New York, 6 January 2022 (TDI): United Nations (UN) world today is a contemplative look to the daily press briefing from the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General in New York.
Briefing Regarding Sudan
With regard to Sudan, the Secretary-General continues to encourage all stakeholders to work toward a path that meets the legitimate democratic aspirations of all Sudanese citizens.
Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, is working on the ground to establish confidence, narrow gaps, and reach a consensus on a workable solution with all relevant stakeholders. His meetings have included both General Abdel Fattah Burhan and Abdalla Hamdok.
An official press release was issued for the Secretary-General on the 3rd of January, SG/SM/21097, under the title “Secretary-general Condemns Violence Targeting Protesters in Sudan, Calls for Utmost Restraint by Security Forces.” The Spokesperson for Antonio Guterres released the following statement:
“Sudanese security forces are called upon to exercise the utmost restraint and abide by their obligations in relation to freedom of assembly and expression.”
“Furthermore, the Secretary-General has taken note of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s resignation. He regrets that a political understanding on the way forward is not in place, despite the gravity of the situation in Sudan.”
It is important to note that on Sunday, Sudan’s civilian Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigned from his position, further destabilizing the country.
As anti-military protests raged throughout the country in the days and weeks that followed Hamdok, who had been suspended in October by the military and subsequently reinstated a few weeks later as part of a deal, stepped down as administrator.
There was opposition to Hamdok’s agreement with the military among the protesters who wanted the military to hand control of state assets over to an independent civilian authority.
UN world today, In relation to Yemen
Concerning Yemen, the Spokesperson talked about the circumstances surrounding the on-ground situation and expressed concern about the reports of the Houthis seizing a vessel flying the flag of the United Arab Emirates in what the Houthis have described as “Yemeni waters”.
In accordance with international law, Volker Perthes reaffirmed the necessity of respecting rights and obligations relating to maritime navigation.
Moreover, in order to prevent escalation, the organization called on all parties involved and countries in the region to exercise maximum restraint.
He urged the Yemeni parties to engage with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General and his mediation efforts in order to advance the political process in order to produce a comprehensive negotiated settlement that ends the conflict in Yemen.
Quoted from international news agencies, the Houthi rebels, who control much of northern Yemen, hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged vessel near Hodeidah carrying hospital equipment for relief operations, the coalition said on Monday.
There is confirmation that the Houthis have seized a cargo ship. However, they claim it is carrying military equipment and is engaged in “hostile acts targeting the Yemeni people.”
According to the Saudi state news agency SPA, the attack occurred just after midnight on Sunday, just before the vessel was due to depart from the Yemeni island of Socotra for Jizan, a Saudi port just north of Yemen.
At the time of the attack, the vessel was carrying equipment from a shut-down field hospital. The alliance claims that in addition to attacking shipping lanes leading to the Suez Canal, the Houthi movement also engages in illegal piracy in international waters.
UK Maritime Trade Operations said late on Sunday that it was investigating reports of a vessel attack near the Yemeni port of Ras Isa, located just north of Hodeidah. It was not immediately clear what the attack was.
A British military unit, the UKMTO, issued an advisory at 2150 GMT, or 0050 local time, on January 3, 2022, advising mariners to exercise extreme caution in the area, anticipating its designation as a pirate zone.
The Houthis captured two South Korean vessels and a Saudi-flagged vessel near Ras Isa late in 2019 as part of an international piracy operation.
UN world today, Issues related to Libya
In the course of her ongoing consultations with Libyan political actors, Stephanie Williams, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Libya, met yesterday with representatives of the National Forces for Change.
During the meeting, she said that the UN had proposed a sequential approach to the electoral process of the country, with parliamentary elections taking place first.
As part of her remarks, Williams reiterated the importance of keeping the electoral process on track and realizing the aspirations of the 2.8 million Libyan citizens who are registered to vote.
On Wednesday, a UN official reiterated the organization’s support for Libya’s election commission. According to Stephanie Williams, the officials met with the chairman of the High National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh, to discuss ways to consolidate and strengthen efforts to keep the electoral process moving forward.
As an independent institution in charge of the electoral process, the commission has the enthusiastic support of the United Nations and the international community.
“According to her, holding inclusive, free, fair, and credible national elections in Libya is the only way to satisfy the overwhelming and consistent demands of the Libyan people and establish peace and stability in Libya.”
The presidential elections in Libya were scheduled for Dec. 24, 2021. Technical and legal issues, however, forced the commission to postpone the elections indefinitely.
The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum has adopted a roadmap for the elections as part of its efforts to ensure stability in Libya after years of political division and insecurity.
UN world today; in a confrontation with COVID-19
Yesterday, more than 3 million doses were delivered to Venezuela, bringing the total number of doses received through COVAX to nearly 9 million. Additionally, COVAX has contributed 2.6 million syringes to support the national vaccination campaign.
Through COVAX, Bolivia has also recently received nearly 2 million doses donated by Spain and Germany.
A massive logistical effort led by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has distributed nearly 90 million vaccination doses to 33 countries in Latin America as a result of a massive logistical effort.
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