Tag: Peace and security

UN space agency vigilant over threat posed by ‘near-Earth objects’ — Global Issues

NEOs are asteroids or comets that come relatively close to the Sun, to about 50 million kilometres from Earth’s orbit. Some of them, ‘potentially hazardous objects’ (PHOs), come even closer – in interstellar terms – with a minimum distance of less than 7.5 million kilometres.

Measuring more than 140 meters across, the PHOs have the potential to cause regional devastation with possible global consequences.

Do look up

Even smaller objects can still cause significant, although localized, damage. The object responsible for the Tunguska event on 30 June 1908 over Siberia, is believed to have been up to 60 metres in diameter.

The largest asteroid impact event in recorded history, it was chosen in 2017 as a fitting anniversary to commemorate International Asteroid Day.

Even smaller NEOs can be hazardous, damaging buildings and injuring people. On 15 February 2013, a large fireball approximately 20 meters across disintegrated in the skies over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.

According to US Space Administration (NASA), the explosion released the energy equivalent of around 440,000 tons of TNT and generated a shock wave that blew out windows and even damaged buildings. Over 1,600 people were injured in the blast, mostly due to shattered glass.

The majority of such objects originate from the inner part of the Solar System’s main asteroid belt. They form under the gravitational influence of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, and because of collisions between larger space bodies.

Warning network

UNOOSA, whose experts have been tracking NEOs for many years, insist that such a global issue merits a robust international response. Addressing the hazard, however much it sounds like a page out of a sci-fi playbook, includes identifying threats, and coming up with some solutions.

As a result, the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) were established to coordinate global planetary defence.

While the task of IAWN is to provide Member States with comprehensive communication plans and protocols to help take educated decisions in case of an asteroid impact, the SMPAG acts as an inter-space agency forum that selects technologies needed for NEO deflection and helps reach consensus on planetary defence measures.

In practical terms this means that should there be a credible impact threat, IAWN would issue an alert.

If the object is larger than 50 metres and the probability of impact exceeds one percent within the next 50 years, SMPAG would evaluate mitigation options and come up with an implementation plan.

UNOOSA’s ultimate aim is to protect the Earth and humankind from the devastating impact of asteroids and International Asteroid Day has over years grown into a global educational campaign to help do just that.

If you want to know more about how UNOOSA is working to stop sci-fi Armageddon from becoming a reality, you can find more details on Near-Earth Objects and Planetary Defence, here.

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Syrians facing ‘ever worsening’ conditions, top UN officials warn — Global Issues

“The violence and suffering of the Syrian people remind us of what is at stake as diplomatic efforts continue on Syria,” said Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Envoy for the country. “Ultimately, we need a nationwide ceasefire in line with Security Councilresolution 2254.”

Worsening crisis

Briefing on current conditions, she said recent reports have tracked deadly drone attacks, shelling, terrorist attacks, and a spate of pro-Government airstrikes.

“Syrians face an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis,” she said.

Against this backdrop, Syrians still face massive displacement, an acute economic crisis, and the tragedy of the detained, disappeared, and missing, she said.

“All of these factors show us why it is so important for renewed diplomacy to translate into real solutions to meet the immediate concerns of the Syrian people, build some trust and confidence among the parties, and move forward towards a political solution,” she stressed.

“Syrians’ needs must be at the centre of our approach, and humanitarian action must be depoliticized,” she added.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria.

Humanitarian update

Martin Griffiths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, echoed that call.

“Twelve years of conflict, economic collapse, and other factors have pushed 90 per cent of the population below the poverty line,” he said, adding that a recent visit to the Syrian capital of Damascus left him “with a greater sense of the profound humanitarian challenges but also the urgent opportunities facing Syria”.

Amid the ongoing violence, sharply rising food prices, recovery from the devastating earthquakes in February, and a spreading cholera outbreak, he said the humanitarian community’s “best chance” to improve the future of the Syrian people is further expanding early recovery activities.

Cross-border aid lifelines

Equally important is the Council’s 12-month renewal of its resolution on cross-border operations, which will improve humanitarian conditions, he said.

Calling for increased international support, he said the UN and its partners currently “have limited means to help the most vulnerable people in Syria”, with the $5.4 billion UN humanitarian response plan less than 12 per cent funded.

He said a $200 million deficit will force the World Food Programme (WFP) to slash by 40 per cent its emergency food aid to Syrians for next month.

“The humanitarian response in Syria is at a critical juncture, as is the future of Syria itself,” he said. “Considerable challenges are apparent, but so are important opportunities if we can leverage recovery funding, if we can continue to be present in northwest and northeast Syria, and if we can turn our attention to sectors which have such a central role in determining basic needs”, such as electricity and water.

“We can only address these issues if we can make our presence one of partnership and support to the people who suffered these many years,” he said.

Finding 100,000 missing Syrians

On Thursday afternoon, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution to establish a first-of-its-kind institution that will work to reveal the fate of an estimated 100,000 people missing or forcibly disappeared in Syria.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 83 in favour to 11 against, with 62 abstentions.

Ahead of the vote, Deputy Special Envoy Rochdi had told the Security Council that many of the families of the missing were looking to the world body’s vote today “with hope that a new entity dedicated to the issue of missing persons in Syria could bring some measure of relief” to those in and outside the country “who have been demanding their right to know the truth”.

Security Council extends UNDOF mandate

In other business, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Disengagement Force (UNDOF), established in 1974 to, among other things, maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Syria.

For more details on this and other meetings occurring throughout the UN system, visit our dedicated UN Meetings Coverage page.

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Guterres condemns Israel’s recent advancement of plans to build in occupied West Bank — Global Issues

A strongly worded statement by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. Antonio Guterres, it says, urged the Government of Israel to halt and reverse the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to immediately and completely cease all settlements activities there and to respect its relevant legal obligations.

The statement refers to the Monday’s advancement of plans for over 5,500 housing units in Israeli settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank, including the retroactive regularization, under Israeli law, of three settlement outposts adjacent to the settlement of Eli.

Settlements impede peace

Antonio Guterres emphasized that Israel’s persistent expansion of settlements, including in East Jerusalem, “deepens humanitarian needs, fuels violence, increases the risk of confrontation, further entrenches the occupation, and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”.

The UN chief warned that the ongoing settlements are eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous and viable sovereign Palestinian State, based on the pre-1967 lines and impede the ability to achieve a viable two-State solution, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

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‘Dire year’ for children caught in conflict, as hospital and school attacks double — Global Issues

Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba unveiled the Secretary-General’s latest annual report, for 2022, which showed there were 27,180 grave violations overall, an increase from the previous year.

The recorded violations only refer to verified information, with the likely toll much higher, and cover four categories: recruitment and use of children into armed groups or forces, killing and maiming, rape and sexual violence, and abduction.

Two thirds of violations involved boys, spanning 24 different conflict situations. A total of 8,831 children were killed or maimed, and another 7,622 were recruited by armed groups or forces.

Worst offenders

Ms. Gamba told journalists at a press conference in New York that the countries recording the highest number of violations were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Israel, the State of Palestine, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

“The monitoring and verification of grave violations remained extremely challenging, including owing to access constraints leading to the underreporting of such violations and an increase in violations verified in 2022,” according to the report.

The countries where “the worst deterioration” occurred were Myanmar, South Sudan, and Burkina Faso.

© UNICEF/Jospin Benekire

A young child eats food in a camp for displaced people in North Kivu province following fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Schools and hospitals

There were 1,163 attacks on schools recorded, and 647 attacks on hospitals – a 112 per cent increase, the report said.

The widespread military use of schools both by armed forces and armed groups, is a “very worrisome trend”, said Ms. Gamba, calling for them to remain “zones of peace”.

Nearly 2,500 children were detained, a practice that “should only be used as a last resort and for the shortest period”, she added.

Russia added to offenders’ list

Ms. Gamba said that Russian forces and affiliated armed groups in Ukraine were being added to the annex of the report as a notable offender, for the number of attacks on hospitals and schools carried out during the invasion and the killing of children during military operations.

Russia’s use of rocket systems, airstrikes, and shelling of populated areas had resulted in “very high casualties”, she said, adding that her engagement with Moscow to introduce measures to decrease attacks would continue.

