Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)
Burkina Faso deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 16 October. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkina Faso Citizens Abroad , Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, presented Burkina Faso’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Source: European Commission (video statements)
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Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
By 2027, businesses predict that almost half (44%) of workers’ core skills will be disrupted. From AI tutors to lifelong learning schemes, what approaches and opportunities hold the greatest potential to close gaps and prepare people for tomorrow’s economy?
This session has been developed in collaboration with CNBC.
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Whether it is the discovery of treatments and prevention of lifestyle or genetic diseases, precision medicine has only scratched the surface of its full potential to push the innovation boundaries in health and healthcare.
What roles are technological advances, scientific knowledge and multistakeholder collaboration playing in shaping an equitable and effective future for precision medicine?
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
With historic funding from the Biden-Harris infrastructure law, we’re delivering a future of world-class rail. We’ve broken ground on new rail projects that address decades of underinvestment and will make passenger rail faster, easier, and more affordable.
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0:00 — Richard Smith
2:00 — Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
Diana, an 83-year-old leukemia survivor and recently widowed, finds hope through the Inflation Reduction Act’s lower cost prescription drug law – which reduces her Medicare prescription costs allowing her to enjoy her golden years without worrying about medical expenses. Her story underscores the importance of accessible healthcare for seniors and the positive impact of this law on real peoples lives.
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Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell hosts a press briefing to provide an update on the ongoing federal and local response and recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
*Disclaimer: Audio does drop out at some moments*
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Geoguard is an innovative platform from the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs that leverages open-source satellite data to help policymakers and researchers tackle climate, peace, and security challenges.
Introducing Geoguard—an innovative platform from the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs that leverages open-source satellite data to help policymakers and researchers tackle climate, peace, and security challenges.
Geoguard refines raw satellite data into accessible insights, allowing users to track environmental trends like rainfall, temperature, and soil moisture. Covering regions like the Middle East, West Africa, the Sahel, and Central Africa, Geoguard offers decades of climate data to support decision-making in vulnerable areas.
While Geoguard is primarily designed for UN staff, it is also accessible to external partners and researchers working on climate and security issues.
The project is made possible with funds from DPPA’s Multi-Year Appeal and the Complex Risk Analytics Fund (CRAF’d).
We encourage you to explore how Geoguard can help drive data-informed solutions to the complex challenges we face today.
Produced by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA), Innovation Cell.
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Press Conference by Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations of the UN’s Children Fund (UNICEF), and Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the World Food Programme (WFP) on their recent visit to Lebanon.
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Briefing reporters on their recent visit to Lebanon, UNICEF’s Deputy Chief Ted Chaiban and the World Food Program (WFP) Chief Operating Officer Carl Skau today (16 Oct) described the plight of approximately 1.2 million people men, women and children have been displaced by the war.
Chaiban told reporters that this figure “includes approximately 400,000 children,” and “nearly 190,000 of those have been forced from their homes into makeshift shelters and are hoping for a semblance of safety there.”
The UNICEF official highlighted the “profound acts of solidarity” witnessed “across communal, sectarian and religious lines,” but warned that as fighting and displacement continues, this solidarity “will become stretched pretty quickly.”
He noted that “the response so far has focussed significantly on the shelters, which is understandable because a lot of the most vulnerable have gone to shelters,” but stressed the need “to support displaced families living with families or friends or renting a small place.”
Chaiban said, “he school year has started in Beirut for private schools, but the public schools are either inaccessible, largely destroyed or used as shelters. There’s about 15 percent of the public schools that can be used, but the vast majority of them cannot now accommodate students. So, we need to find a way to work on the issue of education to avoid losing a generation.”
Joining virtually from Rome, Skau said many of the displaced “have lost everything because they know that their villages or towns have been completely destroyed,” and described “a real sense of desperation.”
He noted that during their visit “the fighting escalated, and they could see the “packed minibuses heading north, and we could hear the bombing.”
WFP, he said was “ready for this” and had been “preparing for this over the past few weeks and months.”
Skau said “we were able to quickly step up, working hand in hand with other partners like UNICEF and other organisations. We are now delivering daily to some 200,000 people with ready-to-eat food and cash. And we have the capacity to scale up to a million people.”
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
From tackling climate emergencies to rising geopolitical tensions and the accelerating infodemic, how can global collaboration safeguard economic growth while addressing today’s complex risks?
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
As the Fourth Industrial Revolution advances, foundational technology domains are converging to create new opportunities. In addition to their breakthrough potential, the simultaneous development of quantum, robotics, AI and more are accelerating mutual advancements.
What are the driving forces behind this convergence and how can organizations position themselves strategically within it for future growth?
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Join this closing plenary to explore how the Global Future Councils can contribute to building intelligent economies and societies as the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils draws to a close.
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Spokesperson Matthew Miller leads the Department Press Briefing, at the Department of State, on October 17, 2024
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Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at http://www.state.gov and on social media!
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Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)
Kutlwano Christian-Tripp Moloi Is A 21-year-old Transformational Youth Leader and Development Agent. A South African Published & Gold-status Author with Over 90 000 Total Reads Globally – Ea ing Him an Impressive Achievement Of 9x Gold Trophies on Booksie Publications. A Multi Award-winning Creative, Recognised Business Leader at The Founder of The Year (FOYA) Awards, The Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands & Forty Under 40 South Africa. Kutlwano Is an Influential Thought Leader & Strategic Manager with Over 6 Years of Experience in Effectively Leading, Managing, And Developing Teams (including Remotely) To Achieve Desired Results for Projects, Departments, And Campaigns. An Entrepreneur and Skilled Critical Thinker. Keynote Speaker and High-Performance Coach. Moloi Is a Passionate Fitness/wellness Practitioner with A Strong Drive for Continuous Community and People Development – Especially in Local Townships. He`s Currently Leading Project These Amazing Projects: – Youth Empowerment Tour a Public Speaking Campaign That Aims to Eradicate Youth Unemployment and Foster a New Culture of Job Creation, Ownership, Wealth Creation, And the Elimination of Poverty by Empowering the Youth and Class Of 2023 with Practical Tools On Self-development And Entrepreneurship Training To Stimulate Economic Development. The Project Has Empowered Over 12 100 Students In South Africa. – Youth Fitness Movement A Community Initiative Designed to Help Young People in Local Townships Stay Fit and Healthy. The Project aims To Decrease the Levels of Substance Abuse and Addiction among the Youth. The Movement Has Impacted Over 150 Young People in Ghetto Townships. He Is the Author Of “Water Your Soul” (2022) and the Founder and CEO Of “Moloi Business Leadership Firm”.
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta discusses the role of ECB monetary policy in guiding inflation back to target amid high uncertainty and navigating looming transformations. While euro area inflation has declined, services inflation remains elevated. Economic activity has been subdued and uneven, with manufacturing recovery lagging behind other sectors. The conversation will also explore the capital markets union and a potential digital euro launch.
With Fabio Panetta, Governor of the Bank of Italy
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
National Bank of Ukraine Governor Andriy Pyshnyy will draw on his experience to describe monetary policy implementation, maintaining financial stability, and Ukraine’s strong economic performance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He will also share how Ukraine’s lessons can extend to a global landscape increasingly characterized by unprecedented shocks, where policymakers worldwide seek to reconcile needs for innovative thinking and unconventional approaches with the imperatives of maintaining central bank independence and credibility.
With Andriy Pyshnyy, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
In July 2024, OCED awarded the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub—led by Battelle—with $30 million for the first tranche of funding out of the total project federal cost share of up to $925 million to begin Phase 1 of its project plan. This recording of the virtual community briefing features a conversation between OCED and the Hub’s team to provide an overview of the current project plans and engagement opportunities for the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, held on August 16, 2024. Visit http://www.energy.gov/oced/h2hubs to learn more.
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Senior UNRWA official Scott Andersen reiterated the need for an enabling environment to bring in aid at scale for people in Gaza, “250 to 300 trucks a day in the south and 30 to 40 trucks a day in the north”, he said.
Scott Andersen, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza spoke to reporter today (16 Oct) in New York.
Anderson told reporters that there are about 470,000 people still in the north of the Strip. There are about 170,000 people in the north primarily in Jabalia. Since September 30, only 12 trucks of food have made it to the population in the north. In the south of the Strip in the declared humanitarian zone, there are about 1.4 million people in a very small space.
The UNRWA official reiterated the need to have a corresponding number of trucks that come in from the private sector.
He said, “The things the UN doesn’t do that the private sector does very well. We don’t bring in fresh fruit and vegetables, we don’t bring in eggs, we don’t bring in meat, we don’t bring in a lot of things. We bring in large staple items. That’s our value added. And the value added for the private sectors, they do everything else, and they do it. They do it very well.”
As winter is approaching Gaza, a lot are needed to be done so the families are safe and protected, Andersen said.
He explained, “It’s just simple things like road repair, picking up garbage, distributing tents. But this all hinges on our ability to bring things in at the scale that’s needed. You need tarpaulin, you need tents, you need blankets for people, and mattresses and all the things that you would very much expect, as well as clothes.”
There has not been an importation for the commercial sector, the private sector close in a year, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator said, adding that “As all of you know, young children do not remain the same size. They change quite quickly at that age, and there needs to be a way for these kinds of things to be brought to the market or brought to people, so that children can be warm.”
The Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza also said, “We have 100,000 metric tons of food between the World Food Program and UNRWA awaiting to be imported into Gaza. That’s enough for everybody for three to four months.”
“So the supplies are there, and the willingness is there, the environment, unfortunately, is not there,” he added.
The UNRWA official continued, “we are coordinating closely with the IDF to try to create an environment. I’d hope we’d have a solution by now, but we’re not quite there, but I do think we’re very much at a tipping point in Gaza in terms of our ability to continue to fight off what would be the lurking man-made famine.”
Recalling his days in Gaza, Andersen said, “We do see on the ground, big numbers are easy to say, in September, a million people didn’t get food, right? And that sounds horrible. It’s much different when you talk to the actual family that didn’t get the food and they can’t feed their child, or they can’t feed everybody, and the mother or father has to choose which of them is not going to eat today, so their child can. That’s the real-world consequence that we see of not getting aid to people.”
The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator reiterated that “Israel has a responsibility to provide security in Gaza, because they’re the only ones that are able to at the moment, and we need to find that solution. Like I said, winter is not far away.”
Moving onto education, Andersen said, “In primary age education, there are 625,000 children in Gaza that should be in school now. They’re about to miss their second year of education, between this and COVID, that’s four of the last five years. They’re not going to be in a school building, and are very concerned about a lost generation there.”
He concluded, “The one bright spot, I guess we could say, is we do have decent primary health care. UNRWA is doing about 17,000 consultations a day. We’re in round two of the polio vaccination campaign. We’ve added vitamin A to it this time to try to bolster the immune system for children. The first two days we’ve done just over 150,000 immunizations, we need to get to 560,000, it is what we did last time, and we’re trying to make sure that within the community there’s immunity across everyone for polio.”
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Secretary-General
-UNIFIL
-Lebanon
-Gaza
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Syria
-Cyprus
-Ukraine
-Sudan
-South Sudan
-World food day
-Briefings today
-Briefings tomorrow
SECRETARY-GENERAL
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly on the proposed programme budget for 2025. He said that in a context of major global shocks, the United Nations is more needed than ever — with our unmatched convening power.
He added that the 2025 programme budget proposal reflects the priorities set out in the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
The Secretary-General also said that the Organization will continue to work to cement its reforms. Some of the proposals he highlighted include continued investment in sustainable development; human rights; boosting support for the unprecedented humanitarian challenges in Gaza; advancing peace and security; and strengthening the UN’s capacities in investigation and ethics.
UNIFIL
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon or UNIFIL reports that intense exchanges of fire along and beyond the Blue Line continued over the past 24 hours.
UNIFIL recorded 58 air violations – the highest number for a 24-hour period since 8 October 2023. UNIFIL also detected 1,279 projectiles across the Blue Line, the third highest since 8 October 2023. 1,208, originated from south of the Blue Line, 71 from the north.
The mission also reported that indirect fire and firing from close to UN positions caused material damage to UN equipment and facilities near Dayr Amis in Sector West and Shab’a in Sector East. Fortunately, no peacekeepers were wounded in these incidents.
These incidents continue to put UN peacekeepers, who are serving in southern Lebanon to support the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), at serious risk. The UN reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be ensured by all actors on the ground and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times.
Meanwhile, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, continues her intensive engagements with all actors to urge an immediate ceasefire and that space be given for a diplomatic solution in line with Security Council Resolution 1701. Following further strikes that resulted in civilian deaths today, near Nabatiyeh, the Special Coordinator emphasized in a statement that violations of international humanitarian law are utterly unacceptable. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times.
The Secretary-General again condemns the loss of civilian lives.
LEBANON
Today, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that multiple airstrikes were reported in Nabatiyeh and nearby areas in southern Lebanon. So far, according to local authorities, six fatalities have been confirmed, including the mayor of Nabatiyeh, as well as members of the Disaster Risk Management Unit killed in the strike on the municipality building during a relief management meeting.
The UN’s health partners tell us that the violence continues to push an already overwhelmed health system to the brink, with devasting impacts on medical care amid huge health needs.
