Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Hanna Serwaa Tetteh called on all candidates to “accept the election results as the choices made by their voters, and where there have been choices for change to facilitate the peaceful transfer of power to the newly elected leaders.”

Tetteh briefed the Council today (21 Aug) in New York on the situation in Libya. She noted that 26 Libyan municipalities successfully went to the polls on 16 August in spite of significant challenges. She commended the dedication of HNEC, their staff and teams in the polling stations and the security officials for making the elections possible.

“By the end of polling day, voter turnout was 71 per cent,” the head of UNSMIL said, describing it as “a clear signal that the Libyan people are yearning to elect their representatives.”

“In some areas, this was the first time any elections have happened since 2014,” Tetteh added.

However, the chief of UNSMIL added, “the suspension of municipal elections in eastern and southern Libya previously referenced is an equally clear sign that not all are committed to supporting Libya’s democratic development and there is an urgent need for a reset in the political process.”

Tetteh also proposed a roadmap built around three core pillars: one, the implementation of a technically sound and politically viable electoral framework aimed at holding Presidential and Legislative elections; two, unifying institutions through a new unified government; and three, a structured dialogue that enables broad participation of Libyans to address the critical issues that need to be tackled in order to create a conducive environment for elections, shaping a shared vision and addressing long term drivers of conflict while underpinning short term efforts to unify institutions and enhance governance in key sectors, she told the Council.

The head of the Mission reaffirmed UNSMIL’s call for “a unified, realistic and balanced budget that reflects agreed priorities and promotes financial sustainability and monetary stability.”

She also urged all concerned entities that receive public salaries throughout Libya to “adhere to the automated public salary payment system.”

Tetteh is also alarmed by the forced return of migrants to conflict zones, including Sudan.

She said, “In Kufra, the number of Sudanese refugees exceeds the number of residents, and conditions are dire.”

The UNSMIL chief urged the donor community to “increase its support for our refugee response plan.”

Somalian Ambassador Mohammed Rabiussef spoke as the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya.

He reiterated the Committee’s commitment to “contributing to the promotion of peace and stability in Libya.”

For his part, Libyan Ambassador Taher M. El-Sonni told the Council, “Everything we are discussing today and have discussed in the past, be it illegal migration or the spread of arms or terrorist groups or armed groups, or violations of human rights to the smuggling of oil and other. All of these are simply manifestations.”

He continued, “There will be no solution to the crisis unless efforts are focused on a comprehensive political solution and a true reconciliation, and a fundamental solution that will put an end to interferences and division and return legitimacy to the people through free and fair and transparent elections, through a permanent constitution for the country. And as we always hear from you, effective support for the leadership and for Libyan ownership and leadership of the solution.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU3wjqI6_7s

Source: United Nations (video statements)

As Colin Stewart, Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus concludes his nearly four-year tenure, he reflects on the main mandate of the mission: preventing conflict along the narrow Buffer Zone that divides the two communities on the island.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/prq8h9CL-LA

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the situation in the Middle East – Security Council, 9983rd meeting.

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Amid the precarious military and political situation, 16 million Syrians across the country need humanitarian aid, according to Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

Additionally, over 185,000 people have been displaced across Sweida, Dar’a, Rural Damascus and beyond.

“The overall situation is dire. We need to sustain urgent delivery of food, health, shelter, clean water, fuel, restoration of water and electricity infrastructure, education. In some areas, those arriving now outnumber the existing population. Services are overwhelmed,” said Mr. Fletcher.

Teams from the UN humanitarian aid coordination office (OCHA) have visited Sweida and other towns, delivering aid and assessing needs.

OCHA has also provided emergency food packages, flour and essential household items to tens of thousands of people.

However, insecurity and road closures have disrupted the supply of aid from the UN, NGO partners and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

“We need better humanitarian and commercial access. And most of all, we need safety,” Mr. Fletcher stressed, particularly referring to attacks on aid convoys, health facilities, medics and ambulances.

Nevertheless, “despite funding and security challenges, the UN and partners are delivering as much lifesaving support as we can with the resources we have,” reaching 3.5 million people on average each month, a noticeable increase from last year.

But with the 2025 humanitarian appeal in the country only 14 per cent funded, ongoing aid cuts in many Western capitals are projected to lead to reduced staffing of at least 40 per cent across the humanitarian community inside Syria.

The UN relief chief emphasised that without more funding, “we won’t be able to sustain these vital efforts, let alone expand them to more people who need them.”

Furthermore, while he urged humanitarian support, he also stressed that long-term development investment is needed in Syria “to reduce and ultimately end reliance on humanitarian aid.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua5wvoAtd20

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, moderates the World Photo Day Panel with Women Photographers from Conflict Areas.

This World Photo Day, the United Nations hosted Through Her Lens: Perspectives on Peace, a panel featuring photographers Rita Kabalan (Lebanon), Mona Elfateh (Sudan), Narline Novembre (Haiti), Do Nsoseme Dora (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Cailley Frank-Lehrer from Photoville New York, moderated by Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming.

The panel explored the power of women telling their communities’ stories with empathy, nuance, and dignity, and the incredible resilience that drives them to persist despite the risks and barriers they face in conflict-affected contexts.

This conversation is part of the broader exhibition Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace, which features powerful images of peacebuilders and peacekeepers advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda captured by local women photographers from different conflict-affected areas.

Organized by the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and UN Women.

#WomenPeaceSecurity #Photoville

Explore the full exhibition here: https://throughherlens.un.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7dEGby1DE0

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General, and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
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Natalia Gherman, head of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, warned of Da’esh’s exploitation of artificial intelligence. “Da’esh’s use of artificial intelligence and social media for recruitment, fundraising and propaganda demands innovative responses,” she said, while stressing the same tools could help states disrupt terrorist activities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NTd99ESdp8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

During his visit to Japan, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. World Expos are not just feel-good exhibitions, “they are invitations to tell our stories,” The UN chief told festival goers on a special day celebrating the global organization.

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

Source: United Nations (video statements)

More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released today. Famine conditions are projected to spread from Gaza Governorate to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in the coming weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2RRrAl04c