She said that the Ukrainian armed forces had also received a warning from the UN Secretary-General through the report owing to attacks carried out on schools and hospitals during the war.

Stressing that even defensive responses needed to accord with international humanitarian law, she commended progress made by the Ukrainian Government to make improvements.

Israel, Palestine not added

The Special Representative said Israel and the State of Palestine would not be added to global list of offenders, emphasizing that a warning not to repeat the urban assault on Gaza in May 2021 and retaliatory missile launches had been heeded sufficiently.

She said there had been an “important decrease” in Israeli airstrikes during 2022, noting that the whole purpose of publishing the report and highlighting violence was to change behaviour and strengthen protection.

However, she raised concerns over the continuing high level of violence in the West Bank and other occupied territories so far this year.

Among those added to the offenders’ list are armed groups in the DRC including M23, Mai-Mai Zaire, and CODECO. Two non-State actors in Burkina Faso were also added.

Ms. Gamba also highlighted the addition of Myanmar’s military rulers, listed for attacks on schools and hospitals, saying “they sit with five violations”.

In addition, she said two situations – in Haiti and Niger – are of growing concern to her office.

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Top UN official urges Israeli, Palestinian leaders to ‘put on the brakes’ — Global Issues

“The choice is clear,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO). “Either continue along the downward spiral of violence and provocations leading to a political vacuum or turn towards constructive dialogue linked to concrete actions that can create hope and a political horizon.”

‘Alarming spike’

Urging Israeli and Palestinian leaders to “put on the brakes and rethink the options”, he warned of an “alarming spike in violence” across the northern and central occupied West Bank that has led to numerous Palestinian and Israeli casualties over the past 13 days, since the submission of his latest monthly report, covering the period between mid-May and mid-June.

Providing a grim snapshot of current hotspots, he said military operations – including airstrikes in the West Bank – clashes, attacks, and extremely high levels of settler-related violence, have continued and intensified dramatically.

In addition, he reported the use of more sophisticated weapons by Palestinians, including an advanced improvised explosive device and rockets launched towards Israel.

‘Settler rampage’

From 20 to 25 June, Israeli settlers perpetrated 28 violent attacks against Palestinian villages, he said, adding that the “settler rampage” had caused one death and dozens of injuries.

Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation to protect Palestinians and their property in the Occupied Territory and to ensure prompt, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all acts of violence, he said.

“The deepening occupation, settlement expansion, the high levels of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, and, critically, the absence of a political horizon are rapidly eroding hope among Palestinians and Israelis, and particularly among youth, that a resolution of the conflict is achievable,” he said.

‘Extremely dangerous’

“The speed and intensity of the security deterioration we are witnessing on the ground are extremely dangerous,” he said.

“The unfolding events seriously challenge broader stability and undermine the Palestinian Authority,” he added.

While the ceasefire following the Gaza escalation in May has held, there is a constant risk that events in the West Bank could spill over into the Gaza Strip, he said.

Aid consequences

Equally concerning are the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal and institutional challenges, exacerbated by funding shortages, including for UN agencies, that impact the delivery of crucial basic services. This may further aggravate the deterioration of the situation on the ground, he cautioned.

“Let there be no doubt, neither the Palestinian Authority nor the UN will be able to provide humanitarian assistance without donors urgently stepping up financial support,” he warned.

Regarding other significant developments, he said that the UN’s Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, resumed after four months full service delivery in the West Bank, including at 42 health clinics and 90 schools serving more than 40,000 children. The disruption was due to a work dispute with the local staff union and a strike, he noted.

‘We must urgently act’

But, the ongoing security situation remains a grave challenge, he said.

“We must urgently act collectively to stop the violence,” he said. “At the same time, it is crucial to bring the parties back onto a path that addresses the political issues driving the current dynamics, so that a process to resolve the core issues can begin.”

Council renews DR Congo sanctions, Somalia mission

At the outset of the morning meeting, the Council unanimously adopted two resolutions, renewing for six months the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and extending by one year the current sanctions regime covering an arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze that require States to refrain from, among other things, providing weapons to non-governmental entities operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For more details on this and other meetings occurring throughout the UN system, visit our dedicated UN Meetings Coverage page.

