UN/EU RETREAT
Quick announcement for you on Thursday, starting Thursday afternoon and most of the day on Friday, the United Nations and the European Commission will hold their first High-Level Dialogue and that will take place at the Greentree Foundation, just outside of New York City.
The discussions will be co-chaired by the Secretary-General and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
This High-Level Dialogue will explore avenues for the United Nations and the European Union for strengthening multilateralism, international cooperation and partnerships.
Throughout several sessions, participants will discuss a number of key challenges facing the international community and how these can best be addressed through increased multilateral cooperation.
This includes peace and security, climate emergency, human rights, digital cooperation as well as the global economic situation and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The delegations will also discuss the war in Ukraine and its global consequences, including efforts to alleviate the impact, especially on the most vulnerable, on the food, energy and finance sectors.
MALI
You will have seen that in a statement we issued this morning in which the Secretary-General strongly condemned yesterday’s attack due to an Improvised Explosive Device against a convoy of the UN Mission in Mali. As we mentioned to you yesterday two Egyptian peacekeepers were killed. The latest number of injured is now nine, and the attack took place approximately 62 km north-east of Gao, in northern Mali.
The Secretary-General expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Government and people of Egypt, whose soldiers continue to pay the highest price in the service of peace in Mali. He recalled that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and called on the transitional authorities in Mali to spare no efforts in identifying the perpetrators of the attack and swiftly bringing them to justice.
The Secretary-General also paid tribute to the peacekeepers of the UN Mission in Mali who, with exemplary determination and courage, continue to implement their mandate in extremely challenging circumstances in support of the people of Mali.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Moving slightly further east to the Central African Republic, our peacekeeping colleagues there tell us that the Mission has intervened to protect civilians caught up in clashes between the CAR armed forces and the Union for Peace (UPC) rebel group and that is taking place in the Basse-Kotto Prefecture.
The violence erupted following an attack on an armed forces base in Dimbi, which forced more than 500 civilians to flee to a nearby school. The peacekeepers provided protection. The Mission also used heavy machine guns to repel the assailants from the town. The situation is now reported to be calm, although peacekeepers remain in position and reinforcements were sent to ensure that security is maintained.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN’s joint human rights office has just released its monthly report. It documents an overall 8 per cent increase in abuses and violations in May compared to the previous month, that would be April, with two-thirds of cases attributed to armed groups and one third to state agents. Of deep concern is a sharp rise compared to April in conflict-related sexual violence with 89 women reportedly impacted – that’s a 117 per cent increase. Armed combatants were identified as the main perpetrators, and state actors were also responsible for some of the incidents.
Our Mission there – MONUSCO - is continuing to work closely with local authorities to prevent and respond to human rights abuses and violations, and to support its good offices and technical assistance to support the prosecution of perpetrators and contribute to end impunity.
SOMALIA
On Somalia, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that, due to the drought, it is believed that there will be famine in eight areas of the country by September. More than 200,000 men, women and children are experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity for the first time since 2017, and food security will likely not improve until the middle of next year.
Our humanitarian colleagues warn that more than 7 million people are already impacted by the severe drought, up from nearly 6 million in May. More than 800,000 have left their homes in search of food, water and pasture. At least 200 children have died of malnutrition and disease since January, and an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of 5 face acute malnutrition.
Late last month, our partners launched the Drought Response and Famine Prevention Plan to provide life-saving assistance and prevent famine in Somalia. The Plan calls for nearly $1 billion to reach 6.4 million people through the end of the year.
Separately, the Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia, which calls for $1.46 billion to help 5.5 million people, is only 30 per cent funded as of today.
While nearly 4 million people having received assistance since January, we need greater resources to meet growing needs and avert famine.
AFGHANISTAN
From Afghanistan, 27,000 people have been displaced following recent fighting in the district of Balkhab in the Sar-e-Pul province in the north of the country. Our partners are preparing to provide food and other supplies to more than 10,000 people in Balkhab.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that families have fled to neighbouring provinces in the north and to Bamyan Province in the central highlands. In Bamyan, our teams say there are more than 6,000 internally displaced people, and we and our partners will provide people with food, health care, education and psychosocial support, as well as cash assistance and other supplies.
Also on Afghanistan, today, flash floods were reported in Logar, Ghazni, Paktya, and Maidan Wardak provinces.
Initial reports indicate that the recent flash floods killed six people, damaged hundreds of homes and destroyed agricultural lands. We are working with our partners, will carry out an assessment in Logar province tomorrow to see exactly what the needs are going to be.
SRI LANKA
In Sri Lanka, the World Food Programme today said that three in ten households are food insecure, according to its latest food security assessment. Food inflation is alarmingly high. This month there was a 57 per cent increase in food prices which has crippled the population’s ability to put sufficient and nutritious food on the table.
Three million people are now set to receive emergency food, nutrition, and school meals from WFP until December. WFP is prioritizing families who are unable to purchase increasingly expensive food, particularly those with children under five, pregnant and lactating women, and persons with disabilities. This support will be delivered through in-kind food, cash-based transfers, school meals, and nutritional support. Already, WFP has distributed 2,100 food vouchers to pregnant women in Sri Lanka.
COMOROS
In Comoros, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator François Batalingaya, is supporting authorities in advancing the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Last week, the Resident Coordinator, in partnership with the UN Development Programme, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and the European Union, supported the UN Economic Commission for Africa in providing the government with guidance on designing a national strategy and roadmap to facilitate the Comorian Government’s ratification and entry into what is expected to be the world’s largest free-trade zone. Under this free trade agreement, small island developing states like Comoros will gain access to a trade zone with over 1.2 billion people to boost initiatives aimed at accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
ECOSOC
This morning, the Economic and Social Council’s High-Level Political Forum focused on Sustainable Development Goal 4 – which is quality education and its linkages and co-benefits with other Goals. This session explored lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis and how responses can be directed towards the provision of quality education and lifelong learning for everyone. It also considered how innovation in learning that emerged during the crisis, including through digital technologies, can boost access and quality rather than worsen inequalities.
This morning also included a short session on how to bolster local action to build back better from COVID-19 and support local authorities in the implementation of the SDGs.
FOOTBALL FOR THE GOALS
Today, our friends at the UN Department of Global Communications launched a new initiative called Football for the Goals. This provides a platform to mobilize the global football community to champion action around achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative will tap into the power of football to raise the profile of the SDGs and will drive behavioural change and sustainable practices in the football industry.
Football for the Goals, in recognition of SDG 5 - gender equality - was launched on the opening day of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, which is taking place in England in the UK, with a conversation featuring UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, moderated by Melissa Fleming.
Having recently unveiled its own sustainability strategy entitled “Strength through Unity,” which focuses on human rights and the environment, UEFA joins the initiative as its inaugural member. The full conversation is available and if any of you are interested in that story please let us know there are a number of people in DGC who can be interviewed.
