YouSaid · the spoken record

Jean-Pierre Lacroix

lines on the record: 212
first: 2020-04-24
most recent: 2021-05-24
sittings or episodes: 15
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I am grateful for this opportunity to address the Security Council. My remarks will consist of taking stock of the support that the international community and, more particularly, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have provided to the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel) over the past few months as it has continued to increase its operational tempo. Since the last Security Council debate on the Sahel on 5 June (see S/2020/515), the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region has continued to mobilize at the regional, continental and international levels despite the ongoing context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.”
2020-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1126 (2020) · source
“Our shared commitments to peacekeeping, as embodied in the Declaration, remain the cornerstone of ensuring that peacekeeping is fit for purpose and able to tackle the challenges it faces. Our continued engagement for the implementation of these commitments remains indispensable. The upcoming 2021 United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in Seoul will be another opportunity to make tangible contributions. As we mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the creation of the United Nations, the need, in the words of the Preamble of the United Nations Charter, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” remains as imperative as ever. It is only through strengthened joint and collective international action and solidarity that we can ensure that progress continues to be made in the right direction.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“To have missions fit for purpose for the coming decades, we are examining responses to systemic issues, and have begun an internal reflection on the types of adaptations that will be required for United Nations peace operations to continue to make a difference in future. As we continue our work to enhance United Nations peace operations, I want to pay tribute to the women and men in peacekeeping who are working every day in the field and at Headquarters to deliver on the mandates that the Security Council has entrusted to us, and to continuously improve our operations. We count on Council member support, as well as the support of other peacekeeping partners, to strengthen our operations through Action for Peacekeeping and beyond.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“The areas will draw upon and contribute to progress in the eight A4P themes, from mission-wide performance, safety and security, to sustaining peace, and women and peace and security. Looking forward, we want United Nations peacekeeping to continue to be an indispensable multilateral tool in the peace and security toolbox for years to come. We will need to continue to respond to the immediate challenges, S/2020/911 including fragmented armed groups, weak commitment to peace by conflict actors and the regionalization of conflict. Over the next 5 to 10 years, these challenges will be compounded by other ones. We are likely to see a world transformed by potentially lethal and disruptive technologies, climate-related disruptions and a more urbanized population.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“We must also fully implement critical new policies on command and control and CASEVAC and further improve medical and welfare support for all United Nations personnel. Seventh, we need to deepen our efforts to achieve a more robust and agile posture, including by drawing upon new technologies and effective strategic communications. This means not only generating the right capabilities from TCCs and PCCs, but also shifting our traditional approaches to, for example, outreach, countering misinformation and disinformation, camp management, engineering and logistics. Finally, we must apply a gender perspective across all our areas of work. Gender is not only about numbers, it is about the meaningful consideration of the gender-differentiated impacts of our work and what we hope to achieve.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Fifth, we will continue our efforts to improve the safety and security of our peacekeepers, which is very much related to performance, as they are by essence linked. We will do this through ongoing implementation of the action plan to improve the security of United Nations peacekeepers in areas such as on force protection, camp defence and reinforced medical standards, training and care. We will also continue the shift towards more agile operations, with improved situational awareness. Sixth, we must continue to strengthen our strategic guidance and planning capacities, including by developing clear objectives that are known to all and are reflected in directives that provide strategic direction.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Third, in today’s challenging landscape, we need to work on deepening our integration within our operations, among civilian and uniformed components, and with the United Nations country team. We also need to do so, critically, with regional organizations and actors that have a tangible influence in conflict-affected countries. Fourth, we will further our work on performance. We will continue to enhance mission and Headquarter performance and accountability, including through regular evaluations, policy frameworks and systemization of integrated structures in peacekeeping missions. Within the integrated Performance and Accountability Framework, we will also continue our efforts to better recognize good performance and identify and respond to cases of underperformance through appropriate remedial measures.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“First, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that all our actions are coherent with, and contribute to, overarching political strategies that further positive peace. Aiming for short-term stability is not enough. Our missions should be vectors for inclusive, responsive and transformative futures for the people we serve. This means linking particular mandate areas — whether protection of civilians or institution- building — back to politics. Second, the pandemic has taught us, painfully, how widespread inequality is and how social justice, development and peace go hand in hand. We need more substantive and strategic integration with development and peacebuilding actors on an ongoing basis, not only during drawdown and transitions.