north and south.

Violence persists in the occupied West Bank, with large-scale Israeli operations and lethal exchanges with armed Palestinians, alongside increasing settler violence and attacks by Palestinians against Israelis. 

Regional tensions are high, marked by exchanges between Israel and Hezbullah and other armed groups in Lebanon, aerial attacks, and Houthi attacks on international shipping, with recent escalations between Israel and Iran further heightening risks of broader conflict.

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

 

A wide view of the Security Council meeting.

Imperilled relief efforts

Despite these challenges, humanitarian workers continue to deliver life-saving aid under perilous conditions.

“Unsafe conditions resulting from a dangerously deficient humanitarian notification mechanism are compounded by overcrowding, desperation and a breakdown of law and order, imperilling humanitarian operations and costing the lives of humanitarian workers – including some 200 UN staff,” Mr. Wennesland said.

He recalled the opening of two crossings in northern Gaza and the entry of humanitarian goods from Ashdod and Jordan. However, he stressed that these measures are insufficient, and called for the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing in the south and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.

Make difficult political choices

In closing, the Special Coordinator emphasized that the political framework established now will significantly impact the future governance of Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing war in Gaza, it is crucial to make “difficult political choices” now, he said, adding that failing to lay the foundations for a lasting resolution to the longstanding conflict and ending the occupation “will reverberate for generations”.

The drivers of the conflict must be addressed, including violence, settlement advancements and militant activity, and Israeli must cease measures that undermine the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Wennesland added.

“Palestinians and Israelis desperately need a political horizon. Without it, there is no sustainable path out of the suffering and misery we are witnessing every day.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150356

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19.05.2024 18:02:00

ПОЧЕМУ ВЫБОРЫ В МЕКСИКЕ БУДУТ ОСОБЕННЫМИ

Впервые в истории страны за пост президента поборются две женщины

Сергей Никитин

Об авторе: Сергей Александрович Никитин – эксперт по Латинской Америке.

 

Тэги: мексика, президентские выборы, кандидаты, женщины

Клаудиу Шейнбаум поддерживают более половины мексиканских избирателей. Фото Reuters

В Мексике 2 июня пройдут всеобщие выборы, которые международные наблюдатели называют крупнейшим избирательным процессом в истории государства. Будут избраны президент страны (сроком на шесть лет), члены обеих палат парламента (он будет обновлен полностью), а также исполнительные и законодательные органы власти субъектов федерации и муниципалитетов.

Одной из отличительных особенностей нынешних выборов является беспрецедентная волна насилия, захлестнувшая страну. По данным исследовательского центра Data Cívica, в течение последних трех месяцев количество нападений на кандидатов различных уровней или угроз расправы с ними возросло на 67%. На фоне убийства уже четырех претендентов на те или иные государственные посты 16 кандидатов отказались от участия в выборах.

Это объясняется высокой активностью связанных с наркотрафиком криминальных структур, которые таким образом устраняют неугодных политиков. Несмотря на обещания действующего президента Андреса Мануэля Лопеса Обрадора начать решительную борьбу с криминалом, властям пока не удается справиться с оргпреступностью. Особенно сложная ситуация сложилась в штатах Пуэбла, Чьяпас и Морелос.

Другой отличительной чертой является то, что впервые в истории Мексики основными претендентами на пост президента являются женщины. От правящей левоцентристской партии «Движение за национальное возрождение» (известна под испаноязычной аббревиатурой MORENA) была выдвинута Клаудиа Шейнбаум. Ее главным оппонентом выступает представитель правоцентристов Берта Сочитль Гальвес. Хотя имеется третий кандидат от партии «Гражданское движение» Хорхе Альварес Майнес. Этому молодому политику эксперты с уверенностью предсказывают третье место.

62-летняя Клаудиа Шейнбаум, опирающаяся на предвыборную коалицию «Продолжим вместе творить историю», имеет степень бакалавра физики, а также степень магистра и доктора энергетических наук. Занимала пост секретаря (министра) по вопросам окружающей среды в правительстве города Мехико в 2000–2006 годах, когда его мэром был Обрадор. С тех пор Шейнбаум стала его верной соратницей. Она сопровождала его во всех президентских кампаниях вплоть до 2018 года, когда Обрадор был наконец избран на высший государственный пост, а Шейнбаум стала главой правительства Мехико.

