Author: web Desk

Delegates voiced sharp differences today about the work of the Human Rights Council as the General Assembly took up the intergovernmental body’s annual report. While some praised its efforts over the past year to curb human rights violations through the creation of special mechanisms and emergency sessions, other delegates said the Geneva-based intergovernmental body applies double standards that ignore their impact on developing countries.

Presenting the report of the Council’s activities from 1 October 2021 to 7 October 2022, its President, Federico Villegas (Argentina) said that amid an increasingly complex geopolitical context “the Council has continued to come together to address a multitude of recurrent as well as emerging human rights issues and respond to urgent situations, and I must say that I am proud what we have achieved collectively,” he said. Over the course of its three regular sessions, the Council adopted 100 resolutions, President’s statements and decisions and 67 of these were adopted without a vote.

The Council also held three special sessions and two urgent debates to address human rights situations needing urgent attention, he said, including a session in November 2021 on Sudan and another in December 2021 on Ethiopia. In March of this year, following an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian Federation aggression, the Council decided to establish the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. It also appointed a new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation to monitor information from all relevant stakeholders, including Russian civil society both inside and outside the country. Detailing other action, he said the Council established a group of three human rights experts mandated to conduct thorough, independent investigations into all alleged human rights violations and abuses committed in Nicaragua since April 2018.

General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi (Hungary) said the world’s contemporary crises make the Council’s work even more urgent to meet the goals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet events on the ground have significantly eroded public trust that the body’s actions will lead to better outcomes for the people and the planet. “It is high time for us to change this experience,” he said, prodding it to take swift action to promote the protection of human rights.

Speakers voiced concern about a myriad of human rights situations from the Chinese Government’s campaign against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and abuses by the military in Myanmar to the war in the Ukraine and Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. Some called for action to address Islamophobia, with Pakistan’s representative stressing it has been mainstreamed in the political discourse of certain political parties and Governments.

Venezuela’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, expressed concern about the proliferation of mechanisms and procedures which pretend to make “impartial” assessments of the human rights situations in certain States. Most lack the due consent and participation of the State in question and base their reports on secondary, tertiary and other sources, which are partial or lack credibility, he said.

Echoing that concern, Gerardo Peñalver Portal, Cuba’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, said selectivity, punitive practices and double standards contribute to the manipulation of human rights against the South, which leads to distrust in the Council. The protection of all human rights should be based on universality, objectivity and non-discrimination, he said, stressing that there are human rights violations in developed countries.

On that point, the speaker for the Russian Federation said that under pressure from Western States, the Council adopted a whole host of flagrantly politicized resolutions over the last year including one on the human rights situation in his country. It is increasingly clear that the West wants to transform the Council into a “so-called closed club of supposed real democracies”, who establish rules for the rest of the world, violations of which will be harshly punished.

Countering that view, the United States delegate said such resolutions are intended to protect human rights globally. She said the devastating impact of the Russian Federation’s unjust war against Ukraine led her Government to work with Ukraine and other cross-border groups to set up the Commission on Inquiry on Ukraine.

The speaker for Ukraine, stressing the critical importance of investigating abuses in order to prevent impunity, said the Commission of Inquiry has found reasonable grounds to believe there have been many violations of humanitarian law, including war crimes. Accountability is needed and she called on all partners to bring all perpetrators to justice.

The European Union’s delegate, in its capacity as observer, was among delegates voicing support for the many resolutions that had created various special mechanisms. He said success must be measured not only by ending, but by preventing, human rights violations and holding perpetrators accountable, stressing the need to help the persecuted in Iran and the persecuted Uyghurs and to improve the situation of Afghan women and girls.

While supportive of the Council’s ability to respond swiftly to several emerging human rights challenges, such as in Ukraine and Afghanistan, the representative of Switzerland said he regretted the Council did not hold a debate on the situation in Xinjiang in China, which constitutes crimes against humanity. He endorsed the creation of a new mechanism to address the situation in Yemen.

Speaking on behalf of a Group of States, Yemen’s delegate said ongoing international support for the national mechanism in his country, including through substantive capacity-building and technical assistance, helps the Yemeni people. It ensures human rights monitoring, investigation and accountability. He condemned the Houthi movement’s decision to deny the National Commission of Inquiry formal access to the areas they control.