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“The Secretariat has begun crafting overarching priorities for the next phase in 2021 and beyond, in the continued framework of the A4P Declaration of Shared Commitments. For the next chapter, we are drawing upon analyses of continued challenges and needs that our operations are facing, together with a push to complete pending tasks from the first phase. We are defining a limited number of global priorities for each A4P thematic area. These priorities will provide the strategic direction of peacekeeping reform efforts by both the United Nations system and individual Member States and other partners, to advance on our shared commitments.Broadly speaking, our assessment is that priorities for the next phase should address at least eight critical systemic, cross-cutting issues that are relevant across A4P themes.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“For example, our partnership with the World Bank has contributed to improved joint delivery of security sector reform in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and South Sudan. A strong focus of our work in this area is to ensure successful transitions that strengthen the United Nations system’s engagement on sustaining peace. Two years after the launch of A4P, we have made tangible progress in strengthening peacekeeping operations. This progress has been accomplished with support from Council members, TCCs and PCCs, host countries and financial contributors. The support of partner organizations has also been essential. As we look to the future, we must build on the progress made and shift into a second phase of A4P implementation.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Our engagement in this area also extends to enabling and supporting peacekeeping partnerships — notably, through the Triangular Partnership Project. We have continued to build the capacities of TCCs in engineering, medical and signals in Africa and have now extended engineering training to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and of the surrounding region. The Light Coordination Mechanism has already successfully matched a number of Member States on training needs. Last but not least, with regard to peacebuilding and sustaining peace, our missions contribute to sustaining peace, of course, whether by supporting inclusive peace settlements or through capacity-building work. We do this with others in the United Nations system, as well as international financial institutions.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Turning to partnerships, we have continued to deepen our collaboration with regional organizations. Our political partnership with the African Union (AU) remains a key part of our engagement, for instance in Darfur and in the Central African Republic. Strategic-level consultations on specific country situations have also deepened, with an increased frequency of regular virtual horizon-scanning meetings, for example between the AU and the United Nations. On the ground, peacekeeping missions operate on a daily basis in partnership with regional organizations, such as the AU, but also the European Union, as well as with agencies, funds and programmes, in order to maximize the collective impact of our action, be it for capacity-building or peacebuilding.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“We need timely action if we are to address pending allegations and expanded efforts to pursue criminal accountability, and we need solutions for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, including those who raise paternity and child-support claims. Member State engagement is imperative. We urge everyone to continue to work with us, either by making a voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse or through a high-level meeting on conduct and discipline, to be held early next year. We encourage those that have not done so to become a signatory to the Secretary-General’s voluntary compact on preventing and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse, and we encourage those that have signed to ensure its full implementation.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“In a landmark development, in January and February, six individuals were convicted in the Central African Republic for the killing of 11 MINUSCA peacekeepers in 2016 and 2017. In the area of conduct, we continue to strengthen our approach to preventing and addressing violations of our standards of conduct, including in the area of sexual exploitation and abuse. While we have seen a general trend downward in the number of allegations, we continue to see intermittent spikes that indicate that we cannot let up. We have put in place analysis, risk-management, investigation and victim- assistance measures.We must continue to strengthen our partnerships with Member States and regional organizations to reflect the holistic and collective nature of this work.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“We are invested in the implementation of resolution 2518 (2020), a testament to the Council’s commitment to the safety and security of peacekeepers. Over the past year, we have worked on developing clear policy and practices to ensure that we safeguard our personnel. We have also promulgated policies on casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), authority command and control, and the first combined guidelines on military and police cooperation mechanism. The new CASEVAC policy was preceded by rigorous stress testing, and missions have begun updating their CASEVAC procedures in line with the new policy. Meanwhile, the support of MINUSCA, MINUSMA and MONUSCO to their host countries for the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes against peacekeepers resulted in an over 100 per cent increase in the number of investigated cases.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Turning to safety and security, I want to stress that the safety and security of our peacekeepers continues to be of paramount importance. Allow me to pay tribute to our fallen peacekeepers and commend TCCs and PCCs for their steadfast commitment to international peace, despite the very real risks. As we have continued our efforts to enhance safety and security, we have seen a continued decrease in fatalities in peacekeeping operations from acts of violence, falling from 59 in 2017 to 27 in 2018, 25 in 2019, to eight, so far, in 2020. The measures taken through the action plan to improve the safety and security of United Nations peacekeepers have, no doubt, contributed to that. We will make every effort to continue reducing that number, as even one peacekeeper fatality is one too many.