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Month: October 2019

UN spotlights digitization of audiovisual archives to preserve human history on World Day

Audiovisual documents contain the primary records of the history of the 20th and 21st centuries, enabling us to pass down common heritage across generations, however, the moving pictures and radio sounds capturing our collective pasts run the risk of vanishing through decay, or being lost to time as the technology once used to handle them becomes obsolete. 

The theme of this year’s World Day, “Engage the Past Through Sound and Images” praises the expertise of the people working to safeguard collections of the past for generations to come, which without, “large portions of our cultural heritage would disappear to be lost forever”, the UN said on the Day.

In 2005, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved commemoration of the Day every 27 October, at it’s biennial meeting of Member States to spotlight the need for urgent conservation measures of important audiovisual files-a parallel effort to the entity’s establishment of the Memory of the World Programme,  in 1992, which made clear that significant audiovisual collections worldwide suffered a variety of detrimental fates. 

War, looting and dispersal, illegal trading, and preservation funding shortfalls are a few of the burdens that have threatened precious archive holdings for centuries.

For material still intact, digitizing physical records has been a method of escaping inevitable wear and tear from decades of handling, and extending the longevity of audiovisual libraries. 

UNESCO in 2015 launched a fundraising project to create digital surrogates of the Organisation’s archives dating back to its predecessors, including the League of Nations’ International Institute for Intellectual Cooperation.

The institutional archives and historical audiovisual collections contain evidence of more than 70 years of ideas and actions for peace and international understanding that span the Organization’s wide-ranging fields of competence. 

Three years on, the Organisation’s Paris headquarters began housing a digitization lab for material to be more efficiently sorted, digitized, quality checked, and made available online. 

A wealth of 5,000 photos, 8,000 hours of sound recordings, 45 hours of film, and 560,000 pages of governing body documents capture oceanography, space exploration, human rights communications, and traces of intellectual figures such as Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Masaharu Anesaki and more.

Click here to experience the online library thus far. 

UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, said the Day marks an occasion “to remember  the  importance  of  audiovisual materials for connecting with our history and understanding who we are today.”

“The  past  century  was  marked  by  unprecedented  human  development  and world-shaping  events.  We  must  ensure  its  lessons  are  transmitted  to  future  generations”, she urged.

Friday’s Daily Brief: Listen to protesters urges Guterres, unplanned pregnancies, CAR in the Security Council, Nigeria, Libya updates  

Protests around the world: Politicians must address ‘growing deficit of trust’, urges Guterres  

Protests in cities across the world in recent days show that “people are hurting and want to be heard” by political leaders who must now address a “growing deficit of trust”, said the UN chief on Friday.  

Speaking to correspondents at UN Headquarters in New York, António Guterres said that although “every situation is unique” there are common underlying factors which constitute “rising threats to the social contract” between citizens and the political class.  

Here’s our full coverage.  

 

Listen to or download the full remarks on SoundCloud:  

One-in-four pregancies unplanned, two-thirds of women foregoing contraceptives 

Around two-thirds of sexually active women surveyed in a new UN study indicated that although they wished to avoid or postpone having children, they had stopped relying on contraception out of concern for how it was affecting their health. As a result, around a quarter of all pregnancies are unplanned.  

That’s according to World Health Organization (WHO) findings published on Friday. The family planning study of more than 10,000 women aged 15 to 49, across 36 low and middle-income countries confirms that 65 per cent of women with an unintended pregnancy were either not using contraception, or relied on traditional methods (such as withdrawal or calendar-based methods).  

More in our story, here. 

UN Libya mission denies enabling anti-Government forces to target medical facilities 

The UN Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, on Friday strongly denied “rumours” that it has been sharing coordinates of field hospitals and clinics with forces loyal to the self-styled Libyan National Army, which has been waging a military campaign to take the capital from the UN-recognized Government since April. 

UNSMIL “strongly condemns attacks on all civilian targets including health facilities and medical personnel” having documented at least 58 attacks on health workers and health facilities so far this year. 