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Displacement soars amid shrinking humanitarian access — Global Issues

“We’ve already seen over 560,000 people crossing into neighbouring countries…[and] nearly two million people displaced internally,” said Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, following a visit to Sudan.

Since conflict erupted there on 15 April when rival militaries clashed, more than half a million people have reached neighbouring countries in a bid to escape the fighting, with Egypt receiving the most refugees followed by Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.

Reaching one million marker

Based on the continuing violence, the UN agency now expects that its previous estimate of one million refugees will be surpassed.

In response to the crisis, UNHCR and other UN agencies, humanitarian partners, and host communities have increased efforts to provide emergency shelter, clean water, health care services, psychosocial support, and other vital assistance to help displaced populations inside and outside Sudan.

Host communities unaffected by the conflict until now are also “seeing the consequences”, Mr. Mazou said.

“All are in need of protection and assistance,” he added. “What is also quite striking, and which needs to be underlined, is how welcoming the host populations are.”

West Darfur horror

Although violence has erupted across multiple fronts, UNHCR raised particular concerns about West Darfur. Aid access is “limited” amid reports of “wanton killings” by militia that the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has condemned.

Bordering West Darfur, Chad has seen 170,000 people crossing its borders to flee the conflict, according to the UN refugee agency. Many, including women and children, have arrived needing treatment for their injuries, the agency said.

At the same time, the rainy season has thwarted aid workers from reaching those crossing the border and transporting them to refugee camps, the agency said.

© UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist

Tents have been set up at the Gorom refugee camp in South Sudan to host new arrivals from Sudan.

South Sudan returnees

More than 120,000 people crossed the border into South Sudan, where sparse infrastructure and security concerns represent significant challenges that are preventing new arrivals from moving on, the agency warned. Much of the assistance they need will have to be airlifted, which is both costly and complex.

Meanwhile, UNHCR teams are registering new arrivals, providing them with emergency relief, and helping them to reach different locations as quickly as possible.

Most of the arrivals are South Sudanese, returning to their country, Mr. Mazou said.

“They are part of the 800,000 South Sudanese refugees who were in Sudan, but they are now going back,” he said.

Strained resources

Capacity at border reception and transit facilities in neighbouring countries have been strained by the sheer numbers of people arriving, leading to overcrowding and further stretching of already limited resources, the UN refugee agency said.

Those fleeing Sudan arrive exhausted after days or sometimes weeks on the road, shocked by the violence they have witnessed and in need of food, medical care, and relief items, UNCHR reported.

During a donor conference for Sudan in Geneva on 19 June, $1.52 billion in pledges were received against an appeal for $3 billion to address the current situation.

Learn more about how UNHCR is helping the people of Sudan and those fleeing the violence here.

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Preventing ‘contagion of atrocities’ hinges on responsibility to protect — Global Issues

“The lives of millions depend on that responsibility being given meaning,” Special Adviser on responsibility to protect (R2P) issues George Okoth-Obbo said, introducing the Secretary-General’s latest report and speaking on his behalf.

“This annual debate is a reminder to us not to drift from our commitment, our duty, our responsibility to protect.”

Preventing ‘contagion of mass atrocities’

Mr. Okoth-Obbo said the debate provides an opportunity to reflect on the cardinal political and moral commitment the world made 18 years ago to ensure that the “contagion of mass atrocities” would “never again” mark humanity.

At the 2005 World Summit, UN Member States had affirmed their responsibility to protect their own populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

In doing so, they agreed to support each other in realizing their roles under the R2P concept and to take collective action, in line with the UN Charter, where States were unable or unwilling to do so themselves.

“Yet, countless civilians continue to be caught in situations of conflict, violence, and egregious human rights violations which may amount to genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing,” he said. “R2P thus remains as imperative today as when the world resounded ‘never again’ at the World Summit in 2005.”

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

George Okoth-Obbo, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, addresses the General Assembly.

Development-protection nexus

In his report, the Secretary-General encourages Member States to invest in national capabilities and coordination mechanisms for early detection, early warning, prevention, and response to atrocities, and to develop improved systems for data collection and analysis to identify key risks that are embedded in social and economic patterns of deprivation or exclusion.