Also speaking today were representative of Finland (on behalf of the Nordic countries), Maldives, Argentina, Honduras, Qatar, Namibia, Georgia, Liechtenstein, China, Croatia, Kuwait, Portugal, Egypt, Malaysia, Poland, Algeria, Mexico, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, India, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Syria, Chile, South Africa, Morocco, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Romania.

Source: UN General Assembly

In November, Ghana will hold the presidency of the Security Council. 

Ghana plans to organise two signature events during the month. The first signature event is a ministerial-level open debate on the theme “Integrating Effective Resilience-Building in Peace Operations for Sustainable Peace”. Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is expected to chair the meeting. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs and Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye, Chair of The Elders Mary Robinson, and Security Council Report Executive Director Karin Landgren are the anticipated briefers.

The second signature event is a debate on “Counter-terrorism in Africa—an imperative for peace, security, and development”. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to chair the meeting. AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and a civil society representative are expected to brief.

In November, the Security Council will hold its annual briefing with the heads of police components of UN peace operations. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) police commissioner, Christine Fossen; the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) police commissioner, Mody Berethe; and Emma Birikorang, director at the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, are the anticipated briefers.

The Council is also expected to receive its annual briefing from UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in November.

In addition to the debate on counter-terrorism in Africa, other African issues on the programme of work in November are: 

Libya, the semi-annual briefing by the ICC Prosecutor concerning cases in the country;

Gulf of Guinea, briefing on the Secretary-General’s report on Gulf of Guinea piracy pursuant to resolution 2634;

Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S), briefing and consultations on the activities of the force;

Sudan/South Sudan, mandate renewal of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA);

Central African Republic, meeting with troop-contributing countries to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and renewal of MINUSCA’s mandate; and

Somalia, renewal of the mandate of the 751 Somalia Sanctions regime and its Panel of Experts.

Middle East issues on the programme include: 

Syria, monthly meetings on political/humanitarian developments and on the chemical weapons file, as well as the bimonthly informal interactive dialogue on the implementation of resolution 2642;

Yemen, the monthly meeting on developments;

“The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”, the monthly meeting; and

Lebanon, consultations on the implementation of resolution 1701.

The Council is expected to meet on two European issues in November. It will hold the semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina and reauthorise the EU-led multinational stabilisation force (EUFOR ALTHEA). There are also likely to be one or more meetings on  Ukraine.  

The only Asian issue planned in November is the consultations on the report of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee.

The Council is expected to receive a briefing from chairs of the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee and the 1540 Committee. The Council is also expected to renew the mandate of the 1540 Committee.

The Security Council and General Assembly will both hold elections for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in November.

The annual Finnish workshop on “Hitting the Ground Running” is scheduled to take place on 17-18 November.

Other issues could be raised in November depending on developments.

Source: Security Council Report

The European Union called on Russia to reverse its decision to pull out of the U.N.-led grain initiative and to allow the grain shipments to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted on Sunday: “Russia’s decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much needed grain and fertilizers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine. The EU urges Russia to revert its decision.”

“Russia must go back to agreement to allow maritime corridor for food to reach the world. The EU will play its part to counter the global food crisis,” Borrell tweeted.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned of catastrophic consequences of Russia suspending its participation in the U.N.-brokered grain deal. With the war in Ukraine altering the global patterns of food production and supply, inflation in low-income countries has surged to almost 90%. An estimated 345 million people will experience acute food insecurity this year, the agency said.

As tens of millions of people continue to experience extreme hunger in East Africa and Somalia teeters on the brink of famine as a result of the worst drought in 40 years, the renewed blockade will continue to impede the import of 80% of the grain imported from the Russia-Ukraine region, thereby driving further hunger, the IRC warned.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is “deeply concerned” about the grain initiative, has delayed his trip to Algiers for the Arab League Summit by a day to “engage in intense contacts aiming at the end of the Russian suspension of its participation,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Sunday.

“The same engagement also aims at the renewal and full implementation of the initiative to facilitate exports of food and fertilizer from Ukraine, as well as removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer,” Dujarric said.