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Similarly, in the field, women comprised 18.3 per cent of staff and military observers, compared to the target of 17 per cent. Women accounted for 28.2 per cent of individual police officers in the field, compared to the target of 22 per cent; and they mad up 10.9 per cent of formed police units, compared to the target of 10 per cent. Women also represented 29.6 per cent of deployed justice and corrections personnel, compared to the target of 27 per cent. Nevertheless, we have yet to achieve our targets for women in formed contingents. We must collectively redouble our efforts to that end. While much has been achieved, the support of Member States remains critical to consolidating hard-won gains and reaching the targets.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“At Headquarters, parity has been reached for civilian staff in the Department of Peace Operations and in the shared regional structure, with some exceptions. In the field, as of July, women made up 22 per cent of civilian staff and 35 per cent of Heads and Deputy Heads of missions led by DPO and the Department of Operational Support. Targeted efforts are under way to increase the representation of women in the field. With the support of TCCs and PCCs, most 2020 targets set out in the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018-2028 for uniformed personnel — military, police and justice and corrections personnel at Headquarters and in the field — have been met or surpassed. For instance, in June, women represented 22.6 per cent of military professional posts at Headquarters, compared to the target of 17 per cent.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“We are also pursuing the implementation of the force adaptation plans in MINUSMA and MONSUCO. They are indispensable to our operational effectiveness and are an integral part of A4P. We count on continued support from Member States for their implementation. Expanding the role of women is another key dimension for improving the overall performance and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. More women in peacekeeping simply means more effective peacekeeping. Resolution 2538 (2020), which the Council recently adopted, stresses that important goal anew, as well as the need for continued efforts to that end. In that regard, we continue to make S/2020/911 significant headway on ensuring gender parity among peacekeeping personnel.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Contingent-owned equipment is, of course, key in that regard, and the number of units with critical gaps in contingent-owned equipment, or performance lower than 70 per cent, have decreased from 23 units in the fourth quarter of 2018 to 18 units in the first quarter of 2020. Over the past year, exchange platforms have been developed and key peacekeeping manuals and standards updated to enhance the access and awareness of troop- and police-contributing countries. For the first time, two units from the rapid deployment level of the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System were successfully made available to be deployed to a mission within the required timeline of 60 days. I thank the Member States that made specialized capability pledges to MINUSMA and encourage others to do the same.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“It should be noted that remote predeployment visits, while necessary under current travel restrictions, inevitably have limitations compared to the insights and exchange possible through in-person engagement. Likewise, our training personnel are finding that virtual learning, despite its cost efficiency and its ability to facilitate knowledge acquisition, needs to be complemented by in-person training. It is for this reason that, following the resumption of July rotations, DPO police staff visited Djibouti, Ethiopia, Jordan and Senegal to pilot support efforts aimed at improving the operational readiness of PCCs. Having the right equipment in the right place at the right time, with the right know-how, remains a critical aspect of performance.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Four units have been remotely assessed as part of mission-specific force generation processes, and three units have been remotely verified for the rapid deployment level. DPO military staff developed a concept for remote predeployment visits from April to July 2020 in order to assess the readiness of units before deployment. Three remote predeployment visits have been conducted for units to be deployed to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). That innovative response enabled DPO to confirm the basic readiness of units and to provide further training recommendations in order to improve the displayed performance the units.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“In addition, DPO military staff established a unit specifically dedicated to performance, and we aim to create a performance improvement plan for field headquarters. We have continued to roll out the comprehensive performance assessment system in order to aid missions in planning, coordinating, tracking and showing the impact of mandate implementation. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the system has been utilized to help prevent the spread of the virus in missions, while strengthening their capacity to support the pandemic responses of host countries. Despite pandemic lockdowns, we have continued to ensure the operational readiness, including the COVID-19 preparedness, of military and police units, as well as individual military and police officers, through a hybrid model of in-person and virtual training, assessments and evaluations.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Improving performance is a matter of interest to everyone, and a matter for everyone to take up and advance. Over the past year, significant progress has been made. In line with resolution 2436 (2018), the integrated peacekeeping performance and accountability framework is being finalized. The framework covers all relevant performance evaluation tools, with the objective of improving coherence, identifying gaps and making further progress where required. It aims to strengthen accountability for underperformance and to recognize strong performance. For example, our Department of Peace Operations (DPO) military and police colleagues conducted a review of existing measures to recognize performance in field missions in order to identify good S/2020/911 practices. That will now be shared with the missions for implementation.