Jan 10, 2017 - 10 January â Delivering his first formal briefing to the Security. Council ... threat. âAll groups ne
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UN Daily News Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Issue DH/7323
In the headlines: • At Security Council, UN chief Guterres makes case
• Effective tobacco policies could save 8 million lives
• UNICEF #EarlyMomentsMatter campaign promotes
• Security Council strongly condemns terrorist attack
• Hundreds from western Mosul getting medical
• INTERVIEW: Robert Serry on the ‘Endless Quest’
for new efforts to build and sustain peace
investments in early childhood development attention amid fight to retake Iraqi city
•
Amid dwindling donor support, one million displaced Somali refugees grow hopeless, UN agency warns
and $1 trillion annually, UN reports in Egypt that kills 9 policemen
for Middle East peace and reflections from No Man’s Land
At Security Council, UN chief Guterres makes case for new efforts to build and sustain peace 10 January – Delivering his first formal briefing to the Security Council, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the need for new, strengthened efforts to build and sustain peace ranging from prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and sustainable development. “We spend far more time and resources responding to crises rather than preventing them. People are paying too high a price […] We need a whole new approach,” Mr. Guterres stressed at a Security Council debate on conflict prevention and sustaining peace. He added, however, that it has also been difficult to persuade decision-makers at national and international levels that prevention must be their priority.
António Guterres (centre) makes his first address to the Security Council as Secretary-General, on the issue of conflict prevention and sustaining peace. At right is Margot Wallström of Sweden, President of the Council for the month of January. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
“Perhaps because successful prevention does not attract attention. The television cameras are not there when a crisis is avoided.” In his address, the UN chief, whose five-year term began on 1 January, noted that while most of the contemporary conflicts are essentially internal, their consequences become regional and even global. Noting that UN’s response to such challenges remains fragmented, Mr. Guterres highlighted that changes needed to be made to rebalance the approach to peace and security.
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Prevention is not merely a priority, but the priority. If we live up to our responsibilities, we will save lives, reduce suffering and give hope to millions. “For decades, this has been dominated by responding to conflict. For the future, we need to do far more to prevent war and sustain peace,” he said. He also informed the Council members on reform initiatives within the UN Secretariat, in particular with regard to the decision-making process and strengthening the capacity to integrate all pillars of the UN – peace and security; human rights and development – and called on the Security Council as well as the 193-member General Assembly for their support. ‘Primary work of conflict prevention lies with [UN] Member States’ Further in his address, the Secretary-General called on all sections of the society for greater political, cultural and economic investments in inclusivity and cohesion, so that people appreciate the benefits of diversity rather than perceiving it as a threat. “All groups need to see that their individual identities are respected, while feeling that they belong as valued members of the community as a whole,” he stated, particularly emphasizing the role of civil society in raising the alarm when this respect is threatened or lost. Urging the Council to make greater use of the options laid out in Chapter VI of the UN Charter, dealing with pacific settlement of disputes, Mr. Guterres pledged the support of his ‘good offices,’ as well as his personal engagement. He also cautioned that many opportunities to prevent conflict have been lost due to UN Member States mistrusting each other’s motives and because of concerns over national sovereignty. Adding that while such concerns were understandable, in a world where power is unequal and principles have sometimes been applied selectively, he underlined that prevention should never be used to serve other political goals. “On the contrary, prevention is best served by strong sovereign States, acting for the good of their people.” Trust is the key Mr. Guterres further underscored that prevention must consistently be seen as a value in itself. “It is an essential means of reducing human suffering and enabling people to reach their full potential,” he said, and added that international cooperation for prevention, and in particular translating early warning into early action depended on trust between Member States, and in their relations with the UN. “Disagreements about the past cannot allow us to prevent us from acting today,” he added further, noting that he stood ready to foster a more trusting relationship and to improve communications with the Security Council, with consistency, candour and transparency. Concluding his address, Mr. Guterres repeated the appeal for peace he made shortly after taking office, saying: “I think it would be naïve to say that 2017 will be a year of peace, but at least it is our obligation to do everything we can to make it a year for peace.” The debate was convened by Sweden in its capacity as the President of the Council for the month of January 2017. It was attended by senior Ministers from a number of countries.