Since 17 September, the World Health Organization says that it has verified 23 attacks on health care.
It also flags the impact of intense bombardment and insecurity which are forcing a growing number of health facilities to shut down, particularly in the south.
Out of 207 primary health care centres and dispensaries in conflict-affected areas, 100 are now closed.
Despite the challenges, WHO and its partners continue to support Lebanese health authorities and to provide medical supplies for trauma care, cholera prevention. WHO also continues to coordinate with the Lebanese Red Cross and hospitals to equip blood banks with adequate supplies and is working with the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon to establish trauma centres within the existing hospitals.
On education, Lebanese authorities report that 77 per cent of public schools cannot provide education services due to either being used as collective shelters or being in directly affected areas.
Meanwhile, the UN and partners continue to support the response, including by providing food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene assistance – but they warn that they are facing operational challenges due to the volatile security situation.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=16%20October%202024
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Department Press Briefing with Spokesperson Matthew Miller, at the Department of State, on October 16, 2024.
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Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at http://www.state.gov and on social media!
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#StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
“A Future Forged of Steel” takes us to Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works, where a historic Pennsylvania steel mill is manufacturing key components of our electrical grid while actively reducing its emissions.
Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have created nearly 16 million jobs. Thanks to historic investments through the Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda, hundreds of thousands of those jobs are in clean energy — transforming communities for generations to come. From heavy equipment operators to autoworkers, pipefitters to linemen, hardworking Americans are powering our nation and supporting their families with good-paying, quality jobs.
A Future Forged of Steel follows “A New Iron Age,” which spotlights workers at a new iron-air battery manufacturing facility located at a historic steel mill in Weirton, West Virginia. These batteries will store energy from renewable sources, delivering carbon-free electricity to more Americans. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/MZM_1VUn120?si=2STazv6rT2TokMQb
Background:
In March 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $6 billion to decarbonize America’s industrial sector—the single largest investment of its kind in our nation’s history. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm joined Butler Works employees in April 2024 to celebrate the announcement, which included up to $75 million for the Pennsylvania mill to install induction furnaces that reduce emissions and boost efficiency. Read more: https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-6-billion-transform-americas-industrial-sector
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
In July 2024, OCED awarded the California Hydrogen Hub—led by the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES)—with $30 million for the first tranche of funding out of the total project federal cost share of up to $1.2 billion to begin Phase 1 of its project plan. This recording of the virtual community briefing features a conversation between OCED and the ARCHES team to provide an overview of the current project plans and engagement opportunities for the California Hydrogen Hub, held on August 5, 2024. Visit https://www.energy.gov/oced/h2hubs to learn more.
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
In July 2024, OCED awarded the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub—led by the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2)—with $27.5 million for the first tranche of funding out of the total project federal cost share of up to $1 billion to begin Phase 1 of its project plan.
This recording of the virtual community briefing features a conversation between OCED and the PNWH2 team to provide an overview of the current project plans and engagement opportunities for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub, held on August 8, 2024.
Visit https://www.energy.gov/oced/h2hubs to learn more.
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
Boarding in emergency departments is a health system, public health, and health equity issue. Patients who need to be admitted to the hospital may spend hours – or in some cases, days – in the emergency department while waiting for an inpatient bed or transfer to another facility. This ultimately decreases quality of care, increases patient safety risks, and hinders access to care for patients while straining emergency department staff and hospital resources.
The goal of this Summit is to engage public and private partners, including patients and consumers, clinicians, hospital and health system leaders, policy makers, experts in emergency medicine, community health, behavioral health, and specialty care providers, to identify actionable hospital- and health system-level solutions to systematically address emergency department boarding.
To learn more, please visit the AHRQ Emergency Department Resource Page (link: https://www.ahrq.gov/topics/emergency-department.html#accordions).
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | http://www.hhs.gov | HHS Privacy Policy | http://www.hhs.gov/Privacy.html
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
Katheryn came to the opening of the Bakersville Disaster Recovery center to apply for assistance. She encourages other Hurricane Helene survivors to register.
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
Boarding in emergency departments is a health system, public health, and health equity issue. Patients who need to be admitted to the hospital may spend hours – or in some cases, days – in the emergency department while waiting for an inpatient bed or transfer to another facility. This ultimately decreases quality of care, increases patient safety risks, and hinders access to care for patients while straining emergency department staff and hospital resources.
The goal of this Summit is to engage public and private partners, including patients and consumers, clinicians, hospital and health system leaders, policy makers, experts in emergency medicine, community health, behavioral health, and specialty care providers, to identify actionable hospital- and health system-level solutions to systematically address emergency department boarding.
