United Nations published this video item, entitled “UN Peacekeeper day, Ukraine, Yemen & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (26 May 2022)” – below is their description.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-UN Peacekeeper day
– African Dialogue
-Middle East
-Security Council
-Yemen
-African Union
-Niger
-Ukraine
UN PEACEKEEPER DAY
This morning, the Secretary-General laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial to pay homage to the more than 4,200 peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives while serving under the UN flag. He then took part in the Dag Hammarskjöld medal ceremony to honour the 117 women and men who lost their lives last year while serving as peacekeepers.
He said the International Day of Peacekeepers is an opportunity to honour the women and men on the front lines advancing peace around the world.
Our peacekeepers face great and growing challenges, the Secretary-General said. They face increasing political tensions and deteriorating security situations, as well as ever-more complex threats, from terrorist attacks to organized crime to Improvised Explosive Devices
They also face a surge in disinformation that spreads hatred and fuels violence.
Despite these risks, our peacekeepers press on, Mr. Guterres said. They adapt to rapidly evolving situations on the ground, and they constantly innovate to protect the most vulnerable – while representing our diverse global community.
The Secretary-General posthumously awarded the Captain Mbaye Diagne medal for exceptional courage to Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar, from Chad. And he presented the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Major Winnet Zharare of Zimbabwe.
AFRICA DIALOGUE
This morning, the Secretary-General also spoke at the opening of the high-level segment of the Africa Dialogue, held on the theme of nutrition and food security.
He welcomed the launch by the African Union of 2022 as the Year of Nutrition.
For too long, he said, nutrition, food security, conflicts, climate change, ecosystems and health have been treated as separate issues. But they are deeply interconnected. They are systemic and getting worse, the Secretary-General said.
UN humanitarian operations are doing their utmost to help, he added, but humanitarian aid cannot compete with the systemic drivers of hunger.
Official Development Assistance is more necessary than ever, Mr. Guterres said, and urged all countries to demonstrate solidarity, invest in resilience, and prevent the current crisis from escalating further.
MIDDLE EAST
Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council today there has been a familiar pattern of daily violence in recent weeks, including armed clashes, settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions and seizures of Palestinian structures, as well as a deadly terrorist attack in Israel.
In Gaza, he said, efforts by the United Nations and international partners to improve Palestinian lives and measures by Israel to ease pressure and facilitate more economic activity have enabled the fragile ceasefire to continue. Keeping the calm, however, is neither enough nor sustainable – more needs to be done to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and lift Israeli closures.
Regarding planned evictions in Masafer Yatta, Mr. Wennesland said he was deeply concerned by the potential implications of the Israeli High Court’s ruling and the humanitarian toll on the communities in question if evictions orders are carried out. He calls on Israeli authorities to end the displacement and eviction of Palestinians, in line with Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law, and to approve plans that would enable Palestinians to build legally and address their development needs.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=26%20May%202022
United Nations YouTube Channel
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