UN
UN General Assembly pays tribute to slain Haiti President Moise
The United Nations General Assembly held a memorial session Wednesday for Haitian president Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated last week by gunmen in his home.
Speaking on behalf of Volkan Bozkir, the General Assembly president, Vice President Keisha McGuire condemned the killing saying the world body "cannot allow this tragedy to erase gains made or derail the future of Haiti."
Following a moment of silence in Moise's honor, Amina Mohammed, the U.N. Deputy Secretary-General highlighted Moïse's accomplishments, including the near-eradication of cholera in the island nation.
"We join the government and the people of Haiti and mourning his excellency, President Jovenel Moïse. Today, we say goodbye not only to a head of state, but to a friend, a father, a husband," Mohammed sai...
China backs African Union effort to resolve Ethiopian mega-dam dispute
In rare show of unity, UN Security Council members agree to not take the lead in mediation efforts between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia
Members can still offer management help, incentives or sanctions to encourage parties to reach a deal, analyst says
Work got under way on Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam in 2011. Photo: Reuters
China has backed an Africa-led mediation process to resolve a dispute between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt over the operation of a massive hydropower dam on the Blue Nile.China’s envoy to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said Beijing supported efforts for the three countries to reach a deal through dialogue and consultation on the operation of the project.“China looks forward to the African Union’s continued due role,” Zhang said on Thursday in a meeting called b...
We Can’t Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without the Internet
This week I had the opportunity to participate in a session of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development—the United Nation’s central point of discussion of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This was a timely opportunity to discuss paths towards a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We need the Internet in this endeavor.
It’s difficult to imagine living through the pandemic without the Internet. Researchers would have faced even greater challenges both in working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and collaborating on the development of vaccines. It also had a profound impact on the lives of people who had access, giving many the option to work from home and continue their education.
But the first year of the pandemic has le...
Vietnam upholds reconciliation to end violence in DR Congo
Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, reiterated the need to promote reconciliation in a bid to put an end to violence and address security challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
An overview of the UNSC meeting on DR Congo's situation (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, reiterated the need to promote reconciliation in a bid to put an end to violence and address security challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on July 7 to discuss the situation in DR Congo and activities of the UN Stabilisation Mission in the African nation (MONUSCO), the ambassador stressed the importance...
Digital service projects in Africa: getting the basics right first
As part of their work in our International Development team, Claire and Clément have assessed the digital government landscape in various African countries. They’ve found that although local context is very different, each faces similar challenges. To better understand this, they began some research into what helps digital services projects succeed in African governments last year, and shared their early findings.
Since then, they’ve interviewed 20 more people who have been involved in African digital services projects. This is the first in a series of posts that summarise the interviews and share the trends that emerged.
Some public service projects are doomed to fail even before getting started, no matter how good the team and approach. This series of blog posts...
DR Congo: 10 killed in Beni North Kivu Massacre attributed to ADF
Ten people were killed on Wednesday night in the Rwangoma neighbourhood southeast of Beni, North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Congolese army said the killing occurred in an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces, an armed group believed by some -- as per United States' intel, to be affiliated with the jihadist Islamic State organisation.
Kizito Bin Hang, the representative of civil society from Beni, shared his thoughts about the recent incident.
"During their operation, the ADF massacred more than ten people, burned houses and caused other damage, which as civil society we deplore.
"We believe that the authorities must always take into consideration the alerts given by the population."
Beni and its surrounding areas have been targeted ...
Iran demands lifting of sanctions, US commitment not to exit nuclear deal
Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi also called on the U.N. Security Council to hold the “Israeli regime” accountable for its “adventuristic practices.”
Iranian’s ambassador to the United Nations said that his country would return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on condition that all sanctions be removed and that the United States commit not to withdraw from it again.
“Iran will remain consistent and resolute in pursuing this approach regarding the JCPOA as long as other parties put an end, completely and without any precondition or further delay, to their bullying policies, violating their obligations and dishonoring their promises,” Amb. Majid Takht Ravanchi said his in address on Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council, a transcr...
Central African Republic rejects conclusions of UN experts’ report
A United Nations report claimed that members of the FACA and Russian instructors dispatched to the country were guilty of abuses.
