Burundi: UN Chief welcomes launch of electoral monitoring mission.

The police in Bujumbura, Burundi, have increasingly broken up opposition party gatherings. Photo: IRIN/Desire Nimubona

 

3 January 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the launch of the United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi, which officially started its work on 1 January 2015 as mandated by Security Council resolution 2137 (2014).
The UN Electoral Observation Mission (also known by its French acronym MENUB) is headed by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Mr. Cassam Uteem of Mauritius.
MENUB is mandated to follow and report on the presidential, parliamentary and local elections in Burundi that are scheduled between May and September 2015.
In a note released by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General noted that "peaceful and credible elections are critical for the people of Burundi". Mr. Ban also said he hoped that all Burundians will seize this opportunity to establish peace and stability in their country.

UN Mission chief applauds joint operations against armed groups in eastern DR Congo

Cobra Matata, leader of the Force de Résistance Patriotique de l’Ituri (FRPI), arrives handcuffed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 5 January 2015, after being arrested during a joint operation by UN troops and the Congolese army (FARDC). Photo: Radio Okapi

 

6 January 2015 – A joint operation by United Nations troops and the Congolese army (FARDC) took control of the main bases used by an armed group actively threatening security and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s long-troubled eastern region.
FARDC troops backed by attack helicopters and the Force Intervention Brigade of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) took control of bases used by the National Liberation Front, known by the French acronym FNL, in an area of restive South Kivu Province.
“The joint operation FARDC-MONUSCO against FNL is a strong signal for all armed groups, including the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda): the only way toward peace is through voluntary disarmament,” said MONUSCO chief, Martin Kobler.
His comments come as MONUSCO prepares to launch military operations against the FDLR, another armed group operating in eastern DRC, which missed a deadline for the unconditional surrender of its forces on 2 January.
They follow also a joint FARDC-MONUSCO attack against the rebel Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces in North Kivu and the arrest of Cobra Matata, leader of the Force de Résistance Patriotique de l’Ituri (FRPI) which took place over the weekend.
The FNL is a Burundian group that is deemed to pose an unacceptable threat to the security and stability in the eastern DRC and the joint offensive launched against the group was part of an operation initiated in late 2014 aiming to disarm armed groups operating in the Ruzizi plain and nearby areas.
The FNL’s neutralization is considered of paramount importance for MONUSCO and the FARDC to ensure civilian security in South Kivu.
“We are prepared to fight all armed groups and protect civilians,” said Major General Jean Baillaud, MONUSCO Force Commander ad interim. “This military success clearly shows FARDC and MONUSCO’s capacities to conduct joint actions and their common determination to neutralize all armed groups.”

Burundi: UN electoral mission prepared to help country in ‘decisive’ return to peace.

Cassam Uteem (left), Special Envoy and Head of UN Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) and Issaka Souna, MENUB Deputy chief, in Bujumbura at official launch of Mission’s work. January 2015 Photo: UNDP/Aude Rossignol

 

12 January 2015 – The United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi, known by its French acronym MENUB, officially launched its activities today in the capital of Bujumbura as the country prepares for critical elections to be held later this year amid an atmosphere of reconciliation.
“Dialogue can open the way for compromise and help lead to solutions for even the most difficult of problems,” the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy and MENUB chief, Cassam Uteem, said earlier this morning at a ceremony marking the Mission’s launch.
The UN Security Council set the creation of MENUB in motion in February 2014 following the Burundi Government’s request for a UN-backed electoral observer mission before, during and after presidential, parliamentary and local polls, scheduled between May and September 2015.
“We would also encourage the Government to continue the dialogue begun in March 2013 and reassure all those who wish to take part in the electoral process that they will face no obstacles,” continued Mr. Uteem, as he called on all stakeholders to respect the outcome of the upcoming elections.
The UN official reminded those gathered – among which were former Government officials, representatives of institutions and members of civil society – that the election would affect all Burundians and called on the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to take “appropriate measures” to ensure the polls’ smooth running while also widening participation in the electoral process to all eligible people. In addition, he welcomed CENI’s organization of workshops aimed at monitoring voting registration and potential irregularities.
The Mission replaced the UN Office in Burundi (BNUB), which was set up in 2006 following a ceasefire between the Government and the last remaining rebel forces to support peace consolidation, democratic governance, disarmament and reform of the security sector.
Burundi was the first country, along with Sierra Leone, to be put on the agenda of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), which was also established in 2006, to ensure that countries once ravaged by war do not relapse into bloodshed.
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy acknowledged that the Mission was in Burundi to help ease the country towards a long-standing peace based on a legitimate democratic process, and he urged the international community to also remain committed to helping the Burundian people, so the country may “decisively turn towards peace and spend most of its resources on the only battle that needs to be fought – that of development and the eradication of poverty.”