The mission said it “categorically denies rumours that it has received coordinates for field hospitals and field clinics operating south of Tripoli, and passed them on to one of the parties to the conflict. UNSMIL reiterates that it has not received any coordinates for field hospitals and field clinics and has not provided such information to any party to the conflict.” 

Reports emerged online on Thursday, quoting an Anti-Terrorism Force spokesperson, alleging that drones had been deployed by rebel militia after UNSMIL had been given the positions of facilities, leading to an increase in attacks. 

“The UN stresses that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian and human rights law and may constitute war crimes”, the UNSMIL statement continued. 

Central African Republic: ‘Transform dreams of peace into reality’: mission chief tells Security Council  

Updating the Security Council on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Friday, the head of the UN Mission in the country, MINUSCA, called on the country’s friends and partners, including the Council, to “transform the dreams of peace, prosperity and development of millions of Central Africans into a lasting reality”.  

Looking back over events that have taken place since his last such briefing in June, Mankeur Ndiaye reiterated his observation that hopes have been raised, following the signing of a peace and reconciliation agreement in February, in the capital Bangui, the implementation of which has been a major preoccupation of MINUSCA. He outlined both the progress made, and the challenges faced by the vast nation. 

Here’s our story.  

More than 140,000 displaced in northeast Nigeria 

Renewed violence in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno has displaced more than 140,000 people this year alone, and with many farmers having missed planting seasons, three million people are now food insecure. 

UN relief chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, shared these observations on Friday, following a visit to the war-battered region.  

Most of the violence has been perpetrated by extremist group Boko Haram, with more than seven million people currently in need of humanitarian assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, he said.  

Murder of prominent former-FARC fighter condemned 

The UN Verification Mission in Colombia has condemned the murder of the prominent former FARC rebel leader, Alexander Parra, also known as Rodolfo Fierro, in the area where training and reintegration has been taking place, and expressed its “condolences to his family and community members”. 

The UN Verification Mission voiced its “profound” condemnation for this latest murder, reportedly at the hands of a death squad, which has seen more than 150 former members of the demobilized militia killed, since the signing of the historic peace agreement with the Government in 2016. 

Mr. Parra was a former commander, FARC delegate to the Departmental Council for Reintegration in Meta and international coordinator, said the Mission. He was “recognized for his commitment to the peace process and his active role in promoting reintegration. His partner, who was present during the events, is a FARC party candidate for the municipal council of Mesetas.” 

The assassination is the first to take place in the demobilization and reintegration area, where former FARC fighters are living under public protection, before being fully reintegrating into civilian life. 

Listen to or download our audio News in Brief for 25 October on SoundCloud:   

 

Central African Republic: ‘Transform dreams of peace into reality’: mission chief tells Security Council

Looking back over events that have taken place since his last such briefing in June, Mankeur Ndiaye reiterated his observation that hopes have been raised, following the signing of a peace and reconciliation agreement in February, in the capital Bangui, the implementation of which has been a major preoccupation of MINUSCA. He outlined both the progress made, and the challenges faced by the vast nation.

Progress in peacebuilding, security and development

On the positive side, monitoring of the peace agreement is now operational at local and national levels, said Mr. Ndiaye, with MINUSCA helping to contain or avoid crises. In the town of Bossangoa, for example, Muslim civilians have been able to return home, and move freely, for the first time since large-scale inter-communal killings in 2013.

Special security units have now been launched in the north-west of the country, continued the MINUSCA chief, and the Government is planning to despatch similar units to the north-east and south-east of the country as soon as possible. It is expected that this will ensure the continued engagement of armed groups in the peace process.

In addition, disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration (DDRR) efforts have continued. Despite the reluctance of the 3R armed rebel group to participate, some 583 fighters have been disarmed and demobilized since December 2018.

