“People’s sense of security is at a low point in almost every country, with six out of seven around the world feeling insecure,” she said.
The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since World War II, she said, with a quarter of humanity living in war zones – triggering severe human suffering, exacerbating poverty and food insecurity, and denying millions of people access to education and health care.
“It limits people’s ability to fulfill their potential and contribute to society,” said the deputy UN chief.
Conflict and poverty are closely intertwined – Deputy UN chief
Obstacles abound
Before that COVID-19 Pandemic, conflict-affected countries lagged behind UN development goals, with projections suggesting that by 2030 more than 80 percent of the world’s extreme poor would live in fragile and conflict-affected countries.
“In other words, conflict and poverty are closely linked. The pandemic has only made this dire situation worse,” she said.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has not only devastated the lives of Ukrainians, but also aggravated food, energy and a global financial crisis.
“If we look at the middle of the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, we see that our current progress is way off track,” she said.
Over 200 million more have fallen into poverty since the pandemic began; another 820 million people starve; the rights of women and girls continue to be trampled on; the global financial system is failing developing countries; and economies cannot serve their citizens.
This Challenges “threaten our peaceful coexistence”she marked.
Dangerous Consequences
Lack of development breeds grievances, corrodes institutions and allows hostility to thrive, she continued.
“The triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution not only threatens our environment. It also threatens to unleash destructive forces that drive wedges in our societies, undermine social cohesion and fuel instability,” said Ms Mohammed, calling on the Council to push for more sustainable development to secure peace, now and in the future.
Women attend literacy classes at the local school in Umm al Khairat, East Darfur, Sudan – supporting inclusive, sustainable development.
peace that lasts
Peace must be built on “a foundation of inclusive, sustainable development.”
With prevention and peacebuilding at the core, she said that “the New Agenda for Peace will provide a unique opportunity to articulate a shared vision of how Member States can come together to address these challenges.”
It will identify national prevention and peacebuilding priorities and direct international community support towards national violence reduction
remark that “all Member States are at risk‘ She said, ‘all governments must be ready to take action to address grievances and prevent violence’.
She underscored the importance of inclusion, particularly for the under-represented but also in the social, economic and political life of each country, saying that it leads to public support, greater legitimacy and strengthened social resilience – all risk factors that can lead to war.
“Human rights are of central importance New agenda‘ the deputy UN chief said, adding that they were ‘not only right’ but smart.
Exclusion of women and young people
In the meantime, Women remain excluded from all levels of decision-making and the funding of their organizations is declining – when military spending increases.
We must “stop the erosion of women’s rights and ensure gender equality” to build and maintain peace, she stressed.
Regarding youth, Ms. Mohammed recalled her role in promoting peace, security and stability and urged specific regional and national frameworks for youth engagement in peace-building.
In addition, she urged the council to host an annual debate on youth, peace and security as a platform for dialogue with youth-led civil society and young peacemakers.
The Peacebuilding Fund supports activities to prevent election-related and political violence, particularly against women, in Haiti.
Peacebuilding Architecture
The senior UN official stressed the importance of peacebuilding and urged ambassadors to make better use of the Peacebuilding Commission by incorporating “prevention and peacebuilding lenses” into their work.
Noting that investment in peacebuilding would promote sustainable peace worldwide, Ms. Mohammed commended the 2022 General Assembly resolution Funding for Peacebuildingas “essential” for building societal resilience.
And spotlight rated posts for the Peacebuilding Fundreminded her that it remains “the UN’s leading instrument for investment in peacebuilding and prevention.”
“We cannot allow crises – of which there are many – to divert resources from these core efforts,” she concluded.
Master diverse challenges
Acknowledging the growing obstacles to sustaining peace, Peacebuilding Commission Chairman Muhammad Abdul Muhith said it was “essential” to improve the capacity of individuals, societies and nations to meet “the specific challenges of our time.”
He praised the UN Our common agenda Report as a reiteration of the need to “increase support for national peacebuilding priorities and the importance of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and youth involvement in peacebuilding processes”.
Mr Muhith reiterated the call for “adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for peacebuilding” going forward.