Что касается 61-летней Берты Сочитль Гальвес, то она представляет коалицию «Сила и сердце во имя Мексики». Сенатор и предприниматель Гальвес окончила Национальный автономный университет Мексики по специальности «компьютерная инженерия». Работала директором по телекоммуникациям во Всемирном торговом центре Мехико, затем основала и возглавила компанию High Tech Services, занимающуюся разработкой интеллектуальных технологических проектов, а также компанию OMEI, действующую в сфере эксплуатации и обслуживания интеллектуальных инфраструктур. В 2015 году была избрана главой муниципалитета Мигель Идальго (Мехико), а в 2018-м – в верхнюю палату парламента.

В отличие от своей соперницы Шейнбаум, строившей политическую карьеру шаг за шагом в течение многих лет, Сочитль Гальвес взлетела на политический Олимп весьма стремительно. Многие эксперты объясняют это тем, что она успешно эксплуатировала свой имидж коренной мексиканки, вышедшей из самых низов и добившейся всего в жизни самостоятельно.

За две недели до выборов борьба между двумя основными претендентками обострилась до крайности. В ход даже пустили «удары ниже пояса», разыгрывая карту так называемой мексиканской идентичности. И это, пожалуй, еще одна отличительная, если не главная, особенность выборов. Сторонники Шейнбаум, назвав Сочитль Гальвес «марионеткой богачей», настаивают, что последняя вовсе не коренная мексиканка, а «гуэра» (так в стране называют мексиканцев с европейскими корнями – со светлым цветом кожи). Круги, поддерживающие Гальвес, в свою очередь заявляют, что Шейнбаум вообще не имеет права участвовать в выборах, поскольку она не мексиканка, а еврейка и якобы родилась в Болгарии.

Последние опросы общественного мнения, проведенные аналитической компанией Mitofsky, показали, что в предвыборной гонке лидирует Шейнбаум с 51,4% голосов, на втором месте Сочитль Гальвес (39,3%) и на третьем – Хорхе Альварес Майнес (9,3%). Подобный отрыв эксперты объясняют популярностью патрона Шейнбаум – действующего президента Обрадора. Вместе с тем в СМИ просочилась информация, согласно которой руководство коалиции «Сила и сердце во имя Мексики» якобы ведет переговоры с кандидатом Майнесом с целью убедить последнего выйти из предвыборной гонки и призвать своих сторонников голосовать за Сочитль Гальвес.

Доктор политологии Автономного университета Синалоа Эрнесто Эрнандес Норсагарай считает, что такой план может сработать. На фоне ослабления позиций MORENA и наблюдаемого в последние дни сокращения разрыва между Шейнбаум и Гальвес голоса сторонников Майнеса могут помочь Гальвес одержать победу. Последней удалось приблизиться к Шейнбаум благодаря своей недавней публичной акции, во время которой она кровью расписалась под обязательствами снизить в стране пенсионный возраст и не сворачивать социальные программы, инициированные нынешним руководством Мексики.

На фоне ожесточенной борьбы между двумя кандидатками обращает на себя внимание весьма интересная точка зрения Хуана Пабло Пардо-Герры, профессора социологии Калифорнийского университета Сан-Диего. По его мнению, независимо от того, кто из двух претенденток одержит победу, мексиканский народ все равно останется в проигрыше. А триумфатором будет местная политическая и деловая элита, интересы которой в первую очередь и будет защищать новый мексиканский президент. 

 https://www.ng.ru/dipkurer/2024-05-19/12_9010_women.html

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Gender equality, youth aspirations keys to sustainable peace, Security Council hears

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

 

A wide view of the UN Security Council meeting on the role of women and youth in the maintenance of international peace and security.

28 May 2024

Peace and Security

Gender equality and the aspirations of young people are crucial for ensuring sustainable peace and security, the UN’s top political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council on Tuesday.

Addressing ambassadors at the Council’s open debate on the role of women and youth, UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo highlighted the significant challenges and impacts faced by women.

“Women bear the brunt of the global rollback of human rights,” she stated.

She referenced her recent visit to Afghanistan, where women are systematically denied basic rights, including education and employment opportunities.

“Women I met in Kabul told me of their aspirations and dreams: the same education afforded to men, equal employment opportunities and freedom to choose their futures.  They look to the global community to support them in realizing their rights – so that they can contribute to their country’s future,” she said.