Central African authorities on Wednesday rejected a U.N. expert report denouncing "violations of international humanitarian law" by Central African military and Russian instructors supporting them against rebels trying to overthrow President Faustin Archange Touadéra.
"This is a clear desire to tarnish by all means the image of our military institution while it continues to make enormous sacrifices to restore the authority of the state throughout the territory," said Rameaux-Claude Bireau, Minister of National Defense, in a statement received by AFP.
According to him "this slanderous publication based on fabricated and unverified evidence is a...
‘Eritrean Troops To Leave Tigray Soon’ – Ethiopian’s UN Envoy
U. N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA) Mark Lowcock attends a news conference for the launch of the "Global Humanitarian Overview 2019" at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Decemer 4, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
The Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are expected to “definitely leave soon,” according to Ethiopia’s U.N. envoy. This was confirmed following the previous statement from a top U.N. official who told the Security Council on Tuesday that Eritrea’s soldiers were using starvation as a weapon of war.
Outgoing U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock told the 15-member council in a private briefing that “no one should be surprised to see a rerun of a devastating 1984 famine if violence in Tigray doe...
Aung San Suu Kyi trial begins in Myanmar
Asia, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, MYANNMAR, POLITICS, PRESIDENT, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, UN Women, UNHCR, WOMEN, Women Emamanicipation
The trial of the ousted leader is hearing its first testimony in a junta court. Suu Kyi faces a widening array of charges such as flouting coronavirus rules and "illegally" importing walkie-talkies.
The trial of Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi got underway on Monday in the capital Naypyidaw, more than four months after a military coup.
Criminal convictions would bar Suu Kyi from running for office.
Suu Kyi's prosecution prevented her National League for Democracy (NLD) party from serving a second five-year term following last year's landslide election victory.
Army officials have also threatened to dissolve the NLD for alleged involvement in election fraud.
hat charges does Suu Kyi face?
The 75-year-old stands accused of violating cor...
54 migrants rescued by Tunisia and await transfer to detention centre
Waiting at Tunisia’s port of El Ketef in Ben Guerdane to be transferred to a detention centre, the 54 undocumented migrants of different African nationalities aged between 15 and 40 years old -- who were rescued Friday while attempting to cross into Europe from Libya on Thursday night, from a sinking boat off the coast of the town near Tunisian waters by the country’s navy.
Migrants from neighbouring Libya who have been shipwrecked in the central Mediterranean -- one of the most precarious migration routes, are regularly rescued by Tunisian agents.
Information communicated by the United Nations which has counted 1,400 deaths in the Mediterranean last year and over 700 between January 1 and May 21 so far this year.
Departures from Libya have risen sharply, with 11,000 departures f...
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi faces new corruption charge
Asia, CRIME, CRISIS, INTERNATIONAL, MYANNMAR, POLITICS, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, UN Women, UNHCR, UNICEF, WOMEN, WORLD
Myanmar's deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with corruption by the country's military junta, state media reported Thursday, adding to a raft of legal cases against the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.The new charge follows an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission into several accusations leveled at Suu Kyi. It found her "guilty of committing corruption using her rank," the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said. She was charged under the Anti-Corruption Law section 55, and if found guilty could face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.Suu Kyi was overthrown from her position of state counselor and de facto leader of the country when the military seized power in a February 1 coup. She has been held in detention since then and charged with a series of ...
Mass deaths in Myanmar after 100,000 flee fighting – UN Warns
UN says people fleeing military’s ‘brutal, indiscriminate attacks’ in eastern Kayah are in dire need of food and water.
A United Nations rights expert has warned of “mass deaths from starvation, disease and exposure” in eastern Myanmar after “brutal, indiscriminate attacks” by the military forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in Kayah State.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur for Myanmar, called for urgent international action, saying attacks by the military – which took power after a February coup – were “threatening the lives of many thousands of men, women and children” in Kayah or Karenni state.
“Let me blunt,” Andrews said. “Mass deaths from starvation, disease, and exposure, on a scale we have not yet seen since the Feb...
