October 2020 — Page 4 of 17 — Human Rights & Charity

‘Serious concerns’ over rights situation in Myanmar ahead of next month’s elections

Minority groups, including the Rohingya Muslim community and ethnic Rakhine population, have been disproportionately affected, said a senior OHCHR spokesperson in Geneva.

“While the elections represent an important milestone in Myanmar’s democratic transition, the civic space is still marred by continuing restrictions of the freedoms of opinion, expression and access to information, and the use of language that could amount to incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence”, said Ravina Shamdasani at the regular media briefing in Geneva.

She also voiced concern over Government and military leadership’s intolerance towards opposing views or criticism of its policies and actions, in the run up to voting.

Over the past two months, dozens of student activists have been charged – and four of them sentenced to over six years’ imprisonment – under various laws after they called for an end to the conflicts in the northern Rakhine and Chin provinces and for reinstatement of mobile internet services in those areas, as well as for the release of other detained student activists.

“We urge the Government to drop charges against all those facing legal action for exercising their right to freedom of expression – a right that is particularly precious in a pre-electoral context,” said Ms. Shamdasani.

The elections are scheduled to be held on 8 November.

Muslim minorities ‘largely excluded’ from citizenship

Myanmar’s discriminatory citizenship and electoral laws confer different rights to different classes of citizens, most clearly affecting Muslim minorities who are largely excluded from any citizenship rights, according to the UN rights office.

There has also been significant disenfranchisement resulting from the Union Election Commission’s announcement on 16 October, that elections would not be taking place in 56 townships, including in Rakhine province.

“The Commission did not provide public justification for its decision – which curtails the right to political participation in areas with ethnic minority populations in a discriminatory fashion”, added Ms. Shamdasani.

Internet shutdown

She noted that an internet shutdown effectively remains in place in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin provinces, severely limiting the ability of residents to receive and deliver reliable information, including on COVID-19 and polling procedures.

“Blanket internet shutdowns may be counterproductive and contravene international law,” said Ms. Shamdasani.

‘Unrelenting proliferation of hateful speech’

The spokesperson also voiced deep concerns over “unrelenting proliferation” of hateful speech against Muslims on the Facebook social media platform. Facebook has made an effort to identify and remove such content, she added.

“We call on the Government of Myanmar to take action in line with the Presidential Directive 3/2020 of April this year to denounce such hateful language publicly and to promote tolerance, non-discrimination and pluralism in speech by public officials and electoral candidates”, said the OHCHR spokesperson.

UN agency chiefs appeal for ‘open science’ beyond COVID-19, citing dangers of secrecy and denial

Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Michelle Bachelet, UN human rights chief (OHCHR), said it was time to ensure the benefits of science could be shared by all.

Science not ‘only for the few’

“In these difficult times, the best health technologies and discoveries cannot be preserved only for a few”, the WHO chief said.

“They must be available to all. After all, what’s the purpose of having cutting-edge technologies if they cannot reach the people that need them the most? Sharing data and information that is often kept secret or protected by intellectual property could significantly advance the speed at which technologies are developed.

“An open research process also promotes transparency and helps to safeguard against misuse and allows others to validate the research process. So I warmly welcome today’s call for open science, a call for inclusiveness and solidarity.”

Ms. Azoulay said the global fight against COVID-19 had highlighted the need for universal access to science as never before, and the potential of cooperation.

Solidarity ‘a model for the future’

“The solidarity shown by the global scientific community is a model for the future. In the face of global challenges we need collective intelligence more today than ever”, she said.

“And yet before COVID-19 only one in four scientific publications were openly accessible, meaning millions of researchers were denied the possibility of reading their colleagues’ works.

“Today, closed science models do no longer work, because they amplify inequalities between countries and researchers and because they only make scientific progress available to a minority.”

There was an urgent need to open up and democratise science, not just by liberalising access to publications, but by making the entire scientific process more accessible, more transparent and more participatory by sharing data, protocols, software and infrastructure, the UNESCO chief added.

Coherent vision

Concerning the drive towards international laws and standards, UNESCO’s 193 Member States have already mandated the organization to draft an international instrument, a recommendation on how to build a coherent vision of open science, with a shared set of overarching principles and values.