Dismantle structural inequalities

Ms. DiCarlo pointed out that Afghanistan is not unique in that regard and that commitments on gender equality “are being ignored, if not reversed, in many regions”.

She underscored the importance of the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, which calls for dismantling patriarchal power structures and ensuring women’s equal access.

“Doing away with structural gender inequalities is a matter of equity and right,” she asserted.

“But it is also a powerful means to improve the chances of success of peace and political processes,” she added, emphasizing that UN special political missions have strived to promote women’s rights and meaningful participation in peace processes.

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Youth inclusion

Youth inclusion was another critical focus of the Under-Secretary-General’s remarks.

She highlighted the need for young people to shape their futures and participate safely in peace processes and electoral activities.

“They [young people] are not ‘adults in the making’,” she said, “they are full human beings with hopes, aspirations, ideas and energy to contribute right now.”

She stressed that engaging youth in peace processes is a missed opportunity that governments should seize to rebuild trust in institutions and increase intergenerational solidarity.

Supporting youth participation

To support youth participation, the UN is allocating resources from the Peacebuilding Fund to back National Action Plans for Youth, Peace and Security.

Regional efforts, such as the African Union's framework and the Arab Regional Youth, Peace and Security strategy, are also instrumental in catalyzing national actions, she said.

Environmental peacebuilding, where young women often play leading roles, was another area highlighted, as Ms. DiCarlo called for recognizing and advancing the contributions of young environmental defenders, community leaders, and peacebuilders.

In conclusion, Ms. DiCarlo emphasized that transformative changes rely on national action involving all segments of society, supported by international efforts. The Security Council, she urged, can reinforce that woman, along with men, are responsible for building peace and prosperity in their societies.

“Gender equality and realizing the aspirations of young people are essential for sustainable peace and security around the world,” she concluded.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150331

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Gaza: Mass casualties reported in Israeli attack on camp for displaced

WFP

 

Humanitarian partners including the International Medical Corps' field hospital team in Rafah, have been crucial to the aid effort.

27 May 2024

Peace and Security

Dozens of people are believed to have died in an Israeli overnight attack on a camp for displaced Gazans in Rafah in the south of the enclave, the latest gruesome development in more than seven months of war between the Israeli military and Palestinian fighters, UN humanitarians said on Monday.

“Information coming out of Rafah about further attacks on families seeking shelter is horrifying,” the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said in a post on X, after reports of an Israeli military strike on a tented camp in Tal as-Sultan in northwest Rafah, along with other shelters to the north in Jabalia, Nuseirat and Gaza City. 

Unconfirmed images posted online showed shelters burned to the ground and charred bodies at the site of the Rafah attack.

“There are reports of mass causalities including children and women among those killed. Gaza is hell on earth. Images from last night are yet another testament to that,” UNRWA said. 

International condemnation

Echoing those comments and widespread international condemnation of the attack, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called for “concerted global action” to halt the war, days since the UN’s top court called for an end to Israel’s expanding military operation in Rafah.

“Attacking women and children while they cower in their shelters in Rafah is a monstrous atrocity,” said Mr. Rajagopal, an independent human rights expert who is not a UN staff member.

“We need concerted global action to stop Israel’s actions now.”

In a statement, the Israeli army denied deliberately targeting civilians and said that the strike had planned for two senior Hamas figures. The attack was a “precise airstrike” in northwest Rafah that killed Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar - both operatives in the occupied West Bank - in line with international humanitarian law, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. 

No place and no one is safe: UNRWA

In a separate social media post the UN agency also expressed concern about the safety and status of colleagues in Gaza with whom contact has been lost after the attack in Rafah. 

“We do not have an established communications line with our colleagues on the ground. We are not able to confirm their location and are extremely concerned for their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of all the displaced people sheltering in this area. No place is safe. No one is safe.”

In addition to the deadly threat of violence, UN humanitarians insisted that famine is still a daily danger for the people of Gaza.

Aid delivery delays continue

The warning comes amid an almost total halt to lifesaving aid convoy deliveries since the Israeli military seized Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza earlier this month, in response to a rocket attack on Kerem Shalom crossing on 5 May that resulted in the deaths of four Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers.

According to UNRWA’s online portal for UN relief items and fuel entering Gaza via Rafah and nearby Kerem Shalom, no aid trucks have made it into the enclave since last Sunday. 

