SECRETARY-GENERAL/PEACEKEEPING
To commemorate the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the Secretary-General laid a wreath this morning at the Peacekeepers’ memorial at UN Headquarters to honour the more than 4,000 women and men who have lost their lives since 1948, while serving under the UN flag.
Also, at a virtual ceremony, Mr. Guterres awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld medal to 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers who lost their lives in 2020 and in the first months of 2021.
In his remarks, he said that the challenges and threats faced by peacekeepers are immense. He noted that, despite COVID-19, across all our missions, peacekeepers have not only been adapting to continue to deliver their core tasks, but they are also assisting national and community efforts to fight the virus.
Speaking on this year’s theme, which is "The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security,” the Secretary-General stressed that in countries where our missions operate, peace cannot be achieved without active participation of young people.
He also presented the 2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to 32-year-old Military Gender Advisor, Major Steplyne Nyaboga, who is from Kenya. She served in the recently completed UN-African Union Operation in Darfur.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/VACCINE EQUITY
Also this morning, the Secretary-General participated in an online event, co-hosted by the UN’s Verified initiative, bringing business leaders together to discuss how to step up global efforts to ensure vaccine equity and ramp up the fight against the virus.
The Secretary-General noted how science has delivered safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in record time, but there is a large and growing vaccine gap between rich and poor countries. Just ten countries have administered more than 75 per cent of all vaccine doses, he said. Mr. Guterres added this is not only unjust, but it is self-defeating and dangerous – to everyone.
He stressed that fast, equitable vaccination is the only way to prevent new and more dangerous variants from emerging and wreaking further havoc, in rich and poor countries alike.
COVID-19 cannot be beaten one country at a time. It can strike back. The world must act with resolution and in solidarity to overcome the virus.
He also spotlighted the role of the private sector, which he said has been central to every breakthrough since the start of the pandemic: on vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, etc. He commended the many companies that have acknowledged this, by putting people before profits. Now is the time for the private sector to play its full part in ending this global catastrophe.
SOMALIA
In a statement, the Secretary-General welcomes the agreement reached by the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States leaders on the implementation of the 17 September Electoral Model as an outcome of the summit convened by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble. He urges all stakeholders to swiftly implement the agreement, as a critical step towards the holding of a consensual and transparent electoral process without further delays.
The Secretary-General reiterates the importance of dialogue and consensus to resolve any issues that may arise during implementation, and calls for the swift establishment of credible election management bodies at the federal and state levels to conduct the process.
The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to support the people and Government of Somalia in the implementation of the 17 September Electoral Model and the holding of a timely electoral process.
MALI
The UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) welcomes the release of the civilian leaders of the transition this morning, but we remain extremely concerned by the political vacuum following their resignation. The Mission stresses the need to ensure the immediate resumption of the implementation of the transition roadmap and to restore a civilian-led transition that enjoys the support of the Malian people. The Mission also stresses the need for continued international assistance to Mali.
Special Representative El-Ghassim Wane had joined ECOWAS mediator, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, in the meetings that took place on 25-26 May with President Ndaw, Vice President Goita and Prime Minister Ouane in Kati. Mr. Wane also briefed the Security Council yesterday.
MINUSMA personnel continue to implement their mandated activities without incidents. The United Nations will continue to work closely with the regional mediation and its partners on the ground and to support efforts to bring the transition back on track.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
On the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues say they are closely monitoring the developments in Goma in North Kivu after last night’s decision by state authorities to evacuate 10 districts, as a precaution, following the eruption of the Nyiragongo Volcano.
Evacuations are reportedly underway, with tens of thousands of people leaving Goma.
This is happening against a backdrop of already high needs in North Kivu. Forty-four per cent of all 5 million internally displaced people in the DRC are in North Kivu, and about a third of that population is also severely food insecure.
ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN
We have been following with concern the developments on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. We urge all relevant actors to exercise restraint to avoid any actions that may escalate tensions further. We understand that negotiations are ongoing. All outstanding bilateral issues should be resolved peacefully, through dialogue and diplomatic means.