The first draft was completed last month and the text was now open for comments, with countries scheduled to adopt a final version by the end of 2021, Ms. Azoulay said.

“The global community urgently needs to ensure that open science does not replicate the failures of traditional closed science systems. It is these failures that have led to a high level of distrust in science, to the disconnect between science and society, and a widening of the science, technology and innovation gaps between and within countries.”

Scientific knowledge, a human right

Ms. Bachelet said sharing knowledge was a matter of human rights, noting the explicit reference to sharing scientific advances and benefits contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Covid-19 has brought this issue of open information into sharp focus. The suppression or denial of scientific evidence in some circles and reluctance to adapt evidence-based policies have magnified the devastating harms the pandemic has generated”, Ms. Bachelet said.

“The basic principle of public health is the need for full and honest engagement with the public. Use of force will not mitigate or end this pandemic, but the use of science and fully-informed public consent and compliance will.”

She applauded last week’s tie-up between WHO and Wikipedia to provide free access to information about COVID-19 and said the pandemic reinforced the importance of non-discriminatory access to the benefits of science such as COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, and states had a clear obligation under international human rights law to cooperate on ensuring access to a vaccine for all.

“When the benefits of science are managed as a purely commercial product reserved for the wealthy, everyone is harmed”, Ms. Bachelet said.

“Everyone’s right to share in scientific advances and benefits has been attacked in recent years, particularly in the context of climate change. In some circles the issue of whether climate even exists or is caused by human activity is treated as a matter of personal belief rather than rigorous science”, she added.

The deliberate introduction of doubt about clear factual evidence was catastrophic for the planet, Ms. Bachelet said.

Poland ‘slammed the door shut’ on legal and safe abortions: Human rights experts

In a statement on Tuesday, the rights experts also called on the Polish authorities to safeguard the rights of men and women protesting against the ruling.

Across the country, thousands have taken to the streets in protest over last Thursday’s ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court.

According to the experts, with the court verdict, Poland has “effectively slammed the door shut” on legal abortion for women in the country. It is estimated that currently 98 per cent of all legal abortions in the country are performed on the grounds of severe and irreversible impairment of the foetus.

“Poland has decided to sacrifice women’s human right to safe and legal health services for termination of pregnancy, on account of protection of the right to life of the unborn, in violation of its international human rights obligations,” they said.

‘Devastating consequences’ for women and girls

The ruling will have “devastating consequences for women and adolescent girls” in need of such terminations, especially those who are socio-economically disadvantaged and migrant women who are undocumented, who do not have the the means to go abroad for abortion services, they said.

Before the ruling, Poland had already one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws, made even more restrictive in practice with serious barriers and stigma, according to the rights experts.

Termination of pregnancy was permitted in three circumstances only: risk to the life or health of the pregnant woman; severe and irreversible impairment of the foetus; or pregnancy as a result of a prohibited act.

Decision ‘clearly against’ human rights standards

The experts highlighted that international human rights mechanisms have clearly recognized women’s right to abortion in cases of fatal foetal impairment and that States have to provide for termination of pregnancy in such cases as the lack of access constitutes, inter alia, a violation of the right to be free from inhuman treatment.

As a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (since 1977) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (since 1980), Poland has legal obligation to uphold these international human rights standards, stressed the experts.

It cannot be justified by invoking the protection of the right to life, as the right to life and all other human rights under international human rights law are accorded to those who have been born — Human rights experts

International human rights mechanisms recognize women’s right to access safe and legal abortion as necessary for the protection of women’s dignity and equality and implicit in the right to equality, right to private life, right to be free from inhuman treatment and the right to the highest attainable standards, they said, adding that the decision of the Constitution Court “clearly goes against these standards.”

“It cannot be justified by invoking the protection of the right to life, as the right to life and all other human rights under international human rights law are accorded to those who have been born,” the experts said.

“Those who believe that personhood commences at the time of conception have the freedom to act in accordance with their beliefs but not to impose their beliefs on others through the legal system.”

‘Politicization’ leads to discrimination

The rights experts also pointed out that the “instrumentalization” and “politicization” of women’s bodies and health leads to discrimination against them, particularly in relation to their right to access health services and the resulting preventable ill health, including maternal mortality and morbidity.