“Aid is there, tens of kilometres away on the boundaries- while the population gets closer to famine,” UNRWA Director of Planning, Sam Rose, said in a post on X late Sunday. 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also confirmed serious ongoing challenges receiving and delivering aid throughout Gaza, citing frequent delays, arbitrary checks access restrictions by the Israeli authorities.

Relief mission pressures 

Between 1 and 23 May, 31 aid missions were denied access and 40 were impeded, including by “extensive delays, detaining aid workers, firing warning shots and forcing the abortion of officially approved missions”, OCHA said in a post on X on Sunday.

“If food and humanitarian supplies do not begin to enter Gaza in massive quantities, desperation and hunger will spread, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) also warned on Monday, after UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern that the humanitarian operation was “near collapse”.

“The Secretary-General emphasizes that the Israeli authorities must facilitate the safe pickup and delivery of humanitarian supplies from Egypt entering Kerem Shalom to those in need,” the UN chief’s spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday, after the reported passage of aid relief and fuel from Egypt into Gaza via Kerem Shalom. 

“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages to end the suffering of civilians,” the statement noted, adding that Mr. Guterres had been “dismayed” by the lack of implementation of the recent orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the situation in Gaza. 

“The decisions of the Court are binding,” the statement continued.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150261

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9634TH MEETING (AM)

SC/15708

24 May 2024

Concerned by Ongoing Conflict in West Africa, Sahel, Security Council Adopts Presidential Statement Aimed at Tackling Political, Humanitarian Challenges

‘Members Call on Relevant Stakeholder to Engage Constructively and Fully’
With Secretary-General’s Newly Appointed Special Representative for Region

The Security Council today unanimously adopted a presidential statement aimed at addressing security, political and humanitarian challenges in West Africa and the Sahel.

Through the text (to be issued as S/PRST/2024/3), the 15-member organ welcomed the appointment of Leonardo Santos Simão on 2 May 2023 as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), calling on all relevant stakeholders to “engage constructively and fully” with him.

On the security front, the Council welcomed efforts by countries in that region, ECOWAS and the African Union to strengthen regional cooperation in preventing and addressing challenges, but expressed “great concern at the violent actions of non-State actors, including individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida”.

In that regard, the Council reaffirmed “the importance of addressing, in a manner consistent with international law, the underlying conditions conducive to terrorism,” including by implementing the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel and its support plan.  Furthermore, the Council called upon all parties to armed conflict to end and prevent all six grave violations against children, urging compliance with their obligations under international law, and to respect the rights of the child.

Also by the text, the Council recognized the adverse impact of climate change, ecological changes and natural disasters — including floods, drought, desertification, and land degradation — as well as how they exacerbate food security and other humanitarian, social and economic challenges, “which impact the security and stability of West Africa and the Sahel region”.  Stressing the “particular relevance” of these elements to the specific situation in West Africa and the Sahel, the Council acknowledged the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement as the primary international, intergovernmental forums for negotiating the global response to climate change.

The Council also commended the efforts of civil society and religious and community leaders to resolve conflict in the Sahel, emphasizing the importance of the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and youth in all stages of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes.

On the political front, the Council expressed serious concern at the unconstitutional changes of Governments and attempted coup d’états and underscored the importance of the timely, nationally owned transition processes and restoration of constitutional order in the concerned regional countries.  In that vein, the Council expressed the importance of UNOWAS’s good-office roles to prevent conflict and election- and transition-related tensions, as well as to sustain peace and consolidate peacebuilding efforts and political stability.

Regarding the humanitarian situation, the Council expressed serious concern at deteriorating conditions in some parts of the region, caused by armed conflicts and exacerbated by violations of international humanitarian law, climate change, and development, social and economic challenges.  It, therefore, called for full, safe, rapid and unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to all persons in need, including timely and non-discriminatory access to sexual and reproductive health care, mental health and psychosocial services for survivors of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.

https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15708.doc.htm

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Security Council denounces attacks against aid workers, UN personnel

UN Nigeria

 

UN vehicles destroyed in an attack by armed fighters in the town of Monguno in Borno state, Nigeria. (file)

24 May 2024

Peace and Security

The United Nations Security Council on Friday strongly condemned rising attacks on humanitarian workers and UN personnel, urging all conflict parties to ensure their safety and access.

Adopting resolution 2730 (2024) with 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russia), the Security Council also denounced disinformation, information manipulation and incitement to violence against humanitarian and UN personnel.