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UNICEF #EarlyMomentsMatter campaign promotes investments in early childhood development 10 January – Today marks the launch of a new United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) campaign, #EarlyMomentsMatter, aimed at raising awareness about the critical impact that early experiences have on children’s brain development during their first 1,000 days of life. Before the age of three, human brain cells make up to 1,000 new connections every second, a speed that slows later in life. These connections ensure that children’s brains continue to grow and lay the foundation for future learning, health and happiness. These brain connections cannot reach their full potential without nurturing care, including adequate nutrition, stimulation, love, and protection from stress and violence.
In Belize, two-year-old Abner laughs while being carried by his father, James Choc. Photo: UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne
A recent series by The Lancet found that some 250 million children in developing countries are at a risk of poor development due to stunting and poverty. However, greater investments in early childhood development are needed in all countries: according to UNICEF, children living in middle and high-income countries are also facing risks. The agency estimates that millions of children spend their critical early years in unstimulating and unsafe environments, thus jeopardizing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. UNICEF’s campaign, supported by the LEGO Foundation, will begin with a digital and print initiative to help parents and caregivers better understand the neuroscience behind brain development for babies. It uses the hashtag #EatPlayLove to raise awareness about science in a straightforward, visually compelling way and to encourage societies to prioritize a strong start for children. The campaign also intends to drive demand for quality, affordable early childhood development services and to urge governments to make greater investments in programs that target vulnerable children. UNICEF recalled that early childhood investment is one of the most effective ways to ensure that people reach their full potential well into adulthood and that such investments are especially critical for those who live in poverty. According to one study conducted over a 20-year period, disadvantaged children who participated in quality early development programmes as toddlers later went on to make up to 25 per cent more as adults than their peers who did not receive the same support. Through the campaign, UNICEF is calling on governments to step up their investments in early childhood, expand health and social services to young children, and to strengthen support services for parents and caregivers. The campaign is also receiving support from the H&M Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ALEX AND ANI, and the IKEA Foundation.
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Hundreds from western Mosul getting medical attention amid fight to retake Iraqi city 10 January – Nearly 700 people have been moved to hospitals from the frontlines in Mosul, Iraq, as the United Nations and partners are working to scale up humanitarian efforts for thousands of people fleeing the fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Iraqi forces. “Trauma casualty rates around the front lines are extremely high,” Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told journalists in Geneva. The majority of people receiving medical attention have been brought in with gunshot wounds. Recipients of UNHCR blankets walk back to their home after an aid distribution in a liberated area of east Mosul, Iraq. Photo: UNHCR/Ivor Prickett
In addition, about 135,500 people have been displaced as a result of the efforts to retake Mosul, with the figure spiking in the past 10 days, according to the latest situation report by the UN humanitarian arm.
“The UN has increased access to the areas that had been retaken,” Mr. Laerke said. He noted that given the “very high risk” of unexploded ordinance, however, aid workers have to wait until the areas are cleared before moving in. Much of the response is currently in the Government- and UN-managed camps to the south and the east of Mosul, where the majority of the displaced people are sheltering, added Mr. Laerke. The response there is focused on helping people sustain cold temperatures. Anecdotal reports from people who fled western Mosul suggests the ISIL has redirected fuel sources to its military, limiting the electricity available for people to heat their homes. Despite efforts, however, “there is no humanitarian access to ISIL-controlled areas of western Mosul,” said Mr. Laerke, cautioning that the UN is “very concerned” for the safety, security and protection of the people there. “It is possible to count, record and assist those fleeing, but it is impossible to say how many remained there,” the spokesperson said in reference to Mosul. For more than two months, most major trading routes into the western part of the city have essentially been sealed off, resulting in a “siege-like situation” where few goods are available.
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Amid dwindling donor support, one million displaced Somali refugees grow hopeless, UN agency warns 10 January – More than one million Somali refugees who have been displaced from their homes for decades are becoming despondent as they continue to be unable to return home and donor support is growing fatigued, according to the United Nations refugee agency. “There is a growing sense of helplessness in the camps because people are feeling forgotten,” said Mohamed Abdi Affey, the Special Envoy to the Somali refugee situation for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Somali refugee crisis is one of the longest-running in the world, with people who have been displaced for more than 20 years. Some one million live in camps throughout the Horn of Africa, while an additional 1.1 million are displaced within Somalia.
