Peacekeeping

The Secretary-General visited the World Health Organization (WHO) crisis centre, praising the agency’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, urging countries to do their utmost to be prepared, and calling on donors to support WHO.  “If there is truly something stupid to do, it is to not fully fund WHO appeals,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Major General Ishwar Hamal of Nepal as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

Speakers called for more efforts to deploy women in United Nations peace operations worldwide and fully implement the Secretary-General’s strategy to make missions stronger, safer and more effective, as the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations concluded its annual general debate today.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees today said it is deeply saddened by reports of the deaths of at least 20 people during a stampede for food and cash in Niger’s Diffa region on Sunday.  The number of victims could rise as more information is received.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on “Future Challenges to Global Peace: The Role of the United Nations vis-à-vis Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)”, in Islamabad today:

Investing more in training is among the best ways to increase the capacity of United Nations peace operations, while these missions should not be asked to do more with less resources, speakers told the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations today at the first meeting of its 2020 substantive session.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Jack Christofides of South Africa as the Deputy Head of Mission for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Acting unanimously today, the Security Council decided to extend the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Cyprus, while calling for the establishment of a mechanism for direct military contacts between the sides and relevant parties.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Dang Dinh Quy (Viet Nam):