Switzerland

I am pleased to greet this meeting of frontline humanitarian negotiators.
 
It is encouraging to see the growth of this vibrant community of practice.
 
Humanitarians are constantly on the front lines, negotiating access with parties to conflicts and assisting the world’s most vulnerable people.
 
Your work is crucial to saving and protecting millions of lives.
 
I welcome this meeting’s theme, which recognizes the importance of “engaging with communities on the front lines”.
 

SP: Thank you very much and good morning ladies and gentlemen, and members of the press corp.  As you all know the Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura is currently still in Astana, and it is because of this absence, his absence, due to the Astana meeting, he had asked me on the occasion of Jan Egeland’s last day as Senior Adviser and Chair of the ISSG Humanitarian Task Force, to deliver a very brief, personal message, so what I am about to say now is a direct quote from Special Envoy de Mistura from Astana:
 

Special Envoy de Mistura appreciates the work done at the Astana meeting by the three guarantors -- the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey -- to ensure that the Idlib de-escalation arrangements are sustained.  He is very grateful to President Nursultan Nazarbayev for the generous hospitality and efficient support of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 
 

President Ghani, Excellencies,
 
I am pleased to greet this important conference.
 
Our hearts go out to all Afghans who have been affected by conflict, trauma and suffering.
 
This Conference comes at a time when violence is widespread and genuine opportunities for peace in Afghanistan are being severely tested.
 
I welcome your focus on the objectives of transformation and self-reliance, as set by Afghanistan four years ago at the beginning of the Transformation Decade.
 

Your Excellency Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Your Excellency Mr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,
 
It is a pleasure for the United Nations to co-host this event and reaffirm our partnership with the Government and people of Afghanistan for peace, inclusive growth and sustainable development.
 

Special Envoy de Mistura received an invitation from the Government of Kazakhstan, on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey – the guarantors of the de-escalation agreement – to participate in the high-level meeting in Astana on 28 and 29 November 2018. 

JE: Thank you very much, we just completed a Humanitarian Task Force meeting. It was a meeting where we had some rare moments of feeling that we achieved, through humanitarian diplomacy, what we have so many times before failed to. 
 

As indicated in his briefing to the Security Council on 26 October 2018, Special Envoy de Mistura has been continuing intensive consultations on the early establishment of a constitutional committee.
 

Special Envoy de Mistura visited Damascus today and met Mr. Walid Al-Moualem, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic.
 
They had a frank and intense exchange of views in a cordial atmosphere.
 

JE: I have done this work of leading the Humanitarian Task Force for nearly three years, there has been too many setbacks, we have failed more often than we have achieved what we wanted, but there have been also some positive developments and we have two now that I would like to mention: