COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke in person at the opening of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
He said that the fallout of the pandemic has shown how deeply gender inequality remains embedded in the world’s political, social and economic systems. The Secretary-General said that “now is the time to change course. Women’s equal participation is the game-changer we need.”
He called on all leaders to put in place five key building blocks:
First, to realize women’s equal rights fully; second, to ensure equal representation in the private and public sector through special measures and quotas; third, to advance women’s economic inclusion through equal pay and social protection; fourth to enact an emergency response plan in each country to address violence against women and girls; and finally, to give space to the intergenerational transition that is under way and to give greater support for young women advocating for a more just and equal world.
Tomorrow, he will take part in the Commission on the Status of Women Townhall.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
The Secretary-General today took part via video message in the High-Level side event of the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.
In a video message, he told the Group that many countries have committed over the past year to step up efforts to prevent and respond to this issue, but much more needs to be done. The increase in violence is sometimes blamed on the pandemic, he said, but that ignores the responsibility of perpetrators and the importance of accountability.
He added that now is the moment to increase support for women’s organizations, and encouraged all members of the Group of Friends to play a full part in the Gender Equality Forum, which starts later this month in Mexico and later on moves to France. The Forum will provide new opportunities to chart a fresh and bold feminist agenda.
MYANMAR
In Myanmar, we saw a weekend filled with bloodshed. According to the UN Human Rights Office, to date, at least 138 peaceful protestors, including women and children, have been killed in the violence since 1 February. This includes 38 people who were killed yesterday, the majority in the Hlaing Thayer area of Yangon, while 18 people were killed on Saturday.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns this ongoing violence against peaceful protesters and the continuing violation of the most basic human rights of the people of Myanmar. The Secretary-General renews his call on the international community, including regional actors, to come together in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their democratic aspirations.
You have seen that the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, issued a statement condemning the bloodshed as the military continues to defy international calls, including from the Security Council, for restraint, dialogue and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC/ELECTIONS
The UN Mission in the Central African (MINUSCA) said that yesterday’s second round of the legislative elections was conducted peacefully throughout the country without major incidents. A number of officials from the UN peacekeeping office, including senior leaders, visited several polling stations in Bangui and noted a high level of voter turnout.
Our peacekeepers actively patrolled all polling stations to ensure security, in collaboration with national forces. We are continuing to provide the necessary support to authorities for the transfer of electoral materials and the process of the results, ahead of their provisional publication by the National Electoral Authority – that is scheduled to happen between 15 and 22 March.
On Friday, the Security Council also adopted resolution 2566, authorizing the increase of MINUSCA’s military component by 2,750 soliders and the police component by 940 from the current authorized levels. In this resolution, the Council stressed that these reinforcements are aimed notably at enhancing MINUSCA’s ability to perform its priority mandated tasks in the current evolving context in the Central African Republic, in particular protection of civilians and facilitation of humanitarian access.
SYRIA
Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, told the Security Council this morning that the conflict has now lasted for ten years – as long as the first and second World Wars combined. He paid tribute to the Syrian people for their resilience in dealing with all they have faced over the past decade.
In a VTC briefing, the Special Envoy said most Syrian children have never lived a day without war and most have gone without food.
He said that the world has not succeeded in delivering the Syrian people from what the Secretary-General has called “a living nightmare.”
On the more positive side, he noted the relative calm of the past year, although with continuing clashes and air strikes. He stressed the importance of consolidating the current fragile calm into a nationwide ceasefire.
Mr. Pedersen reiterated that a political solution is the only way out and added he is convinced that it is possible. He urged Council members to ensure Syria receives top-level, sustained attention.
LIBYA
We welcome the swearing in of the new Libyan Government of National Unity before the House of Representatives in Tobruk earlier today. This is another major step forward for Libya following the endorsement of the cabinet by the House of Representatives last week.
The UN stands ready to support the new Government as it takes on the tasks of addressing the urgent needs of the Libyan people, advancing preparations for national elections on 24 December 2021 and working toward the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement of 23 October 2020.
The Special Envoy, Ján Kubiš, today also welcomed the swearing-in of the Government of National Unity.
ETHIOPIA
As you will recall, on Friday, I shared with you that humanitarian partners had started using a new email notification system to deploy international staff to Tigray in Ethiopia. It is a change from the system we had, when we had to seek permission.
This is a welcome development for humanitarian colleagues and of course for humanitarian access and the delivery of critical assistance. It has allowed several organizations to deploy more international staff to Tigray to support the scale up of the response. Overall, there are 240 UN staff in Tigray. There are more than 1,000 non-UN humanitarian staff as well.
The delivery of assistance has also been stepped up, with humanitarian partners reaching 900,000 people with full food baskets, almost 700,000 with water, and 136,000 with shelter.
However, much more remains to be done. Humanitarians urgently need an estimated $400 million in additional funding to meet needs in Tigray, the full scope of the needs is not yet clear.
MOZAMBIQUE/IDAI
We marked yesterday the second anniversary of Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. In a message, the Secretary-General said that the UN is honoured to continue standing in solidarity with the people and Government of Mozambique.
He added that he would never forget the devastation and recovery efforts he saw firsthand when he travelled to Mozambique, in the aftermath of the unprecedented back-to-back cyclones, Idai and Kenneth. He noted that the force of the storms is a reminder that time is running out for the world to act on climate change.
The Secretary-General pointed out that, two years on, many families still struggle to rebuild their lives. He said the people of Mozambique urgently need our help to tackle the triple threat of conflict, the climate crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Secretary-General called on the international community to step up and support the humanitarian response plan for Mozambique, which needs $254 million to respond to the escalating needs.
BOLIVIA
You will have seen that, over the weekend, we issued a statement in relation to the situation in Bolivia and the recent legal action taken against former government officials and authorities there. The Secretary-General recalled the importance of upholding due process guarantees and full transparency in all legal proceedings. He recalled the importance of steps already taken by all Bolivian parties towards the consolidation of peace and reiterated the UN’s commitment to work towards these efforts.
SOUTH SUDAN
On South Sudan, in a new report, the UN Mission and the UN Human Rights Office today called on South Sudanese authorities to hold accountable the military and political figures supporting community-based militias in the Greater Jonglei region.
The report said this move could prevent further violence.
It looked into brutal attacks by the Dinka, Nuer and Murle communities between January and August of last year that claimed more than 700 lives, with hundreds more abducted, wounded or raped.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, stressed that the risk that these community-based militias will reignite armed violence is too grave to ignore. She called on the Government to take action to ensure that members of the security forces are prevented from supplying weapons from Government stocks to these militias.
For his part, the head of the UN Mission, David Shearer, said this kind of violence is driven by economic desperation after people lost their lives, homes and cattle during flooding as well as long delays in the peace process, including the failure to appoint local governors and administrators for many months.
COVAX/JORDAN
Jordan received its first shipment of 144,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/SK Bioscience vaccine from COVAX, and that was on Friday.
The WHO and the European Union helped to secure vaccines for Syrian refugees and other vulnerable people in Jordan.
The next COVAX shipment is expected to arrive in Jordan in April.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
We say muchas gracias to our amigos in Bogota, because Colombia has paid their budget dues in full.
