LIBYA
The Security Council held an open meeting on Libya this morning.
Briefing Council members, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ghassan Salame, said that the armed conflict in the country shows no signs of abating, with the war around Tripoli having left nearly 1,100 people dead, including more than 100 civilians.
He noted that forces on both sides have failed to observe their obligations under international humanitarian law, pointing to the deadly airstrike that hit the migrant detention centre in Tajoura earlier this month. Mr. Salame said that, following UN-backed efforts to move the migrants to more secure locations, in recent days, authorities have moved more than 200 migrants back into the bombed facility in Tajoura.
He also stressed that the deaths of up to 150 migrants at sea last week again underlines the urgent need to address the root causes of the migrant issue. He emphasized the need for migrant detention centres to be shuttered, urging the Council to call upon the authorities in Tripoli to free those held in these facilities.
The Special Representative put forward a three-part plan of action to end the conflict. First, he called for a truce to be declared for Eid al-Adha; second, he called for a high-level meeting of concerned countries to end the hostilities and implement the arms embargo; and last, a meeting of leading and influential personalities from Libya to agree on a way forward.
Also on Libya, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in Libya, Bérangère Böell-Yousfi, strongly condemned today what she called the disgraceful shelling of Al-Alamain school and Az Zawiyah Field Hospital, south of Tripoli. Thousands of people have been deprived from access to basic services as a result.
The UN and humanitarian organizations continue to call on all the parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, and urge an end to the attacks on hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure and personnel.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS
I have a couple of announcements for you.
The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Karla Gabriela Samayoa Recari of Guatemala as his Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.
Ms. Samayoa Recari succeeds Jessica Faieta of Ecuador, to whom the Secretary-General extends his deep gratitude for her exemplary leadership and dedication.
Serving as Guatemala’s Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Organizations based in Rome since 2018, Ms. Samayoa Recari brings to the position over twenty years of experience in diplomacy, including in United Nations contexts, where she focused on peace and security, humanitarian and management issues.
And I have another announcement for you. Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Rosine Sori-Coulibaly of Burkina Faso as his new Special Representative for Guinea-Bissau and Head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, or UNIOGBIS for short.
Ms. Sori-Coulibaly succeeds José Viegas Filho of Brazil, who completed his assignment on 18 May 2019. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Viegas Filho’s leadership of UNIOGBIS during his tenure.
Having recently served as Minister of Economy, Finance and Development in her home country, Ms. Sori-Coulibaly brings to this position more than 35 years of international and national experience in the field of sustainable and humanitarian development, political transition, poverty reduction, fiscal and budgetary reforms, gender equality and women’s empowerment.
And we have more on this online.
AFGHANISTAN
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned yesterday’s attack on the political office of vice-presidential candidate, Amrullah Saleh, in Kabul. According to international media, at least 20 people were killed. On its Twitter account, UNAMA recalls that candidates are civilians and reiterates that violence has no place in Afghanistan’s presidential campaign.
In a statement issued today, UNAMA urges all stakeholders to work toward building trust and confidence in the election process, stressing the importance to provide the Afghan people with sufficient information and understanding to exercise an informed choice for their next president.
The Mission also recalls the particularly important role of the media in the elections process.
Registered voters are encouraged to participate in the elections, including women, to express their democratic will.
UNAMA reiterates its continued commitment and support for an Afghan‐led and Afghan‐owned election, and acknowledges the efforts made by electoral management bodies, the government and other stakeholders to hold a timely, transparent and credible presidential election.
CHINA
Yesterday evening, we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General expressed his sadness at the loss of life and destruction of property caused by landslides in the Guizou province of China.
The Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
With the heavy rains that contributed to the landslides still falling, the Secretary-General commends the search and rescue operations being conducted by the Government of China. If needed, the United Nations stands ready to assist in these efforts.
YEMEN
UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner returned today from a five-day mission to Yemen, where he traveled to Aden, Sana’a, and Hudaydah.
In a statement, Mr. Steiner said that the magnitude of the devastation and human suffering that he witnessed firsthand is difficult to comprehend. He added that the only viable solution for Yemen is peace.
He said that one of the main objectives behind his visit to Yemen was to explore how development initiatives can work with all Yemenis to lay the foundation for a future with viable alternatives to war and chaos. You can find Mr. Steiner’s full statement on UNDP’s website.
SYRIA
Our humanitarian colleagues remain deeply concerned for the safety and protection of civilians in northwest Syria, where some 3 million women, children and men remain caught in the crossfire.
Close to 500 civilians have been killed in the violence since 28 April, and more than 440,000 people have been displaced.
This weekend alone, at least 35 people, including three health workers, were reportedly killed in a succession of airstrikes and shelling on densely populated urban areas in territory controlled by non-state armed groups. Shelling also reportedly affected urban areas in Government-controlled zones.
In addition, extensive damage to residential areas and civilian infrastructure reportedly included seven schools, a health clinic, a market, and a bakery. Thousands of people fled towards the Turkish border this weekend as well.
The UN reminds all parties to the conflict, and those who have influence over them, of their obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and of the principles of distinction and proportionality enshrined in International Humanitarian Law.
PHILIPPINES
Our humanitarian colleagues also tell us that there have been three successive earthquakes in the remote northern Batanes area of the Philippines on Saturday.
As of today, nearly 3,000 people, the entire population of Itbayat island, have been displaced, eight people were killed and more than 60 people are reportedly injured. Two hospitals in Itbayat have been damaged and are not functional.
The national government is leading the response, assisted by the Philippine Red Cross and humanitarian partners.
COTE D’IVOIRE
Today, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced an innovative partnership to construct a first-of-its-kind factory that will convert plastic waste collected in Côte d'Ivoire into modular plastic bricks.
The easy-to-assemble, durable, low-cost bricks will be used to build much needed classrooms in the West African country.
According to UNICEF’s Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, this factory will be at the cutting edge of smart, scalable solutions for some of the major educational challenges that Africa’s children and communities face.
Côte d'Ivoire needs 15,000 classrooms to meet the needs of children without a place to learn. With this innovative partnership, 500 classrooms for more than 25,000 children will be built in the coming two years.
