"PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS"

A five-day forum set up by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to build trust for an inclusive government in Western Equatoria brought together government officials, religious leaders, women, and youth, all of whom converged in Yambio to make their voices heard and deliberate on governance, economy and services delivery. UNMISS

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, opened a youth conference on the future of youth political participation held on 16-17 June in Mogadishu. UNSOM

The Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Helen La Lime, said it was imperative that local, parliamentary, as well as presidential elections take place as scheduled in the fall of this year and called on all Haitian stakeholders to “urgently set aside their differences, askew their narrow interests and work together to tackle the protracted political, structural and social issues that hinder the country's progress.” UNIFEED

The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Bintou Keita, condemned the “proliferation of messages inciting hatred, violence and hostility between communities in several provinces of the country,” according to a spokesperson. UNIFEED

The insecurity in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, an oil rich and agricultural potential area, ravaged by a six years civil war, then followed by a fragile peace, is currently undergoing a difficult transition from war to a sustainable, durable peace. UNMISS

A five-day joint military exercise between UNIFIL peacekeepers and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) using live ammunition concluded on Friday in an open field south of UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura. The “Steel Storm” drill, led by UNIFIL’s Force Commander’s Reserve (FCR) and conducted between the two forces twice a year, involved armored assets, machine gun and small arms live fire. UNIFIL

Following a closed briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Central African Republic (CAR) Mankeur Ndiaye, the Security Council issued a statement that “strongly condemned ongoing human rights violations and abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law in the Central African Republic and stressed the need to bring to justice the perpetrators.” UNIFEED

The Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), François Louncény Fall, said the recent developments in Chad “have underlined the interlinkages between the security situation in that country and the security situation in the subregion,” adding that the security dynamics in neighbouring countries “could negatively affect the internal dynamics in Chad.” UNIFEED