To learn more, please visit the AHRQ Emergency Department Resource Page (link: https://www.ahrq.gov/topics/emergency-department.html#accordions).
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | http://www.hhs.gov | HHS Privacy Policy | http://www.hhs.gov/Privacy.html
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
This outreach webinar provides VA CFBNP partners with information and resources regarding VA LGBTQ+ program and Health and Spirituality. This presentation is open to Veterans, their families, their beneficiaries, and the general public.
The panelists for this training are:
1. Dr. Jessica Morris, National Education Manager, LGBTQ+ Health Program, Office of Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
2. Chaplain Sammy Miller, Staff Chaplain, Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinic, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
Please join U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator and Center for Medicare Director Dr. Seshamani for a virtual roundtable discussion featuring Medicare enrollees from across the United States as they discuss the impact of the Biden-Harris Administration’s lower drug cost law, the Inflation Reduction Act. Through this law, President Biden and Vice President Harris are delivering lower costs for Americans with Medicare, including a $35 monthly cap for each covered insulin product and recommended vaccines for free like shingles, RSV, and Tdap. In 2024, some people with Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) who have high drug costs now have their out-of-pocket drug costs capped at about $3,500. Come January 2025, this benefit gets even better when everyone with Part D will have their out-of-pocket costs capped at $2,000. Finally, Medicare is now negotiating directly with participating drug companies to get lower prices for certain drugs.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | http://www.hhs.gov | HHS Privacy Policy | http://www.hhs.gov/Privacy.html
Source: United Nations (Video News)
The Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMIC), Carlos Ruiz Massieu, today (15 Oct) told the Security Council that “historic progress has been made” in the implementation of the peace agreement, “but much remains to be done.” He welcomed the rapid response plan, or “Plan de Choque” being developed by the Minister of the Interior and other stakeholders.
The plan, Ruiz Massieu said, “is a new instrument that should serve to energize implementation.”
The UNVMIC Chief said, “we remain encouraged by the Government’s commitment to advancing the rural reform chapter of the Agreement – provisions that have a transformative potential, attacking structural causes of the conflict, but which had lagged in their implementation in previous years.”
He said that as a result, “more land is being distributed and formalized for those in need, bringing the promised benefits of peace to landless peasants and those dispossessed of it during the conflict.”
Ruiz Massieu said, “in some territories, signatories to the Agreement and social leaders continue to be the target of violence, pressure and threats from armed actors fighting for territorial control and strategic routes linked to illicit economies.”
He noted that since the beginning of the reintegration process, five former territorial areas for training and reintegration (TATRs) have had to be relocated for these reasons
Ruiz Massieu said, “the difficult situation in some areas continues to impact the lives of communities that are caught in the crossfire and subjected to condemnable phenomena such as the recruitment of minors, displacement and confinement.”
Colombia’s Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo for his part said, “with the firm commitment to fulfil what has been agreed and to territorialize peace, we have developed a new strategic framework for peace, where effective and comprehensive compliance with the 2016 agreement becomes an inescapable requirement, unavoidable for the sustainability of strategic proposals surrounding territorial transformation.”
On women’s participation in negotiation and peacebuilding, he said it was “not only is a question of justice, but it is crucial to ensure stronger and more durable agreements.”
For this reason, he continued, “the Colombian government has formulated and is implementing a feminist foreign policy linked to the precepts of the women, peace and security agenda. Included in Security Council Resolution 1325”
Outside the Council, Switzerland’s representative Riccarda Christiana Chanda read a statement on behalf of Ecuador, France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States on Women Peace and Security.
Chanda said, “during a visit of the Security Council to Colombia in February of this year, we were able to engage meaningfully with former combatants, victim representatives, women’s organizations, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities to discuss the progress made and remaining obstacles in the comprehensive implementation of the peace agreement. And what we have witnessed over and over again, was the urgent call for improved security guarantees, equitable land distribution, and the successful social, political, and economic reintegration of former combatants as well as the crucial implementation of gender provisions and the ethnic chapter of the Peace Agreement.”
UNVMIC was established by the UN Security Council pursuant to resolution 2366 (2017), adopted unanimously on 10 July 2017. The resolution followed a joint request for UN support from the Government of Colombia and the then Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP).
Source: United Nations (Video News)
The Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme in Ukraine, Jaco Cilliers, briefs on two key solutions to bridge the critical funding gap for mine action in Ukraine.