The Kremlin announced its action on Saturday, claiming that Ukraine staged a drone attack against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet off occupied Crimea. Ukraine has denied the allegation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russia’s exit “predictable.” He accused Moscow of “blockading” ships carrying grain since September, The Associated Press reported. Currently, 218 vessels are blocked from leaving Ukrainian ports as Russia says it cannot guarantee their safety.

Zelenskyy called for a tough response against Russia from international bodies like the U.N. and the G-20 group of the world’s major economies.

Speaking to reporters in Delaware Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden called Russia’s decision to suspend participation from the Ukrainian grain deal “purely outrageous” and said it would increase starvation.

“There’s no merit to what they’re doing. The U.N. negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it,” Biden said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, “In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low- and middle-income countries and global food prices and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity.”

Blinken said the U.S. is urging “Russia to resume its participation in the Initiative, fully comply with the arrangement, and work to ensure that people around the world continue to be able to receive the benefits facilitated by the Initiative.”

On Sunday, the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine agreed to a movement plan for 14 vessels that are in Turkish waters, the AP reported.

In a statement, the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, where Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish and U.N. personnel are working, said the three delegations had also agreed for inspections to be provided on Monday to 40 outbound vessels.

Wheat futures are expected to soar Monday as Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea corridor agreement puts Ukrainian exports at risk.

Wheat markets have been volatile due to developments in Moscow’s eight-month-old invasion of Ukraine, as both countries are among the world’s largest wheat exporters.

The Russian Defense Ministry blamed an alleged Ukrainian drone attack against ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet anchored off the coast of occupied Crimea for its exit from the agreement. Russia said the attack took place early Saturday; Ukraine has denied the attack.

“In connection with the actions of Ukrainian armed forces … the Russian side cannot guarantee the safety of civilian dry cargo ships participating in the Black Sea initiative and suspends its implementation from today for an indefinite period,” the Russian statement said.

The Russian declaration came one day after the U.N.’s Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the grain deal.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy representative to the U.N., also said Saturday that Russia had requested a meeting Monday of the U.N. Security Council because of the alleged attack on the Black Sea Fleet and the security of the grain corridor.

Source: Voice of Ameica

Several thousand black-clad fascist sympathizers chanted and sang in praise of the late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on Sunday as they marched to his crypt, 100 years after Mussolini entered Rome and completed a bloodless coup that gave rise to two decades of fascist rule.

The crowd of 2,000 to 4,000 marchers, many sporting fascist symbols and singing hymns from Italy’s colonial era, was larger than in the recent past, as the fascist nostalgics celebrated the centenary of the March on Rome.

On October 28, 1922, black-shirted fascists entered the Italian capital, launching a putsch that culminated two days later when Italy’s king handed Mussolini the mandate to start a new government.

The crowd in Predappio, Mussolini’s birthplace and final resting place in the northern Emilia-Romagna region, also was apparently emboldened by the fact that a party with neo-fascist roots is heading an Italian government for the first time since World War II.

Organizers warned participants, who arrived from as far away as Rome, Belgium and the United States, not to flash the Roman salute used by the Fascists, or they would risk prosecution. Still, some couldn’t resist as the crowd stopped outside the cemetery where Mussolini is buried to listen to prayers and greetings from Mussolini’s great-granddaughter, Orsola.

“After 100 years, we are still here to pay homage to the man this state wanted, and who we will never stop admiring,” Orsola Mussolini said, to cheers.

She listed her great-grandfather’s accomplishments, citing an infrastructure boom that built schools, hospitals and public buildings, reclaimed malaria-infested swamps for cities, and the extension of a pension system to nongovernment workers. She was joined by her sister Vittoria, who led the crowd in a prayer.

The crowd gave a final shout of “Duce, Duce, Duce!” Mussolini’s honorific as Italy’s dictator.

Anti-fascist campaigners held a march in Predappio on Friday to mark the anniversary of the liberation of the town — and to prevent the fascists from marching on the exact anniversary of the March on Rome.

Inside the cemetery on Sunday, admirers lined up a handful at a time to enter his crypt, tucked away in a back corner. Each was given a memory card signed by his great-grandaughters with a photo of a smiling Mussolini holding his gloved hand high in a Roman salute. “History will prove me right,” the card reads.

Italy’s failure to fully come to terms with its fascist past has never been more stark than now, as Italy’s new premier, Giorgia Meloni, seeks to distance her far-right Brothers of Italy party from its neo-fascist roots.