The process of justice and reconciliation is also advancing, with the help of MINUSCA, said Mr, Ndiaye, and national consultations on a future Truth, Justice Reparations and Reconciliation Committee are ongoing in many parts of the country.

Another commission to examine the root causes of conflict in CAR, and propose justice measures, is also continuing its work throughout the country, and will present its report next month.

The national peacebuilding and recovery plan has seen progress, declared Mr. Ndiaye: with some 2,4 billion dollars released on October 1, funding of the plan has now reached over 67 per cent, and 400 projects, in several socio-economic sectors aimed at making a tangible improvement in the lives of CAR citizens, are now underway.

State authority continues to be extended, added the MINUSCA chief, thanks to the engagement of the Government, the UN and other partners. The number of officials on the grounds has doubled since 2015, 1346 members of the armed forces are deployed nationally, and 1050 police are present in 15 prefectures.

Challenges to peace and security remain

However, many challenges remain. Despite a halving in the numbers of human rights violations, attacks against civilians, sexual violence, restrictions on the liberty of movement, and kidnappings are still taking place.

Mr. Ndiaye noted his particular concern surrounding the tense security situation in the north-east of CAR since July. Fighting between two armed groups, the Movement of Central African Liberators for Justice (MLCJ) and the Popular Front for the Renaissance of Central Africa (FPRC), has led to many casualties, and the displacement of several thousand people. MINUSCA and other partners have been mobilized to end the violence.

Other challenges outlined by Mr. Ndiaye include the risk of violence linked to transhumance – seasonal livestock grazing – which starts with the arrival of the dry season; ongoing examples of illegal taxation; and the slow progress of laws associated with the peace process, notably those to do with decentralization and the status of former Heads of State.

Dealing with the root causes of conflict

The planned 2020/ 2021 elections in CAR should, declared Mr, Ndiaye, help to resolve the root causes of conflict in the country, reinforce democratic governance, and support the process of decentralization.

Authorities have already begun to prepare for the elections, adopting a new electoral code in July, preparing a new electoral map, and setting aside more than two million dollars to finance the poll. When added to the amount provided by the EU and other partners, the budget for the elections stands at around 41,8 million dollars.

However, the preparations remain threatened by a lack of technical, financial and human resources, said Mr. Ndiaye. MINUSCA does not yet have an appropriate logistical mandate, and ongoing insecurity is sowing doubt in the minds of the country’s political class. A major delay in elections could be damaging to democracy and peace in CAR, he warned, calling on the international community to provide an appropriate mandate, and the necessary funds.

MINUSCA currently has nearly 13,000 uniformed personnel serving the country’s five-year-old peacekeeping mission, aiming to restore security, and provide support for human rights efforts, following years of political upheaval.

Protests around the world: Politicians must address ‘growing deficit of trust’, urges Guterres

Speaking to correspondents at UN Headquarters in New York, António Guterres said that although “every situation is unique” there are common underlying factors which constitute “rising threats to the social contract” between citizens and the political class. 

“People want a level playing field, including social, economic and financial systems that work for all”, together with respect for their human rights and a real say in decisions that affect them, Mr. Guterres added. 

Current or recent demonstrations and protests have raged in the streets of Bolivia, Chile, Hong Kong, Ecuador, Egypt, Guinea, Haiti, Iraq and Lebanon, said the UN human rights office (OHCHR), briefing reporters in Geneva earlier in the day. 

Major protests earlier in the year were also seen in Algeria, Honduras, Nicaragua, Malawi, Russia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. 

Protests, rights violations

OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the UN had received reports of police using force against protesters in Bolivia following disputed election results this week, including tear gas, and she called on all actors, “including political leaders and their followers, to exercise restraint in order to reduce tensions”. 

There was a similar message for politicians in Baghdad, where at least 157 have been killed and nearly 5,500 injured across Iraq. There are “credible reports” of serious rights violations including killing of unarmed protesters, and excessive use of force, combined with Government repression of information. 