MIDDLE EAST
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, today briefed the Security Council on the recent hostilities between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel, adding that the cessation of hostilities is holding.
He highlighted the $95 million humanitarian flash appeal launched today, which you heard about this morning from the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory Lynn Hastings, and reiterated the Secretary-General’s appeal to the international community to work with the UN on developing an integrated, robust support package.
Mr. Wennesland told the Council that it is the lack of the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” - of a political horizon - after decades of conflict, that kills people’s hopes and provides space to those not interested in sustainable peace. He said that only through negotiations that end the occupation and create a viable two-State solution can we hope to bring a definitive end to these senseless and costly cycles of violence.
Council members also heard from Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), who recently spent a few days in Gaza, where more than 250 people were killed and thousands more injured. He commended the work done by UNRWA staff in Gaza, who opened the schools they run there to the thousands of people who had been displaced by the escalation of violence.
ETHIOPIA
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Catherine Sozi, today condemned the arbitrary arrest, beatings and other forms of ill-treatment by soldiers of more than 200 people during the military raids of internal displacement settings in Tigray region, during the night of 24 May.
According to our colleagues, the affected Tsehaye and Adi Wonfito sites in Shire town are hosting a combined 12,000 internally displaced persons.
Ms. Sozi called for the immediate release of all those who have been arbitrarily arrested. She also said that serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law must be promptly investigated, and the perpetrators brought to justice.
We, along with our partners, are ready to engage with military commanders to ensure the protection of civilians.
On the broader humanitarian situation in Tigray, access remains a challenge. Most of the Central Zone, the most populated in the area with some 1.8 million people, remains largely inaccessible.
Where humanitarian workers have reached people, the situation is dire, including shortages of food, dysfunctional water system, lack of electricity and lack of health services.
Food insecurity is also alarming, with a high risk of mass severe acute malnutrition looming in the next few months if not addressed immediately.
Humanitarian partners are gradually scaling up their response. Nearly half a million people were reached with food assistance last week, bringing the number of people reached since 27 March to more than 2.2 million people out of the targeted 5.2 million people, so we still have quite a large gap.
We continue to call for safe, unimpeded and sustained access to scale up the humanitarian response to help all people in need. More funding urgent funding is needed.
HAITI
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca arrived in Haiti yesterday to review the progress the UN team in Haiti, including the UN Mission, are contributing to, and to hold talks with the authorities and civil society.
COVID-19/AFRICA
The World Health Organization (WHO) today said that Africa urgently needs at least 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the next six weeks to get second doses to all of the people who received a first dose, to meet the 8-12 week window between doses.
In addition, WHO said today that it needs another 200 million doses of any vaccine approved for emergency use by WHO, so that Africa can vaccinate 10 per cent of its population by September of this year. This follows a call made by Director General Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] at the World Health Assembly earlier this week for all Member States to support a massive vaccination campaign.
To date, 28 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Africa, which represents less than two doses administered per 100 people.
COVAX
Several countries in Latin American and the Caribbean received shipments of COVAX vaccines this week.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where our team is supporing authorities following the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, the country received more than 21,000 doses.
In other parts of the Caribbean, 21,000 doses of vaccines arrived in Grenada.
Meanwhile, in El Salvador, they have received 96,000 doses.
Argentina received two shipments of COVAX-backed vaccines, totaling more than 860,000 doses. Bolivia received its third shipment of more than 100,000 doses.
Latin America and the Caribbean have now received nearly 14 million COVAX-backed doses to date. We, along with our partners, are working to help countries with their national vaccination campaign.
ENVIRONMENT
Our friends at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi have a new report out today, released jointly with the World Economic Forum and other partners.
It says a total investment in nature of $8.1 trillion is needed between now and 2050 to successfully tackle the interlinked climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation crises.
The report, entitled the “State of Finance for Nature,” also calls for annual investment to reach $536 billion annually by 2050.
The report urges Governments, financial institutions and businesses to overcome this investment gap by placing nature at the heart of economic decision-making in the future.
