Summary

The present report covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016, during which the Peacebuilding Fund allocated $70.9 million to 17 countries. The year was marked by an overall improvement in programmatic results, demonstrating that three years of dedicated Fund support to country partners during project design, monitoring and evaluation, including a near fivefold increase in evaluations and a sixfold increase in support missions, had been a sound investment. Among its achievements and historic firsts, the Fund exceeded the United Nations-wide commitment to allocate at least 15 per cent of resources to women’s empowerment, expanded its unique role in financing cross-border and regional peacebuilding initiatives, and launched the first United Nations dedicated funding stream in support of Security Council resolution 2250 (2015) on youth, peace and security. Against these achievements and despite expressions of support from a wide range of Member States, including $152.5 million raised during a September 2016 pledging conference, the Fund’s financial health remains in question at a time when the demand for its assistance has reached historic highs. Options for securing adequate, sustainable financing for peacebuilding will be outlined in my upcoming report on sustaining peace in 2017.

I. Introduction

1. The present annual report, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016, is the seventh report submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to Assembly resolution 63/282. It covers the third and final year of the Business Plan 2014-2016 of the Peacebuilding Fund. This report will be complemented by a financial report issued by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office no later than 1 May 2017. Additional information can be found at http://www.unpbf.org, and complete information on individual projects can be found on the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office Gateway (http://mptf.undp.org).

II. Global performance and lessons learned

2. The year 2016 heralded the historic adoption by the General Assembly and the Security Council of concurrent resolutions on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture (see A/69/968-S/2015/490), the most comprehensive and far-reaching resolutions on peacebuilding to date. The emphasis of Assembly resolution 70/262 and Council resolution 2282 (2016) on the centrality of sustaining peace, which encompasses the imperative of conflict prevention, the need to address all stages of the conflict cycle, the importance of breaking silos, both at Headquarters and in the field, and the need to ensure national ownership and inclusivity, has important implications for the strategic priorities of the Peacebuilding Fund. In those resolutions, the Assembly and the Council welcomed the valuable work undertaken by the Fund as a catalytic, rapid-response and flexible pooled fund and recognized the need for United Nations peacebuilding efforts to have adequate, predictable and sustained financing.

3. With a view to replenishing the Peacebuilding Fund, a ministerial-level pledging conference was organized on the margins of the seventy-first session of the General Assembly in September 2016. The conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya, the Netherlands, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, received strong political support from 32 ministers for foreign affairs who backed the Fund’s approach and its contribution to sustaining peace. Notwithstanding this significant endorsement, the resulting $152.5 million in pledges fell short of the $300 million goal, the minimum amount needed to sustain operations for three years. As highlighted by the Deputy Secretary-General at the closing, the conference signified not the end but the beginning of efforts to secure adequate, predictable resources for the Fund. Such efforts include options for funding United Nations peacebuilding which will be outlined in my forthcoming report, mandated by the aforementioned resolutions, on sustaining peace.

4. During 2016, the Peacebuilding Support Office continued to warn that without predictable financing, it would not be able to sustain current levels of support, let alone meet growing demands. The Peacebuilding Fund allocated $70,956,966 million to 17 countries in 2016 (see table 1 on the Fund’s active portfolio). By contrast, it received $57,760,692 million in contributions. The conference and multiple reviews and external evaluations of the Fund have recognized the singular role it plays in ensuring strategic coherence and funding politically risky yet necessary endeavours. Such recognition will soon need to translate into predictable and sustainable financing if the Fund is to remain a reliable partner of States and societies committed to sustaining peace.

Synthèse

Depuis deux ans, le Niger est en guerre contre Boko Haram. Ce conflit armé pèse sur les équilibres fondamentaux, notamment financiers, de ce pays pauvre et déstabilise le Sud-Est, théâtre principal des affrontements. Dans cette région située à 1 350 kilomètres de la capitale, exsangue économiquement, la lutte contre Boko Haram suscite des tensions locales et exacerbe les violences intercommunautaires autour de l’accès aux ressources. Malgré l’appui direct des troupes tchadiennes depuis 2015 et une meilleure collaboration avec l’armée du Nigéria, les forces nigériennes n’ont pas mis un terme aux attaques des insurgés, dont certains sont liés à l’Etat islamique (EI).

L’option militaire a donné des résultats mais a également montré ses limites. Une approche permettant la démobilisation des militants du mouvement et le règlement politique des tensions qui nourrissent son implantation locale doit accompagner l’effort de guerre. La relance de l’économie et des services publics doit également devenir une priorité pour soulager des populations épuisées, dont la détresse alimente l’insurrection.

En dépit de scénarios alarmistes, Boko Haram n’a pas réussi à étendre son influence au-delà de la région de Diffa, au Sud-Est du pays. Ce territoire relativement riche entretient un rapport particulier avec l’état nigérian du Borno auquel il est intimement lié par l’histoire, la culture religieuse et l’économie. Ces liens étroits expliquent l’écho qu’y a rencontré Mohamed Yusuf, le fondateur nigérian de Boko Haram.

Il a trouvé de nombreux adeptes parmi les Nigériens, et tout particulièrement les jeunes, venus à Maiduguri, la capitale du Borno, à seulement 425 kilomètres de Diffa, en quête de formation religieuse ou de succès commercial. Lorsqu’en juillet 2009, les forces armées nigérianes ont massacré plus de 1 000 de ses partisans, de nombreux membres de Boko Haram ont trouvé refuge dans le Sud-Est du Niger. Le mouvement s’est longtemps gardé de mener des opérations militaires dans le pays pour mieux faire de Diffa une zone de financement, de ravitaillement, de repli et de recrutement.

Face à Boko Haram, les autorités nigériennes ont d’abord opté pour une stratégie de surveillance. A leurs yeux, le problème concernait essentiellement le Nigéria. En 2014, cette attitude a évolué alors que la menace devenait plus pressante : l’expansion territoriale de Boko Haram jusqu’aux frontières du Niger s’est accompagnée d’une intensification des recrutements de centaines de jeunes Nigériens. Incité par ses partenaires, régionaux et internationaux, à s’impliquer plus activement, le Niger s’est engagé militairement au sein de la Force multinationale mixte (FMM). Depuis, l’effort de guerre pèse sur le budget de l’Etat, met à mal le système judiciaire et attise les tensions entre le pouvoir politique et la hiérarchie militaire.