Led by Switzerland and co-sponsored by over 90 nations, the resolution noted “deep concern” about the particular vulnerability of national and locally recruited personnel who account for the majority of safety and security incidents.

The 15-member Council emphasized the need for “concerted efforts and concrete risk mitigation strategies” to enhance the safety and security of these workers.

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It called on all parties to armed conflict to “end immediately and definitively” any indiscriminate use of explosive devices in violation of international humanitarian law, and to mitigate these dangers effectively, including through their clearance.

Hostilities against humanitarians

Recent conflicts have seen a sharp uptick in attacks against humanitarians.  

According to a UN report on protection of civilians, issued earlier this month, 91 aid workers were killed, 120 wounded and 53 abducted in 2023 – not including incidents in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The war in Gaza alone has claimed the lives of over 224 humanitarians, including over 190 UNRWA (the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees) and other UN agencies’ personnel.

National staff constituted the vast majority – over 90 per cent – of those affected in Gaza and other crises.

Address disinformation

The Security Council also condemned disinformation, information manipulation, and incitement to violence against aid workers and UN personnel.

It encouraged Member States and the UN system “to take appropriate action to address the increasing threat of disinformation campaigns and misinformation that undermine trust in UN and humanitarian organizations”, put personnel at risk and hinder humanitarian activities.

Additionally, it urged States to conduct full, prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations within their jurisdiction of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed against aid workers and UN and associated personnel.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

 

Members of the UN Security Council vote to adopt resolution on the protection of humanitarians in armed conflict.

Prompt reporting

The resolution requested the Secretary-General to “report swiftly” on widespread issues regarding the safety and security of humanitarians and UN personnel, their premises, and assets.  

The Council expressed its intention to give full attention to such information when these situations are brought to its attention.

West Africa and the Sahel

Also on Friday, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement acknowledging the challenging security situation in West Africa and the Sahel, including armed conflicts, the spread of terrorism and violent extremism, and transnational organized crime.

The Council expressed deep concern over the intensification of intercommunal violence, particularly in the central Sahel, and increased tensions and conflicts between farmers and herders in the region.

It also recognized the effects of climate change, ecological changes, natural disasters, and their impact on food security, society, the economy, and regional stability.

Security Council presidential statements

Presidential statements are issued by the President of the Security Council on behalf of its members.

The statements are adopted at a formal meeting and issued as an official document of the UN’s primary body on international peace and security.

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UN establishes International Day of reflection for Srebrenica genocide

© UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne

 

Barbed wire around a camp for some 25,000 people displaced from Srebrenica. The fence was there to keep people from wandering into the surrounding fields that may have been mined. (1995 photo)

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23 May 2024Human Rights

The UN General Assembly on Thursday designated 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, in which at least 8,372 people were killed, thousands displaced and whole communities destroyed.

Adopting a resolution with the same title, the Assembly also asked the Secretary-General to establish an outreach programme on the Srebrenica genocide in preparation for the 30th anniversary next year.

It further condemned any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as a historical event and called on Member States to preserve the established facts, including through their educational systems, towards preventing denial and distortion, and any occurrence of genocide in the future.

The text, sponsored by Germany and Rwanda, was adopted by a recorded vote of 84 nations in favour, 19 against and 68 abstentions.

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The massacre in Srebrenica

The massacre in Srebrenica marked one of the darkest chapters of the war that erupted after the breakup of former Yugoslavia.

In July 1995, the Bosnian Serb army overran Srebrenica, which was previously declared a safe area by the Security Council, and brutally murdered thousands of men and teenagers there, and expelled 20,000 people from the town.

A small and lightly armed unit of Dutch peacekeepers under the UN flag were unable to resist the Bosnian Serb force.

The brutal killings of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica by the army of Republika Srpska was recognized as an act of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as well as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Firmly against denial

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, welcomed the resolution as “further recognition” of the victims and survivors, and their pursuit of justice, truth and guarantees of non-recurrence.  

“The resolution is all the more important given the persistent revisionism, denial of the Srebrenica genocide and hate speech by high-level political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in neighbouring countries,” he said in a statement.

He also underscored the responsibility of political leaders in the region to engage in constructive dialogue to build peaceful societies “where people can live safely and freely, without discrimination or fear of conflict and violence”.