Ex-Myanmar police officers reveal how they were told to shoot protesters – and why they defected
EUROPEAN UNION, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WORLD
Myanmar's security forces have been accused by Amnesty International of "premeditated" attacks on peaceful protesters.
In a safe house in Myanmar, resistance is growing.
Quietly, in the gloomy light, a group of men raise their hands in a three-finger salute.
Traditionally a sign of defiance and support for pro-democracy protesters, for these men it symbolises so much more.
Once police or soldiers, they now plan to fight the forces they used to serve.
Just talking to us is a huge risk; if caught the defectors could be killed. https://2fc4f8702eda46552746395c0d5f4dbe.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html Advertisement
So in hiding, faces and voices disguised for protection, they explain why they decided to defy the junta.
Image: Sky Ne...
What would bring stability after the death of Chad’s president?
ADVOCACY, AFRICA, CHAD, DIPLOMACY, Diplomats, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, PAN AFRICA, PRESIDENT, Security, UN, UN Human RiGHTS
Neighboring countries have successfully managed political change without the military stepping in
In April, Gen. Azem Bermendao Agouna announced that Chadian President Idriss Déby had died on the battlefield fighting rebels. During the same broadcast, Agouna declared the establishment of a transitional military council, and dissolved the executive and legislature, replacing the constitution with a transitional charter. In effect, analysts including myself argue, he announced a military coup.
Idriss Déby’s son, Gen. Mahamat Idriss Déby, sits at the head of the transitional council, which is a military junta composed of 14 other generals. Under the transitional charter, the junta functions as the executive with Mahamat Déby as head of state. He has appointed an interim government ...
The UN Security Council Tackles Emerging Technologies
The UN Security Council’s first debate on emerging technologies exposed some familiar tensions even as it trod new ground for the UN body with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
Megan M. Roberts is director of policy planning at the United Nations Foundation.
In the midst of frenzied diplomacy around spiraling conflict in the Middle East and other crises around the world, the UN Security Council met virtually last week to discuss the growing role of emerging technologies in matters of peace and war.
Though it has met previously to discuss cyber threats, this was the first time diplomats convened, under China’s Security Council presidency, to discuss how the rapid advancement of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, biotech, ...
South Sudan sanctions renewed by UN Security Council
AFRICA, African Union, EAST AFRICA, Security, South Sudan, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF
UNITED NATIONS,
The Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to renew for a year, till May 31, 2022, an arms embargo against South Sudan as well as targeted sanctions of travel ban and asset freeze against individuals and entities.
Resolution 2577, which was adopted with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions, extends until July 1, 2022, the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which assists the work of the South Sudan Sanctions Committee.
It expresses the Security Council's readiness to review the arms embargo, through modification, suspension, or progressive lifting of these measures, in the light of progress achieved on five key benchmarks. It requests the UN secretary-general to conduct, no later than April 15, 2022, an assessment of progress achieved on the key benchma...
President Tshisekedi reaffirms DRC’s candidacy for UN Security Council
Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has reaffirmed the country’s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Tshisekedi announced this as he met ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Kinshasa at the Palais de la Nation.
The Head of State and President-in-Office of the African Union unveiled his program of action which emphasizes the promotion of peace, security, environment and development.
“We presented our candidacy in 2019 and we are fully committed to this important adventure. Being aware of the important geostrategic role that it plays for the maintenance of international peace and security, it is with humility and determination that the Republic Democratic Republic o...
Security Council Report Monthly Forecast, June 2021
AFRICA, INTERNATIONAL, Security, Somalia, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WORLD, World Bank
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2021_06_forecast.pdf
Overview
In June, Estonia will have the presidency. The Council may hold meetings in the Security Council chamber this month, although high-level meetings will most likely continue to be held by videoconference (VTC).
Estonia has chosen to hold three open debates: children and armed conflict, cybersecurity and working methods. The children and armed conflict open debate on the Secretary-General’s annual report will be at ministerial level and will be chaired by the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid. Briefings are expected from a senior Secretariat official,UNICEF and a civil society representative.
The cybersecurity open debate will also be at ministerial level, with the Prime Minister of Eston...