The experts voicing their concern included the Special Rapporteurs on violence against women; the right to physical and mental health; and cultural rights, as well as the members of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.

The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. The experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

Africa climate change report reveals heat rising north and south, Sahel getting wetter

“In recent months we have seen devastating floods, an invasion of desert locusts and now face the looming spectre of drought because of a La Niña event. The human and economic toll has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a statement.

Filling the gap

The report aims to fill a gap in reliable and timely climate information for Africa, which translates into a lack of climate-related development planning, said Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

Africa has been warming progressively since the start of the last century, and in the next five years, northern and southern Africa are set to get drier and hotter, while the Sahel region of Western Africa will get wetter, WMO’s Regional Strategic Office Director, Filipe Lucio, told a press conference.

“Overall, Africa needs to take action. Action is needed today in terms of adaptation, but also is needed tomorrow in terms of mitigation”, Lucio said.

The agricultural sector is key to building climate resistance, since it is the dominant employer and it relies on the use of water and energy – both heavily implicated in climate change, he said.

Northern and southern areas under threat of aridity and desertification would benefit from reforestation, which helps to prevent water runoff and creates vegetation which supports the hydrological cycle.

Policy recommendations

Policy changes are also recommended in transport, energy, infrastructure and industry. Financing has improved with the establishment of a UN-backed Green Climate Fund but there are still limitations in terms of the continent’s ability to tap into such funds, he added.

Climate change has contributed to a jump in food insecurity, mosquito-borne disease and mass displacement in the past decade, and the rise in sea levels has led to unusual weather patterns such as Tropical Cyclone Idai, which hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in 2019.

It showed the need for communities to learn about the risks and for impact-based warnings about the appropriate actions to take.

Cautionary tale

A day after the cyclone made landfall, it appeared to have dissipated and people thought the worst was over. But then disaster struck when flooding followed, overwhelming Mozambique’s major port city of Beira, Lucio said.

“People were asked to find refuge in appropriate places but the city of Beira was never built to withstand a category-5 tropical cyclone. So that means the building codes need to be changed, but the building codes cannot be changed using what tropical cyclones used to be like in the past.

“They need to have forward looking analysis to anticipate the trends into the future and start designing infrastructure and other systems taking into account the changing nature of these tropical cyclones.”

Climate action: UN chief encouraged by Japan’s 2050 net zero pledge

“The Secretary-General is very encouraged by Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s announcement of Japan’s commitment to get to net zero emissions  by 2050, which is a very significant positive development, and hereby expresses his appreciation for Prime Minister Suga’s leadership,” said the statement released by UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

Japan’s announcement comes two weeks after a call by Mr. Guterres for UN Member States to commit to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and to submit more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – in which each country spells out what it will do to reduce national emissions, and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The statement said Mr. Guterres now looked forward to Japan, the world’s third largest economy, announcing concrete policy measures, along with an ambitiously revised NDC, in time for the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), due to be held in Glasgow in November 2021.

“The Secretary-General has no doubt that Japan has all the necessary technological, financial and engineering tools to get to net zero emissions by 2050.  He is confident that Japan will also assist developing countries to reach that same objective, including through technological assistance and its public and private financing for renewable energy”, the statement said.

Japan’s pledge comes a month after China’s President Xi Jinping told the UN General Assembly that China aimed to have carbon emissions peak before 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

President Xi promised to revise China’s NDCs accordingly and called on all countries to meet their commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which sought to keep a global temperature rise this century well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The European Union has also pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The United States has not made a similar commitment, and after signalling in 2017 that it would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, it could formally leave the pact as soon as the day after next week’s presidential election.

UN’s mission ‘more important than ever’, Secretary-General says at UN Day ceremony

The moment of silence was held during the official ceremony to commemorate UN Day, observed annually on 24 October, marking the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter.

The ‘epicenter’ of global unity

Addressing ambassadors from the rostrum, Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the enduring power of that founding document and the importance of multilateralism.

“At its birth, the United Nations was a symbol of global unity. Today it is the epicenter,” he said. “Our mission is more important than ever.”

The UN chief emphasized that it is only through working together that the world can fulfil ambitions such as preventing conflict, promoting sustainable development, upholding human rights and protecting the planet.

“International cooperation is the only way to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, rising inequality and the spreading of hatred,” he said.

