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Central African region: Encouraging signs in peace efforts – Briefing | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee told the Security Council that the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) has shown “encouraging signs” in its peace efforts in the subregion, yet “deepening multidimensional security and humanitarian crises, socio economic pressures and, most worryingly, restrictions to civil and political rights have increased.”

Pobee said, “two fulcrums of instability stand out in Central Africa, Eastern Chad and the Lake Chad region,” and noted that “with the conflict in the Sudan in its fourth year, its direct impact on Chad cannot be overemphasised.”

She said, “the influx of over 900,000 Sudanese refugees and 300,000 Chadian returnees, including over 800,000 children since April 2023, has placed a significant strain on national resources,” and has “undermined social cohesion in Chad’s eastern provinces, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis.

Civilians in Cameroon and Chad, Pobee said, “continue to suffer indiscriminate attacks and human rights abuses by the various Boko Haram affiliated and splinter groups,” as they are “exploiting the limited presence of state authorities and services in those areas.”

The Multinational Joint Task Force, she said, “remains an essential cross regional mechanism to combat the violent extremist threat in the Lake Chad Basin.”

The political affairs and peacebuilding official said, “there is a worrying trend of increasing restrictions on civil and political rights in several parts of Central Africa,” warning that “if not reversed, these could contribute to a narrowing civic space, affecting long term stability and leading to conflict.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slm4G1P0Y7E

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Ukraine: Civilians must be protected – Security Council Briefing | United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Indrika Ratwatte, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator ad interim, at the Security Council, on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Speaking via video link, Ratwatte said, “international humanitarian law is clear: civilians and civilian objects, including humanitarian personnel and assets, must be protected.”

He continued, “these rules exist to limit suffering and preserve dignity precisely when there is war, and they must be respected. Accountability for violations and measures to prevent them are essential.”

The OCHA senior official also pointed out that Ukraine remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Today, 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance. Yet OCHA has received less than half the funding needed to reach them.

Ratwatte said, “we recognise the enormous pressures on humanitarian budgets as crises continue to emerge and deepen around the world. But needs in Ukraine have not diminished.”

He continued, “for communities in need, funding is the difference between help reaching them, or not. It allows humanitarian organisations to remain present, respond rapidly and support those facing the greatest risks.”

The Acting Assistant Secretary-General concluded with three asks to the Council. He said, “first, use all your influence to reverse the erosion of protection for civilians. Do not allow this level of civilian harm and suffering to become the new normal. Second, help preserve and expand our humanitarian operations to reach civilians in need wherever they are. Where access is possible, it must be safeguarded. Where it is impeded, it is vital to open it. Third, ensure humanitarian organizations have the funding needed to remain present where needs are greatest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLaQuPsbBc