After declining for several years, 2021 has seen an alarming uptick in deadly attacks against United Nations peacekeepers, senior officials told the Security Council during a videoconference debate today, as members adopted a presidential statement reiterating their support for blue helmets deployed amid some of the world’s most complex conflict environments.
A Kenyan peacekeeper, who recently completed her assignment in Darfur, Sudan, is selected to receive the 2020 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.
Aid workers in Ethiopia report rising incidents of denial of relief cargo, and the confiscation of humanitarian vehicles and supplies, by parties to the conflict in the Tigray region. While over 5 million people are targeted for food assistance, only about 1.8 million have been reached since late March amid limited access.
Five years after the 2017 influx into Bangladesh of Rohingya refugees, food security in Cox’s Bazar remains a top priority, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports. A joint response plan calls for $943 million to help the refugees and their host communities; 25 per cent of the funds will go to fight hunger and malnutrition.
The Secretary-General welcomed the beginning of consultations between Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville government, following a referendum on Bougainville’s political future held in 2019. The consultations mark an “important step” in the implementation of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), acting without a vote today, approved a resolution endorsing the latest report of the 34-member Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations — including a raft of recommendations related to mandates, protection and peacekeeper conduct and safety — thereby forwarding them to the General Assembly for adoption.
Humanitarian officials in Somalia say a “double climate disaster”, marked by drought followed by torrential rains, has killed at least 25 people in two weeks. Warning that 2.7 million people in the country are already food insecure, they note that the Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 19 per cent funded.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Zhang Jun (China):
United Nations officials in the Central African Republic report that 300 peacekeepers have been deployed to Bakouma, one of several places where security concerns prevented the holding of elections in 2020. They will protect the civilian population and help organize legislative elections later in May.