In line with the times, the event was held under COVID-19 prevention measures, with participants wearing face masks and maintaining physical distancing.

Celebrating UN staff worldwide

For the President of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, UN Day is an opportunity to recognize the value of the United Nations and its people.

“From refugee camps to peacekeeping operations, I have personally witnessed their enthusiasm and achievements under very difficult conditions”, he said.

“They are, quite literally, putting food in people’s hands; training healthcare workers to battle COVID-19; providing school supplies to children in need; measuring the rise in sea-level; and helping to maintain peace in conflict zones.”

Voices from the field

Moise Ballo, who has spent more than 15 years with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Central Africa, was among four staff members who shared their perspectives from the field, and what has kept them motivated in the face of immense human suffering.

Earlier this month, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its lifesaving assistance to millions worldwide. Mr. Ballo described the win as a “shared honour”, underscoring the support of local partners on the ground.

“But beyond the excitement about the recognition, we think that this is a strong message”, he said. “There cannot be peace without fighting hunger, ending hunger. And we cannot end hunger when there is conflict.”

Following the September 11 attacks nearly two decades ago, Edem Wosornu left a law career in London to join the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA. She has served in hotspots such as Darfur, in Sudan, and Maiduguri, Nigeria.

“What keeps me going, and what has kept me going in all those years, is because people persevere”, she told the gathering.

“The dignity of human beings is fantastic to see in the face of conflict, in the face of a natural disaster, in the face of war… And for me, I have to say, that has touched me all these years. You forget the difficult circumstances you’re working in. You just are there to help people.”

A long way left to go

Ms. Wosornu’s experience reflected comments made in the address by the current President of the UN Security Council. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia highlighted the singularity of the UN and its efforts to bring about a better world for all, though acknowledging much work lies ahead.

“It is evident that we still have a long distance to travel before the vision of the UN Charter becomes reality”, he remarked. “Together, we must work to end the senseless conflicts and violence that disrupt development, displace millions and destroy thousands of lives.”

Mr. Nebenzia called for action to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which provides a blueprint for a more equitable world for all people and the planet.

Heads of State and Government agreed the Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), when they met at the UN five years ago.

Solidarity, cooperation and sustainable development

With COVID-19 representing the greatest challenge to countries since the UN’s establishment in 1945, response and recovery efforts must be guided by Agenda 2030, and based on global solidarity and cooperation.

That was the message delivered by the Vice President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile of Botswana.

Speaking on behalf of the Council’s President, he stressed that the UN must be adequately equipped if the world is to indeed deliver on the promise to leave no one behind.

“A UN fit for the purpose that we agreed to in 2015 should not be starved of the resources and capacities it requires to fulfill its mandate across the three pillars of peace, development and human rights”, he stated.

Mr. Kelapile appealed for countries to recommit to international solidarity and cooperation in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts in a way that supports sustainable development.

Catch-up, ‘get ahead and stay ahead’ of coronavirus, urges UN health agency chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), informed journalists that “intensive care units are filling up to capacity in some places, particularly in Europe and North America”.

Meanwhile over the weekend, numerous world leaders re-evaluated their situation, the UN health agency chief noted, and “took action to limit the spread of the virus”.

No one wants lockdowns

He conceded that many across the world are experiencing mental and physical “pandemic fatigue” but underscored the need to stand strong.

“No one wants more so-called lockdowns”, he acknowledged, urging leaders to “balance the disruption to lives and livelihoods with the need to protect health workers and health systems as intensive care fills up”.

He spoke emphatically about the stress and trauma health workers face on the frontlines, facing a fresh wave of patients and underscored the need to protect them.

“The best way to do that is for all of us to take every precaution we can to reduce the risk of transmission, for ourselves and others”, said the UN official.

Pandemic: ‘Everyone’s business’

Battling the pandemic is “everyone’s business”, Tedros asserted, adding that “we all have to play our part”.

To keep our children in school, businesses open and lives and livelihoods preserved, he stressed that “trade-offs, compromises and sacrifices” must be made.

That translates to, among other things, people staying at home, maintaining physical distance and wearing masks while governments must break transmission chains, test, isolate and care for cases, in addition to contact tracing and supporting quarantines.