UNHCR Special Envoy Mohamed Abdi Affey (second, right) listens to a Somali refugee in Dadaab, Kenya, who has opted to return home under a voluntary repatriation programme. Photo: UNHCR/Modesta Ndubi
“There has been some real progress in Somalia over the past few months, including the successful organization of elections inside the country,” acknowledged the Special Envoy. “What’s needed now is to build up infrastructures across the country so refugees do not suffer when they go back.” UNHCR is backing a regional summit, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa, which will take place in March to determine lasting solutions for Somali refugees. A proposed regional response would provide continued protection to 262,000 Somali refugees in a camp in Kenya that has been hosting people for more than 20 years. When a decision was made last year to close the camp, UNHCR lobbied the government with a new plan of action and successfully delayed its closure. “Nobody wants to be a refugee forever. A regional solution is the most viable solution for the Somali situation,” said Mr. Affey. Mr. Affey, who previously served as the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister in Kenya, spoke in Geneva yesterday following a visit to Somalia and to refugee camps in Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, where 905,060 Somalis live – some since the 1990s. He also visited Yemen last month, where refugees face increasingly desperate conditions in a country torn apart by war. Because of emergencies elsewhere – particularly in Syria and South Sudan – donors have been unable to continue their support. “Meanwhile, hunger is growing; meanwhile, frustration is growing; meanwhile, desperation is setting in and people are becoming angry,” reported the Special Envoy. In addition to dwindling food rations, Mr. Affey said that the ongoing drought in East Africa has led to further complications, including limited access to education and skills training, especially for young people. “Refugees should be skilled enough, trained to prepare them for an eventual return so that they can participate in the reconstruction of their country. So that they don’t go back after 30 years without skills – within the camps we must create these conditions and possibilities.” UNHCR began supporting the voluntary return of Somali refugees from Kenya in 2014. Since then, a total of 39,316 have returned. However, Mr. Affey noted that security and socio-economic conditions in many parts of Somalia are not yet where they need to be in order to support large-scale returns. He appealed to the international community to strengthen efforts to UN News Centre • www.un.org/news
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build stability in a country that has suffered under more than two decades of armed conflict.
Effective tobacco policies could save 8 million lives and $1 trillion annually, UN reports 10 January – Smoking and tobacco use cost world economies more than $1 trillion each year in healthcare and lost productivity, the United Nations health agency today reported, refuting claims that controls on tobacco products adversely impact economies. The report, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), “shows how lives can be saved and economies can prosper when governments implement cost-effective, proven measures,” said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, WHO Director for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). These measures include increasing taxes and prices on tobacco products, according to findings in The economics of tobacco and tobacco control . Given that there are about 1.1 billion tobacco smokers aged 15 years or older around the world, an excise tax of about $0.80 per pack in each country would raise $140 billion globally. Photo: World Bank
As a further example, the authors noted that such a tax would increase retail prices on cigarettes on average by 42 per cent, leading to a decline in smoking rates by up to 66 million smokers, or the equivalence of nine per cent. Without such actions to curb tobacco products, an additional two million people – up to eight million from six millions – are expected die from tobacco and related products by 2030, according to the report. The majority of those deaths would be in low- and middle-income countries. “The tobacco industry produces and markets products that kill millions of people prematurely, rob households of finances that could have been used for food and education, and impose immense healthcare costs on families, communities and countries,” Dr. Oleg Chestnov, WHO's Assistant Director-General for NCDs.
Security Council strongly condemns terrorist attack in Egypt that kills 9 policemen 10 January – The Security Council has denounced the terrorist attack in Egypt yesterday that reportedly killed nine policemen and injured more than 13 people. In a press statement issued overnight, the 15-member body “condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” that took place in the northern Sinai city of Al-Arish, and “reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.” The Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States to cooperate actively with the Government of Egypt and all other relevant authorities in this regard. Wide view of the Security Council. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file)
“Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by UN News Centre • www.un.org/news
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whomsoever committed,” the Council reiterated, reaffirming the need for all States to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. The Council expressed its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Egypt and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.