This week, she decried fascism’s anti-democratic nature and called its racial laws, which sent thousands of Italian Jews to Nazi death camps, “a low point.” Historians would also add Mussolini’s alliance with Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II and his disastrous colonial campaign in Africa to fascism’s devastating legacies.

Now in power, Meloni is seeking a moderate course for a new center-right government that includes Matteo Salvini’s League party and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. But her victory gives far-right activists a sense of vindication.

“I would have voted for Lucifer if he could beat the left,” said organizer Mirko Santarelli, who heads the Ravenna chapter of the Arditi, an organization that began as a World War I veterans group and has evolved to include caretaking Mussolini’s memory. “I am happy there is a Meloni government, because there is nothing worse than the Italian left. It is not the government that reflects my ideas, but it is better than nothing.”

He said he would like to see the new Italian government do away with laws that prosecute incitement to hatred and violence motivated by race, ethnicity, religion and nationality. It includes use of emblems and symbols — many of which were present in Sunday’s march.

Santarelli said the law punishes “the crime of opinion.”

“It is used as castor oil by the left to make us keep quiet. When I am asked my opinion of Mussolini, and it is clear I speak well of him, I risk being denounced,” Santarelli said.

Lawyer Francesco Minutillo, a far-right activist who represents the organizers, said Italy’s high court established that manifestations are permissible as long as they are commemorative “and don’t meet the criteria that risks the reconstitution of the fascist party.”

Still, he said, magistrates in recent years have opened investigations into similar manifestations in Predappio and elsewhere to make sure they don’t violate the law. One such case was closed without charges last week.

To avoid having their message misrepresented, Santarelli asked the rank and file present not to speak to journalists. Most complied.

A young American man wearing a T-shirt with a hand-drawn swastika inside a heart and the words “Brand New Dream,” plus a fascist fez, said he had timed his European vacation to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the March on Rome so he could participate in the march in Predappio. He declined to identify himself, other than to say he was from New Jersey, and lamented there was no fascist group back home to join.

Rachele Massimi traveled with a group four hours from Rome on Sunday to participate in the event, bringing her 3-year-old who watched from a stroller.

“It’s historic,” Massimi said. “It’s a memory.”

Source: Voice of America

A new Zulu King was formally enthroned as the head of South Africa’s most influential traditional monarchy at a colorful ceremony Saturday attended by tens of thousands.

President Cyril Ramaphosa handed over a giant framed certificate officially recognizing the 48-year-old new ruler Misuzulu Zulu in the coastal city of Durban.

“Our king, is indeed officially the King of the Zulu nation and the only king of the Zulu nation,” said Ramaphosa to loud applause at an 85,000-seater soccer stadium.

The king vowed to promote “peace and reconciliation” and to “be a catalyst” for development.

The coronation of the ruler of the country’s richest monarchy comes after a year of bitter feuding over the royal succession that has spilled into the courts.

Misuzulu ascended the throne once held by his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in March 2021—after more than 50 years on the throne.

The crowning which followed a traditional coronation ceremony in August, is the first South Africa has witnessed in more than half a century.

“This historic moment only comes once in a lifetime, many of us will never see this historic moment again,” said Ramaphosa.

Although the title of king does not bestow executive power, the monarchs wield great moral influence over more than 11 million Zulus, who make up nearly a fifth of South Africa’s population of 60 million people.

Amabutho, or royal regiments, clad in traditional skirts, leopard skin tops, and carrying shields and sticks chanted songs of praise for their king.

Singing and blowing whistles as they slowly glided around the pitch, women wore broad-brimmed Zulu hats and traditional wraps.

Young girls, some bare breasted, in equally brightly colored pleated skirts and beads, excitedly danced and ululated in the Moses Mabhida Stadium, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.

‘Great day for’ Zulus

Londolo Zungu, 49, was among the women at the party. “We are very happy, more than happy, we are supporting the king 100 percent,” she told AFP.

Khaya Ndwandwe, a Zulu historian, said government’s recognition of Misuzulu as “the real king of the Zulu people” means “now the king will be more than protected.”

“It’s a day of great joy for the Zulu people,” said Ndwandwe.

The ceremony was given rolling live coverage on all of South Africa’s largest television stations and media outlets.