The report also explores a R2P’s intersection with development, Mr. Okoth-Obbo said.

“The keystone of R2P is, as has been underlined so many times, prevention,” he said. “At the same time, to craft and deliver solutions that are effective for this purpose, it is crucial that the root causes, risks, triggers, and multipliers of atrocity crimes are properly discerned.”

Drawing on the foundational objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report underlines that development can build the conditions for sustainable peace, equitable growth, and accountable governance, thereby cementing the prospects for realizing the fundamental R2P purposes and objectives.

Walking the walk

In the same vein, he said risk factors, drivers, and multipliers of atrocity crimes include underdevelopment, poverty, social inequality, conflict, food insecurity, stressors on social resilience, governance, institutional failure, lack of accountability, discrimination, and human rights abuses.

Most crucially, he said, the report calls particularly on States to comprehensively recognize, own, and politically champion the intersection between R2P and sustainable development.

It also calls on them to leverage related policies, strategies, and programmes across the whole spectrum of atrocity risk assessment.

He said he was looking forward to hearing plans of action from Member States, as they rise to the various challenges. He also underlined the importance of inclusion, including civil society, faith communities, traditional leaders, minority groups, and through media outreach.

“Let us today, in the context of the relationship between development and the responsibility to protect, catalyse every thought, idea, and way forward we could advance to help build a more prosperous world for all free from the risks or actualities of mass atrocities,” he said.

For more details on this and other meetings occurring throughout the UN system, visit our dedicated UN Meetings Coverage page.

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Torture as a weapon of war must cease, rights experts demand — Global Issues

Today, more than 100 armed conflicts are raging worldwide, devastating communities, winding back development, and leading to grave violations of human rights.

Ranging from severe beatings to sexual humiliation and rape, torture iswidely used as a means of war. And often, torture involves the use of tools or instruments, mock executions, and forcing victims to watch family members also being tortured, said the UN human rights chief Volker Türk.

Torture happens in both official detention centres as well as secret sites, away from any scrutiny.

In a video address Mr. Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled meeting a victim of torture whose harrowing story left an indelible mark: “It revealed the horror of what human beings are capable of inflicting on one another. He will carry that deep trauma for the rest of his life.”

Zero-tolerance to torture

Torture is a serious crime, unequivocally prohibited under international law, and never justified under any circumstances.

Under the UN Convention against Torture all States must investigate and prosecute allegations of torture, as well as cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. They are obligated to prevent torture through every possible means.

“Yet in almost all cases, the people who ordered and commit the crime of torture escape justice”, said the OHCHR chief.

The Committee against Torture, a body of 10 independent human rights experts that monitors implementation of the Convention, regularly reminds States of their obligations to educate and inform all military personnel, especially those charged with duties related to detention, about the prohibition.

“States must take a zero-tolerance approach in investigating and prosecuting acts of torture committed by their regular armed forces, and those forces under their effective control,” said Claude Heller, the Committee’s chair, “A vital first step in this is the explicit criminalization of torture at the domestic level.”

Help to the victims

The scale of torture is alarming, with hundreds of thousands of victims spanning prisoners of war, human rights activists, and innocent civilians who can be caught up in random sweeps. Such acts of brutality occur in thousands of locations across countries on every continent, the UN rights chief reminded.

He said it was especially important to ensure that “torture – wherever it takes place – is documented, investigated, prosecuted and punished.”

By establishing the facts and seeking accountability, much needed help can be extended to victims of torture.

“Every torture victim has a right to acknowledgement, justice and redress”, said Mr. Türk.

Over four decades ago, the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture was established to provide social assistance, medical care, psychological support, and to help victims secure justice and deter future acts of torture.

It works with civil society groups in more than 120 countries and has reached over one million survivors. Today, however, the demand for the Fund’s assistance is so high, that thousands of requests for aid have had to be turned down.

“We need more funds to match rising demand,” said the rights chief in a tweet.

Taking away torture tools

The High Commissioner said that another effective way of preventing future cases of torture away from the battlefield, was to go after the trade in instruments of torture.

“I am fully supportive of all efforts to limit trade in items that could be used for torture, including through a new international torture-free trade treaty”, he said.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent rights experts who serve on commissions or panels, are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. They are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.