Security Council reaffirms peacebuilding as key element of UN post-conflict assistance.

Wide view of the Security Council in session. UN Photo/Loey Felipe (file)

14 January 2015 – Peacebuilding is of “critical importance” as the foundation for sustainable peace and development in countries emerging from conflict, the United Nations Security Council declared today, unanimously adopting its latest measure reaffirming commitment to the practice.
In a statement presented by Heraldo Muñoz, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Chile, which holds the body’s January presidency, the Council recognized peacebuilding’s role as an “important element” of the UN’s efforts in post-conflict nations and reaffirmed that sustainable peace and security requires “an integrated sustained approach based on coherence among political, security and developmental approaches.”
“The Security Council underscores that peacebuilding, in particular, institution building, the extension of State authority and the re-establishment of core public administration functions, requires sustained international and national attention, and financial and technical support in order to effectively build and sustain peace in countries emerging from conflict,” the statement declared.
“When we look at the life of a conflict, we need to think of extending that attention to the pre-stage and the post-stage”, said Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, as he introduced the Secretary-General’s latest report on peacebuilding in the aftermath of conflict. The upcoming review of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) will take place at a time of complex threats to peace, security and development, including the relapse into conflict in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, as well as the Ebola outbreak.
He said he looked forward to the reviews of the Security Council and the Secretary-General, alongside the global study to assess progress in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) on women’s inclusion in post-conflict processes. Those reviews should be mutually reinforcing he stressed, adding that a solid commitment was needed from all sides for countries emerging from conflict.
“This could make the difference between peace or continuing conflict for millions of people around the world,” he stated. “This is an opportunity the United Natons and Member States should not miss.”
The PBC, an intergovernmental advisory body created in 2005 with a mandate to support peace efforts in countries emerging from conflict, plays a “unique role” in UN peacebuilding efforts, according to its website.
Principally, it is tasked with bringing together all of the relevant actors, including international donors and financial institutions, national governments, troop contributing countries; marshalling resources and advising on and proposing integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery and where appropriate, highlighting any gaps that threaten to undermine peace.
Addressing the Council members, Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations and Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, pointed to the vast swathe of crises afflicting nations around the globe as indicative of the need for “further sharpening the tools at the disposal of the United Nations with a view to preventing relapse into violent conflict.”
“The crises in the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Libya, as well as the risks posed by the Ebola crisis, remind us that our response must be multifaceted, carefully sequenced and sustained over the long term,” Mr. de Aguiar Patriota told the Council Members.
“Attention and support to nationally-owned and inclusive political, socio-economic development and institution-building processes should be prioritized,” he added.
Nonetheless, he warned, peacebuilding is still being not granted “the sustained attention and commitment that is required by the international community to meet the complex and long-term challenges to sustainable peace.” In particular, he added, the implementation of peacebuilding was still being deprived of the critical financing mechanisms necessary for the fulfilment of its ambitions.
“Early investment in peacebuilding activities, including security sector and justice reform as well as socio-economic development, is a necessary complement to political and security focused mandates,” Mr. de Aguiar Patriota continued.
“The Commission will continue to support regional and national efforts aimed at catalysing greater international commitment to address this challenge.”

In Liberia, UN Ebola mission chief commends progress, warns against ‘complacency’

Head of UNMEER Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (second right) meets in Monrovia with Special Representative for Liberia, Karin Landgren (second left), to discuss cooperation on Ebola between the two UN entities. Photo: UNMEER/Simon Ruf

 

7 January 2015 – On his first tour of Ebola-stricken Liberia, the newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) today outlined his vision to tackle the scourge in what he called a “3C approach” which he described as recognizing the vital roles of “countries, communities and coordination.”
Briefing journalists at Spryggs Airport in Monrovia, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed described his first impression of the situation on the ground as “mixed.” On the one hand, he begins his post with “a lot of optimism,” but on the other hand, he recognizes mounting challenges to end Ebola.
“We are not yet there. There is certainly still a lot to be done for Liberia to be claimed free [of Ebola],” he said, expressing concern that successes and optimism may provoke a “degree of complacency.”
During his visit, the new UNMEER head met with the President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Minister of Health, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and the UN system which remains “quite active” on the ground. Joined by UN Special Envoy on Ebola David Nabarro, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed visited a treatment centre, as well as Grand Cape Mount, which has seen a recent flare-up of cases.
“My visit to the treatment centre has confirmed that we still have in certain places figures which for us are too high,” said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed, as he stressed the need to “stay alert” and keep up the same degree of mobilization from the Government and international community.
In the hard-hit West African region, some 8,220 have died from the Ebola outbreak, according to the latest figures from the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
Ebola response is and should be a “Government-driven battle” as it is “about their people, about the fate of their country,” UNMEER’s chief told reporters. Recognizing the role of countries is crucial as is supporting the grassroots efforts of stricken communities.
“If we do not tackle this at the community level, there will be no zero-Ebola achievement. The community leaders, religious leaders and the communities themselves must not only acknowledge the existence of Ebola but also the battle it will take to win that behavioural change against a very limited amount of time.”
He said that so far he has seen when he met survivors and leaders is that there is strong resolve there which must be “sustained and maintained.”
The last “C” of his “3C approach”, which he hopes to be leading, is coordination. “There are a lot of actors coming to this, many with very good intentions. But we are too many and sometimes when there are too many cooks in the kitchen it is very difficult to get the meal out. We have to coordinate ourselves, we have to organize better,” he stressed.
At the same time, he said a lot is also owed to the Liberians themselves, “their determination, their will and their strength.”
“The Liberians have made this their battle. The people I have met with are at the community level are leaders of the communities or religious leaders, imams, church leaders. All of them have extraordinary resolve.”
Welcoming Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed to his new post, Dr. Nabarro said that this is his sixth time in West Africa since starting work as UN System Coordinator on Ebola in August. Progress has been achieved by the people and Government of Liberia, communities, first responders, doctors, nurses and other health workers. And the people who have recovered from Ebola are “now the real Ambassadors.”
“The numbers do tell an important story. In the middle of September the epidemiology said that there were about 80 new cases per day of Ebola in this country. It fluctuated and perhaps some days were worse than others. But just at the moment the figure is certainly less than five per day and possibly lower,” Dr. Nabarro explained.
The next phase is to start to look at where the virus is, find the people who are not well and support them, trace their contacts and get a much deeper understanding of the outbreak.
“This next stage is pretty difficult because the only solution for all of us is [to ensure] that Ebola is not present in humans in this region, as quickly as possible. So we really have to work together to find everybody. And there are flare-ups occurring such as in Grand Cape Mount…so we have to stay super vigilant.”
Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who succeeds UNMEER’s inaugural chief, Anthony Banbury, is headed to Sierra Leone tomorrow and Guinea next week. Tomorrow morning UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will brief the General Assembly on his recent West Africa trip.

2015 presents historic opportunity to improve people’s lives, says UN Assembly President.

General Assembly President Sam Kutesa outlines his objectives for 2015. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

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14 January 2015 – The next several months will present a historic opportunity to agree on an “inspiring” agenda that will directly improve the lives of people around the world, United Nations General Assembly President Sam Kutesa said today as he outlined his objectives for 2015.
“As we embark on the critical task of formulating an inclusive and transformative post-2015 development agenda, I call on Member States to approach the negotiations with a positive and constructive spirit,” Mr. Kutesa told the 193-Member Assembly this afternoon.
During his briefing, he looked back at the world body’s achievements during the last half of 2014, spotlighting, among others: the unprecedented international response to the Ebola crisis, and the historic establishment of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER); the endorsement of the outcome of the first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples; and completion of preparatory work for intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.
Looking ahead, he said the success of the new development agenda will depend on Member States’ ability to match ambitions with adequate means of implementation, he added, emphasizing that it will be critical to ensure coherence between the elaboration of the post-2015 agenda and the preparatory process for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July.
On climate change, Mr. Kutesa said the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the landmark UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Lima, Peru, last month, laid the groundwork for a universal and meaningful agreement to be finalized in Paris in December this year.
Meanwhile, the upcoming Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, scheduled for Japan in March, is expected to result in a post-2015 framework dealing with that issue, with a view to enhancing preparedness and strengthening countermeasures to climate-related disasters.
The devastating Ebola epidemic is another issue of major concern for the General Assembly, Mr. Kutesa said. “Throughout the crisis, the efforts of national governments have been heroic, as have been those of humanitarian staff, nurses, doctors, burial workers and ordinary civilians.”
But, he added: “We must redouble our efforts and remain seized of the crisis as the most affected countries face the devastating, long-term implications of the epidemic.” It is equally important to foster cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations.
Peace and security, which the Assembly President said lies “at the very heart” of the UN’s mission, came under jeopardy in 2014 with the myriad conflicts worldwide serving as stark reminders of the need for peaceful settlement of disputes. To that end, the Arms Trade Treaty’s (ATT) coming into force on 24 December certainly contributed to arms control.
The brutal terrorist attacks carried out by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram; the murders of school children in Pakistan; and the heinous terrorist attacks in Paris, Nigeria and elsewhere have put in sharp focus the rising threat of terrorism and extremism, Mr. Kutesa said.
The UN must re-double its efforts to combat extremism and terrorism in all their forms, he said, emphasizing that there is no justification for such attacks.
On the promotion of equal rights, Mr. Kutesa recalled that the current 69th session of the General Assembly marks the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Conference on Women. This would provide a good opportunity to give even greater focus to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the post-2015 agenda, he added.
Mr. Kutesa said he also looked forward to the unveiling of the Permanent Memorial to Honour the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade in March, as part of the International Decade for People of African Descent, launched by the Assembly last month.
Also this year, the United Nations will celebrate its 70th anniversary. It is therefore critical to consider reform and ways to strengthen the Organization so that is it better able to meet the world’s increasingly complex challenges. Security Council reform remains a priority. On revitalizing the General Assembly itself, Mr. Kutesa said that the recurring challenges in the completion of the work of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) should be addressed.

