New York, UN
Martin Kimani, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa
Mr. Chair, Ambassador Seck [Permanent Representative of Senegal]
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
I have the honor to introduce the Secretary-General’s report on overall policy matters pertaining to special political missions (SPMs).
I would like to express gratitude to Finland and Mexico, as co-facilitators of this item, for their leadership and engagement.
I am pleased to be joined by Assistant Secretary-General Lisa Buttenheim. I would like to thank her and her colleagues in the Department of Operational Support for the essential support they provide to our missions, including our missions in Iraq and Somalia as they conclude their mandates.
Both countries have come a long way.
Iraq has made significant progress after years of conflict. It has pushed back Da’esh, held successive elections, and strengthened its national institutions.
Somalia has made important strides in rebuilding State institutions and restoring governance, despite persistent political challenges and the entrenched threat of Al-Shabaab.
These achievements belong to the Iraqi and Somali people.
We are proud to have stood alongside them.
And while our political missions in Iraq and Somalia have concluded, our partnership with both countries continues. We stand ready to support them in the challenges ahead.
Indeed, much remains to be done. Both countries should be able to count on continued international support.
Mr. Chair,
Special political missions are operating in an increasingly complex environment. It is marked by deepening geopolitical rivalries, rising violence against civilians, growing strains on international cooperation, and sharp reductions in development and other assistance.
In many places, conflicts have simmered for years, punctuated by recurring outbreaks of violence. Violent extremism is on the rise, particularly in Africa.
Years of fighting have weakened State institutions, eroded social cohesion, and deepened divisions within societies.
At the same time, these conflicts are becoming increasingly entangled in broader regional and international competition, drawing in external actors and competing interests.
Financial, military, technical and political support from outside is enabling conflicts to endure and become entrenched.
Conflicts are also disrupting global supply chains.
Disruptions to major trade routes are driving up the cost of food, fuel, fertilizer and humanitarian assistance at time when humanitarian needs are rising and the resources are under growing strain. The effects of these disruptions are felt globally.
And it is civilians who continue to pay the highest price through displacement, hunger, insecurity and loss of life.
Children cannot safely attend school. Families struggle to reach hospitals. Farmers cannot tend to their fields.
Modern technologies – unmanned aerial vehicles in particular, are making conflicts more complex, cheaper and more lethal.
In Sudan, drone strikes have reportedly killed more than 1,000 civilians this year alone. Drones enabled violence related to the Sudan conflict is spreading. Just last month, drone attacks near Amiet Market and Todach in Abyei claimed more than 100 lives, in the heart of a territory where there is a Security Council protection of civilians mandate and United Nations peacekeepers are deployed.
Sexual violence remains widespread in many conflicts. In Haiti and the Sudan and elsewhere, women and girls face rape and other horrific abuses as gangs and warring parties use sexual violence to terrorize communities and tighten their control.
And far too often, those responsible for these atrocities are not being held accountable.
Mr. Chair,
Throughout the reporting period, special political missions continued to deliver on their mandate in extremely challenging circumstances.
Through the Secretary-General’s good offices, special political missions helped keep diplomatic channels open, reduce tensions, prevent further escalation, and sustain prospects for political solutions in some of the world’s most complex crises.
In Sudan, amid a devastating conflict, our Personal Envoy has worked with regional and international partners to foster greater coherence among diplomatic initiatives, advance efforts towards a ceasefire, and support the conditions for a Sudanese-led political process.
In October, his Office convened the sixth in a series of consultative meetings, bringing together 22 countries, including Sudan’s neighbors and all five permanent members of the Security Council, as well as regional and international organizations. This forum continues to play an important role in fostering greater international coordination and narrowing differences among key stakeholders.
In Myanmar, our Special Envoy continued to engage a broad range of stakeholders across deep political divides while working with ASEAN to encourage a coordinated regional response. Her efforts remain focused on advancing an end to violence, expanding humanitarian access, and helping create conditions for an inclusive political process.
Against a backdrop of persistent insecurity, political polarization, and divided institutions, our missions remained actively engaged in preserving political space and keeping fragile political processes moving forward.
In Libya, talks facilitated by UNSMIL led to an agreement among participants in the so called “Smaller Convening” on 30 August. The agreement provides a viable pathway to national elections, overcoming obstacles in the constitutional and legal framework governing the electoral process and in the composition of the Electoral Commission. UNSMIL continues to engage Libyan stakeholders to secure buy-in for the agreement and facilitate subsequent steps.
In parallel, bilateral efforts by Member States to facilitate political progress continue. UNSMIL remains ready to build on any consensus reached among Libyan parties in any format.
In Haiti, BINUH is using its good offices to convene political actors, foster dialogue and support efforts to restore functioning national institutions.
Despite persistent gang violence, electoral preparations have moved forward. More than 35 political parties and groupings, and over 3,500 candidates, have registered.
Our missions also worked to strengthen women's participation in peace and political processes.
In Central Africa, UNOCA supported regional efforts to update the action plan on Women, Peace, and Security. In partnership with the United Nations system and regional organizations, UNOCA also convened women peacebuilders to identify practical priorities for conflict prevention, including strengthening early warning mechanisms and measures to address violence against women.
Mr. Chair,
Distinguished delegates,
The need for prevention and diplomacy continues to grow, even as the conditions for its success become harder to secure.
In August, the Secretary-General presented his review of all forms of United Nations peace operations.
Its central message is clear: peace operations remain an indispensable tool for maintaining international peace and security. Yet they are operating in an environment that is more fragmented, contested and complex than at any time in recent decades.
Responding to this reality will require more than changes to mission structures and procedures. It will require a renewed political will, sustained international unity and stronger commitment to peacemaking.
Today, the share of conflicts ending through negotiated agreements is at its lowest in seven decades.
This is not a reason to retreat from diplomacy. It is a reason to pursue prevention with greater urgency and determination.
We have the tools provided by the Charter. The challenge is to use them earlier, more consistently, and with greater resolve.
We cannot simply wait for parties to come to the negotiating table. We must be prepared to engage proactively, identify openings for dialogue, and pursue diplomatic initiatives even when the prospects for peace appear remote.
That is why the review calls for a more systematic use of the Secretary-General's good offices. We can and should make fuller use of our existing capabilities at Headquarters for mediation, quiet diplomacy, and fact-finding.
The review also calls for greater efforts to bridge divisions among Member States.
As the Secretary-General told the Security Council in July, diplomacy may not have prevented today's conflicts, but it remains essential to ending them.
Last week, the Council reinforced that message through its presidential statement on diplomacy during active hostilities. The signal could not be clearer: the search for peace cannot wait until the fighting stops.
The Secretariat must also look critically at itself and determine how it can do better. We must be more systematic, more proactive and more persistent in identifying and pursuing opportunities for peace.
Ultimately, the review is a call to action. It is a call for the United Nations to take greater initiative, make fuller use of our good offices, and do more to help Member States find common ground.
Mr. Chair,
The Secretariat is fully committed to implementing the commitments set out in the review.
We count on the continued support and partnership of Member States to turn that shared ambition into meaningful progress on the ground.
Let me conclude by paying tribute to the women and men serving in our special political missions. Often under dangerous and difficult conditions, they bring professionalism, dedication and courage to some of the most difficult crises on the international agenda. Their service deserves our gratitude and our full support.
Thank you.
