28 September 2009 - Under-Secretary-General sees “extraordinary” GA in advancing international cooperation on peace and security

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, hailed the high-level segment of the 64th United Nations General Assembly as “extraordinary” in the intensity and breadth of discussions on wide-ranging issues affecting international peace and security, from disarmament to regional hotspots.  “It was an extraordinary week in terms of doing exactly what the UN is supposed to do and pushed front and centre the discussion of the most serious international events of the day,” he told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.  Among the highlights taking place either within the GA or on its margins, USG Pascoe pointed to the revival of a strong international push for nuclear non-proliferation, and productive meetings and bilateral discussions on the Middle East peace process, Somalia, Pakistan, Sudan, Myanmar, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Honduras and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.   USG Pascoe also welcomed strong expressions of support from Member States for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s efforts to strengthen the entire menu of UN crisis response options, from peacemaking and preventive diplomacy to peacekeeping and post conflict peace-building.

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16-18 September 2009 - Under-Secretary-General presses Sri Lanka on post-war challenges

During a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, toured former conflict zones in the north of the country and held high-level discussions aimed at encouraging faster progress by the government on a number of postwar challenges.  These include: the resettlement of more than a quarter of a million people from government-run camps for persons internally displaced the conflict; the launching of political reconciliation talks with Tamil and other minorities; and the pursuit of accountability for allegations of human rights violations committed during the country’s decades-long conflict.  Ardressing a news conference in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, USG Pascoe spoke of growing “frustration” in the IDP camps and warning that further delays in the resettlement process can fuel resentment and undermine the prospects for political reconciliation.  He acknowledged government efforts to clear mines and welcomed a commitment by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to resettle all war refugees by January 2010.  USG Pascoe’s mission was in follow-up to commitments made by the Government of Sri Lanka during Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to the country in May 2009, shortly after the military end to the decades-old conflict with separatist rebels.

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8-13 June 2009 - United Nations political chief sees progress and threats to peace in West and Central Africa

UN concerns about peace and stability in West and Central Africa were the focus of a six-nation visit to West and Central Africa by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, who held high-level discussions with leaders and visited UN political and peace-building missions in both regions. Visits to Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau, were an opportunity to assess progress on some fronts as well as risks to peace and democracy elsewhere. In a speech at Nigeria’s National Defense College, USG Pascoe noted steps forward by several countries in emerging from past conflicts and in holding credible elections, but also warned of growing threats to the region such as drug trafficking and the resurgence of military coups and other unconstitutional changes in government. “The continent must rise to the current challenge and protect the democratic gains it has fought so hard to achieve,” he said. On 22 June, following his return to New York, the Under-Secretary-General briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Central African Republic and the activities of BONUCA, the United Nations peacebuilding office in Bangui. In traveling through the regions, USG Pascoe also visited three other political missions managed by the Department of Political Affairs: the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA), which carries out preventive diplomacy regionally from its base in the Dakar; the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office for Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office for Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS).

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10 June 2009 - United Nations’ “on-call” Mediation Team gets high marks after first year

An “on-call” team of mediation experts established just over a year ago at the United Nations is making valuable contributions to UN peacemaking and preventive diplomacy and should be used more widely as a resource by envoys in the field. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios praised the initiative at a luncheon at UN headquarters marking the culmination of the pilot phase of the United Nations Standby Team of Mediation Experts, established in March 2008 to help the UN deploy more quickly in response to crises. “Responding effectively to peacemaking opportunities depends on getting to the field quickly with the right kind of expertise,” said Menkerios. “The Stand-by Team is helping us to do just that.” ASG Menkerios welcomed the support of United Nations Member States that made possible this and other recent enhancements to UN peacemaking capacity. These include recent budgetary increases for the Department of Political Affairs and the establishment in 2006 of DPA’s Mediation Support Unit, which manages the on-call Standby Team as one of its services to mediators. ASG Menkerios expressed strong appreciation in particular to the Government of Norway, which has generously provided the financing for the initial 15 month-pilot phase of the Standby Team and has agreed to provide continued financing for the year ahead. During its first fifteen months, the team contributed to various peacemaking efforts around the world involving the United Nations. Its first deployments were to Kenya in early 2008 to assist in the international mediation of the post-electoral crisis. Click here for a press release with more complete information.

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21 April 2009 - Security Council endorses stronger UN mediation effort

Responding positively to a new report by the Secretary-General on conflict mediation and a briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, the Security Council capped an all-day debate  on the subject with a statement welcoming current efforts to strengthen the mediation capabilities of the United Nations and to apply mediation at the “earliest possible” moment in conflicts.  The renewed attention by the Security Council on mediation gives further impetus to efforts of the Department of Political Affairs, with UN Member State support, to sharpen the tools of preventive diplomacy and good offices to help staunch conflicts before they escalate into wider and costlier crises.  In his briefing to the Council, the Under-Secretary-General, B. Lynn Pascoe, described the recent strengthening of DPA’s regional divisions and the establishment of a Mediation Support Unit, which he said, was having a “multiplier effect” on what the UN can offer in mediation. DPA is introducing a five-point system for helping envoys plan and manage peace processes, and increasing partnerships with regional organization who often play a leading role in conflict mediation, with the United Nations supporting behind the scenes. USG Pascoe also underscored the importance of strengthening UN mediation at a time when Member States and the Secretariat are looking for ways to reduce the strains on UN peacekeeping-- and to do a better job at longer-term peace building.  “Effective mediation can help us to arrive at sound agreements that can be successfully implemented, and then assist the facilitation and dialogue needed throughout the later phases of the effort,” he said.  ................................................................................................................

10 April 2009 - DPA bulletin highlights latest UN efforts in peacemaking and conflict prevention, elections

A new issue of Politically Speaking, the bi-annual bulletin of the Department of Political Affairs, illustrates recent efforts and achievements of the United Nations in peacemaking and preventive diplomacy, electoral assistance and related areas. Among the topics featured in the Spring 2009 issue are: Gaza: a “look back” interview with the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs about UN crisis diplomacy on Gaza and the prospects ahead for Middle East peace; Progress in the strengthening of DPA, with the support of Member States; Iraq: political advances and a growing UN political role in the country; Somalia: hopeful steps forward in the Djibouti peace process; Zimbabwe’s political transition; UN preventive diplomacy in Central Asia: promoting regional solutions; The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala; Conflict Prevention in Partnership with UNDP; Bangladesh: UN support for elections and the restoration of democracy; and Democracy in Africa: results of a DPA-sponsored dialogue in Bamako. Politically Speaking is a publication of the Department of Political Affairs designed to inform Member States, the UN system at large, NGOs, policy institutes and the media about the political work of the United Nations.

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25 March 2009 - Appointment of new Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs: Oscar Fernández-Taranco

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Oscar Fernández-Taranco of Argentina as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, with responsibility, inter alia, for overseeing DPA divisions dealing with the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and West Asia, as well as the Decolonization Unit and the Division for Palestinian Rights. Mr. Fernández-Taranco brings a wealth of experience to this position, having worked in the UN system for over 25 years, both in Headquarters and in the field, managing increasingly complex development, political, peacebuilding and humanitarian operations in the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. Mr. Fernández-Taranco is currently serving as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tanzania, leading the UN reform initiative of Delivering as One. He will fill the position vacated last year when Assistant Secretary-General Angela Kane was appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Management.