La région de Diffa souffre à la fois des offensives de Boko Haram et des mesures contre-insurrectionnelles prises par les autorités nigériennes, comme la prolongation de l’état d’urgence mis en place en février 2015 et qui introduit des interdictions sur certaines activités commerciales. Des centaines de milliers de réfugiés et de dé-placés internes survivent grâce à l’aide extérieure. Le recours aux comités de vigilance locaux et les représailles de Boko Haram contre ceux qui collaborent avec l’armée entretiennent une atmosphère pesante où vengeances locales, psychose collective et délations s’entremêlent dangereusement.

Dans le bassin du lac Tchad, à l’extrême est de la région de Diffa, la présence de Boko Haram a aggravé les tensions intercommunautaires qui ont dégénéré en conflits meurtriers à partir de mai 2016. La médiation entre communautés initiée par les autorités depuis juin 2016 constitue une initiative bienvenue mais elle n’a pas encore apaisé toutes ces tensions. Sur le lac, un groupe de combattants en rupture avec l’aile de Boko Haram menée par Aboubakar Shekau, le chef du mouvement et successeur de feu Mohamed Yusuf, exploite ces tensions locales. Ce groupe tente actuellement de s’implanter durablement et bénéficierait d’un lien privilégié avec l’EI.

Face à la résilience de Boko Haram sur son territoire, l’Etat nigérien ne peut se contenter d’une approche mêlant opérations militaire et blocus économique. En dé-cembre 2016, la création de sites de démobilisation a marqué une première inflexion dans la politique de répression qui prévalait depuis 2015. Un plan de sortie de crise pour la région de Diffa est également à l’étude à Niamey. Avec l’aide de ses partenaires régionaux et internationaux, l’Etat doit poursuivre dans cette direction et étoffer sa stratégie contre-insurrectionnelle pour qu’elle aille au-delà d’une réponse essentiellement militaire. Cela est d’autant plus important qu’une partie des insurgés, en rupture avec les excès d’Aboubakar Shekau, pourraient chercher à regagner le soutien des civils en évitant de prendre les musulmans pour cible. L’Etat doit en outre accentuer sa coopération avec ses voisins et anticiper un possible désengagement de partenaires internationaux dont les finances publiques se dégradent ou qui pourraient, dans les mois à venir, opter pour des politiques isolationnistes.

Birungi Machrine/Henry Lokuri

Thousands of people hit by hunger in Leer County in the Unity region turned up at Thonyor Payam on Saturday to register for food aid, following last week's declaration of famine in parts of South Sudan.

Women and men, including children and elderly people, endured the long trek and braved the heat to get to the nearest registration centres. Sitting on the dry, cracked land, they waited for their turn to register for the food.

“We are coming here to look for food because we are suffering from hunger,” said one of the women.

“We are looking for food cereal, sorghum, oil, and beans,” said a mother of four, who spoke with difficulty as she was trying to make sure that each of her children was registered and given a food card.

Last week, the government and UN agencies declared a famine in parts of South Sudan, where 100,000 people are facing starvation. Overall, some 40 per cent of the population is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Thonyor in Leer County is one of the four counties in Unity State that has been hit by famine. This was the first trip by the World Food Programme and its partners to the area, which was previously inaccessible due to long-persisting insecurity.

Justin Gatliath, a father of six, described the pain his family has endured over the past nine months living in the swamps without food.

“We didn’t have food, we didn’t have anything, but we have been eating water lilies from the river.”

Parts of South Sudan face famine due to an ongoing civil war, collapse of law and order and drought. William Okot de Toby is the managing director of a diocesan Caritas, Caritas Torit, in the south-eastern part of the country. He answered our questions. Caritas plans to get more help to the affected area as more emergency funds are raised.

What is the humanitarian situation like in Torit?

The humanitarian situation in Torit is getting to a catastrophic stage. Hunger is the order of the day and the worst is expected.

Describe the health conditions of the people coming to Caritas for food aid?

There are signs of hunger on the faces and tired bodies of the people, especially the common man who has nothing to survive on. There is no food in the market and the little available the common person cannot afford. The prices are extremely high. The number of malnourished children is increasing.

What are the causes of the food insecurity?

Causes of food security include the current conflict and the drought. To some extent there is a lack of seeds and other agricultural inputs. Some isolated areas did cultivate but wild fire burnt the produce in the fields. If the situation remains unchanged, it is likely that there will be no cultivation this year leading to more food scarcity.

What is Caritas able to do to help?

Caritas Torit has distributed food provided by the national Caritas, Caritas South Sudan. The needs are enormous. Caritas has the capacity to buy and distribute more food and other aid but lacks funds.

Compared to crises in the past, how bad is the current situation?

The current situation is worse than compared to the past. Both the fighting and lack of food are having a deep impact. At least in the past people had coping mechanisms but this time there is nothing. Many have left to take refuge in the neighbouring countries but the situation in the camps has forced some of them to come back with a feeling that it is better to die at home than in a foreign land.

What will happen if aid doesn’t get through?

Many will perish. I hope the situation that happened in Somalia (a famine in 2011 killed 260,000 people) doesn’t happen in South Sudan. I write with tears in my eyes of a women with three children, the youngest two years old. She had gone to fetch firewood in the bush, leaving the children alone. When the mother came back, she found them dead. She then took her own life. People guessed that the children might have eaten some wild or poisonous food or they starved to death after staying for some days without food.

There are many similar stories to tell about the hunger situation here and the worse is yet to come.

It is the start of the lean season. What is going to happen over the next months?

In the villages people are preparing to cultivate but due to hunger situation they may not have enough strength. In addition, seeds are scarce. Every year during this period there is hunger. But this year it is expected that hunger will be severe and many will be affected. In towns people are too frightened to go to their farms due to the conflict.

What can the international community do to help?

The international community is the only hope. The situation has reached a stage to send messages of ‘SOS’. The international community should not wait to intervene until they see dead bodies of people from hunger. Do it now. The international community should act or else many people will perish.

The hunger will continue until the next harvest or beyond. Caritas with other partners is ready on ground to reach the needy with the support from the international community.

Refugees and migrants face heightened risks while trying to reach Europe – UNHCR report

In a new report, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, details the impact of the increased border restrictions introduced in 2016 on refugee and migrant movements towards and inside Europe. It shows that people continued to move but undertook more diversified and dangerous journeys, often relying on smugglers because of the lack of accessible legal ways to Europe.

After the “closure” of the Western Balkan route and the EU-Turkey Statement in March 2016, the number of people reaching Greece via the Eastern Mediterranean route drastically decreased. The Central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy has since become the primary entry point to Europe. However, arrival trends in Italy show that the primary nationalities who crossed to Greece had not switched in significant numbers to the Central Mediterranean route.

