Latest news with #UNMission
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Islamic Day for Women: Iraqi leaders rally to protect women's rights
Shafaq News – Baghdad At the annual event marking the Islamic Day for Combating Violence Against Women, Iraq's top leadership and the UN Mission issued a unified call for action to address violence against women, pledging legislative reforms, institutional support, and societal mobilization. President Abdul Latif Rashid emphasized the growing threat gender-based violence poses to Iraqi society, blaming years of political instability, terrorism, and unchecked social media narratives for eroding the structure of Iraqi families. 'Iraqi women have suffered marginalization under successive regimes,' he said, referencing coercive practices like forced marriage and legal disenfranchisement. He highlighted the recent amendment to Iraq's Personal Status Law (No. 188 of 1959), enacted in January 2025, which grants women the right to choose the religious legal code applied in marriage contracts. Rashid urged the Sunni and Shiite religious endowments to expedite the release of comprehensive codes protecting women's and children's rights and called on parliament to pass the draft law establishing a national authority for women's empowerment. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reaffirmed the government's strategic response, citing broad reforms and targeted support. 'More than 576,000 women are now covered under Iraq's social protection system, including over 165,000 female-headed households,' he said, adding that more than 50,000 women in the private sector are enrolled in social security. Al-Sudani detailed the launch of multiple national frameworks, including the National Strategy for Women (2023–2030), the updated National Strategy to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls, and Iraq's third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (2025–2030). He also confirmed the expansion of government-run women's shelters in four provinces, with more underway, and promised to present a formal report to the UN Human Rights Council in November. Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani focused on the trauma inflicted on Yazidi women during ISIS's 2014 offensive. 'What happened was not just a crime against them, it was a conspiracy against Iraq itself,' he said. 'We failed to protect them, and we cannot forgive ourselves until those responsible seek their pardon.' UN Secretary-General's Representative in Iraq, Mohamed El Hassan, echoed calls for decisive action. 'If the family is the foundation of society, then the woman is its strongest pillar,' he stated. He described ongoing patterns of violence and exclusion as 'systemic' and widespread across Islamic societies, urging both Iraqi institutions and international partners to uphold women's rights as a cornerstone of national stability. Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement (Al-Hikma), used the occasion to unveil a grassroots initiative, 'My Family, My Nation,' encouraging Iraqi women to reclaim their roles as anchors of societal cohesion. 'Whether homemakers or professionals, Iraqi women are the backbone of our identity,' al-Hakim said, urging women to find strength through family care, cultural values, and national responsibility. The initiative aims to deliver training, psychological support, and educational outreach to help women balance domestic duties with public life, while promoting open dialogue on family unity and shared responsibilities between spouses. Al-Hakim called on civil society, media, educational institutions, and the state to back the effort. 'Together, we can build a nation rooted in compassion, wisdom, and shared strength—where the role of Iraqi women is not just preserved, but elevated,' he concluded.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
South Sudan - From ashes to action: United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) drives grassroots efforts to build peace in conflict-torn Warrap
'We are not just numbers. We are the ones losing our homes, being raped, watching our children suffer.' Awut Mabior is a mother and community leader in Warrap, one of the states in South Sudan most heavily impacted by intercommunal conflict. For too long, she has watched women carry the weight of war in silence. Now, she is speaking out, not just in sorrow but with strength - the strength of women who are still standing, still hoping, and still calling for justice. 'It's women and children who carry the worst pain in this conflict. That's why we're begging the government and peace partners to come and see our plight, listen to us, and help us.' The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has heard her call, offering a glimmer of hope in a region where too many families have endured the sounds of gunfire and the pain of sudden loss. The peacekeeping mission has launched a new project to help equip local communities with the skills and tools to better protect themselves by preventing conflict, resolving grievances, and building peace. The project, which will be delivered by Community Initiative Development Agency, includes establishing 10 community-based protection networks to help the government and security services respond quicker and more effectively to emerging threats. It will also build the capacity of civil society members to monitor the security situation and human rights abuses, provide early warning of violence to enable rapid responses, promote reconciliation among warring communities, and engage with local authorities and security services. 'The aim is to help strengthen protection of civilians, enhance accountability mechanisms for past atrocities, and create a safe and open civic space where communities can actively engage and participate in governance, policy and decision-making processes,' says the UNMISS Head of the Warrap Field Office, Anastasie Mukangarambe. The project also includes providing psychosocial support, access to basic services, and a platform for displaced people returning to the area to share their experiences and find healing together. 'We're working to protect civilians from violence and to help returnees get back on their feet, especially those who've come home with nothing. We also want to open the civic space; so that citizens, especially community organizations, can be part of the decisions that affect their lives,' said Gabriel Pap, from the Community Initiative Development Agency. The challenges are multiple and immense in this area, which is plagued by deadly cattle raiding, revenge killings, a lack of basic services, economic crisis, influx of refugees from the Sudan war, and severe flooding which has displaced around 500,000 people. For those living with disabilities, the struggle is even more invisible. When violence erupts, they are often the ones left behind—without shelter, without protection, and without a way out. 'When the fighting starts, we can't run. We have no way to escape, 'says William Deng Nhial, a disability rights advocate. 'Just last month, one of our members was shot and killed in his shelter. No one came. No one warned us.' Representing state authorities, Benson Bol Yak says enough is enough. 'We know who is suffering. It's the elderly, the women, the children, people who have nothing to do with the fighting. Why should their homes be burned? Why should they be killed?' he says. 'This project must reach every single person who needs our help.' In South Sudan, where conflict has written too many chapters of pain, this new project may not erase the past, but it does open a new page. One where people are not just victims, but agents of change. Where voices long ignored are finally heard. And where hope, fragile as it may be, is once again possible. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Asharq Al-Awsat