Germany: To honour victims

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Introducing the draft resolution, Antje Leendertse, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Germany to the UN, said that the initiative was about honouring the victims and supporting survivors, “who continue to live with scars of that fateful time”.

The text is modelled on the General Assembly resolution that designated 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

“It also underscores the role of international courts in fighting impunity and ensuring accountability for genocide, and contains language against genocide denial and glorification of perpetrators,” she added.

She also spoke against “false allegations”, stating that the resolution “is not directed against anybody”.

“Not against Serbia, a valued member of this Organization. If at all, it is directed against perpetrators of the genocide,” Ambassador Leendertse added.

“I therefore invite everybody to judge the text on its merits and to support our call to commemorate and reflect on what happened in Srebrenica almost thirty years ago.”

Serbia: A Pandora’s box

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić labelled the text “highly politicized” saying it would “open a Pandora’s box”.

The draft resolution “was hidden” by its authors, he said, adding that it lacked an inclusive process compared with “the resolution for Rwanda”, which was prepared in a “very transparent way”.

He recalled discussions over the issue at the Security Council in March.

“When we wanted to discuss the bombing of Serbia in 1999, they said to us ‘don’t look at the past, look at the future – it happened 25 years ago’. Two days after that, we found out that they were preparing this kind of resolution relating to events even four years prior to [1999],” he said.

“When they have some needs – political needs, they can go deep into the past. When someone else is referring to the past, in that case the facts – they don’t matter.”

With verdicts and convictions already delivered through the judicial process, the resolution would now only deepen divisions and lead to instability, President Vučić added.

“This is not about reconciliation, not about memories, this is something that will just open an old wound and create complete political havoc. Not only in our region, but even here, in this hall”, he argued.

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Increasing disease and humanitarian strain in Gaza amid aid shortages

© WFP/Ali Jadallah

 

A child receives food at a WFP-supported kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza.

23 May 2024

Peace and Security

Living conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate, with reports of an increase in diarrhoea and suspected cases of Hepatitis A, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.

The UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) is continuing to provide healthcare as best it can but overcrowded shelters and limited sanitation services, coupled with forced displacement, are posing severe health risks, the agency said in a post on X.

Furthermore, safe water is unaffordable for many, and people are resorting to burning trash to cook with, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) added.

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Aid operations ‘near collapse’

There are also serious concerns that humanitarian operations in the enclave “are near collapse”.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned in a bulletin that if food and humanitarian supplies do not begin to enter Gaza in “massive quantities”, desperation and hunger will spread.

“The limited functionality of the southern border crossings, key arteries for getting aid in, means that barely any fuel or aid is getting into any part of Gaza. There are currently no food distributions taking place in the south of Gaza except for some limited stocks that are given to community kitchens for hot meals,” it noted.

All bakeries in Rafah have shut down. However, as of Wednesday, the agency was still able to support six bakeries in central Gaza, four in Gaza City and one in Jabalia.

Listen below to an update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza from Shaza Moghraby, WFP Communications Officer:

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Multiple allegations of torture

Also on Thursday, a UN independent human rights expert urged the Government of Israel to investigate multiple allegations of torture and other degrading treatment against detained Palestinians since 7 October last year.

Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture emphasized that anyone deprived of their liberty must always be treated humanely.

“They must be provided with all protections required under international human rights and humanitarian law, whatever the circumstances of their detention,” she said in a news release.

The Human Rights Council-appointed expert said she has received allegations of individuals being beaten, kept in cells blindfolded and handcuffed for excessive periods, deprived of sleep, and threatened with physical and sexual violence.

Other reports suggest prisoners have been insulted and exposed to acts of humiliation, such as being photographed and filmed in degrading poses, while prolonged use of zip-tie handcuffs has reportedly caused friction injuries and wounds.

Absence of accountability

“I am particularly concerned that this emerging pattern of violations, coupled with an absence of accountability and transparency, is creating a permissive environment for further abusive and humiliating treatment of Palestinians,” Ms. Edwards said.

Listen to UN News’ s interview with the Special Rapporteur here:

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Since the brutal attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on Israeli communities on 7 October 2023 and the ensuing Israeli military offensive in Gaza, it is estimated that thousands of Palestinians from Gaza as well as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been detained – including some children.

Special Rapporteurs are mandated by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to monitor thematic human rights and country situations. They operate independent of the UN and national governments, are not UN staff and do not draw a salary.

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