In total, some 181,436 people arrived in Italy in 2016 by sea, out of which 90 per cent travelled by boat from Libya. Those who came to Italy in 2016 include people in need of international protection, and also victims of trafficking and migrants seeking better lives. The top two nationalities of those arriving in Italy were Nigerians (21%) and Eritreans (11%). A striking feature is the increasing number of unaccompanied and separated children making the journey, over 25,000 in 2016. They represented 14% of all new arrivals in Italy and their number more than doubled compared to the previous year.

The journey to Italy is particularly dangerous, with more deaths at sea in the Mediterranean recorded in 2016 than ever before. Of the 5,096 refugees and migrants reported dead or missing at sea last year, 90% travelled along the sea route to Italy, amounting to one death for every 40 people crossing.

The report also shows that, in the last part of 2016, more people reached Europe through the Western Mediterranean route, either by crossing the sea to Spain from Morocco and Algeria, or by entering the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta.

People have continued to leave Turkey along the Eastern Mediterranean route from April onwards, but in much smaller numbers. Most cross the sea to Greece, but some also cross land borders to Greece and Bulgaria, or cross the sea to Cyprus. The use of this route includes a large number of people in need of protection, in 2016 87% of those arriving by sea to Greece came from the top ten refugee producing countries.

This is also the case for those who have continued to move along the Western Balkans route. In Serbia, for example, 82% of those who have arrived are from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and almost half are children – 20% of those unaccompanied, though numbers have reduced since April 2016. As a result of stronger border restrictions many rely on smugglers, taking high risks which resulted in several deaths in 2016, says the report.

According to the UNHCR study, tens of thousands of people have been reportedly pushed back by border authorities in Europe, including in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Spain, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, with many cases of alleged violence and abuses in an apparent attempt to deter further entry attempts.

In addition, UNHCR has received deeply worrying reports of refugees and migrants kidnapped, held against their will for several days, physically and sexually abused, tortured or extorted by smugglers and criminal gangs at several points along key routes.

“This report clearly shows that the lack of accessible and safe pathways leads refugees and migrants to take enormous risks while attempting to reach Europe, including those simply trying to join family members.” said Vincent Cochetel, Director of UNHCR’s Europe Bureau.

ENDS

For more information please contact:

In Geneva, Cécile Pouilly, pouilly@unhcr.org,+41 79 108 26 25
In Croatia, Jan Kapic, kapic@unhcr.org, +385 911 150 115
In Greece, Roland Schoenbauer, schoenb@unhcr.org, +30 69 48 088 544
In Hungary, Erno Simon, simoner@unhcr.org, +36 30 657 03 23
In Italy, Carlotta Sami, sami@unhcr.org, +39 335 679 4746
In Serbia, Mirjana Ivanovic-Milenkovski, ivanovim@unhcr.org, + 381 63 275 154
In Spain, María Jesús Vega, vegam@unhcr.org, + 34 670661263
In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ljubinka Brashnarska, brashnar@unhcr.org, +389 722 693 46

Bruxelles, le 27 février 2017

A l'occasion d'une visite officielle de la Commission européenne au Burkina Faso, une Convention de financement de 117 millions d'euros a été signée pour soutenir le secteur de la sécurité alimentaire, de l'agriculture et de la résilience.

Ce programme «Programme d'appui à la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle, à l'agriculture durable et à la résilience au Burkina Faso» s'inscrit dans le cadre des 800 millions d'euros annoncés par le Commissaire européen pour la Coopération internationale et le Développement Neven Mimica le 7 décembre 2016 à Paris, lors de la Conférence internationale organisée par le Burkina Faso.

Commissaire Mimica a fait la déclaration suivante : "Deux mois et demi après la conférence des donateurs de Paris, nous signons aujourd'hui un programme de 117 millions d'euros, en faveur de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle. Ce nouvel appui budgétaire permettra au Gouvernement du Faso de poursuivre la mise en œuvre de son Plan National de Développement que l'Union européenne accompagne à hauteur de 800 millions d'euros. Tout doit être fait pour que la population bénéficie rapidement des dividendes de la démocratie. Je suis satisfait que l'Union européenne ait tenu sa promesse d'accélérer la mise en œuvre de nos projets, comme je l'avais moi-même annoncé lors de ma visite au pays en février dernier."

Cette Conférence internationale avait permis au gouvernement burkinabé de présenter un nouveau Plan national de développement économique et social (PNDES) à l'horizon 2016-2020, adopté lors de sa première année au pouvoir. La sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle, l'agriculture durable et l'environnement y sont ciblés.

L'appui de l'Union européenne a été signé par le Directeur Général Stefano Manserivsi aujourd'hui à Burkina Faso. Il vise donc à accompagner les efforts du pays dans la mise en œuvre de la politique nationale de sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle (PNSAN) qui a pour objectif la mise en place d'une sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle durable à l'horizon 2025. Ce soutien européen accompagnera la politique du Gouvernement en matière d'agriculture et d'élevage, avec un accent particulier sur la lutte contre la malnutrition chronique.

Cet appui sera mis en œuvre, sur la période 2017-2021, sous la forme d'une aide budgétaire sectorielle de 100 millions d'euros, complétée par des appuis à des projets ponctuels pour améliorer les pratiques alimentaires des ménages pauvres, via le plan national stratégique pour l'alimentation du nourrisson et du jeune enfant (ANJE).

Ces appuis se traduiront par des actions et investissements en faveur de l'agriculture irriguée, du petit élevage, de l'éducation nutritionnelle et de la mise à disposition d'intrants nutritionnels locaux, permettant en particulier d'améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et les revenus des ménages vulnérables.

Les indicateurs de ce programme, définis avec le Gouvernement, visent notamment l'augmentation des superficies irriguées, favorisant un accès des femmes aux aménagements agricoles irrigués, l'accroissement de la couverture vaccinale des petits ruminants, l'amélioration de l'état nutritionnel des femmes et des enfants par la lutte contre la malnutrition.

Plus globalement, il soutiendra les réformes nécessaires à une meilleure opérationnalisation de la politique nationale, une bonne gouvernance de la sécurité alimentaire afin de permettre l'amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle des populations et porteurs de développement.

Context:

Le Burkina Faso, avec environ 17 millions d'habitants et un taux de croissance démographique de 3,1% par an, est un pays sahélien confronté à des crises alimentaires récurrentes et à une insécurité alimentaire omniprésente. Les causes de ces crises alimentaires sont multiples, à la fois d'ordre structurel et conjoncturel. A l'échelle du pays, l'insécurité alimentaire est permanente, malgré un secteur primaire occupant plus de 80% de la population, et contribuant à 30% du PIB national.

La logique d'intervention est de favoriser l'irrigation et le petit élevage en vue d'améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle de la population. Le programme sera mis en œuvre sur 5 ans. Ce contrat d'appui budgétaire est le dernier signé d'un ensemble de quatre contrats d'appui budgétaire de l'Union européenne avec le Burkina Faso. Les autres contrats concernent un appui budgétaire général (136 millions d'euros) et trois appuis budgétaires sectoriels dans les domaines de l'eau (54 millions d'euros), de la santé (84 millions d'euros) et celui de la nutrition/résilience (117 millions d'euros) signé aujourd'hui.

Le Burkina-Faso reçoit 623 millions d'euros du 11ème Fonds européen de développement pour la Période 2014-2020. Les trois secteurs prioritaires sont la bonne gouvernance avec 325 millions d'euros, la santé avec 80 millions d'euros et la sécurité alimentaire, l'agriculture durable et l'eau pour 190 millions d'euros. Le soutien à la société civile bénéficie de 21 millions d'euros et 7 millions d'euros iront à des mesures d'accompagnement.

Enfin, en plus de bénéficier de la programmation régionale pour l'Afrique de l'Ouest dans le cadre du 11ème Fonds européen de développement, le Burkina Faso reçoit également de l'aide du Fond fiduciaire d'Emergence pour l'Afrique. Six projets pour un montant de 78,5 millions d'euros ont déjà été approuvés. Par ailleurs, le Burkina bénéficie aussi de plusieurs programmes régionaux du Fond fiduciaire d'Emergence pour l'Afrique.

IP/17/364

Personnes de contact pour la presse:
Carlos MARTIN RUIZ DE GORDEJUELA (+32 2 296 53 22)
Christina WUNDER (+32 2 299 22 56)

Renseignements au public: Europe Direct par téléphone au 00 800 67 89 10 11 ou par courriel

Poorer countries host most of the forcibly displaced – report

According to a new UNHCR study, most of the 3.2 million who were driven from their homes in the first half of 2016 found shelter in low or middle income countries.

GENEVA – Conflict, persecution and violence newly uprooted at least 3.2 million people in the first half of last year, and low- and middle-income countries played the greatest role in sheltering the world’s displaced, a new report by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has found.

In the first half of last year, 1.7 million people were newly displaced within their own country, while 1.5 million had crossed an international border, UNHCR’s Mid-Year Trends 2016 report shows.

While the numbers of newly displaced were one third lower than during the same period in 2015, when 5 million people were newly displaced, the global total continued to rise. Prospects for displaced people to return to their homes remained slim while conflicts intensified.

More than half the new refugees in the first half of 2016 fled Syria’s conflict, with most staying in the immediate region – Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. Other sizable groups fled Iraq, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

While smaller in scale than the Syrian crisis, South Sudan’s refugee situation continues to grow and affect some of the world’s least developed countries – including Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, DRC, CAR, and Ethiopia. At mid-2016, there were a total of 854,200 refugees from South Sudan, a more than eight-fold increase in three years. Numbers grew even further in the second half of 2016.

Of all countries, Turkey sheltered the greatest number of refugees, hosting 2.8 million by mid-2016. It was followed by Pakistan (1.6 million), Lebanon (1 million), Iran (978,000), Ethiopia (742,700), Jordan (691,800), Kenya (523,500), Uganda (512,600), Germany (478,600) and Chad (386,100).

“Today we face not so much a crisis of numbers but of cooperation and solidarity – especially given that most refugees stay in the countries neighbouring their war-torn homelands,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

By comparing the number of refugees to the size of a country’s population or its economy, UNHCR’s report brings the contribution made by host nations sharply into context. For example, relative to the sizes of their populations, Lebanon and Jordan host the largest number of refugees, while in terms of economic performance the biggest burdens are carried by South Sudan and Chad.

According to the latter economic measure, eight out of ten of the top countries hosting refugees are in Africa, with the remaining two in the Middle East. Lebanon and Jordan rank among the top ten hosting countries across all categories – absolute numbers, economic contribution and per capita.

At mid-2016, Syrians continued to be the largest group of refugees worldwide, making up 32 per cent (5.3 million out of 16.5 million) of the global total under UNHCR’s mandate.

Another key finding of UNHCR’s report was that submissions for resettlement increased, reflecting a rise in places allocated to the programme by a growing band of countries. More than 81,100 people were submitted to 34 states in the first half of 2016, with the final yearly figure having surpassed 160,000 – a 20-year high, and more than twice the number of submissions in 2012.

GENEVA (27 February 2017) – The United Nations expert on the human rights to water and sanitation raises serious concerns about a recent Bill in Lagos that criminalizes abstraction of water from natural sources.

The Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, Léo Heller, says: “When the State fails to provide adequate access to drinking water, no one should be criminalized or fined for fetching water from lakes, rivers, or any other natural sources.”

The comment from the UN expert comes after the Lagos State House of Assembly passed the Lagos Environment Bill on 20 February 2017. The Bill includes specific provisions that criminalise the abstraction of water from natural sources if conducted without the approval from the authorities.

Mr. Heller said: “The Government is taking a step too far by imposing fines of the equivalent of USD 310 on ordinary individuals fetching water for survival, when the minimum wage stands at approximately USD 60.”

“Legal measures by the Government to regulate access to water are an important step to ensure that drinking water is safe,” said Mr. Heller. However, when only 10 per cent of the population are connected to piped networks and the rest of the population rely on natural water sources for drinking water, a blanket prohibition of accessing natural water sources is not the way forward,” he stressed.

Mr. Heller is urging the Government to reconsider the Bill and to conduct a proper and meaningful public consultation with all relevant stakeholders providing an adequate time for comments and opinions.

Mr. Heller has recently communicated about this matter to the Government. On 4 July 2016, the Special Rapporteur also sent a letter to the Government of Nigeria to request clarification about the water and sanitation situation in Lagos but no response has been received thus far.

Ends

Mr. Léo Heller (Brazil) is the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, appointed in November 2014. He is a researcher in the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil and was previously Professor of the Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil from 1990 to 2014. Learn more:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pages/SRWaterIndex.aspx

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, country page – Nigeria

For more information and media requests, please contact Ms. Ahreum Lee (+41 22 917 9391 /ahreumlee@ohchr.org) or write to srwatsan@ohchr.org

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Bryan Wilson, OHCHR Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9826 / mediaconsultant1@ohchr.org)

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International Development Minister James Wharton reaffirms UK support for refugees in Uganda as Africa’s largest refugee hosting nation.

During the week that famine has been declared in some parts of South Sudan, Minister Wharton saw the life-saving impact of UK aid in Uganda when he visited a centre where refugees are registered and longer term refugee settlements near the border with South Sudan. Uganda now hosts over one million refugees, with the vast majority from South Sudan.

With five million people in neighbouring South Sudan facing the threat of going without enough food and almost 2,400 people every day being forced to flee their homes from devastating conflict and cross the border into Uganda, the UK’s support is getting urgently needed food, water and medicine to those in desperate need.

Minister Wharton met with women and children at Impevi refugee centre and Rhino settlement area in Northern Uganda, who have been displaced by the horrors of war and sexual violence. He heard about the challenges of getting life-saving humanitarian aid to those who need it.

In 2016, the UK’s support to refugees in Uganda has provided:

• food for 650,000 people including 45,000 children
• shelter for 56,250 people
• blankets, water containers and sanitary towels for 64,000 people and
• vaccinated 210,000 children.

International Development Minister James Wharton said:

"South Sudan faces an urgent and severe humanitarian crisis with almost half the population in desperate need, which impacts on the whole region. The first famine for six years has now been declared and the threat of starvation and ongoing violence is forcing over one million people to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring countries like Uganda."

“Uganda is now home to more refugees than any other country in Africa, and I was proud to see first hand that lives are being saved every day with the UK’s support. Alongside this, Uganda has one of the most progressive refugee policies in the world, where refugees are given land, jobs and integrated into communities, giving people fleeing conflict hope for the future.

“The UK will continue to play a leading role in helping encourage the longer-term stability of both South Sudan, Uganda and the broader region.”

Minister Wharton also met with British businesses in Uganda and the Ugandan Minister for Trade Amelia Kyambadde to discuss further trade and investment opportunities which will boost economic development and help the poorest stand on their own two feet, while also benefiting UK companies.

As set out in DFID’s Economic Development Strategy, UK support is helping Uganda and other countries industrialise faster, trade more and create new and productive jobs for its growing young population.

On a trip to a local family planning clinic in Kanyogoga, a settlement in Kampala, the Minister met people who are benefiting from a UK-aid supported programme that is increasing access to quality family planning services in Uganda, where half of the population of is under 15 and women have, on average, six children. Family planning is an integral part of planning for Uganda’s future.

“The hardest day was when I first arrived in the camp. When I first started teaching here, we had just two tents for all the children and no supplies.”

Life for teachers like Babaganesha in the Lake Chad Basin hasn’t been easy for the last few years. The conflict has had a huge impact on the already fragile education systems of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Thousands of schools have been closed, damaged, looted, set on fire or used to shelter displaced persons, mostly in North-East Nigeria and Cameroon.

Many teachers fear to return to the classroom and parents are often scared to send their children back to school. Insecurity and attacks have kept thousands of children out of the classrooms for more than a year, putting them at risk of dropping out of school altogether.

And yet education is an essential ingredient for a lasting solution to the crises in Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin. In times of crisis, education can offer a child stability, protection and the chance to gain critical knowledge and skills, and having good teachers in place is a key part of this.

Babaganesha and Haruna were both teachers before the crisis began, but life as a teacher became increasingly fraught as Boko Haram’s violence continued. Schools and teachers were often in danger of becoming a target themselves.

Babaganesha was forced to flee his home in Monguno after Boko Haram insurgents arrived in his town. After hiding from the militants for almost two weeks, surviving on his limited supply of food and water, he was able to escape under cover of darkness and make the 275km journey to find his family in Maiduguri. The journey was incredibly difficult, but being reunited with his family and getting back into the classroom has given him a renewed focus and hope for the future.

When Babaganesha first arrived in the camp the situation was very different to now. Supplies were radically limited, and many of the children, still dealing with the trauma they’d experienced, were either unable to concentrate in class or not coming to school at all.

“Sometimes you may be explaining something to one of the children, but you can tell their mind is elsewhere, thinking about what happened to them” says Haruna.

The teachers also take their work outside the classroom, speaking to parents of children who are out of school in an effort to convince them of the benefits of education.

“We try to tell them, to convince them, and some do cooperate. But for some families, education is not a priority. They’re busy trying to find food, or finding a way to return home” says Haruna.

While it may be difficult, both the men believe that, with education, their students can begin to deal with the trauma they experienced and begin to rebuild their lives.

UNICEF has helped nearly 90,000 children across north-east Nigeria back into education. When no existing school rooms are available, UNICEF sets up safe, temporary learning spaces.

“As long as we give them education, they will forget all that happened. If they concentrate and work hard I believe they are going to have a good choice in life” says Babaganesha.

Education can protect and guide children who have risked everything in search of safety, and provide them with a path to a brighter future. Without access to education, children face exclusion.

Le Réseau de systèmes d’alerte précoce contre la famine (FEWS NET) surveille les tendances des prix des aliments de base dans les pays vulnérables à l'insécurité alimentaire. Pour chaque pays et chaque région couvert par FEWS NET, le Bulletin des prix fournit un ensemble de graphiques indiquant les prix mensuels de l’année commerciale en cours pour certains centres urbains, et permettant à l’utilisateur de comparer les tendances actuelles à la fois aux moyennes quinquennales, qui indiquent les tendances saisonnières, et aux prix de l'année précédente.

L'Afrique de l’Ouest peut être divisée en trois zones agro-écologiques ou en trois bassins commerciaux (bassins de l’ouest, bassin du centre, bassin de l’est). Les deux sont importants pour l'interprétation du comportement et de la dynamique du marché.
Les trois principales zones agro-écologiques incluent la zone Sahélienne, la zone Soudanaise et la zone Côtière où la production et la consommation peuvent être facilement classifiées. (1) Dans la zone Sahélienne, le mil constitue le principal produit alimentaire cultivé et consommé en particulier dans les zones rurales et de plus en plus par certaines populations qui y ont accès en milieux urbains. Des exceptions sont faites pour le Cap Vert où le maïs et le riz sont les produits les plus importants, la Mauritanie où le blé et le sorgho et le Sénégal où le riz constituent des aliments de base. Les principaux produits de substitution dans le Sahel sont le sorgho, le riz, et la farine de manioc (Gari), avec les deux derniers en période de crise. (2)
Dans la zone Soudanienne (le sud du Tchad, le centre du Nigéria, du Bénin, du Ghana, du Togo, de la Côte d'Ivoire, le sud du Burkina Faso, du Mali, du Sénégal, la Guinée Bissau, la Serra Leone, le Libéria) le maïs et le sorgho constituent les principales céréales consommées par la majorité de la population. Suivent après le riz et les tubercules particulièrement le manioc et l’igname. (3) Dans la zone côtière, avec deux saisons de pluie, l’igname et le maïs constituent les principaux produits alimentaires. Ils sont complétés par le niébé, qui est une source très significative de protéines.
Les trois bassins commerciaux sont simplement connus sous les noms de bassin Ouest, Centre, et Est. En plus du mouvement du sud vers le nord des produits, les flux de certaines céréales se font aussi horizontalement. (1) Le bassin Ouest comprend la Mauritanie, le Sénégal, l’ouest du Mali, la Sierra Leone, la Guinée, le Libéria, et la Gambie où le riz est le plus commercialisé.

(2) Le bassin central se compose de la Côte d'Ivoire, le centre et l’est du Mali, le Burkina Faso, le Ghana, et le Togo où le maïs est généralement commercialisé. (3) Le bassin Est se rapporte au Niger, Nigéria, Tchad, et Bénin où le millet est le plus fréquemment commercialisé. Ces trois bassins commerciaux sont distingués sur la carte ci-dessus.

Insecurity forces relocation of 28 aid workers from famine-hit Mayendit

(Juba, 28 February 2017): A week after localized famine was declared in parts of South Sudan, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Eugene Owusu, has appealed to all parties to ensure immediate, safe and unhindered access across the country.

“The people of South Sudan are suffering beyond measure,” said Mr. Owusu. “The famine that was declared last week represents only the most extreme tip of the iceberg of needs in this country. To avert further catastrophe, it is imperative that humanitarians are able to act swiftly and robustly. I implore all parties to this conflict to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law, place the plight of the people first, give aid workers unfettered access, and protect civilians.”

Mr. Owusu’s call follows a series of recent events which have hampered humanitarian operations and placed civilians at risk. Since late January, clashes on the Western Bank in Upper Nile have caused tens of thousands of people to flee Wau Shilluk and surrounding areas. Humanitarians remain deeply concerned regarding the safety of these civilians, many of whom are now in Kodok and Aburoc. In Jonglei, clashes have reached new locations in recent days, causing civilians to flee. During the chaos, humanitarian compounds were looted by armed actors and community members. In Central Equatoria, aid workers were denied access last week to key locations outside of Lainya town, where tens of thousands of people in need have not been reached with aid in months. And most recently, 28 humanitarians were forced to relocate from Mayendit County, Unity - one of the two counties hit by famine - this past weekend due to insecurity.

“I welcome His Excellency the President’s reassurance last week that all humanitarian organizations will have unimpeded access to needy populations across the country,” said. Mr. Owusu. “Time is of the essence, and lives are in the balance, so it is critical that these words be translated into concrete actions on the ground immediately.”

Insecurity and lack of access have left some 100,000 people facing starvation in parts of South Sudan where famine was declared on 20 February, and a further one million are on the brink of famine. By the height of the lean season in July, it is expected that some 5.5 million people will be severely food insecure across the country. Since December 2013, about 3.4 million people have been displaced, including nearly 1.9 million people who have been internally displaced and about 1.5 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries. Humanitarian organizations are urgently appealing for funding to respond to the escalating crisis, with US$1.6 billion required to provide life-saving assistance and protection to some 5.8 million people across South Sudan in 2017.

For further information, please contact:

Frank Nyakairu, nyakairu@un.org/+211 922 4060 12

Guiomar Pau Sole, pausole@un.org / +211 920100411

OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org/south-sudan or www.reliefweb.int.

Le Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD) et ses partenaires se réunissent à Oslo, en Norvège, ce vendredi 24 février 2017, pour prendre part, avec un sentiment d'urgence accru, à la troisième Conférence humanitaire internationale sur la situation au Nigéria et dans le bassin du lac Tchad. Un appel de fonds de 1,5 milliard de dollars est lancé pour subvenir aux besoins urgents de 8,2 millions de personnes vivant dans les zones touchées à travers quatre pays, le Nigéria, le Niger, le Tchad et le Cameroun.

En tant qu'organisation qui fonde son action sur la connaissance du terrain, le PNUD est fermement convaincu qu'une réponse globale est la meilleure approche susceptible de résoudre les crises en cours, tout en tenant compte des besoins spécifiques de chaque pays.

Le PNUD estime que toute solution viable doit être élaborée sur la base de la reconnaissance du rôle historique joué par le bassin du lac Tchad en tant que carrefour centenaire sur les routes commerciales du Sahel reliant la côte atlantique à la mer Rouge.

Les observateurs admettent volontiers que cette crise a été négligée de façon flagrante. Ses conséquences pourraient affecter l'intégrité sécuritaire, économique, environnementale et institutionnelle du Nigéria, du Cameroun, du Niger et du Tchad.

Boko Haram a déjà fait plus de 35 000 morts et quelque 1,8 million de déplacés dans le nord-est du Nigéria.

Plus de 10,7 millions de personnes ont un besoin urgent d'assistance humanitaire et la famine aurait touché 65 000 âmes. Ce chiffre pourrait s'élever à 120 000 en cours d'année.

Au Cameroun, 200 000 personnes ont été forcées de fuir leur foyer et près de 3 millions d'individus devraient avoir besoin d'aide humanitaire cette année.

Ces facteurs sont aggravés par la tragédie environnementale du lac Tchad. Les variabilités climatiques combinées aux prélèvements d'eau ont entraîné le rétrécissement du lac, dont la superficie a diminué à moins d’un vingtième de sa taille en 1963. Il en résulte des écosystèmes dégradés, des pénuries d'eau, des mauvaises récoltes, des pertes en bétail, une chute des prises de poissons, une augmentation de la salinité des sols et, par conséquent, un accroissement de la pauvreté.

Le PNUD ainsi que les institutions des Nations Unies et les organismes humanitaires présents sur le terrain se trouvent en première ligne de la réponse et ont intensifié leur coordination à cet effet.

Ils ont collectivement fourni une aide efficace et coordonnée en appui au rétablissement du gouvernement et de la population dans le nord-est du Nigéria, notamment au cœur de la région touchée par la crise, à Maiduguri, capitale de l'État de Borno.

Le conflit dans le bassin du lac Tchad met en évidence le résultat de nombreuses années de négligence et d'occasions manquées pour le développement, dans une région stratégique dont le modèle économique historique a été perverti pendant la période coloniale.

Pour cette raison, le PNUD invite à se garder de limiter la réponse internationale aux seules préoccupations humanitaires immédiates. De même, il convient d'éviter de ne prêter attention qu'à la seule dimension sécuritaire de la crise.

(Interview : Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, Directrice adjointe du Bureau pour l'Afrique, Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement ; propos recueillis par Jérôme Longué)

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.

Sorghum, millet, white maize, and local and imported rice are the most important food commodities. Millet is most heavily consumed in the eastern and northern regions of the country. Local rice is another basic food commodity, especially for poorer households. Imported rice and white maize are most commonly consumed in and around the capital. The Marché d'Atrone in N’Djamena, the capital city, is the largest market for cereals. Moundou is an important consumer center for sorghum and the second largest market after the capital. The Abéché market is located in a northern production area. The Sarh market is both a local retail market and a cross-border market.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.

Millet, maize, and sorghum are the most important food commodities for household consumption. Millet is the staple of the most vulnerable households, while maize and sorghum also contribute to the food basket of a majority of all households. Sankaryare market is the largest and most important market in Ouagadougou and supplies other markets within the country and region. Koudougou is located in one of the most populated areas in the country, where a majority of households depend on the market for their food needs. Djibo is in the highly vulnerable Sahelian zone. Pouytenga is an assembly market for products from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, and Togo. Solenzo is a rural market located in the middle of a surplus production zone. Bobo Dioulasso is important center for both consumption and production – it functions as both the economic capital of Burkina Faso and is located in an important cereal production zone.

Des perspectives alimentaires dans l’extrême nord dépendantes de l’évolution des prix du bétail

MESSAGES CLÉS

• Nonobstant des récoltes globalement en-dessous de la moyenne, les ménages pauvres dans l’extrême nord du pays continuent d’avoir une consommation alimentaire habituelle, basée essentiellement sur leur production. Jusqu’à avril, ils ne sont pas contraints à des stratégies atypiques pour l’accès à leur alimentation et vivent une insécurité alimentaire aiguë Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC).

• Les activités maraichères, présentement en pleine effervescence à la faveur de la disponibilité de l’eau, constituent une alternative de revenu pour les producteurs en leur permettant ainsi d’éviter de brader leurs céréales juste après les récoltes. Tout en procurant des emplois aux ménages les plus pauvres, elles permettent également de renforcer et diversifier l’offre des produits maraichers sur les marchés qui sont moyennement approvisionnés en céréales à des prix dans l’ensemble similaires à ceux de la moyenne quinquennale.

• Dans l’ensemble du pays, les marchés à bétail restent caractérisés par la morosité de la demande Nigériane. Dans l’extrême nord du pays, les marchés subissent en outre, le contrecoup des attaques terroristes récurrentes entrainant ainsi la chute des prix des animaux et la réduction du pouvoir d’achat des ménages notamment les plus pauvres. Dans les tout-prochains mois, la dépendance au marché, habituellement très forte, va encore se renforcer et leur accès à l’alimentation sera réduit du fait de la faiblesse de leur pouvoir d’achat et ils auront une insécurité alimentaire aigue Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) d’avril à septembre

Insécurité alimentaire de Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) dans la vallée du fleuve Niger

MESSAGES CLÉS

• La hausse de la production de céréales de 35 pourcent par rapport à la moyenne présage d’une disponibilité en céréales moyenne à supérieure à la moyenne dans la plupart du pays de février à septembre 2017. Cependant des poches de baisses importantes de production à cause des inondations, de la sècheresse et des déprédateurs sont à signaler par endroits dans la bande du fleuve des régions de Mopti, Tombouctou et de Gao et dans le Sahel occidental.

• L’accès des ménages aux denrées alimentaires se maintiendra dans l’ensemble grâce à la disponibilité moyenne desstocks, le niveau des prix proches ou légèrement en hausse par rapport à la moyenne quinquennale et les termes de l’échange chèvre/céréales favorables aux éleveurs.

• L’insécurité alimentaire minimale devrait se détériorer en Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) à cause du recours atypique des ménages des zones de riz de submersion de Mopti, Tombouctou, Gao aux stratégies de réduction des dépenses non alimentaires et alimentaires pour satisfaire leurs besoins alimentaires. Il en sera de même pour les ménages pauvres victimes des inondations, de la sècheresse notamment dans le Sahel occidental et la zone des lacs de Goundam.

• Des ménages très pauvres localisés dans les zones à anomalie citées ne pourront satisfaire leurs besoins alimentaires pendant la soudure de juin à septembre qu’en ayant recours à des stratégies de réduction du volume de repas et dépendre de l’aide. Ces ménages qui ne valent pas 20 pourcent requis pour changer la phase d’une zone seront en situation de Crise (Phase 3 de l’IPC).

Seules des poches de la zone agropastorale seront en situation de Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC)

MESSAGES CLÉS

• L’échec des cultures de décrue a accentué le déficit de production dans la zone agropastorale. Dans le reste du pays, l’évolution des cultures céréalières (riz, blé, et sorgho) et maraichères laisse encore espérer des productions annuelles proches de celles d’une année moyenne.

• Les conditions pastorales restent globalement satisfaisantes au niveau national et assureront l’alimentation du cheptel jusqu’en juillet si les feux de brousse sont circonscrits et rapidement éteints. Les transhumances internes inscrivant dans leurs itinéraires et leurs calendriers d’une année moyenne. Les misesbas et les productions laitières seront moyennes jusqu’en septembre.

• Les marchés sont bien approvisionnés en denrées alimentaires importées (riz, blé, farine de blé, pâtes alimentaires, huile, sucre, légumes) par des importations régulières et des flux transfrontaliers maliens, sénégalais et marocains dynamiques. L’offre commerciale saisonnière en céréales traditionnelles (sorgho, mil, mais) reste cependant inférieure à celle d’une année moyenne du fait de la baisse de la production locale.

