The United Nations Department of Peace Operations announced that Superintendent Sangya Malla of Nepal, currently serving in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), will be named the 2021 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year. Superintendent Malla will be presented the award by United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres at a virtual ceremony on 9 November.
For Youth Day at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group and young climate activists discussed how to include young people in formal decision-making processes. Indigenous youth leaders also shared on the importance of traditional knowledge as a vital component of climate action.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Colin Stewart of Canada as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
The Secretary-General — in observance of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, on 2 November — stated that 62 journalists were killed for doing their jobs in 2020. Noting that the number of media workers killed outside conflict zones has risen in recent years, he urged leaders to demonstrate the political will needed to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
The heads of nine United Nations agencies and the Global Water Partnership issued an urgent call to Governments to prioritize integrated water and climate action. The letter, addressed to the world’s Heads of State and Government, was released on the eve of the Organization’s climate change summit in Glasgow.
The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 October 2022, emphasizing the need for a realistic, practical, enduring and mutually acceptable political solution based on compromise for the region.
The Security Council today requested the Secretary‑General to set up a dedicated team to assist the electoral process in South Sudan towards the country’s democratic future, as members also discussed the impact of the 25 October military coup d’état in Sudan on the bilateral border administration.
Unabating attacks by illegal armed groups in the Central African Republic are exacerbating the already‑fragile security situation and undermining valuable progress made in establishing institutional stability, the Head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission there told the Security Council today, as members examined the situation ahead of an imminent vote on renewing the Mission’s mandate, which expires on 15 November.
Senior officials from Kosovo and Serbia traded accusations of each other’s non-compliance of agreements today as the Security Council considered the recent escalation of tensions between the two sides, trust-building measures and whether the presence of the United Nations special political mission in Kosovo is still necessary.
