Peacebuilding

In West and Central Africa, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the region continues to experience catastrophic flooding, with more than 7 million people impacted across 16 countries. Chad, Niger, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been the most affected.

The latest report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security says that the effects of war and conflict on women and girls are worsening. In 2023, the proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled compared to 2022 and four out of every 10 people who died because of conflict in 2023 were women.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day, and teams, in Gaza City, reported that shelter support is urgently needed.

This week, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in its continuing support to the Government on demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration of ex-combatants, repatriated four ex-combatants from Rwanda along with a dependent woman.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) appealed today for $18.5 million to provide crucial healthcare services to migrants, internally displaced people, and host communities at risk of Mpox in East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the southern part of the continent.

The grave situation in Sudan offers fundamental lessons for drawdowns and terminations of United Nations peacekeeping missions in other transition contexts where women’s lives are at stake — such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Somalia and Haiti — the Security Council heard today, as delegates underscored the need to integrate a gender perspective into all components of peace missions.

The General Assembly today adopted three texts — including a resolution in support of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States — and conducted a debate on building peace, with speakers applauding the work of the Peacebuilding Commission and calling for resources to increase its engagement.

The UN, along with humanitarian aid partners, last night launched a response plan calling for $9 million to support 43,000 people impacted by Hurricane Beryl in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Immediate action is crucial, particularly in light of what is expected to be a very intense hurricane season.

Meeting jointly under the theme “The development and peace dimensions of forced displacement: Countries’ best practices in creating durable solutions”, the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission today heard that addressing the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons requires a holistic approach that goes beyond the mere provision of humanitarian aid.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for Peacebuilding Day, observed on 23 June: