Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on South Africa’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (25.10.2016)

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The Secretary-General believes that the International Criminal Court is central to global efforts to end impunity and prevent conflict.

NEW YORK, United States of America, October 25, 2016 – The Secretary-General regrets the decision of the South African Government to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. He recalls the significant role played by South Africa in the establishment of the International Criminal Court, including as one of the first signatories of the Rome Statute. He hopes South Africa will reconsider its decision before its withdrawal takes effect.

The Secretary-General believes that the International Criminal Court is central to global efforts to end impunity and prevent conflict. He is confident that Member States will continue to further strengthen the Court, thus helping deter future atrocities across the globe. He also hopes that States that may have concerns regarding the functioning of the Court seek to resolve these matters in the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Guinea-Bissau [EN/FR] (11.10.2016)

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The Secretary-General welcomes the start of an inclusive dialogue among political leaders, civil society and religious communities of Guinea-Bissau today in Guinea. The dialogue is the crucial first step in implementing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) roadmap to end the political crisis, which political leaders agreed to in Bissau on 10 September 2016.

The Secretary-General thanks the ECOWAS Mediator for Guinea-Bissau, H.E. Mr. Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea, for hosting the parties and leading the regional effort to swiftly implement the roadmap. He further encourages all parties to engage in constructive discussions and seize this opportunity for a favourable outcome in the interest of the people of Guinea-Bissau. He calls on all parties to jointly achieve decisive progress within the coming days, in order to break the political impasse that has prevailed in the country since August 2015.

The Secretary-General has requested his Special Representative in Guinea-Bissau and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), Mr. Modibo I. Touré, to continue to work closely with all stakeholders in Guinea-Bissau. This he will do in close collaboration with ECOWAS, the African Union and other key partners, including the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries and the European Union as they work towards political stability in Guinea-Bissau.

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Le Secrétaire général salue le début d’un dialogue inclusif entre les chefs politiques, la société civile et les communautés religieuses bissau-guinéens aujourd’hui en Guinée. Ce dialogue est une première étape décisive dans la mise en œuvre de la feuille de route de la Communauté économique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) pour mettre fin à la crise politique, qui a été adoptée par les dirigeants politiques à Bissau le 10 septembre 2016.

Le Secrétaire général remercie le médiateur de la CEDEAO pour la Guinée-Bissau, S.E. M. Alpha Condé, Président de la République de Guinée, d’accueillir les parties et de mener l’effort régional pour mettre en œuvre la feuille de route rapidement. Il encourage toutes les parties à s’engager dans des discussions constructives pour accomplir ensemble des progrès décisifs dans les prochains jours, afin de mettre fin à l’impasse politique qui prévaut dans le pays depuis août 2015.

Le Secrétaire général a demandé à son Représentant spécial et Chef du Bureau intégré des Nations Unies pour la consolidation de la paix en Guinée-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), M. Modibo I. Touré, de continuer à coopérer étroitement avec toutes les parties prenantes en Guinée-Bissau. Il le fera en collaboration étroite avec la CEDEAO, l’Union africaine, et les partenaires clés, y compris la Communauté des pays de langue portugaise et l’Union européenne, dans leurs efforts en faveur de la stabilité politique en Guinée-Bissau.

UN, World Bank, insurance sector tackle climate vulnerability (06.10.2016)

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NEW YORK, 6 October 2016 – A new public-private partnership between the leaders of the United Nations, the World Bank and the insurance sector has adopted a risk management strategy that seeks to harness insurance to promote economic recovery and resilience to climate hazards and disasters.

The Insurance Development Forum (IDF) said that it has decided to contribute to achieving the G7 “InsuResilience” target of providing 400 million of the most vulnerable people in developing countries with increased access to direct or indirect insurance coverage against the impacts of climate change and related natural catastrophes by 2020.

“For many developing countries with scarce resources, rebuilding is often beyond their means. Typically, a disaster is followed by appeals to bilateral, regional, and international partners for aid relief and financial support,” said Ms. Helen Clark, IDF Co-Chair and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme.

“This support, however, often falls well short of what is required. Systemic lack of funds and recurrent inefficiency of recovery initiatives on the ground impede progress. Insurance can be an efficient, fast-disbursing mechanism to build back better in vulnerable countries and communities hit by disasters, but also to reduce risks and the costs of risks in the long term.”

The IDF was first announced at the COP21 UN climate summit in Paris in December 2015 and officially launched in April 2016.

It is led by a Steering Committee, chaired by Mr. Stephen Catlin, Deputy Executive Chair of XL Group Ltd., with Co-Chairs Ms. Clark and Mr. Joaquim Levy, World Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer. Other Steering Committee members include Mr. Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the Financial Stability Board, and Mr. Robert Glasser, the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as 13 insurance industry CEOs. Additional governmental and public sector organizations are expected to engage in the coming year.

The IDF adopted its insurance-based strategy when it met on the sidelines of the recent UN General Assembly session. It approved a proposal to create a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), which will assemble public and private insurance industry resources and tools necessary to support governments in building public-private partnerships that will better manage the financial consequences of climate events and natural disasters while increasing the use of insurance in emerging markets and developing countries. Work has begun to secure funds for the programme.

The IDF’s work is linked with a string of UN agreements adopted in 2015 to set the global development agenda for years to come. They include the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“With growing natural disaster losses it is essential that governments learn how to incorporate risk management fundamentals into their planning, budgeting and governing processes so that their citizens can be better protected,” said Mr. Catlin.

Joaquim Levy, IDF Co-Chair and World Bank Group Chief Financial Officer stated that “many emerging market and developing countries lack sufficiently developed insurance markets, which does stifle growth and has a negative impact not only on business but on general welfare, notably among the poorest. The lack of insurance instruments or broader risk-pooling or risk-mitigation mechanisms is also evident in the public sector, affecting government’s ability to respond to natural disasters and other large-scale events”.

Mr. Rowan Douglas, chair of the IDF Implementation Committee and head of the Capital Science and Policy Practice at Willis Towers Watson, said, “We all recognize a unique moment and opportunity to make a huge step forward in the protection of lives, livelihoods and communities – realizing the benefits of insurance across public, private and mutual and cooperative sectors.”

The IDF focuses on members of the “Vulnerable Twenty Group”, which was set up in 2015 and groups the finance ministers of countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet in dialogue and action to tackle global climate change.

RDC: Communiqué de Lambert Mende sur les nouvelles Sanction Américaines (29.09.2016)

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U.S. Gov: Treasury Sanctions Two Individuals for Threatening the Stability of and Undermining Democratic Processes in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (28.09.2016)

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Action Targets Current and Former Government Officials
 
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two individuals, Gabriel Amisi Kumba and John Numbi, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13413, as amended by E.O. 13671, following increasing indications that the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to suppress political opposition in the country, often through violent means.  Specifically, OFAC designated John Numbi for engaging in actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in the DRC, and Gabriel Amisi Kumba for being the leader of an armed group that has threatened the peace, security, or stability of the DRC.  As a result of today’s actions, all of the designated individuals’ assets within U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
“These current and former Democratic Republic of the Congo government officials have engaged in actions that undermine democratic processes in the DRC and repress the political rights and freedoms of the Congolese people, risking further and more widespread instability in the DRC, and the broader Great Lakes region,” said John E. Smith, Acting OFAC Director.  “Today’s action builds on the United States’ continued commitment to disrupt this destructive behavior and foster a better and more stable future for the DRC and the Congolese people.  Today’s action is not directed at the people of DRC.  It is intended to alter the behavior of the targeted individuals.”
DRC state agents have reportedly continued to violate human rights and fundamental freedoms, have engaged in politically motivated detentions of members of civil society and opposition representatives, and have used excessive force in response to demonstrations.  In several areas of the country, defense and security forces have violently repressed demonstrations organized to oppose a new draft electoral law that many fear would allow President Kabila to run for a third term.
Gabriel Amisi Kumba
Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba (Amisi) is a Commander in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).  He is the leader of FARDC units in the First Defense Zone, which covers the provinces of Bandudu, Bas Congo, Equateur, and Kinshasa. These units have reportedly engaged in violent repression of political demonstrations.  Increasing violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly have been reported in the western provinces, particularly in Kinshasa.  FARDC soldiers have used excessive force and lethal weapons during demonstrations and political rallies, particularly during demonstrations organized by opposition leaders and civil society actors in January 2015.
In August 2014, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) reportedly denounced the fact that no judicial investigation had been opened against Amisi.
John Numbi
General John Numbi (Numbi) is the former National Inspector for the Congolese National Police.  During the March 2016 gubernatorial elections in the DRC’s four ex-Katangan provinces, Numbi used violent intimidation to secure victories for candidates affiliated with President Kabila’s MP coalition.  Numbi threatened to kill opposition candidates who did not voluntarily withdraw from the race, and on the same day these exchanges purportedly took place, three candidates withdrew.  Numbi also reportedly gave provincial deputies a unique numeric code to write on each of their ballots so he could verify their votes after the election.  Though he is no longer a DRC Government official, Numbi is reportedly an influential advisor to President Kabila.

Joint Declaration on the Armed Revolutionary Groups and the Syrian Opposition Coalition of National and Revolutionary Forces regarding the Barbaric Military Escalation against Aleppo City and the Future of the Negotiations Process (25.09.2016)

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Burundi: EU renews sanctions until 31 October 2017 (20.09.2016)

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These measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze against four persons whose activities were deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 20, 2016 – On 20 September 2016, the Council renewed the EU restrictive measures against Burundi until 31 October 2017. These measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze against four persons whose activities were deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi. These activities include acts of violence, repression or incitement to violence, and acts which constitute serious human rights violations.

The EU has repeatedly and continuously called on all parties to refrain from, and to condemn, any acts of violence. This is essential if the conditions for progress in the search for a political solution to the crisis are to be put in place and maintained.

The Council considered that the absence of progress in the situation regarding the four persons under restrictive measures justified the prolongation of the sanctions.

The names of the persons concerned and the reasons for listing them are included in the annex to the decision of 1 October 2015 published in the Official Journal.

295 000 refugees flee violence in Burundi (Youtube-Clip)

“A year after political violence erupted in Burundi, nearly 300 000 people have fled to neighboring Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo. More than half of those fleeing are women and children who must start their lives over in foreign lands with little more than the basic necessities they fled with.  Life in the refugee camps is a daily challenge for women and girls. They face not only food shortage and poverty, but also higher rates of sexual and domestic violence, and increased chances of early marriage. UN Women sets up “Safe Spaces” in refugee camps to offer income opportunities and business training for women, as well as psycho-social counselling and trauma assistance” (United Nations, 2016)

Readout for the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa (19.09.2016)

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The Secretary-General and the President discussed the importance of inclusive political dialogue in South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 19, 2016 – The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Jacob ZUMA, President of South Africa. The Secretary-General thanked South Africa for its many contributions to peace and security in Africa.

He urged South Africa to ratify the climate change agreement as soon as possible. He also drew attention to migration and refugee challenges and stressed the need for a truly global sharing of responsibilities.

The Secretary-General and the President discussed the importance of inclusive political dialogue in South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.