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Security in eastern DR Congo continues to worsen, Security Council hears — Global Issues

“So far, the ceasefire between the M23 and the FARDC has held up relatively well and has contributed to some security gains”, said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee.

“The relative calm in Rutshuru territory, for example, allowed more than 45,000 people from the Bishusha group to return home”, she said.

She noted, however, that M23’s withdrawal from territory has been “piecemeal, tactical, and political”, while the armed group still controls much of Masisi and Rutshuru, together with the movement of people and goods in these areas.

Moreover, its “offensive repositioning in recent weeks” raises fears that hostilities could resume at any time.

Disarming M23

She applauded the efforts of regional leaders to engage the parties concerned in implementing the decisions of the Luanda Road Map and the Nairobi process. She reiterated the readiness of the UN mission in DRC, MONUSCO, to back up Congolese authorities with the “pre-cantonment and disarmament” of the powerful rebel force.

Ms. Pobee said she was pleased to note that last week, MONUSCO, the East African Community Regional Force and the expanded Joint Verification Mechanism had undertaken a reconnaissance mission to the Rumangabo base, to assess the conditions for beginning the disarmament and demobilization process of M23 in earnest.

“For these efforts to bear fruit, it is urgent that the M23 withdraw completely from the occupied territories, lay down its arms unconditionally and join the Demobilization, Disarmament, Recovery and Community Stabilization Programme,” she added.

She noted the security gains in North Kivu are fragile and overshadowed by the deteriorating situation in Ituri province, which has suffered from the security vacuum created by the redeployment of FARDC to North Kivu.

More than 600 people have been killed by armed groups in the past three months, with CODECO, the Zairean militia and the ADF, being the main perpetrators of these atrocities.

The senior UN official urged all armed groups to “cease hostilities” and called for the redeployment of national security forces, particularly in Ituri, to restore State authority.

In response to the ongoing insecurity in eastern DRC, MONUSCO continues to “do everything possible to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians.” In Beni, Bunia, Bukavu and Goma, Mission-supported workshops eased tensions and strengthened local capacity to better respond to security challenges, including disinformation. At the same time, the Mission provided direct physical protection for civilians.

To date, between 50.000 and 70.000 displaced people are being protected by MONUSCO forces in the Roe site, located in Djugu territory, Ituri.

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, briefs members of the UN Security Council.

Often ignored crisis

Insecurity in eastern DRC continued to fuel a long-standing humanitarian crisis often ignored by the international community, said Ms. Pobee.

An estimated 6.3 million people have been displaced within the country and since March 2022, more than 2.8 million have fled their homes in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces due to insecurity.

Currently, around 28 per cent of the population of North Kivu and 39 per cent of Ituri’s regular population are displaced.

This situation has been further aggravated by inflation, epidemics and natural disasters, including last month’s floods in Kahele territory in South Kivu, which killed more than 470 people and left thousands missing. At the same time, nearly 26 million people, more than a quarter of the population, face food insecurity in the DRC.

The top Africa official expressed particular concern about the increasing number of women and girls who are becoming victims of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Gender-based violence increased by 2.3 per cent across the country and by 73 per cent in North Kivu province alone, compared to the same period last year.

She said the humanitarian response falls far short of the unprecedented level of need, welcoming the start of a system-wide scale-up response in eastern DRC for an initial period of three months.

Pockets of instability

In addition to security and humanitarian challenges in the east, pockets of instability have resurfaced in the west and south of the country. Violence persisted in Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu and Kwango provinces, and has spread to Maluku in Kinshasa province, Ms. Pobee said. Tensions and violence were also reported in Kindu, Tshopo and Katanga.

She urged authorities to hold perpetrators to account and take steps to strengthen social cohesion in order to preserve stability in these areas.

Hate speech continues

She said she was particularly alarmed by “the restriction of civic space and the increase in hate speech” and expressed concern at reports of an increase in violence against women political leaders and activists.

Regarding the scheduled departure of the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, she said it was necessary to “stay the course for an orderly, gradual and responsible transition“.

“MONUSCO’s departure is planned and initial steps are being taken in several areas. However, MONUSCO’s withdrawal must not compromise the protection of civilians. We must avoid creating security vacuums,” she said.