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“This approach has enabled integrated patrols in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, for example, to secure the release of children from armed forces and groups, thus having a life-changing impact on hundreds of boys and girls. Of course, all that would not be possible without the continued support of Member States. We urge troop-contributing countries (TCCs) and police-contributing countries (PCCs) to continue to come forward with pledges, and call for continued support for civilian aspects of protection work. I now turn to the area of performance. Improving performance and accountability in peacekeeping is a comprehensive effort involving all personnel — civilian, police and military — in our field missions, as well as here at Headquarters.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“More broadly, across the four large multidimensional missions, we have conducted major force transformation processes to shift mission postures and presence in order to strengthen strategic flexibility and operational adaptation. Temporary operating bases are in regular use, which enables greater reach and a more dynamic posture better suited to the protection of civilians threat landscape. Rapidly deployable battalions are increasingly used to reinforce the protection of civilians across large areas of operation. This transformation process has been fundamental to our efforts to improve mission performance with regard to the protection of civilians, and it is accompanied by a concerted whole-of-mission approach that combines the comparative advantages of uniformed personnel with civilian components.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Although the pandemic has affected the footprint of our missions and restricted some patrolling, missions have taken creative steps to continue their protection work. In Darfur, for example, UNAMID has used WhatsApp to conduct awareness-raising campaigns on conflict-related sexual violence amongst internally displaced persons. In response to the pandemic, our missions leveraged expanded strategic communications to engage communities using FM radio and social media. Missions have worked alongside national counterparts — Government or civil society — remotely, and have provided local interlocutors with access to mobile devices and platforms.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“We have seen an expansion of the political space for women’s participation and leadership in peace and political processes across peacekeeping contexts. In the Central African Republic, for example, women’s representation in formal implementation and monitoring mechanisms increased at local and national levels in 2019. And in Lebanon, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon worked with women’s organizations and the Government of Lebanon to develop the first national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000), endorsed in September 2019. Thirdly, with regard to protection, our missions continue to prevent and respond to threats to civilians, which have unfortunately not decreased in the past six months. That is particularly true in Mali, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“For example, in line with the youth, peace and security agenda, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan has ensured the inclusion of young people and other marginalized voices in the peace process in South Sudan, and has provided them an opportunity to engage with the national Government and the international community. We count on the unified support of the Council, as well as that of key regional partners and other stakeholders, in order to ensure progress on the political track across all our operations.Secondly, in the area of women and peace and security, we are encouraged by the progress being made on the women and peace and security agenda through our operations. That progress is enabled by a greater focus on data-driven tracking.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“We are encouraged that, in their first public statement, the leaders of the Comité national pour le salut du peuple expressed their commitment to the implementation of the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation on Mali, which, despite uneven implementation, we consider to be the best road map for long-term peace in the country. Slow, but tangible progress has been made, with the deployment of reconstituted units to northern Mali earlier this year, marking the first formal State security presence there since 2012. Across our missions, we are promoting inclusive processes and creating space for dialogue and participation.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“The initialling of the peace agreement between the transitional Government of the Sudan and the Darfur armed groups, two weeks ago, was made possible through the technical, advisory and logistical support of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). That included the facilitation of virtual negotiations in order to enable the conclusion of the agreement. In Mali, the 18 August coup d’état required the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to engage in good offices to support consultations on the modalities of the transition.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“Even as our missions are responding and supporting national responses to COVID-19, they have continued to pursue our Action for Peacekeeping commitments. The pandemic has created new challenges, but it has also created space for progress in areas such as policy and guidance work, and it has engendered dynamic and innovative new approaches for the delivery of A4P commitments. Of course, much remains to be done, and we will sustain our efforts to continuously advance A4P. I would like to highlight some of the notable areas where we have made headway. First, in the political arena, the challenging COVID-related circumstances have not impeded our missions from providing effective support to political processes and the implementation of peace agreements.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“I thank you, Sir for this opportunity to provide the annual briefing on peacekeeping reform. My remarks today will focus on the actions undertaken to advance the areas covered by the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, within the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative, as adapted in the light of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Last Wednesday, I briefed the Council (see S/2020/897) on the measures taken to address the enormous challenges posed by the pandemic to our operations and their host countries. As I outlined, those measures have contributed to preventing and containing the spread among field personnel to relatively low levels. We will continue those efforts.”