In Chile, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet – twice elected president there – said on Thursday her office would send a team of three officers to the country to establish the facts behind allegations of rights abuses, following days of protests over inequality, the rising cost of living, and a declared state of emergency.  

And in Lebanon, the “biggest spontaneous protests in over a decade” have continued, despite a package of anti-corruption reforms announced by the Prime Minister, said Ms. Shamdasani: “Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters from all walks of life and confessions, continue to unleash anger across the country, against what they perceive to be decades of corruption and government mismanagement.” 

‘No excuse for violence’ – UN chief 

Mr. Guterres said he was “deeply concerned that some protests have led violence and loss of life”. Governments have an obligation to uphold free expression and peaceful assembly, and to “safeguard civic space”. 

But while security forces needed to use maximum restraint, it is also incumbent on protesters “to follow the examples of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and other champions of non-violent change”, added the UN chief. 

“There can be no excuse for violence – from any quarter. Above all I urge leaders everywhere to listen to the real problems of real people. Our world needs action and ambition, to build fair globalization, strengthen social cohesion and tackle the climate crisis.” 

He concluded with a final note of advice to those in power, from Algeria, to Zimbabwe: “With solidarity and smart policies, leaders can show they ‘get it’ – and point the way to a more just world.” 

One-in-four pregnancies unplanned, two-thirds of women foregoing contraceptives 

That’s according to World Health Organization (WHO) findings published on Friday. The family planning study of more than 10,000 women aged 15 to 49, across 36 low and middle-income countries confirms that 65 per cent of women with an unintended pregnancy were either not using contraception, or relied on traditional methods (such as withdrawal or calendar-based methods). 

More than half of all women who become unintentionally pregnant in WHO’s study, had not used a contraceptive in the five years prior to conceiving; nearly 10 per cent reported the last method they had used was traditional; just over three per cent indicated they used short-acting modern contraceptives (pills and condoms) and under three per cent relied on long-acting prevention (intrauterine device and implants).  

Report authors make clear that unintended pregnancy does not necessarily equate to unwanted pregnancies, but without proper planning, they may lead to a range of health risks and complications for the expecting child and mother, from malnutrition, illness, neglect and even death.  

 Issues and concerns regarding birth control could be addressed through effective family planning, counseling, and support, the health agency explains.  

 Life-saving planning 

The “important public health issue” of unplanned pregnancies, WHO says, is at such a scale that 74 milllion women in low and middle-income countries have unintended pregnancies each year, leading to some 25 million unsafe abortions, and 47,000 maternal deaths annually. 

 Moreover, around the world, complicated pregnancies and childbirth are the leading killer of adolescent girls, aged 15 to 19, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), yet these young women and girls face enormous barriers when it comes to accessing essential reproductive health information and services.  

 The study findings spotlight a gap in health system support, it’s authors note, calling for a need to scale up availability of suitable contraceptive options, reduce switching failure, and identify early when women are having concerns about the method they are using.  

 For example in a parallel study by the WHO in the Philippines, only three per cent of women wanting to delay or limit childbearing received contraceptive counseling during their last health visit. It is estimated there are nearly 2 million unplanned pregnancies each year in the country alone, resulting in some 600,000 unsafe abortions. 

A key component of overcoming legal, policy, social, and cultural challenges to enable people to benefit from effective contraceptive services will be to first identify the women who are living with concerns, and follow up with high-quality counseling of skilled professionals to ensure the women receive effective support, WHO recommends. 

Nepal benefits from end to open toilet use

The campaign to end open defecation also raised awareness about the benefits of hand-washing., by © WSSCC/Hiroyuki Saito

In this under-developed area, sanitation has hitherto been lacking. “Previously, the people did not have toilets, they did not see the necessity of having a proper place to defecate,” says Raju Prajad Sah, the local Chief Administrative Officer.

He describes how open defecation has been a longstanding and accepted practice. The pond across the road where the villagers raise fish and water animals was often contaminated.