“With these measures, you can catch-up to this virus, you can get ahead of this virus, and you can stay ahead of this virus”, the WHO chief maintained. “We say this because we have seen many places around the world get ahead and stay ahead of the virus”.

No magic solutions

Underscoring the need for hard work from leaders at all levels of societies, health workers, contact tracers and individuals, the UN health official attested that when leaders act “quickly and deliberately”, COVID-19 can be stemmed.

“Science continues to tell us the truth about this virus…how to contain it, suppress it and stop it from returning, and how to save lives among those it reaches”, he spelled out, noting that many countries and cities that have successfully “followed the science”.

Stop the politicization of COVID-19 — WHO chief

Keep politics out of it

Political divisions; blatant disrespect for science and health professionals; and spreading deliberate confusion, have caused cases and deaths to mount, according to the WHO chief.

“This is why I have said repeatedly: Stop the politicization of COVID-19”, he warned. “A pandemic is not a political football. Wishful thinking or deliberate diversion will not prevent transmissions or save lives”.

What will save lives however is “science, solutions and solidarity”, Tedros stressed.

UN shocked and outraged over horrific attack on school in Cameroon

On 24 October, a group of armed men attacked Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba, in Cameroon’s restive South-West region. According to local reports, the victims were aged between 12 and 14.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Cameroonian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that those responsible are held accountable, his spokesperson said in a statement.

“The attack is another disturbing reminder of the exacting heavy toll on civilians, including children, many of whom have been deprived of their right to education,” said the statement.

“Attacks on education facilities are a grave violation of children’s rights,” it added.

Mr. Guterres also called on all armed actors to refrain from attacks against civilians and to respect international humanitarian and international human rights law.

He also urged the parties to answer his call for a global ceasefire, reiterating the availability of the United Nations to support an inclusive dialogue process leading to a resolution of the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon

‘Schools must be places of safety, not death traps’

In a separate statement, Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”

“This has been a deadly weekend for schoolchildren in Afghanistan and Cameroon,” she said, also referring to the attack on an education centre in Kabul.

“I am shocked and outraged at these abominable attacks and condemn them in the strongest possible terms. Attacks on education are a grave violation of children’s rights,” Ms. Fore added, reiterating that schools must be places of safety and learning, “not death traps.”

‘Worst atrocity’ since schools resumed

According to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon, Matthias Z. Naab, the attack is the worst atrocity since the resumption of the school year on 5 October, in which more students enrolled in the North-West and South-West regions than in recent years. Unrest in parts of Cameroon had affected school enrolment and access to education.

“Children have a right to education. Violence against schools and innocent school children is not acceptable under any circumstances and can constitute a crime against humanity if proven in a court of law,” said Mr. Naab.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has provided medical supplies to the local hospital and the NGO, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is assisting with medical supplies and personnel.

The UN will continue to support Government and NGO efforts to provide necessary medical assistance to the wounded, added Mr. Naab.

Coronavirus ‘feeds off instability’, disrupting Israel-Palestine peace efforts

In his virtual briefing, Nickolay Mladenov told the 15-member body that “a coherent, coordinated approach” was needed to contain the pandemic, saying that the UN would continue to advocate for increasing cooperation, including urging the parties to “work together to mitigate risks, save lives and avoid unilateral actions that undermine these efforts”.

Work together to mitigate risks, save lives and avoid unilateral actions that undermine these efforts — UN envoy

COVID complications

With a significant tightening of restrictions in Israel and Gaza, a state of emergency extension throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt), the resurgence of COVID-19 has “seriously compounded the humanitarian and economic challenges on the ground”, Mr. Mladenov informed the Council.

And while UN-brokered arrangements continue to allow medical patients to be transferred from Gaza to hospitals beyond, and humanitarian supplies into the enclave, the Palestine Authority’s (PA) decision to halt coordination with Israel remains.

“The UN cannot replace the roles and responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority or the Government of Israel”, he upheld. “Any increased responsibilities for the UN in this regard should be limited and timebound”.

Advancing peace

While the international community’s commitment “remains unwavering” in its support to both sides in finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the UN envoy asserted that the process requires “leadership from both Israelis and Palestinians to work together and advance the cause of peace”.