A long grey feather stuck out from the king’s hair, while a bunch of black feathers were arranged on the back of his head as he sat on a throne covered in leopard skin.

Head of the Anglican church in South Africa Archbishop Thabo Makgoba dabbed holy oil on the king’s hands, face and head as crowds looked on.

“As you embark upon your reign as king … I believe you are being called to step up and emulate the highest traditions of your ancestors,” said Makgoba.

In his acceptance speech, the king pledged to work for progress as the world grapples with “poverty, unemployment, trust deficit in government and traditional leadership structures, climate change disasters, economic meltdown.”

Among the delegates were King Mswati III of Africa’s last absolute monarchy, Eswatini, who also is an uncle to the new Zulu king.

Two of South Africa’s ex-presidents, Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki, were present as well.

Zulu kings are descendants of King Shaka, the 19th-century leader still revered for having united a large swath of the country as the Zulu nation, which fought bloody battles against the British colonizers.

King Zwelithini, who died after more than 50 years in charge, left six wives and at least 28 children.

Misuzulu is the first son of Zwelithini’s third wife, who he designated as regent in his will.

The queen, however, died suddenly a month after Zwelithini, leaving a will naming Misuzulu as the next king—a development that did not go down well with other family members.

The new monarch’s first name means “strengthening the Zulus,” but his path to the crown has not been smooth.

Source: Voice of America

India will contribute half a million dollars to the United Nations’ efforts to counter global terrorism as new and emerging technologies used by terror groups pose fresh threats to governments around the world, the foreign minister said Saturday.

The money will go toward the U.N. Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism and will further strengthen the organization’s fight against terrorism, S. Jaishankar said as he addressed a special meeting of the U.N. Counter Terrorism Committee in New Delhi.

It was the first such conference — focused on challenging threats posed by terror groups in the face of new technologies — to be held outside the U.N.’s headquarters in New York.

Jaishankar said new technologies, like encrypted messaging services and blockchain, are increasingly misused by terror groups and malicious actors, sparking an urgent need for the international community to adopt measures to combat the threats.

“Internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorist and militant groups for spreading propaganda, radicalization and conspiracy theories aimed at destabilizing societies,” he said in his keynote address.

Jaishankar also highlighted the growing threat from the use of unmanned aerial systems such as drones by terror groups and criminal organizations, calling them a challenge for security agencies worldwide.

“In Africa, drones have been used by the terrorist groups to monitor movements of security forces and even of U.N. peacekeepers, making them vulnerable to terrorist attacks,” he added.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly reiterated the dangers of unmanned aerial platforms, saying that such systems were being used to inflict terror, death and destruction.

“Drones are being used currently to target critical national infrastructure and civilian targets in Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine,” he said. “This is why we have sanctioned three Iranian military commanders and one Iranian company involved in the supply of drones.”

The special conference kicked off Friday in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, which witnessed a massive terror attack in 2008 that left 140 Indian nationals and 26 citizens of 23 other countries dead by terrorists who had entered India from Pakistan.

Jaishankar on Friday said India regretted the U.N. Security Council’s inability to act in some cases when it came to proscribing terrorists because of political considerations, undermining its collective credibility and interests. He did not name China but referred to its decision to block U.N. sanctions against leaders of Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based extremist group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.N.

India and the United States sought the sanctions earlier this year. China put the proposed listing of the two terrorists for sanctions on hold on technical grounds, saying it needed more time to study their cases.

Source: Voice of America

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has given Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karenga 48-hours to leave the country in retaliation for Rwanda’s alleged support of the M23 rebels in the Congo’s eastern provinces.

“This is, in part, due to the persistence of (Karenga’s) country to attack the DRC and to support the terrorist movements of the M23,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a televised statement Saturday evening.

The rebel group, which Congo authorities accuse Rwanda of backing but Rwanda denies, seized the town of Kiwanja in eastern Congo Saturday, effectively cutting North Kivu’s capital Goma off from the upper half of the province.

Three Kiwanja residents told Reuters that droves of fighters entered the town without significant resistance after a short spat of gunfire Saturday morning.

A U.N. intervention brigade, which has been supporting government forces, said in a statement that four peacekeepers were wounded in the fighting. The statement did not comment on the fate of the town.