• Une insécurité alimentaire Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC) sera observée jusqu’en septembre, dans la majeure partie du pays. Toutefois dans l’ouest (Tagant, Assaba, Gorgol et Brakna) et dans l’est (Hodh Chargui) de la zone agropastorale, des ménages pauvres sont déjà en situation de Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC). Ils sont affectés soit par de faibles productions agricoles annuelles doublées d’un déficit de protection de leur cheptel, soit par une concurrence qui limite leurs revenus malgré l’augmentation de leurs ventes.

MIDDLE EAST

Syria

In March, Council members expect to receive briefings on the humanitarian and political situation in Syria as well as on the use and production of chemical weapons.

Key Recent Developments

Efforts persisted to establish a mechanism to monitor the nation-wide ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that started on 30 December 2016. Following 23-24 January talks in Astana, Turkey and Russia, joined by Iran, decided to establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire. At a 31 January briefing by Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, Council members welcomed the talks, but some expressed concerns over the risk of having a parallel political process if there was not adequate coordination with the UN’s mediation efforts. At the request of some of these members, a press statement drafted by Russia, released after the Council meeting, included language regarding ceasefire violations and the continued need to secure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access across Syria.

A technical meeting to establish the mechanism to monitor the ceasefire took place in Astana on 6 February with the participation of Russia, Turkey and Iran. The US and Jordan also participated, and UN representatives did so in an advisory role. A second meeting on 16 February also included representatives of the Syrian government and opposition groups. After the meeting, the guarantor countries agreed to a concept note for a joint group as part of the trilateral mechanism to observe the ceasefire, share information regarding the investigation of violations and promote confidence-building measures such as the release of detainees and abductees.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), a Riyadh-based opposition umbrella group, announced a 21-member unified opposition delegation comprising representatives of political and armed groups, as well as one representative each from the opposition groups based in Cairo and Moscow (which are tolerated by the Syrian government). However, these groups refused to be part of the HNC delegation and participated separately. Despite the circulation by Russia of a draft constitution for Syria at the first meeting in Astana, de Mistura has repeatedly stressed that the agenda for the Geneva talks is resolution 2254, which provides for the establishment of credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, and sets a timeline and process for drafting a new constitution and holding free and fair elections within 18 months. At press time, the parties were expected to start discussing the issues of substance after a few days focusing on procedural matters.

Although the ceasefire is largely holding, several violations have taken place since it went into effect. Government airstrikes against rebel-held areas, including in the vicinity of Damascus, persisted despite a formal request by Russia to the government of Syria to “silence the skies” in the areas covered by the ceasefire during the Geneva talks. Despite the overall improvement in the security situation, OCHA head Stephen O’Brien stressed in a 22 February Council briefing how the ceasefire has not resulted in an increase in humanitarian access. According to a 16 February report by the Secretary-General, not a single inter-agency cross-line humanitarian convoy planned for January was deployed that month.

Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield has continued its counter-terrorism operations, with support from Russia and the US, against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),taking control over the northern town of al-Bab on 23 February. The presence of terrorist groups such as ISIL and Tahrir al-Sham (the latest iteration of the Al-Qaida-affiliated Al-Nusra Front), which are considered legitimate targets by the terms of the ceasefire, has been claimed to justify government attacks in places such as Dara’a, Idlib and Homs. The Syrian Democratic Forces (which include the Kurdish armed group YPG) have made progress against ISIL’s stronghold Raqqa, but it remains unclear whether the US will continue providing the same level of support to their operations under the new administration.

On 24 February, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Kim Won-soo, and the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), Virginia Gamba, briefed Council members on efforts to re-establish the full operational capacity of the JIM, which is expected to be reached in March, four months after the renewal of its mandate.

Since mid-December 2016, led by France and the UK, Council members have been negotiating a draft resolution seeking to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the Syrian government and linked to the use of chemical weapons against its own population in three cases where responsibility was established by the JIM. In early January, Russia circulated another draft resolution noting the decrease of allegations of use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government and placing emphasis on their use by non-state actors. Following the release of a report by Human Rights Watch claiming that coordinated chemical attacks occurred in rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo in November and December 2016, France said on 14 February that it was time for the Council to act on this issue. At the consultations on 24 February, France and the UK, joined by the US as a co-penholder, announced that they were aiming at putting the draft to a vote before the end of the month. Russia, which has repeatedly opposed punitive measures against the Syrian government, reiterated its scepticism regarding the conclusions presented by the JIM, questioned the body of evidence on which they were based and announced that it would veto such a draft. On 28 February, the draft was put to a vote, receiving nine votes in favour, three abstentions and three against (including from veto-wielding Russia and China).

Human Rights-Related Developments

During its 34th session in March, the HRC is set to hold a high-level panel discussion on the human rights situation in Syria as mandated by HRC resolution 33/23. It will also hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria to discuss its most recent report (A/HRC/34/64).

Key Issue

Six years since the start of a war that has exacted a death toll approaching half a million, left 640,000 living under siege and displaced half of the Syrian population, including 4.86 million refugees, the essential issue for the Council is to exert effective leadership in supporting a cessation of hostilities and efforts to reach a political solution.

Options

The Council has many tools at its disposal—such as imposing an arms embargo or targeted sanctions, referring Syria to the International Criminal Court or authorising a no-fly zone to deter Syria from using its aerial capacity—but P5 divisions have made it impossible for the Council to fulfil its role in maintaining international peace and security in the case of Syria.

Council members could, both individually and collectively, step up efforts to ensure that the government guarantees humanitarian access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas.

Council members may organise an Arria-formula meeting with the Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

Council and Wider Dynamics

Council members’ engagement in the Syrian political negotiations has been limited to following the lead taken by key actors outside the Council. This was the case with the adoption of resolution 2336 on 31 December 2016, which was tabled by Russia and Turkey. In this context, Council members have made efforts to ensure that the initiative by Russia and Turkey reinforces and does not undermine the UN mediation, which is guided by resolution 2254 and the June 2012 Geneva Communiqué, endorsed in resolution 2118. Some Council members have expressed doubts about the Syrian government’s willingness to compromise in peace talks on a genuine transitional governing body, given its recent military victories.

Some Council members questioned the timing of the vote on the draft resolution imposing sanctions for the use of chemical weapons. However, the P3 stressed that efforts to ensure accountability should not undermine a political process, even when it was clear that the draft would be vetoed.

Following public expressions of support for the establishment of safe zones by the new US administration, on 3 February, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, stressed that the current situation does not allow for the planning of zones safe enough for the protection of civilians and the return of refugees; he emphasised that the investment of international efforts should be focused on reaching a political solution. Syria has also rejected this proposal. So far, no discussion in this regard has taken place in the Council.