Mr. Sah recalls that episodes of diarrhea and other infections caused by open defecation and a lack of handwashing were common in Majhi. “Especially vulnerable are the young, the old, and anyone compromised by factors from disability to mental illness, or even just the misfortune of living alone”, he said.

Children are the most susceptible. According to the Ministry of Water Supply, over recent decades, from seven to ten thousand Nepalese children died each year from diarrhea and other related illnesses.

 

Nation-wide effort

However, a few months ago, a nation-wide effort to motivate every Nepalese household to stop open defection and use a toilet came to Majhi. Spearheaded by the Government of Nepal, the campaign appears to be bringing transformational change.

“In the beginning, the majority of the people were against this project, they were saying no, it’s against our longstanding culture and we will defecate outside of our houses,” says Nathuni Prasad Kushwaha, a local community leader.

Posters in Majhi’s promote the health benefits of using toilets and hand-washing., by © WSSCC/Hiroyuki Saito

Mr. Kushwaha says that community groups would go house-to-house to talk about the connection between open defecation and illness, promoting the health benefits of using toilets and of good hygiene practices such as handwashing.

“The villagers were taught about the benefits of sanitation, and its effect on their lives; gradually they understood that,” says Mr Kushwaha.

Raju Prajad Sah, in his role as Chief Administrative Officer, is responsible for the implementation of development projects across the municipality. He says that after three intense months of lobbying for an end to open defecation, every household in Majhi decided to construct its own toilet.

“Now they all are using the toilets and obviously the difference is that there will be a reduction of diseases and their living standard will be, I think, uplifted,” says Mr Sah.

Sunaina now has a latrine in the back of her house. “I built it myself by taking a loan. I have not paid it back yet, but I will within one year by cultivating rice paddies”, she says.

Declaration

On 30 September this year, the Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, declared all 77 Nepali districts free from open defecation.  Building on this momentum, the government announced a new national campaign to address long-term behavioural changes. Since 2011, the UN’s Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) has been working with the Nepali authorities to transform the country’s approach to sanitation and hygiene.

Its efforts over the past five years have been concentrated on the southern Terai plains, the challenging last mile of Nepal’s sanitation campaign. Despite the region’s daunting socio-economic challenges, the programme, supported by WSSCC and implemented by UN-Habitat, NGOs and government partners, successfully helped accelerate sanitation coverage in eight Terai districts from around 13 per cent to 98 per cent in just over four years, according to government data.

“The progress we are seeing in Nepal is very encouraging and is testimony to what can be achieved when national governments, development partners, NGOs and local communities work together,” says WSSCC’s Sue Coates.

World Toilet Day, marked annually on November 19, is according to Ms Coates “an opportunity to celebrate such achievements and to ensure that such gains are sustained and that we continue to support countries to move upwards on the sanitation ladder. This is crucial in the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The UN and Sanitation

  • Ensuring sanitation and water for all is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) that make up the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • An end to open defecation is a specific target within SDG6
  • The UN’s Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), is hosted by UNOPS, the UN Office for Project Services
  • The WSSCCC advocates for improved sanitation and hygiene for the most vulnerable and marginalized people in the world

We need to talk: UN gears up for 75th anniversary with Global Conversations

The UN is aiming to reach the global public, via dialogues which will be held around the world, from January 2020. The objective of the dialogues is to listen to the hopes and fears of a wide range of people, to learn from their experiences, and spark discussion on ways to build a better world for all.

Feedback will be sought from all segments and generations of society, in settings as varied as classrooms, boardrooms, parliaments and village halls, but there will be a particular focus on youth, and marginalized groups.

The views and ideas generated, will be presented to world leaders, and senior UN officials, at a high-profile event held in September 2020.

The information gathered – alongside the results of global opinion polling and media analysis – will feed into a global vision for 2045, the year the UN turns 100. It is expected to increase understanding of threats to a sustainable, inclusive future for all, and drive collective action to achieve that vision.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Fabrizio Hochschild, the senior UN official overseeing the 75-year anniversary events, said that they come at a time when the world is more inter-connected than ever before, and facing a host of problems that need to be faced through global cooperation; but also a time when nations are retreating from the institutions set up to address such challenges.

