HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development began this morning under the theme of “Building back better from the coronavirus disease while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
This afternoon, the Forum will review the implementation of sustainable development goal 17 on partnerships. The Forum will address financing a robust crisis response and investing in the Sustainable Development Goals, mobilizing and sharing science, technology and innovation for an SDG driven recovery, and capacity development and partnerships to maximize the benefits of science, technology and trade for sustainable development.
MALI PEACEKEEPERS
Start off with some sad news yet again, coming out of Mali, where an armoured vehicle from a UN logistics convoy hit a mine on the Tessalit-Gao axis.
According to an initial assessment, two peacekeepers died from their wounds, and five others were seriously wounded as a result of this attack.
A rapid intervention force was sent to the scene and the injured were evacuated.
The UN peacekeeping mission strongly condemns this attack, which may constitute a war crime under international law, and notes with concern the frequent use of improvised explosive devices intended to paralyze the operations of the UN Mission and to obstruct the return to peace and stability in Mali.
We pay tribute to the peacekeepers who died and offer our condolences to their loved ones, and we wish a full recovery to those injured. I do expect an official statement from the Secretary-General as well who of course also very much condemns this attack.
PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENT - UNMISS
A couple of senior personnel appointments for you. Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian of India as his new Force Commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan, otherwise known as UNMISS.
Lieutenant General Subramanian succeeds Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar also of India to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his tireless dedication, invaluable service and effective leadership as the Force Commander of UNMISS.
The new Force Commander has a distinguished military career with the Indian Army spanning over 36 years. Most recently, he served as the General Officer Commanding, Military Region in central India.
PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT - HUDAYDAH
Also, today, the Secretary-General is appointing Ms. Vivian van de Perre of the Netherlands as Deputy Head of Mission of the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement and Deputy Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee.
Ms. van de Perre succeeds Daniela Kroslak of Germany to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication and leadership, particularly during a period of significant challenge in Yemen and for the Mission in Hudaydah.
Ms. van de Perre brings to the position a broad range of UN experience in the field and at Headquarters. Most recently, she served as the chief of staff of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic and we very much congratulate our friend for this appointment.
SURINAME
The Secretary-General is back in New York, after having visited Suriname over the weekend, where he spoke at the summit of the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM. He told the gathered leaders on Sunday that this year’s CARICOM summit comes at a moment of great peril — for people and planet alike. Among other problems, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated lives and livelihoods across the region, and exposed deep structural fragilities.
The Secretary-General called for three crucial paths that need to be pursued as we move ahead. First, he said, we need climate action that matches the scale and urgency of the crisis. Second, we need a reform of the morally bankrupt global financial system and we need to spur sustainable recovery across the region.
And third, he said, we must keep up our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, since, as he put it, we’re not out of the woods yet.
On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General visited the indigenous village of Pierre Kondre, located some 67 kilometres south of the capital of Paramaribo, and surrounded by 9,000 hectares of forest. He also met with the President of Suriname that day and spoke to the press.
UKRAINE
Also today the Secretary-General spoke by pre-recorded video message today to the Ukraine Recovery Conference taking place in Lugano, in Switzerland. He said that the United Nations is currently reaching almost nine million people with essential and life-saving assistance and aims to reach millions more in the coming months.
Adding that we are also working with the Government of Ukraine to tackle the insidious threat of unexploded ordnance, landmines, and cluster munitions. And we are preparing the groundwork for the reconstruction and repair of critical infrastructure.
The UN is committed, he said, to supporting the Government of Ukraine to save lives, strengthen relief efforts, advance Ukraine’s Recovery and Development Plan, and protect hard-won gains towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN
Staying in Ukraine, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were on the ground in Serhiivka yesterday, where they saw the aftermath of the terrible attack that hit a residential area last week.
More than 130 people have been displaced, according to local authorities and our partners. Humanitarian assistance is being mobilized by the Government and our partners. In total, some 2,000 people living in the area have been affected. Our partners have supported families with food and critical household items.
Over the weekend and yesterday, we received disturbing reports of heavy hostilities, once again, killing and injuring many civilians on both sides of the front lines in Donestka oblast. Hundreds of houses and other civilian infrastructure were reportedly hit in recent days, including the water system in Sloviansk.
People in Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, in Government-controlled areas, where we just distributed humanitarian aid a few days ago, have experienced a particularly difficult weekend, that prompted the mayors of both cities to ask citizens to leave and seek safety elsewhere. In non-Government-controlled areas, the situation is also dire, with intense attacks reported in the last 48 hours. Our work to save lives in Ukraine continues, more than 10 million people have received some kind of humanitarian assistance across the country, above our initial target of 8.7 million people.
WESTERN SAHARA
A quick note from our friend Staffan de Mistura. Today in Rabat, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, had a useful meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita of Morocco, in the context of the political process on Western Sahara. The Personnel Envoy looks forward to further trips in the region aimed at advancing the process.
SOUTH SUDAN
From South Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that funding shortages have led to aid operations being suspended, reduced, or potentially terminated.
Our colleagues say that $400 million is urgently needed to provide a minimum service to address people’s immediate needs.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Sara Nyanti, said the humanitarian situation in the country is the worst that it has ever been since records have been kept. Some 8.9 million people – which is more than two-thirds of the population – are estimated to need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022. We and our partners need $1.7 billion to help 6.8 million people, but that response plan is just 27 per cent funded.
Some 220 primary health care units and nine state hospitals could be forced to halt services next month, which means that 2.5 million men, women and children who are already in vulnerable health condition will not receive the health services they need. An estimated 1.9 million people will not have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services without more cash.
BANGLADESH
In Bangladesh, our team under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, is boosting humanitarian support for the government after weeks of heavy flooding in the north and north-eastern parts of the country, which is impacted over 7.2 million people. The UN crew is facilitating access to drinking water, cash, emergency drugs, water purification tablets, dignity and hygiene kits as well as education support. Our friends at UNICEF have provided emergency life-saving support to nearly a million people in two districts. For its part WFP distributed 85 tonnes of fortified biscuits to 34,000 households in three districts while UNFPA provided referral support for pregnant women to access hospitals and positioned midwives to provide obstetric care. UNFPA is also operating maternity waiting homes for pregnant women who are waiting to deliver.
LIBYA
Over the weekend, you will have seen that the Secretary-General expressed his concern at the demonstrations that were held in several cities in Libya, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi.
The Secretary-General calls on everyone to refrain from any actions that could undermine stability. He urges Libyans to come together to overcome the continued political deadlock, which is deepening divisions and negatively impacting the country’s economy.
EUROPE CHILD DETENTION
Today, the UN Refugee agency, the UN Migration agency and UNICEF urged European States to end the continued practice of detaining asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children across the continent. In a report, the three agencies detail the practice of child immigration detention across countries in Europe and offer a range of alternatives and recommendations to help countries to end child detention. Detention of children is never in their best interests, it is a violation of their rights, and must be avoided at all costs the agencies said.
ADOLESCENT MOTHERS
Lastly, a note that the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, today released research that says nearly a third of all women in developing countries become mothers during adolescence.
While total fertility across the globe has fallen, the UNFPA report shows that, between 2015-2019, women who began childbearing in adolescence would have almost 5 births by the time they reach age 40.
The agency said that governments need to invest in adolescent girls to help expand their opportunities, resources, and skillsets, to help avoid early and unintended pregnancies. When girls can meaningfully chart their own life course, motherhood in childhood will grow increasingly rare.