This means focusing on preventive diplomacy, alleviating health and socio-economic consequences, modernizing economic relations between Israel and Palestinians and re-establishing credible bilateral negotiations for a two-State solution.

Fiscal crisis

The UN envoy noted that the viability of the PA is being “severely undermined” by an economic and fiscal crisis that has been exacerbated by it decision to end civilian and security coordination with Israel.

“The fiscal crisis derives primarily from a collapse in domestic tax revenues during the COVID-19 emergency and from the Government’s refusal to receive its clearance revenues”, he elaborated.

The UN “stands ready to mediate solutions to the fiscal crisis and to get the Palestinian economy on better footing”, said Mr. Mladenov, reiterating the UN chief’s call for both sides to “re-examine the nature of their economic relationship and improve it for the benefit of both peoples”.

He appealed to the Palestinian leadership to resume its coordination with Israel and accept its clearance revenues, calling it “money that belongs to the Palestinian people and cannot be replaced by donor funding”.

Heightened urgency

“No one wants war and conflict”, the UN envoy said, adding that the pandemic has “heightened the urgency” to explore “all avenues” toward ending the conflict and the occupation, to achieve the “vision of two States”.

If leaders do not deliver on the hope for peace, they “will only feed radicals and extremists”, he warned.

The Council has often spoken of “the urgent need to act, to prevent the collapse of the two-State paradigm and to give hope to the Palestinian people – particularly the youth…[that] young Israelis want too”, reminded the UN official.

To this end, the UN envoy informed that Palestinian President Abbas has called for an international conference to “restart the peace process” for “an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State” within secure and recognized borders, based on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the shared capital.

New avenues of cooperation

Pointing to recent normalization agreements between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan, along with statements from international partners and the League of Arab States, the Special Coordinator observed that “the commitment to the two-State solution, in line with UN resolutions and international law, continues to be affirmed by broad regional and international consensus”.

Against this backdrop, he shared his hope that “new avenues of cooperation to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace will emerge”.

Libya ceasefire: UN relaunches inclusive political forum, amid growing ‘sense of hope’

The first meeting of the Forum – to be convened virtually – was due to begin on Monday and direct, in-person meetings will commence on 9 November, in Tunisian capital Tunis, according to UNSMIL.

“The resumption of the LPDF comes at time of an overwhelming sense of hope emerged in Libya after the signing of a permanent, countrywide ceasefire agreement between Libyan parties, on 23 October in Geneva”, the UN Mission said in a statement on Sunday.

“Consultative meetings UNSMIL conducted with various Libyan constituencies in past months have paved the way for the resumption of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum”, it added.

A fully inclusive dialogue

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is a fully inclusive intra-Libyan political dialogue established by the Berlin Conference Outcomes, last January, which were endorsed by Security Council resolutions 2510 and 2542.

It represents a variety of different constituencies, based on the principles of inclusivity, fair geographic, ethnic, political, tribal, and social representation.

The group was convened by the UN to include representatives of the House of Representatives, of the High Council of State as well as Libyan political actors who are not members of the two institutions, and with a firm commitment to the meaningful participation of Libyan women, youth and minorities.

Throughout the process, UNSMIL will ensure transparency and a rights-based approach and will continue to hear the views of all Libyans and intends to remain actively engaged, including through interactive online tools and platforms, the UN Mission said.

“Towards this end, and in order to ensure the inclusivity of the process, UNSMIL will be launching an interactive Al-Hiwar website to listen to the views of, discuss and interact with the Libyans throughout the LPDF process”, it added.

Forum objectives

The objective of the LPDF is to generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements that will lead to the holding national elections in the shortest possible timeframe in order to restore Libya’s sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions, according to UNSMIL.

“In this regard, UNSMIL commends the courageous announcement of Prime Minister Faez al-Serraj of his intention to step down and hand over power to a unified executive and his support to the political process and sense of responsibility to ensure that an orderly transition can take place”, said the UN Mission, voicing hope that Mr. al-Serraj can provide another service to the country by remaining in place until such time as the LPDF decides the way forward.

UNSMIL also expressed its gratitude to the Tunisian Government for its support for the November meeting as well as to Libya’s neighbours, the African Union, the European Union and the League of Arab States, and other members of the international community for supporting the process.