Libya, Myanmar, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (23 December 2021)

The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "Libya, Myanmar, Sudan & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (23 December 2021)"
The topics: Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Libya - Myanmar - Sudan - Yemen - Venezuela/Chile - Philippines - Financial Contribution - Briefings LIBYA Stephanie Williams, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Libya, noted that yesterday, the High National Elections Commission in that country announced that despite its technical preparedness, it is unable to meet the 24 December 2021 date set by the political roadmap for national elections. Ms. Williams calls upon the concerned institutions to honor and support the will of the 2.8 million Libyans who registered to vote. To contribute to a solution of Libya’s political crisis and to durable stability, she said, presidential and parliamentary elections must take place in the appropriate conditions, on a level playing field among all candidates to peacefully end the political transition and transfer power to democratically elected institutions. The Special Adviser said that the current challenges in the electoral process should in no way be instrumentalized to undermine the stability and progress which has been achieved in Libya over the past 15 months. She strongly urges relevant institutions and all political actors to focus on the electoral process and on creating the political and security conditions to secure the holding of inclusive, free, fair, peaceful and credible elections, whose outcome will be accepted by all parties. MYANMAR The Secretariat is aware of the announcement on 20 December by the de facto authorities in Myanmar informing of their decision to end their hosting of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar on the basis of Christine Schraner Burgener ending her tenure as Special Envoy. The agreement for an in-country presence of the Office of the Special Envoy was reached with the Government of Myanmar in 2018. In continuation of the commitment of the United Nations to support the people of Myanmar and promote peace, the recently appointed Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, hopes to obtain a first-hand understanding of the situation on the ground and listen carefully to all stakeholders with a view to mobilizing greater international support towards a Myanmar-led process to end the ongoing crisis. This is in line with calls by the Security Council for all parties to exercise utmost restraint and seek a peaceful solution through constructive dialogue and practical reconciliation in the interests of the people and their livelihood. In this respect, the in-country presence of the Office of the Special Envoy will remain important and Special Envoy Heyzer looks forward to strengthening cooperation with all stakeholders in Myanmar. SUDAN On Sudan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, said she is gravely concerned about the situation in the country following reports of sexual violence and sexual harassment perpetrated against women and girls by the security forces during demonstrations in Khartoum this past Sunday, 19 December. Ms. Patten said she has deep concerns about credible reports of serious human rights violations, including the use of rape and gang rape of women and girls to disperse protesters who had attempted a sit-in. She demanded the immediate and complete cessation of all human rights violations and abuses including sexual violence. She also called on the authorities to take effective measures to ensure ease of access to medical, legal and psychosocial support to the survivors, and put in place accountability mechanisms to prevent recurrence of such violence, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. Ms. Patten also echoed the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ call for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment. Also on Sudan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) noted that children were among those injured and raped in the weekend protests. It called on all authorities in Sudan to protect all children from all forms of violence and harm, including during conflict and political events. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=23%20December%202021


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