World Bank: despite ‘fragile’ global economy, low oil prices to spur recovery in developing countries.

Gassing up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: the latest edition of Global Economic Prospects (GEP) says lower oil price is expected to persist through 2015 lowering inflation worldwide. Photo: World Bank/Nafise Motlaq

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13 January 2015 – After an economically disappointing 2014, developing countries can expect an uptick in growth in the new year as soft oil prices, a stronger United States economy, and continued low global interest rates help fuel their recovery, according to a new flagship study issued by the World Bank Group.
The biannual Global Economic Prospects report, released today, projects a global economic expansion of 3 per cent for 2015, 3.3 per cent for 2016, and 3.2 per cent in 2017 – a boost following last year’s anaemic 2.6 per cent growth.
At the same time, the report adds, developing countries are expected to surge from last year’s 4.4 per cent growth to 4.8 per cent in 2015 and then strengthen to a more robust 5.4 per cent by 2017.
“In this uncertain economic environment, developing countries need to judiciously deploy their resources to support social programs with a laser-like focus on the poor and undertake structural reforms that invest in people,” explained World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in a news release marking the report’s launch.
“It’s also critical for countries to remove any unnecessary roadblocks for private sector investment,” Mr. Kim continued. “The private sector is by far the greatest source of jobs and that can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.”
Despite the positive developments, the report paints a largely mixed picture depicting both the growing momentum of economic activity in the United States and the United Kingdom amid healing labour markets and a stuttering recovery in the Eurozone and Japan.
In addition, a number of risks continue to overshadow the potential of full global recovery, particularly weak global trade, possible financial market volatility, the strain low oil prices will place on oil-producing countries, and the risk of prolonged stagnation or deflation in the Eurozone or Japan.
“Worryingly, the stalled recovery in some high-income economies and even some middle-income countries may be a symptom of deeper structural malaise,” cautioned Kaushik Basu, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President. “As population growth has slowed in many countries, the pool of younger workers is smaller, putting strains on productivity.”
Nevertheless, Mr. Basu added, there are “some silver linings behind the clouds.”
“The lower oil price, which is expected to persist through 2015, is lowering inflation worldwide and is likely to delay interest rate hikes in rich countries. This creates a window of opportunity for oil-importing countries, such as China and India,” he said, noting the World Bank’s expectations for India’s growth to rise to 7 per cent by 2016.
The developing world and large middle-income countries are, in fact, expected to benefit from lower oil prices. In Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey, the fall in oil prices will help lower inflation and reduce current account deficits. Meanwhile, exporting countries, such as Russia, can expect their economies to contract as a result, prompting opportunities for wide-scale structural reforms.
“Lower oil prices will lead to sizeable real income shifts from oil-exporting to oil-importing developing countries,” said Ayhan Kose, Director of Development Prospects at the World Bank.
“For both exporters and importers, low oil prices present an opportunity to undertake reforms that can increase fiscal resources and help broader environmental objectives.”