Mr. Hochschild said that the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, hopes to inspire a process of reflection on the state of the world, and the extent to which it is drifting away from the UN’s aspirations for a better future, as laid out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UN-inspired conversations will, said Mr. Hochschild, be focused around three main areas. Firstly, defining the future we want, as we look towards 2045; identifying the global megatrends, and where they are taking the world away from that vision; and a critical discussion that generates ideas for improving global cooperation.

Find more information on the UN’s plans to mark its 75-year anniversary, and how to get involved in the global conversation on the world’s future, here.

World is closer than ever to seeing polio disappear for good

The deadly viral disease is “very close” to disappearing altogether, with the number of affected children having dropped by 99 per cent since 1988, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced on World Polio Day, marked each 24 October, positioning the world closer than ever to its total eradication.

The number of recorded cases has fallen from 350,000 in 1988, to less than 40 today, and from a presence in 125 countries, to just two.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two remaining countries with reported cases, with Nigeria, a third polio-endemic country, having gone three years without a reported infection, placing it on track to be certified polio-free by 2020.

“Following the eradication of smallpox and wild poliovirus type two, this news represents a historic achievement for humanity”, WHO said, with only type one of the virus remaining.

18 million would have been paralyzed

All three strains are symptomatically identical, WHO explains, causing irreversible paralysis, and in cases when muscles become immobilized, the disease leads to death. Early on, other signs may include fever, fatigue, and stiffness in the neck and limbs, though most infected people (90 per cent) have very mild, or no symptoms at all.

Thanks to disease control efforts, including the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), comprised of WHO, UNICEF and other health partners, 18 million people are currently walking, who otherwise would have been paralyzed by the virus.

In addition, milestone polio eradication work has saved the world more than $27 billion in health costs in the last 30 years, with potential to generate $14 billion in cumulative cost savings by 2050, when compared to costs incurred in controlling the virus indefinitely.

Beyond Thursday’s milestone, eradication “will send a strong message” regarding the power of vaccines at a time when public trust has been undermined, WHO has said.

As the world faces a spread of misinformation over vaccine safety, eliminating polio will provide “irrefutable evidence” that they work.

UNICEF has stressed that seeing polio disappear means every child, in every household must continue to be vaccinated. The agency has managed to distribute over one billion doses annually, but thousands of children are still missing out.

Vulnerable children live in remote areas or in conflict-affected communities, making access a challenge. Marginalized and underserved communities, already lacking basic resources like water and health care, sometimes only received care through targeted polio vaccination campaigns.

UNICEF continues to lead efforts to increase acceptance and demand for the vaccine through community dialogue, trust-building and evidence-based communication on the effectiveness of the immunization.

Security Council: UN welcomes efforts to de-escalate crisis in northeast Syria

UN Assistant Secretary-General, Khaled Khiari, noted that while the situation remains volatile and uncertain, there has been “an encouraging surge of diplomatic activity” in recent weeks.

Turkey launched the military offensive earlier this month just days after the United States announced it was withdrawing its troops from the region, where they had been fighting the terrorist group ISIL alongside Kurdish militia.

Turkey regards the Kurdish fighters as terrorists.

Last week, Turkey and the US agreed to a five-day pause in the fighting to allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw from a so-called “safe zone”.

This past Tuesday, Turkey and Russia agreed a deal that would allow Russian military police and Syrian border guards into the area, among other measures.

“The United Nations takes note of these agreements and welcomes any efforts to de-escalate the situation in line with the UN Charter and to protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law,” said Mr. Khiari.

“The United Nations also takes note of Turkey’s announcement that ‘at this stage, there is no further need to conduct a new operation outside the present operation area.’