INTERVIEW: Robert Serry on the ‘Endless Quest’ for Middle East peace and reflections from No Man’s Land 10 January – The United Nation’s former point person for Middle East negotiations has said that Israelis and Palestinians need at least the prospects of a two-state solution, and urged the international community to create conditions for more effective discussions in the future. In his new book, Robert Serry offers an insider’s perspective on conflict management and peace efforts during the three most recent peace initiatives and three wars in Gaza. He shares his reflections on walking the tight rope of diplomacy between Israel and Palestine, his analysis of what has gone wrong and why a “one-state reality” may be around the corner. Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the Secretary-General's Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2015, on a visit to Gaza in November 2012. UN Photo/Shareef Sarhan
Mr. Serry was the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process from 2007 to 2015. Speaking to UN News about his book, Mr. Serry, who was also the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, admits that he has been struggling with questions about what his message should be given the length of time he spent with the UN. “Parties should learn the lessons from what has happened during the past 20 years of field negotiations. If you simply repeat the experiment again, by putting the parties together at one table, and expecting a different result, well, according to Einstein, that is a definition of madness,” he said. What then is the answer for achieving peace? His new book is The Endless Quest for Israeli-Palestinian Peace: A Reflection from No Man’s Land. He discussed it at a recent meet-the-author event at the UN Bookshop in New York. We have seen three peace initiatives. The first one started at Annapolis, and the last one was the one of Secretary John Kerry, and I am afraid, not coincidentally, all peace initiatives were followed by wars in Gaza The interview has been edited for clarity. UN News: What inspired you to write this book? Robert Serry: I think it was my long stay – I didn’t expect to stay for seven years – and also what I have been experiencing during these long seven years in Jerusalem, working on behalf of Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General, in the efforts of the international community to bring peace to Israel and to Palestinians. I never intended to stay that long, but every year my contract was extended. While I was doing the job, I started to think about reflecting on what was happening, because I feel that I have been there in what could have become a very decisive period in the history of this conflict. After all, we have seen three peace initiatives. The first one started at Annapolis, and the last one was the one of Secretary John Kerry, and I am afraid, not coincidentally, all peace initiatives were followed by wars in Gaza. The UN was in the midst of it, particularly in Gaza, where we have a major humanitarian responsibility to the people of Gaza, including the majority being refugees in Gaza. So the idea of writing a book grew while I was doing my work. I started to take some notes, and then I got this opportunity after I finally completed my assignment in 2015. I was offered the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Academic Chair’s position in the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, not far from New York. There’s a UN News Centre • www.un.org/news
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unique cooperation, by the way, between the UN and this university, because it allows a former envoy like me, to take a step back and reflect on what you have done, what you have experienced. That actually gave me the opportunity, and inspiration to do what I have always done in mind during my work there, which is write a book. Writing is a little bit in my blood, I believe, because I have been writing another book about my stay for the Dutch government as the first Dutch Ambassador in Ukraine. UN News: The subtitle – a reflection from no man’s land – how fitting is that, in your view? Robert Serry: You always look for a title that will intrigue people. Why in no man’s land? It becomes clear in the preface of the book; I was working as the UN envoy, in no man’s land. In Jerusalem, you have the Government house, which was the previous residence of the last British Governor, before the British left. After the first Arab-Israeli war, that was designated in the first armistice between Israel and Arab countries as the no man’s land, and the UN bought it at that time for the first ever UN peacekeeping operation, which is UNSO…?), and of course now after many years of unresolved conflict, nowadays, the Special Coordinator or the Representative of Ban Ki-moon – the Highest Official – is also residing in that building. It sits on top of a hill, and historically in a Holy city. So I felt myself in a no man’s land, between Israel and the Palestinians. That is also why I put that in the subtitle of the book. Of course, there is also something else here: so much more land is still not allocated. If we think about what the border of Israel is, and what the future border of Palestine is going to be, it’s an illusion to that unfortunate situation. UN News: How different is the most recent peace initiative from the previous two? Robert Serry: I don’t think we can talk about a new initiative yet. The last one was the Kerry initiative, and I have been writing a chapter about it in the book. There are, of course, ongoing efforts, particularly with French participation at this point, to renew negotiations. I have been trying to take a step back, rather than thinking about a new process and rushing back to negotiations. Somewhere in my book, I am also saying that parties should learn the lessons from what has happened during the past 20 years of field negotiations. If you simply repeat the experiment again, by putting the parties together at one table, and expecting a different result, well, according to Einstein, that is a definition of madness. I feel like, for that reason also, it is very important for the international community to look at its own involvement in the conflict. And why is it that Resolution 242 will be fifty years old next year, yet the Security Council has never been able to update that important resolution. In my book, one of my main conclusions is that we need end-game parameters for the parties and for more effective future negotiations. It’s only one of the conclusions of my book; there are a lot of conclusions to be drawn as well. But from the point of view of the international community, I think