2020-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/911 (2020) · source
“I wish to thank, in particular, Under-Secretary-General Khare and the entire staff of the Department of Operational Support, as well as colleagues in the Headquarters Field Support Group, alongside the leadership and peacekeeping personnel in all of our missions, for their collective effort in responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19. With the guidance and support of Headquarters, and with the unified and consistent backing of the Security Council, our peacekeeping operations have quickly and effectively put in place a range of measures that have ensured operational continuity and ongoing mandate implementation across all of our operations. The Security Council’s ongoing support will be indispensable as we continue to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“This has strengthened their capacity both to support host countries’ efforts and to ensure continuing delivery of mandated activities.The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a significant impact on the conduct of our peacekeeping operations. It has created operational challenges, requiring us to adjust the deployment of uniformed personnel, put in place remote working arrangements and provide a range of additional services to staff in the field. It has complicated our efforts aimed at supporting national authorities and other actors, requiring us to adapt the modalities of our engagement for advancing political and peace processes. It has required us to recalibrate our protection-of- civilian and other activities in support of the populations we serve, while ensuring that these critical activities continue.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“As the Council has recognized in its recently adopted resolution 2538 (2020), on women in peacekeeping, women peacekeepers contribute to ensuring the greater credibility of United Nations efforts with local communities, including through more effective community engagement and protection responses. Women’s contribution in these areas is particularly valuable when addressing the impact of COVID-19 in the communities where our peacekeepers serve. As part of the response to the pandemic, we have utilized the comprehensive performance assessment system to aid several missions in planning, tracking and showing the impact of their efforts aimed at helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their areas of operations.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“This cooperation in support of national authorities deepens our common understanding of the impact of COVID-19 and informs the sequencing and prioritization of recovery initiatives, thereby ensuring that the response is adapted to the pandemic’s impact on peace processes. Our efforts are also closely coordinated with our partner organizations on the ground, including the African Union and the European Union. We have been able to hold our regular meetings virtually, including, inter alia, those related to peace negotiations in South Sudan and the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. The role of women peacekeepers is key to addressing the challenges to mandate implementation posed by COVID-19.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“In the areas of security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, various missions continue preparatory work and offer assistance to relevant national stakeholders in developing policies, even if physical meetings and activities are not possible. Nonetheless, prioritized activities are often being brought forward, as is the case in the SSR field in MONUSCO, through remote engagement with national actors and bilateral partners. The integrated effort by the Secretariat in support of our peacekeeping operations is complemented by strengthened synergies with the United Nations country teams and sister organizations, including the World Bank.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“However, in operational terms, the pandemic has affected the footprint of our missions and, to a certain degree, their capacity to perform patrols or monitoring activities, including by limiting their contact with local communities. As a result of the pandemic, United Nations peacekeeping missions have been approaching their protection-of-civilian activities primarily through the lens of doing no harm and prioritizing the need to prevent the virus from spreading among the local populations. Reductions in mission capacities have also affected the effectiveness of situational awareness tools, such as the use of air assets for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“In Cyprus, for example, the closing of crossing points between the two communities in February and March as well as quarantine requirements introduced by both sides effectively restricted movement between the north and south of the island. With the gradual easing of restrictions and following a leaders’ joint decision in May, both sides have been working on the reopening of crossing points for certain categories of individuals and within certain health restrictions. Overall, peacekeeping operations continued to prevent and respond to threats to civilians, which have unfortunately not decreased in the past six months despite the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire. This is particularly the case in Mali, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“In the Central African Republic, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic has continued to carry out its mandate since the advent of the pandemic, while fully respecting the Government’s COVID-19 directives and considering the wide-ranging implications of the public health emergency. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO has supported the Congolese authorities in developing procedures and policies to manage the implementation of COVID-19 response measures.As the COVID-19 crisis abates in certain parts of the world, missions see opportunities to achieve more.