Humanitarian emergency

Despite the unpredictable security environment, aid workers continue to support people in northeastern Syria.

The military operation “has led to a humanitarian emergency much larger than had been anticipated,” according to Ursula Mueller, the number two official in the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office, OCHA.

In the last two weeks alone, nearly 180,000 people fled the border areas between Turkey and Syria. A reduction in fighting means some have begun to return.

“As the situation evolves, a critical challenge facing humanitarian actors is the need to scale up operations from within Syria,” said Ms. Mueller.

“To achieve this, we will need all parties to facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access via land and air routes to transport humanitarian supplies, along with an expansion of humanitarian capacity in the northeast.”

Explosive hazards such as mines are also impeding humanitarian access in Syria, in addition to injuring and killing civilians.

The military developments in the northeast prompted international mine action NGOs to evacuate the area, said Agnes Marcaillou, Director of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

Although not present there, UNMAS has contributed to the ongoing humanitarian response in the northeast by providing informational material for local communities.

Ms. Marcaillou reported that so far this year, Syria has recorded an average of 184 explosive incidents per day.

“The contamination severely impacts the lives and livelihoods of the population and further amplifies the social and economic crisis,” she said.

‘Unique opportunity’ to resolve border dispute between Sudan, South Sudan

The meeting was focused on the disputed, arid, oil-rich border territory of Abyei, where the UN Interim Security Force, UNISFA, has helped to monitor an uneasy peace without formal governance, and protect civilians, since 2011, in the weeks before South Sudan became independent from its northern neighbour.

Boundary lines for the ethnically-split rectangle of territory, have not been agreed between the two nations, but both sides agreed to allow UNISFA’s neutral presence when inter-communal fighting erupted in 2011, to help foster a more secure environment, until final agreement can be reached.

The UN chief of Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said there had been a “continued partnership” between the two, “notwithstanding the recent change of government in Khartoum”, following the overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir, presenting a “unique opportunity to move the political process forward on the border issues.”

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and civilian Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdouk, had made reciprocal visits to their respective capitals in the past two months, while Juba in the south had also hosted peace talks between the Sudanese transitional authority and armed opposition groups since 14 October, said Mr. Lacroix.

“Both countries have never been closer to achieving sustainable peace with each other and with their armed oppositions, as they continue to support respective peace processes”, he told the Council.

“Building upon the recent positive developments in their bilateral relations, the two sides need to resume direct talks immediately to resolve outstanding provisions of their agreements in relation to the final status of Abyei.

We continue to work closely with the African Union, particularly the AU High-Level Implementation Panel, in support of a political process between the two parties.”

The UN peacekeeping chief said UNISFA and the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) “have continued to play a key role in stabilizing the security situation on the ground” deterring violence and some of the lawlessness that has plagued the disputed territory.

Secretary-General António Guterres has recommended that the role of UNISFA “to engage in local mediation, provide political support for dialogue between the two parties, and fulfil protection-related tasks should be strengthened.”

He concluded by saying it was “critical that the only international mechanism operating in the border area is equipped with an appropriate mandate, capabilities, and assets. This would also send a strong signal to the parties that the United Nations remains committed to maintaining stability in the area.”

‘Encouraging signs’ of progress: Special Envoy

The UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, also briefed the Council, noting the “encouraging signs of progress” in relations between the countries, quoting Prime Minister Hamdok’s declaration that he wanted to restore the traditional ties between what he sees as “one people living in two States”.

The Envoy noted the “new impetus” to improve relations provided by the historic political changes in Sudan this year. President Kiir had been encouraged “to intensify his mediation efforts between the Government in Khartoum, and Sudanese armed groups”, and risen to the task.

“So far, the Sudanese opposition appears comfortable with President Kiir facilitating their negotiations with Khartoum”, said Mr. Onanga-Anyanga, adding that other countries had expressed interest in hosting coming phases of negotiations.

He said substantive talks between the new Government and armed opposition movements in Sudan, are expected to continue until mid-December.

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