that is what has been lacking, and I hope that in the nearest future, there may be something like that. I don’t believe so much in just starting negotiations, under the present circumstances, and then expecting a different result. UN News: The way things have been unfolding … what, in your view, has gone wrong? Why is the peace process not moving forward? These are things I have just been proposing because of my great concern that the classical two-state solution, based on total separation, is now dead Robert Serry: Well, you cannot say that one thing has gone wrong. There are a number of factors that I discuss in my book, and in the conclusion I come to seven main lessons learned. But in terms of the things that have gone wrong and which have deepened the so-called one-state reality that I talk about – and I am also, I think, one of the first, as a Special Envoy for the United Nations back in 2011, to term it this way – that rather than going towards a two-state solution, parties were actually retreating towards a dangerous one-state reality. Now you see many others also talking about that. In terms of why this is happening, it’s very clear that on the Israeli side if they continue to build settlements – settlements in the state of a prospective other country – that will not work; that is an obstacle as the international community has been saying time and again. That’s a very clear reason why this one-state reality will only deepen if that continues. But I should also add that on the Palestinian side, an aggravating factor – which can also deepen the one-state reality – is their continued division. I’ve been very much involved, for the UN also, in trying to help the Palestinians in trying to achieve reconciliation based on the paramount principle of non-violence; a government that actually has authority over both the West Bank and Gaza, and make sure that that paramount condition on their side is respected – non-violence as a basic condition for trying again negotiations. I just mentioned some of the reasons. There are other things discussed in the book. 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UN News: Based on those factors, would you say that a two-state solution is still feasible, given what is happening? Robert Serry: In the book, I also have a chapter called, “If not two states, what else?” Why am I actually having a chapter like that? I must tell you that I have also been struggling with what my main message should be in the present, dire circumstances. Is it still possible to have a two-state solution, or are the many pundits now (a growing number of pundits in literature as well) declaring the two-state solution an illusion – declaring it dead? What should my position be now, having been involved in such a long time with the United Nations? In the end, I came to the conclusion not to declare the two-state solution dead because, dear friends, where then is the other solution? Where is the other horse to jump on? Is it the one-state solution? Is that really possible? A binational, democratic state comprising Palestinians and Israelis? I think you probably need decades to get there in terms of the amount of distrust that exists now and yet trust is needed for such binational solutions. That’s why I think you do the people – both the Israelis and the Palestinians – an even bigger disservice by declaring the two-state solution now dead. But they have to realize it is five to midnight, or even too late. I’m also talking about a more inclusive state solution – maybe in the Palestinian state, there remains an Israeli minority. These are things I have just been proposing because of my great concern that the classical two-state solution, based on total separation, is now dead. UN News: I was going to ask about your suggestion that a one state reality rather than a two state solution is around the corner… Robert Serry: Well it is around the corner, and it’s there. I have been among the first to warn the parties that this is what is happening right now. Since I left my office in Jerusalem, it has only deepened. But we have to think about the consequences of what we are saying. Does it mean that we then have to give up a two-state solution, also as an international community? UN News: That’s the question one would ask. Maybe a two state solution makes sense, but the reality speaks to something different? I should also add that on the Palestinian side, an aggravating factor – which can also deepen the one-state reality – is their continued division Robert Serry: Well present day realities are clearly heading in a different direction. But I’ve been also thinking about what that direction in the end can bring us. I think it is an unsustainable direction. It is bound to lead to renewed conflict. I repeat myself now: we are doing both Israelis and Palestinians a disservice by starting to discard that option altogether. UN News: Some people think the Kerry initiative was the closest this came to being a success. Wasn’t it? Robert Serry: My chapter in the book is called “The Kerry Initiative: a last rolling of the dice?” So it was a crucial attempt where he also tried to define for the parties the so-called end- game parameters. Today I regret that Kerry wasn’t actually able to bring it to an end. Because that is what the parties need: to at least preserve the prospects for a two-state outcome in the future. I am personally not very optimistic about any negotiations in the future, given the state of affairs among Palestinians and among Israelis. [I am not optimistic] that it will lead to a different result. UN News: Maybe it’s something you don’t want to pronounce yourself on but given the change in the administration in the US, do you think that things might play out differently in this process?
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Robert Serry: Well, at least in every situation where you have uncertainty, there is always an opportunity, but of course, also, new dangers. With President-elect Trump, we know that he is keen – at least he has been saying it – that he would like to resolve it. But then I would advise him to take a step back and look at what previous presidents have been trying, and to not to repeat the same experiment. A fresh approach is needed. I don’t believe that it will be a good start for the president to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, if that is what would happen in the beginning of a new American involvement in the conflict. I hope he will take a step back, reflect, and come with a fresh approach. There is a need for a fresh approach, and let’s hope. I don’t want to prejudge what Trump is going to do.
The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)