“Attacks against U.N. peacekeepers may constitute war crimes,” it said. “(The mission) calls on this rebel group to immediately cease all belligerence and warns that it stands ready to respond vigorously in the event of further aggression.”

The Congolese army contingent protecting the town had departed the previous day, residents said. The army has conducted strategic retreats from populated areas to move fighting away from towns and protect civilians.

Kivu Security Tracker, which maps unrest in eastern Congo, said the army retreated Saturday from positions at Rumangabo, their largest camp in the area, and that M23 had surrounded the local U.N. peacekeeper camp and the Virunga National Park.

Saidi Balikwisha Emil, a member of North Kivu’s provincial parliament, said in a WhatsApp message: “The fall of Kiwanja and elsewhere is a national disgrace, especially for those of us who spend entire days on social networks casting aspersions on our army.”

“Kiwanja (is) an important entity that opens the direct way to Goma,” he added.

Neither General Sylvain Ekenge, the army’s national spokesman, nor Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, the army’s spokesman for North Kivu, immediately responded to calls and messages requesting comment.

Unrest in North Kivu has broken months of relative calm in eastern Congo after the resumption of clashes between the army and the M23 militants.

Army forces have clashed with rebel fighters several times since fighting resumed Oct. 20, killing at least four civilians and forcing more than 23,000 people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. Both groups have accused the other of initiating the violence.

When it formed in 2012, M23 was the newest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to rise against Congolese forces.

Source: Voice of America

Implemented by UNHCR in coordination with the DRC government and other partners, this new investment provides education support to refugee and host community children and adolescents.

October 28, 2022, Kinshasa/New York – Education Cannot Wait (ECW) today announced new funding of US$2 million to provide vital education support for refugee and host community children and adolescents in North Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ).

The grant, aimed at a 12-month rapid action “Emergency First Response”, was announced by the Director of “Education Cannot Wait”, Yasmine Sherif, at the end of a mission of one week in the DRC . This funding will be implemented by UNHCR , the United Nations Refugee Agency in coordination with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and other strategic partners.

The grant will help refugee and host community girls and boys return to a safe and protective learning environment in public schools in host communities – an approach in line with the aspirations of the Global Compact for Refugees and the Sustainable Development Goals aiming to “leave no one behind”.

This funding builds on the positive results of the investments of the first emergency response launched last year and implemented by UNHCR and its local partners, together with the Government and in response to the influx of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR).

Through this program, more than 8,000 children and adolescents have been enrolled in school and 56 classrooms have been built/rehabilitated, with implementation still ongoing.

“I have witnessed first-hand the journey of refugees through a grueling journey from CAR and the generosity of the government and local communities who welcome them. For vulnerable children, especially girls, education offers protection and hope. Many boys and girls who had never been to school in their home countries now have the opportunity to learn and grow. With this new grant, we can ensure that the response and build on the success of this programme,” said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises.

This new investment from ECW has filled a funding gap but UNHCR still needs an additional US$3.94 million to fully meet the education needs of Central African refugees in 2022 and US$6.5 million for 2023 UNHCR has the necessary capacities and partnerships, but it needs urgent funding to fully achieve its goals.

The DRC has a long tradition of welcoming and accommodating refugees and aims to provide universal access to quality education for children in host communities, internally displaced children and refugee children. . However, with conflict, forced displacement, the climate crisis, COVID-19 and other epidemics such as Ebola holding back development gains, some 3.2 million children (aged 6-11 years) are out of school, and less than one in ten have basic reading skills.

According to the UNHCR, the DRC hosts more than 200,000 Central African refugees and asylum seekers (September 2022). In total, there are currently over 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the DRC; more than 60% of this population is under the age of 18.

“ECW’s new funding comes at a critical time and UNHCR in the DRC, on behalf of the refugees and their host community, remains deeply grateful to ECW for its renewed trust and commitment. Once again, this new funding will ensure that the results and gains achieved in the education sector in North Ubangi Province are not lost, but also extended to other refugee and host community children and youth.

UNHCR continues to appeal to other donors to extend its support to more refugee hosting areas in the DRC, which are also under-resourced, particularly given the multiple objectives of education: Protection, Solutions and Prevention ; thus confirming the triangulation of the three pillars of the United Nations Charter,” said Angele Dikongue-Atangana, UNHCR Representative in the DRC.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees