Tag: UN Africa News

It was 3 o’clock on a Friday afternoon when Grace*, a counsellor at the National Child Helpline in Tanzania, received a call from a concerned teacher in Msalala, a small town in the remote Shinyanga region in the north-west of the East African country. One of her brightest students Eliza*, aged 13, had not gone to school that day following… Read More

“We have a responsibility to help Sudan consolidate its democratic transition. Rebuild its economy. And deliver sustainable peace and development for all its diverse society”, he said in a video message.  The conference, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, aimed to encourage private investors to return to Sudan as it continues to emerge from three decades of isolation and rebuild… Read More

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) visited the country in September 2019 to conduct a confidential inquiry into allegations raised by civil society organizations.  Available evidence indicated that the scale of domestic violence, including femicide, is alarmingly high, members said.  Harmful practices, scant protection  Many women and girls in South Africa, particularly in rural areas, are… Read More

Fatou Bensouda welcomed the country’s new interim government and other measures to bring long-sought peace and stability in the country, however, she maintained that no peace is possible without accountability for serious crimes committed on its soil. Respect arrest warrants  Prosecutor Bensouda said that unexecuted warrants of arrest for alleged crimes against humanity or war crimes, delay the process of… Read More

Opening the 2021 Africa Dialogue Series, Secretary-General António Guterres said that the discussions highlight “the importance of arts, culture and heritage in building the Africa we want”.  “I welcome your focus on cultural identity”, he added.  New social contract  Against the backdrop of a global spread of hate and intolerance, the UN chief stressed that “we must not only defend… Read More

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, told delegates that the fight against armed groups in the Sahel has intensified since late 2020.  He described the Joint Force first deployed in 2017 by the “Group of Five” (G-5) Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – as a vital part of the security response in the region.  ‘Ever more challenging’ environment … Read More

Ambassadors met virtually to examine how to address root causes of conflict while promoting post-pandemic recovery in Africa.  Out of 1.4 billion #COVID19 vaccine doses administered around the world, less than 2% have reached Africa. Equitable and sustainable vaccine roll-out worldwide is the quickest path towards a fast, and fair recovery for all. https://t.co/s6P76zO1O9 — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 19,… Read More

‘The men broke my body and shattered my soul’  “We waited for hours in the distribution point until they eventually told us to go home. Hungry and empty-handed, I walked with three other women and two little girls. It was dusk, and I heard the little girls scream. My last thought before I lost consciousness, was how pure evil can… Read More

“One of the key messages remains that we expect all parts of Sudan to work together for all of Sudan”, Special Representative Volker Perthes said after consulting on the country’s future with a wide and diverse group of participants.   Paris Conference  Having just returned from the Paris Conference, designed to encourage the economic revitalization of the country, he told ambassadors… Read More

Ján Kubiš, who is the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Libya and heads the UN support mission in the country (UNSMIL), outlined progress made since the agreement of a ceasefire in October 2020, the launch of a Libyan Political Dialogue Forum and the start of a process of reunifying its State institutions. He called for all parties to redouble their commitment… Read More