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“In that regard, I will focus on certain aspects of the mandates of our operations, namely, supporting political processes and protecting civilians. Our missions have maintained political engagement and community outreach through virtual platforms and undertaken public diplomacy initiatives to encourage political unity, respect for human rights and in response to inter-ethnic incidents. By adapting their work to the new reality, they have ensured the continuation of these efforts in line with their respective mandates. And we have in fact seen some positive results. The Juba talks on the Sudan, where the peace negotiations moved to a virtual format at the beginning of April, further complicating discussions taking place on parallel tracks, have led to the recent agreement between the transitional authorities and participating armed groups.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“The Headquarters Field Coordination Group for COVID-19, which brings together the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, DOS and the Department of Peace Operations is working closely with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon as they respond to outbreak clusters in their missions. Remote working arrangements are in place, and psychosocial and other support are provided to staff, as needed. Peacekeeping operations continue to find innovative and proactive ways to implement their mandates under these challenging conditions.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“We have also made progress in the provision of treatment and care, including in the area of medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), thanks to the partnerships fostered with generous Member States. Medical treatment and testing facilities and MEDEVAC options have been strengthened within the United Nations System-Wide Medical Evacuation Task Force, under the auspices of the Department of Operational Support (DOS). All missions have been provided with a risk-mitigation plan for COVID-19, and outbreak-response teams have been established in several operations.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“TCCs and PCCs are required to comply with stringent conditions, including predeployment training on COVID-19 and a 14-day quarantine in their home countries, adherence to the mission’s quarantine regulations upon deployment, physical distancing and the use of personal protective equipment to mitigate the spread of virus. Ensuring that these preventive measures are rigorously and fully implemented is of crucial importance. Allow me to take this opportunity to credit all of the TCCs and PCCs for their understanding and cooperation in these challenging circumstances, and to express our appreciation for the support they continue to provide to United Nations peacekeeping.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“With uniformed personnel constituting the vast majority of deployments in S/2020/897 S/2020/897 peacekeeping operations, and also forming important units deployed to certain special political missions, particular attention was paid early on to their movements in and out of host countries. Following a temporary suspension, the rotations and repatriations of uniformed personnel have resumed and are planned and conducted in close coordination with both the police- and troop-contributing countries (TCCs/PCCs) concerned, on the one hand, and the authorities of the host countries, on the other hand.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Helping to prevent and contain the spread of the virus where peacekeeping operations are deployed is therefore not only a moral imperative, but also a political priority, as well as an operational requirement. To this end, a number of measures have been put in place. These measures have contributed to preventing and containing the spread among field personnel within relatively low levels, with much of it concentrated within contained locations. As of today, 9 September, across all field missions, which number over 100,000 personnel, a total of 1,049 cumulative cases have been recorded, with 609 recovered, 440 active cases and 18 deaths. The protection of the health, safety and security of peacekeeping personnel, and ensuring that they are not a vector for contagion, are of paramount importance.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Addressing the impact of COVID-19 has further burdened Governments already under considerable pressure to deliver on complex political processes, such as transition and reconciliation. For example, in South Sudan, the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan slowed down considerably, due in part to an increased focus on COVID-19-related challenges. The South Sudanese parties have been deadlocked for over three months over the state allocation and appointment of state governors and administration and have yet to reconstitute the Parliament. These combined effects of the pandemic can, in turn, negatively affect mandate implementation.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Its effects can also undermine governance and local institutions, slow down or derail fragile political processes, worsen already volatile security situations and contribute to a recurrence of intercommunal conflict. The overall effect can be to further destabilize the countries where our missions are deployed and erode peace gains. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the pandemic has given rise to hate speech, incitement to violence and harmful misinformation targeting, both the local population and foreign nationals, including United Nations personnel. While responses to COVID-19 have been consensus-driven in some countries, they have been met with criticism in others, resulting in heightened political tensions in the areas of operation of some peacekeeping missions.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Through an integrated effort that brings together all of the relevant United Nations entities, we continue to support our peacekeeping operations as they pursue the four interlinked objectives first set out by the Secretary-General in April: supporting national authorities, protecting United Nations personnel, mitigating the spread of the virus and assisting in the protection of vulnerable communities, and ensuring operational continuity in the implementation of their mandates. Countries where peacekeeping operations are deployed suffer from a combination of weak health and governance structures and a lack of the resources required to effectively combat the pandemic. In these environments, the spread of COVID-19 can lead not only to exacerbated socioeconomic tensions.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source