“An orderly and responsible transition depends on the ability of national security forces to deploy and respond effectively wherever the security situation requires it,” she insisted.

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Rebuilding a ‘new’ Kharkiv during an invasion — Global Issues

Speaking with UN News one hour after fierce shelling sparked fires across the city, Mr. Rosenfeld said his “Kharkiv is a frontier city” concept is now being sketched out amid the rubble.

“Seeing the whole city from the panoramic windows and the smoke from the fire, you understand that our city is proud of itself, feels smart, educated, knows its worth,” said Mr. Rosenfeld, who was born and raised in Kharkiv.

The master plan is now unfurling, developed on a voluntary basis by the Norman Foster Foundation together with a group of local architects and urban planners as well as with the Advisory Council of International Experts.

Supported by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) through a pilot project, the newly created UN4Kharkiv task force has united 16 UN agencies and international organizations, with Mr. Rosenfeld volunteering as a local specialist.

Ever-changing dynamics amid war

“It is impossible to understand what is happening here from a distance,” he explained. “It is difficult to understand even from the inside because the situation is dynamic. It changes all the time. We make an appointment for a Zoom meeting, and then there is nightly shelling. When we come to the issue of, say, energy security, the situation has completely changed.”

He said he is “in love” with his city, makes films about it, and can talk about its history and people for hours. Since the beginning of the war, when Kharkiv began to be systematically shelled, many have moved to other parts of Ukraine or gone abroad, but he said he never thought about leaving.

The total damage caused to Ukraine’s housing sector since Russia’s invasion is estimated at more than $50 billion. According to the City Council of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, 3,367 apartment buildings and 1,823 single-family houses have been destroyed, along with urban infrastructure.

Ukrainian ‘Wild West’

The frontier city is the “Ukrainian Wild West”, Mr. Rosenfeld said, referring to its mid-17th century beginnings.

“People who came here were ready to take risks in order to take advantage of the opportunities that were opening up,” he said, providing a snapshot of its rich history, from its changing character in the early 19th century once a university was built to its early 20th century role as the capital of Soviet Ukraine.

“I have always believed that we have a lot in common with Berlin,” he said. “Now I do not compare Kharkiv with anything. It’s unique. To understand it, you must come and live here.”

The multicultural, multinational city is a melting pot, with students from Africa to Asia studying and living together, he said, adding that Kharkiv’s frontier characteristics “are in its genetic code”.

Kharkiv dreams: Stop the bombing

The population of Kharkiv was invited to take part in a survey focused on reconstructing the city, but many had fled the daily attacks and those remaining at that time dreamed of one thing: for the bombing to stop, Mr. Rosenfeld said.

Their voices were heard, he said. Noting that bomb shelters built in Soviet Kharkov nearly a century ago were rebuilt to tackle new realities, he said only one of 11 current proposals from architects and engineers contain a security framework.

“Today, a ‘modern’ bomb shelter is an underground factory, underground universities, and event centres, which should be dual-use facilities,” Mr. Rosenfeld said.

Cultural life is back

Since 2022, despite constant shelling over the past month and a half, “a huge number of people” have returned to Kharkiv, and cultural life has resumed in the city, Mr. Rosenfeld said.

“We recently attended an amazing performance based on a play written two months ago on current events,” the architect said, noting that a jazz festival are in the works.

Despite air raid sirens, the shows go on, he said.

Indeed, the concept of the future of Kharkiv was born to the sounds of an air raid siren, Mr. Rosenfeld recalled, adding that despite current conditions, he and many of his colleagues feel “happy” to be working on the project.

‘Do the right thing’

“Maybe for some, it sounds terrible, but at this moment you understand that you are doing a very important and necessary thing,” he said. “You want to be needed.”

After the start of the war, many people in Kharkiv, like doctors and volunteers, who understood that they are needed and useful, he said.

“They don’t do it out of vanity; they just do the right thing,” he said. “Doing what I do gives me a colossal sense of happiness. Our work with the UN is real, making the most of our abilities, talents, knowledge, and skills. Yes, it has to do with such a tragedy, but you’re happy because you’re not vegetating. You’re living.”

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