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemen Urges End to UN Mission Overseeing Hodeidah Agreement
Yemen's internationally recognized government has called for the termination of the United Nations mission tasked with overseeing the 2018 Hodeidah Agreement, just days ahead of a UN Security Council vote on whether to extend its mandate for another six months. The government accused the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) of legitimizing Houthi control over Red Sea ports and failing to prevent the group from exploiting the area militarily and politically. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said in a statement that UNMHA has 'become a burden and an enabler of Houthi dominance,' offering political cover for their military presence and 'blackmail' tactics. UNMHA was established under Security Council Resolution 2452 in January 2019 to monitor the Stockholm Agreement, which included a ceasefire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah and a mutual redeployment of forces from the city and its three ports—Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa. Six years on, Eryani said, the mission has failed to deliver any tangible results. 'Not militarily, not economically, not even humanitarian-wise,' he said. 'The developments on the ground have outpaced the mission.' He called on the Security Council to end what he described as 'international mismanagement' that undermines Yemen's sovereignty and hampers efforts to restore state institutions. Accusations of Bias and Inaction Eryani accused the UN mission of failing to uphold the core tenets of the Stockholm Agreement. While government forces redeployed as required, he said, the Houthis refused to comply and instead reinforced their military positions, smuggled in weapons and fighters, and continued rocket launches from within the city. Despite these violations, the minister said, UNMHA 'remained silent.' He also criticized the mission for becoming a 'political shield' for the Houthis, enabling the group to consolidate military and economic control across western Yemen. Eryani claimed that since late 2018, UNMHA has failed to monitor or verify redeployment, enforce the ceasefire, or reduce the visible armed presence in Hodeidah. Hostage to Houthi Restrictions In 2022, the Yemeni government formally requested that the UN relocate the mission's headquarters to a neutral location, citing increasing Houthi restrictions. Eryani said the Redeployment Coordination Committee - set up under the agreement -has not convened since 2020, and that the Houthis continue to occupy UNMHA offices and housing facilities, turning the mission staff into 'hostages to the group's pressure and extortion.' The minister also criticized the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM), saying it failed to prevent weapons smuggling through the ports or to reopen roads between Hodeidah's districts. He added that the Houthis have not transferred port revenues to the central bank for civil servant salaries as stipulated in the Stockholm Agreement. 'War Machine Financed Under UN Watch' Eryani accused the Houthis of using the ports to finance their war machine. Citing government estimates, he said the group collected more than $789 million in port revenues between May 2023 and June 2024 - none of which was used to pay salaries or improve public services. Instead, he claimed, the funds were directed toward military efforts and buying loyalty, exacerbating the suffering of local populations. He also charged that the UN mission ignored repeated Houthi violations, including missile tests from the ports and attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. 'The Houthis have turned Hodeidah into a safe haven for Iranian and Hezbollah experts, a hub for assembling drones and missiles, and a corridor for arms smuggling -all under the nose of the United Nations,' Eryani said. US Signals Support for Ending Mission In a recent Security Council session, the United States implicitly endorsed Yemen's position. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea described the UN mission as 'paralyzed' and said it no longer reflects the situation on the ground. According to the Council's agenda, members will vote on Monday at 10 a.m. New York time on a draft resolution to extend UNMHA's mandate until January 28, 2026. Eryani urged the international community to take 'a firmer stance' and shut down the mission, arguing that it now poses an obstacle to peace efforts and prolongs the humanitarian crisis. 'The Yemenis are not the only ones paying the price for the mission's failure,' he said. 'So is the region - and the world.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN mission in Libya urges immediate de-escalation in Tripoli
TRIPOLI (Reuters) -The U.N. Mission in Libya urged on Wednesday all Libyan parties to avoid actions or political rhetoric that could trigger escalation or renewed clashes in Tripoli, following reports of continued military buildup in and around the city. Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah ordered in May the dismantling of what he called irregular armed groups, which was followed by Tripoli's fiercest clashes in years between two armed groups that killed at least eight civilians. "The Mission continues its efforts to help de-escalate the situation and calls on all parties to engage in good faith towards this end ... Forces recently deployed in Tripoli must withdraw without delay," the U.N. Mission said on social media. A Tripoli-based Government of National Unity under al-Dbeibah was installed through a U.N.-backed process in 2021 but the Benghazi-based House of Representatives no longer recognises its legitimacy. Libya has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted longtime autocrat Muammar Gaddafi. The country split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, though an outbreak of major warfare paused with a truce in 2020. While eastern Libya has been dominated for a decade by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army, control in Tripoli and western Libya has been splintered among numerous armed factions.
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UN mission in Libya urges immediate de-escalation in Tripoli
TRIPOLI: The UN Mission in Libya urged on Wednesday all Libyan parties to avoid actions or political rhetoric that could trigger escalation or renewed clashes in Tripoli, following reports of continued military buildup in and around the city. Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Al-Dbeibah ordered in May the dismantling of what he called irregular armed groups, which was followed by Tripoli's fiercest clashes in years between two armed groups that killed at least eight civilians. 'The Mission continues its efforts to help de-escalate the situation and calls on all parties to engage in good faith toward this end ... Forces recently deployed in Tripoli must withdraw without delay,' the UN Mission said on social media. A Tripoli-based Government of National Unity under Al-Dbeibah was installed through a UN-backed process in 2021 but the Benghazi-based House of Representatives no longer recognizes its legitimacy. Libya has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted longtime autocrat Muammar Qaddafi. The country split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, though an outbreak of major warfare paused with a truce in 2020. While eastern Libya has been dominated for a decade by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army, control in Tripoli and western Libya has been splintered among numerous armed factions.
